Antonia Aquilante
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Rainbow Snippet December 30-31

12/30/2017

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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 can't believe it's the last weekend of the year! Here's a snippet from The Dragon's Devotion to round out 2017. It's a playful little snippet from a bit further on in the scene when Bastien first sees Corentin as a dragon (I shared a snippet from earlier in the scene here).
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​“You are amazing like this.” Bastien let the words out on a breath of air and felt his cheeks flame.


“Only like this?” Corentin’s half-closed eyes danced as he teased. He lowered his head to be level with Bastien’s.

Bastien let out a huff of laughter and shook his head. “You’re impossible.”

“But amazing.”


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If you'd like to learn more about The Dragon's Devotion, you can find it here, and through January 1st, The Dragon's Devotion is 50% off at Smashwords. Thanks for reading! Happy New Year!
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Sales!

12/26/2017

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If you need to fill up a new ereader, or just need some new books to see you through the new year, you should check out these sales! Dreamspinner has their whole store (including my books!) 30% off through December 27th. Most of NineStar Press's books are 50% off at Smashwords through January 1st, and The Dragon's Devotion is included! If you haven't bought it yet, this is a great time. I hope you find some wonderful stories to curl up with. Happy reading!
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Merry Christmas!

12/25/2017

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Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating! I hope your holiday is filled with laughter and love, family, friends, and good food. 

I'm celebrating with family today (and there will be lots of food!) after spending the last week baking cookies and wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas music, and reading lots of holiday romances. Well, I've been reading those all month, and I'll continue reading them straight to New Year's. I've posted some favorites before (check my November reading post for links), but here are a few I've enjoyed since, if you need some more holiday reading:

The Glow of Luminiferous Aether on Tinsel by Jana Denardo: I don't think I've ever read a steampunk holiday story before, so this felt really original.

Eight Nights in December by Keira Andrews: This is a revised version of a previously released novella, which I didn't read so I can't tell you how different it is, but I enjoyed this one.

The Holly Growth Green by Amy Rae Durreson: This was lovely. If you like a little magic with your holiday stories, read this one.

Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt: Part of the Maiden Lane series, but you don't have to have read them all to enjoy this. (It's a great series though!)

Poison Marked by TJ Nichol: A bit different, as it's set in a fantasy world, and just so good. I think this would work for you even if holiday romances aren't your thing.

Miracle on Ladies' Mile by Joanna Shupe: I enjoyed this Guilded Age novella so much. The characters pulled me right in.

A Holiday Crush by CJane Elliot: For those who like a little politics with their holiday romance, try this short.

New Game, Start by CS Poe: So adorable and sweet!

Ok, that was a bit more than a few! Enjoy your holiday, everyone!

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Rainbow Snippet December 23-24

12/23/2017

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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 don't have any holiday stories to snippet (yet!), but I thought I would give you a bit of the closest I have. This is a snippet from the next Tournai book, which will be out in June 2018 from NineStar Press. It takes place partly over Tournai's winter holidays, so I thought I'd share a wintery themed scene between Faelen and Maxen.
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When they stepped out onto the street after their meal, Faelen’s breath caught in his throat, and he stopped dead a step outside the door, looking up in wonder. Maxen walked right into him, knocking them off balance. He wrapped his arms around Faelen’s waist to steady them as they both wobbled. 

​
“Sorry!”

“No, it’s my fault,” Faelen said, covering Maxen’s hand with his own. “But look. It’s snowing.”

The snow was little more than flurries that likely wouldn’t amount to anything, knowing Tournai’s climate, but there was something magical about them nonetheless. The tiny flakes danced in the air, sparkling in the glow of the streetlights. Faelen turned his face up to them, despite the cold, and laughed as another little bubble of joy burst inside him.

“I guess you were right,” Maxen whispered. His arms were still around Faelen, holding him back against Maxen’s chest. Faelen made a little noise of contentment and snuggled into Maxen’s solid warmth. Despite the chilly night, he could’ve stayed right there until morning, just him and Maxen and the snow flurries.

If you're in need of some holiday/weekend reading, the first four Tournai books are 30% off in Dreamspinner's sale. Thanks for stopping by and reading! Happy holidays!
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Sale at Dreamspinner!

12/22/2017

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From December 22nd through the 27th, Dreamspinner's entire store is 30% off, including my Dreamspinner titles! Maybe it's time to treat yourself to a holiday or end of year book gift? We did survive 2017—we deserve more books! 
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Rainbow Snippet December 16-17

12/16/2017

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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 have a snippet from The Dragon's Devotion for you. Corentin's magic allows him to change into a dragon, and he's just shared that secret with Bastien. This is Bastien's first look at Corentin as a dragon. (I went two sentences over because I thought they were necessary. Sorry!)
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​Where Corentin had stood only a moment ago was a large dragon.


Bastien stared, his gaze traveling over the astonishing creature sitting in front of him. The dragon—Corentin, the dragon was Corentin, and he had to remember that or he might be as terrified as he was awed--Corentin was a magnificent sight. He was enormous and sinuous, with a powerful body and a long neck and wings folded over his back. His body, except for his wings, seemed to be entirely covered in scales that glistened in the light from the lantern. In the near dark, Bastien couldn’t tell what color the scales were, and he very much wanted to know. Because Corentin was beautiful, and Bastien wanted to see all of him, to remember this sight forever. This first time he saw Corentin as a dragon. 


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If you'd like to know more about The Dragon's Devotion, you can find it here. Also, today is the last day to get The Sorcerer's Guardian ebook for $4.50 at Dreamspinner (all of their other 2017 Rainbow Award winners/runners up/finalists are on sale too!). Have a great weekend, everyone!
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Dreamspinner Sale!

12/13/2017

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Dreamspinner is having a sale on all of its titles that were winners, runners up, and finalists in the Rainbow Awards. The Sorcerer's Guardian is included and on sale for only $4.50 through the 16th. There are a bunch of other great titles on sale too. Don't miss out!
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Happy Hanukkah to all who are celebrating!

12/12/2017

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Rainbow Snippet December 9-10

12/9/2017

17 Comments

 
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 still kind of giddy that The Sorcerer's Guardian took runner up for Best Bisexual Fantasy Romance and was a finalist for Best Bisexual Book in the Rainbow Awards, so I decided to snippet from it this weekend. Here is a slightly random snippet for you. Savarin has performed some complicated that magic that almost completely drained him, and he's been unconscious for quite a while and then drifting in and out. This is what happens as he's finally waking up.
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​It occurred to him that he should be worried about having an unknown person near when he was unaware and vulnerable. But it took
too much work to pull himself closer to wakefulness. When he finally managed it, though he wasn’t quite able to drag open his eyes, he shifted slightly on the... mattress—he must be in a bed? Wasn’t he in the woods?—and everything ached. He groaned.

Movement next to him, the creak of a chair, and then, “Savarin?”

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The voice... he knew the voice, knew it well in all its permutations, or thought he had. There was a tightness to it now that was new. “Loriot.” 


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If you'd like to know more about The Sorcerer's Guardian, you can find it here. Thanks for reading today! And congratulations again to all the winners, runners up, finalists, and honorable mentions in the Rainbow Awards!
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November Reads

12/8/2017

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I was pushing to finish writing/revising Tournai 6 (still no title!) during November, so I didn't read as much as I usually do. But I still have some books to share with you:

Off the Ice by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn: An opposites attract, age gap, hockey romance between a professional hockey player and his professor (the romance begins after they're no longer professor/student). I'll be looking forward to the next in the series.

Wolf's Clothing by EJ Russell: This is the second book in the Legend Tripping series, and I'd read the first one before you jump into this one. The stories mostly stand alone, but there's a lot in book one that sets up book two. I found the werewolf lore so interesting in this book, and I loved the relationship between Trent and Christophe.  

Heard by AM Arthur: Heard is the next book in the author's Breaking Free series and I found it as good as the first two. I really enjoyed the dynamics between Karter and Jax, and I loved seeing them become part of the family that had been building in the previous books. These books do have some dark themes in the characters' backstories, but they are lovely romances in an interesting world.

Preacher, Prophet, Beast and Underhill by Harper Fox: How did I get so far behind in Harper Fox's Tyack and Frayne series? I have no good answer to the question, really. The series remains a favorite, and I glommed up these latest two books, all the while hoping for more soon. Definitely read this series in order (and if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?).

Vincent's Thanksgiving Date by R Cooper: A sweet, adorable Thanksgiving short that I read over the holiday. It gave me all the warm, fuzzy feelings that I like from a holiday romance.

I've also started my holiday reading. If you don't know, my own little tradition is to read (almost entirely) holiday stories in the month of December. I've posted about some of my favorites before (here and here and probably some other places too!) if you're looking for recs. So far this year, I've read:

Tequila Sunrise by Layla Reyne: Action-packed suspense and some very sweet scenes too, but you should read her Agents Irish and Whiskey series first to get the most out of it.

Blessings and Light by Kasia Bacon: A lovely, evocative winter holiday short set in the author's Order universe, and a good intro to this fantasy world. (And it's free, so definitely give it a try!)

A Special Delivery by Laura Bailo: This is a fluffy snowball of a holiday short with two men snowed in together and an adorable dog.

In Case of Emergency by Keira Andrews: Former step-brothers meet again after ten years and fall in love over Christmas. Very sweet (all those holiday warm fuzzies!), and there's a demisexual main character too.

Holly and Oak by R Cooper: Holly and Oak is set in the same world as the author's A Little Familiar, which I adored. This was wonderful too. I love Chester and Will (though maybe Chester just a little more?), and loved watching them find their way to each other. I also loved their cat and dog familiars, who were full of personality and great characters themselves.

Next up for me is Seven Tricks by KS Trenten, a holiday romance inspired by the Nutcracker. I'm very excited since I love the Nutcracker ballet. What have you been reading lately? And if you're a holiday romance lover, have you read any this year that you enjoyed?

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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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