Clanless (Nameless #2)(79)
Huge thanks to my more immediate Writing Clan. To Amy Jameson who wears many hats, namely, agent, editor, dream weaver, counselor, travel companion, and friend. To the brilliant writers in my life: Lois D. Brown, Margie Jordan, James Lewis, Jo Schaffer, and Tahsha Wilson. And to priceless beta readers such as Brad Walker, Amy Beatty, Jonathan Ryan, Kristen Whitely, Jen Bradford, the hunky Mr. Clint Jenkins, and Brad Walker (Did I mention him already?).
I must also thank the many book bloggers who’ve taken the time to review and tweet my books. I’m extremely tempted to list out the members of the Blogging Clan one by one, but the fear of forgetting someone makes me scared to try. I will say that your reviews for this series have been beautiful, powerful, and ridiculously validating for me as a writer. Thank you so much.
As always, I will end by sending thanks and love to my little, eternal clan. Clint, Casey, Liberty, and Boston, thank you again for your loving support. You are the root of all happiness in my life.
JENNIFER JENKINS
With her degree in History and Secondary Education, Jennifer had every intention of teaching teens to love George Washington and appreciate the finer points of ancient battle stratagem. (Seriously, she’s obsessed with ancient warfare.) However, life had different plans in store when the writing began. As a proud member of Writers Cubed, and a co-founder of the Teen Author Boot Camp, she feels blessed to be able to fulfill both her ambition to work with teens as well as write Young Adult fiction.
Jennifer has three children who are experts at naming her characters, one loving, supportive husband, a dog with little-man syndrome, and three chickens (of whom she is secretly afraid). Visit her online at www.jajenkins.com
SAMPLE CHAPTER
NAMELESS
Praise for NAMELESS
“Jenkins brings edge-of-your-seat adventure to this intriguing new world. I can’t wait to read more!” - Jessica Day George, Tuesdays at the Castle
“Solid worldbuilding draws readers in … Readers will be cheering for the underdogs and begging for the second volume.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Electrifying and intense and instantly and completely captivating, NAMELESS is one of those reads that will make you race through the pages to find out what’s going to happen next.” - Fiktshun “Amazing fantasy read that will leave you breathless and with the worst book hangover! If you are a YA fantasy lover you need to pick this one up!” - Dark Faerie Tales
“Wow … WOW, WOW, WOW! I have no words to describe how much I love this book. Jenkins writes characters who are just so easy to love, and when you love a character it makes the book so much better. And I loved all the characters. Zo, Tess, Joshua and Gryphon. Gryphon is definitely my favorite - but who wouldn’t love Gryphon? Of course I do have a soft spot for our heroine, Zo.” - Bri, Once Upon A Twilight “NAMELESS is epic storytelling at its best. My mind is still reeling from the world that I have just been immersed in and I don’t want to leave it. Can I please have the sequel NOW? Because I need to know what happens next but in the meantime I’m just going to re-read it again and again. Is it that good, you may ask? Hell yes!!! And you will think so too. Trust me.” - Nancy, Tales of A Ravenous Reader “To say that I love this book is an understatement. It completely blew me away! I am so happy that I took a chance on it. NAMELESS is one book that you can re-read over and over again and it will still feel fresh! I cannot wait for the world to read it and fall under the NAMELESS spell. Because that’s what I feel like I am under, a spell that has me trapped in Zo’s world and won’t let me out! I don’t want out!” - Damaris, Good Choice Reading “Wow this one was addictive!! For fans of An Ember in the Ashes, Under the Never Sky, and The Winner’s Curse, Nameless captured my attention and held it until the very end. Quick read. Slowburn romance. Great world-buildling. Awesome plot.” - Rachel, A Perfection Called Books “From the start of the story until the very last page, Jennifer Jenkins took me on an emotional ride. Through action, and heartbreak, and healing and relationships forming out of hatred and mistrust, she has created a story of hope and faith and choosing how you want to live your life, and the beliefs that you want to hold, regardless of others around you.” - Jaime, The Best Books Ever “Fantasy fans, do not miss out on this epic new series. It’s got everything that you could ever possibly want out of a all-consuming fantasy book: fierce characters, twisty plot, stunning world building, captivating prose and my favorite, a romance that will make you want to shout out your love for the couple at the top of your lungs. Do yourself a favor, and buy this book right away.” - Nick, Nick’s Book Blog
Chapter 1
Zo couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t fear the Ram. Even after the raid, when so much of her fear had turned to hate, the fear still existed beneath. It was a foundation that she came to rely upon. A constant.
Sleeping under a fir tree so close to Ram’s Gate went against her very nature. While her body revolted, she couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to be. Zo choked down the beastly fear clawing its way up her throat and smiled like this was just another assignment. “It’s time, Gabe.”
Her guard, Gabe, rested on soggy pine needles beside her. His hands were tucked behind his shaggy blond head, eyes closed in feigned sleep. He used to lay like that, with his arms arrogantly thrown back and his chest puffed out like he owned the world, when they were kids. The river would rush by carrying rumors of starving clans and battles lost—heartache that pulled tight strings of tension throughout Zo’s body—while Gabe just laid back and chewed on a grass root.