Brave
Oni Fighters #1
By Natalie Gayle
Release Date: July 10, 2015
Praise
for Brave
"If I
could give Brave more than five stars I would. It deserves so many more than
that. It has become my number one book of 2015 and one that will stay with me
for a very long time to come." Angela—Books and Friendz Blog
“This book
has a lot of heart and so many emotional moments!! I totally fell for Xander, I
mean how can you not?? Great great book, you’d be crazy not to one click
this!!!” Melissa—Apha Book
Club
“This book
contains it all! There are swoon-worthy moments, witty moments, steamy moments,
and tearful moments that all come together to make this one fabulous
read." Paige Smith—Hooked
on Books Blog
Synopsis
A moment in
time, that’s all it took. Beauty, pain and tragedy.
Xander
“Pretty Boy” Todd was a demon in the ring. A professional MMA fighter with a
career that had the world a buzz—but now it’s gone. Or is it?
Eden Sommers
had her dreams of an international modelling career within her grasp—and lost
it. Gone within a few seconds, leaving nothing but pain.
How do you
go on, when the one thing that defines you is suddenly ripped away—only to
leave scars and a hollow shell in its place? Has the beauty gone forever? Or
has it just retreated—to now be hidden, and dormant; guarded by the inner
demons?
Can these
two wounded souls find the inner strength to fight back the demons together and
find the beauty in their lives once again?
To do this,
they must first accept—The hardest demons to defeat are the ones inside.
They’ll have to be BRAVE.
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Book Trailer
Music by Remedy X
Excerpt
Fear struck
through me. I hated the conversation directed to me, particularly when there
were strangers involved. I could have cursed Tori. She knew better than to put
me on the spot like this. I could just see her smirking face across the table
from underneath my lashes as my throat started to constrict.
“You’re more
than welcome to come along and watch. I encourage people to come along and see
for themselves what it’s all about.” Oh, there was that voice again.
I was torn.
I didn’t want to look up. I didn’t want to see the embarrassment and the man
with the beautiful voice looking uncomfortable when he realised what my face
looked like.
Surely there
was a limit to the torture?
Manners,
fear, self-consciousness all warred within me.
The silence
around me was deafening. I could tell they were all waiting. I could feel three
sets of eyes on me watching and wondering if I was actually going to respond.
Finally I took a deep breath. What did it matter if he rejected me? It had
happened before, and it would happen again. I could do this. It would hurt, but
I was no stranger to pain, both physical and emotional.
Very slowly
I raised my chin and turned just slightly towards him. I didn’t say anything. I
couldn’t because my throat was closed in fear and uncertainty.
The first
thing I noticed was the dark jeans that hung on narrow hips, then a white
T-shirt that emphasised his flat belly and defined pecs. Bravely, I raised my
eyes a little higher and the pecs ran into a set of wide shoulders. There was a
hint of a tattoo peeking out from under one of his short sleeves. It only made
his bicep look more delicious and enticing.
I took one
final harsh intake of air and allowed my eyes to complete their journey. They
travelled up and up the column of his corded neck to his wide angular jaw.
His full
lips were slightly turned up in what looked like a half smile or was it
amusement? I could only image how it would look once the shock registered when
he saw my face.
Above those
lips, that looked far too sensual for any man, was a long straight nose with a
hint of a flare to the nostrils. The knot in my stomach tightened even further
as I finally tilted my head back far enough so my eyes could meet his.
Every muscle
in my body was tensed waiting for the shock, horror and embarrassment I was
about to see, once my scars registered with his brain. It was an involuntary
reaction I realised. Nobody could hide it, no matter how hard they tried.
It was just the shock and surprise. I don’t blame them for their reactions, it
just hurt that was all.
I raised my
eyelids that final few millimetres and forced my eyes to focus on his. Right
then and there the world stopped spinning for me. Time halted. My sisters faded
into the background and I looked into the eyes of one of the most compelling
people I had ever seen. Oh, he was handsome, but he was so much more.
But that was
not what had me struck dumb—nope that wasn’t it.
It was his
eyes—those bottomless pools of black onyx. I did a mental double take. For eyes
so dark they should have appeared cold and icy.
But they
didn’t—they weren’t cold at all. They were warm and rich. Right then was the
first time I could recall in the last five years, a stranger looking at me with
warmth in their eyes. Not shock, not pity, not embarrassment. It was warmth.
The shock paralysed
me. I didn’t know what to do or how to act. My brain was shorting out. Nothing
made sense. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered my leg being kicked
under the table, but even that didn’t break through my connection with those
eyes. I wanted to swim in them, wrap myself in their warmth and burrow down
tight.
I have no
idea how much time passed.
Finally, he
thrust his hand forward to me and without conscious thought, I placed my hand
in his to shake. What happened next shocked me even more.
He lent
across the table and pulled me into a loose hug and brushed his lips against my
left cheek.
My brain was
fried and my nerves were all misfiring. Nothing made sense. I was so far out of
my comfort zone.
He pulled
back slowly and gave me a smile that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
Then he
spoke and his words seemed to swirl around me in a caress.
“Hi Eden.
I’m Xander Todd.” Suddenly, I realised I had no box to categorise him into.
Meet the Author
A confessed readaholic
and romantic junkie, Natalie spends her time juggling a busy career as an IT
professional and author. In between staring at a computer screen (she spends
lot time doing that!) Natalie, enjoys living the Gold Coast life with her very
tolerant husband and two school aged children.
She loves
spending time with family and friends, hitting the beach, cooking, working out
and curling up with a good book. Her pet hates are cleaning and anything
else that can be considered “domestic dullness”. If she could have one wish it
would be to be able to fit 48 hours into 24.
Natalie is the author of the Centre Games Series. A fast paced, romantic
suspense series set on the Gold Coast, Australia. The series tells the stories
of the Centre, a quasi government agency established to fight environmental,
biological and agricultural threats. The Centre Games books are filled with hot
alpha males and the feisty independent females strong enough to capture their
hearts. Natalie’s books pack lots of action, hot romance and surprises.
Natalie is currently working on her fifth instalment for the Centre Games
Series and a brand new series for 2015. Look out for her new release BRAVE,
coming very soon and a couple of surprise projects.
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