THE TOUCHED by Jennifer Weiser
Series: The Descendants # 1
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
- SYNOPSIS -
The first sixteen years of Arabella Penthallow’s life have been a lie…
In a world where deception is the key to survival, Ara has kept up the charade of being a perfect Legion Leader’s daughter. But a darkness stirs, and she discovers she is Touched, a mortal gifted by the Gods. The Touched are as rare as they are feared, and Ara is forced to leave Union City for neighboring Midnight City to protect herself and those she loves, leaving Tove Thorn, the boy who has always known her heart, behind.
Carter Decker has vowed to burn Union City to the ground…
Midnight City’s cocky, infamous bad boy always gets what he wants, and he wants Union City to pay for burning his mother alive because she was Touched. When Carter meets Ara, she is everything he’s been taught to hate. Then he learns she is Touched—just like him—he isn’t sure who he hates more…the Touched girl whose father killed his mother, or himself for being tempted by someone he’s sworn to kill.
They are told they’re fated to be soul mates…and they each wish the other never existed.
When Midnight City is attacked by Union City, Carter and Arabella will do the unthinkable…even if it means falling for the enemy. The truth lies in Arabella’s home nation, and Tove is waiting. Soul mates or not, he has an advantage Carter doesn’t, fated souls be damned.
War is coming…and Ara is the prize.
- PURCHASE -
- EXCERPT -
ARABELLA —
“I’m not lying.”
Carter’s lips pull into a
small smile. My heart flutters wildly in my chest with the sight of it. I want
to loath myself for the feelings he’s causing. The confusion that
has begun to occur. This isn’t
Carter or me. We can’t stand one another,
yet I can’t help the way my
mind has sometimes wandered in the last few days, playing
curious images of him pulling me close, his lips becoming lost on mine.
“You
are,” Carter says,
closing the gap I opened between us. The tips of his black boots touch my own. “You can’t lie to me. Or to
anyone in this room for that matter. I know what you’re feeling.”
“You
don’t know a thing
about me or what I may be feeling.”
Carter
snorts and shakes his head, his hair falling lazily over his forehead. He drops
his head, moving within inches of my lips. I inhale sharply, the corset
constricting. Damn him. I keep my eyes locked with his, refusing to look
away. Too many emotions course through my body and I can’t decide which ones
overrule the rest.
Carter
licks his lips, jumpstarting my pulse. “I do, princess,” Carter whispers, “everyone does.”
“No…no they don’t.”
Carter
purses his lips, his eyes smoldering slightly. “Oh, little
Arabella, they do. Your emotions are staining this entire room. I can feel everything
you feel for me. Taste every last one.”
I
suck in a deep breath, pushing back from him.
Carter
smiles darkly. “The
one that tastes the most appealing is that white-hot lust you have coursing
through you.”
For
weeks Rob has been pushing me to block my emotions from the rest. To harness
them in, keep them hidden. I have succeeded in some accounts, but when Carter
is around, the defense that I’ve
built comes crashing down. Which infuriates me.
Carter
winks as he takes in my expressions and what I can only gauge as new emotions
that rage inside me. “Though I have to say, the revulsion is
a nice change for me. I’ve never had a
taste of that one.”
“I
can intensify it, if you want.”
“I
want a lot from you, princess, but I think we both can agree that you would
much rather have me feel and taste your lust.” Slowly he pushes his body against mine
as he leans in close to my ear. Never in my life have I wanted to throttle
someone as much as I do Carter. But that’s
not all I would do if given the chance. He drives me crazy, in more ways than I
want him to know. “I promise to be gentle,” he whispers.
The
warmth of his breath against my ear has the pit of my stomach coiling tightly.
My body tensing. Carter pulls himself from me. The scent of sweet spices I can’t place and
lavender fill my nose. It’s distracting and
enticing. I desperately want to wrap myself around him, feel his hands touch
every inch of my skin, taste his lips. I swallow pitifully as my lips begin to
ache with desire. Temptation can be cruel.
Cruel. In an instant, I remember his
comments and the smugness that was laced in his tone. Carter doesn’t want me because
he is attracted to me, he only wishes to prove his point. My jaw clenches.
Instantly, I want to break his own. Carter takes a cocky step back, winking at
me once more.
“All in due time,” he promises as he
spins on his heels and crosses the training room, slamming the door behind him.
I’m not sure what he
means. That in time I will come to him like every other girl has, or in time I
will finally wipe that grin right off his face.
Interview:
Jennifer: Hi Amanda! Thank you so much for having me!Amanda: My pleasure!! I am super excited!! I am so happy for you and so proud of you. You are the absolute best. <3 you. <3
Amanda: When did you first get into writing? Could you tell us about it?
Jennifer: I first starting writing when I was about thirteen—ironically it was a young adult contemporary about a girl, who had always been in love with the boy next door…problem was, the boy next door wasn’t your average boy next door, he was the lead singer in the worlds hottest boy band. And completely off limits. Or so she thought.
What started out as a short story project for my creative english writing class, quickly turned into a full blown story.
Amanda: Haha, yes, rather ironic. ;) I wonder how name people have read that? ;) lol
Jennifer: Music is a must when I’m writing. It’s weird, but it mellows me out and helps me turn into my characters and their story. When I first dive into a project, I don’t have specific music in mind, but as the story builds, so does my iTunes playlist and eventually those songs are what helps keep me grounded and focused on the depths of the book.
Jennifer: Lol, I have to agree that this is a question that stumps authors up a bit. I can’t speak for all, but with me, the idea to a book, doesn’t just pop into my head. Its more like fragments of scenes that come in small doses. When I get that fragment, I then start pieces it together by writing out the scene. The Touched, came to me in the winter of 2012. After overcoming some complicated health issues, while recovering, I began to get small fragments of Arabella and a darkness that surrounded her. Her story just kind of took flight after that.
Jennifer: How much time do you have, Amanda? Lol. I have tons of favorite authors and series and of course books! It would take hours to list all of them, but there are a few that if I was every to be stranded on a island, these particular series are the ones I could read over and over again and still not get sick of them.
The Selection Series by Kiera Cass
Throne Of Glass Series by Sarah Maas
The Lux Series by Jennifer Armentrout
Jennifer: Three things that readers don’t know about me…
- My most embarrassing moment of my life happened at a cheerleading stunt class when I was high school. What should have been an easy running cartwheel, turned to a superman fly posse resulting in me face planting the mats. To this day, my friend who witnessed it, will break into hysterics anytime its brought up(by him)…which seems to be every time we see each other.
- I start my Christmas shopping in July…which seems crazy and it is. What makes it crazier…I have a tendency of forgetting what I brought and/or where I hid it…
- I secretly wish that Hogwarts was real. (Note from Amanda: So do I).
Amanda: What is your favorite quote from The Touched?
Jennifer: That is such a hard question! :) There are plenty of quotes that make my favorites list! If I had to choose just one…
Amanda: Did you have a favorite part of the writing process for The Touched?
Jennifer: :) Is it weird to say, all of it?
Amanda: Not at all. ;)
Amanda: Can you reveal anything about what you’re working on now?
Jennifer: I’m currently working on book two of The Descendants series as well as plotting book three. I also have a YA contemporary and another YA fantasy series that I’m working on.
Jennifer: Don’t give up, keep writing. One of the biggest challenges a writer faces is fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of others actually reading a book you wrote thus then turning into a fear of bad reviews. Don’t let that fear stop you from seizing your dream or keep you from finishing that novel. It might take a few rejections, bad reviews or maybe even some failures—but believe it or not, you’ll get there. Greatness doesn’t just happen—you have to create it first.
Amanda: Thank you so much for joining me here on the blog and answering my questions!! <3
- EXCERPT -
CARTER —
I
can’t help the way my
eyes take inventory of her. I can’t
stop staring at her, almost as if I need to memorize every inch of her, as if
looking away from her soft, raven-black curls, emerald-green eyes, and dark, blood-red
stained lips will physically kill me. My tongue flicks over my own dry lips and
I find myself wondering if hers taste like cherries. Or apples. That’s what that red of
hers reminds me of.
The
sky-blue corset she wears over an ivory lace shirt fits tightly around her
slender curves. My hands itch to touch her. To reach out and run my hands
through her hair. She’s too beautiful to
be real, yet here she is. In front of me. She holds no smile toward me. No
outreached hand to shake my own as Father introduces her. Her eyes narrow as
she continues to stare intently at me.
Her
arms cross tightly across her chest, clearly unimpressed by what she sees.
You
hate her.
Balling my fists at my side, I try to rein in the way she has begun to unnerve
me. The way I want to run my hands down her, to watch her close her eyes and
whisper my name. Chills race down my spine. My body is responding to her in
ways I’ve never responded
to any chick before.
Father
stands with pride as he nods toward me, waiting for me to welcome Rob’s new recruit. But
I don’t. I stare just as
hard at her as she does at me, finally feeling the narrow of my eyes. Why the
hell do I want her? Why the hell am I feeling anything for her?
Father
frowns when I don’t offer my hand to
her. “Arabella
will be staying with us for the next few months,” Father says. But what he leaves out
is, “She’ll be staying
indefinitely when you realize that she’s
your fated, Carter.”
But
she won’t. I’ll see to that. I
may like her appearance, and her body might cause me to think and feel things,
but it doesn’t change the fact
that I vowed to make and keep her and Union City as my enemy. I will end her.
Make no mistake about that. She will burn for the crimes her father committed
against my mother.
Review:
I received an ARC for this blog tour.
I received an ARC for this blog tour. I am in love with this story. This is an undeniable five star read. Jen, you have done an amazing job. This is another one of those reviews where it is almost impossible to write because I just can't find the words to do the book justice. How many times can "amazing" be used in a review without becoming redundant?
The story itself is amazing. It completely drew me in to it. This book is right up my alley. I loved every page of the book. Even when something was ticking me off, I loved reading it. There are so many details that must have went into the story. All of the information that goes into the story without seeming bogged down by it is so well done. The pacing is perfect, in my opinion. I feel like I can't reveal too much of the story. I think a lot of it needs to be experienced as it is read. The beginning was one that most definitely drew me in. It will have you turning the pages and wanting to know what the hell is going on.
The writing is such that I could picture what was happening as if I were right there with the characters. Now, the characters, they were all so great. Even the more questionable characters were great. I'm more of a character driven reader. And while this story most definitely had the plot, it has the amazing characters that would keep me coming back. I really liked Arabella's character. She felt so real (as did the rest) and very relatable, to me, despite most of her situation not exactly being relatable. Tove, Cast, Trinity, Rob, Leader Penthallow, Leader Decker, Caleb. They were all great characters. While Arabella captured my heart in one way, the character that captured my heart in a completely different way would have to be Carter Decker. Would you believe me if I told you that I blushed just typing his name? Yes, he will be added to my list of favorite fictional men (a.k.a. fictional men I have a bit of a crush on). His character grows a lot through this book and I grew to love him even more. And I must say, that I am Team Carter all the way. (I'm sorry, Tove, I really am).
That ending was definitely a cliff hanger. I didn't see that coming. I can't wait for book two!! Get on it, Jen!! Haha. We will all be ready to read more about these characters. 5 quills to this book, no doubt. Highly recommended.
— ABOUT THE AUTHOR —
JENNIFER WEISER
Jennifer Weiser is a young adult author who has always been a book nerd and a bit chocolate obsessed. Writing has always been a favorite escape, but quickly became a passion not long after the birth of her daughter. When she isn't combing the shelves of her local book stores or blogging about newest book obsessions, you can find her nestled in her nook creating worlds she hopes that one day will inspire her daughter, who not only has given her the courage to follow her dreams--but offers the inspirations that help color their worlds together.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/JenniferWeiser
WEBSITE: http://www.jenniferweiser.com/
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/skittle01x/
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