Antonia Aquilante
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Rainbow Snippets August 27-28

8/28/2022

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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 decided to share a few snippets from The Dragon's Devotion leading up to its fifth anniversary in a few weeks. In The Dragon's Devotion, Corentin is a scholar with a secret (he's a dragon shifter) and Bastien is an earl with far too much on his shoulders—including learning that his parents' death several years ago might not have been the accident they all believed. As they become closer, Bastien looks into the death of his parents and is drawn into danger, leaving Corentin in the position of revealing his secret—which could put his people at risk—or losing the man he's come to love. This week, I'm sharing a snippet of Corentin using his magic to transform into a dragon.
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​Closing his eyes, Corentin let out a long, slow breath and smiled as he reached for his magic. The change was immediate and glorious. He grew and changed under the cover of silvery purple light. When he opened his eyes again he looked out on the world from a far different perspective. He stretched his long neck, his back, even his tail, working out all the kinks and relaxing into this body. His wings came last, large and strong and the thing he’d thrilled to when he came into his power years ago.

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With another smile, which he had on good authority looked quite different from his human one, he launched himself over the cliff. He didn’t make a sound doing it, even though as the wind rushed by him, as he beat his wings to carry him up and up, he wanted to scream his joy.

You can find more about The Dragon's Devotion here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!
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Rainbow Snippets August 20-21

8/21/2022

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 decided to share a few snippets from The Dragon's Devotion leading up to its fifth anniversary in a few weeks. In The Dragon's Devotion, Corentin is a scholar with a secret (he's a dragon shifter) and Bastien is an earl with far too much on his shoulders—including learning that his parents' death several years ago might not have been the accident they all believed. As they become closer, Bastien looks into the death of his parents and is drawn into danger, leaving Corentin in the position of revealing his secret—which could put his people at risk—or losing the man he's come to love. This snippet is a sweet moment between Bastien and Corentin after Bastien went to him when he was upset.
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​A small smile flirted with the corners of his mouth, and his thick hair was tousled and spread around his head. Corentin gave in to the temptation to comb his fingers through the soft waves. Bastien let out a sigh, and the smile became more pronounced.

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Bastien’s eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at Corentin. They gazed at each other for a while; Corentin had no idea what was going on in Bastien’s head, but he was glad to see that Bastien didn’t look as lost as he had when he’d arrived so unexpectedly at Corentin’s door. Unable to resist, Corentin kissed him.

“Will you stay?” he asked, keeping his voice to a whisper. Somehow it seemed appropriate.

Bastien didn’t answer immediately, and Corentin could almost see him thinking about it—whether he could or even wanted to—as he stared up at Corentin. He began to wonder if he should have asked, but finally Bastien nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay.”

You can find more about The Dragon's Devotion here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well.
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Rainbow Snippets August 6-7

8/7/2022

1 Comment

 
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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 a snippet from A Dance of Water and Air for you today. Edmund is a prince who must marry the queen of the neighboring country in an arranged marriage, but when he arrives, he finds himself growing closer to her brother, Arden. When Edmund accused of trying to murder the queen, he and Arden flee and uncover a larger plot that threatens both of their countries along the way. This snippet is a stolen moment between Edmund and Arden while they're on the run.
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​Edmund snagged his hand as Arden walked by and gently tugged him in and close. He paused a hairsbreadth from kissing Arden, giving Arden an opportunity to step away. As if Arden would. He closed the slight distance and touched his lips to Edmund’s. He’d meant it to be a light kiss, playful and sweet and quick, but when he tasted Edmund, he sank into the kiss, burying his other hand in Edmund’s hair and holding on.

When they finally, reluctantly, pulled back from each other, Arden’s head was spinning. He’d always enjoyed kissing, but with Edmund, he never, ever wanted to stop. He blinked up at Edmund, waiting for his scattered thoughts to settle. Edmund was quiet too, watching Arden with wide, dark eyes. Finally, Arden leaned forward and nuzzled into Edmund’s neck for just a moment.



You can find out more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!
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My July Reading

8/5/2022

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July disappeared when I wasn't paying attention and somehow it's August already (which is my birthday month, so I won't complain—but, really, where did July go???). I have the round-up of some books I enjoyed in July for you today.

Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik: This is the second book in the Starlight's Shadow space opera romance series. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic between the main characters made for a fun romance, which had been set up in the first book, and the high stakes plot moved quickly, resolving some issues and leaving others open for the third book, which is due next year (*sobs about the wait*). I also continue to adore in all ways the found family in these books. Start with the first book, though, because though there's a new romance in each, the overarching plot carries over.

For the Throne by Hannah F. Whitten: I listened to this conclusion to the Wilderwood duology almost as soon as it came out and enjoyed it as much as the first (this is definitely another series you need to start at the first book!). I found this story darker than the first, but also beautiful, and you won't be able to miss the Snow White inspiration. The point of view switches between a few characters, but primarily Neve and Red, the sisters we meet in the first book. Red, though happy and lovely to see in her relationship (which I loved seeing—and also loved having more time with their found family), is desperate to save her sister after the events at the end of the first book. Neve, however, has her own journey to embark on—and something of an enemies to lovers romance with a characters I wanted to strangle in the first book but came to love here.

So This is Ever After by FT Lukens: My hold on this audiobook from the library came in at just the right time! So This is Ever After has the premise that Arek, the chosen one of a prophecy, and his band of friends/found family overthrow the evil sorcerer on the throne and save the kingdom. Arek's best friend Matt convinces him to take the throne until they can free the rightful heir from the tower, but the rightful heir is dead. And now Arek is stuck being king and also must get married both to stay king and to stay alive. The only person Arek wants is Matt, but he's convinced Matt doesn't want him, so he tries wooing his other friends to amusing effect. There's lots of mutual pining here, and the narrative is witty and light. 

In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland: The last book I want to mention is another fantasy romance, this one on the darker side. There's blood magic and death magic and death and violence and a creepy underworld and other stuff, but there's also wonderful characters (including an asexual nonbinary side character who is fantastic and I want to be friends with) and a delightful found family and two lovely romances (polyamorous rep) and a very interesting fantasy world. Rovan is a blood mage who has hidden what she is for years, but when it's finally discovered, she's bound to a ghostly guardian to keep her in line. She ends up falling in love with her hated ghostly guardian and a princess, as she finds out what's really going on in the city and stokes a rebellion in both the living world and the underworld.

​What have you read and loved lately?
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    Antonia is a writer and a reader. She loves books, travel, art, photography, baking, pasta, and shoes.

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