Jennifer Loiske is my special guest today! She has some great books out and Black Diamond is FREE from March 25 - 28! Please check it out.
BLACK DIAMOND for age 12 and up readers
Part One of McLean Twins Series
After her mom’s sudden death, twelve-year-old Shannon McLean has to move from the US to the English countryside to live with her mysterious father, Connor McLean, whom she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. Soon she discovers that he doesn’t want her around and her moving into his huge manor, Greyman Hill, is nothing more to him than a compulsory deal. But if he does not exactly give her a warm welcome, his servant Robert is most likely an incarnation of evil. He runs the house with an iron touch and makes everyone who works there his little puppets.
Weird things start to happen and the whole place scares the crap out of Shannon. Her dad can control her just by looking at her. The walls are full of secret passages and apparently she has the talent to awaken the ghosts in them. Every day is worse than the day before and she wants badly to run away but discovers it’s impossible. If she wants to stay alive she has to do exactly as her dad says or else she will not only jeopardize her own life but also the lives of the people around her.
While Shannon struggles to find the magic inside her, Connor is slowly turning into a demon. One carelessly spoken word from her could either save or destroy them both. In the end she has to decide whether to save herself and her loved ones, or lose her dad to the darkness and evil that threaten to eat his soul.
What readers say about BLACK DIAMOND:
“This was a great read and held my attention without a problem. I loved all the different aspects of the plot. The story was very easy to follow and all the characters were well developed. I really couldn't' stand the father in this story at all, you would think that he would have been more caring towards his daughter and it just bugged me that he was so cold. Great book for teen readers and would recommend to anyone.”
Black Diamond moves at a pace that can only be described as whirlwind. This is one impressive book. The storyline of this book is unlike anything else that I have ever read. Jennifer Loiske is an author who has the ability to move her readers. I truly cannot wait to see what Loiske has in store for us next.
“Jennifer has presented a fresh idea with a delightfully independent and strong female protagonist that will keep you cheering for her throughout the story. The story line is decent as well. It kept me guessing until the end. It's not all that predictable and the author keeps some semblance of suspense up until the very end. The descriptions in the story were very well written. The emotional rollercoaster that plays throughout this novel is one of a kind. Talent is evident in the ability to portray intense emotion without making the story seem cheesy or unrealistic. I am impressed by the ability of this young author, and cannot wait to see what she has in store for the future.”
“The beginning of the story briefly reminded me of my trip to England and I became very intrigued by the main character's father, whom she was about to meet for the first time. Everything spiked my curiosity, from the moment Shannon stepped into her new home, followed by what she discovers about herself and her family, right up until the end. (Don't want to divulge anything) Everything was very nicely written and did not require too much thinking. I could just sit back and get lost in the excellent story. I enjoyed the book from start to finish.”
An excerpt of Black Diamond:
“Shannon,” Connor said from the doorway. It looked like he had been waiting for her.
Shannon said nothing and tried to pass him.
He blocked her way but didn't touch her. “Shannon,” he said again, but this time danger lurked in his voice.
She swallowed. Connor's eyes were so dark and something horrible gleamed behind them. She froze. She could've tried to push past him, but his eyes warned her not to even try anything like that, so she lifted her head and met his eyes. “Connor,” she said, and was proud that her voice didn't shake.
Connor sighed heavily. “Shannon, Shannon, Shannon. What am I going to do with you?”
“You could start by letting me go,” she suggested quietly.
Connor shook his head. “Can't do that.”
“Can't or won't?” Shannon asked and felt the courage coming back to her body.
Connor was quiet. The air around him seemed so dark. Almost like he was a black hole that absorbed all the light around him. He was dressed all in black and looked more like a devil than a human.
Shannon could see Robert grinning wickedly behind him. Her mind was screaming that she should be deadly afraid of this man in front of her, but she wasn't. She was more afraid of the man behind him and somehow Connor seemed to be the safer choice. There was nothing human in Robert. It was like he was waiting for Connor to strike her down and feast on her dead body. He stared at them with his small, cold, mean eyes and seemed to be encouraging Connor to harm her.
Connor did nothing. After a very uncomfortably long time he shooed Robert away with his hand. “Both,” he said and moved out of her way.
She had almost forgotten what she had asked, but when Connor moved, she moved as well, carefully, from the outside to the inside of the house. He followed. She was scared of him, but there was something so vulnerable in him just then that she couldn’t leave him alone. After all, he was her dad. Robert was gone, thank God, so she dared to speak to him more openly than she had thought possible. “What do you mean? This is your house and I’m your daughter. You can do whatever you want,” she said and hoped she hadn't gone too far.
“I know. It's just that I'm no good with little girls like you, and it's been so long since I remembered what it feels like to be a—” He stopped and looked at her like he was suffering.
“To be what?” Shannon whispered, afraid to hear the answer.
Connor stared into her blue eyes and everything vulnerable was gone from him. He looked even scarier than before. The candles burned brightly around them and when he spoke, their flames flashed like someone had thrown something into them. “Never mind. Just stay away from me and obey my orders. If I tell you to eat, you'll eat and so on, okay?”
“No! It's not okay!” Shannon shouted. Tears burned behind her eyes. “You can't tell me what to do! I'm not a baby anymore!”
“You'll do what I tell you to do or you'll be sorry for the day you were born!” Connor thundered and something touched Shannon's hair. It felt like a spider web but it was really cold. It could've been somebody's bony fingers as well, but whatever it was made her scream.
Meet Jennifer
Jennifer Loiske lives in Finland in Naantali, which is a small sunny town on the southwest coast. She has written seven books, which can be found on Amazon worldwide. She has three different series, Shape Shifter series for YA readers, Immortal Blood series for Mature YA readers and McLean Twins series for Teen/YA readers. Jennifer is a workaholic author who is always writing. If she’s not writing blog posts to her own blog, guest post to other blogs, articles to the magazines or her novels she can be found in the forest with her two dogs. She’s also very keen on charity work and a big part of her royalties goes to the charity; mainly to help families with epileptic children but also to the epilepsy units in the hospitals. She is also part of the author alliance, Authors For Charity, and an active team member of Epilepsy FI.
