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Rainbow Snippets January 29-30

1/29/2022

“I thought you might like some chocolate.” She came to him and leaned against the edge of the desk, handing him a steaming mug.

“Breaking into the precious stores?” he teased.

“The snowy day seemed to call for it.” She sipped from her own cup.

“We’re going to have a lot of them.”

“I know.”

He laughed softly and settled deeper into the worn cushions of his chair, breathing in the scent of the rich chocolate. There were memories in the scent—of childhood with his siblings, of winters since with Meraud in Aither’s cold. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to revel in them or turn away, and he didn’t much like that he was getting maudlin. He took a drink from his mug instead.

“Everything all right, Gareth?”

He glanced up at her, hating the concern in her eyes. He’d seen too much of it in the months and years at the beginning of their flight from Thalassa. He didn’t want it now.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and healthy (and warm, if you're also dealing with this storm!).

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Rainbow Snippets January 22-23

1/22/2022

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Gareth stared out the window at the falling snow. Fat, soft flakes drifted down from the gray sky, coating bare tree branches and making everything look like a painting, stark and beautiful. This early in the season, he could appreciate the beauty of it, before biting wind and ice made it more painful than anything else, and he wouldn’t want to leave the cottage if he didn’t absolutely have to. Even today, he was content to sit and watch it accumulate, see the little pile against the window glass begin to grow.

He’d been working, reading through a book he’d been sent by a Fire wielder from Damek he’d trained with briefly with a request for his comments, but though the book’s theories were interesting, nothing was holding his attention today. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit his attention had been lacking for a while now. Since the night before Edmund’s wedding. Since the night Rhys had kissed him.

But Gareth wasn’t ready to be quite so honest.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets January 15-16

1/15/2022

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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.

I have another wintry snippet for you this week, this one from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, which follows A Dance of Water and Air in the Elemental Magicae series. Gaz is a wielder of Fire magic with dangerous and Rhys is an Earth wielder who has been his friend and in love with him for quite some time. They get pulled into a risky magical undertaking, and all those secrets come out and danger and conflict follow. But in this snippet, none of that has happened yet, and the two men are sharing a first kiss on a snowy night.

Gaz’s lips were soft and still under his. Then he made a little noise and stepped into Rhys, bent just a bit, and the kiss became something more. Rhys clutched at Gaz’s hips, slim beneath the thick coat he wore. He wished they didn’t have coats and gloves between them—he wished they didn’t have anything between them. But there was something magical all the same about a kiss in the winter night, stars above them, fresh snow beneath their feet, crisp, cold air nipping at them. Even the bite of the cold disappeared after a moment. He didn’t want the kiss to end, and if his mind was working properly, he would be thinking of somewhere they could go alone for more kisses.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets January 8-9

1/8/2022

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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.

Today, I'm sharing a snippet from A Dance of Water and Air, the first book in my Elemental Magicae series about two princes who must find a way to save both their kingdoms from a plot against them, and hopefully find a way to be together too. I thought about this series because it happens in winter, and we just got snow here. So, a snippet of A Dance of Water and Air involving snow, which is something Edmund sees little of in his home country.

Edmund turned back to the window. Snow was indeed falling lightly to the ground. An almost childlike delight filled him. He’d thought the view beautiful before, but with the softly falling snow and the hushed stillness it brought, it was perfect, like a painting.

“I love that smile.” Arden’s whisper startled Edmund, and perhaps Arden too if his widened eyes were anything to go by.

“What?”

Arden bit his lip. “The way you smiled when you saw the snow, as if you took such joy in the simple sight of it. I wish I could see you smile that way more.”

Find out more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

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My December Reading

1/5/2022

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Happy New Year, my darlings! I'm not entirely sure where the end of 2021 went, but that's beside the point because we're now in 2022, a new year with hopefully lots of good things for us all and lots of good books to read. I did a 2021 wrap-up post last week in which I talked about some of my favorite reads from last year (you can find that here), and today, it's time for my monthly reading report. I read mostly holiday stories last month, as I often do in December—there's something about holiday romances that give me an extra fuzzy feeling on top of the usual one that comes with a HEA. I had a little trouble getting into some of them this year; I think because I've been having trouble reading contemporaries during the pandemic—I really want the extra escapism of fantasy/paranormal/historical reads. That all said, here are some books I enjoyed in December:

Strawberry Moon by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes: The only thing I read (other than an audio reread I finished) that wasn't a holiday book! I believe this is the last book in the Wolf Moon Rising series, and though I liked some books in the series more than others, I enjoyed this shifter series. Probably best read in order, since, though there is a new couple in each book, there is an overarching plot.

Only One Bed by Keira Andrews: A tropey (only one bed! friends to lovers!) Christmas novella with sweet, likable characters. This novella isn't my favorite holiday story by Keira Andrews, but it was enjoyable and it set up another story between two supporting characters that I'll be waiting for.

Hold Me Closer, Tony Danzig by Laura Henry: I listened to this short audiobook through Audible Plus (it's an Audible Original) on a whim. It's a cute f/f romance that includes the one night stand turns out to be a colleague trope, if you enjoy that one. There is a very big toxic ex-girlfriend plot in this one and some conflict between sisters that felt unnecessary to me, but it was a cute, short holiday listen.

The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert: Probably my favorite new Christmas read of the month. An opposites attract romance between two neighbors, one grumpy and the other sunshiney, as they fall for each other while decorating the grumpy guy's house for his brother's unexpected holiday visit. Full of so much sweet, fluffy Christmasy romance.

The Best Gift by Eli Easton: A quiet, lovely, emotional Christmas romance between two men dealing with loss and grief and finding each other maybe through fate. It's also set on a Christmas tree farm in snowy New England for extra Christmas vibes.

Checking It Twice by Lucy Bexley: I've never read anything by Lucy Bexley, but I saw this on twitter and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be so cute! An opposites attract romance between the hyper-organized wedding planner and the something-of-a-disaster maid of honor set at a Christmas Eve wedding that was funny and sweet.

Mr. Jingle Bells by Leta Blake: This is the third book in the Home for the Holidays series, but I think can be read on its own. I loved the characters in this book and loved them together, but I almost put it aside to read later because I was in the mood for fluffy Christmas stories and this one has much more angst than I was looking for at the time (I could see the big fall out coming and was dreading it!). Mr. Jingle Bells was good, just maybe not the right book for me at that time.

On a Midnight Clear by Lily Morton: Such a lovely, magical Christmas story! Literally magical, as it involves a statue brought to life by the Holly King as one of our main characters. A wonderful romance full of Christmas cheer and fanciful magic based in English folklore and a really perfect happily ever after. Loved it.

What have you read and loved lately?

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Rainbow Snippets January 1-2

1/2/2022

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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.

Happy New Year, everyone! For our first snippet of 2022, I have more from The Merchant's Love. I haven't written a holiday book yet, but The Merchant's Love begins in autumn and runs through the winter holidays in Tournai. I often call this book—the story of a bookish royal and the merchant who is besotted with him falling in love over books and baked goods—a warm hug in book form, so I thought I'd share some snippets from it. And as the festive season draws to a close, I thought I would give you one last snippet, continuing on from last week in which Maxen is giving Faelen a Midwinter gift. (I went over the sentence limit, but I really wanted to finish out this bit...I'm sorry!)

Maxen cupped his cheek, stroking his thumb over it lightly. “Just open it.”

Faelen turned his head and kissed Maxen’s palm. Then he began to carefully work the wrapping free. He could tell Maxen was smiling without looking at him, but Faelen had always been deliberate in opening presents. Not that Faelen wasn’t eager to know what this package held—he just liked the anticipation.

Finally, the colorful paper fell away to reveal a velvet box. Jewelry? Slowly, he lifted the lid, and gasped. Inside, on a pad of more dark velvet, lay a set of combs. The intricate silver filigree was set with little pearls and sparkling peridots. Faelen didn’t know what to say for a moment. The way he wore his hair wasn’t the fashion in Tournai, but Maxen had given him something he knew Faelen would love. A token perhaps, as were all gifts exchanged at Midwinter, but one he’d use happily.

“Maxen...” Faelen finally looked up to find the worry back in Maxen’s eyes. “They’re beautiful. I love them.”

Maxen’s smile bloomed. “I hoped you would. I saw them and thought of you. You’re always putting your hair up, and I thought these would look splendid in it.”

“Why don’t we see?” Faelen set the box down on a table and reached up to twist his hair back in a loose knot. He picked up one of the combs, slid it into his hair, and did the same with the other, anchoring the mess of curls. He looked up at Maxen through his lashes. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re beautiful, but I thought that the first moment I saw you.”

You can learn more about The Merchant's Love over here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope 2022 brings you health and happiness.

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Rainbow Snippets January 29-30

Rainbow Snippets January 22-23

Rainbow Snippets January 15-16

Rainbow Snippets January 8-9

My December Reading

Rainbow Snippets January 1-2

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