Desert Bound
Elizabeth Hunter
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Can you turn the clock back on your first love? Would you even want to try?

Alex McCann and Teodora “Ted” Vasquez left Cambio Springs together. Ted came back. Alex didn’t.

Now, years later, the future alpha of the McCann wolves has returned with plans to bring new life to the dying desert community. Plans that could change everything for the isolated enclave of shapeshifters in the California desert. Some love the plan. Others hate it.

As the town’s doctor and one of the strongest daughters in the cat clan, Ted has her own concerns about exposing her community to outsiders. The two former lovers are at each other’s throats. And everyone is watching to see what happens.

But when murder once again strikes Cambio Springs, can they overcome their past to help the community they both call home? And can the love they shared once burn again when so many stand against it?

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Elizabeth Hunter is a paranormal writing genius. She takes unique themes and elements and creates a world that I never want to escape! I have read few shape shifting books that I truly enjoyed (for some reason the theme has never been well written when I try to dive in), yet this series has raised the standard to the highest level and I will never be able to go back! When I read Long Ride Home and Shifting Dreams (Jena’s story) I wanted more immediately. I stalked Elizabeth’s blog daily and freaked out with the teasers I would find. When she released Five Mornings, five different scenes with Alex and Ted, I was in so deep and couldn’t wait to get my hands on their story! Needless to say, Desert Bound was everything I hoped for and more. There is suspense, drama, intrigue, fiery passion, romance, family, and friendship, all wrapped in a perfect paranormal shape shifting package.

Desert Bound begins with Ted and Alex trying to figure out what exists between them and what is left of their friendship and relationship. Their history is a series of lows that have broken Ted at the deepest level but also the highs that completed her life and heart in so many ways. She is determined to ignore his flirtation and not so subtle hints, yet Alex knows without a shadow of a doubt that he is meant to be with her as his lifelong mate and love. Alex takes it upon himself to convince her that he is in Cambio Springs to stay. That even when the resort spa has been completed, he is not planning to leave her again.  Alex soon learns that this task is easier said than done. As they attempt to enter into starting a rocky friendship again, things in Cambio Springs turn violent and one of their own is murdered. With more outsiders coming into town to help build the resort and start to expand the town, people are nervous and a murder sets the clans on edge. They demand justice and the return of a sense of safety and security. As Alex and Ted, along with Chief Gilbert, dig deeper into what happened to their fellow shifter, things seem to take a turn for the worst and things are not what they seems. But one thing remains: the shifters will always take care of their own, no matter the outcome or the cost. During this investigation, Ted and Alex are continually thrown together on the hunt and one things becomes painstakingly clear, they are meant to be together, no matter the drama or the disapproval of their families.

This story has everything I could possibly want from a paranormal novel. It has intrigue, passion, danger, hope, love, family, community, and life. It couples a number of my favorite themes into such an incredible paranormal package that leaves you begging for the next book! The characters in this story are what make it the best it could possibly be! Ted is an incredibly powerful and beautiful character. She is strong, dominant, kind, caring, and tough. Yet beneath the tough surface you see a woman who’s heart has been broken repeatedly by the one man she every truly desired. After seven long years, she is faced with a decision: to take him back despite her fears and reservations or to move on and leave the past, both good and bad, behind her. She is a pillar to the shape shifting community, one that is influential and protective. Her tenacity and love for her family and friends was a quality that you cannot help but admire. Alex is her perfect counterpart, the pieces that fit even when it may not make sense. When he steps back to examine the past and his love for Ted, his perspectives shift and his approach to win her back becomes something even Ted cannot ignore. They are better together, sharpening each other and supporting one another. Their passion is on fire; their love is deep. They are my favorite Cambio Springs couple so far! Their magnetism is a force that you cannot help but be drawn to.

The mystery of the shifters death creates an unease within the town and people are on edge. As accusations are thrown, the shifters must band together to bring justice and provide protection to their people. The theme of family and community is a foundational truth within the Cambio Springs series. The shifters way of life is a very delicate balance and it must be protected at all costs. Throughout the story, we see how they will go to great lengths to protect their own clans and when it matters, they will put aside their bickering differences to protect all shifters, no matter their clan or past grievances. I loved the fierce protective nature of the clans and how that translates to the families that have outsiders and non-shifters in their community. Loyalty is an attribute valued above all. I loved seeing the whole gang from the first book together. We see glimpses into Jena and the Chief’s life, we see Ollie, Allie, Old Quinn, and all shifters we met in Shifting Dreams. They add so much more to the story, creating depth and meaning to the series.

I cannot wait to see what Elizabeth Hunter has in store for us next! The Cambio Springs series and community is quickly becoming a “go-to” favorite in my bookshelf! If you are looking for an incredible paranormal series, one that values community and family, one that is full or life, love, and passion, then look no further. Desert Bound hits it out of the ballpark and adds yet another glorious addition to this series and storyline! Don’t miss out! Grab your copy today.

Want a chance to win a digital copy of SHIFTING DREAMS, the first book in the Cambio Springs series? You can enter for a chance to win one of 5 copies of this book! Just make sure to enter this Rafflecopter Giveaway for your chance to win!

Want to know more about the Cambio Springs gang and where it all began? Then make sure to check out the series! The links and book information is listed below! Make sure to grab your copy today if you have never visited Cambio Spring and get ready for an incredible new world!

Long Ride Home (Cambio Springs #0.5)

The first story in the new paranormal series by Elizabeth Hunter, acclaimed author of the Elemental Mysteries.

Welcome to Cambio Springs.

In this small desert town, secrets bubble up from the desert floor, and history is written on the canyon walls. Seven friends will gather at the crossroads, because in Cambio Springs, everything—and everyone—changes.

Jena Crowe escaped the Springs ten years ago. Now, she’s heading home with two boys to start a new life. With her husband’s ghost keeping her company on the road, Jena will learn that moving back and moving backward aren’t necessarily the same thing, and sometimes the places you try to escape are exactly where you need to fall.

Three nights to say goodbye. Three days to come to grips with the future. For Jena and her two sons, it’s going to be a long ride home.

Long Ride Home is a short story of approximately twenty-five pages.

Shifting Dreams (Cambio Springs #1)

Somedays, Jena Crowe just can’t get a break. Work at her diner never ends, her two boys are bundles of energy, and she’s pretty sure her oldest is about to shift into something furry or feathery. Added to that, changes seem to be coming to the tiny town of Cambio Springs—big changes that not everyone in the isolated town of shapeshifters is thrilled about.

Caleb Gilbert was looking for change, and the quiet desert town seemed just the ticket for a more peaceful life. He never counted on violence finding him, nor could he have predicted just how crazy his new life would become.

When murder rocks their small community, Caleb and Jena will have to work together. And when the new Chief of Police isn’t put off by any of her usual defenses, Jena may be faced with the most frightening change of all: lowering the defenses around her carefully guarded heart.

Shifting Dreams is the first novel in Cambio Springs, the new paranormal romance series from Elizabeth Hunter, author of the best-selling Elemental Mysteries series.

Five Mornings (Cambio Springs #1.5)

One morning can change everything. Five mornings can change a life.

Friends. Lovers. Enemies. Allies.

Alex McCann and Teodora ‘Ted’ Vasquez never had a simple relationship. But you couldn’t call it a boring one, either. Five mornings in their past shape who they will become to each other. To their families. And to the mysterious town they call home.

“Five Mornings” is a short story of approximately 36 pages set in the Cambio Springs universe. Also included is an exclusive first look at Alex and Ted’s full-length novel, DESERT BOUND, coming Fall 2014.

 

Elizabeth Hunter is a contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance writer. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and a former English teacher. She once substitute taught a kindergarten class, but decided that middle school was far less frightening. Thankfully, people now pay her to write books and eighth-graders everywhere rejoice.

She currently lives in Central California with her son, two dogs, many plants, and a sadly dwindling fish tank. She is the author of the Elemental Mysteries and Elemental World series, the Cambio Springs series, the Irin Chronicles, and other works of fiction.

Want to know more about Elizabeth Hunter and what she is up to? Check out her social media links listed below!

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