Category: The Artist's Masquerade

Rainbow Snippets March 13-14

3/13/2021

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 continuing with first kisses. This week is Cathal and Flavian's first kiss in The Artist's Masquerade. Cathal is a proper, (overly) dutiful duke's heir whose father arranged a marriage for him to a cousin of a foreign emperor. But Cathal finds himself attracted to her companion, Lady Flavia. What he doesn't know is that "Lady Flavia" is actually Flavian, a sharp-tongued artist who is in disguise and on the run. When they first kiss, Cathal doesn't yet know Flavian's real identity—but he finds out just after this snippet. (We're in Flavian's POV here.)

Flavian froze, his mind going utterly blank the instant Cathal’s lips touched his.

Because Cathal was kissing him.

Cathal was kissing him. Flavian never, ever, expected it to happen, or for it to be like this. A passionate, uninhibited kiss with Cathal’s firm body pressing against his, pushing him into the unyielding surface of the door. Who would have thought a man like Cathal would kiss like this? And for an instant Flavian drowned in it—the feel of Cathal’s smooth lips on his, the firm grip of his hands on Flavian’s waist--as Cathal devoured him.

But then reality came back in a flood. “We can’t do this.”

You can find out more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade is 50% off at Smashwords (along with all my other books) through today (March 13th). Thanks for reading, and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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Read an Ebook Week Sale!

3/7/2021

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All of my books are 50% off in the Smashwords Read an Ebook Week sale through March 13th. You can find them all here. Go grab some books!

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Rainbow Snippets June 13-14

6/13/2020

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Cathal confused him. So much. His heart still beat too fast as he remembered the look in Cathal’s eyes, all simmering heat and impishness. And Flavian liked it, far more than was good for him. He liked other things about Cathal too--flashes of heart and humor that came through at the oddest times, past the outer shell of propriety and rigid adherence to duty. And his smile--not the practiced, polite smile Flavian had seen often, but the real one that had graced Cathal’s lips tonight...it had been beautiful.

But Cathal was rigid and overly proper and infuriating at times and betrothed to Flavian’s friend

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. And The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off in ebook at NineStar Press if you need some summer reading. Hope you're all staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets June 6-7

6/6/2020

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You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off if you buy them from NineStar Press's site. Hope you're all staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets May 30-31

5/30/2020

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Flavian froze under his gold gaze, so intense. He found himself staring back at Cathal, helpless to look anywhere except those eyes, and he had no idea why. He clenched his hands into fists hidden by the skirt of his gown. He wanted to look away; he had to look away. He didn’t understand, had never felt a compulsion like it before. It was bizarre andhe didn’t like it and he needed to stop before Cathal peered too closely at him and realized things Flavian didn’t need him to know.

Why was Cathal looking at him anyway?

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off at NineStar Press if you haven't picked them up yet. Thanks for reading and I hope you're all staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets May 23-24

5/23/2020

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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+

I have more from The Artist's Masquerade for you this weekend. I've skipped ahead a bit from my previous snippet to where Cathal and Flavian meet for the first time. Cathal, his father, and his cousin the princess have gone to meet Flavian's ship because Cathal is meant to marry Flavian's friend Velia. Flavian, in disguise, is introduced to him as Flavia, Velia's companion.

Flavian nearly jumped to find himself the focus of Lord Cathal’sunusual gold eyes. Flavian had been so engrossed in studying the man that he must have missed the formal introductions making it around to him.

“Lady Flavia.” Cathal’s voice was deep and smooth, and Flavian shivered just hearing it. But the shiver was nothing compared to the heat flaring inside him when Cathal took his hand to bow over it. The heat rushed through his body and left him biting back a gasp. No. Not good. He could not be attracted to Cathal of all men.

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off at NineStar Press if you need some reading material for the (long) weekend. Hope you're staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets May 16-17

5/16/2020

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“Well, I’m trussed up in a gown—”

“And you look lovely in it.”

It was his turn to give her a vicious glare. She didn’t even flinch. “And heeled shoes, which are ridiculous torture contraptions on a normal day and even worse aboard a ship.”

“You’re very graceful on them though. More so than I expected.”

He didn’t think he could glare any harder, but he did try. “And all for a plan that will never work.”

“But it is working. We left Ardunn with no one the wiser, and no one on this ship knows you’re a man. Now sit still.” She returned to the task he had interrupted--applying cosmetics to his flinching face.

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off at NineStar Press's site, if you're looking for some weekend reading. Hope you're all staying safe and healthy.

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Rainbow Snippets May 9-10

5/9/2020

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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 week, I'm sharing another snippet from The Artist's Masquerade, which is back out in the world now! Yay! The Artist's Masquerade is the story of a duty-bound and overly proper duke's heir who has been pushed into an arranged marriage by his father but falls in love with a sharp-tongued artist who is in disguise and on the run instead. With lots of opposites attract romance, magic, and intrigue. I skipped ahead a little in this week's snippet to introduce you to Flavian, our other main character. This is an exchange between Flavian (who speaks first) and Velia, his friend and conspirator in his escape from their home country. She's also the woman Cathal is supposed to marry.

“This is a bad idea.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“It’s never going to work.”

“Yes, it will.” Velia stepped back and glared at him, her green eyes narrowed to slits. “When did you turn so pessimistic?”

Flavian stared at her, incredulous she even asked the question. Considering the circumstances of his life over the last several years, it was a wonder that occasionally pessimistic was all he was.

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade is now 40% off, along with all of my other books, at NineStar Press, if you're looking for weekend reading. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

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The Artist's Masquerade Release Day!

5/4/2020

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The Artist's Masquerade is back out in the world today, and I'm so happy and relieved that it's available again finally. This is the second book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, though it stands alone as they all do, and it's the story of Flavian, a sharp-tongued artist who's in disguise and on the run, and Cathal, the duty-bound and overly proper duke's heir who's caught between familial obligation and his own desires. It's an opposites attract romance with lots of magic, intrigue, and spies. If you read the original version, you don't have to buy the new one (unless you want a copy with the gorgeous cover by Natasha Snow!)—the story remains the same, I've only polished it up a little. If you haven't read it yet, I hope you enjoy Cathal and Flavian's story. These characters and their story have always had a special place in my heart (though I hate to pick favorites!).

NineStar Press is giving away a gift card during the release blitz for The Artist's Masquerade, so visit some blogs and enter, and The Artist's Masquerade is also 40% off at NineStar as part of their sale (along with my other books!).

About The Artist's Masquerade

As the first-born son of a royal duke and cousin to the prince, Cathal has always put his duty to family and country first, even when it conflicts with his own wishes. When Cathal’s father arranges a marriage between him and Velia, cousin to the emperor of Ardunn, without consulting him, he sees no alternative but to go along with his plans for the good of Tournai. But it’s Velia’s companion, Flavia, who fascinates Cathal from the moment he first sets eyes on her. Cathal doesn’t know Flavia is really Flavian, an artist masquerading as a woman to escape Ardunn, a restrictive and repressive place where Flavian’s preference for men is forbidden.

Even when Cathal discovers Flavian’s identity, even as he struggles with his obligations and duty, he cannot fight his attraction to the sharp-tongued artist. Flavian is intrigued by him as well, but Cathal is still betrothed to Velia, and Flavian worries he is more taken with the feminine illusion Flavian presents than the man beneath it. He came to Tournai to start a new life—a safe one—as an artist, and an inconvenient attraction to his friend’s betrothed, a man who happens to be a member of the royal family, is not a part of his plans. While both men battle their longings for each other, spies from Ardunn infiltrate the capital, attempting to uncover Tournai’s weaknesses and secrets. They are also searching for Flavian, who possesses a magical Talent giving him the ability to see the truth of a person just by painting their portrait—something that would be invaluable to Ardunn’s emperor.

Add The Artist's Masquerade to your Goodreads shelf.

Buy The Artist's Masquerade:
NineStar Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Apple
Smashwords

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Rainbow Snippets May 2-3

5/2/2020

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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+

Today, I have another snippet for you from The Artist's Masquerade, which will be rereleasing through NineStar Press on Monday (or you already have it, if you ordered from NineStar). The Artist's Masquerade is the second book in the Chronicles of Tournai, though it stands alone, as all the other books in the series do, and is the story of Cathal, a dutiful and overly proper duke's heir, and Flavian, a sharp-tongued artist who's in disguise and on the run. An opposites attract romance plus spies and intrigue and magic. This snippet is follows directly after last week's (and I went way over six sentences, but I thought it necessary. I apologize, and I'll do better next time!).

“May I ask whom I will be marrying?” He immediately regretted histone as Father arched a single brow.

When Cathal didn’t jump to apologize quickly enough, Father let out a huff that expressed his disappointment more eloquently than a hundred words would have, but he answered anyway. “She’s a cousin of the emperor of Ardunn. Velia is her name. Beautiful, by all accounts, and accomplished, but the connections are the important part.”

Cathal hardly heard anything after Ardunn. Cousin to the emperor of Ardunn? What was Father thinking? And how had he even managed it?

Father looked up again, and this time his huff held more than a little annoyance. “Why are you staring at me that way?”

Cathal didn’t know how he was looking at his father. Usually he had more control, but incredulity seemed to have obliterated it. “Ardunn, Father? I don’t understand. Why—?”

“Don’t be stupid. If your cousin isn’t going to do his duty and marry for the good of this country, then it falls to you to take up where Prince Philip failed.”

And that statement made even less sense. “But, Father, you negotiated a marriage contract with the emperor of Ardunn. Does Philip know?”

Father scoffed. “He’ll know soon enough.”

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade, including preorder links, here. Also, all of my books, including The Artist's Masquerade, are 40% off in NineStar's site-wide sale—don't miss out on a great sale!

Stay safe and well, everyone.

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Rainbow Snippets March 13-14

Read an Ebook Week Sale!

Rainbow Snippets June 13-14

Rainbow Snippets June 6-7

Rainbow Snippets May 30-31

Rainbow Snippets May 23-24

Rainbow Snippets May 16-17

Rainbow Snippets May 9-10

The Artist's Masquerade Release Day!

About The Artist's Masquerade

Rainbow Snippets May 2-3

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