Tag Archives: Dark Fantasy

TEASER TUESDAY: Lord of Storms by Alice Gaines

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Dark Fantasy, Capture Fantasy, Action Adventure

Date Published: May 3, 2024

 

 

Advertising executive by day and novelist by night Gray Stewart has
retreated to the country for a much-needed vacation.  She’s at
the top of a mountain when lightning threatens to fry her to a crisp. 
She finds shelter with a mysterious man who goes only by Rowan.

Rowan is the Lord of Storms, a super-human being who has power to minimize
the damage of dangerous storms.  He works in secret, and his female
visitor is a threat to that secrecy.  She’s also a threat to his
equilibrium because as long as she’s around, his thoughts keep
straying to sex… and love.

 

EXCERPT

 

Gray Stewart had reached the top of the world. Okay, she was only up about
nine thousand feet, but her heart still raced from the climb, and her lungs
were working overtime to suck in oxygen. She’d made it all the way to
the top of Mount Richardson, the tallest peak in this part of California,
and if she could breathe, the view would steal her breath away. Wait
‘til she told the wiseasses back at the office she’d mastered
the climb. None of the macho types who treated women like weaklings could
have kept up with her.

She broke out her water bottle and took a swig and swung her small backpack
off her shoulder onto the granite beneath her. Then, she sat, crossing her
legs. The beautiful ham and Swiss sandwich the inn’s restaurant had
made for her beckoned. She removed the plastic wrap and took a bite. With
the tomato from the farmer’s market in the inn’s parking lot,
nothing had ever tasted so delicious. In fact, the water tasted pretty
damned amazing, too. Maybe she’d give up coffee.

No reason to get crazy about this, though. Pretty soon she’d be back
in the city where you needed caffeine to face the morning. For now, she
could gaze into the valley far below… at the tall pine trees that now
appeared the size of toys for a model train set and the river shrunk to no
more than a ribbon winding between rows of wine grapes.

A couple of days in the country, and her head was starting to straighten
out. She’d left home for college, and for a little hick girl from a
tiny town, that had been a shock. But then, she’d found the chance job
of a lifetime as a professional writer. So, her art consisted of convincing
people that Gloryshine toothpaste could give them a dazzling smile. Big
deal. She made a good income at that and wrote the great American novel at
night. Her life ought to be perfect. So, why wasn’t it?

She continued eating and feeling sorry for herself until she’d
devoured the sandwich. Then, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested
her arms on them as she studied the beauty of nature. Unless… wait a
minute… was that a… Lord no, please… a thunderstorm in
the distance? Maybe it was travelling away from her. Lightning flashed, and
she started counting the seconds before the thunder. It took some time and
wasn’t particularly loud. A good sign.

Another flash, and this time the thunder came quicker. And louder. So, the
storm was headed her way, after all. She was sitting at the very top of a
tall mountain with no trees around her — just like a lightning rod waiting
to be hit.

Then, the wind whipped up, and clouds gathered. More lightning, followed by
more thunder, now really loud. She had to get away from here and fast.

She scrambled to her feet and grabbed her pack before heading in any
direction as long as it was down. Even city people knew you didn’t
want to be the tallest thing around when lightning was looking for something
to hit. She was moving too fast for the terrain, which you couldn’t
call a path. Rocks underfoot threatened to trip her, and the gravel was even
more uncertain. The rain started, slapping her in the face, blurring her
vision, but she kept going. That blasted storm was chasing her, and either
she reached safety, or she could get fried.

Her backpack slipped from her hand, taking her phone and the keys to the
rental car with it. She kept going, jumping over obstacles and skidding in
places. The way got steeper, and remaining upright took all her effort, and
all the while, the booming got louder. How much longer before the spears of
lightning would overtake her? In the end, something caught her foot and she
fell.

Attempting to catch herself with outstretched arms only caused her to turn
sideways and roll. Sky, dirt, sky, dirt. So fast she couldn’t tell up
from down. Something sharp bit into her arm as she kept spinning down the
side of the mountain. Lord help her if there was a cliff ahead because
she’d never stop.

But she did stop. Suddenly, something dug into her side — a boot, of all
things. And it belonged to a man. From where she lay, he seemed as tall as a
pine and as fierce as a bird of prey.

“What kind of idiot climbs to the top of this mountain ahead of a
thunderstorm?” he said.

“Who in hell are you?” she said right back.

“Never mind. You’d better come with me.” He bent and
scooped her up as if she weighed nothing at all. That was her last thought
before the world went dark.

 

About the Author

USA Today best-selling author Alice Gaines has published several sensuous
and erotic works. She prefers stories that stretch the imagination,
highlighting the power of love and sex. Alice has a Ph.D. in psychology from
U. C. Berkeley and lives in Oakland, California, where she sings in her
church choir.

Find Alice on Facebook

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Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok:
@changelingpress

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PREORDER BLITZ: Sleeping Dragon by Stephanie Burke

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Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Women’s Fiction, LGBTQ

Date Published: April 19, 2024


 

Youltan lives a life of obligation and service, a slave to the desires of
others, harnessing the strange and powerful chaotic energies known as Ice
Magic. After a final betrayal by the people he protects, he finds himself
transported to the one being who holds the key to his freedom.

The wards tattooed across Garyn’s back ensure his total compliance,
trapping him in his own form of slavery, until one of the traitorous Mages,
the kind that devised this tortuous penance, is placed in his prison. Now
manipulating his way to freedom rules the sex-shifting dragon’s mind.

Garyn never expects Youltan to willingly sacrifice so much for a person he
barely knows. Nor does he expect to find the a core of passionate heat that
exists deep within Youltan’s soul. The fight for survival takes on new
dimensions and strains the very threads of their honor and morality.

But what would you expect….when you prod a Sleeping Dragon?

 


EXCERPT

 

Feet braced apart, arms extended to their maximum length, he stood and
waited. There was nothing in his mind; his world was a blank slate, waiting
to be filled, waiting for the agonizing pleasure… and the horrific
pain.

Slowly, it began, drawing its energy from the very earth on which he stood.
Pulsing writhing ropes of energy, of magic, of power, twined around
themselves as they sought a rod, a bearer for their might.

Around his ankles they looped, slowly, like some starving creature seeking
sustenance. And what they found seemed to please them, for they began to
roll up the length of his body. Faster and faster they twined, their colors
the brilliant blue that exists in the heart of every fire, the icy white of
the coldest glacier, a sharp glaze of power blinding all who dared watch
this spectacle.

Up around his knees they crept, gaining confidence and speed with every
second. On and on, around his waist, over his chest, across his shoulders
until his head jerked back as if snapped by some unknown entity.

Blood-red lips parted, a scream locked within a frozen throat, and a fall
of silver white hair blew madly around his form in a wind created by power
and magic. Bright lavender eyes snapped open to reveal luminescent sparks of
pure white that illuminated those strange orbs, the eyes of an alien-one,
and the eyes of the demented.

Then the power seemed to lash out at its conduit, raising him to his toes
as wave after wave of pure energy penetrated his body, gained a purpose,
grew in its strength.

His body arched, his arms flying above his head as the sheer strength of
the thing that possessed him brought him to his toes, building and building
until his whole person was one shining, glowing being that seemed almost too
beautiful to view, yet too sinister and compelling to look away from.

Suddenly, a cry erupted from his throat, loud, agonized. The cry echoed
over the land as the very earth began to quake beneath his feet.

His piercing scream startled the onlookers, the curious who had gathered to
view this unusual feat, to watch what both heaven and hell had wrought and
then left to travel this land that they called their own.

But they were too stunned to look away, transfixed.

As he continued to scream, cry after cry of ecstatic pain, the energy that
converged on his body began to coagulate, to meld into one large beam of
power.

Still screaming, he forced his arms toward the pulsing dome that surrounded
the land, the thing that honor and history demanded he tend to, no matter
the cost.

His sudden silence was almost as unnerving as his screams had been, as the
world seemed to hold its breath in anticipation, as the tension built around
the young man, as the very gods seemed to tremble in fear.

Then, as the tension built to a plateau, then nothing. Soon the people
began to breathe easy, thinking the show was over, then one final
high-pitched scream exploded from his mouth.

And with that cry, a monstrous beam of light and power leapt from his body.
Blue, silver, white, it all mended and swirled as warring colors shot from
his body, his eyes, his mouth, following its given path, striking the
shields with an audible crash that almost sounded like the shrieking cry of
pure crystal shattering.

His body gave way in the face of such a massive energy burst, but the power
would not let his body fall. It supported him, swirled around him almost
lovingly, then began to drain the very life force from his body.

Head tossed back to its farthest, hair whipping around that face, obscuring
its near beauty from the frightened yet silent watchers, his body bowed and
his knees bent as he fought to retain some of himself from the hungry
energies that sought to leach his very essence from his body.

Trembling and panting, he whimpered once as the beam began to lose its
brilliant illumination, then faded altogether, growing weaker and weaker as
the conduit struggled to reclaim part of himself from the massive outpouring
of power.

Then, suddenly, almost as if it had never been, the beam of light
dispersed, exploded into a million glittering sparkles, before disappearing
cleanly from sight.

With a groan, the conduit dropped to his knees, his body falling backwards
as all the energy seemed to leave with the passing of the beam.

He knelt there, supple body bent backwards, breath struggling in his chest,
as his strange, lavender eyes drifted shut.

Then, as he took his first full breath, the watchers were amazed to see a
shadowy mist exhaled into the brilliant heat of the day, a breath that
seemed as cold as the arctic islands they once harnessed to create that
shield that protected them from the evils of the outside world.

Then his whole body began to spasm.

About the Author

Stephanie is a USA Today Best Selling, multi published, multi award-winning
author, Master Costumer, handicapped, wife and mother of two.

From sex-shifting, shape-shifting dragons to undersea worlds, sexually
confused elemental Fey and homo-erotic mysteries, all the way to
pastel-challenged urban sprites, Stephanie has done it all, and hopes to do
more.

Stephanie is an orator on her favorite subjects of writing and
world-building, a sometime teacher when you feed her enough tea and donuts,
an anime nut, a costumer, and a frequent guest of various sci-fi and writing
cons where she can be found leading panel discussions or researching varied
legends and theories to improve her writing skills.

Stephanie is known for her love of the outrageous, strong female
characters, believable worlds, male characters filled with depth, and
multi-cultural stories that make the reader sit up and take notice.

 

Contact Links

Author on Facebook

Author on Twitter

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok:
@changelingpress

 

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AUDIOBOOK TOUR: The House of Whispers by C. Hebert

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The release of this book prompted the largest tour in R&R history thus far and now there’s an audiobook!!! Narrated by Katrina Medina and William Madison, this tale will curl your toes for more than one reason!

The House of Whispers (Living Nightmares #1)
Publication Date: February 13, 2024
Genre: Dark Fantasy Horror/ Romance/ Retelling

🔪 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝑅𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒
🔪 𝒫𝓈𝓎𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇/𝐻𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓇
🔪 𝑀𝒶𝓈𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒦!𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇
🔪 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔/𝒪𝒷𝓈𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃
🔪 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒/𝐻𝒶𝓉𝑒
🔪 𝐵𝓁𝑜𝑜𝒹/𝒦𝓃𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒫𝓁𝒶𝓎
🔪 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝒮𝑒𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓈

A notorious murderer haunting the streets of Bedeville stumbles upon a mysterious woman, becoming obsessed as he spends his nights endlessly toying with her and turning her world into a living nightmare.

This dark and twisted retelling of Jack the Ripper mixed with Jekyll and Hyde takes place in a fantasy world filled with magic, mischief, and murder.

TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains dark romance, drugs, addiction, mental disorder, explicit language, detailed sexual scenes, gore, blood, death, mention of sexual assault, and attempted suicide.

Audible US & UK

About the Author

C. Hebert is an author of dark romance, fantasy, and horror. Her debut, The Pairing of Beasts, is the first book in her 6-book fantasy series, The Pairing. She is also the author of The House of Whispers, a psychological, dark romance thriller. It is the first book in her seasonal Living Nightmares series. Her most recent release, Her Secret Santa, is the first in The Saints series which consists of holiday inspired novellas written by C. Hebert and her friends.

C. Herbert

Book Tour Organized By:

R&R Book Tours

NEW RELEASE: Lord of Fire by Alice Gaines #DarkFantasy

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Lord of Fire (Night Lords 1)

A paranormal women’s fiction novella

When Krista Harris’s sixth sense sends her to a hidden cave, she discovers a portal to Underworld that will open only for her.

Alexus, Underworld’s Lord of Fire, awaits her there, eager to show her a land full of sensual delights. He sends Krista’s heart up in flames. The sex is great, but Krista isn’t sure she’s ready to commit to being his mate, no matter how beautiful he and his world might be.

Excerpt

Krista Harris hadn’t bothered to report where she was going to anyone. It was her vacation, after all, but that was still a big no-no. Once they found out she’d gone into a cave without letting anyone know, they’d think she’d suddenly lost her mind. Maybe she had, but something had been compelling her to do exactly that for days now, and she didn’t want anyone following her.

Her coworkers had heard enough about her extra sense. Most flatly didn’t believe her, and the others who had tried understanding were tired of her false alarms. In truth, her feelings failed her sometimes, but this time they’d come to her so forcefully. At first in dreams, and then she occasionally got images while awake. Something or someone was trying to call to her, and the messages had led her to this opening in the rock.

This had to be the right place. She could almost detect a voice in her heart. Distant but male. It whispered almost inaudible words. Come, and what followed might have been to… me.

She was no spelunker, but this forest held several caves. There could be one just on the other side of the entrance. She hadn’t heard of anything of interest here. Tourists flocked to Oldtown Caverns on the other side of town, but nothing indicated past visitors here. Maybe that voice hadn’t called to anyone but her. Even more reason to search for the source.

She eased into the cleft in the rock. She could easily ease back out again if necessary. She had had the good sense to wear a helmet with headlamp and bring a lantern so she could see her way around.

After a yard or two, the passage widened until she’d left it behind. Now standing in more space, she trained the lantern around and toward the ceiling. The light extended quite a distance in all directions. The place had to be very large, indeed.

Now, the sound buzzed in her head, the words she’d thought she’d heard coming through more clearly. Definitely, Come to me.

She’d had psychic experiences before, but none so strong. Her heart pounded. Sensing stuff and hearing voices in her head were two different things. In fact, the latter usually meant you were crazy.

She could return to town and get some professionals to search here. They wouldn’t listen to any sort of fantastic declaration, but people still found caves here from time to time. They would get excited to learn about a new discovery. Especially if it turned out to be spectacular enough to attract tourists.

But that voice was calling to her. It had sent her here, not someone else who could try to take credit for finding this cave. And maybe if she brought other people with her, the voice would go silent. No, she had to follow it.

Come. This time it had direction, so she headed after it.

Another opening appeared, in the rock straight ahead of her. Larger than the first. In fact, it looked like someone had carved a door. A trick of geology? In any case, she was expected to go through it, so she did.

Light greeted her on the other side… a glow emanating from the walls of the new chamber. Some fluorescent insect or moss? Such things did exist. She’d seen it on a nature program, hadn’t she? And the air was warmer than you’d expect. Where had heat come from? Caves, they had here. Volcanoes, no.

But tourists would love this place where you could easily get around and the air was warmed somehow. There also had to be a scientific explanation for the light. But for now, she wouldn’t share it with anyone. This was hers.

No, it wasn’t. It belonged to someone else, and she’d been invited. But yes, it was, too. That made no sense.

Come, Krista.

Shit. Now it knew her name. How in hell could that be true? “Who are you?”

No answer came. Fear coiled in the pit of her stomach, but she wouldn’t go back. If she did, she’d only return until she could learn why she’d been drawn here and whose voice she heard. She had to keep going.

She went deeper into the cave, the light and the warmth never leaving her. Each step drew her closer to whatever waited for her and to the owner of that voice. Eventually, she found herself at the top of a stairway. Torches along the side descended into another chamber below. Her hand on the rock wall beside her for support, she went down slowly.

So, someone had built this and had been around recently to light the torches. It wasn’t her discovery, after all, although few people must know about it. She’d never heard stories about a cavern that had been turned into a fantasy play space. She’d obviously found something cool… whatever it was.

When she got to the bottom, she faced two huge wooden doors. They parted silently, showing what looked for all the world like a royal chamber. A chamber full of fire.

She ran back outside the doors and was preparing to dash back up the steps when the voice called out loudly. “Stop!”

She glanced back inside. The place wasn’t full of fire. The flames rose up on the side walls almost to the ceiling. Self-contained, it didn’t seem to want to spread but rather to frame what went on inside. Still, it was spectacular. And frightening.

“Come in, come in,” the voice ordered.

She went back in and discovered that at the end of a long carpet stood a small dais, complete with a throne. A man rose from it.

“It took you long enough to get here,” he said.

The same voice she’d heard, at first in her head and then leading her through the cave. “That was your voice telling me to come?”

“Commanding you.”

About the Author

USA Today best-selling author Alice Gaines has published several sensuous and erotic works. She prefers stories that stretch the imagination, highlighting the power of love and sex. Alice has a Ph.D. in psychology from U. C. Berkeley and lives in Oakland, California, where she sings in her church choir.

BOOK TOUR & INTERVIEW: Disenchanted by Brianna Sugalski #DarkFantasy #Romance

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Disenchanted
Brianna Sugalski
(A Lay of Ruinous Reign, #1)
Publication date: December 16th 2022
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

At the peak of the Breton Renaissance, Lilac Trécesson is held prisoner in her own castle after a most wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. Her coronation looms years later, and between their town riots and the noble family bent on snatching her throne, she prepares for the worst…

Until a letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to banish her curse forever.

Her heirloom dagger at the ready, Lilac embarks into Brocéliande and finds herself in the hands of a bloodthirsty barkeep who demands her help in exchange for protection against the even deadlier forces of the woods.

She is thrust on a quest to uphold her family’s legacy—and her sovereign right to destroy it and start anew—by any means necessary. Pity the fool to underestimate the girl with subpar blade skills but pure spite to make up for it.

This is the tale of a cursed princess,

A crestfallen killer,

The town that wants them to burn,

And the witch who can save them both.

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Interview:

Have you always wanted to be a writer? What do you find the most rewarding about it?

For a long time, as long as I can remember, in any capacity. I went to school for journalism and that ultimately fell through, and I had a family and became a romantic fantasy author instead. I’ve loved reading fantasy novels all my life, so it’s become my adult dream in a way.

Being able to transport readers to different places and periods and give them the same sort of escapism I enjoy is the most rewarding part of being a writer.

When you’re writing, do you plot ahead of time or does the story come to you along the way?

A little of both. I pantsed my way through Disenchanted but writing the sequel has not been the same process at all. Book two has challenged me in ways that forced me to become a plotter, because now that this is a full blown series (at first I was unsure if it would be a standalone or duology, but joke’s on me, it’s at LEAST a trilogy), the plot is always bigger than the draft in front of me. I then fill in little plot holes along the way, or rather, the characters will do that for me.

How do you balance your writing time with the rest of your life?

That has been the challenge. Over the pandemic my partner and I added two kids to our family, so it hasn’t been easy balancing motherhood and writing. Recently we’ve been able to finally accommodate daytime childcare and a PA for myself, both of whom I so appreciate. In the day I work on press, social media, and write here and there where I can, but I’ve always been a nighttime writer, when the house is asleep and I can hear my thoughts. I make sure to carve time to write four to six pages a day—a bare minimum of two—even if I’m exhausted at the end of it. It is my labor of love; the show must go on, the story of Lilac and Garin must be told, even with two or three kids sandwiched between us some nights.

Most authors started out as voracious readers. Do you still find time to read? What’s your favorite book of all time?

I do! The only way I can these days is by audio, and sometimes my Kindle app. I didn’t discover audiobooks until 2021. The first I listened to was Leigh Bardugo’s NINTH HOUSE and I’ve been hooked on the duet and dual narration styles since. I write while listening to them. My favorite books of all time are still grade school reads, The Tale of Despereaux, and The Three Musketeers. My favorite book recently is probably going to be the one I’m reading, The Love Hypothesis. It’s everywhere and I finally got my hands on it. I have a feeling Ali Hazelwood will be my contemporary romance fave, her writing is so easy to devour.

Tell us a little about your book. Where did the idea behind the story come from?

After experiencing a stillbirth in 2017, I took to writing. My therapist told me to free-write my feelings or whatever came to mind. I wrote a few poems in alternating POVs of two characters—a princess and a monster. I am a horrible poet, so I set those pieces aside, but they became two characters I could not stop thinking about. I needed names, a context, a setting, which quickly became a forest. Brocéliande came to mind. I knew a little about the mythical forest in the backdrop of Merlin and other Arthurian stories that inspired the fairy tales my mom read to me as a kid, and was shocked to find there was a real-life Brocéliande. The residents surrounding it still believe in and operate around faeries and other mythical creatures specific to the region. I spent the latter half of the year reading some of Le Morte d’Arthur and books on the romances of Brittany, and drafted in 2018. These characters, who became Princess Lilac (inspired by some of the women of Arthuriana but mostly Eleanor the Fair Maiden of Brittany, Constance of Brittany, and Anne of Brittany) and Garin (inspired by the themes in Gawain and the Green Knight, a little Klaus Mikaelson from TVD, and Spike from BTVS), basically told me their story from there.

As a writer, do you find yourself writing the heroes you love reading about the most? What’s the most difficult character you’ve ever written, and why?

No, I think I do the opposite. Lilac, the FMC, is the most difficult, and Garin comes to me the easiest. I think many authors in the romance fantasy genres these days are exploring the space between good and evil, that it is not so black and white after all, and I love it. I like to write realistic flaws and things readers might not like in my protagonists. Lilac does things that people roll their eyes at in book one, but the girl’s been spoon fed off a silver platter all her life and is told for the better part of it that she isn’t allowed to leave because of this dark gift she wields—that there are repercussions for a public appearance before she bears the crown. How would she have much common sense at all?

Is there anything you’d like to share with aspiring writers?

Write the book you want to read. There will always be an audience for it.

Author Bio:

Southeast Asian fantasy author with a soup addiction. Diverse medievalist and developmental editor who lives in oversized sweaters, and prefers to explore the more ominous—disenchanting, if you will—undertones of history, romance, and the arcane.

My debut, Breton Arthuriana-inspired YA Dark Fantasy DISENCHANTED, released with the Parliament Press in March 2020, and is being re-released and rebranded for the New Adult/ Adult indie market in December 2022. The rest of the trilogy will follow this updated genre rating.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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SERIES BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Immortal Kiss Series by Laura Daleo #DarkFantasy

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The Immortal Kiss Dark Fantasy Romance Series is ON SALE for $0.99 for a
Limited Time!

 

 

Centuries ago ten powerful vampire gods first walked the earth; their blood
thirst knew no boundaries. The destruction of mankind was inevitable.
Recognizing their weakness, they selected twelve wise human beings to
transform with their godly blood. These twelve, known as The Old Ones and
The Council, govern The Ten. A blood lottery appeasing The Ten’s
hunger was set forth into the human world and passed down every fifth
generation, continuing into the present day.

All of Beth Ryan’s life a mysterious mist has watched over her; a
mist she believed to be a vampire. On a cold winter night, Philippe Delon, a
700-year-old vampire walks into Beth’s life. She is drawn to him,
certain he is the vampire behind the mist…but is he?

Beth and Philippe cannot deny their love for each other, nor do they try to
fight it. Within days of their encounter, Beth accepts Philippe’s
invitation to move into his mansion. The mansion unlocks the door to the
vampire world and exposes secrets from Beth’s past. Within its walls,
she learns the true identity of the mist, her link to the blood lottery, and
betrayal of her loved ones. Surrounded by lies, Beth stands before The
Council begging for resolution.


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Five years crawled by at a painfully slow pace for young vampire, Beth;
each year more agonizing than the next. The powerful unyielding spell which
masked Amon’s whereabouts showed no signs of weakening. 
Influenced by the binding ritual and Amon’s blood surging inside her,
Beth will stop at nothing, and risk everything, to find him and turn the
tables on Osiris, Isis, and Hathor.  In foggy streets of London, lives
are threatened by a new breed of hunter, and nothing is what it
seemed.  Beth once again finds herself surrounded by betrayal.  In
the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Philippe and Amon
– knowing that her decision will change one life forever. But whose?

 

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Brandon Cass is not your average teenager. He has a taste for
blood—human blood. For sixteen years, he stumbled through life without
a hitch until the enigmatic aroma of blood awakened something dark within
him. Visions of a beautiful young woman with chocolate brown hair and ocean
blue eyes haunt his mind, yet her identity is a puzzling mystery.

His hunger for blood strengthens, and the cravings become too powerful to
control. No one is safe, not even his family. To safeguard all he once found
dear, Brandon sets out on a quest for answers. In an unfamiliar city, he
comes face-to-face with the beautiful young woman, confronts the dark force
which controls him, and learns what he must endure to reclaim his soul.

 

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About the Author

LAURA DALEO is known for capturing vampiric persuasion in her Immortal Kiss
series. This book takes an interesting spin on the Egyptian pantheon, from
which vampires originated. At present, she is working on Once We Were
Witches, the fourth book in the Immortal Kiss series.

Immortal Kiss, Bound by Blood, The Vow, The Vampire Within, The Soul
Collector, and The Doll are among her published works.

She grew up in San Diego, California, and currently lives with her two
dogs, Rose and Cooper, in Tucson, Arizona.

 

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Pinterest

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BookBub

 

 

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TEASER TUESDAY: Giant’s Garden by Siondalin O’Craig #DarkFantasy #Suspense

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(Celtic Magic, Book 4)

 

Action Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Romance,
Suspense, Urban Fantasy

Date Published: June 16, 2023


 

A grant to do doctorate work in a bleak corner of Northern Ireland is Penny
Gallagher’s last chance to find her wings and break free of her
oppressive industrialist boyfriend.

When she finds her time there has been engineered for her boyfriend’s
profit, it takes a voiceless giant of a man to help her discover her own
magic.

 

Excerpt

Copyright ©2023 Siondalin O’Craig

 

Penny

The Giant’s Causeway

Sean Feeney took another long drag from his pocket flask. Heavy gold chains
around his wrist grated against the flask’s metal rim. Penny Gallagher
watched him sway unsteadily in his skinny designer jeans and black Converse
high tops.

He reached out and draped his bony arm around her shoulders. She
couldn’t tell whether it was to keep himself from falling over or an
awkward maneuver meant to be making a pass at her.

She hoped it was the latter. First off, they were standing at the top of a
cliff. Not just any cliff, but a bare, windswept cliff tumbled with black
hexagonal stone columns jutting out into the North Channel of the Irish Sea
between the north coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland. If Sean
dropped onto those lichen-pocked rocks it would mean a fatal mess involving
a lot of paperwork and long, dim conversations with uniformed authorities.
And if I fell… no, she told herself firmly, we’re not going
down that line of thinking right now.

Secondly, she hadn’t gotten laid since James Carbill threw her over
six months ago for some new interior designer he had fallen for. And to tell
the truth, she had not been laid decently for months before that.
James’s steel-blue eyes had started wandering elsewhere long before
that ugly day when he’d told her that she needed to move out of the
Beacon Hill apartment he had been keeping her in, and that both of her
positions — as his personal assistant, and as his sexual partner and dinner
party arm candy — were terminated effective immediately.

James had softened the blow a bit by pulling some strings to secure this
grant so she could finish her doctorate degree in psychology from
Boston’s Fauntel University, and that’s how she wound up
standing on top of a windy cliff, watching Sean’s long, shaggy blond
hair blow into his eyes, which were fixed vacantly on the horizon.

She reached up to her shoulder and twined the fingers of her right hand
with Sean’s, hoping to lower the odds that they’d both go off
the cliff. The smell of salt spray on stone mingled with alcohol fumes. She
reached for his flask with her left.

“Give me a hit of that,” she said, raising her voice over the
wind. “You can’t have all the fun yourself.”

He handed her the flask absent-mindedly, its cap dangling from a little
silver chain. She took a swig. Smoky, peaty whiskey seeped into her tongue
and the flesh of her throat, straight into her bloodstream. She would swear
it never even hit her stomach.

“All this,” Sean said, gesturing broadly with a wobbling sweep
of his arm. Penny braced her feet, but they did not topple over. “When
you write your… your… thing.”

“My thesis.”

“Your thee, your thing. On all this. You’ll make millions of
dollars. We’ll all make millions of dollars. Because everyone will
want it.”

Penny took another hit of the whiskey. It felt mellower this time, as if
she and the whiskey were getting acquainted. “No one ever made
millions of dollars on their psychology doctorate thesis,” she
said.

“Oh, but you will.” Sean turned around, his face close to hers,
and poked her hard in the chest with the point of his index finger.
“You will. I will. Everyone will. Because this,” he swept his
arm out again along the horizon, “this is the Giant’s Causeway.
You’ll write about why it makes people feel so good — you feel good,
right?”

Penny nodded skeptically. He didn’t wait for her response before
rambling on.

“Because it makes people feel so good that they will all want to live
here, and I’m selling my land to the American developer who will give
them all a place to live. And everyone else will too. Just as soon as you
are done.”

Penny smirked and shook her head. It’s true that her doctorate
proposal had talked about the intersection of landscape and psychology, and
the grant that James had helped her secure had sent her to this bleak,
forsaken, vertical drop-off to write about it. But in point of fact, she had
not yet started writing, and now that she was here, she could not for her
life figure out what to write about.

“Sean, you handsome devil,” she said. “It’s a pile
of rocks.” Basalt, she noted to herself, recalling one of the
guidebooks she’d read on the plane. Lava from a volcanic episode,
cooled slowly, formed hexagonal columns. Why do people find the myths more
interesting than the science?

 

 

About the Author

 Siondalin O’Craig writes romance with the slow burn of a peat fire on
an autumn night deep in the woodland hills. Sip a glass of Irish whiskey,
turn the page, and let the magic overtake you. Siondalin lives in the
mountains of New England where she walks under the trees celebrating the
wheel of the year, grows a luscious garden full of magical herbs, and plays
a wicked Irish fiddle. Follow her on Facebook and email her at
siondalinocraig@gmail.com to sign up for her newsletter.

Publisher on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram: @changelingpress

 

 

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BOOK TOUR: Scale by L.R. Friedman #DarkRomance #DarkFantasy #slowburn @RRBookTours1

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Welcome to the tour for Scale by L.R. Friedman, the second novel in The Blaze Legacy series. Read on for more details and visit one of our Instagram hosts for a chance to win a signed copy of the book!

Scale (The Blaze Legacy #2)

Publication Date: January 16th, 2023

Genre: NA Dark Romantasy with Dark Academia elements

🌟 Dark Portal Fantasy
🌟 Secret Societies
🌟 Adult Dark Academia
🌟 Dual POV
🌟 Slow Burn
🌟 Morally Grey Characters

The Revered have returned.

Struggling to confront burning truths, Kyleigh must keep her identity a secret or risk endangering everyone. As she and Dru navigate her awakened magic and new role within the kingdom, self-doubts emerge, threatening to pull them apart.

Aislin is discharged from her assassin duties, only to find herself tethered to another master when a small favor comes back to haunt her. A familiar enemy re-enters her life, complicating things further and conjuring feelings she can’t ignore or trust.

The restoration of power in Celaria rouses a dangerous foe. Now, two warring kingdoms with a heated past must form a tenuous alliance.

Secrets will be unmasked.

Hearts will be measured.

What are they willing to sacrifice to heal a decade of scars?

Scale is the second book in The Blaze legacy, an NA/Adult Dark Portal Romantasy that is full of magic, mythical creatures, delicious tension, and spice that builds through the series. It contains some explicit content best suited for readers over the age of 18.

Available on Amazon

Descend (The Blaze Legacy #1)

Genre:  NA Dark Romantasy with Dark Academia elements

Publication Date: August 23rd, 2023

A hidden portal isn’t something most students bargain for when they enroll at Halston University.

When a mysterious black envelope arrives during freshman orientation—one inviting Kyleigh Roberts to the school’s prestigious secret society—she immediately feels an unexplainable pull to pledge.

What Kyleigh doesn’t realize is that getting closer to the answers she’s been searching for will force her further from everything she’s ever known.

She plummets into a dark realm full of magic and twisted creatures that once only lived in her bedtime fairy tales. Grappling with explosive powers that begin to emerge, Kyleigh stumbles into a stranger—a woman with glowing eyes who claims she can help.

Since Aislin discovered her gift, she’s been nothing more than a weapon—one wielded by criminals. The idea of freedom has always been just that, an idea. A luxury for those who don’t possess her talent for delivering a swift and merciful death. But for the first time, she’s given a shot at the freedom she’s craved for years.

The catch? She must use her gifts one final time to carry out a mission fueled by revenge against the man least deserving of her mercy.

When Kyleigh and Aislin’s stories become entangled, the two women from worlds apart must find a way to join forces against a vengeful king or risk remaining pawns in a deadly game played by those in power.

The Blaze Legacy is a NA/Adult Dark Portal Romantasy series containing content best suited for readers over the age of 18.

Amazon

About the Author

Author L.R. Friedman loves curling up with a cup of coffee while diving into her fantasy and paranormal romance worlds. A Virginia native, she currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.

LR Friedman

IG: @lrfriedmanauthor

TikTok: @lrfriedmanauthor

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TEASER TUESDAY: How Not to Date a Dragon Master by Stephanie Burke #LGBTQ #ParanormalRomance #DarkFantasy @changelingpress @FlashyCat @RABTBookTours

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Dark Fantasy, LGBTQ, Paranormal Romance

Date Published: May 5, 2023

 

War is upon them — armies are clashing at their doorstep. Ulvissar’s
heat is becoming uncontrollable, and tension between him and Nithe is higher
than ever before.

With his Dragon Lord and her new mate leading his warriors, will Ulvissar
be able to destroy those who would betray them, and will Nithe be strong
enough to claim both the title of Dragon Master and his Ulvissar? How can
anyone withstand the wrath of an angry omega dragon?

 

Publisher’s Warning: How Not To Date a Dragon Master contains scenes of
graphic violence and adult kink with blood play that may be triggers for
some readers.

 

 

EXCERPT

Copyright ©2023 Stephanie Burke

 

The wind blew bitter cold on the overcast early morning when Prince Ranid
the Bold and his army rolled into town, and it matched the attitude of the
people. The few men who were left in the ranks watched the bedraggled and
exhausted inhabitants stagger toward their town’s entrance, while the
sounds of their war horses’ shoes loudly striking the dirt-covered
cobblestones encouraged a lone hound to throw back its head and howl
mournfully at the still present moon.

The few lights glowed enough to illuminate the remains of a once prosperous
town now fallen into ruin. A lone, sickly-looking goat bleated as it
wandered through, its dented bell clanking miserably in the night air while
a lone owl hooted in the distance.

The place smelled of neglect and misuse. Most of the buildings that
surrounded the courtyard and what looked to be the center of town appeared
derelict, missing windows, wood siding sliding off of their sides, paint so
old and weatherworn that it looked like it hadn’t been refreshed in
years.

Prince Ranid the Bold, on his once proud white steed, stood up in the
stirrups and declared for all to hear, “What a fucking
dump.”

“Well, fuck you too, asshole!” a drunk leaning on a pole
outside of the town’s only tavern called out. “Fuck you and the
horse you rode in on.”

That gave the whole army pause before a tall, black-haired, green-eyed
man’s laugh barked out, startling the few who wore his bright red
colors before they began to chuckle as well.

“What?” The green-eyed Prince Colton of Rinastas called to the
other disgusted prince’s soldiers. “Out here with no resources
but what little nature has left, you expected to find a lavish palace fit
for your royal ass?” He shook his head, amusement plain in every line
of his body. “This is war, boy. No one is going to be around to hold
your hand or wipe Your Highness’s backside for you. The people who
live in this area make do with what they have.”

“And who do these people hold loyalty to?” Prince Ranid
demanded, settling back into his saddle, his face slightly red because yes,
he expected some sort of accommodation for the royals at least. He
didn’t expect this place to be so… desolate.

“I believe they pay a once a year tax to the people of the Eastern
Kingdoms — the missing princess’s kingdom — and then they are
largely left alone. This is dragon territory after all,” Prince Colton
explained. “No one has a real hold on it but because part of it
scrapes against the princess’s kingdom, it is to her people that these
hard-working individuals pay their taxes and what little tribute they can
give.”

“No way.” Ranid rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and pouting
like a child as he absorbed what Colton was telling him. “The kingdom
renowned for its beauty wouldn’t let a place like this exist and
tarnish their good name. This is a disgrace.”

From beside him on his own warhorse, Lord Petyr of The Eastern Kingdoms
shook his head in embarrassment. How had he ever found the loud, obnoxious,
and abrasive prince beautiful? Things had cooled significantly since he
started seeking his own privacy and comfort in the bold red tent that Prince
Colton had lent him. Sure, he was no longer in the man’s bed but
anyone would think about waiting a full five minutes before another filled
Petyr’s former position there. And Petyr knew from personal experience
that when Ranid was distracted or angry, the whole act would take about five
minutes… from start to finish.

“If you say so.” Colton snickered to himself, unwilling to
engage the spoiled brat of a prince in any type of intellectual debate. As
far as this asshole was concerned, if something wasn’t up to his
ridiculous standards, then he would most likely dismiss it, and Colton was
not up for this kind of stupidity. He could be back at his tent getting some
shut-eye after a long and tedious… in every way imaginable…
campaign march. He was tired, his ass hurt for all the wrong reasons, and
now his head was starting to hurt as well from listening to the bitching and
griping of the brat prince. The only amusement he’d found during this
whole rush to an ass kicking was the delightfully sarcastic Lord
Petyr.

The man was pretty, though his downcast eyes and guilty expression
detracted from that somewhat. The man did know his mind though, and only
consented to be abused a short time before, with some encouraging words, he
struck out on his own. He was intelligent and sharp as he offered several
pride-protecting alternatives to the idiot prince as they traveled that
would allow him to pull out of his stupid march and still save face.
Colton’s favorite idea was to just play this was an inspection and
introduction tour to see what changes needed to be made before they reported
back to the King of the Eastern Lands.

Of course, Rancid the Bol — Ranid… Ranid the Bold ignored every
idea offered and was hellbent on completing his quest no matter the cost. So
far, he’d managed to lose a few tents, a few of his soldiers deserted
because of the insanity that they were surrounded by, diseases was starting
to run rampant through his men — the sexually transmitted kind of course,
because at this point the prince had more camp followers that loyal soldiers
— and he was losing the best aide-de-camp that Colton had ever seen.

Filled with righteous indignation, Ranid dismounted his tired horse with a
huff and led the poor beast to what appeared to be an inn and tethered him
to the post out front.

Petyr and Colton also dismounted and followed the upstart prince inside.
They stepped into the dim light allowed by the open shutters of what
appeared to be windows with some kind of glass. The rough wooden floors were
dusty. Goodness knows how everything in this town was not covered in dust,
but it looked like someone had tried to sweep it relatively clean. Several
long wooden bench-style tables sat in rows on either side of the room, the
bar along the back wall blocking access to what had to be a small kitchen in
the back.

“You call this place an inn?” Rancid was already ranting at a
disinterested woman who was slowly wiping down a battered bar with a dirty
rag.

“That’s what the sign used to say.” She snorted, rolling
her eyes and dropping the rag to the floor.

“Used to,” Ranid snarled, leaning on the bar… only to
jerk his hand back as it encountered what had to be the remains of
someone’s greasy dinner… or a body fluid. Who could tell?

“Used to.” The woman walked over to stand before him, her hefty
body covered in a stained smock, her arms crossed over her chest as she
stuck out her chin in an aggressive manner. “That’s what I said.
Are you fucking deaf or something?”

“Do you know who I am?” He bent closer to growl in her
face.

“No.” She leaned forward as well, growling back in his face.
“And I really don’t give a fuck who you are. Do you want
something or are you wasting my time?”

“I am the prince of your kingdom and I demand respect.”

“No,” the woman shook her head, a sardonic look spreading
across her face. “Our kingdom doesn’t have any princes, unless
you count the assholes that the princesses are supposed to marry. And you
didn’t demand my respect, you demanded my utmost attention and
you’re not worth my time… which you aren’t going to
get.”

 

About the Author

Stephanie is a USA Today Best Selling, multi published, multi award-winning
author, Master Costumer, handicapped, wife and mother of two.

From sex-shifting, shape-shifting dragons to undersea worlds, sexually
confused elemental Fey and homo-erotic mysteries, all the way to
pastel-challenged urban sprites, Stephanie has done it all, and hopes to do
more.

Stephanie is an orator on her favorite subjects of writing and
world-building, a sometime teacher when you feed her enough tea and donuts,
an anime nut, a costumer, and a frequent guest of various sci-fi and writing
cons where she can be found leading panel discussions or researching varied
legends and theories to improve her writing skills.

Stephanie is known for her love of the outrageous, strong female
characters, believable worlds, male characters filled with depth, and
multi-cultural stories that make the reader sit up and take notice.

 

Contact Links

Author on Facebook

Author on Twitter

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter:
@changelingpress

Pre-Order Today

BOOK TOUR: A Cursed Throne by D.M. Simmons #WhyChoose #DarkFantasy @RRBookTours1 @dmsreadwrite

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I am my mother’s daughter. Princess, born to an angel. Who also happens to be The Queen of Hell, and Leader of the Legion, the group of fallen angels that divided Heaven.

Welcome to the book tour for A Cursed Throne, the first in the Children of the Fallen duet by D.M. Simmons! Read on for more!

A Cursed Throne (Children of the Fallen #1)

Publication Date: February 27th, 2023

Genre: Why Choose/ Dark Fantasy Romance

I am my mother’s daughter. Princess, born to an angel. Who also happens to be The Queen of Hell, and Leader of the Legion, the group of fallen angels that divided Heaven.

But I am also my father’s progeny. Daughter of a daemon. Sired when his blood was half mortal after the Devil shot him and tried to claim my mother.

The spirit of Heaven, fires of Hell, and blood of mankind runs through my veins, along with the destiny to either rule or destroy those kingdoms. The crown I was born with is heavy. My powers, beyond that which created the universe. But neither have ever felt a burden thanks to Declan, Kai, and Luca.

For as long as I can remember it’s been the four of us. One mortal, two children of the Fallen, and an heir like no other. Bound by an unconventional childhood, we were best friends, and they were my world. But in the blink of an eye they were gone, cutting me out of their life as if I never mattered at all.

So I did what I had to do. I left them, and our shared world behind, and started a new one. Keeping their three traitorous hearts, far from my own.

It’s been three years since the last time we saw each other, and I haven’t forgotten or forgiven. It’s time to come home and get even.

Angel, daemon, mortal…the blood of all three is in me. I am the heir of each bloodline. But when it comes to power, there is none greater than a heart scorned.

A Cursed Throne is a why-choose romance, meaning the main female character gains multiple love interests over the course of the series. It is the first book of three in the second phase of the After the Fall Universe. It is not necessary to read phase one, but highly recommended. This series has dark elements and themes that may be triggering for some readers, including strong language and sexual situations.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

D.M. Simmons is an award-winning author of adult and new adult fiction. She is passionate about creating atmospheric worlds and telling captivating stories that take readers on an adventure. Fascinated by the indelible power of love, romance is usually at the heart of her stories, along with the narrator’s journey. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, sons and crazy cats.

D.M. Simmons | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkTree

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