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 month, I'm posting snippets from The Prince's Consort, my first published novel and the first book in my Chronicles of Tournai series. This is a prince/commoner romance with lots of magic, secrets, and intrigue. Amory is a commoner with a frankly horrible father, who tries to use him to bargain for more time on a late commission for the Crown Prince. Prince Philip has nothing but disgust for Amory's father but is intrigued by Amory. The two become closer but someone will do anything, even kill, to keep them apart. In this snippet, Philip shares a secret with Amory. There is a legend in Tournai that states that huge magical cats once saved Tournai from being conquered and will return if the country is ever in danger, but no one knows it's based in truth. Tournai's royal family has magic that they've kept secret for generations—their ability to change into huge cats. Philip decides to trust Amory with the secret, and then show him.
Amory gasped. Philip hadn’t lied when he said he turned into a big cat, and he was like no cat Amory had seen before. His head would probably come up to Amory’s waist. His body was sleek and looked powerful; his fur a shimmering blue-black. But Amory wasn’t afraid. Philip’s unique eyes looked at him out of the cat’s face, and they still were brimming with worry.
“Is that you in there?”
The cat nodded.
Amory let out a long breath. “You’re gorgeous.”
Philip hesitated and then walked slowly toward Amory. When Amory didn’t move, Philip came right up to him and rubbed his head against Amory’s stomach. Amory let out a half laugh and lifted a hand to Philip’s head. His fur was silky soft, like Philip’s hair. Amory stroked both hands over Philip’s head and neck. The rumbled purr was similar to the sound Philip made when Amory stroked his hair, only louder.