Monday, July 14, 2014

"The Point" by G. Nykanen

EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
The Point
by G. Nykanen


This book blast and giveaway for The Point is brought to you by Masquerade Book Tours.


Description
Befuddled by her current relationship woes, Nora Reynolds leaves college at semester’s end to drive north of nowhere to her hometown of Iron Bay. Vulnerable and on the rebound, she is the perfect prey for fledgling felon Dane Buchman. Dane takes advantage of the unaware young woman, feeding his appetite for mischief until a rather violent shift in their relationship reveals to him what he’s really been craving. Driven by his new found hunger, Dane feels unstoppable, until former high school rival and town deputy, Doug Sanders, navigates the trail of Dane’s destruction.
The Point is a dark thriller that will allow you to witness a truly dangerous sociopath wander through madness guided by a treasured family heirloom, and a pensive young woman find her way after discovering, that which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. With echoes of the Coen brothers’ Fargo, the folksy town of Iron Bay and the nearby north-woods community of Deer Lake are the destinations for Mr. Buchman’s many misdeeds.

Excerpt
Jake and Nora had already crossed the street, taking a moment to stop at a small park nestled between two of the old storefronts. The term “park” was a bit generous. There was a wooden bench beneath a large apple tree. A few apples still clung to the tree’s nearly bare branches. A statue of the town’s founder looked out onto Main Street from a planting bed filled with once-colorful perennials, now cut back in anticipation of the harsh winter that would soon arrive.
They sat kissing as Dane watched Jake hold Nora tenderly. He was looking longingly at her, while stroking the back of her short hair. Dane realized that even his best acting never achieved the depth of character that Jake’s did.
His insides began to twist. He reeled as a deep pang of jealousy grew in the pit of his stomach. He watched Jake with his hands and mouth all over her, and something deep down in the recesses of his gut squirmed. The parasite beckoned.
He placed his hand to the compass, which was still at rest beneath his sweater. What should I do? he wondered as he rubbed it. I know. I know what you want, he silently acknowledged. He simply wanted to use her to once again experience the surge he’d felt that wonderful day at the Point.
Jake stood and held his hand out to Nora. The lovebirds walked to the car, their fingers entwined.
He didn’t want to let her go; he needed to see her some more.
Trotting back to his car, he proceeded to follow the black BMW as it wound its way up the mountain pass. He knew this road all too well, and soon realized that they were staying at his cousin’s snotty cabin.
“I should’ve known that these two were staying at Cooper’s with his redheaded cunt of a girlfriend,” Dane sneered, his hateful words bouncing around his car as he tailed Nora and Jake up the mountain.
The Beamer turned off the main road as it entered the drive to the Buchman’s cabin. Dane continued past the driveway, parking a bit further up the road to avoid detection.
He hiked, cutting through the woods, his sights set on the lights of the stately vacation home.
“A cabin,” he scoffed sarcastically. “Only Uncle Hank would call that pretentious monstrosity a cabin.”
Creeping through the brush and towering pines, the leaves crunched and twigs snapped as he slogged along the mountain’s varied hillside.
The distant glow of the house grew closer as he hiked, his view only possible because of the drop of the autumn leaves.
He crept up to the house’s base, his back flat against the siding, as he hid amongst the shadows cast by the towering residence.
Dane could hear the couples chatting and laughing as they prepared to sit down for dinner. He observed an extra vehicle

Featured Review
OMG I'm jumping up and down here. I hate typing a review on my kindle, but this was great and I gotta get as much of it down as I can, so its fresh.
To start with the characters, first up is Jake, I started to hate him when he was introduced. I know that's bad but he pissed me off. I mean Nora, come on, she was amazing, and he was sort of cold. So when they are leaving for the summer she expected him to define their relationship. Instead he is cold and distant. So she leaves to go home to spend the summer with her now widowed Dad William. As for William, I want him as a Dad. So if he exists then I want him to adopt me.
So the summer begins with Nora licking her wounds. I loved her dad and his sporting good store and thought this was just what she needed. She meets Lucy and before you know it they are having fun and a few drinks. Nora meets Dane. OK he had me! He was tall, athletic, fabulously good looking and the cousin to Cooper whom Lucy had an instant attraction to. They go out and I had a WTF moment. He was having the strangest internal dialogue. Calling her (Nora) naive. I was thinking it too so I read on and then ... Dane becomes the sexual predator. He strings Nora along in a horrible relationship.
The author creates some really really good characters with Nora, Lucy, William, Aunt Sara, Dane, Cooper and Jake. This was a thrilling book. SO I'm screaming here to read it. Don't read it like I did camping at the beach, you will scare yourself senseless. There are so many twists and turns here that you will keep yourself on edge.
I think the best part was the turning in the plot. For Dane it was like "OMG he is that good" that people don't see the slimy sexual deviant he is.
If you love angst, romance and a side order of thrilling suspense then grab it!

About the Author
G. Nykanen was born and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This small, rural land mass seems to cultivate a wide variety of colorful characters who provide a plethora of inspiration. The Point, Nykanen’s first novel, is filled with nuances of these local characters and the landscapes one might find in the north woods.
Well traveled thanks to her husband’s government career, she has lived in Europe and many of our United States over the last twenty years. She has recently returned home, moving back to her beloved Upper Peninsula where she resides with her husband and three children.
With The Point now completed, she will continue working on her next novel, Accumulation, along with continuing to develop other stories in the works.

Giveaway
Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

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