Spotlight & Giveaway: Protecting the Wolf’s Mate by Sasha Summers

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sasha Summers to HJ!

Hi Sasha and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Protecting the Wolf’s Mate!

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

Protecting – While Hollis (the hero) thinks he’s protecting his pack, I’m pretty sure Ellen is the protector here.
Wolf – Ellen has a strong relationship with her wolf, one of respect. Hollis refuses to accept he has a wolf. But Ellen shows him otherwise. She’s tenacious like that.
Mate – In my Blood Moon Brotherhood series, the whole mating thing is a big deal. It’s the bond that seals a lifelong bond – no matter what.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“It’s a wolf.” Ellen ran her finger along the intricately detailed illustration of the fearsome creature on the page of the book. “Like your father. And, soon, your mother. Like you. Only bigger. You’re still a pup.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Ellen is a serious badass. It was hard to write her sometimes because of that – but I loved the challenge! In the end, I think she was the perfect mix of wounded ferocity and unshakable love.
• Mal says the f* more than any character I’ve ever written. Even though he’s not the hero of this book, he still drops more than enough in this book.
• I always knew Ellen’s past would be difficult but I wasn’t sure what she’d been through until I was writing it. It was so real – but I felt terrible for her. (Yes, I know I’m the one writing it but…)
• Sam Heughan is my inspiration for Hollis. You’re welcome.
• I actually had nightmares about Cyrus, the villain, when I was writing this book. Um… is that a fun fact? LOL. Well, we went toe-to-toe as wolves so that part of it was fun. Who do you think won?

Was there a scene in this book that was harder to write than others?

Ellen wants the survival of her species more than anything—except maybe revenge. And when the opportunity to get even arrives, she gets there too late.
Excerpt:

He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead.
Ellen stood absolutely still. Waiting. Watching. No movement, no movement, nothing. And, inside, she couldn’t stop screaming. Couldn’t wrap her mind around what she saw—pale, cold, and stiff on the ground.
The wind reeked of death. Three bodies lay in the blood-soaked snow. Three bodies mangled and terrifyingly still. But only one held Ellen’s attention. Byron. Byron the butcher. Byron the bastard. Motherfucking coward.
“Get up,” she ground out, shaking her hands, fighting for control as she stalked the dark-red patch of snow where he lay. If he moved, if so much as a finger twitched, her wolf would act swiftly. Even now her wolf was pushing to get out, the urge to tear what remained of Byron’s body to tiny pieces was almost beyond control. Part of her wanted that, too.
Part of her wanted to run away. Far away.
Where would she go? She had no place. No one and nothing. She’d be hunted by all sides, the good and the bad, because she was neither. Peace was not in the cards for her.
Time was slipping away. Dead or not, Byron had answers. And the only way to get them required touching him. Being weak was never an option, especially now. Palms clammy, heart slamming into her ribs, stomach churning, she forced herself closer to Byron’s remains.
“Ellen?” Hollis’s voice. Soft. His hand gently clasping her arm.
She spun, her fist smashing into his nose without thought. Byron’s presence put her wolf on alert. Instinct ruled—the instinct to protect and fight. At the expense of Hollis’s nose.
He released her, one hand covering his face. “Jesus, Ellen. It’s me.” Of course it was. Hollis was her shadow. Always two steps behind.
“I forgot you were there,” she murmured, offering no apology. He’d no cause to touch her. Ever. She understood his pack was too wary of her to allow her a moment’s solitude. They had dangerous enemies, they should be wary. But not of her. Hollis was one of the few to believe that. Maybe that was why she didn’t mind his constant presence. He accepted her as she was. Even when she did foolish things like insist on running here—not waiting for reinforcement—and into what might have been a trap.
Byron loved traps. Setting them. Waiting for them to spring. And playing with his new toy—unless his Alpha had other ideas. Her gaze swept the perimeter of the meadow, looking, anxious. Were there more here? Waiting to attack? Waiting to drag her back? Her wolf sensed no threat. Not yet. But there was only one way to be certain.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I’m one of those hopeless romantics that believes love can conquer all – you just have to find your mate. That’s what I want. For my readers not to settle for anything less than the right one. The one they’d fight monsters to protect.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Paperback copy of Protecting the Wolf’s Mate (Blood Moon Brotherhood) by Sasha Summers

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Book Info:

Ellen has one goal: vengeance. With little memory of her life before her imprisonment by a maniacal werewolf, her world has been full of pain, humiliation, and fear. But now that she’s been rescued, her need for revenge is challenged by the urge to be part of a pack… and the unshakable connection to, Hollis, the man her wolf claims as their mate.

Hollis will do whatever it takes to protect his pack, and that includes looking after Ellen, who doesn’t need or want his help. He’s determined to keep her safe, even though she’s hell-bent on revenge, even if that means sacrificing himself. And it might come to that when the big bad comes back for the one woman he can’t live without.
 
 

Meet the Author:

Sasha Summers grew up surrounded by books. Her passions have always been storytelling, romance and travel–passions she’s used to write more than 20 romance novels and novellas. Now a best-selling and award winning-author, Sasha continues to fall a little in love with each hero she writes. From easy-on-the-eyes cowboy, sexy alpha-male werewolves, to heroes of truly mythic proportions, she believes that everyone should have their happy ending–in fiction and real life.

Sasha lives in the suburbs of the Texas Hill country with her amazing and supportive family and her beloved grumpy cat, Gerard, The Feline Overlord. She looks forward to hearing from fans and hopes you’ll visit her online. Facebook: Sasha Summers Author, Twitter: @sashawrites, or her website: www.sashasummers.com