Tuesday, December 8, 2015

NEW RELEASE | Perfekt Order by S.T. Bende

All's fair when you're in love with War.

For seventeen-year-old Mia Ahlström, a world ruled by order is the only world she allows. A lifetime of chore charts, to-do lists and study schedules have helped earn her a spot in Redwood State University’s engineering program. And while her five-year plan includes finding her very own happily-evah-aftah, years at an all girls’ boarding school left her woefully unprepared for keg parties and co-ed extracurricular activities.

So nothing surprises her more than catching the eye of Tyr Fredriksen at her first college party. The imposing Swede is arrogantly charming, stubbornly overprotective, and runs hot-and-cold in ways that defy reason . . . until Mia learns that she’s fallen for the Norse God of War; an immortal battle deity hiding on Midgard (Earth) to protect a valuable Asgardian treasure from a feral enemy. With a price on his head, Tyr brings more than a little excitement to Mia’s rigidly controlled life. Choosing Tyr may be the biggest distraction—or the greatest adventure—she’s ever had.

“Can I come in?” Tyr asked. His hands were still open—maybe to prove he was unarmed. Not that it mattered much—a guy who could fly and battle a creature that size wouldn’t need a weapon to debilitate me.

I gave him my finest stink eye.

“Please, baby. Let me explain.”

My eyes darted wildly between the forest and my boyfriend. There was a beast in the woods, but there was a man unaffected by gravity on the porch. One who had most definitely lied to me. I wasn’t sure which unnerved me more.

What I really wanted was to understand; understand how Tyr had done what he’d done; understand how he and Freya seemed human enough, but obviously weren’t; understand how that wolf was so powerful; understand how, if Tyr was an alien or a superhero or a mutant or whatever he was, how we could possibly have any kind of a relationship; understand why everyone but me had Henrik’s absolutely awesome lighters.

“I’m coming inside.” Tyr walked slowly, palms up, and stepped through the door. Then he walked backwards to the closet, where he hung up his crossbow and the two space guns. He shut the door gently, entered a code that I assumed locked the room, and closed the cover on the keypad.

I still hadn’t moved.

“Can I touch you?” he asked.

I nodded. Tyr slowly moved to my side. He took one of my balled fists and pulled me from the door.

“No more secrets,” he vowed. He pulled the lighter out of his back pocket and threw it off the porch. “Henrik didn’t make a special lighter. This is all me.”

He held out one hand and muttered something in Swedish I didn’t understand. Light shot from his hand and I spun around to follow its trajectory. It hit what looked like a clear screen at the edge of the woods, and traced an arc around the house in a half-dome, encasing the property in a silvery coating. Tiny spots floated gently from the dome, like thousands of luminescent snowflakes, and soon the ground around the house was covered in a glittery powder. Tyr snapped his fingers and the powder disappeared. Everything was as it had been—it was as if the whole night had never happened.

My knees buckled as the room started to spin. Tyr caught me just before I hit the ground. He swept me up in his arms and carried me to the couch.

“Okay, prinsessa. Time for the talk.”

He tucked a heavy throw around my legs and sat next to me. He kept one of his shoulders an inch from mine. I cautiously turned my head to appraise him. On the outside, nothing had changed. His eyes were the same midnight blue, his jaw the same perfect square, and the enormous arms folded calmly across his chest were the same ones I loved to curl up in.

But everything felt different. I realized I had no idea who this man actually was, where he came from, and what else he was capable of. The only thing I knew for sure was that I needed answers. Real answers, this time. No more secrets.

I drew a shaky breath and spoke the words that would change my life forever.

“Who are you?”

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Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, S.T. Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of McVities cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the books of The Elsker Saga and The Ære Saga. She hopes her characters make you smile, and she dreams of skiing on Jotunheim and Hoth.

Find S.T. on Twitter @stbende, her website (www.stbende.com), or send her an e-mail. While you're at it, introduce yourself to @UllMyhr and @TyrFredriksen—when they’re not saving the cosmos from dark elves, they love meeting new friends . . . especially the human kind.

Want to connect with fellow Norse god fans? S.T.'s readers have created a Facebook group! Head over to the RagnaRockstars page to chat with other readers, talk with S.T., and get access to exclusive content . . . including Ull POVs and sneak peeks at upcoming Ære Saga books!

TUR is currently available for FREE to newsletter subscribers!

Skål, y’all!