Antonia Aquilante
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Rainbow Snippets March 27-28

3/27/2021

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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'm continuing on with first kisses this weekend with Loriot and Savarin's first kiss in The Sorcerer's Guardian. Savarin is an arrogant, powerful sorcerer on an important mission for the crown, and Loriot the loyal guard captain sent to keep him safe while he accomplishes what he needs to do. Savarin has no desire to be guarded, and Loriot has no desire to go on this journey at all, but they'll both do as their princes command. Even if they do clash quite a bit along the way. In this scene, they've taken shelter at an inn during a storm...where there is only one room left with only one bed. They ended up having to travel through the beginning of the storm to reach an inn because Savarin became too involved in his magic earlier in the day, and Loriot is not pleased about that. Loriot speaks first in this snippet (and I went over the sentence limit—I'm sorry!—but I wanted to set the kiss up properly).
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“Do you not understand how dangerous this storm is?” As if to punctuate his words, thunder boomed, and he could have sworn the whole building shook. For an instant, everything froze, but the inn didn’t fall down around their ears. “Your friend warned you about how dangerous they would be. It’s why we’ve been planning so carefully. To make sure we were safely here before the storms and not trying to ride around or camp out in them.”

“I’m quite aware of what Gemella said.”

He stalked closer to Savarin. “Then why are you being so arrogant and ridiculous about this?”

“Ridiculous?” Savarin’s voice went quiet, and he stood in the tub, long legs unfolding beneath him. “Did you just call me ridiculous?”

“I see you have no objection to my calling you arrogant.”

“I’m arrogant? You need to listen to yourself. You arrogant, smug—”

Loriot had no idea which of them moved first. Maybe they moved together; he didn’t know. What he did know was one second Savarin was hurling a litany of insults at him and the next they were kissing. Only kissing was too tame a word for what they were doing.

He and Savarin were devouring each other.

You can find out more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all 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 October 10-11

10/11/2020

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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'm a little later than usual with my Rainbow Snippet this week—unpacking is still consuming my life, and I keep losing track of time! Hopefully, I can get things back to normal soon.

Today, I'm sharing another snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, which is now back out in the world with a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow. (But I may switch over soon to snippets from my upcoming new release, The Envoy's Honor, which is currently with the proofreader.) The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. They spend a lot of time clashing with each other and manage to tumble into love along the way (and at one point, they are stuck at an inn with only one room left and only one bed...). I'm picking up in this snippet just a little bit after the last. Savarin was told by the princes that Captain Loriot would accompany him on his journey for protection, which Savarin was less than pleased about. But he was unable to change Prince Philip's mind. Savarin and Loriot have now left the princes' presence and are discussing the matter together.
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​“I don’t need a minder or a protector.” Savarin didn’t raise his voice, 
but his tone was firm--it probably intimidated all the lesser mortals the great sorcerer dealt with. Loriot wouldn’t be intimidated.

​
“Prince Philip believes otherwise, and though I believe I’m needed here to ensure the safety of the royal family, I cannot disobey his order.” Even if he wanted to. He would do his duty to the prince. “The prince has made up his mind. There’s little sense in arguing with him about it.”

He didn’t add Savarin had tried and hadn’t gotten far. He didn’t need to—the disgruntled look in Savarin’s eye told Loriot he realized it quite well.

You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. Also, The Sorcerer's Guardian is still 30% at NineStar Press, along with all my other books. Grab some books to curl up with this fall! Thanks for reading my belated snippet, and I hope you're all staying safe and healthy!
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Rainbow Snippets October 3-4

10/3/2020

2 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 skipped Rainbow Snippets last week...mostly because I completely forgot to put a post together in all the chaos surrounding my move at the end of last week. But, I'm now in the new house, and though there are still boxes everywhere, I'm settling in enough to know what day it is and get a snippet up.

Today, I'm sharing another snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, which is now back out in the world with a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow. (But I may switch over soon to snippets from my upcoming new release, The Envoy's Honor, which is currently with the proofreader.) The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. They spend a lot of time clashing with each other and manage to tumble into love along the way (and at one point, they are stuck at an inn with only one room left and only one bed...). This snippet is set a little further along in the same scene as the last one I posted. Savarin has informed the princes that they have a problem with Tournai's protection spells and that he plans to go investigate them more.
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​“Captain Loriot,” Prince Philip said after the door opened and closed, “perfect timing. Thank you for joining us.”

​
“Of course, Your Highness. You had need of me?”

Savarin glanced over as Loriot stepped up beside Lord Etan’s chair. The captain appeared his usual competent self this afternoon; Savarin hadn’t seen him look less than competent in all their association. His thick, dark hair all in place, short beard neatly trimmed, deep-red-and- brown uniform perfectly pressed. The royal seal was embroidered on itsbreast, his captain’s insignia displayed on the jacket’s arm.

“Yes, Captain,” Prince Philip said. “Master Savarin will be traveling along Tournai’s borders on an important mission for us. I’d like you to accompany him.”

Shock stole Savarin’s thoughts for a moment, but the protest came quickly. “Your Highness, that’s hardly necessary.”

You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. It's also still 30% off at NineStar Press, along with all my other books. Thanks for reading today, and stay safe and well, everyone!
2 Comments

Rainbow Snippets September 19-20

9/19/2020

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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'm sharing another snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, which is now back out in the world with a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow! The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. They spend a lot of time clashing with each other and manage to tumble into love along the way (and at one point, they are stuck at an inn with only one room left and only one bed...). This week, I'm skipping just a little bit ahead. In this snippet, Savarin is explaining a problem he found to the princes and Lord Etan.
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​“What did you find?” Prince Philip asked.

​
“I traveled the majority of our eastern border with Elleri before I had to return to Jumelle. From what I’ve seen, the barrier formed by the protections follows the border, or at least it does in that area. I did find spots where it seemed weaker.”

“Weaker how?” Prince Amory asked.

He fumbled for a moment to find the words to explain it to someone with no training in sorcery. He might have struggled to explain it to someone with training as well—the protections didn’t behave like any others he had ever seen. “Think of the spells surrounding Tournai as a barrier, a thin but strong wall, Your Highness. In a couple of spots, the wall has gotten thinner, weaker. As if someone has been pushing at it, wearing it away.”

“Trying to get through it,” Lord Etan murmured.



You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. And you can still get it 30% off at NineStar Press, along with my other books. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and healthy!
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The Sorcerer's Guardian is Back!

9/14/2020

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I'm so excited (and happy and relieved) that The Sorcerer's Guardian is back out in the world today. This is the last of my former Dreamspinner titles, and it's been out of print for almost a year. But now, it's back with a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow, and all of the books in the Chronicles of Tournai series (so far—new books coming soon!) are available again.

The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a dangerous mission for the crown. They clash with each other and somehow tumble into love along the way (and get stuck in an inn with only one room left which only has one bed...). The changes to this book are minimal—just a bit of cleaning up. The characters and story remain unchanged from the first edition, so no need to buy it again, unless you want one with the pretty new cover. And if you haven't read it yet, I hope you enjoy getting to know Loriot and Savarin.

And The Sorcerer's Guardian is currently 30% off at NineStar Press, along with my other books!

About The Sorcerer's Guardian

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Savarin honed his Talent through years of study, and to achieve his goal of becoming the most powerful and accomplished sorcerer in Tournai, he made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings--which is how Savarin prefers it. He wants to be seen only as the man he’s made himself. When Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack, he is more than happy to do so. The spells are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. But to his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompany him on his journey.

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Second son of a minor noble family, Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain with single-minded determination and takes pride in his service to the crown. He must obey the prince’s orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere and his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, Loriot has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm--and how to counter it. He still believes it’s best to avoid most magic entirely, which is difficult when he’s tasked with playing guard to a powerful sorcerer.

Loriot and Savarin clash repeatedly during their journey, but the simmering tension between them doesn’t only stem from their work, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still secure Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution will endanger both him and the royal family.


Add The Sorcerer's Guardian to your Goodreads shelf

​Buy The Sorcerer's Guardian:
NineStar Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
​Kobo
Apple
Smashwords

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Rainbow Snippets September 12-13

9/12/2020

2 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+

Today, I'm sharing another snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, the last of my former DSP titles to be rereleased. It will be back out in the world on Monday (yay!), with a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow. The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. They spend a lot of time clashing with each other and manage to tumble into love along the way. This week, I'm skipping just a little bit ahead to introduce you to Savarin. (I went a little over the sentence limit this week—I'm sorry!)
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​Savarin sank into a chair in his study and reveled in the quiet. He tipped his head to rest against the back of his chair and closed his eyes. Aside from him, only the cook and a maid remained in the house, and they 
wouldn’t bother him. No one would see him take this moment to himself.

What he needed was sleep. He hadn’t gotten enough since he’d been pulled in to help find the kidnapped baby. The magic use had worn him down, even without lack of sleep, but he hadn’t wanted to be unavailable until the baby was found, in case he was needed again. The baby was home with her father now, unharmed and seemingly no worse for her experience, and the culprits were in Loriot’s hands, as they should be. The captain of the royal guard was more than capable of handlingeverything from there; Savarin’s part was done.

​
Just in time for him to lecture at the university.

You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian, including preorder links, here. Also, The Sorcerer's Guardian and all my other books are still 30% off at NineStar Press. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.
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Rainbow Snippets September 5-6

9/5/2020

2 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+

Today, I'm sharing another snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, the last of my former DSP titles to be rereleased. It will be back out in the world on September 14th, and it has a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow. The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. They spend a lot of time clashing with each other and manage to tumble into love along the way. I skipped just a little bit ahead after the last two snippets. Loriot wants sleep more than anything, but he has to see someone else first.
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​Trudging up the stairs took the last of his energy, but he forced 
himself to bypass his own bedchamber. He couldn’t go to bed without seeing Alain. Not after so long away, not even if it hadn’t been very long. The door to the room at the back of the house was partially open. He peeked in as he pushed it open the rest of the way. The room was tidy, except for a veritable city built of blocks in the middle of the rug. The nursemaid noticed him first, but Alain wasn’t far behind. He looked up, his bright-green eyes—twins of Loriot’s own--lighting up, and something inside Loriot melted, just as it always did under those eyes.

​
“Papa!”

You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. The book is currently 30% off at NineStar Press, along with all of my others, and if you preorder there, you'll have it three days early. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well!
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Rainbow Snippets August 29-30

8/29/2020

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+

This week, I'm sharing another snippet from The Sorcerer's Guardian, the last of my former DSP titles to be rereleased. It will be back out in the world on September 14th, and it has a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow. The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. They spend a lot of time clashing with each other and manage to tumble into love along the way. This snippet picks up after last week's. We're in Loriot's POV as he arrives home.
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​Inside, the house was quiet. The formal parlor was empty, which was unsurprising as they rarely used it
--only when Joceline and Oriana chose to entertain. He wanted more than anything to go up to his bedchamber and collapse into his bed for the next few days, but he couldn’t. Couldn’t even collapse for a few hours without checking on his family. But he knew where at least one of them was likely to be at this time of day.

​
The sitting room at the back of the house was quiet, too, so quiet he could hear the scratch of his sister’s pen on paper as he stepped into the doorway. Joceline sat at her writing desk, papers spread around her, pen flying across the page. Despite the silence, she didn’t notice him. A good writing day, then. He hated to disturb her, but she’d want to know he was home.

You can find out more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. Also, the preorder of The Sorcerer's Guardian is currently 30% off at NineStar Press (and all of my other books are on sale too!). Thanks for reading. I hope you're all staying safe and well.
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets August 22-23

8/22/2020

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 taking a break from snippeting from The Scholar's Heart for a bit because The Sorcerer's Guardian, the last of my former DSP titles to be rereleased, will be back out in the world, and it has a gorgeous new cover, so it seemed like time to share from this book. The Sorcerer's Guardian is an opposites attract fantasy romance between an arrogant sorcerer and a loyal guard captain sent on a mission for the crown. (And along the way they will be stranded by a storm and there's only one bed...) Today I'm sharing the very beginning of chapter one, as Captain Loriot makes his weary way home.
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​As afternoon waned into evening, Loriot approached his house on Dove 
Lane. Weariness dragged at him with each step. He hadn’t slept more than a few minutes in the last few days, and now that the crisis had passed, he felt the fatigue down to his bones. But the lack of sleep was worth it for the good outcome of the situation.

He trudged up the few steps to his front door, its rich blue color recently freshened, and let himself in. The key turned smoothly in the lock, and the magical protections on the house recognized him as belonging, allowing him inside. He shivered, even though he didn’t feel anything as he crossed the threshold; perhaps someone with a Talent would, but he had neither Talent nor any sensitivity to magic.

You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. It's currently available for preorder at NineStar Press (everywhere else soon!), and it's 30% off there along with all my other books. Thanks for reading today! Hope you're all staying safe and well.
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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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