Category: Rainbow Snippets

Rainbow Snippet September 28-29

9/28/2019

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've shared a few snippets from The Spymaster's Secret here as I worked through edits for the book, but I'm going to start sharing regular snippets for a little while because the book will be out on October 14th (less than a month!). The Spymaster's Secret is the next book in the Chronicles of Tournai series. It's the story of Alexander, a charming, flirtatious royal cousin with hidden depths, and Marcus, a mysterious, older widower with an important job for the princes. Alexander is immediately fascinated by him and wants to know more about him, and Marcus is captivated by Alexander...and absolutely does not want to be. This snippet takes place right after the last snippet I shared from The Spymaster's Secret. In the previous snippet, Marcus had come upon Alexander and his twin, Faelen, in the palace. In this snippet, Alexander is speculating about why Marcus was there and whether it has to do with a prisoner recently captured, and Faelen is wondering why Alexander is so interested.

Faelen fixed him with a sharp stare. “Are you more curious about what the prisoner has to say or about Lord Marcus?”

Alexander shrugged. “Who wouldn’t be curious about him?” Faelen’s stare didn’t lose one bit of its intensity. “Plenty of people.” “I suppose, or he wouldn’t be able to do his work--whatever it consists of.” He frowned briefly. “What does he do exactly?”

The first he’d seen or heard of Marcus was when Bastien, Philip’scousin, had been kidnapped. Philip had called in Marcus for help, as wellas Loriot. Marcus had been so calm, so confident. He’d discovered who’d taken Bastien and where. While those answers had been shocking, Marcus had found them through what was apparently an impressive skill for investigation and a network of informants or spies or whatever he called the people working for him.

Alexander could only be glad Marcus had no reason to turn their attention toward him. Of course, it also meant Marcus was unlikely to notice Alexander at all. Which was a shame--not that he wanted to be investigated, obviously, but Marcus was very attractive.

If you'd like to know more about The Spymaster's Secret (and for a longer excerpt and buy links), you can find it here. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet September 14-15

9/14/2019

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Maxen took Faelen's hand as they strolled through the streets. After all their teasing and flirting earlier, Maxen had thought he’d be in a rush to get home, but he just wanted to savor the time with Faelen. The night air was cold, but it was clear and dry, and Faelen seemed just as happy to walk with him, hand in hand.

When Maxen let them in the house, the maid appeared to take their coats and disappeared just as quickly, leaving them alone again in the flickering candlelight of the entry. Maxen turned to find Faelen watching him. He blushed at being caught and let out a breath that was almost a laugh. The urge to kiss him was almost overwhelming because he was just so adorable.

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet September 7-8

9/7/2019

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As they came up beside the fountain, Corentin stopped. Bastien took a couple steps before he realized and turned, their arms stretched between them, hands still linked. Corentin’s face was in shadow, and Bastien frowned.

“Corentin?”

Corentin gave Bastien’s hand a gentle tug, pulling him a step closer, and then another.

“Corentin, what—?”

He came up against the solid muscle of Corentin’s chest. He let out a little huff of air, and then Corentin’s lips were on his. Corentin could have yanked him close, could have crushed his lips to Bastien’s, but he didn’t. His mouth was gentle, seducing. Warm, smooth lips moving over Bastien’s, coaxing him to kiss back, to relax into it.

And Bastien gave in to their persuasion...

If you'd like to know more about The Dragon's Devotion, you can find it here. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippets August 31-September 1

8/31/2019

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“Flavian....” It was a whisper of sound, and Flavian barely heard it over his own heart beating in his ears.

He turned his head to look back at Cathal, the rest of his body staying still under Cathal’s hand. Cathal’s gold eyes were molten hot, and Flavian’s breath caught in his throat. Before he could get it back, Cathal’s lips were on his.

Shock punched through him, followed by pleasure in a swamping wave that left him clinging to Cathal’s arms. The last time, had he noticed how soft Cathal’s lips were even as they moved firmly, purposefully over Flavian’s? No, he couldn’t have. He couldn’t have realized it, because Cathal was coaxing responses in him he had never felt before.

If you'd like to know more about The Artist's Masquerade, you can find it here. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet August 24-25

8/24/2019

2 Comments

But wait,” she called after him as he walked toward the door. “You must know something else about Master Savarin.”

“I really don’t.” He didn’t turn.

“Is he handsome?”

Savarin’s image filled his mind—his height and broad shoulders, perfectly carved features, blond hair that looked as if it would be soft under his hands. His stride hitched, but he shook the image away and ignored Joceline calling after him. Perhaps she would forget the idea entirely if he didn’t encourage her.

He doubted it, but he could hope. The idea of Savarin as a character in a book on the shelf of a bookshop made him cringe.

If you'd like to know more about The Sorcerer's Guardian, you can find it here. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet August 17-18

8/17/2019

5 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+.

Today is my birthday, so in keeping with the occasion, I decided to share a snippet from Etan's birthday party in The Scholar's Heart (unlike Etan, I will not be having a party at a palace with ballgowns and dancing and magic fireworks, which is a pity). The Scholar's Heart is my estranged friends to lovers story. Tristan and Etan were friends perhaps on the point of becoming more when Tristan married someone else to comply with his father's wishes. Etan distanced himself because of the hurt, but Tristan never knew why (poor clueless Tristan). They have a lot to work through to get to HEA. We're in Tristan's point of view in this snippet, and I'm sorry it's a bit long.

Darkness had fallen, and the lights out on the terrace and in the garden had been extinguished at some point during the party. The moon cast silvery light over the shadowy garden and the party guests crowding the terrace. Tristan glanced around. The light was enough for him to see that the other guests shared his confusion about why they were outside.

Etan had been ushered by his brothers and sisters and the princess up next to Amory and the prince, close to the terrace railing, which put him close to Tristan as well. Tristan heard him ask Amory what was going on and Amory answering that it had been Elodie’s idea with Meriall’s enthusiastic concurrence.

“But what is it?” Etan asked, his words nearly cut off by the first burst of color in the sky.

The guests gasped as the bursts of colorful sparks lit the sky in starbursts and spirals, exploding and dancing and spinning in ever more complicated patterns above the darkened gardens. The sorcerers creating them had to be both skilled and powerful.

Despite his interest in the magic, he found himself watching Etan more, as the different colored lights washed over Etan’s strong profile. The delight and wonder in his eyes, the slight smile playing at Etan’s lips.

If you'd like to know more about The Scholar's Heart, you can find it here. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet August 10-11

8/10/2019

3 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+.

Today I decided to share a snippet from The Spymaster's Secret, which will be out from NineStar Press this fall, since I just turned in copy edits. The Spymaster's Secret is part of my Chronicles of Tournai series but, like all the books in the series, stands alone. If you've read other books in the series, you may have met the main characters: Alexander, the young, flirty royal cousin with hidden depths, and Marcus, the older, serious widower with secrets. It was fun seeing how these two opposites fit together. Plus, there's lots of romance, family (supportive but meddling!), magic, and intrigue. And I've made it all the way through edits not hating this book!

This snippet comes from the first chapter of the book. Marcus is in the palace after meeting with the princes when he comes upon Alexander and his twin, Faelen.

A laugh shattered the quiet and brought Marcus’s attention fully back to his surroundings. As he approached an intersecting corridor, the two young men he’d been thinking of came around the corner. They were nearly identical in appearance with the same shade of dark hair that glowed red in the light, the same ivory skin and peridot eyes, the same delicate features, an intriguing mix of pretty and sensual. Their differences were slight, but perfectly apparent with a moment’s study. Alexander was slightly taller, and Faelen’s hair fell in loose curls while Alexander’s was a tumble of waves.

He’d made a point of finding out which of them was which. And not because of the way Alexander had looked at him the one previous time he’d been in their presence.

The way Alexander looked at him now. Curious with a spark of something more.

I'll have more from The Spymaster's Secret soon (including, hopefully, a cover to share—I just sent in my cover spec sheet, and I'm always excited for Natasha Snow's covers!). In the meantime, you can spend some time with Alexander in his twin Faelen's book, The Merchant's Love, if you like. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet August 3-4

8/3/2019

6 Comments

It was after the vows, after Tristan and Etan had affixed their signatures in the book in which all royal marriages were recorded, that Maxen let his gaze wander over the seated guests and saw him. And then he couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed him immediately.

His attention was drawn almost instantly to a man seated in the second row. He was pale, his skin like porcelain, with large eyes the green of peridot. His face—an uncanny mix of pretty and sensual—was framed by dark hair that blazed red in the room’s light, falling in soft curls nearly to his shoulders. Maxen could see nothing else of the man, but what he saw pulled at him, and it was so strong, so unexpected, it took his breath. He’d never felt an attraction so sudden; he could do nothing but stare as time spun away from him.

Abruptly, the man seemed to sense his regard, his gaze snapping over to meet Maxen’s, giving him no time to look away. The unusual green eyes widened, but he didn’t look away for long moments—long moments when Maxen heard nothing but the pounding of his heart in his ears.

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. Thanks for reading today!

6 Comments

Rainbow Snippet July 27-28

7/27/2019

3 Comments

Corentin let his gaze slide from them to those seated at the tables nearby. Other family members for the most part, it would seem, from the resemblance to either Etan or his husband. Then his gaze stalled on one particular man.

The man was stunning, his features chiseled, his skin glowing in a way that only came from much time spent outdoors, and his thick bronze hair fell in neat waves around his face. From what Corentin could see of his clothes, they were of good quality but a bit sober, not as daring or fashionable as many of the ensembles worn that evening. The rich, warm brown wasn’t a poor color for him, though. He sat next to a young woman, who might have been wife or sister or some other relation, but she leaned away from him to talk to someone else, and he seemed to be doing much as Corentin was, studying the room.

Suddenly, the other man’s gaze collided with Corentin’s, and everything seemed to freeze for a moment as the connection held. Corentin couldn’t make out the color of his eyes from the distance—something dark, he thought. But he could see them go wide, a bit startled, and Corentin smiled, slow and sure. He had no idea why this man had captured his interest in one look, but he dearly wanted to find out if longer exposure would bear it out, perhaps deepen it.

If you'd like to know more about The Dragon's Devotion, you can find it here. It's also 50% off at Smashwords for a few more days, along with The Merchant's Love, A Dance of Water and Air, and A Harmony of Fire and Earth. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet July 20-21

7/20/2019

5 Comments

Rhys had thought he was beautiful from the first moment they met. He and Briallen had been on the lands of a count not far from town so Briallen could do some work for him when she’d encountered something that called for the help of a Fire wielder. Someone had suggested Gaz, and since Rhys hadn’t been needed for anything else at the moment, he’d offered to fetch the man. He hadn’t expected to knock on the door of the modest cottage and nearly swallow his tongue when it opened to reveal Gaz.

Rhys didn’t remember exactly what he’d expected but, from the descriptions, some sort of older semi-recluse. Certainly not someone so young and striking. Rhys had managed to convey the reason for his arrival on Gaz’s doorstep articulately enough, and Gaz had gone with him, even if he’d been a bit taciturn as he did. Rhys had taken his manner in stride, and Gaz had been polite if not overly friendly. Gaz had taken care of the problem Briallen had discovered and worked with her to finish up. Rhys had been captivated by that too. He hadn’t seen many magic wielders who worked as effortlessly as Gaz did, obviously controlling a vast power. He hadn’t been tired when he finished; in fact, he’d looked exhilarated, and Rhys had been knocked back again at how alive and alight his face had been.

They said everything and everyone who came into contact with Fire came out of it changed. Rhys could attest to that.

If you'd like to know more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth, you can find it here. And A Harmony of Fire and Earth, along with three of my other books (A Dance of Water and Air, The Dragon's Devotion, and The Merchant's Love), is 50% off this month at Smashwords. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet September 28-29

Rainbow Snippet September 14-15

Rainbow Snippet September 7-8

Rainbow Snippets August 31-September 1

Rainbow Snippet August 24-25

Rainbow Snippet August 17-18

Rainbow Snippet August 10-11

Rainbow Snippet August 3-4

Rainbow Snippet July 27-28

Rainbow Snippet July 20-21

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