Meet Rue Channing. She's just the witch to finish what her ancestors started. Rue the Slay (Laurel Haven Witches) Paranormal Women’s Fiction by ReGina Welling Book Release Tour with Giveaway
Meet Rue Channing. She's just the witch to finish what her ancestors started.
Rue the Slay
Laurel Haven Witches Book 1
by ReGina Welling
Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction
Three hundred years ago, four witches went into the forest to cast a spell of protection against the evil creeping into their town but they were too late.
Today,
Rue Channing never sees it coming, and she should because seeing is
her special power. Still, who would have expected to be kidnapped and
hauled off to a small coastal town in Maine?
But that is
exactly what happened. Now, Rue, a lover of order and strict
routines, is dragged out of her comfort zone and into a new life in
the small, coastal town of Laurel Haven.
Things could not
be worse, she thinks, until she meets the man next door and decides
they could. Ry McFadden is the most infuriating man on the planet.
He’s a study in contrasts; grumpy yet generous, intensely private,
but somehow open. Rue can’t think what to do with him, except she
can, and that just makes things worse.
The problem is, Ry
McFadden just might be part of Rue’s destiny as she learns she’s
been brought to Laurel Haven to finish what her ancestors started.
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Excerpt from Rue the Slay
“Excuse me. I don’t think that area’s for paying customers.”
The man’s voice sounded like Alan Rickman and Benedict
Cumberbatch had a baby but without the British accent. He could read me a
bedtime story, Rue thought as the deep tones shivered across the air.
“No worries. I’m not planning to pay for anything.”
“Get back here,” he called out when she took another step.
Dismissing that, Rue waggled her fingers over one shoulder
but kept going and caught Tansy pulling another sheet of cookies out of a
professional oven that Rue knew damn well she couldn’t afford. How much debt
had Tansy racked up in a single morning?
Still, the scents of sugar and butter set Rue’s stomach
grumbling. “You’re hired if you want the job. I have no idea how to run a
bookstore, but if you stay on, I guess we’ll figure it out between us, so I’d
like to make it official. Providing we don’t go out of business in a week
because I can’t afford the stock or that stove. Or the ingredients in those
cookies come to that.”
Grinning—did the woman ever not smile?—Tansy did a little
two-step, bobbled the cookie sheet, then set it on the stainless worktable.
“Not to worry. We’ll talk about the finances later.” With practiced speed, she
transferred warm cookies to a lined display tray. “I have a customer waiting
for these.” Picking up the tray, Tansy headed out, leaving Rue to follow.
“You mean Mr. Grumpy?” She kept her voice low since Tansy
was nearly out of hearing distance anyway. The woman moved like lightning.
“They’re still warm,” Tansy was saying when Rue came up
behind her. “You came in at just the right time.”
Mr. Grumpy turned a million-watt smile on her and accepted
the cookie Tansy offered, but his expression hardened when he turned toward
Rue. “I’m not sure how they do things where you’re from, but in Laurel Haven,
customers know enough to stay on this side of the counter.”
“Oh, but—“
Rue cut Tansy off. “I’m glad to hear it, but I believe I’ve
already mentioned I’m not a customer. My name is Rue, and this is my shop, so
if it’s okay with you, I’ll go anywhere I please.”
“You’re one of…them.” He nodded toward Tansy. “That explains
some things.” His hazel eyes searched her face as if looking for validation of
something she didn’t quite understand. He offered his hand when she came out
from behind the pastry case. Steeling herself for what she might see, Rue took
it. It wouldn’t bode well for her business if she ran off potential customers.
Even ones like him.
The vision of him armed with a sword, his eyes blazing
black, and riding a dark horse through misty woods slid across Rue’s mind,
bringing with it a bone-deep sense of recognition. Here was the figure that had
haunted her most romantic dreams come to life.
“I suppose I am,” she said.
“Then, I guess I’m your new neighbor. I live upstairs.”
“You have more than that in common.” After popping two
cookies in a bag, Tansy joined them.
“I can’t imagine what,” Rue muttered. This man was clearly
an outlaw of some sort. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have seen what she’d seen. He
certainly looked the part with dark hair falling recklessly over his furrowed
brow, eyes narrowed, and lips that might have been kissable if they weren’t set
in a stern line. Even annoyed, Rue had to admit, he packed a hell of a punch.
He wasn’t Rue’s type at all. Not one little bit.
Grinning, Tansy made the introductions by pointing and
naming them in turn. “Ry. Rue.”
Okay, now Rue understood. They lived in the same building
and had names that sounded sort of similar. As far as common ground went, she
figured theirs was roughly the size of a postage stamp. The man put her hackles
up even when he wasn’t talking.
“Ry?” she said, unable to help herself. “What’s that short
for? Wait, let me guess. It’s Ryder, right?” A wicked smile tugged at her lips.
“Ryder…Storm. That’s it, isn’t it? Or maybe it’s Ryder Strong. Either one
sounds like the perfect name for an urban cowboy with a hero complex.”
Where had that come from? Rue considered herself a
circumspect woman, but everything about this day brought out the worst side of
her tongue.
“The name’s McFadden, ma’am,” he drawled and tucked his
thumbs into his belt. “Ryland McFadden at your service, but you can go ahead
and call me Ryder if it helps you feel better.” He cocked his head to the side.
“What’s Rue short for? Wait. Let me guess. It’s Rudella, isn’t it? Like
Cinderella, only meaner.”
ReGina Welling prefers not to talk about herself in the third person so...
I live in Maine with my husband, a silly flufferpup named Dash, and a crazy cat named Cricket. I write full time and also create mixed media artwork when I get the chance.
When I was three, my mom brought home a new book and when she went to read it to me, I read it to her instead. That was when she realized I'd learned to read. Since then I couldn't even estimate the number of books I've read. It's a lot!
I love talking to other readers so please visit me in any one of these various places and don't forget to let me know you stopped by!
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Thanks for sharing. The excerpt sounds great.
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