Best I've Read: Silver by Talia Vance


The seventh book we are featuring this year is Silver by Talia Vance.

Talia Vance wrote a scene from Blake's POV for the event and we are also offering our readers a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Silver. Check out the synopsis of Silver and the giveaway details at the end of this post. The Larks would like to thank Talia Vance for her time and for providing the giveaway.

BONDING from Blake’s Point of View 

 Blake is sworn to kill Brianna’s kind, and he knows what she is. He has heard the myth about the bandia bonding their souls to men, but he doesn’t quite believe it. Blake saw Brianna in her true form the week before, but now she’s back to being unnoticeable. Almost invisible. Blake thinks he knows how to get past the magic that protects her. He thinks he just wants to see her again. 

 I don’t look at her. I want to, but I can’t. Every time I try, it’s like there’s something pushing me away. I can feel Brianna’s presence, but when I turn to face her, she’s just a shadow, a ghost. Maybe that explains why the memory of seeing her, really seeing her, has haunted me all week. 

 She walks behind me, following along the deserted beach to the base of the chasm in the cliff wall. I should know better than to turn my back on her, but it’s obvious that she’s got no idea what she is. She’s as dangerous as a tiger cub. 

I've got time. 

 And damned if I don’t want to see her again. It’s not every day you come face to face with a goddess. 

 I step into the crevice in the rock wall, crossing from the beach into the strange, stark landscape that’s all rocks and river and waterfalls. When she sees this place, she’ll have no choice but to believe me. Maybe then she’ll take off that freaking bracelet that keeps her hidden. 

 She doesn't follow. I stick my head back through the opening in the wall. “Come on, we’re almost there.”
Brianna doesn't move from where she stands near the remnants of a bonfire. She’s a dark silhouette, with the moonlight behind her, and my imagination can’t help filling in the blanks with memories of how she looked when I first saw her. Oh yeah, I need to see her again. 

 Just once. 

 “I’m not going in some creepy cave with a guy I barely know,” she says. 

 “I know I shouldn't rush you.” I look up and down the empty beach. There’s no one here to see us. “No problem. We can do it out here.” 

 “Excuse me?” She looks like I’m about to go all Fifty Shades on her. 

 I step onto the beach, holding up my hands so she can see I’m not carrying any handcuffs on my person. “Not that.” 

 “Right. I keep forgetting. I repel you.” 

 God, is that what she thinks? I reach for her wrist. 

 Holy hell. 

 She doesn't feel like a ghost. Touching her is like touching fire without getting burned, fascinating and hot and all kinds of amazing. 

 “You don’t repel me, Brianna.” I drag my thumb across the silver bracelet circling her wrist. “It’s this.” The flower charm that hangs from the chain is wolfsbane, a poisonous flower with a deadly magic all its own. She wasn't wearing the bracelet the night I really saw her, and I’m convinced it’s the key to seeing her again.

I hear my own breath coming faster as I reach for the clasp. I’m literally playing with fire. 

 She pulls her hand away. “I won’t take it off.” 

 Too fast. I need to remember this is all new to her. She has no idea what she is. “If you don’t believe it, what’s the harm?” 

 Her breath is a sigh. “You’re not going to let this go?” 

 “Never.” She’s all I've thought about for seven days. Seven long nights. No way am I going to end this without seeing her again. 

“So you think that this flower charm hides me. From who exactly? Guys?” 

 “Something like that.” God, I want to touch her again. 

 “From all guys, or just players like you?” 

 “I don’t know. I only know how it affects me.” But Austin was watching her at dinner tonight. While I fought to try to see her, Austin couldn't take his damn eyes off her. Maybe it doesn't work on A-holes. “Austin doesn't seem bothered by it.” 

 I try to look at her face. To see her. She’s standing right in front of me, and I see her, I swear I do, but it’s like looking at an overexposed photograph, each feature blending in with the next. 

 “What do you mean?” There’s a hopefulness in her voice that makes my blood boil. Does she want Austin to see her? Screw that. Doesn't she want me to see her too?

It shouldn’t matter what she wants. It can’t matter what she wants. I know what she is. I know what I have to do. She’s the last person that I want to want me. So what if she’s fun to talk to and ridiculously smart? She’ll kill me if I let her get close enough. I can’t forget it. 

 I take another breath of the salty air. I bet she tastes like the ocean. 

 Focus. 

 “Just the way Austin looked at you tonight. You would know better than me. How do guys normally react to you when you’re wearing that?” I’m starting to hate that damn bracelet. I want to see her. The real her. 

“Same as always.” She sits down in the sand near the fire pit. “Like I don’t exist.” 

 I sit down in the sand, careful not to touch her as I do. I fight to look at her. Really look. Her blue eyes are as colorless as the night. Every instinct screams at me to look away, but I won’t. “You can change that.” 

 She reaches for her bracelet. Oh dear God, she’s really going to take it off. I hold my breath as she undoes the clasp and the bracelet falls into her palm. She balls her hand into a tight fist as she lowers it to her lap. 

 I hold out my hand. I hope she doesn’t notice my trembling fingers. “Just for a minute,” I say, trying to keep from sounding like I’m begging. Which I absolutely am. 

 She puts her hand on top of mine, and the fire is back, flowing straight into me like hot lava. God. I bring my other hand over hers, and the heat gets more intense. What would if it feel like to touch her neck? Her shoulder? Her-

Stop. 

 I just want to look. That’s all. I won’t touch her. It’s not worth the risk. 

 “Okay?” I ask. I’m not sure if I’m asking her or me at this point. 

 She holds tight to the bracelet. 

 “You have to let go.” My voice is an echo in my own ears. I can barely think with her hand in mine and this buzzing heat. 

 Her fingers move, slowly. I fight to keep from shuddering as the pad of her finger brushes against my palm. The silver chain is a contrast to the fire that rages where we touch. I close my fingers around it. It takes every bit of concentration I have to pull my hands away from hers. 

 But when I do, oh God, I can see her perfectly. Her eyes are closed, which is good, because I can’t stop staring. She’s unbelievable, an angel on earth. 

 “Yes! I knew it!” The words are out before I can stop them. I take in her glowing skin, her wild hair. And that mouth. That gorgeous mouth. 

 She opens her eyes. I’m sure I’m grinning like freaking lunatic, but I can’t stop it. She’s nothing like I remembered. She’s so much more. I reach for her without thinking. She blushes as my fingers graze her cheek. God, she has no idea. 

 “Brianna Paxton.” My hand slides to her throat. “You are even more beautiful than I remembered.”

“You know you’re crazy, right?” 

 “Possibly.” Make that definitely. Because right now all I want to do is kiss those bow- shaped lips. “I still can’t believe it. It’s amazing. You’re amazing.” 

 I can’t stop looking at her. Touching her. I lean closer. She smells like the elements, like the ocean, like fire. Power. I breathe her in. “I’ve never seen anything like you.” I reach for her long brown hair, as wild and untamed as the rest of her is smooth and proportioned. I bury my fingers in it and bring it to my lips. “Incredible,” I whisper. 

 She gasps, and it’s all the invitation I need. I do what I’ve been dreaming of for the last seven nights, I lower my lips to taste her. A gust of wind swirls around us, blowing her hair in every direction at once. An electric spark flares where our lips touch. 

 I jerk back. “What was that?” 

 “Static electricity?” She laughs, and leans toward me, her lips less than an inch from mine. “The imbalance of positive and negative charges caused by friction? For a guy who plans to be a doctor, you don’t know much about science.” 

 Seeing her is nothing compared to seeing her smile. And her obsession with science is too damn cute. “You have an answer for everything don’t you?” 

 “Not this.” She closes the short distance between us. “Zap,” she says into my mouth. 

 I laugh against her. I can’t remember the last time I laughed with anyone the way I do with her. Maybe never. Her lips part and our tongues tangle and oh my God, the fire is a freaking inferno. I feel it everywhere. Her fingers tease the hair at the back on my neck and all I want is more. 

 I run my hands along her back, pressing forward until I feel her against me. It’s still not enough. I ease her into the sand, taking the kiss deeper. I want to be closer. Her nails sear a promise through my shirt. I drag the shirt over my head so there’s nothing between my skin and her touch. Her eyes are bright blue against the silver light that glows around us. I've never seen anything so beautiful. 

 She scratches her nails along my spine. I’m lost to the sensation of fire and ice as the wind gets stronger, and her touch blazes a trail of heat along my exposed skin. I lick my way down her neck to the first button of her shirt. She grabs me by the hair and pulls me back to her, until I’m helpless do anything but sink deeper into the kiss. Into her. 

When I come up for air, light curls around us like a ribbon. I brush a curl away from her cheek. She smiles, and I melt. 

 “Mine,” I say. I hope like hell it’s true. She reaches up and traces my lips with her finger. When she replaces her finger with her mouth, it’s everything and then some. 

 A black shadow falls over us, covering us in darkness. I feel the weight of it on my back as the silver ribbon of light twists around it, magic swirling in the air. I am a slave to it. To her. 

 Now that we’re here, there’s not even a question of what I will do. There’s only one choice. 

 I want her. 

 I want this.

God help me.

About the Novel

"As I step into the room, a silver flash blurs my vision. Before I can take a breath, the world falls away."


Brianna has always felt invisible. People stare right past her, including the one boy she can't resist, Blake Williams. But everything changes at a house party where Brianna's charm bracelet slips off and time stands still. In that one frozen, silver moment, Blake not only sees her, he recognizes something deep inside her she's been hiding even from herself.


Discovering she is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth, Brianna finds herself questioning the truth of who she is. And when she accidentally binds her soul to Blake, their mutual attraction becomes undeniable.


But Blake has his own secret, one that could prove deadly for them both.


Bound together by forbidden magic, Brianna and Blake find themselves at the heart of an ancient feud that threatens to destroy their lives and their love.

Purchase Your Copy



Want a copy of Silver? Talia Vance has graciously provided ONE SIGNED copy to give away to our readers.

To win:
* You must be 13+ years old.
* You must be a US resident. No PO Boxes!
* You must fill out the Rafflecopter form.

The giveaway runs from December 13-21. The winner will be notified via email on December 22.

Comments

  1. Always looking for amazing books to read :D

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  2. I've wanted to read this book since I saw that stunning cover and winning a copy would be an awesome addition to my bookshelf.

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  3. Love the idea of the book and have read many great reviews on it! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  4. I want to win it because a friend wants it and I loved it so much I want her to have a copy too! lol

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  5. I would love to win this because what I read I have to read the rest of it!! This book sounds so good!! I love books like this one. I just have to have this awesome book!!

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  6. I love books that draw from mythology, and celtic mythology sounds cool- I don't know that much about it yet :)

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  7. I enjoyed the excerpt, so would like to read more.

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  8. The excerpt looks interesting and the cover is very cool.

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