Laurie Wetzel | Saucy Southern Readers

By Laurie Wetzel

Synopsis

Abandoned by her birth parents and ignored by her adoptive family, Maddy Page believes she is unlovable. She only allows herself to dream of falling in love. That changes when she meets MJ; handsome and kind, MJ penetrates Maddy’s defenses. Maddy soon finds herself confiding in MJ like she has with no one else, revealing secrets even her closest friends don’t know. He makes her feel safe–a feeling she’s never experienced except in her dreams.

When Maddy witnesses MJ disappear and reappear in thin air, she realizes she might have been wrong about him. He could be dangerous–maybe even a killer. Determined to uncover the truth of who–or what–MJ is, Maddy ignores her instinct to run. But she soon realizes that getting close to MJ could cost more than a broken heart–it could cost Maddy her soul.

Buy Links : Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Excerpt

My entire body pulses in the wake of his touch. His words “if you were mine” keep circling around in my head, and with each rotation, something inside me grows. He makes me feel happy and less broken. I feel I could take on the world as long as he’s beside me. Whatever he is, I don’t care. I’ve never felt anything like this, and I’ll go to Hell and back to keep it. Regardless of what happens to me, I have to protect him. I have to keep him safe, always.

He grins and squeezes my hand again. My body responds with such intensity, I almost feel as if I were floating. I don’t want it to ever stop. I want to stay strong. I want to be brave. I want to feel safe. He gives me all of that. I want to hold him forever, even if it’s only his hand.
“Tomorrow,” he says, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’ll find a way to see you.”
“Promise?”

Tracey’s Review

Since the day that she found out that she was adopted, Maddy Page refuses to feel. Anything. Thoughts that she is somehow second-best, like she is less important to her family and friends, plague her, keeping her from accepting any affection, afraid that it will unexpectedly be taken away from her. But Maddy is special. Since her childhood, she has been gifted, able to do things more easily and better than other people. And, for as long as she can remember, she has been able to see Dream Girl and the Dark Prince, Damian, when she sleeps at night.

Maddy is unaware of just how many things set her apart from others. But there are those that recognize how special she is, and are eager to get their hands on her. Because Maddy is unclaimed, somehow marked by neither Heaven nor Hell, making her fair game for whichever side can bind her to them. And neither side will stop until she belongs to them.

UNCLAIMED is the first book in the UNCLAIMED series by Laurie Wetzel. As a new book in the YA paranormal genre, it is a fine addition, with a plot that is original, and that has characters that are interesting and multi-dimensional. There were times when I was reading it, though, that I found myself distracted and a bit confused by the way that the story jumped around. As I read, it seemed as though there should have been a bit more backstory towards the beginning of the book. Instead, it was rolled out bit by bit as the book progressed, and this made it a little more difficult for me to follow. Overall, I did enjoy UNCLAIMED, and I would definitely like to read future books in the series to find out how things are wrapped up.
like ∙ flag

Author bio

Laurie Wetzel has always had a passion for writing, but it wasn’t until a New Years Resolution in 2011 that she finally shared her lifelong dream of being an author with her husband. He read the very first draft of Unclaimed and gave her the words she needed to hear, “This is what you need to be doing.” Three years later the first book in the Unclaimed series was published with the second book expected to be out in 2015. Laurie lives in Mankato, MN, with her husband and two young sons. When she’s not writing, working, or spending time with her family, she’s either reading, running, or catching up on her favorite shows on Netflix. For updates on the Unclaimed series as well as other works in progress, feel free to check her out online!