Phantom (Dark Musicals #1)
Summary from Goodreads:
The
“Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting.
She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her
obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual
production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle
and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their
calling card.
Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her
character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball
star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who
is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.
Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and
off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true
phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and
phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life
the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero
and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows
she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only
when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally
be revealed.
Demon Excerpt:
Rebecca unwound the silver ribbon. When she lifted
the lid, she found two matching pendants, each laced to a long hemp chain. They
were shaped sort of like seashells, with an endless spiral pattern that looped
out from the center as the chambers grew larger. They were dark brown in color
with a few hints of tan along the edges. The stones had been polished and
smoothed on both sides, but when she lifted them, she could see that the two
pieces fit together perfectly. She swore the halves fought to snap together,
like magnets in her hand. There was an energy pulsing and vibrating within the
stones that even a novice witch like Rebecca could feel.
“They’re beautiful,” Rebecca whispered as she ran
her hand along the intricate grooves.
“It’s an ammonite.” Justyn lifted one of the
pendants, brushed her hair to the side, and hooked the clasp around her neck.
His breath tickled her skin as his hands moved with graceful dexterity, giving
her goose bumps despite the humid August night. “They’re actually fossils that are
millions of years old, named after Ammon, an ancient Egyptian deity. When
they’re divided in half, they’re perfect mirrors of one another. Some cultures
believe that if the two halves are given to lovers, it will bind them together
forever. When made into necklaces, they’re often called soul mate pendants.”
“Wo-wow,” Rebecca stuttered. As usual, the sentiment
behind Justyn’s gift was even more beautiful than the gift itself. It left her
a little flustered. “That’s amazing. How do you know all this stuff?”
“You don’t spend eighteen years living with Darlene
without learning a thing or two.”
Rebecca laughed. Justyn’s mother Darlene was
definitely something special. EMT, exotic belly dancer, and Wiccan High
Priestess were only a few of the titles she claimed. Rebecca knew she was a
fountain of earth-based knowledge after years of studying the Craft. As
Darlene’s new apprentice, Rebecca greedily dipped into that knowledge herself
as often as possible.
“It’s beautiful,” Rebecca repeated, too overcome
with emotion to think of anything more eloquent to say. “You certainly know how
to make things interesting.”
“Like I told you on our first date, I try not to be
boring.” He winked at her. “So … are you going to put mine on for me?”
“Oh yeah … sorry.”
Rebecca giggled as she lifted the hemp chain. She
wasn’t nearly as graceful as Justyn. She almost dropped the necklace in the
sand three times before she managed to get the clasp locked. When she finally
had it secured, he placed his hand over her heart, where the ammonite lay. He
did the same with her hands, lifting them to his chest. His dark eyes had lost
all glimmer of humor. He met her gaze with a stare filled with genuine emotion.
Beneath her fingers, she could feel the gentle, steady rhythm of his heart
beating in perfect tune with her own.
“Our love will span both space and time. In this
life and the next, you shall be mine. All eternity I will be by your side. For
a love so strong cannot be denied. Spirit and flesh merged into one. So mote it
be, for all days to come.”
When he was done with the recitation, he kissed her.
Not just a gentle brush, but a deep, passionate embrace that left her throat
tight and her heart pounding with a familiar
yearning.
“I’ve never heard that poem before,” she said once
she’d caught her breath. “Who are you quoting?”
Even in the moonlight, she could see him blush. “I
guess I was quoting myself. It was really more of an incantation than a poem
though. These necklaces are meant to be a symbol of our love, and it seemed a
little spell work could only add to the power of the stones. There is power in
words, Becca. Just like there is power in nature.”
“You mean, you wrote that?”
He nodded, but his eyes twinkled, and the
playfulness was back in his voice. “Well, actually, I just made it up as I went
along.”
“Wow. Actor, singer, and now an improv poet slash
chant writer. Is there anything you can’t do, Lord Justyn?”
He smiled and tilted her chin so he could look into
her eyes. “I can’t stop loving you.”
Demon (Dark Musicals #2)
by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:
When
Justyn and Rebecca set off to attend the New York School of Performing Arts,
they think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in
high school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against
accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a
stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn.
It doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that
Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her
life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist
terrorizing the campus.
Consumed by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the
story of Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage.
Hyde (Dark Musicals #3)
by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:
Rebecca
Hope has looked death in the face twice and lived to tell her tale.
She and the love of her life, Justyn Patko, land a summer internship at a local
dinner theater, performing the musical Hyde. While they are excited about their
first paid acting gig, they soon find themselves surrounded by more experienced
cast mates, jealous of their success. As if the tension isn’t bad enough, they
soon discover that the business might be a front for something much more
sinister.
When Justyn is accused of a crime that she knows he would never commit, Rebecca
must decide if she wants to follow her head or her heart. While trying to prove
his innocence, she makes a shocking discovery of her own.
Everyone has something to conceal in the grand finale of the Dark Musicals
Trilogy. Rebecca has to look beyond the façade to discover the true Hyde or
face her final curtain call.
Meet Laura
Laura "Luna" DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and three children. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Old high school friends would tell you she was always scratching in her notebook instead of paying attention in class and the children she used to babysit for always loved to hear her scary stories at bedtime. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.
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