Giveaway + Excerpt: Shudder by Samantha Durante

The entire Shudder blog tour schedule can be found HERE. Shudder is the sequel to Stitch by Samantha Durante. Haven’t read Stitch yet? Check out my review. It's also just $0.99 at Amazon! Down below is an excerpt from Shudder, and at the end of this post, you can enter to win an ebook copy of Shudder from the author. Giveaway is open internationally! :)

Title: Shudder (Stitch Trilogy, #2)

Author: Samantha Durante

Release Date: June 15, 2013

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Excerpt

Waiting, Alessa watched the forest, ignoring the snowflakes gathering on her eyelashes and the stinging of the frozen shards scouring her face. With a slow, deliberate movement she raised the knife to her shoulder, coiling to strike.

Remembering her stealth training with the rebels, she waited with bated breath for the opportunity to come. A flash of darkness between two snow-covered trunks was all the signal she needed; one flick of her wrist sent the knife hurtling through the darkened sky, intent on its target.

A bloodcurdling shriek – part howl, part yelp – rang out through the wood, chilling Alessa to the bone. A desperate wave of pain washed through her as she struggled to place the sound – almost

human, but not quite. And the perplexing confusion she’d been feeling earlier came back, this time tumbled with grim despair.

What just happened? Fighting through the sharp jumble of emotions and physical pain assailing her body, Alessa stumbled determinedly in the direction of the wail. Clutching at the tree trunks for support, she raked the forest for the source of the cry, hoping beyond hope that she’d incapacitated who or whatever had been stalking her.

But to her dismay, all that remained was her bloodied knife abandoned on the snowy ground. She scanned the floor for a trail – drops of blood, footprints, anything – but the swirling blizzard had quickly devoured any signs of the intruder.

Gathering up her knife, Alessa prayed that she had at least scared it – and she was fairly certain now that it was indeed an “it” – off. She caught her breath against the nearest tree as the startling pain and dismay she’d felt moments earlier faded, until she realized she could finally think with some clarity again.

She didn’t understand what she was feeling, but she would have plenty of time to think about that later. If there was to be a later, she needed to get back to that shelter now.

Shaking the snow and muddled thoughts from her head, she pocketed the knife and felt her way into the clearing once more, burying her nagging worries about Isaac. First things first, she reminded herself – she was no use to Isaac dead. By this point she could barely see her own hands stretched out in front of her, but she combed the landscape searching for the warm glow of the fire burning at the edge of their shelter and made her way toward it inch by inch.

She’d almost reached the sanctuary of the lean-to when she was shaken with an overwhelming sense of not being alone. She could feel a presence behind her – the creature – and she didn’t hesitate. The blood pounding through her temples, with one swift motion she turned around and swung the knife down as hard as she could, an involuntary snarl issuing from her throat.

But she didn’t connect – the monster had caught her wrist mid-swing and held her tight. She ripped her arm from its grip and prepared to strike once more.

“Whoa there, tiger!”

Alessa dropped the knife and brought her hand to her hammering heart as he released her. “Isaac!” she gasped.

Gently cupping her shoulders, Isaac bent forward, scooting his face up under the furred edge of her hood with a grin. “I know I took longer than expected, but I didn’t think you’d be that mad.”

Still catching her breath, Alessa loosed a small giggle, her body now shaking in an almost pleasant sort of way from the aftereffects of the adrenaline. But her contentment was quickly snatched away as a thought occurred to her. “Oh my God, I didn’t – are you hurt?” she implored, frantically checking him for wounds from the knife she’d thrown.

Grabbing her arms, Isaac held her still reassuringly. “No, no, I’m completely fine. Just a little cold. What’s gotten into you, Less?”

Sighing deeply, Alessa collapsed into his arms as relief flooded her once more. Isaac was back, and it was going to be okay. “Let’s get inside and I’ll fill you in.”


Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!