Category: The Scholar's Heart

Rainbow Snippet May 27-28

5/27/2017

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+.

The Scholar's Heart will have been out one year on May 30th, so this weekend seems like a good time for a snippet from it. Here's a little of Etan using his Talent, the magic that allows him to change into a large cat.

Closing his eyes, he let out a long, slow breath and pulled up the magic that rested deep inside him. He felt it swirl up and through him, tingling and fizzing in his veins, along his skin. He loved it, the feeling, the magic. The thrill of it, the exhilaration. Always had.

When the feeling died away, he stood on four legs instead of two. He turned his head back and forth, loosening his neck muscles, and then arched his back into a long stretch, digging his front claws into the dirt of the clearing. He shook himself as he came out of the stretch and yawned, something that probably would’ve looked somewhat fearsome if anyone saw him. His fangs were not small.

Thanks for stopping by and reading! If you'd like to know more about The Scholar's Heart, you can find it here. And if you'd like to enter the Goodreads giveaway for another book in the Tournai series, The Sorcerer's Guardian, you can find more about that here.

Hope you have a lovely weekend (long weekend here in the US!) with lots of time for reading!

7 Comments

Rainbow Snippet April 22-23

4/22/2017

8 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+.

This week I have a snippet of conversation between brothers from The Scholar's Heart for you. I enjoyed exploring the relationship between brothers in Etan and Cathal and also in Tristan and his brother Maxen in this book.

Etan had taken a few steps away when Cathal called him back. “Etan?” “Yes?”

“If what you did with Tristan... if it makes you happy, even a little, for a little while, you can let yourself enjoy it. Let yourself be happy.”

“And if I end up hurt at the end of it?”

“Maybe you won’t be.” Cathal shook his head when Etan opened his mouth to speak. “I know. You said Tristan doesn’t want anything more than to pass a little time enjoyably. But you said you wouldn’t want to try to build anything with him anyway. So if you know at the beginning what it is, why shouldn’t you allow yourself to enjoy it for however long it lasts?”

You can find more about The Scholar's Heart here. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

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Rainbow Snippet March 25-26

3/25/2017

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+.

I'm continuing with sort of random snippets this weekend. This one is from The Scholar's Heart. Tristan's infant daughter has been kidnapped, and Etan is doing all he can to support and comfort Tristan.

Etan loosened his hold enough for Tristan to pull away, but Tristan didn’t go far, keeping his hands on Etan’s chest.

“How are you feeling?” It was a stupid question to ask, but confronted with Tristan’s pain-filled face, Etan didn’t know what to say.

“Not well. You?”

“Not very well either.” He smoothed Tristan’s hair back from his face. “Do you want to try to sleep some more?”

Tristan shook his head sharply almost before Etan finished asking the question. “Can’t. I don’t like the dreams."

You can find out more about The Scholar's Heart here. And today only, The Scholar's Heart and the other Chronicles of Tournai books are 30% off at DSP in their fantasy and paranormal sale. Thanks for visiting and reading!

5 Comments

Rainbow Snippet February 11-12

2/11/2017

9 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 continuing my first kisses theme this week with Etan and Tristan in The Scholar's Heart. I went a couple sentences over with this one (sorry!), but I thought it was necessary.

Against all of his better judgment, which was screaming at him unheeded from some small part of his mind, he grabbed Tristan, pulled him close, and kissed him.

The kiss was rough—passionate but rough and almost violent. All lips and teeth and grasping hands. Not at all how Etan usually kissed or liked to be kissed. Not at all how he’d envisioned a first kiss with Tristan to be, back when he’d imagined such things, before he put aside the possibility of anything between them. A shame, since this kiss was likely to be their only one. But he couldn’t change it now. All his anger and frustration, his thwarted passion and hurt, every feeling that had accumulated over years of loving Tristan and grieving what might have been, was being poured out into the kiss, and Etan was helpless to stop it.

Tristan froze in his arms.

You can find more about The Scholar's Heart here. Also, Dreamspinner is having a paperback sale, so the paperbacks of The Scholar's Heart and the other Tournai books are all 25% off this week. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

9 Comments

Rainbow Snippet January 14-15

1/14/2017

11 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+.

This weekend, I'm sharing a bit of The Scholar's Heart. In this snippet, Tristan's baby daughter has been kidnapped, and Etan is trying to be there for him—if Tristan will let him.

“You don’t have to treat me as if I’m fragile. I’m going to be strong for Bria. I’m not going to break.” Tristan’s voice was strained, but his tone was strong as he straightened his spine, pulling away from Etan an infinitesimal amount that Etan nevertheless felt.

“You can, you know,” he said quietly, trying to convey all his feelings, all that he would do for Tristan in just his voice as he spoke the words. “You can break if you need to, here, with me. I’ll be here, and I’ll hold on to you, and I’ll help you put the pieces back together.”

If you'd like to know more about The Scholar's Heart, you can find it here. Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

11 Comments

Rainbow Snippet October 1-2

10/1/2016

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+.

My random page theme continues this weekend (the first weekend in October already!) with a snippet from page 145 of The Scholar's Heart. Here, Tristan is arriving at the palace for an evening with friends, and ends up being slightly oblivious.

They chatted as they strolled through the palace. The guards didn’t stop them when they arrived at the wing containing Philip and Amory’s suite, and they continued on to the suite. Griffen knocked on the door. Tristan felt a rush of surprise and pleasure when it opened and Etan was on the other side. He knew he’d likely see Etan tonight, but that knowledge didn’t diminish his pleasure at doing so.

Etan was balancing a sleepy Julien on his hip, the child’s head resting on Etan’s shoulder, his eyes blinking slowly. Etan was smiling, and his smile stayed in place even as a shadow of something passed through his eyes. He blinked, and the shadow was gone, but Tristan knew he’d seen it, and from the way Etan had glanced between him and Griffen, he could only guess Etan knew something had happened between him and Griffen. Or at least, that Etan suspected. And he didn’t seem happy about it, though Tristan wasn’t sure why. What happened between him and Griffen had happened before anything between him and Etan, and it hadn’t been more than a little fun for both of them. He hadn’t even seen Griffen since.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

5 Comments

Rainbow Snippet September 3-4

9/3/2016

5 Comments

It's the first weekend in September somehow, 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+.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been doing random snippets from page 170 of my books, a page I opened to by chance when looking for a snippet a couple weeks ago. I decided to continue that today with a snippet from page 170 of The Scholar's Heart. This is a bit of conversation between Etan and his youngest sister Meriall when they're at their cousin Prince Philip's birthday ball.

“Etan,” Meriall said, almost singing out his name, as she stepped up to his side.

“Enjoying yourself, Meriall?”

“Very much, thank you, and you?”

“Yes.”

She tilted her head and studied him. “Are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She shrugged. “Well, you’re standing here alone and not enjoying yourself. Tristan’s over there by himself too.”

Etan glanced in the direction of her gesture. “I think he’s getting some wine.”

“Still, you haven’t spent much time with him tonight. You used to be so close—friends, more than friends maybe?” She smiled at him a bit. “And lately, I thought maybe you were again.”

Hope you all have a lovely weekend (a lovely long holiday weekend here in the US)!

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The Scholar's Heart Giveaway on Goodreads

7/25/2016

0 Comments

I'm giving away a signed copy of The Scholar's Heart on Goodreads. The giveaway starts today, and you can enter here:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Scholar's Heart

by Antonia Aquilante

Giveaway ends August 08, 2016.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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Rainbow Snippet July 23-24

7/23/2016

8 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 will identify as LGBTQ+.

I said last time that I thought I might switch to something other than The Scholar's Heart this week, and then I ended up picking another snippet from The Scholar's Heart. Apparently I'm a bit indecisive. This snippet takes place not long after last week's on the same night.

Etan took one last look out to the garden and then followed the last few stragglers toward the doors. Before Etan reached them, Tristan stretched out a hand and snagged Etan’s arm, using it to pull Etan into the shadows and push him against the wall, the way Etan had Tristan that day in the secret corridor, a memory that still delighted Tristan. He swallowed Etan’s surprised gasp in a kiss.

Tristan poured everything he had into the kiss, everything he’d felt over these last few weeks. His frustration and confusion, his attraction and longing for more after the taste he’d had of being with Etan. He willed Etan to feel all of it in the kiss.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! (I'll be over here trying not to melt in the hot weather...)

8 Comments

Rainbow Snippet July 16-17

7/16/2016

11 Comments

It's weekend and time from 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 will identify as LGBTQ+.

My snippet comes from The Scholar's Heart again this weekend. This takes place at Etan's birthday party. Tristan is dancing with Etan's younger sister Meriall.

But he had to look like a dark cloud among the dancers. The traditional gray he wore for Dariela’s death stood out among the bright gowns the ladies wore and the myriad colors of the men’s clothing. Meriall’s gown was a confection of rose-pink silk and ivory lace that stood out next to his stormy gray. Etan would too—he looked edible in rich ruby red with the stark white of his shirt peeking out from beneath. The bold color suited Etan, highlighting the lines of his body and heightening his dramatic coloring. Tristan liked the way he looked in it, but he thought he’d like to strip it off him even more and see what was beneath.

He glanced back, toward where they left Etan, and found him still standing there. Watching. Watching Meriall. There was a fondness in Etan’s eyes he reserved only for her. But then Etan shifted his attention and met Tristan’s eyes again. Etan’s were still too full of emotions for Tristan to understand what was happening, but the intensity of Etan’s gaze... that he could see, could feel. He shivered from the feeling of that intense gaze on him.

I may switch to snippets from something else next time. I wouldn't want you to get bored. Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

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Rainbow Snippet May 27-28

Rainbow Snippet April 22-23

Rainbow Snippet March 25-26

Rainbow Snippet February 11-12

Rainbow Snippet January 14-15

Rainbow Snippet October 1-2

Rainbow Snippet September 3-4

The Scholar's Heart Giveaway on Goodreads

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Scholar's Heart

by Antonia Aquilante

Rainbow Snippet July 23-24

Rainbow Snippet July 16-17

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