Hacienda Moon Blog Tour: excerpt, review and giveaway

INDIE AUTHOR OF THE MONTH: KaSonndra Leigh

An excerpt from Hacienda Moon:

Crowds, noise, loudspeakers, coffee smells: words to describe Raleigh-Durham’s airport. There wasn’t much difference between New York’s JFK and North Carolina’s RDU. Well, not where noise and crowds were concerned. An airport was still just another way of transporting someone from one life-changing situation to the next. And Tandie’s journey was about to begin all over again in a small town located about twenty minutes away from where she grew up.

At the conveyor belt, she picked up her two bags and headed toward the rental-car section. With her head pounding from jet lag, Tandie took the keys from the woman behind the counter and mentally practiced her driving route. Turning, she collided with someone. Her handbag fell to the floor, scattering the contents.

Ready to offer a chunk of her tired mind, she opened her mouth to complain, but stopped right away. Her victim was a man. This wasn’t just any man, though. He stood at least six-feet-tall, and had gorgeous dark hair flopping over a ridiculously handsome face. Dressed in a dark-blue shirt and gray cargo pants, the man knelt right away.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, collecting Tandie’s items which included tampons and sanitary napkins of all things to drop.

Their eyes met. His hazel-green ones took in her features with one glance. Her stomach flipped as if she were a young girl flirting with a cute guy. And something hitched in her chest, teasing her with a vague memory.

His muscular frame made him seem as if he could crush Tandie’s dainty little bag with one good squeeze. His strong facial features, full lips, and dark olive skin made him look Hispanic.

Damn he’s sexy!

Tandie concentrated on returning her things to the bag. If she were quick, then maybe he wouldn’t see her embarrassing stuff. Too late. He’d already picked up her little green Always bag and placed it back in the satchel without even flinching.

Cringe and die, won’t you?

“I’m such an ox,” he said.

“You’re not the clumsy one. I should watch where I’m going,” Tandie said, still too embarrassed to look at his face. She was aware of him staring at her, even though she couldn’t figure out why he was doing it.

Tandie’s face flushed. Even her golden-brown skin must’ve turned crimson. Standing up quickly, she stepped on the edge of her pants and stumbled backward. Her unintentional hero caught her with ease, steadying her body. What else would she add to her clutz list? She’d probably do something stupid like slip up and grab his crotch by accident next.

“Thanks. Again, I’m really sorry,” Tandie said and moved around him.

“Wait. Can I carry your bags for you? It’s the least I can do,” he said in a voice to match his looks.

“No. I’ll be fine, thanks.” Tandie scurried off toward the rental car garage. Behind her, she felt him watching as she walked away.

Hacienda Moon by KaSonndra Leigh

Paranormal romance*Paperback, 280 pages

Published July 28th 2012 by The TriGate Group (first published July 27th 2012)

Love, obsession, and betrayal, the most powerful human emotions, are spun together in this gothic novel. Tandie Harrison is a police medium who has just suffered a divorce after losing both her psychic visions and her daughter in a car accident. When she leaves New York City to start a new life near her hometown, she moves into the alluring plantation house, Chelby Rose, and falls for its charismatic caretaker, Eric Fontalvo. Their burgeoning affair ignites a centuries old curse, ensnaring them in a web of danger, deceit, and intrigue. Soon Tandie learns that in placid Bolivia, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. 

Hacienda Moon is a seductive tale of one woman’s journey to confront the demons of her past and find the courage to face her future. It is a mesmerizing novel that explores the deepest depths of human nature, and the characters will hold and haunt you long after you have read the final chapter. 

About the Author: 

KaSonndra Leigh

Website / Facebook / Twitter

KaSonndra Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She now lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. Her two sons, aka the X-Men, have made her promise to write a boy book next. 

She holds the MFA in creative writing, and loves to play CLUE, Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora's Box (good writer's block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. 

Hacienda Moon has all of the right ingredients of a gothic novel: a Southern town (this time in North Carolina), a big old plantation house, a mysterious young man, a strong heroine, ghosts and a family curse. Add in reincarnation and soulmates to the bunch and I'm raising my hand, wanting a copy to read. Hacienda Moon is an interesting and gripping read. Narrated by Tandie, a psychic who worked with police to solve crimes has lost the gift of sight after a car accident, and Eric, a contractor who is hired to work on Tandie's rental house, Chelby Rose. These two are drawn to each other and there is a reason: they're reincarnated lovers. But Eric is hesitant to get close to Tandie for fear of his family curse. 

The beginning was slow moving and I expect that in a gothic mystery. The story did take off and some of my thoughts on were the story was headed were tested and proven wrong a few times. KaSonndra does a wonderful job of expressing feeling and emotion in her characters. I also enjoyed how the house became a character in its own way. Some of the ghostly inhabitants were creepy but I did marvel at Tandie's naivete at encountering some ghosts. If their clothing is old-looking I don't think they're living. Tandie and Eric were a very romantic couple and their story made me a believer of KaSonndra Leigh's talent to weave an engrossing tale. When it's not angels, it's ghosts, witches, and creepy houses. What else can we expect from this author?

Rating: 4 Liked it

Cover comment: This cover works for me. Tandie looking off, Eric, the moon and the plantation house. Grabs my attention.

Book source: I received an e-arc from the author in exchange for my honest during a blog tour.

Giveaway:

We are offering one winner an autographed paperback copy of Hacienda Moon. This contest is open for residents of the US.

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