It’s getting wild before it ends!

Today is the last day with Jan Raymond, but before we leave her to write another thrilling story, there is still one chapter left of her spin off…and…a surprise! So, here we go!

CHAPTER 7

It was a month since Seb had returned and the wedding was only a couple of weeks away. His dad and Maya’s mom were getting married and there was a lot to do. Maya, the ultimate planner had his work cut out for him, as soon as he’d recovered. Cassie had been assigned the task of helping Seb and making sure that he carried out all his tasks. He wasn’t complaining. He looked forward to each day, as he got to spend most of it with Cassie.

He still hadn’t said anything to her, because though he remembered that she hadn’t left his side when he was recovering. He didn’t know whether it was out of concern, or if she felt anything more. In truth, his entire team had refused to leave him when he was recovering, so he just didn’t know.

When he had been running, he had promised himself that he would tell her how he felt about her, the moment he saw her again. But now, he was scared to ask. He was scared to find out that she didn’t feel the same way about him. He didn’t think he could bear it. He wanted to laugh at his predicament. He’d always been in the opposite side of these situations.

The wedding day dawned bright and clear. The event was taking place at one end of the endless grounds on which his mansion stood. There was a pretty gazebo there, and Maya had decided that the backdrop of the sun setting behind the gazebo, would be the perfect setting for the ceremony. His orders that day were simple. To get ready, and get his dad to the gazebo on time, which he proceeded to do efficiently.

He stood beside his dad as the music started, heralding the arrival of the bride and her entourage. He turned and his heart somersaulted. Maya had picked shades of lavender and mauve for the bride and bridesmaids. Cassie was walking down the aisle, looking ravishing in a deep lavender gown, her freckled shoulders bare, her hair braided with flowers, tendrils framing her face. She looked up, saw Seb, and gave him a radiant smile.

Seb found it difficult to focus on the ceremony. He looked up at Cassie every few seconds, till he felt a mental jab in his head.

‘Stop fidgeting and concentrate,’ said Maya, in his head. ‘You can look at Cassie all you want, later.’ How did she know? He looked up at Maya, reddening.

She smiled mischievously back at him and sent another thought, ‘You really thought I wouldn’t know? Now, concentrate.’ She gave an imperceptible nod towards their parents. His blush deepened and he looked away.

It was a lovely ceremony and Maya had outdone herself with the party planning. The evening went by in no time and Seb realised that he hadn’t got to dance with Cassie yet. Each time he’d looked for her, she’d been dancing with someone else. He searched the crowd and found her in someone else’s arms again. He sighed.

‘Mate, go on, cut in,’ said Ryan’s voice, softly.

‘Does everyone know?’ Seb asked, baffled.

‘Just the ones who care about you,’ replied Ryan, with a grin.

Seb pushed his way through the crowd and tapped the shoulder of the boy who was dancing with Cassie, who reluctantly let go of her. Seb pulled her close as the band struck up a slow number, and they waltzed in silence. Cassie was resting her head on Seb’s chest, and he was sure that she could hear his heart racing as he held her in his arms.

‘Have I told you how beautiful you look today?’ he whispered into her hair.

‘Only about a million times,’ replied Cassie softly.

‘So, how come you haven’t jumped down my throat and asked me to shut up yet?’ murmured Seb.

Cassie raised her head and looked up at Seb. She smiled. ‘Because, I like you too,’ she replied.

Seb felt his heart stop and he stared at her, in disbelief. ‘What did you say?’

‘You heard me,’ she said shyly.

Seb stopped mid-step, still looking dazed. ‘How… when… I… ?’ He seemed lost for words. And then he smiled back at her, a brilliant, happy smile and pulled her closer.

‘Of course, I get it. I’m like one of the few good looking blokes that you know and I …,’ he stopped and stepped back, shaking his head. ‘Damn it, woman, you’ve done it. You’ve actually made me speechless.’ They both laughed.

‘Do you want to lose this crowd and take a walk?’ asked Seb. Cassie nodded, beaming.

They walked through the brightly festooned gardens, silently. Finally Seb couldn’t take it any longer. He stopped and turned towards Cassie, who looked up at him questioningly.

‘I have to get this off my chest. I have to know. Those few weeks away, all I thought of, was you. Getting back to you. I don’t know when you became so important to me, but I love you,’ he paused, his heart beating fast, waiting.

Cassie stepped up on tiptoes and softly pressed her lips against Seb’s. ‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘Sam will tell you what a wreck I was when you were missing. That was when I realised how much I cared about you. That I love you, too.’

She laughed as Seb caught her by the waist and swung her around. He felt deliriously happy.

‘Seb, you’re making me dizzy. Stop!’ He put her down and enveloped her in a tight hug.

‘You’re mine, Cassandra Johnson. I’m holding on to you and never letting you go,’ he said, before bending down to kiss her.

Oh, wow, what a great way to end a spin off and leave us yearning for more! Thank you, Jan!

After reading Jan’s books you might wanna jump into another great indie story. Here are some of Jan’s favorites. Happy reading!

Shadow over Avalon by C.N. Lesley

One of my favorite stories growing up was King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The author has taken this timeless tale and given it a brilliant new twist. The storyline is intricate and complex, and one gets drawn into the two entwined stories. A boy looking for his origins and a girl trying to survive!

The plot unwinds spectacularly, and the author manages to keep the book fast paced and exciting, while developing her characters. The strengths and weaknesses of each character are explored. You feel pity for those that circumstances changed for the worse and sadness for those who got affected by the change. I love her style of writing, it kept me glued to the book.

A reunion, betrayal, survival and promises of new adventures to come and new possibilities to explore! C.N.Lesley ends her book on a note of suspense, leaving us waiting to know what happens next. Applause for the author on her own timeless tale!

Club Number Five by Jennifer loiske

I love vampire stories and the Twilight series killed it for me. Thanks Jennifer Loiske for penning a great vampire story, and for bringing me back into the fold. Club Number Five(Immortal Blood) is an entertaining, funny, first person narrative had me hooked from the beginning. The main character is kick ass and her confusion and desperation about what a vampire can do and cannot do is funny and engrossing.

As Samantha makes her journey through the vampire world, trying to find answers, she has some hard and nasty decisions to make. She also has to worry about the safety of her family and friends as she struggles to transform. A rather intriguing love triangle! The author leaves us with a twist at the end, with a cryptic clue for Samantha to work out.

I’m dying to know what happens next! An action packed book and a well deserved five stars!

Charlie’s Pond by C.L. Heckman

This is Samantha’s story. It is moving, gripping and horrifying. What do you do when you grow up in a dysfunctional family and don’t know anything different? C.L. Heckman has brought Sam alive and whether you had a family that was like hers or not, you relate to her pain, because somewhere, at some point in your life, you have felt some of the pain. The agonizing part is that underneath all the anger and pain, she still loves her family and just wants to be loved back. She wants that moment by Charlie’s Pond again.

Right through the book, every time she sees the good in Charlie, you hope that this is it. This is when Charlie changes, and this is when it all gets better. The character of Sam and her feelings have been written with such insight that you feel her. You want to reach out and hug her and give her the strength to say Stop! And walk away. An amazing book, Chris and an incredible experience! I thank you!

Jaded Rein by A.G.Chambers

Jaded Rein is a thrilling dystopian book that introduces us to a future with a new twist. After reading many dystopian novels, one would imagine that a new one would be a rehash of an old concept. Delightfully, A.G.Chambers has created a whole new concept that is novel and interesting.

Jade, the strong and independent protagonist of Jaded Rein heads a team of DPs or Dopplegangers that are a part of this dystopian future, each gifted with an incredible ability and are well trained physically and mentally. Rein is a strong and sexy DP, whom Jade adds to complete her team. She has her hands full trying to integrate this new entrant into her team, while trying to control her growing attraction to him.

Dealing with a nightmarish childhood and the demons that haunt it, while trying to neutralize a national crisis, Jade’s story keeps you glued to the book. There are surprise twists around every corner and it all comes together in a thrilling finale. An exciting book, from a brilliant young author and a must read!

Mateguas Island by Linda Watkins

The synopsis of the Mateguas Island was enough to intrigue me. Paranormal is one of my favorite genres, be it a book or a movie (I hope this gets made into a movie – it will be brilliant!) This has been one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It would take pride of place on my bookshelf, and would be one of those books that I would read more than once.

The storyline is full of suspense and very believable. The story is woven around the lives of Bill and Karen and their twins. They have recently moved to Mateguas Island and are trying to work on their relationship while getting used to a new lifestyle. Things get complicated as the couple gets pulled into situations that they have no control over. They have to fight the demons inside them and those outside, while trying to keep their children safe. Linda Watkins has explored feelings and relationships while maintaining the excitement and pace right through. I read this book in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. The plot would appeal to most people and trust me, you will not regret having picked it up. Thank you Linda for a wonderful read!

Luck of the Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer

This book was a masterpiece. There are so many reasons to why I say that, I don’t even know where to begin. But I’ll try! The amount of research that the author must have done to paint such a vivid picture of Eastern Europe in the 1930s-40s is mind boggling. To make the telling of historical events so interesting that it doesn’t bore you, is remarkable. The characters come alive in the pages, with each one evoking a different response at different points of the book. From young love to despair, from jealousy to acceptance and understanding, it’s a roller coaster ride of emotions. Hate them, love them, but they become a part of you.

Stories of the Holocaust always evoke strong emotions in me, and The Luck of the Weissensteiners did something that few books do. It moved me to tears. Christoph Fischer brings out the tragedy that was, something that can never be wiped away, through the eyes and emotions of his characters and it overwhelms you. Thank you for a wonderful experience! It is a moving and passionate story!

The Universe Builders by Steve Lebel

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Steve LeBel has a witty, tongue in cheek humour that keeps you entertained throughout. I can honestly say that I found it very hard to put this book down, and that was not only because the story was enchanting, but just to enjoy more of Steve’s wit. The Universe Builders reminds me a tad of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I really do think Steve would have done a better job than Eoin Colfer on the sequel. Just saying!

The book is what the name implies. It’s about Gods who build universes. In fact, I’ve, always somewhere deep inside, had this theory that life is just a big chess game to God. Sometimes he wins, and sometimes he makes a wrong move, and sometimes he loses. I’m not sure who he’s playing with. But Steve LeBel has taken that thought a step further and actually created a world where Gods live and create their universes. He brings out so cleverly that to them, it’s just a science project, while its life and death for us. I highly recommend this book and I just hope that everyone finds it as pleasurable an experience as I did. A brilliant book! Thanks for whisking me away to a magical place even if it was only for a short time, Steve!

Aww…I’m honored to be on your list, Jan.

For those of you who made it through all posts and to here, I have a special surprise! I will give 5 Kindle copies of Jan Raymond’s Circle of Five! All you have to do is comment here or email me: jenniferloiske(at)gmail(dot)com

Random. org will be picking the winners for me and I will announce them on next week here on my blog!

Thank you everyone for being a part of this fun week!

Cheers,

Jen x

P.S. Here are Jan’s links, just in case you missed them 🙂

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/jan_raymond_cof

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jan-Raymond/479876962116637?ref=hl

CIRCLE OF FIVE: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-of-Five/228557627318055?

ref=hl

GRAN-SDUR: https://www.facebook.com/GransdurTheGames?ref=hl

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7817816.Jan_Raymond

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Raymond/e/B00IKG6J9M/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1