Welcome to the blog tour for NORTH TO NARA, the first book in the young adult dystopian sci-fi romance series, Crimson Sash, by Amanda Marin. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
NORTH TO NARA (Crimson Sash #1) by Amanda Marin
About the Book
Title: NORTH TO NARA
Series: Crimson Sash
Author: Amanda Marin
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Release Date: March 20, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
Synopsis
Neve Hall has always admired the good works of the civil servants who brought prosperity back to the Nation. She especially respects the Sufferers—empaths who, with the help of technology, anonymously bear others’ troubles for them. But when her assigned empath is abruptly retired, she uncovers certain secrets. Like the identity of her new Sufferer, Micah Ward… and the fact that behind his kind smile is a life filled with loneliness and pain.
The closer Neve grows to Micah, the more desperate she becomes to protect him from a cruel and gruesome fate. But in a world where only a few are allowed the luxury of love, saving Micah comes with a price: Neve must choose between her loyalty to the Nation or her heart—a decision that will take them both on a race for their freedom, and their lives.
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Excerpt #4
There’s hurt and anxiety in Micah’s eyes. He’s trying to understand the reason I’d put our secret at risk. He thinks I’ve betrayed him, I realize. He thinks I’ve told them—that I’m leaving him to the mercy of Isla and the director without even warning him. And the idea of him wondering whether I might be capable of doing that to him upsets me more than anything.
“It’s not what you’re thinking, Micah, I swear—”
“Then why? Whatever it is, just tell me so I can help.” He’s begging me, with his sad, stag’s stare, not to break him.
My eyes burn, and silent tears boil over as I remind myself of my reasons. The way he limps from time to time. The fact that he’s not going to get better, only worse. The agony of knowing that I’ll someday lose him—and that I, as one of his Sieves, am partly to blame.
“It’s because I just can’t do it anymore, Micah,” I tell him, wiping tears from my face. I turn away so he won’t see me cry like this. “I won’t make you Suffer for me—not when I have the power to keep you from experiencing pain.” My body shakes with the torment of it all, but then I feel his hands on my shoulders, offering comfort, no longer afraid of me.
“It’s more than just my duty to Suffer for you, though—I want to do it,” he tells me softly. “I want to ease your pain, Neve—you, above all people. I would do anything for you. This is nothing.”
“I know you would—I never questioned that,” I tell him as I try to calm down. “But something’s happened now that I know you—it was different before, when I didn’t.” I struggle to find the words to explain—to help him understand in a way that will make sense to him. “Just as you want to ease my pain, I want to ease yours.”
I turn to wrap my arms around Micah’s waist, and there’s a strange glint in his eyes, like he’s peering into my heart and recognizing a bit of his own inside it. I’ve reached him. He sighs, and when he opens his mouth to speak again, his voice is quiet and strained.
“If you really mean that, you’ll come back to the Center,” he says. “You have to keep your appointments, Neve. They’ll get suspicious if you don’t. They’ll find out…”
He pauses, and I see conflict registering in the worried lines that form across his forehead. Once we put words to what we are, we can no longer deny it. But Micah pushes down his fear. After a moment, he squares his shoulders, tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and finishes his sentence.
“They’ll find out about us.”
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Author Amanda Marin
About the Author
When Amanda was a child, her father traveled frequently for business, always bringing her back a book as a present. Whether she was getting lost in the pages of a tale about far-away knights, girls with supernatural powers, or kindly giants, she was quickly hooked on stories.
Over the years, Amanda has followed her own yellow brick road of reading and writing, and although her adventures haven’t involved sword fights or saving the planet from certain annihilation, they have involved jobs in scholarly publishing and marketing, a modest amount of travel, and a lifelong love of novels.
Amanda holds degrees in English from Salve Regina University and Boston College. Her favorite things include Starbucks lattes, lazy summer afternoons at the beach, and books with characters that make you go “awww.” She lives in New Hampshire with her family and furbaby, Snickers the Poodle.
Where to Find Amanda Marin
Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon | BookBub
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Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway