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\nBlackwell
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\nMagnus Blackwell Series
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\nBook One
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\nAlexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor
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\nGenre: Paranormal thriller.
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\nPublisher: Vesuvian Books
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\nDate of Publication: 1/17/17
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\nISBN: 978-1944109240
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\nASIN: B01M7T4NQT
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\nNumber of pages: 300
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\nWord Count: 71, 800
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\nCover Artist: Sam Shearon
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\nBook Description:
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\nHell has a new master
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\nIn the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.
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\nWhen Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.
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\nDevastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.
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\nAmid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.
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\nExcerpt:\n
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\nLeaving the\nfirelight, he headed toward the water, eager to learn more about the woman.\nBeyond the glare of the bonfire, his eyes were better able to take in her\nfigure. Her nightdress was torn in places and had dark splotches on it in\nothers. She stood at the water’s edge, her feet hidden below the surface of the\nbayou. As he drew closer, Magnus got a better view of her exquisite face. Her\npale, snowy skin glowed in the darkness, and her features were perfect except\nfor a scar above her right lip. He ached to help her, to guide her from the\nwater and back to the warmth of the fire. \n
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\n“Are you all\nright?â€
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\nShe titled her\nhead to the side as she examined him. Then without saying anything, she held\nout her hand to him.
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\nMagnus could\nhear a woman’s voice saying, Magnus, come with me, in his head, but her lips\nnever moved. He was entranced, drawn to her, and just as he was raising his\nhand to take hers, another hand clamped down on his wrist.
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\n“Magnus, no,\ndon’t touch her,†Madam Simone called out.
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\nThe spell was\nbroken, and the woman in the water faded away.
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\nMagnus gawked at\nthe water. “What?â€
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\n“I told you to\nstay close to the fire,†she admonished.
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\nHe pointed to\nthe water. “You saw her? Who was that?â€
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\nMadam Simone let\ngo of his arm. “You mean what was that, don’t you?â€
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\n“I don’t\nunderstand.â€
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\nShe waved her\nlong stick out over the water. “That was a spirit called by the ceremony. She\noften appears when we perform our rituals on the bayou.â€
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\n“You know her?â€\nThe shock was evident in his voice.
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\n“She’s the\nspirit of one who sacrificed herself for love many years ago. She was the\nquadroon mistress of a wealthy white man who spurned her and her unborn child.â€
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\nMagnus removed\nhis hat and wiped his hand over his brow, feeling shaky. “So you are telling me\nI just saw a ghost?â€
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\nMadam Simone\nchuckled at his reaction. “The world is not everything you see, Magnus. Ghosts\nare as real as you or I. They are the impression left behind by a life ended in\nmisery, pain, or confusion. The spirits trapped or bound to earth are the ones\nwho haunt. The ones who have found peace are the ones who leave.â€
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\n“Where do they\ngo?â€
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\nShe gave him a\nsad smile. “That all depends on what you believe. Heaven, hell, paradise—take\nyour pick. We have more names for the world that comes after than we do for the\none we currently inhabit. I think that speaks volumes about our capacity for\nhope.â€
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\nMagnus took an\nunsteady breath as his eyes returned to the water. “What about her? The girl in\nthe water? Will she ever find peace and move on?â€
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\n“No.†Madam\nSimone shook her head and, gathering up her skirt, took a step away from the\nshore. “She has chosen to remain here.â€
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\n“Chosen?†he\nshouted. “Are you telling me she had a choice?â€
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\n“We all choose\nin life and in death, Magnus.†She glanced back at him. “That is why we have\nsouls—to make that choice.â€
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\nMagnus could\nstill hear the voice of the spirit calling to him in his head. “I think she\nspoke to me. She knew my name.â€
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\n “Spirits often bring messages from the dead.\nDo you know anyone who has recently died?â€
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\nHe shook his\nhead. “No, no one.â€
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\nMadam Simone\nmotioned ahead to the bonfire. “Let’s get back to the fire.â€
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\nReturning his\nhat to his head, Magnus followed her up the bank. “I’m not sure what I\nwitnessed, Madam Simone, but I no longer think I’m a skeptic.â€
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\nShe grinned as\nthey walked along. “Good. Then the ceremony served its purpose.â€
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\n“What purpose?â€
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\nMadam Simone\nkept her eyes focused on the firelight. “To prepare your soul for what is to\ncome.â€
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\nAbout the Author:
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\nFrom New Orleans, Alexandrea Weis was raised in the motion picture industry and began writing stories at the age of eight. In college, she studied nursing. After finishing her PhD, she decided to pick up the pen once again and begin her first novel. Since that time, she has published many novels and won several national writing awards for fiction. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her bestselling books, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable.
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\nAlexandrea Weis is also a certified/permitted wildlife rehabber with the La. Wildlife and Fisheries. When she is not writing, she rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She is married; they live in New Orleans.
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\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralexandreaweis/
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\nWebpage: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/
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\nTwitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis
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\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandreaweis/
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\nGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1211671.Alexandrea_Weis
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