Happy Book Birthday to WASTELAND by C. Elizabeth Vescio!

Happy Release Day to C. Elizabeth Vescio's WASTELAND (Wasted #2.5), a collection of short stories that take place in the world of her Wasted Series! Check out the book and excerpt, and be sure to enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter below!

Inside the halls of Osiris, the men and women who make the contract killing agency tick polish their weapons and hone their skills. But how did they start working for Nero and Lex in the first place, and when did they find out they were destined to kill people for a living? Before Frankie Fairholm let you into her crazy, dysfunctional world of murder for hire, the lives of these men and women were already in danger. Their training was put to the test alongside their morals. A troubled Catholic school girl with a penchant for murder, a naive con-woman in over her head, a driven socialite with a bad day that keeps getting worse, an assassin second-guessing his sworn oath... being a contract killer doesn’t mean you aren’t human, it just means your humanity is hard to find, and probably a bit tarnished. 

Goodreads | Wasted Series Website | BOOK ONE (Elegantly Wasted) |BOOK TWO (Uncontrollably Wasted)

Excerpt from WASTELAND

Excerpt from the Accidental Savant

My feet hit the pavement, making the “bomp bomp bomp” of my heels match my pounding heart.

It was the first time I had to run in stilettos. Even better, I was running in a ridiculous pink party dress, which Brian had made me wear.

I always fall for the wrong kind of guy.

This particular bad choice had been taking advantage of my poker skills—making me cheat lonely men out of thousands at the casinos in Vegas. I almost got away with it, until a big Italian guy burst in on a tournament and pointed a gun at my head. Behind him, two more men appeared—not quite as intimidating, but still packing major heat.

Brian took one look at the men and bolted from the room, leaving me and everyone else to lose our shit. I wasn’t the most graceful under pressure.

The big guy seemed like he was after Brian, but he quickly turned his focus on me, which made me panic and bolt. Guns meant business.

So, I found myself running; I started on the top floor of a suite at Caesar’s Palace and somehow managed to find my way to the parking garage. I don’t know how. Everything was a blur, but I didn’t dare stop.

Scary men were after me and, of course, my shitty boyfriend was nowhere to be seen.

The only thing powering me forward was the line of coke I had snorted in the bathroom an hour prior.

It was four in the morning; the garage was empty of people. I made my way to the back entrance, hoping I could escape down Flamingo Road toward the Rio.

I was almost to the exit when the headlights of a black SUV lit me up from behind.

I turned my attention to the screeching brakes to make sure I wasn’t about to get run over. That’s when I was tackled from the side by what felt like a Mack truck.

We both went flying; his hand grabbed onto my frilly pink dress and ripped a portion of the tulle. I rolled out of the way to get a better look at him.

Same guy from upstairs, I realized.

He still had the gun in his hand, but he was a bit out of sorts.

The back door to the SUV opened up and another man emerged. I did a double take—he looked the same as the man in front of me.

Jesus Christ.

I didn’t have time for this.

Buy WASTELAND now via the link below!

About The Author

Author C. Elizabeth Vescio likes to play in the dark world of cynicism and death. Her Wasted series touches on the demented and humorous side of a delightfully dysfunctional family. Vescio is an award-winning photographer and avid font snob. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and three dogs.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Wasted Series Website

Giveaway

One signed copy of Wasteland, Wasted Series bookmarks and a pack of character cards.

***Any contestant that uses dummy or contest only accounts to enter will be disqualified.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Elegantly Wasted (New Adult): A Review and Teaser

Book Name: Elegantly Wasted

Book Genre: NA

Book release date: August 1, 2012 by Luna Station Press

Second print coming soon

Series website: http://www.thewastedseries.com/

On the eve of her high school graduation, proper socialite Francesca “Frankie” Fairholm rebelled against her elitist and controlling family to pursue the dark lifestyle of a contract killer for the enigmatic Osiris Corporation. Years later, with her training complete, she believes she's doomed to the life of a sociopathic lone gun until a botched hit brings two unlikely allies, her cousins Addison and Katharine. 

Using Katharine’s etiquette school, Elegance, Inc., as a front, the trio weave through Frankie’s dark underworld, carrying out contracts, drinking too much wine, and trying not to get each other killed. 

Trouble follows the team home when the death of the cruel Fairholm matriarch reveals more than they ever wanted to know about their family. As the funeral preparations play out, the trio begin to realize there is much more to their employer than meets the eye and their family connections run deeper than they ever imagined.

First and foremost, hurray for new adult contemporary that isn't formulaic as hell!! I love that Frankie doesn't go to college, get piss drunk in an effort to get over her tragically frat-ified high school virginity thief, fall in love with some dark, mysterious, brooding hunk, and get engaged before she earns her MRS degree. I think those are fun reads, don't get me wrong, but when I found out what New Adult "meant," I imagined something beyond American Pie Presents: Beta House. Vescio blows that out of the water--both literally and figuratively. 

She also accomplishes the not-so-easy task of making a female serial killer a heroine. And a likable one at that. Frankie is just authentic enough for me to suspend my disbelief that a sheltered chick right out of high school could be trained as a contract killer. She's flawed and tangible and funny as hell. And despite the fact that she spends the majority of the book doing VERY bad things, I found myself rooting for her. 

I felt at times like the pace and structure could have been better executed, but I think that's because Vescio works very hard to avoid infodumping and backstory in a tale that needs a lot of background to be told well. She accomplished this through the use of a lot of flashbacks, which for me got a little confusing at first. This sequencing boggle cleared itself up well before the end, however, and once I got to the heart of the story I couldn't put it down. 

The love story is definitely not the focus in Elegantly Wasted, though there are some romantical elements to girlie-sigh over. (Can contract killers girlie-sigh? Hmm...) I, personally, wanted more Spark, and from the teaser for Book 2 at the back, it looks like we'll be seeing more of him in the sequel coming this fall so yay! 

The only other factor I struggled with was a feeling at times that I was drowning in pop culture references, though I suspect that's just as much me as it is the book. I haven't had cable since college (and we won't talk about how long ago that was now) and I'd never heard a Justin Bieber song until 2011 (I worked hard at that .) So I felt like I was on the outside of some inside jokes at times, but not too often. 

Short story long, pick this one up. Here's a teaser to get you started. Frankie, our unlikely heroine, is about to finish her first series of training with her contract killer sensei, Judah. Her last task is no biggie: she's got to kill someone for the first time. 

***

I swallowed hard and brushed my wet hair from my face. 

Judah watched my every move as I reached down and freed the knife from my purse. With shaky hands I walked over to the unconscious man and knelt down close to him.

"Breathe," Judah reminded me. "Follow through."

One. Two. Three. I felt my arms rise as if I had no control over them. Time seemed to slow down, as did the falling rain. I could hear the sounds of a distant city, smell the wet cobblestone mixed with the street garbage that was discarded in the alley. I took a short breath. 

I aimed for his heart. 

You can buy Elegantly Wasted now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

And be sure to come back on July 9th for the cover reveal for Book 2: Uncontrollably Wasted!