Kiss
of the Virgin Queen
Kiss
of the Jinni Hunter Series, Book
Two
Sharon
Buchbinder
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: October 14,
2015
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0392-5 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0393-2 Digital
ASIN: B015ATFQTA
Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 75K
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Book Description:
Homeland Security Special Agent
Eliana Solomon is on a mission to prevent terrorist attacks. Hard enough to do
when the threats are human, almost impossible when it's an evil, shape shifting
jinni. Eliana needs help so she calls the sexy and beguiling psychiatrist, Arta
Shahani. However, no matter how good he is at his job, the man is on her
blacklist. On their last case together, the guy left her for dead.
Arta is stunned when he receives
Eliana’s call. Forced to abandon the woman he loves, he now fears she won’t
accept his shape-shifting skills as a Persian Lion. Eliana, in the meantime
discovers she is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
with special powers of her own. But will her skill and Arta's be enough to
defeat the jinni, or will they lose the love history decreed for them as well
as their lives in this battle of good versus evil?
Book
Trailer: https://youtu.be/4ONWBeBZXlw
Bonus and Spotlight Material
Short
intro:
This full length novel is the second in the enthralling new Jinni Hunter series
from award-winning author, Sharon Buchbinder. Edgy and suspenseful, this
paranormal romance series explores diverse cultures and an array of
supernatural beings. Join the Special Agents of the Anomaly Defense Division as
they race to save humanity—and the people they love.
Tagline: No matter how far
we are in the future, everything connects us to our past.
Two
sentence blurb:
Forced to work with sexy and secretive Dr. Arta Shahani, Homeland Security
Special Agent Eliana Solomon isn’t sure she can trust him—or her heart. Will
Eliana’s skill and Arta’s be enough to defeat the evil jinni—or will they lose
the love history decreed for them as well as their lives?
Excerpt
Chapter
One
Summertown,
West Virginia, U.S.A., Present Day
A picturesque
flight over the Appalachian Mountains to Summertown, West Virginia gave Special
Agent Eliana Solomon of the Homeland Security, Science and Technology
Directorate, Anomaly Defense Division time to process the urgent report she’d
received by email. Up until this week, the existence of werewolf packs had been
concealed from the general population. Now reports of the secretive shape
shifters exploded in her inbox. Where had this information been all this time?
Had the government monitored them all along? If so, why had her boss, Bert
Blackfeather, insisted on her obtaining proof of their existence, along with
the jinnis? She’d pry an answer out of that closed mouth man—someday. Right
now, she had a more pressing matter at hand.
Five days ago,
three nine-year-old werewolf boys and their three eighteen-year-old sisters
went on a birthday expedition in the heavily wooded state wildlife area and
disappeared. By day, local human authorities, volunteers, and bloodhounds
brought in from surrounding jurisdictions combed the forest, the hills, and
caves. By night, pack members ran through the forest using their extraordinary
senses—olfactory, visual, and auditory—to hunt for their missing kin. Divers
also explored the waterways, all to no avail. No clues to the kids’ whereabouts
had been found, not even a backpack—until two this morning.
A night security
guard discovered the boys in the middle of the Adalwolf Winery parking lot.
Slightly bruised and scratched up, but otherwise alive and well, in their human
forms, the youngsters had no
recollection of anything between arriving at the park and waking up in
the parking lot with their back packs under their heads—their five-day-old
lunches untouched.
Rushed to the ER
and examined thoroughly, the boys displayed no evidence of physical abuse. The
blank space in their minds where the memories should have been was inaccessible
to parents and psychologists. If it weren’t for the fact that the three older
girls were still missing, the local authorities wouldn’t continue to press the
boys for information. Over time, their memories could return, but without
ransom notes, calls or clues, the clock was running down for a successful
search and rescue. The local police, state troopers, sheriff’s office, and the
West Virginia Bureau of Investigation feared the operation would soon become a
search and recovery.
The plane touched
down, bounced along the runway, and Eliana’s cell began to vibrate.
“Solomon.”
The gruff voice of
her boss boomed in her ear. “New development in the case.” Blackfeather paused.
“A hiker found one of the missing girls in a culvert near an abandoned mine.
Bites, claw marks. Throat ripped open. Damn thing nearly tore her head off.”
She shuddered.
“Black bear?”
“Based on the paw
prints around the body, the first responders are saying these weren’t bear
bites. More like a dog—or wolf.”
“Boss, aside from
zoos and wild animal preserves, there are no wolves in the eastern U.S.”
Her stomach lurched,
and she gripped the armrest so hard her knuckles turned white. Shit. Shit.
Shit. A werewolf attacking one of its own? Why? What the hell was going on?
“West Virginia
Division of Homeland Security has a car waiting for you, fully loaded with
everything you’ll need for the investigation. Get to that scene.” Her boss
clicked off.
Bossy desk jockey.
This case was no
different. According to the report, relationships between the local humans and
werewolves were more than cordial. They were so intermarried, almost everyone
was family. A large non-denominational wedding facility placed Summertown on an
international list of destination weddings, like Hawaii and Las Vegas, but
specifically for werewolves. A thriving bed and breakfast trade supported the
wedding industry, along with other leisure activities, such as biking, hiking,
white-water rafting, and winery and sightseeing tours. Murder of a werewolf
girl wasn’t just bad for the family, it was bad for the town.
Chapter
One
Summertown,
West Virginia, U.S.A., Present Day
A picturesque
flight over the Appalachian Mountains to Summertown, West Virginia gave Special
Agent Eliana Solomon of the Homeland Security, Science and Technology
Directorate, Anomaly Defense Division time to process the urgent report she’d
received by email. Up until this week, the existence of werewolf packs had been
concealed from the general population. Now reports of the secretive shape
shifters exploded in her inbox. Where had this information been all this time?
Had the government monitored them all along? If so, why had her boss, Bert
Blackfeather, insisted on her obtaining proof of their existence, along with
the jinnis? She’d pry an answer out of that closed mouth man—someday. Right
now, she had a more pressing matter at hand.
Five days ago,
three nine-year-old werewolf boys and their three eighteen-year-old sisters
went on a birthday expedition in the heavily wooded state wildlife area and
disappeared. By day, local human authorities, volunteers, and bloodhounds
brought in from surrounding jurisdictions combed the forest, the hills, and
caves. By night, pack members ran through the forest using their extraordinary
senses—olfactory, visual, and auditory—to hunt for their missing kin. Divers
also explored the waterways, all to no avail. No clues to the kids’ whereabouts
had been found, not even a backpack—until two this morning.
A night security
guard discovered the boys in the middle of the Adalwolf Winery parking lot.
Slightly bruised and scratched up, but otherwise alive and well, in their human
forms, the youngsters had no
recollection of anything between arriving at the park and waking up in
the parking lot with their back packs under their heads—their five-day-old
lunches untouched.
Rushed to the ER
and examined thoroughly, the boys displayed no evidence of physical abuse. The
blank space in their minds where the memories should have been was inaccessible
to parents and psychologists. If it weren’t for the fact that the three older
girls were still missing, the local authorities wouldn’t continue to press the
boys for information. Over time, their memories could return, but without
ransom notes, calls or clues, the clock was running down for a successful
search and rescue. The local police, state troopers, sheriff’s office, and the
West Virginia Bureau of Investigation feared the operation would soon become a
search and recovery.
The plane touched
down, bounced along the runway, and Eliana’s cell began to vibrate.
“Solomon.”
The gruff voice of
her boss boomed in her ear. “New development in the case.” Blackfeather paused.
“A hiker found one of the missing girls in a culvert near an abandoned mine.
Bites, claw marks. Throat ripped open. Damn thing nearly tore her head off.”
She shuddered.
“Black bear?”
“Based on the paw
prints around the body, the first responders are saying these weren’t bear
bites. More like a dog—or wolf.”
“Boss, aside from
zoos and wild animal preserves, there are no wolves in the eastern U.S.”
He sighed. “I
stand corrected. Werewolf.”
Her stomach lurched,
and she gripped the armrest so hard her knuckles turned white. Shit. Shit.
Shit. A werewolf attacking one of its own? Why? What the hell was going on?
“West Virginia
Division of Homeland Security has a car waiting for you, fully loaded with
everything you’ll need for the investigation. Get to that scene.” Her boss
clicked off.
Bossy desk jockey.
A flush of shame
rushed over her. He’d taken on the orphan Anomaly Defense Division of the
Science and Technology Directorate that no one else wanted, along with a
mission no one else supported or believed in. As abrupt and abrasive as he
could be, the Gulf War veteran deserved credit for giving her the opportunity
to pursue what everyone else thought was something out of the tales of The
Arabian Nights: jinnis. With the needed proof of werewolves and jinnis from
Project Aladdin, support surged into the division. A stable funding source made
her jinni hunting work possible So far, it seemed wherever there were
werewolves, there was jinni activity.
This case was no
different. According to the report, relationships between the local humans and
werewolves were more than cordial. They were so intermarried, almost everyone
was family. A large non-denominational wedding facility placed Summertown on an
international list of destination weddings, like Hawaii and Las Vegas, but
specifically for werewolves. A thriving bed and breakfast trade supported the
wedding industry, along with other leisure activities, such as biking, hiking,
white-water rafting, and winery and sightseeing tours. Murder of a werewolf
girl wasn’t just bad for the family, it was bad for the town.
Author Bio
Sharon Buchbinder has been writing
fiction since middle school and has the rejection slips to prove it. An RN, she
provided health care delivery, became a researcher, association executive, and
obtained a PhD in Public Health. When not teaching or writing, she can be found
fishing, walking her dogs, or breaking bread and laughing with family and
friends in Baltimore, MD and Punta Gorda, FL.
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Character Interview
Please welcome Makeda, Queen of Sheba from Sharon Buchbinder's Kiss of the Virgin Queen to Diane’s Book Blog.
What is your name? Do you have a nickname?
My name is Makeda. I
am the Queen of Sheba, the country you now know as Ethiopia.
What is your hair color? Eye color?
My hair is black and
curly, like my father’s. My eyes are green like my mother’s.
How old are you?
I was born in 985
B.C.E. I ascended the throne of Sheba at the age of 15 and travelled to find wisdom
and meet King Solomon at the age of 18.
Where were you born? Where have you lived since then? Where do
you currently call home?
I was born in Aksum,
Sheba (Ethiopia). I lived in Jerusalem for a year and am now back at home in
Aksum.
Who are the people you are closest to?
My uncle is my closest
older relative. My best friend since childhood is Tamrin. He is a wealthy
merchant and travels a lot, so I don’t get to see him as often as I did growing
up.
What is your most treasured possession?
My son, Menelik, is my
most treasured possession—as much as one can own a child. He has his own mind
and is growing up fast. He wears me down with questions about his father.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
There is only one man
for me, the wisest ruler king of all, King Solomon. When I met him, all my
breath went out of me.
What is your favorite journey?
The trip to Jerusalem
seeking wisdom and meeting the love of my life. That was my favorite journey.
The return home, however, was fraught with betrayals and danger.
What is your greatest regret?
My only regret is that
I could not stay with Solomon. I often wonder what life would have been with
him at my side. My country and duty called, however. I had to leave him. It
broke my heart.
What is the quality you most like in a man/woman?
Wisdom. I longed for
wisdom to be a good ruler and found it in my true love.
Giveaway
Thank you for hosting my Queen!
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