EXCERPT of in Between Seasons by Cassandra Giovanni

In Between Seasons by Cassandra Giovanni

Title: In Between Seasons

Author: Cassandra Giovanni

Series: The Fall #1

Genre: YA post-apocalyptic romance

Blurb:

At eighteen there is one thing Kate Ericson is certain of—the world is at war and has been since she was two years old. That was when her father pulled her family and a group of close friends to a God forsaken place in the middle of nowhere. For Kate there is no escape from the sea of lies she is drowning in until her world collides with Hunter Marks—the son of her father's biggest opponent. An opponent that Kate didn't even know existed. What Hunter kidnaps Kate for, and what her family will try to kill her to keep secret, is a knowledge that she doesn't have. Now Kate’s innocence seems to becoming undone at the seams of reality. Hunter then finds himself fighting the hopelessness that is creeping into the edges of her heart as she learns more about the corruption that has devoured their lives. As Hunter and Kate forge a strong and unique relationship it becomes clear that their love is something that the bureaucracy never expected, and that Hunter's father will do whatever he can to destroy it. Hunter believes he must sacrifice love in order to teach Kate that the world's deadliest weapon is her. Hunter and Kate will have to find the strength to rise above a deception that is so great, even the ones who created it don't realize its depth.

In Between Seasons is a new kind of post-apocalyptic novel, one that focuses on the characters and uses the lack of understanding of a corrupt world as the backdrop to shape them into who they are as people.

Excerpt:

“I guess you don’t have to sleep with stinky old me tonight,” I observed as I tried to keep my tone controlled.

 “Nope, you can take a shower and not smell anymore,” Hunter retorted, and I tried not to notice that he hadn’t said we weren’t sleeping in the same bed. I wasn’t sure if it was an invitation, but I knew I was blushing at the thought.

“Yeah, as if you’re just a bushel of roses,” I teased as I tried to stop my brain.

“My sweat smells sexy,” Hunter commented with a smirk as I flopped on one of the beds. I couldn’t help but stare as he lifted his shirt off and tossed it in the pile to be washed. I had known he had defined muscles just from the way he looked in a t-shirt, but without his shirt on was a whole different story. His chest was defined in a way that almost left me breathless and his stomach was flat with a slight definition of the individual muscles that lead to his striking hip bones.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a guy without a shirt on?” He teased with a slight, yet painful smirk.

I stood and stepped forward in the silence. 

“What are these from?” I asked, placing my hand on a large scar on his chest and looking at the many more that marred his perfect body.

He placed his hand over mine as he bowed his head, his eyes darkening. His Adam’s apple rose and fell before he managed to speak, “I told you war wasn’t glorious.”

“I thought generals only gave the orders.”

He shook his head again, his skin hot against mine, “I’ve fought on the front lines. I’ve killed too many people without a thought. My hands are permanently covered in blood.”

“War leaves its mark on everyone,” I said, looking into his eyes as the whole world blurred around me.

“I’ve killed a lot of people Kate, and these marks are all I have to show for it,” his hand tightened around mine, “The more you know about me the less scared you seem to be when you should hate me and run away as fast as you can.”

“Is that it? You think I’ll hate you if I know who you really are?” I replied our faces inches apart.

“You should…”

“I won’t. No matter what you tell me…I won’t.”

His eyes dropped, “You can’t know that.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t know what I’ve done,” he said closing his eyes and taking a deep breath his hand still tight over mine, “I don’t even know why I’ve done the things I’ve done. I’ve done them because I was told to. I could have killed you…”

“But you didn’t Hunter. It shows that you are still a good person. I don’t understand these wars…or what they are about--” I began.

“I wish I could explain to you what they are about, but I can’t because I don’t know. My father and your father shared the same opinion about whatever happened—that forming a tribe, and their own personal armies was the only way to stay safe—to keep what they thought was theirs,” Hunter sighed, “but I never had to go along with it…I should never have gone along with it.”

“You’re a victim of these wars. You did what you had to do. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done Hunter. You are who you are,” I reassured him as my heart raced It felt as though our bodies were magnetically charged, reaching for each other subconsciously.

“Being a victim is only an excuse that we use to justify our own cruel actions. I’m a beast, Kate. Everyone sees it but you,” his eyes searched mine for a realization that would never come.

“Hunter, you’re not a beast, and I will never be able to see you that way no matter what you tell me,” I clarified, my breath catching in my throat and the words coming out breathless.

“Why?”

I bit my lip and looked away, “You’ll never understand what you saved me from.”

“I could Kate, if you would only let me in,” he pushed, and our eyes met again as his other hand went to my face. I jumped away before the heat of his palm could set in, as I heard the basement door open.

“Did I interrupt something?” Collin asked, his glasses rising as he looked between Hunter and I.

About the Author:

Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Just One Cup, in the Spring of 2013.

Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company's photography. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

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www.cgiovanni.com

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