Tomorrow is the day I’ve been waiting for since I finished book 1! The release of the second book of The Angelheart Saga, Forever Disguised! I’m so happy to be part of the blog tour for my friend Annie’s book. And I’ll be posting later on in the tour my review of the book!

Clearly, I’m a bit excited about this one! Before I begin, you can read my review of Book 1, First Came Forever, right here.

Be forewarned that this post will contain SPOILERS for book 1. Read at your own risk!

Now that you’re acquainted with First Came Forever, let me introduce to you Forever Disguised!

Synopsis: 

The Angelheart Saga Trilogy follows 18-year-old Erica Lindell as an unexpected meeting changes her life forever. It’s a romantic YA series about friendship, first love and the devastating consequences a mistake can lead to. In this sequel, we get to meet Erica again after the shocking events in First Came Forever:

Erica would do anything to turn back time. To get a second chance to make the right decisions. To undo the devastating mistake that ruined everything.

Left heartbroken after the loss of the love of her life, Sasha aka Prince Alexandre, Erica has to find a way to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and live with the consequences of her actions. But finding the strength to go on with her life is not all she has to contend with. Soon, Erica finds herself in the midst of the evil feuding behind the attack on Sasha and she has to fight to protect herself and all that is near and dear to her.

Amongst all of the confusion, pain and hurt, Tyler proposes a solution that may solve all of her problems. But will Erica go through with Tyler’s crazy scheme?

The much-anticipated second book of the Angelheart Saga Trilogy is another enchanting, heart-wrenching story about the mistakes made in the name of love, full of drama, passion and surprising twists.

Get your own copy!

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Exclusive Excerpt

Birthday wishes

Waking up was the worst part. When the blissful sleep was replaced by a slow stirring feeling as the memories made their way through the veil of dreams.

Erica buried her face in the pillow, fighting down the realization that was clawing inside her. Moaning, she tried to prolong the moment until she had to face the painful truth. Face the fact that Sasha might be dead. Because of her.

The pain and guilt tore at her, brutally dragging her out from the merciful oblivion of sleep. Then nausea hit her, and the bitter taste of bile rose in her throat and cold sweat coated her all over. Erica braced herself, counting each breath as she fought the urge to heave. Focusing on the physical unease was almost a relief; feeling so thoroughly sick to her stomach effectively kept the unwanted thoughts at bay. Waiting for the waves of nausea to pass, all she could do was lie completely still with a blank mind.

When the most urgent need to yield what little she had in her stomach had finally subdued, Erica heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She drew her breath and used all the willpower she could muster to steel herself. Slowly she sat up in bed and wiped the cold sweat off her forehead.

“Happy birthday, honey.” Erica’s dad shouldered open the door to her room, trying not to drop the cake he was carrying. A sudden gust of wind from the open window got the burning pastel-colored candles to flicker, but Thomas made a smooth turn to shield the cake, preventing the flames from being blown out.

“Some birthday, huh,” Erica mumbled and leaned back against the pillows, as the sight of the rich layers of cream on the cake caused a new wave of nausea to roll through her.

Thomas put the cake down on the bedside table and gave her a kiss on the head. “I know you don’t feel up to having cake right now, but it’s still your birthday. You at least have to blow out the candles and make a wish.”

“Can I wish to turn back time?”

“I guess you can wish for anything, just as long as you don’t tell me.”

“Alright.” Erica took a deep breath and blew out all the nineteen candles with a hard puff. Let Sasha be alive, please let him be alive. Please, please, please, let him come back to me.

She put the cake down slowly and opened her eyes again. “I’ve really made a mess of everything, haven’t I?” She gazed up at her dad with tears in her eyes.

“Hush now, honey, you’ll work this out.” Thomas sat down next to her and gave her knee a comforting squeeze.

“Nineteen and pregnant. With a dead boyfriend. I don’t really know how to sort any of this out.”

It was unbelievable how much could happen in a year. Her last birthday had been celebrated in her childhood home in Sweden, with her grandparents and her best friend Miriam. She remembered the gifts she’d gotten; a rucksack and money for their upcoming backpacking trip to Asia together with their twin friends Hanna and Lisa. The trip where she’d met Sasha. Or Alexandre Coeur d’Ange, the Crown Prince of Andonia, as she’d later found out. When she’d already fallen for him so deep she couldn’t imagine a life without him.

Closing her eyes, Erica could see Sasha standing with his hands stretched out to her. His hazel eyes glimmering with happiness and hope when he asked her to move with him to the US to be together, trying to avoid the limelight. She would give anything to see him again, hear his voice whisper in her ear and have him wrap his strong arms around her, keeping her safe. She would give anything to let him know that she never wanted to kiss Tyler, that it… No, don’t think about that, she told herself. Don’t think about Tyler. Don’t think about him kissing you at the prom and Sasha seeing it and taking off in fury on his motorbike. To his death. She clenched her teeth and forced back the tears.

“No,” Thomas glanced at his daughter and shook his head with a gloomy expression, “I admit that you’ve hit your low point, but things have a way of sorting themselves out. The most important thing now is for you to decide what to do about the baby. If you want to keep it I’ll support you of course, but…” he hesitated and looked down at his hands with a sigh, “it’s not exactly the perfect time and place, is it?”

“No, tell me about it,” Erica said sarcastically and threw herself back down on the bed again, putting a pillow over her head.

Even though her dad really did his best not to let his disappointment show and to be supportive, it was obvious what he wanted her to do. What decision he expected her to make about the baby.

It’s as if he thinks that I really have an option, Erica thought. She was terrified at the idea of a baby. A real baby. She’d never been much for babies, never been the kind of person who stopped to play with others’ children. Someday she’d pictured having children of her own, but far, far ahead in the future. When she’d done all the other things in life she wanted to do. Having a baby now, was the last thing she wanted. And the timing wasn’t just bad, it was catastrophic. Being a single mom now would probably ruin her life. The part that was left to ruin after losing Sasha, that was. No Ivy League med school. No college at all, actually. But still. What option is there, really? she thought. Not having Sasha’s baby would be like… taking away the only small part of him I still have to hold onto… like killing the only thing left of him.

“Have you talked to Danny yet?”

It was two days since she’d gotten the shocking news from the positive pregnancy test, but still she hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her best friend about it. Danny Haynes, the ‘brightest shining star’ at Bromsten High School, as the headmaster had presented him, when assigning him as Erica’s lab partner on her first day in school and who’d been her best friend ever since. Who’d introduced her to his friend Ricky, who’d immediately had become her friend too. Together they’d pushed him to come out of the closet, at least enough to admit his love for Jordan in school, if not yet to his strict catholic parents. The three of them, Erica, Danny and Ricky had become inseparable and had spent most days together at Danny’s house studying and talking and listening to music. Danny had really opened his house to her, letting her have dinner almost every night with his mom and dad, Gabriella and Peter, and his cousin Tyler, who also lived there after his mother’s death. Tyler, who she at first had thought was just an arrogant, selfish, jock, but who she then–

No, no, don’t go there! Don’t think about Tyler! Focus on Danny! Danny, sweet, kind, smart Danny, who knew her better than anyone, who she’d always been able to talk about anything with. But not this. Her stomach churned at the thought of telling him about the baby. The shame in telling him what a loser girl she was, getting herself pregnant in high school. She feared the look in his eyes. The disappointment.

Telling Danny about the pregnancy would also make it too real. Too unavoidable. Too much of giving up the hope that the problem could go away if she ignored it; that maybe it was all just a bad dream, that there was still a chance that she would wake up and Sasha would be here, and everything would be like before the idiotic prom. Fat chance. She almost laughed at herself for being so stupid.

“No, I think I want to talk to Charles first,” she told her dad. “To hear if he has any news about Sasha.” Charles, Sasha’s bodyguard had been the first person to arrive at the place where Sasha had had his accident. But seeing how the chasing car had pushed Sasha over the cliff, he didn’t think that it had been an accident at all, but an assassination. “Maybe they’ve found him. Maybe…” She went silent when she saw the pitiful look on her father’s face.

“You know–”

“Yes, I know. Even though they haven’t found his body, he can’t have survived this. I know that it is impossible to survive the crash and the fall into the river. I just can’t help thinking how different it all would have been…” Tears dwelled in her eyes, but she wiped them away.

Thomas held her in his arms and stroked her hair, then pulled back to look her in the eyes. “Just don’t wait too long to tell Danny, okay? He’s really getting worried about you ignoring him. And I think it would be good for you to talk it all through with a good friend like him. Or Miriam.”

“Okay, Dad, I promise I’ll talk to Danny.” Can’t talk to Miriam; what would I tell her? She doesn’t even know about Sasha. Erica had been so close to telling Miriam about Sasha so many times, but since she hadn’t told her from the beginning, when they’d been travelling together in Vietnam, it had become a lie that she hadn’t found her way around. And now it’s too late, she thought. When I need Miriam the most, I can’t even talk to her. Or Danny, really. I’m about to make the biggest, most scary, decision in my whole life and I have no one to discuss it with. God, what a mess this is. She’d never felt so lonely and small in her whole life.

Author Interview

Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, but I’ve spent a lot of time in the USA and UK. Currently I am partly living in the US, dividing my time between Stockholm and New York. So, even though Swedish is my native language, I write my books in English.

Reading has always been a big part of my life. I can still remember the feeling when I learned to read and was so blown away by this whole new world that opened up to me. So, my childhood was mostly spent in libraries and book stores… I’m so thankful for my parents who always came along to all the bookstores I dragged them to, without ever complaining. I still love reading just as much, and how you can travel through books and go see magical places and be someone else for a while.

Besides travelling though books, I also love to travel “for real” and have travelled quite a lot with my family. I love to experience the world together with them and to do outdoor activities, like hiking, surfing or skiing. Generally, when I’m not reading, I like to be active. I’m especially into running, so I’m spending quite a lot of time with my running shoes on in Central Park or along the eastside of Manhattan over to Brooklyn, or on trails in the forests around Stockholm. I also have a dog to go for walks with (but mostly to cuddle with).

A quirky fact about myself is that I’m super clumsy. I always drop things and spill food and drinks on my clothes. It even happens that I walk into walls, missing the door opening…

What does being an author mean to you?

Foremost, I see it as being a story teller. And a bit of a magician, bringing life to characters and stories. The thought that there are people out there reading my work and falling in love with and caring about the characters I’ve created is just overwhelming. It’s such an amazing thing to share your story with others, and getting positive feedback is just magic! I love the bookworm community and all the wonderful contacts; I’ve gotten so much love and support and encouragement, it’s just unbelievable!

I still have a hard time calling myself an author though. I’m nowhere near being able to live on my writing, so besides being an author, I also have another full-time job. This means that I have to try and write whenever I can between work and being with my family. I guess that you could call me a “night-and airplane-writer” as I do most of my writing when the rest of the family is asleep or on the flight between Stockholm-New York. I think I will be able to see myself as a ‘real’ author when I can actually spend full days just writing at my desk. In daylight…

What inspires you while writing?

Just about anything really! Reading books and watching movies. Overhearing a conversation on the subway. Remembering something that have happened in my own life. Often the ideas pop up when I’m out running and then I stop to write notes on my iPhone, so I remember the ideas and can write them down in the evening. But mostly it’s the characters themselves that inspires me to write about them. I’ve been living with the characters in the book for years now, so I actually think about them as real-life-persons and in a way they kind of live their own lives, so I need to keep on writing to know what will happen to them…

Can you give us an insight into your main character?

The main character is 18-year-old Erica Lindell. She’s always been something of “an old soul”, feeling out of step with her same age friends. Where they are mostly interested in partying and flirting, she’s more of a reader and thinker. (I have to admit that Erica is very much based off myself. Erica is just a bit smarter and better looking and with way more integrity… 😉 But, just like me, she’s clumsy, a bookworm, too serious for her own good at times, a kind of bad driver, but a great runner finding peace and quiet and respite from all demands out in the woods with her running shoes on.)

When we first meet Erica she’s backpacking with her friends in Asia, but an unexpected meeting there sets her life on a new direction. During the Angelheart Saga trilogy we then get to follow Erica as she tries to find out where her heart and future lie and her struggle to make the right choices and stay true to herself in the wake of an overwhelming love story. Shall she give up her own life to be with the boy she loves or risk losing him forever? Where do you draw the line at what is worth giving up for love?

What kind of emotion do you want your audience to feel while reading?

A lot of the readers have described that the first book in the series, First Came Forever, is a rollercoaster of emotions, so I guess I want the audience to feel ALL emotions… But overall I want the readers to get involved and care about the story and the characters. My highest wish is that the readers keep thinking about the characters long after they’ve finished reading the book and wonder what will happen to them.

If you could give one advice to budding writers what would it be?

The best advice I can give is to believe in yourself and never give up on your dream! And to just get into the habit of writing, a little bit every day. It’s really the hard work and actually putting the words in your head down on the paper that makes you a writer. Writing down the initial concept is so much fun, then after that it is basically just a lot of hard work… But just keep in mind the story you want to tell, and that you will get to share it with others when the book comes out, and it will be worth all the hard work!

Giveaway!

Click here or on the banner to go to Rafflecopter to enter!

1. The first winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card, or the equivalent amount of books from Book Depository
2. Second prize is a signed paperback copy of Forever Disguised PLUS a bookmark of your own liking from FictionalBoutique.
3. The third prize is an Angelheart Saga bookmark collection from FictionalBoutique.

You can get entries in several different ways! Good luck to you all. International. Entries will be accepted until 12 am PST on July 20th!

About Annie Woods

Annie Woods is a Swedish author who writes romantic YA books in English. She grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, but has spent a lot of time in the USA and UK. Currently she is partly living in the US, dividing her time between Stockholm and New York. Reading has always been a big part of her life, and she’s especially addicted to YA and teen love stories.

Visit her website to find out more and connect with her on social media.

Website | Instagram |Twitter | Facebook |Tumblr | Goodreads

 

Follow the Tour

Thank you so much, Annie, for including me in the Forever Disguised book tour! I can’t wait to be back in a few weeks to review your book! Which from the first pages I read is AMAZING!

What do you think? Are you excited about this book? Did the excerpt intrigue you? Talk to me in the comments below and show Annie some love!

 

 

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