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    Summer Demons
    Summer Demons
    Summer Demons
    Ebook121 pages1 hour

    Summer Demons

    By Mia Hoddell

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Jenna Shaw ran away to escape her past. In fact, she jumped on a plane and flew to Portugal to try and forget it. However, it turns out leaving everything behind isn’t as easy as it sounds.

    She thought she could move on and break free of her fears—that if she had some space the pain would stop. But as memories resurface due to an ill-timed joke, the past crashes into her present once more and she didn’t see it coming.

    Jenna’s plans for normality are derailed by the charismatic Ethan Brooks. She sees him as an annoyance; he sees her as a challenge. But as he tries every trick known to him to impress her, they only serve to push her further away. He’s never faced this problem before and Ethan has to work harder than he ever has if he wants to win over and help his mysterious girl.

    *Summer Demons is book 1 in the Seasons of Change series. All of the novellas are interconnected standalone reads.*

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMia Hoddell
    Release dateSep 22, 2015
    ISBN9781310658129
    Summer Demons
    Author

    Mia Hoddell

    International bestselling author Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder, Not Enough, and Bet On Me.Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers and banners on her website M Designs.

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    Reviews for Summer Demons

    3.5/5

    5 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I received this free eARC in exchange for my honest review. Interesting story. I enjoyed it for the most part but there were times that I just rolled my eyes. I wasn't able to connect with Jenna. Yes, I felt bad about what happened, but she seemed mighty fine when she was in Ethan's arms. It just seemed like she was acting through a lot of her problems and was almost playing hard to get. It's been a long time since I read the viewpoint that Mia Hoddell used where she would interchange whose thoughts were perceived. Maybe that's why I had a hard time with this story. I was going to get the second book in the series but I may just wait until later to see if I really want it. I'm glad I got this free to read. I think a lot of readers will enjoy the story and if someone is looking for this type of book I will definitely recommend it to them.
    • 4/5
      Jenna Shaw is suffered a horrible tragedy, every time she closes her eyes she sees the scene replay in her head. Being near water makes it worse, almost unbearable. She thought that a vacation would help, give her a break from the guilt she feels. However her plans of sun bathing and reading by the beach are interrupted by the handsome, charismatic Ethan Brooks. Jenna wants nothing to do with Ethan, she came to the resort to heal and forget, not to jump head first into another relationship. Ethan however is persistent in his quest for Jenna. What started off as him chasing something- someone unattainable is quickly turning into an undeniable attraction that goes above and beyond a summer fling. Even though Ethan wasn't what Jenna was looking for maybe he'll be just what she needed in order to overcome the guilt that is slowly drowning her and the sorrow that weighs her down. While this was a short book I was warned about it in advance so I won't let that alter my review. Since it was so short I don't want to give anything away so all I will say is that I sincerely enjoyed the story and would have loved for it be longer. Until next time, Ginger In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. My review is my honest opinion.
    • 4/5
      Review
      I really enjoyed Summer Demons, and devoured it in a little amount of time.  It's a perfect, short read that gives you a little bit of romance, heart ache, and hope.

      There are dark events that plague Jenna, and it's hard for her to get past them.  She tries, and I think that definitely shows a lot about her personality.  She also holds guilt that isn't hers to bear.  I adored Ethan.  He comes off as cocky at first, but you can definitely tell he has a soft side to him.

      I think the progression of the story was great.  Everyone wants summer romance when they are young.  Summer Demons is a perfect portrayal of that.  I can't wait to see what the next book in this novella series is about.

    Book preview

    Summer Demons - Mia Hoddell

    SUMMER DEMONS

    A SEASONS OF CHANGE STANDALONE

    MIA HODDELL

    COPYRIGHT

    This ebook is not transferable. It cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your retailer and purchase your own copy.

    Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the creation of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organisations is entirely coincidental.

    Summer Demons © 2014 by Mia Hoddell

    Edited by Sarah Jones

    Cover Design: Mia Hoddell @ M Designs

    Cover Stock © Shutterstock

    Dedication

    For my family.

    CHAPTER ONE

    She saw red. Seeping into the crystal clear water it spread, bleeding and merging as the ripples around her pushed it closer towards her feet. The deep crimson only grew darker as it surrounded her.

    She could feel her breathing quicken, coming in short, sharp rasps as she started to panic. Her chest constricted, an unbearable pressure tightening like a boa constrictor refusing to release her from its clutches. Her throat felt dry, her increased breathing doing nothing to help the situation as she forced herself to swallow in the hope of dislodging the lump that had formed there.

    This isn’t happening. This isn’t real. I came here to escape this, she told herself repeatedly as she laid there, her turquoise bikini embellished with golden sequins shining in the sun as her back tanned slowly. Bringing up an arm to adjust her chestnut-brown hair that was dangling in the water, she tried to pull away before the colour reached her and tainted the beautiful locks. The damage done would be irreparable if it touched her.

    Moving it just in time, she threw it over her shoulder so it rested between her shoulder blades, the damp tips feeling nice as they cooled her back by trailing droplets of water down either side. She tried not to flinch as her gaze returned to the bloodied water that lapped at the li-lo beneath her chin. With every wave it seemed to grow closer, making its way further up the yellow plastic to try and touch her. The tapping that was normally so soothing tormented her now, like a crowd clapping and cheering her sanity on as it fled for safety.

    Rather than listen to the logical side of her brain, her body had other ideas. Shuffling back, she put a bigger distance between her face and the abnormal pool beneath her. As her toes dipped into the cool water behind her though, she flinched, automatically drawing herself up so that no part of her body was near the edge. No matter how disgusted she was, she couldn’t stop staring; her eyes were hypnotised by the gentle movements that swirled the colour into the water even more. The red had become so thick that not one tile beneath the surface was visible.

    The more she stared, the more she remembered.

    The more she remembered, the more she was pulled into her memory.

    It might not have been real at that moment in time, but it had been, and Jenna was once again pulled into the unbearable memory.

    ~~

    The silence was icy. A collective scream had passed over the crowd and then nothing. The cheering and chanting had ceased the moment he had taken one step forward and everyone held their breath.

    As soon as Zac had left the rock face, everyone could see he had judged it wrong. He hadn’t pushed off far enough and he was heading straight for the lower ledge that jutted out.

    People were already screaming. They were hugging each other in fear, some burying their heads in their friend’s necks so they didn’t have to watch. Jenna couldn’t take her eyes off the scene, though.

    Staring in horror, she watched as Zac’s feet clipped the corner of the ledge made from dried mud and rock. Her mouth fell open as he spun. Kicking up dirt, his body flipped so his head collided hard with the next ledge. He tumbled faster; out of control as gravity pulled him closer to the pool of water below, but not before he had hit every obstacle in his path during the decent. Each thud came louder than the first as Jenna watched Zac’s body break, powerless to do anything about it.

    It was all over in seconds. Spiralling, Zac collided with the choppy surface of the dark water, just in front of the waterfall, a mass of limp limbs. Throwing a wall of white spray into the air, the crash overpowered the screams of fear that rang out in the tense atmosphere. When the water settled into its normal rhythm once again, Zac had not surfaced.

    The screaming intensified as three people, including Jenna, dove in to get to Zac, but it was shut out the moment her head was submerged in the water. The cold was forgotten as she resurfaced from her dive, shaking the droplets from her eyes with a gasp. Swimming frantically, all she knew was that she had to get to Zac.

    His friends had made it to the spot he had entered the water just before her, their strong arms pulling them through the waves quicker. As she pulled to a stop and began treading water, she waited. One of them had dived under, searching desperately while Jenna hoped they would only find him unconscious. However, as he resurfaced he brought Zac’s lifeless and broken body with him.

    Jenna watched. Everything slowed down as the others moved in to help keep his head above the water and Tim pressed his fingers to Zac’s neck, checking for a pulse. Jenna didn’t see the shake of his head or the sad sigh as his eyes dropped in despair. Her eyes were fixated on the pool of blood that was rapidly flowing from his head and other wounds on his body, spreading out around them as they kicked to stay afloat, dispersing it quicker. She could tell without needing confirmation from Tim that her beloved boyfriend was gone and there was nothing any of them could do to bring him back.

    Guilt rose in her stomach. She wanted to cry, scream, shout, or do something to release the feeling that swelled in the pit of her stomach and the back of her throat, but nothing would come.

    She blamed herself.

    To her, she was responsible for Zac’s death.

    ~~

    Jenna couldn’t shift the image of Zac’s body floating lifelessly in a pool of his own blood as she emerged from her thoughts. Everywhere she looked she was surrounded by a mass of red, just like that day. The only difference was that rather than swimming in it, she was now floating on top of it—watching it surround her.

    She knew she had to leave the pool instantly but her li-lo had floated into the centre and Jenna couldn’t bring herself to get off it. Even though she knew her mind was just playing tricks on her, it looked too real to not be inside her head. She was having trouble separating reality from her memory no matter how logic tried to reason with her.

    Pulling her head up, she was about to shout for her best friend, Amy, to come and get her when she noticed something lurking beneath the surface of the water. The dark shadow was distorted beneath the blurry ripples but it looked distinctly human.

    Jenna let out a high-pitched scream, almost toppling her li-lo as she fought to get away from it. Her movements distorted the surface even more as she panicked, not caring that the crowds of people around her were staring.

    It’s not Zac. That’s impossible; it can’t be, Jenna’s mind screamed, trying to reason with her as the figure drew nearer.

    Taking her eyes off it for a second, Jenna’s eyes found Amy’s, pleading and desperate. She had thought she was ready to face the water again but she couldn’t have been more wrong. She’d pushed herself too far and she was paying the price.

    The last thing she saw was Amy’s face morphing into concern and worry. Deep frown lines appeared on her forehead as she threw her towel onto the sun lounger she had been lying on and prepared to jump in.

    Amy had just hit the water when Jenna was thrown from her li-lo. Spinning so that all she could see was the empty blue sky above her head, she felt her body crash with the water. The cold liquid surrounded her, clinging to her like a mould as it made its way up over her head.

    It blocked out

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