From the Heavens comes a hero who will take your breath away.
Reese Whittaker dreams of falling for a man who shares her love of archeology and ancient civilizations. But being attacked by a horde of demons and rescued by a Sumerian God—a well-armed, gorgeous Sumerian God—opens up a whole new world she never knew existed. And awakens a mysterious power within her that attracts all kinds of supernatural attention.
Dagan, son of the Air-God Enlil and a Time Walker, is sworn to protect the human race in general, and one young woman in particular—Reese. He’s not the only one mysteriously attracted to her powerful life force. Underworld leader Kur craves it for the untold power it will give him to strike a blow at the deities of Dilmun.
Dagan is forbidden by law from interacting with Reese, but from the moment he sees her, the fury—an intense sexual need for bonding—blinds him to all the rules. Should the pantheon discover he has fallen for a human, the punishment could mean suffering beyond imagining for him…and death for her.
Excerpt
The weather broke and a blanket of snow fell hard from the dismal clouds. Through random flakes, Reese Whittaker thought she saw two shadows by the building up ahead, but when she blinked, they disappeared. An eerie chill snaked up her spine.
She’d just left her archeology team at The Bistro. The back street had a couple of food places crowded with patrons and an occasional car drove by looking for a good parking spot. Music drifted from the pub on the corner every time someone opened the door, and two winos on the stoop were having a heated debate about fish.
She stopped at the corner before crossing the street. Even though this wasn’t the hub of the city, Friday night brought out its share of party-goers and drunks, those who would not be paying attention to a lone woman stepping into the street.
Something buzzed past her ear and the speed limit sign next to her pinged, as if being hit with a rock. Before she could react, a large male body flew through the air and tackled her to the ground.
Reese couldn’t breathe. Every rock-hard inch of him pressed against her. She struggled, but her arms were held tight by his well-muscled chest. Was she being mugged? Would he waste time lying on top of her if he were a purse snatcher? Oh,God! Maybe he’d drag her behind the nearest dumpster and rape her, then leave her lying in the garbage ravaged or dead.
With a rush of adrenaline, she vowed she wouldn’t go down without a fight. “Get off me!” She tried to scream but couldn’t suck enough air into her lungs with him lying on top of her.
“Are you hurt?” His deep voice whispered softly in her ear.
Was he kidding? “A total stranger jumped on me and is crushing me into the cold pavement,” she managed in staccato breaths.
His stubble scratched her cheek as he turned to look back the way she’d come from. Wicked chills congaed up her body.
She struggled again. “Get the hell off me!”
His jaw clenched as if he were warring with himself. Deftly jumping to his feet, he held out a hand to help her up. She grabbed it and he jerked her flush against his body with hard impact. Reese immediately stepped back but he still held her wrist. He reached down and picked up something from the street to examine it.
“Excuse me,” she said, jerking the wrist still in his grasp.
He ignored her.
Mr. Personality was tall, at least six-four, dressed in black jeans, a black turtleneck and a leather duster that barely reached his calves. He had a strong jaw and high cheekbones. In the dark, she couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but his body was lithe, solid muscle. He had a wild, dangerous look like Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon movie.
“What is that?” She leaned closer to get a better look.
The stranger held some kind of dart between his fingers. “This is a melari.”
“A melari?”
Her attacker gritted his teeth and shoved the object in his pocket. “Come on,” he mumbled and started across the street, dragging her with him.
“Let me go,” she yelled and tried to disengage her wrist from his grip. She raised her foot to kick him, but he side-stepped it, and she almost toppled over because he kept moving.
“Stop fighting me, woman, unless you want to die.”
That statement hit her like arctic water on a winter day. “Don’t hurt me,” she pleaded.
He stopped and glared at her. “I am not going to hurt you. I am here to protect you.”
He had a funny way of showing it. “Protect me from what?”
Exasperation laced his sigh. “From the death squad that’s after you.” He pulled the dart from his pocket and waved it in front of her face. “What do you think this is for?”
She narrowed her gaze on him. A hormonal surge of courage pumped through her veins. “I don’t know what that is, but the only thing I’ve seen threatening around here is you.” She couldn’t be sure but she thought she heard him growl.
An aura of danger surrounded him. He moved like a graceful predator, and oozed raw sexuality. Her mouth suddenly went dry at that thought. She needed to find a way to get away from this he-man. Her attacker palmed the object and hid it away.
The sound of a car backfiring jolted her. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her behind him. “Shit,” the stranger said and touched his hand to his shoulder. “Which one is your vehicle?”
Reese saw blood seeping into his coat. No dart caused that wound, someone was shooting bullets at them.
Another gunshot pierced the night and shattered the window of a nearby car.
She screamed.
The stranger turned to her. “Which one, dammit?”
“That blue one there.” She pointed to her Chevy Malibu.
Courage and strength poured from him along with his blood. They ran for her car, with him right on her heels. He grabbed the keys out of her hand. “Get in.”
“Hey!” she protested, until a dart whizzed very close, banging into the car door.
Without another word, Reese scrambled into the passenger side as he revved the engine to life. The minute she was in, he slammed his foot down on the gas and sped away.
Professional Reviews
Love Romances & More
THE FURY is the first book of a wonderful new series from author Sloan McBride called Time Walker. Full of intriguing characters, fast paced storyline and simmering sexual tension, this is an author who leaves you on the cusp of something wonderful with each page until the climatic ending is revealed. With each page, the reader is propelled into a world of gods & goddesses, demons, and the warriors charged with keeping humanity safe. Ms. McBride is a delight to this reviewer and her captivating characters really give you an idea of what is in their hearts and souls.
Meet Resse Whittaker, an archeologist who has had dismal luck in the romance department lately. When she finds herself knocked down by tall, dark and sexy, she thinks she is either going to die or should thank him for saving her. That is until he opens his mouth to order her about and frankly, Reese doesn’t care how cute his butt is, she refuses to take orders from this man who doesn’t tell her anything and seems to talk in riddles. Dagan is charged with protecting Reese from the Demon stalking her but what he doesn’t expect is her lush curves or the way her eyes beg him to do many naughty things. He doesn’t understand why she won’t obey him and man, do sparks fly when these two butt heads. Ms. McBride definitely intrigues the reader with her alpha male hero and her spunky heroine and you really feel the sexual sparks that build between them. I was enthralled from the beginning and was rooting for Reese to take Dagan down a peg or two with his high handedness.
THE FURY is a wonderful new addition to any library and you won’t be disappointed as this is one author you truly can delight in. I just hope Ms. McBride doesn’t keep us hanging for the next installment of the Time Walker series. Run, don’t walk, to grab your copy and get transported to a place where hunky alpha males butt heads with the feisty women who can turn them on their toes.
Reviewed by: Dawn
Rating: 4 Hearts
Literary Nymph
The Fury is the first release in an exciting new paranormal series, Time Walker, by Sloan McBride. This entertaining story mixes ancient myth and legend with contemporary life, turns old concepts of Babylonian and Sumerian cultures and history on its ear, and comes up with new and intriguing ideas that race this story forward at breakneck speed. It’s clearly written, with great background descriptions that never feel like an information dump, instead leading the story often in a new and surprising direction.
There have been times in the past when I’ve read a book that interjects words that I needed to refer to the provided glossary to understand, but Ms. McBride didn’t leave me feeling the need to stop what I was doing, to refer to its definition. No, instead the flow here is smooth, giving me a story understanding that I appreciated, without being preachy or long-winded.
As far as I’m concerned the pacing for this story is perfect, leading the reader on a rollercoaster thrill ride of demon fighting, cultural understanding and the blossoming of new and forbidden love. Reese is a little hard-headed and reckless considering that demons are out to kill her, but that doesn’t make her less likable…and Dagan…he’s a hunk. Get out a fan for their love scenes because the sexual tension only gets hotter the longer they’re together. Add in great secondary characters, and you have all the things needed to propel this wonderful series into the future. I look forward to the next release. Read and enjoy!
Reviewed by: Mystical Nymph
Rating: 4.5
Bitten by Books
Reese Whittaker is an archeologist, who thrills at ancient history, but she never expected to be bowled over by it. Or for another being from the past to want her dead. What makes her so special? Does she trust the man who awakens her body?
Dagan is a pure blood Time Walker. A child born of two Gods who walks the time lines to keep humans safe. When he comes across a human who is the direct descendant of another God, he is drawn irresistibly to her. Is he willing to risk both of their lives for the chance for love?
Dagan searches the timelines looking for the Galla, or minions of Kur, the Lord of the Underworld. When he comes across a strong signal of them after a human he breaks the rules to save her. What he doesn’t expect is for the fiery female to be more than a match for him, in every sense of the words.
I absolutely love the fact that the unfamiliar words are explained as you go and the glossary is at the front of the book. That one point started my excellent impression of The Fury . It continued to rise with the first page. The story started off with a bang, grabbed my attention and never let go. It is a fast paced, highly erotic tale that I just couldn’t put down. I love the fact that Reese is strong and earthy. She is not afraid to admit when she is scared, but keeps pushing forward anyway. Her spunk is very endearing. And Dagan is hotly alpha male even in his “me man, you woman” phases. While the transition between characters viewpoints was not always smooth, it did not detract from the storyline. I was impressed with the first book of Ms. Sloan’s Time Walkers series, and hope the next instillation comes soon.
Reviewed by: Nicole
Rating: 4-1/2 Gravestones
Nobleman's son, Todd Ramble, returns home after years abroad and finds himself falling in love with his step-sister, who was now a grown woman. Unfortunately their love is brutally challenged by his tyrannical father.
