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Release Blitz: The Harp and the Sea by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell

7/27/2020

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Title: The Harp and the Sea

Author: Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: July 27, 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 84200

Genre: Historical Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, historical fiction, fantasy, fated love, Scottish Isles, Jacobite revolt, Highlanders, action-adventure, magic, magical items, witch, curse, music, war/battles

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Synopsis

In 1605, Robbie Elliot—a Reiver and musician from the Scottish borders—nearly went to the gallows. The Witch of the Hermitage saved him with a ruse, but weeks later, she cursed him to an ethereal existence in the sea. He has seven chances to come alive, come ashore, and find true love. For over a century, Robbie’s been lost to that magic; six times love has failed. When he washes ashore on the Isle of Skye in 1745, he’s arrived at his last chance at love, his last chance at life. Highland warrior Ian MacDonald came to Skye for loyalty and rebellion. He’s lost once at love, and stands as an outsider in his own clan. When Ian’s uncle and laird sends him to lonely Skye to hide and protect treasure meant for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s coffers, he resigns himself to a solitary life—his only companion the eternal sea. Lonely doldrums transform into romance and mystery when the tide brings beautiful Robbie Elliot and his broken harp ashore. A curse dogs them, enemies hunt them, and war looms over their lives. Robbie and Ian will fight with love, will, and the sword. But without the help of magic and ancient gods, will it be enough to win them a future together?

Excerpt

The Harp and the Sea Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell © 2020 All Rights Reserved 1605 the Scottish Border Marches Robert Ker of Cessford, Lord Roxburgh wielded nearly autonomous power at the turn of the 17th century as Warden of the Scottish Middle March. Often called the Debatable Lands, the Border Marches had rough and fluid application of law. A violent nature and loyalty to kin and ally were all the tools Cessford needed to enforce his judgements. His position made him a powerful man, and though he owed allegiance to Scott of Buccleuch, he marched mostly to his own drummer. But in the year of Our Lord 1603, King James VI of Scotland became also James I of England, and set about unifying the two countries into Great Britain. His “pacification” of the Border Marches in truth meant abolishing the office of Warden, renaming all the Marches the Middle Shires, and killing enough Borderers to make the rest bend the knee. Having lost autonomy, Ker wormed and weaselled his way into the king’s courts at Whitehall and Edinburgh and commenced warring on the people of the March without mercy as a way to impress the monarch. * On a rain-soaked day in autumn, 1605, the rough men who served Ker of Cessford and King James Stuart shoved Robbie Elliot into a damp prison cell beneath Hermitage—a stark and haunted castle located almost dead centre in the Middle March, a place Robbie had once called home. When he heard the heavy oaken door thunk shut behind him, rattling the rusty iron chains and window bars, he fell to his knees in the filthy straw that lay scattered over the stone floor. He and a half-dozen others had been force-marched sixteen miles from Hawick, bound, handled rough, and prodded with sticks. Now Robbie tried in vain to find a few square inches of his body that didn’t cry out in pain. “There’s water, Robbie.” The weak, high-pitched male voice came from the darkest corner of the cell, and it gave Robbie a start for he’d thought himself alone. “In the barrel there,” the man continued. “It’s clean enough.” Robbie’s legs obeyed him after only a brief argument, and he stood and walked to the barrel. Dust and chaff floated on the top, but when he dipped the single iron ladle and brought the water to his lips, it had no foul smell. “I’ve had far worse,” Robbie said, and then drank. When he’d slaked his thirst enough, he turned to his cellmate, who’d stepped out of the shadows. “How’d you come to be here, Keithen?” “Same as you, I’d wager. I’d heard the warden’s men were on the march, and I meant to hide at my old da’s holding, east of Kelso. But I was caught no more than ten miles from Hermitage castle and strung along with five others—including your stepbrother Jem. We’d thought we’d go no further than the gallows on the hill, but they brought us here.” “Jem? He’s here?” “Alas, Robbie, he was a lucky one, for he’ll never see these cells. He fell on the trail, and the warden’s man kicked his head a mite hard. Snapped his neck.” Robbie piled up some straw and sat, slumping back against the wall, his own head pounding as if he’d been the one kicked. Keithen, who tended to prattle on most of the time, stayed blessedly silent until Robbie spoke up a few minutes later. “Yes, probably lucky to die then, quick like that. Do you ken why they brought us here? What they’re planning for us?” A sudden rattle of heavy keys beyond the door interrupted the prisoners’ conversation, and a single, crusted pot was pushed inside, its contents warm enough to steam in the perpetual cold of the below-ground keep. Keithen said, “Porridge, or what passes for it,” and then got up and lumbered stiffly to fetch the pot. Robbie realised all at once that his insides had gone so hollow he’d be happy to fill them with a brick if it was all he had, and he wasted no time. Given no utensils, the two men scooped the thick, sticky oatmeal with their hands, minding neither the slight burn nor extra flavour of the dirt and blood on their own skin. By the time they finished, Robbie had forgotten his last question entirely until Keithen answered it. “I heard a couple English talking yesterday—their voices come down clearly through the shaft, just there.” He pointed at a corner of the ceiling, a black, empty rectangle amid the grey stone. “They said we’ll be marched to Carlisle, and wicked James himself, the king, travels there too. They’ll hang us all at once—for his entertainment.” Robbie said nothing for a long while, his mind focused instead on whether he could find a way to die sooner rather than give the king his satisfaction. He could think of nothing short of refusing water or smashing his head against the stones, and he knew he wouldn’t do either. Although small in stature, he’d proven himself brave in battle when he was no more than fourteen, and he’d borne his wounds as well as any man. But courage has its limits, he thought, and the pain of drying to dust from the inside out or smashing my own skull is beyond mine. At last he said, “Well, Keithen, some comfort. At least we’ll die among our own, and not alone.”

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon

Meet the Author

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date, it appears as though Kaylee may be winning. In 2008, Anne completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra. She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ. Anne’s books have received honorable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical. ~ Lou Sylvre loves romance with all its ups and downs, and likes to conjure it into books. The sweethearts on her pages are men who end up loving each other—and usually saving each other from unspeakable danger. It’s all pretty crazy and very, very sexy. As if you’d want to know more, she’ll happily tell you that she is a proudly bisexual woman—a mother, grandmother, lover of languages, and cat-herder—of mixed cultural heritage. She works closely with lead cat and writing assistant, the (male) Queen of Budapest, Boudreau St. Clair. She lives in the rainy part of the Pacific Northwest, and hearing from a reader unfailingly brightens the dreary weather. Find her through her links listed here, or drop her a line at [email protected].

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Rainbow Snippets July 25-26

7/25/2020

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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+

This weekend, I'm sharing another snippet from The Scholar’s Heart, which is now finally back out in the world. Yay! The Scholar’s Heart is a friends to estranged friends to lovers fantasy romance and the third in the Chronicles of Tournai series, though it can be read as a stand alone, like the other books in the series. I've skipped just a couple paragraphs ahead from last week's snippet. Tristan speaks first in this snippet. We're still in Etan's POV.
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​“Will you go for a ride with me?”


He thought briefly of the work awaiting him in the office he shared with Cathal, of his plans to spend the morning with his books and his studies before he returned to that work. And tossed it all aside with one glance into Tristan’s eyes. As he always did. His books would still be there when he returned to them later.

And he wasn’t convinced Tristan really was all right.

“Of course. Shall we go now?”

You can find more about The Scholar's Heart here, and it's currently 40% off at NineStar Press. The rest of my books are all 50% off through the end of July in the Smashwords sale. Hope you're all staying healthy and safe and wearing masks!
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Release Blitz: Dragon Dilemma by Mell Eight

7/20/2020

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Title: Dragon Dilemma

Series: Supernatural Consultant, Book Three

Author: Mell Eight

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: July 20, 2020

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 32200

Genre: Paranormal YA, LGBTQIA+, YA, dragon shifter, mage, mates, men with children, magical detective agency, dragon rescue, magic-users

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Synopsis

Dane hasn’t spoken with his mother in years and he’s never met his father. But somehow his mother finds out about Mercury and the kits anyway, and it’s difficult to throw one’s mother out when she happens to be a powerful, dangerous witch. She isn’t the only uninvited guest, and the others are even less likely to take no for an answer—and much more likely to leave everyone dead if they don’t get what they want.

Excerpt

Dragon Dilemma Mell Eight © 2020 All Rights Reserved Chapter One Saturday-morning breakfast was always chaotic. With seven kits running around, it was inevitable, and Daisy—the babysitter/housekeeper who helped to look after the kits—had weekends off. Daisy somehow managed to corral all the kits into line for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and got them to their lessons with their tutor on time. Dane, on the other hand, was lucky he still had a standing kitchen. Lumie and Alloy were chasing each other in circles around the kitchen island, yelling excitedly about something. Their words were too garbled for Dane to catch. Lumie’s red hair kept flashing by, followed by Alloy’s mix of blue-and-red hair. Copper and Zinc were yelling at each other from opposite sides of the island. Their argument stemmed from something that had gotten spilled in the bathroom, which might also explain why Copper smelled particularly flowery this morning. Copper would probably smell like that for days; as a fire dragon, he avoided proper baths as much as possible. Even though he was eight years older than his youngest siblings—much too old to be skipping baths—his hair was the same shade of red as Lumie’s and Alloy’s. Zinc was an air dragon the same age as Copper. Her hair was white and she kept it in one long braid down her back to avoid getting it tangled in her magic. Chrome and ’Ron were also arguing—this time about frogs. Why? Dane couldn’t even fathom a guess. The answer might scar him for life. Over the last year, ’Ron had cut her brown hair into long spikes and had traded frilly dresses for sparkly pairs of jeans. She was still cleaner and more put together than Chrome, whose brown hair was actually longer than hers and usually contained a few sticks and leaves tangled in his curls, but she was more willing to go frog hunting now. Or frog dissecting. Again, Dane really didn’t want to know. Luckily, Mercury was at the stove calmly flipping pancakes on the electric griddle. His bronze hair was long on his collar and still sleep mussed. Dane had to hide a grin because he knew exactly what had caused Mercury to look so disheveled this morning, and it wasn’t a kit-friendly topic. “Kits who aren’t sitting quietly don’t get pancakes.” Mercury didn’t say it loudly, but he didn’t have to. Copper, Zinc, Chrome, and ’Ron immediately shut up and took their seats around the island. Lumie stopped by the spice drawer to pull out the extra-large bottle of cinnamon before he and Alloy also settled quietly into their places. The threat of being denied pancakes was a serious one. Dane went to the pantry to grab the syrup—another extra-large bottle, because dragons were sugar fiends—and set it in front of his seat as he took his own spot at the island. “I’m going to have to shovel the driveway this morning,” Dane said into the quiet kitchen. “I’d appreciate everyone’s help.” Copper, Lumie, and Alloy looked immediately interested—they could melt the snow with their fire magic as long as they didn’t leave puddles of water that would eventually turn the driveway into a skating rink. Nickel, the only kit who had been sitting quietly the entire time, nodded to tell Dane he was in too. He liked playing with frozen water just as much as unfrozen. Nickel was the only full water dragon living under Dane’s roof, his blue hair and bright blue eyes a stark contrast to the other kits’. Alloy had been genetically altered in the egg to have both fire and water magic, but he spent most of his time with Copper and Lumie, so fire was his preferred method of choice. None of the kits made a peep of agreement or disagreement. The pancake rule was still in effect, apparently, but at least Dane wouldn’t be shoveling his driveway on his own. Mercury brought the plate over and the steaming scent of buttery pancakes enveloped the table. Chrome was actually drooling, Dane thought, but he didn’t look too closely. There was a sudden popping noise and a sealed envelope appeared directly on top of the stack. Dane knew that spell. Hell, he knew the handwriting on the envelope, just as he also knew that the sender had chosen to have it materialize on the food on purpose. Mercury pulled it from the stack of pancakes and read Dane’s name on the front, then held it out for Dane to take with a quizzical look on his face. Dane’s hand wasn’t shaking when he forced it to reach out and take the envelope from Mercury. It wasn’t, he reassured himself, but he wasn’t breathing either. “I’m starving!” Chrome moaned. Mercury smiled at him and grabbed a fork to begin filling everyone’s plates. The syrup disappeared with alarming quickness while Dane was staring at the cramped cursive. That handwriting was so familiar and so damned frightening. “Who is the letter from, Dane?” Mercury asked. Dane looked up just in time to see Lumie liberally coat his syrup-drenched pancakes in cinnamon. Copper and Alloy each had their turn with the cinnamon before Dane remembered that Mercury had asked him a question. “It’s from my mother,” Dane said as unemotionally as he could. If he didn’t suppress what he was feeling, he might start screaming or crying. Mercury put his fork down on his plate, which was just as drenched in syrup as his kits’, and stared at Dane with his bronze eyes. “The one who’s a god?” he asked. Dane was the child of a god, something he had told Mercury before they became mates, but Dane had never gone into specifics. Mercury had seemed to sense that it was a difficult topic for Dane and had never asked for more detail. “No,” Dane replied. “My mother is one of the few witches in the world strong enough to summon a god, though.” At Mercury’s blank look, Dane sighed. “The Isle Crone?” Mercury’s jaw dropped. “Your mother is the Isle Crone?” he gasped. “Who’s that?” Zinc asked curiously. “We have a grandma?” ’Ron added. She bounced in her seat with excitement. Mercury’s lips tightened and Dane had to hide a wince. It wasn’t Mercury’s fault that dragons in the wild had to abandon their kits so they didn’t inadvertently end up killing them over a territory dispute. Mercury didn’t have the first idea of where to find his parents or any of his siblings. Dane had a mother who was the Isle Crone and a father he had never met and probably never would. “She’s not the cookie-baking type,” Dane tried to explain to ’Ron. She was more of the biblical-smiting type. She was the territory leader of the British Isles, and she ran her territory with an iron fist. No one dared to challenge her because she was that powerful and that ruthless. For all that, she wasn’t evil. Mostly she was controlling, and no one was allowed to live their lives outside of how she dictated. It made her one of the more well-known territory leaders in the world. Dane had left her house as soon as he was old enough to get away. Actually, escaped her house was probably a more accurate description. He had traveled all the way across the ocean to flee from her, but that hadn’t been nearly far enough, thanks to the more modern and less taxing innovations to basic transportation magic. Luckily, she wasn’t more powerful than Dane, so she couldn’t force him to return with her magic, but she had made her displeasure known many times since then. His favorite instance was when she had instructed the largest witch coven in England to curse him. He had managed to counter it before he found out what exactly it was supposed to do to him, but the end result, according to his mother, was supposed to have been him crawling back to her for help and falling under her thumb again. She had sent a letter much like the one he was holding to tell him how disappointed she was that he had managed to avoid that fate. That, along with a number of other difficulties she had caused throughout the years, was why he hadn’t spoken to her in at least a decade and had hoped to go a few decades more before having to even think about her again. “What’d she write?” Chrome asked through a mouthful of food. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Mercury immediately scolded. Chrome frowned but obediently shut his mouth.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon

Meet the Author

When Mell Eight was in high school, she discovered dragons. Beautiful, wondrous creatures that took her on epic adventures both to faraway lands and on journeys of the heart. Mell wanted to create dragons of her own, so she put pen to paper. Mell Eight is now known for her own soaring dragons, as well as for other wonderful characters dancing across the pages of her books. While she mostly writes paranormal or fantasy stories, she has been seen exploring the real world once or twice.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Rainbow Snippets July 18-19

7/18/2020

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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+

This weekend, I'm sharing another snippet from The Scholar’s Heart, which is now finally back out in the world. Yay! The Scholar’s Heart is a friends to estranged friends to lovers fantasy romance and the third in the Chronicles of Tournai series, though it can be read as a stand alone, like the other books in the series. This snippet follows directly after last week’s at the beginning of the book. We’re in Etan’s POV.
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​Perhaps he should just come right out and kiss Tristan. Tristan seemed to be over what 
feelings he’d had for Amory, Tristan’s lifelong friend who was now married to Etan’s cousin. Etan didn’t see any of the emotion or longing he used to in the glances Tristan sent Amory’s way. Maybe Etan had waited long enough.

He’d certainly paused long enough before answering. “A bit of both. Want me to read to you?”

You can find more about The Scholar's Heart here. The Scholar's Heart is currently 40% off at NineStar Press (along with my other books), and all of my books except The Scholar's Heart are 50% off this month at Smashwords, if you need some weekend reading. Stay safe, everyone.
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The Scholar's Heart is Back!

7/13/2020

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I'm so excited that The Scholar's Heart is back out in the world today! This is the third book in my Chronicles of Tournai series (though, like the rest of the series, it can be read as a stand alone), and it's the friends to estranged friends to lovers story of Etan and Tristan finding their happily ever after. I've polished it up, but otherwise, the story hasn't changed from the original Dreamspinner edition—other than the gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow—so if you already have it, you don't have to buy it again. And if you haven't read it yet, I hope you enjoy Etan and Tristan's romance and escaping into Tournai.

About The Scholar's Heart

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​Though he is the youngest son of a royal duke, Etan is a scholar at heart, happiest in a library surrounded by his books. He contentedly juggles his work for the prince’s government with his studies of the history and legends of Tournai, a subject of particular interest to him because he shares the secret magical Talent that runs in the royal bloodline. However, Etan’s peaceful world turns upside down when his best friend—the man he secretly loves—unexpectedly marries someone else.

Tristan is the oldest son of a wealthy merchant, raised to shoulder responsibility for the family business one day. That day comes far sooner than anticipated, and he makes a deathbed promise to his father to marry the woman his father chose and become head of the company and family. Tristan values his friendship with Etan and has always been attracted to him, but he can’t forsake his duty to his father, even if it means giving up the possibility of having Etan as a lover.

A year later, Tristan is a widower with an infant daughter and a mother who demands he marry again quickly—something Tristan resists. Circumstances throw Etan and Tristan together again, but even as they succumb to the desires they’ve always harbored, Etan battles his feelings, wary of being cast aside once more. When the unimaginable happens, Etan and Tristan must come together and support each other through the ordeal…and maybe beyond.

Add The Scholar's Heart to your Goodreads shelf.

Buy The Scholar's Heart:
NineStar Press
Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
​Smashwords
Kobo

The Scholar's Heart is currently 40% off at the NineStar Press site.
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Rainbow Snippets July 11-12

7/11/2020

3 Comments

 
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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'm sharing another snippet from The Scholar’s Heart again this weekend. It’s one of the books I took rights back to from Dreamspinner, and it will finally be back out in the world on Monday. Yay! The Scholar’s Heart is a friends to estranged friends to lovers fantasy romance and the third in the Chronicles of Tournai series, though it can be read as a stand alone. This snippet follows directly after last week’s at the beginning of the book. We’re in Etan’s POV.
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​Tristan was quiet for a moment and then scooted closer and rested 
his head on Etan’s shoulder. “I’m fine. A little tired. What are you up to?”


“Doing some reading.”

“For work or pleasure?”

Etan suppressed a shiver at the way Tristan’s voice shaped the word pleasure. Certainly, it had to be unconscious on Tristan’s part, but it put ideas into Etan’s head he didn’t want there, not yet, not when he and Tristan hadn’t spoken of feelings between them beyond friendship. But he could see those feelings were there.

You can find more about The Scholar's Heart, including preorder links, here. Also, don't forget that all of my other books are 50% off at Smashwords (and still 40% off at NineStar Press), if you need some weekend reading. Hope you're all staying safe and well.
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My June Reads

7/10/2020

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This post is a bit late, not only because July snuck up on me but also because I had an unfortunate incident with my computer (and the less said about that the better at this point). Reading is still hit or miss for me, which is still extremely frustrating. I've always found distraction and comfort in books and stories, and to not have the focus to do so is upsetting. Audiobooks are still pretty reliable for me, and I've been listening to a lot of favorites (just started Jordan L Hawk's Whyborne & Griffin series). I did read some new books in June, though my lack of focus really killed my planned Pride Month reading:

Golden in Death by JD Robb: Golden in Death is the fiftieth book in the In Death series, which is mind-boggling! I've been reading them since I was in high school or college, and I've read every single one. I have books in the series I like better than others, but they're always reliably enjoyable, and it's fun to revisit the characters.

When I First Saw Red by Kasia Bacon: This fantasy romance uses two of my favorite tropes—opposites attract and fated mates. It's the story of a demon and a human solider who are reluctant fated mates (very reluctant and very stubborn about it!). I really enjoyed the story and loved both main characters.

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh: Silver in the Woods is a m/m fantasy romance novella that draws on legends and Green Man myths and feels a bit like a fairy tale. It was really lovely, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: Okay, so funny story: this was the last physical book I borrowed from the library before the library closed back in March. I started it when I borrowed it, but I wasn't really in the mood. Then the library closed and the book sat on my table for months. The library reopened for returns in June, but I insisted I had to read it first (it had been in my house for months, after all!). I'm so glad I did. It was recommended to me with the line "lesbian necromancers in space" and it is that. It's science fiction and fantasy and suspense and mystery all wrapped up in a very interesting world. Gideon is such a fun and engaging character, and her relationship with Harrowhawk is intriguing as it is revealed/evolves throughout the book. So many of the supporting characters are interesting as well. I'm definitely going to read the next book when it comes out.

Let's Talk about Love by Claire Kahn: Let's Talk about Love is listed as YA, but the main characters are in college or in their early twenties, so it might be more New Adult (if that category still exists...?). Either way, it is delightful. It is told entirely in the POV of its asexual, biromantic, black main character. Alice's voice is wonderful and engaging, and her struggles with her sexuality and family and figuring out what she wants to do with her life are relatable.

Have you read anything lately you loved? Or are you struggling to focus like me?

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The Scholar’s Heart Rereleases in One Week!

7/6/2020

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The Scholar’s Heart will be back out in the world one week from today (though you can get in on Friday if you preorder from NineStar Press)! It’s the third book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, but it stands alone as the other books in the series do. This is Etan and Tristan’s story—a friends to estranged friends to lovers romance.

I’ve cleaned up the writing a bit, but otherwise the story remains the same as the original Dreamspinner edition. It does have a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow, though. (Please join me in squeeing over how beautiful it is!)
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About The Scholar’s Heart

Though he is the youngest son of a royal duke, Etan is a scholar at heart, happiest in a library surrounded by his books. He contentedly juggles his work for the prince’s government with his studies of the history and legends of Tournai, a subject of particular interest to him because he shares the secret magical Talent that runs in the royal bloodline. However, Etan’s peaceful world turns upside down when his best friend—the man he secretly loves—unexpectedly marries someone else.

Tristan is the oldest son of a wealthy merchant, raised to shoulder responsibility for the family business one day. That day comes far sooner than anticipated, and he makes a deathbed promise to his father to marry the woman his father chose and become head of the company and family. Tristan values his friendship with Etan and has always been attracted to him, but he can’t forsake his duty to his father, even if it means giving up the possibility of having Etan as a lover.

A year later, Tristan is a widower with an infant daughter and a mother who demands he marry again quickly—something Tristan resists. Circumstances throw Etan and Tristan together again, but even as they succumb to the desires they’ve always harbored, Etan battles his feelings, wary of being cast aside once more. When the unimaginable happens, Etan and Tristan must come together and support each other through the ordeal…and maybe beyond.

The Scholar’s Heart is currently available for preorder at NineStar and will be soon everywhere else.
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Rainbow Snippets July 4-5

7/4/2020

2 Comments

 
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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'm sharing another snippet from The Scholar’s Heart again this weekend. It’s one of the books I took rights back to from Dreamspinner, and it will finally be back out in the world in a little over a week. Yay! The Scholar’s Heart is a friends to estranged friends to lovers fantasy romance and the third in the Chronicles of Tournai series, though it can be read as a stand alone. This snippet follows directly after last week’s at the beginning of the book. We’re in Etan’s POV.
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“It’s good to see you.” He probably sounded ridiculous, but he hadn’t seen Tristan in a few days and, well, he’d missed him.

Tristan’s smile warmed, turning a bit softer. “You too.”

​
Etan frowned as Tristan flopped on the couch at Etan’s side. Not at the action, but at the look in Tristan’s eyes. The brilliant blue seemed shadowed somehow. “Everything all right?”

“Fine. Why do you ask?”

“
No reason. You just seem a little…” Etan shrugged. He couldn’t quite put a word to it, and he couldn’t very well say he didn’t think Tristan’s eyes sparkled as much as they usually did. “Troubled, maybe.”

The Scholar’s Heart will rerelease on July 13th. It’s currently available for preorder at NineStar (and if you preorder there you’ll have it 3 days early!) and will be everywhere else soon. Also, my other books are all 50% off in the Smashwords sale this month (they’re also still on sale at NineStar as well if you prefer to shop at the publisher’s site), so grab yourself some weekend reading! Stay safe and well.
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Smashwords Summer Sale

7/1/2020

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Smashwords is having their summer sale this month, and all of my books are included! You can get them all 50% off there through July (they are also still 40% off at NineStar if you prefer to buy from the publisher site). Escape into another world for magic, romance, and intrigue cheap this month!
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    Antonia is a writer and a reader and a copy editor/proofreader. She loves books, travel, art, photography, baking, pasta, and shoes.

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