​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets! The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

For today's snippet, I'm sharing more from The Envoy's Honor, the newest book in my Chronicles of Tournai series, which is now out everywhere. The Envoy's Honor is an adversaries to lovers romance between two men whose devotion to family and country is putting them on opposites sides of a dispute that it will take careful diplomacy to get everyone out of safely. Unwitting attraction complicates matters, of course, and just when they might be getting closer, someone is murdered. But at least they know neither of them could've done it since they were...together...at the time. And there are more dragon shifters in this one!

I'm picking up a little after last week's snippet. After Rozenn calmed the situation down (for the moment), the meeting broke up, and Kirill and Romilly went off alone to discuss the situation. Though Kirill's main question is "What is going on tonight?" (I went over the sentence limit...a lot...this time, but I thought it would be good to finish out this scene.)

​You can find out more about The Envoy's Honor here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets! The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

For today's snippet, I'm sharing more from The Envoy's Honor, the newest book in my Chronicles of Tournai series, which is now out everywhere. The Envoy's Honor is an adversaries to lovers romance between two men whose devotion to family and country is putting them on opposites sides of a dispute that it will take careful diplomacy to get everyone out of safely. Unwitting attraction complicates matters, of course, and just when they might be getting closer, someone is murdered. But at least they know neither of them could've done it since they were...together...at the time. And there are more dragon shifters in this one!

I've skipped ahead a little from last week's snippet. Kirill tried to defuse the situation between the princes and Ederic, and now that the meeting has ended, Ederic is not pleased with Kirill—and is expressing his displeasure loudly. Kirill finally gets a word in to start this snippet.

You can find more about The Envoy's Honor here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets! The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

For today's snippet, I'm sharing more from The Envoy's Honor, the newest book in my Chronicles of Tournai series, which is now out everywhere. The Envoy's Honor is an adversaries to lovers romance between two men whose devotion to family and country is putting them on opposites sides of a dispute that it will take careful diplomacy to get everyone out of safely. Unwitting attraction complicates matters, of course, and just when they might be getting closer, someone is murdered. But at least they know neither of them could've done it since they were...together...at the time. And there are more dragon shifters in this one!

​This week, I'm picking up just after last week's snippet. I went a little (a lot?) over the sentence limit this week, but I thought the snippet worked better this way.

You can find more about The Envoy's Honor here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

I didn't do my usual reading posts for November and December because I wasn't reading much—2020 really was horrible for my focus (on anything!) and ability to get lost in a book. I did a fair amount of rereading last year, especially on audiobook, but I did read some new-to-me books that I loved, so I wanted to do a favorite books of 2020 list. (I mean to have it up last week, but...*gestures at state of the world*) However, before I list some favorites, I did want to highlight a few books I enjoyed in November and December:

Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton: 1920s Scotland, romance, and ghosts.

Treasured by SJ Himes: A sweet novella about a storm dragon and the clairvoyant who will be his treasure.

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska: A gorgeous and atmospheric dark f/f fantasy with witches.

​
Merry Measure by Lily Morton: A funny, sweet m/m holiday romance set in Amsterdam with the older brother's best friend trope.


And now, some favorite books I read in 2020, in no particular order:

​What are some of your favorite reads of 2020?

​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets! The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

For today's snippet, I'm sharing more from The Envoy's Honor, the newest book in my Chronicles of Tournai series, which is now out everywhere. The Envoy's Honor is an adversaries to lovers romance between two men whose devotion to family and country is putting them on opposites sides of a dispute that it will take careful diplomacy to get everyone out of safely. Unwitting attraction complicates matters, of course, and just when they might be getting closer, someone is murdered. But at least they know neither of them could've done it since they were...together...at the time. And there are more dragon shifters in this one!

​I'm skipping ahead just slightly from last week's snippet. Here's the beginning of the dragon's delegation meeting with the royal family. (I went a few sentences over—sorry!)

You can find out more about The Envoy's Honor here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

​
​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets! The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

For today's snippet, I'm sharing more from The Envoy's Honor, the newest book in my Chronicles of Tournai series, which is now out everywhere. The Envoy's Honor is an adversaries to lovers romance between two men whose devotion to family and country is putting them on opposites sides of a dispute that it will take careful diplomacy to get everyone out of safely. Unwitting attraction complicates matters, of course, and just when they might be getting closer, someone is murdered. But at least they know neither of them could've done it since they were...together...at the time. And there are more dragon shifters in this one!

I'm continuing on from last week's snippet today.

You can find more about The Envoy's Honor here. And you can get The Envoy's Honor and my other books 50% off at NineStar Press with code FINALLY2021 through January 8th, if you need some fantasy romance to start your year. I hope you're all staying safe and well and that 2021 brings you good things. Thanks for reading!

A bunch of authors from the QUILTBAG Historicals Facebook group have gotten together to try to brighten this dark midwinter time with some posts based (loosely) on The Twelve Days of Christmas. There's also a fantastic giveaway, which you can enter here!

I have another post for the Funfest today, the seventh day of Christmas. The seventh day is swans swimming. I was originally going to share a scene from A Dance of Water and Air that involves swimming, but then I remembered there is a scene in The Envoy's Honor in which swans are swimming, so I'm sharing that instead.


“Don’t mind them,” said a quiet voice at his side.

​Kirill started and glanced to his right to find Adora there. He must have looked confused because she continued. “They enjoy teasing each other. They don’t mean anything by it.”

“I was more surprised they’d behave so informally in front of someone they don’t know.” Certainly, royalty would act with more reserve and discretion around an outsider, especially one such as Kirill, wouldn’t they?

“Oh, well, probably because you’re with Griffen and it’s easy to see you’re quite taken with each other.” Adora glanced away, back toward the rest of the group, but it seemed to be at least partly out of shyness or anxiety at what she’d said, as a blush also pinked her cheeks. She was a quiet woman; he could tell even after just a few moments. She resembled her brother Amory quite a bit, with the same auburn hair and dark eyes and finely wrought features, hers just a bit more delicate. Adora wore a frothy, pale-yellow gown cut to her petite frame and a neat little hat pinned to her curling hair. He would have said both she and her brother were lovely, but it probably would be a bad idea for him to make such remarks about the prince consort and his sister.

Kirill wouldn’t dispute her statement, didn’t want to make her feel bad. Even if he shouldn’t have let it stand and leave her to get the wrong impression.

They weren’t taken with each other. Not in the way Adora implied.

Soon enough, Adora was drawn back into the center of the group by a laughing Meriall. Kirill let his attention drift just slightly. Children played on the other side of the pond under the watchful eyes of parents or nursemaids, and couples strolled along the paths. Swans glided along the water, powerful and elegant. They didn’t seem particularly concerned Meriall and Adora had left off feeding them, though a couple hovered close, perhaps hoping for more.

He was almost to the point of retrieving the little bag the ladies had been feeding them out of and continuing to do so. For the swans’ sake and for something to do while the others spoke. It was never easy to be in the middle of a group of people who were obviously close and not know any of them. Worse even than a room of stilted strangers at a formalevent. Before he could wander off to amuse himself, Griffen’s arm snaked out and threaded through Kirill’s, bringing him closer.

“What do you think?” Griffen asked, likely assuming Kirill had been paying far more attention to what they’d been saying. He should’ve been, didn’t know what he’d been thinking letting his mind wander so much in such a situation. “They’re picnicking here for lunch, and they say there’s plenty. I don’t want to impose, but they insist we won’t be. But I’ll understand and so will they if you want to go somewhere on our own as we’d planned.”

Kirill contemplated Griffen for a moment, trying to determine what Griffen wanted. “I’ll be sad not to have the time alone with you,” he said slowly as he came to some conclusions about what Griffen was likely thinking. “But of course, we can stay if we won’t be an imposition to them.”

“They say not.” Griffen shrugged. “We have to take their word for it.” Kirill chuckled. “I suppose so.”

“So, it’s all right with you?” Griffen asked in the same low voice he’d been using since he asked the original question. “Yes, of course.”

Griffen smiled. “Thank you. I’ll make it up to you another day.”

Before Kirill could tell him it wasn’t necessary—because it wasn’t, as that was not the type of relationship they had--Griffen had pulled him forward, into the group again, and Kirill had no choice but to go. And was welcomed by them because of how they saw him and Griffen together. Something he’d have to give quite a lot of thought.