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Thursday, July 23, 2020

Ashes of Ailushurai by Christopher D. Schmitz


Ashes of Ailushurai 
The Esfah Sagas Book 1 
by Christopher D. Schmitz 
Genre: Epic Fantasy 


Dwarves, elves, & goblins collide…
…Esfah is another world originally from the creators of Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance.
Here there be dragons! 

When a reluctant Dwarven adventurer undertakes a quest on behalf of his blind father, he accidentally awakens an ancient evil banished ages ago. Now, with dark elves and goblinoid trogs snapping at his heels, Hy’Targ must prevent a powerful lich from reuniting with the ancient bones of his lover. Failure means a new age of darkness will spread across the land. 

Prince Hy’Targ of the Irontooth vagha would much rather stay in the library and read about the exploits of others. In his studies, however, he uncovers the tale of a powerful artifact he believes could restore his father’s sight. On his quest, he accidentally triggers a trap that releases an ancient undead general that was long ago sealed away to prevent him from beginning a planet-wide uprising of the dead. Hy’Targ knows that this fiend must be destroyed before he can regain his full strength, and he knows where the lich has escaped to. 

Journeying towards the creature’s dark tower, he enlists the help of the few souls who believe him, one of whom is an imprisoned thief that must first be freed… a thief who is linked to their problems more closely than they realize. He stole the sacred bones the lich is after and undead scouts pursue his every move. Can this band of unlikely heroes prevent a second rise of the Black Tower? 




Book Trailer 





Rise and Fall of the Obsidian Grotto 
The Esfah Sagas Prequel 


Elves. Dwarves. Blood Oaths & Dragons.
There are far worse things crawling upon Esfah than goblins...
...some, even swords and sorcery cannot defeat. 

A devious elder monster allies with the lava elves of the Obsidian Grotto. She promises to provide an elven general with arcane weapons to throw down their dwarven enemies, and also the support of a black magic wielding cult hidden within the Nhur-Gale Forest. General Shedakor assumes that any bargain with such a dark creature would extract a high cost... but can he afford to pay it? 

Meanwhile, on the far side of Esfah. An elven hero from the northern coasts embarks on a mission to protect his home from the goblins of Brackishomme swamp. But Davian Whisperwynd is prone to rash vows and the gods will not release the adventurer from a promise to lay down his sword: an oath that complicates things when he promises a beautiful enchanter that he will retrieve an item from the lair of the Death god himself. 

Neither knows it, but the gods of fate have interlinked their destinies. 

In the mid 1990s there was one fantasy RPG that ruled them all: D&D, of which Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and many other books and gaming worlds were a part of. It’s publisher, TSR, created another gaming world that won Game of the Year in 1995. That world was Esfah. 

In eons past, when time was young and creation malleable, the four powers of Nature — earth, air, fire, and water — the children of Nature, gods in their own rights, brought forth two races of beings to care for their fledgling world of Esfah, created by the all-father, Tarvenehl. One race, the Selumari or coral elves, was created to husband the fluid forces of air and water. The other race, the Vagha, a dwarvish race, embodied the stability of earth and the tempering power of fire. Together, these two peoples worked to nurture their infant world into something glorious and beautiful... but then another god revealed himself: Death... 

**Only .99 cents!** 





Christopher D. Schmitz is an author of fiction and nonfiction books. Before throwing himself into book writing he had published short fiction in more than twenty outlets. In addition to a day-job working with teenagers, he also writes for a local newspaper, speaks/sells books at comic-cons and other festivals, runs a blog for authors, and makes an insanely tiny amount of money playing the bagpipes. 

He grew up as a product of the 1980s and thinks Stranger Things is "basically my biography." He lives in rural Minnesota where he drinks unsafe amounts of coffee with his family and three rambunctious dogs. The caffeine shakes keeps the cold from killing him. 





A copy of the strategy dice game this book series is based on (Dragon Dice) which was originally created by the makers of D&D in 1995 (approx $50 value) plus 5x copies of the audible book The Esfah Sagas: Rise and Fall of the Obsidian Grotto 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway! 




Scoundrel’s Vengeance by Sky Purington






Scoundrel’s
Vengeance


Highlander’s
Pact


Book
One


Sky
Purington



Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing

Date of Publication: July 23,
2020


ASIN: B08B6G2PXZ

Number of pages: 175

Word Count: 48K











Tagline: A scandalous
second-chance romance rife with passion, intrigue, and a life-altering secret.







Book Description:



Despondent from years of war,
Keenan returns home to find his clan has been reduced not only in numbers from
plague, but the family coffers are nearly depleted. Dedicated to restoring his
clan pride, Keenan strikes a bargain with his brothers, they will each marry,
but not for love, only for the generous dowries their future wives will bring.

Fionna has suffered the
consequences of endless wars and plague, leaving her the unlikely laird of Clan
Taylor. When her past love summons her to his keep under the threat of killing
her clansmen he captured trying to steal horses, she has no choice but to meet
him.

There she discovers a man much
changed, heartless and bitter. Especially when he demands that Fionna help him
get engaged to her best friend!

Unable to deny him, Fionna plays
along, waiting for the right moment to strike, save her clansmen, and celebrate
teaching Keenan the hardest lesson of his life.

But not everything is what it
seems, and Keenan and Fionna discover that distance and time cannot change what
their hearts truly want—each other.

Amazon US       Amazon Universal Link



Highlander's Pact

Book
1 - Scoundrel’s Vengeance
Book
2 - Scoundrel's Fortune


Book
3 - Scoundrel's Redemption

Excerpt #1


She wrung out the cloth and turned back, doing her best not to show any reaction to his body. He was far more muscular than before, the hard ridges of his abdomen obvious. Having clearly swung many a sword, his biceps and forceps were larger, too. She cleared her throat and kept her mind to the task instead of focusing on his exceptional physique.

Rather, she eyed the various new scars riddling his upper body. There were so many. Too many. Which told her just how rough things had really been. The endless battles he had fought. The wounds he had suffered. Something she could not help alluding to as she began washing the slash he had received protecting Dougal.

“The battling seems never-ending, aye?” she said softly. “It has taken its toll.”

She had been relieved to hear he’d arrived home safely from France, then felt renewed dread when he went off to fight alongside King David II. It was too much for any one man. She could only imagine the horrors he’d seen. The men he had watched die.

“It hasnae been easy,” he confessed, saying more than she anticipated. But then the look on his face, as she stood close, was telling. He appeared lost as he gazed at her. As though her proximity somehow allowed him to speak freely. To confide.

“Nay.” She understood that he was not just talking about the battling but the illness that had swept through Scotland. Maybe even based on the sentiment she swore flashed in his too-tender gaze, the long years between seeing one another. “Many of my men fought, as well.” She met his gaze, overly aware of the heat coming off his strong body. “Verra few fought alongside both the French and King David, though.” While tempted to touch his cheek to soothe him, she held back. “’Tis a lot, Keenan…for any man.”

“’Twas what needed to be done,” he said softly, his gaze lingering on her. 

For a moment, she thought he was going to reach out and touch her hair like he used to. Or brush his knuckles along her jaw. She nearly closed her eyes, remembering the sensation well. 

Instead, she spoke unintended words. “Why did ye do it?”

“Because Da expected it of me…and because my country needed me.”

“Nay, not that,” she murmured, pouring a dab of whisky over his wound. She really should leave this be, but her curiosity had only been growing. With it, a sense of frustration she couldn’t quite place. “Why was my chamber at yer castle unchanged?” Her gaze returned to his face. “After all these years?”

“I dinnae know,” he said a little too quickly. “Ma left it that way.”

“Did she, God rest her soul,” she replied, not questioning but stating, because she knew he lied. She could see it in his eyes. “Why did ye not change it when ye returned then?”

“There was no reason to.” He shrugged, fibbing away. “Honestly, I didnae give it much thought until I knew ye were coming.”

“Ye mean until I was summoned.” She sighed and wrapped his shoulder with fresh cloth. “Dinnae mistake such for a civil invitation. One that came after so many years.” Her gaze lingered on his face again. She tried to keep emotion from her voice. “After nearly twelve years.” 

His pupils flared, and emotion churned in his gaze, simmering just beneath the surface. He didn’t let them get the better of him any more than she did hers, though. Rather, instead of responding, he redirected the conversation.

“Tell me, Fionna.” He stood, no doubt on purpose. His sheer size a means to prove he was not vulnerable. “Tell me why Clan Cameron just attacked us.” His gaze narrowed. “And why, if I am not mistaken, they thought to take wee Dougal?”

“’Twas not Dougal they were after, but me.” She stood up a little straighter, not letting him intimidate answers out of her. “Their chieftain thought to take me as his wife, and I refused him.” She shrugged. “Now he thinks ‘tis his right to take me with or without my approval.”

“Is he not near yer late da’s age?” He frowned. “And those clansmen were after Dougal. I dinnae doubt that.”

“Their chieftain is younger than Da but still considerably older than I am.” She flinched at the idea of his meaty paws anywhere near her. “And if they thought to take Dougal, ‘twas merely to get me in the end.” She was careful to keep an even expression. “The Camerons know well enough that I take the welfare of my clan’s bairns verra seriously.”

“So, Laird Cameron thought to take Dougal as a bargaining chip?” 

“Aye.” She nodded and started back toward the others only for him to grab her forearm in passing. 

“That is all the more reason ye shouldnae let yer bairns do yer horse thieving,” he rumbled. “Because one of these days, the Camerons will catch one of them, and ye’ll find yerself wedded and bedded in no time.”

“I would attack before I agreed to that,” she assured.

“I dinnae know,” he mused. “Ye didnae attack me.”

“Ye’re not trying to wed me,” she reminded. Or bed me. At least not anymore.

“I amnae,” he agreed, surprising her with how tender he could be one moment, then callous the next. “But then, ye dinnae have something I need.”



“Nay.” She cursed the words—the taunt—the moment it rolled off her tongue. “Or so, ye think.”


About
the Author:



Sky Purington is the bestselling
author of over fifty novels and novellas. A New Englander born and bred who
recently moved to Virginia, Purington married her hero, has an amazing son who
inspires her daily and two ultra-lovable husky shepherd mixes. Passionate for
variety, Sky's vivid imagination spans several romance genres, including
historical, time travel, paranormal, and fantasy. Expect steamy stories teeming
with protective alpha heroes and strong-minded heroines.

Purington loves to hear from
readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com. Interested in keeping up
with Sky’s latest news and releases? Either visit Sky’s website,
www.SkyPurington.com, join her quarterly newsletter (https://bit.ly/2Mw0yyO),
or sign up for personalized text message alerts. Text ‘skypurington’ (no
quotes, one word, all lowercase) to 74121 or visit Sky’s sign-up page
(https://mobile-text-alerts.com/subscribe/skypurington). Texts will ONLY be
sent when there is a new book release. Readers can easily opt out at any time.










a Rafflecopter giveaway

Calypso’s Heart by M.C. Solaris



Calypso’s Heart

An Orion’s Order Novel

Book One

M.C. Solaris


Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: M.C. Solaris LLC

Date of Publication: Print Book 5/15/20

Date of Publication: eBook 7/20/20

ISBN: 978-1-952655-00-5 Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-952655-01-2 E-book

ISBN: 978-1-952655-02-9 Hardcover

Number of pages: 665

Word Count: 180,000

Cover Artist: Mayhem Cover Creations


Tagline: Sexy Shifters. Hot Vampires. Intriguing Immortals.





Book Description:

If you enjoy Psy-Changeling and Black Dagger Brotherhood, this new series is right up your alley!


Sexy shifters. Hot vampires. Intriguing immortals. Strong heroine. Sizzling romance. Page-turning plot full of emotion and excitement. Modern and fresh take on fated mates.




Caly



Do you dream of ridiculously hot men? Okay, maybe you do. (And yes, I'm well aware I should lay off the romance books before bed.) But do you actually ever meet those men you dream about in real life? I didn't think so. That's probably a good thing though because I have... And these men from my dreams have done nothing but pull the rug of reality out from under me... which was how I fell and ended up in a world that I thought only existed in romance books.



My name is Caly (AKA Callie) and I'm just an ordinary single woman living the LA dream... paycheck to paycheck. Except whose dream is it? I'm not really sure... but it's not my dream. Especially because I have really weird dreams... like really weird. Then again, everyone has weird dreams, right?



Blake



I am an alpha wolf shifter and leader of Orion's Order, a pack of... well, not wolves. We're an unconventional pack of highly skilled specian hunters that do one thing: hunt the evil in our world. And we were hired by SILE (Species Investigative Law Enforcement) to hunt a bloodthirsty criminal who is infamously untraceable. That was until an irresistible female brought an unexpected twist to our hunt and set things in motion... a motion that has left my pack and our world forever changed.



Welcome to The Order and a secret world of magic and mystery, where a pack of unlikely friends find love and fight against an ancient evil force.



Devour this addictive series at your own risk…



+ Happily Ever After



+ Steamy Paranormal Shifter Romance



+ Multiple POV



+ Mature Content



----------------------------------------------



CALYPSO’S HEART is an adult paranormal wolf shifter romance. If you like swoon-worthy males, heroines with feminine strength, an engaging plot, satisfying relationships, steamy love stories, happy ever afters, and getting sucked into a supernatural story, then you’ll want to immerse yourself in the world of species! 


You’ll feel right at home if you’re a JR Ward, Nalini Singh, and Dannika Dark fan.




Amazon      BN


"It has the elements you need - love, pain, heartache, action, revenge, some light comedy, etc. I thought the sex scenes were SPOT ON! Like damn those were great. I really felt immersed in it at times and I felt transported into the story." ★★★★★


“The descriptions and imagery are on point. It’s easy to picture the characters and scenes. I like the multiple POV shifts to better understand and immerse myself in the character’s mind. The sex scenes are steamy and kept me turning the pages." ★★★★★


“...if you are looking for a book that punches you in your face, right out the gate, with unrealistic action, tasteless sex scenes, and emotional turmoil, this won't be it. Go watch Shameless instead. But if you are looking for something that unfolds at a pace that gives you time to decipher the characters, setting, and complexities of the story that is to come, then this is for you...” ★★★★★

“...at one point in the book, a group of characters are all introduced in a short amount of time. While this might not be standard protocol for fictional stories, it's realistic. Trust that it was done with purposeful intent. Without giving away too much about the story, you get to learn about a pack of males in their environment, doing what males do...” ★★★★★

Excerpt 2 Sexual Tension — Caly/Blake
Dishwashing

Blake
walked over to Caly who was still playing dishwasher at the kitchen sink. His
body was just inches away from pressing up close behind her when he reached
around either side of her body to place the dishes in the warm and soapy sink.
With his hands tangled with hers in the sudsy water, he pressed in close to her
backside and kissed her neck. He didn’t care if anyone saw. Hell, it was good
if they did see because he was publicly claiming her (as if it wasn’t clear
enough already).
“I
like how you look in my clothes,” he whispered in her ear.
God,
she suddenly remembered that she was the Midol period model. Hot. And it was
literally starting to get hot with him behind her all close like that.
“Thank
you for the coffee and muffin this morning. It honestly was—”
The most
thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me and I cried.
“Really
thoughtful.”
“My
pleasure," he said in a low voice only meant for her.
She
shuddered at the vibrations coming from his chest. It felt as if she was
pressed up to a bass speaker. The source of vibrating heat at her back
disappeared when Blake rolled away and leaned against the counter in a smooth
motion.
As
if he didn’t just tease her, he casually continued the conversation, “I
intended to have Felix stay in the room with you when you woke but he was
hell-bent on following me around.”
Damn
if that wasn’t the icing on the cake to her already melting heart.
Speaking of
which, where is Felix?
she wondered.
As
if he read her mind, he gestured with his head to where the twins were sprawled
out on the massive couches. And, yeah, Felix was there curled up on Rhyker’s
chest. It was a cat nap triad.
See, Caly thought
with a smile. She knew Rhyker was a big ol’ softy under that bad boy facade.
“Who
usually cleans up around here?” she asked, placing another dish in the
dishwasher.
“The
general rule is clean up after yourself. And, well, we haven’t all sat down and
had a meal together like that in…” He paused in thought. “Ever.”
“Ever?”
Caly said with brows popped.
“Sure,
sometimes we eat at the same time but it’s more like someone will grab
something quick, like a bowl of cereal or a muffin. Or we’ll just order pizza
like last night. Usually, the only ones cooking meals are the twins and they
tag team and have their own system down. And, yeah, the twins do the shopping
and everyone just pitches in for groceries. Once we tried to take turns on the
shopping task but that turned out into a brawl when the bacon was forgotten.”
She
laughed as he helped her load the last couple of dishes.
“By
the way, breakfast was good. Thank you.” He kissed her on the cheek and she
blushed.
As
if he liked her reaction, he turned her chin toward him with the crook of his
finger and kissed her. It was slow as if savoring his favorite dessert. He
wanted to take her right there. He imagined lifting her to the edge of the
counter, settling between her thighs, slipping his hoodie over her head,
leaning down to taste...
Later, he commanded
his mind to cut off the fantasy. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t deepen the
kiss. When his tongue slid in to dance with hers, a wolf whistle sounded from
the twins' direction. Blake sent them the middle finger while his attention
remained on Caly. He playfully nipped at her lower lip and the corners of his
lips turned up in a closed-lipped smile. He took a step back leaving some space
between them.
“Come
on. I’ll show you around the rest of the house.” He tried to sound casual as if
that kiss did not just make him want to only show her his bedroom.
Putty.
Her legs were putty. It took a moment for them to receive the command from her
brain that told them to move. The things this male did to her. Yeah, she was
screwed. She recalled the tender moments and deep intimacy they shared last
night. She remembered feeling safe while sleeping peacefully and when she
blinked her eyes open, she was greeted with hot coffee and a muffin. And, yeah,
now the PDA. She felt her mind hop back on the overanalyze express.
Stop, she commanded
the railroad conductor. She had to get off that train, and fast... because it
was so not the time for that merry go round.




About the Author:



M.C. Solaris’s life took an unexpected turn during the super blood moon eclipse on January 20, 2019. She woke up and began writing bios for her imaginary friends that she met that day. As soon as the pen hit the paper (or fingertips to the iPhone), she couldn’t stop. It was kind of like one of those fire hydrants, spewing copious amounts of water all over the place. The characters and their stories just flowed out of her. She is honored to be the scribe, getting to share her friends’ stories. You can read all about her gifted friends in the Orion’s Order series (Book 1 is Calypso’s Heart).

On a personal note, M.C. Solaris is actually the pseudonym of Marina Schroeder, women’s health enthusiast and lover of all things paranormal romance (PNR) and happily ever after (HEA). When she is not curled up on the sofa with her partner’s oversized hoodie, a PNR novel, peppermint tea, and one of her three cats, you will find her either at the ocean with her toes in the sand or in a forest hugging a tree. Well truthfully? There is one more place you might find her: trolling the aisles of Whole Foods for a satisfying combination of salty and sweet while hiding in her partner’s hoodie… like any proper PNR-writing introvert.

Want to get the latest scoop, sneak peeks, and short shares all about her imaginary friends? Go to www.mcsolaris.com  and sign up for the newsletter.

Welcome to The Order!





a Rafflecopter giveaway


The War by SR Jones





Title: The War

Series: Bratva Blood Duet #2
Author: SR Jones
Genre: Dark Mafia Romantic Suspense
Release Date: July 23, 2020




Blurb

Konstantin:
I took her to protect her. To keep her safe.
Now, she wants more.
She wants to claim my heart.
She says she will fight for me…for us.
Trouble is, I don’t know if I have anything left to give.

Cassie:
He took me to keep me safe.
My captor, my protector, my lover.
I want more, he’s a Bratva king, and every king needs his
queen.
My heart is on the line, but I won’t give up the fight.
Love is war when it comes to the two of us, and this is one
war I will win.







Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited





Excerpt

“Andrius
told me there’s no going back to normal for me now. That once you’ve been part
of something like what happened, you don’t ever go back to being the same.” I
tell Konstantin my deepest fear, which is that I'll be tainted by this forever,
unable to move forward.



“No, you don’t. You can be normal again, though. You can go back to your
life. To your dance classes with your neighbor, and helping your grandparents,
and being generally kind and good. You had that walk on the wild side you
craved, and you didn’t enjoy it. Lesson learned.”



It’s not a lesson learned, though, because I can’t stop craving him.
He’s my walk on the wild side, and I don’t want it to end. I
tried to tell myself I did. Tried to convince myself I was done with him, but
he pulls me back in each time. Having him so close to me, holding me, is pure
torture.



I once thought he couldn’t be my shelter because he was the storm. Now I
wonder if he’s really the jagged rocks guarding the bay. I’m in the bay, right
in the eye of the storm, and it’s not me he’ll smash to bits, but anyone who
gets close or dares to harm me.



I turn in the water until I’m facing him and study his face. He’s not
classically handsome. His features are too hard, his body too big, his face too
arrogant. He’s beautiful to me, though. Truly, breathtakingly beautiful. From
the first moment I saw him, he stopped the clocks for me, and they haven’t
started since.



Reaching up, I trace the outline of his jaw with one wet finger. He doesn’t
move, but something subtle changes in him; he goes on alert. Like the predator
he is, he watches me, eerily still, waiting, seeing if I’ll go ahead and offer
myself up to him.

I do.






Also Available


FREE on all platforms!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited






Author Bio


Hi guys.
I’m Skye, a paranormal and contemporary romance author from rainy Northern
England. I write Paranormal romance as Skye Jones, and steamy dark romance as
S.R. Jones.

The one thing my books in both genres have in common are gritty themes, and
alpha heroes who are damaged but oh-so-redeemable!
When I’m
not writing, I’m either walking my dogs, drinking coffee, or watching my fave
TV shows such as The Sopranos, McMafia, and Little House on the Prairie, yep I
have eclectic taste!



Author Links