Category Archives: Urban Fantasy
Cover Reveal: Midnight Dawn by Jocelyn Adams (@JocelynAdams)
Welcome back — I’m over the moon to have the chance to share a sweet cover reveal with you all today. This one comes from fellow “Penis Sister”, and good friend, Jocelyn Adams. Jocelyn is one of the few authors whose talent makes me green with envy and if her other titles are any indication, readers are in for quite a ride with her latest novel, Midnight Dawn.
Here’s the nitty gritty… and, of course, the kick-ass cover.
“Midnight Dawn straps you in from the beginning and whisks you away on an emotional, breath-taking ride of romance, fantasy, and good vs. evil. It’s magic.” –Naima Simone, author of the SECRETS AND SINS series
Midnight Dawn (The Mortal Machine #2)
Release Date: August 4th, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Embrace Imprint
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Back of the book:
Her soul remembers his touch, even if she doesn’t.
With only three days until the wraith king turns the earth into an all-you-can-eat buffet, Addison Beckett is forced to enlist brooding sentinel Asher Green’s help to unlock the Mortal Machine. According to the founder, all she has to do is find the sanctuary—the same sanctuary she can’t remember because Asher erased her memories.
Trying to save humanity while navigating Asher’s lies is a royal pain. But the more time she and Asher spend together, the harder her soul tries to remind her what else he’s made her forget—that he loves her, wants her, needs her.
When she’s trapped by the wraith king and forced to pick who will stand by her in the coming battle, Addison is faced with an impossible choice: the sentinel she loves who refuses to love her back, or a powerful stranger who insists they’re meant to be together. Her decision will determine the fate of humanity, and once decided, can’t be undone.
About Jocelyn Adams:
Jocelyn is an office grunt by day and creator of romance and adventure by night. Born a farmer’s daughter with a vivid imagination, she spent her childhood dreaming up stories.
With no formal training, she relied on the honest feedback of her writing group to take her from that first short story all the way to THE END of her first novel. She now has five published novels and has recently signed a 3-book deal with Entangled Publishing.
When she isn’t slinging words, you can find her shooting her bow or enjoying the serenity of family life in her little house in the woods.
Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter
So? What do you all think? Love it? Hate it? Your opinions are always welcome. Drop me a note below and tell me what your impressions of the cover are.
Until then…
#Review: 5 Stars for Darkside Sun by Jocelyn Adams (@jocelynadams) @EntangledPub #MortalMachine #UF
Darkside Sun by Jocelyn Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thought I loved The Glass Man and Lila Gray … but that was before I read about Addison. Yes, Ms. Adams has grabbed hold of my imagination again with her new Mortal Machine series. Darkside Sun’s cover may look familiar, but I can tell you the story inside is different from anything else you’ve read.
The world building and descriptions are stellar, and Ms. Adams uncanny knack for creating interesting, diverse, likable characters really shines through in this piece. All of the characters come across as authentic and flawed, just as you would expect “real” people to be. I hate NA titles where everyone is perfect and perky. I like raw and real, and Addison really delivers in spades. There were some shades of the familiar with some of her personality, places where I almost thought I was reading about Lila Gray again, but as the story progresses, you get a much better feel for Addison, and by the middle of the novel, I had pretty much forgotten I’d ever read about another of Ms. Adams characters.
I don’t do spoilers in my reviews, so I will stay away from the plot and story points, but I will say if you are looking for a New Adult paranormal title to dig into, one that’s not only unique, but expertly written, then Darkside Sun is a MUST READ.
I can’t wait to read what’s coming next!
About the Author: Jocelyn is an office grunt by day and creator of romance and adventure by night. Born a farmer’s daughter with a vivid imagination, she spent her childhood dreaming up stories that remained untold until 2010.
With no formal training, she relied on the honest feedback of her writing group to take her from that first short story all the way to THE END of her first novel. She now has five published novels and has recently signed a 3-book deal with Entangled Publishing.
When she isn’t slinging words, you can find her shooting her bow or enjoying the serenity of family life in her little house in the woods.
Happy Book Birthday to Darkside Sun and Jocelyn Adams (@jocelynadams) #MortalMachine
So Happy to get a chance to share… My review of this novel is in the works (I’m 75% done reading — LOVING IT so far. *wink*)
bang with all of our titles going on sale at $.99, a fun filled day with all
our Embrace authors on Facebook on March 13
and today we have a brand new release, Darkside Sun by Jocelyn Adams.
a steal of $.99 today!
The dead have been waiting for her…Addison Beckett tries hard to pretend she’s normal, but
she’s far from it. Since she was six years old, she’s seen the world around her
unraveling, as if someone is pulling a thread from a sweater and it’s all
slowly coming undone. When she ignores it, it goes away, so that’s what she
does.Enter her arrogant-but-hot professor Asher Green. He knows
all about her special brand of crazy. In fact, he might be just as nuts as she
is. Asher insists that the dead from a parallel dimension are trying to possess
the living in this one. And since Addison seems to be the only one who can see
these “wraiths,” she just might be the key to saving the world.Addison wants nothing to do with Asher or his secret
society, The Mortal Machine. But as their animosity grows, she finds it harder
and harder to ignore the chemistry between them. And when she discovers that
Machine laws forbid her from touching him, she realizes that’s all she wants to
do.Stop the wraiths. Break the rules. Save the world. All in a
day’s work.Normal was overrated, anyway.
Giveaway
Cover Reveal: Stone Cold by Jocelyn Adams (@jocelynadams) #IronHillJinn #UF #CoverLove
I’m super excited to share this cover reveal with you all. This one comes from one of my favorite authors (Like. Seriously.) — and my favorite people, Jocelyn Adams. She is a member of my favorite writing group, and over the years, I’ve gotten to know her well enough to truly call her friend.
The cover is for the second novel in her IronHill Jinn series and features the every dreamy, Isaac (in a kilt, people –YUM).
Check out the details and the fantabulus cover.
Stone Cold (Ironhill Jinn #2)
Release Date: April, 2014
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Genre: Romantic Urban Fantasy
Back of the book:
Lou Hudson makes a deal with the Isaac to save the Ironhill jinn from execution…and lands on the front line of a war between the vampire and his sire.
Daddy Dearest intends to have Lou for himself to spite Isaac and begins meddling in every corner of her life. Her reputation shatters when people die, her monster-whispering skills shelved by public outcry and vampire politics.
When forced to confront their enemy, she isn’t prepared for the depth of Isaac’s plotting—or her increasing attraction to him—and to end their latest crisis will only cost Lou a piece of her soul.
Link to the book on Goodreads
About the author:
Jocelyn Adams is an office grunt by day and creator of romance and adventure by night. Born a farmer’s daughter with a vivid imagination, she spent her childhood dreaming up stories. With no formal training, she relied on the honest feedback of her writing group to take her from that first short story all the way to THE END of her first novel. When she isn’t slinging words, you can find her shooting her bow or enjoying the serenity of family life in her little house in the woods.
Her Links (feel free to stalk away)
Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter
New Release Book Tour: CAGED by J.A.Belfield Plus a #Giveaway! #Paranormal #romance #HollowayPack
Welcome to my stop on the CAGED Blog Tour. Thanks for coming by.
I cannot tell you all how excited I am about this particular release. Not only is the author, J.A.Belfield a good friend, but I have been trying to patiently wait for Ethan Holloway’s first tale with some relish. (He is just soooo dreamy — as you will see when you read it)
Anyway, here is the Low-down on the most recent release in the Holloway Pack series,
CAGED
by J.A. Belfield
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Blurb: If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak.
For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.
Not this time.
Ethan’s reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, he’s about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.
What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one.
If he survives.
Because even Ethan’s not sure he’s strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.
Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.
BUY LINKS:
* * * * *
And if that isn’t quite enough to whet your appetite for Ethan, have a look at this trailer!
Excerpt:
“… from the Shropshire area. Following Carly McDowd’s disappearance on the fourth, and Andrew Doherty’s on the seventh, this is the third incident this month …”
I turned from the square-jawed newswoman on TV to Dad, where he sat in his corner armchair.
His attention remained on the screen, a frown across his brow.
“… the duo of friends were first reported missing late last night by their parents, after they discovered neither of the teenagers …” The newscaster’s voice infiltrated once more.
Images of a couple of lads flashed side by side on the screen. The one on the left had the appearance of any late teen, with shaggy overgrown hair and the twinkle of mischief in his expression.
From the other image, brilliant blue eyes stared out at me from beneath a shock of pale blond curls.
“Oh, shit!” I pushed to my feet, took a step forward. “That’s …”
“Nineteen year old Gabriel Lewis was believed by his mother to be staying at Colum Delaney’s since Friday evening, whilst Colum’s parents …”
Dad stood, his fingers retracting his mobile from his jeans pocket as I worked my own out. He paused, nodded to me. “Go on. You make the call, Ethan.”
Shelley Lewis’s number had been saved in my phone book since the beginning of the year, right after we met for the first time. I hit dial and paced to the window. September sunshine, of the early morning variety, blinded me as my phone rang.
It took only a few trills for her to answer. “Ethan?” Her voice held hope, as well as a heavy weariness and the thickness of tears.
“Is it true?” I’d promised to support her—a lone parent, a female no less, raising a werewolf son with no guidance. So far, I’d delivered on that promise.
The sob hitting my ear gave confirmation enough. “Oh, Ethan.”
“Hold tight, Shelley. I’m on my way.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dad said, as I hung up and spun to him. “Shout Sean, too—in case we need to do any scouting. I think I heard him stir upstairs.”
“What about Connor’s lot?” The Larsen’s made up the other half of our eight-wolf pack, but lived separately to us on the south side of the forest.
Dad shook his head. “I’ll update Connor whilst you deal with Sean—”
“And Jem?” I asked with a lifted eyebrow.
Dad’s lips twitched, but he continued as though he hadn’t noticed my reference to his buck-passing. “Just the three of us will go. Connor and his boys can spend the morning here and stay close to Jem and your mother unless we need them.”
* * * * *
Yup… gotta have it. And, the good news is that the author is giving you a few chances to WIN it. She is hosting a big group giveaway through Rafflecopter. SHe is giving away all sorts of SWAG prizes, so you should check it out. You can get in on that by clicking the link here: RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Also, I am giving away an eBook copy of CAGED and a signed Bookmark to one lucky visitor of this blog. To qualify for that prize, you just need to post a comment below telling me why you want to read CAGED (as well as your email address so we can reach you if chosen as the winner). One winner will be chosen at random on Friday, August 23rd from all entrants and announced here that day.
About the Author: One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination, as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …?
Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.
One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.
J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, four cats and a dog. She writes paranormal romance, with a second love for urban fantasy.
She also book blogs over at Bookaroo-Ju.
Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
During the Caged Tour, Blue Moon: Holloway Pack 2 is on SALE!
Grab YOUR copy for only $.99
Rise of the Magi Blog Tour:My #Review and a #Giveaway, too! @JocelynAdams, #UF, #LilaGray
Those of you who follow the blog regularly, know how much I have enjoyed the stories in Jocelyn Adams’ Lila Gray Urban Fantasy series. Well, today is the day I get to share my review of the last installment, RISE OF THE MAGI, which released from J. Taylor Publishing on June 4th.
It has been KILLING me to have to hold my tongue on what I thought about this final Lila Gray tale, but for all of us — the wait is finally over.
Excited, right? Yeah, me too!
Before I get to the actual review, here is a bit about the novel.
Rise of the Magi
by Jocelyn Adams
Series: Lila Gray, book #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: June 4th, 2013
Keywords: fae, faeries, elves, selkies, fantasy, urban fantasy, romance, romantic, dryads, paranormal.
Blurb: In a battle of wills, who is strongest? The one who hates or the one who loves?
In a test of faith, who will fight the hardest? The one who has everything to lose or the one who believes only in herself?
For Lila Gray, the answer is both. For the Magi, the questions are pointless since they can’t lose, and they’ve been waiting since before Lila’s birth for this one moment. Lila only needs to find them to understand her entire purpose in life. This time, though, instead of protecting her people, Lila may be leading them all, including her unborn child and the man she loves, to their deaths — and not by accident.
In the ultimate trial of heart and soul, and the conclusion to the Lila Gray series, Lila will learn that the greatest weapon of war is herself, with one ultimate unknown. For which side will she fight?
Rise of the Magi on Goodreads:
Book Trailer:
You want it now, don’tcha? Don’t even need to read my review now. Do ya? It’s okay, you can admit it. *grins* I left the links below for you — you know, just in case I’m right.
BUY LINKS:
For those of you who are still with me and not over at one of the above sites buying your copy…
My Review:
I’m going to start this review off by stating for the record, I consider the author, Jocelyn Adams a good friend. But, saying that, you should also understand she is one because I met her on a writing site and LOVED her stories, so started to post critiques of them on the site. We got to know each other and became friends, but I loved her stories first.
Now that we have that out of the way.
Rise of the Magi is the final installment of Ms. Adams’ Lila Gray stories, and while I have to say The Glass Man is still my favorite of the three novels in the series, Rise of the Magi comes a close second. The series’ main character, Lila Gray has become one of my favorite literary heroines. I’m just a sucker for a tough female lead. Lila started out spunky in The Glass Man and that spirit and sarcastic determination is evident in the second book, Shadowborn. It still exists in this story.
I make it a point to not give spoilers in my review, so I won’t discuss the plot itself — as much as I want to. I will say I cried in some places, and for a book to get me that way doesn’t happen often.
I also have to say I am completely impressed by the authors ability to carry the tale through three novels and tie things up so succinctly at the end of it all. So many twists and turns, things I never saw coming, clues missed in Book #1 or Book #2 that gave me such “A-ha” moments while reading Rise of the Magi. I love when that happens.
The story is character rich and the “voice” is stellar. I highly recommend the read, in fact, the whole Lila Gray series.
5 Pirate Skulls from me for this wonderful, urban fantasy tale.
Oh! I almost forgot… I promised you all a giveaway. I can’t actually host the giveaway here on my free wordpress blog, so I have just given you the link below. Good luck!
Author Bio:
Jocelyn Adams grew up on a cattle farm in Lakefield and has remained a resident of Southern Ontario her entire life, most recently in Muskoka. She has worked as a computer geek, a stable hand, a secretary, and spent most of her childhood buried up to the waist in an old car or tractor engine with her mechanically inclined dad. But mostly, she’s a dreamer with a vivid imagination and a love for fantasy (and a closet romantic — shhh!). When she isn’t shooting her compound bow in competition or writing, she hangs out with her husband and young daughter at their little house in the woods.
Links:
Stone Chameleon Blog Tour: Find out what author, Jocelyn Adams (@JocelynAdams) would chose as her special talent. #UF
Welcome to the blog and my stop on the STONE CHAMELEON Blog Tour. I am beyond excited to be able to share the start of my good friend, Jocelyn Adams’ newest Urban Fantasy series about the Ironhill Jinn.
If you are a regular follower of the blog, you know how much I loved Ms. Adams first UF series, The Lila Gray novels. As a matter of fact, I am not sure I am over the end of that one yet, having just read the ARC for the final installment of that trilogy, due out in June of this year (you are going to love that one, too!).
But, today we are all about the new series, and based on the ARC I finished a few weeks ago, you are all if for another treat. If you liked Lila, wait till you meet Lou. *grins*
Anyway, for my stop on the tour, Ms. Adams and I wanted to do something a little different. Something fun. So I came up with a question for my author friend, that I thought fit nicely into the Urban Fantasy theme.
I got to thinking about the stories I’ve read of Jocelyn’s and her process for writing them. I considered the imagination and creativity woven into every paragraph and came up with this question for our guest author. (Which she was kind enough to answer, of course :P)
As a fantasy author, you write a lot of stories about characters with “special gifts” or unique talents. If you were given a choice, what special gift or talent would you like to have in real life? Why?
Jocelyn’s answer:
Oh my, so much to choose from. As I’ve been sitting here, pondering this, I keep coming back to one of my favorite cartoons/movies/comics, the X-Men. It would be a total toss-up between Wolverine and Mystique.
Being able to heal anything, live forever, and have some kick-ass adamantium claws that slice out whenever I was ticked off would be so awesome. Of course, I’d need Wolverine’s giant chip on his shoulder as well so the world would simply get out of my way. 🙂
Or, like Mystique, I could change myself into anybody at will. Wouldn’t that be neat? Go out as somebody famous or sneak into a bank as the manager and withdraw a few mil. Not that I’d do that, of course, just saying. Hmm, choices, choices. Why not both? 😉
* * * * *
That would be one kick ass mutant. *grins* I LOVED X-Men, and Wolverine is among my list of favorites. Though, I have a soft spot for Gambit, personally.
So, let’s have a look at Jocelyn’s newest release, STONE CHAMELEON
Blurb:
When a series of unusual murders point to Lou Hudson, Ironhill’s equal rights advocate, as the primary suspect, she has but one choice: find the real perpetrator before her trial begins or face execution.
Lou, the last of the jinn, survives by hiding her abilities after the rest of the elementals fell victim to genocide. As a preternatural pest exterminator and self-proclaimed guardian of the innocent, she’s accustomed to trudging through the dregs of society. Hunting down a pesky murderer should be easy, especially with help from the dashing and mischievous local media darling.
For Lou, though, nothing is ever simple. When she discovers the killer’s identity, to reveal it would unearth her secret and go against her strict moral code, resulting in a deadly catch twenty-two.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | MuseItUp Publishing
You can find out more about this, and all of Ms. Adams’ fiction titles here:
Website: www.joceadams.com
Blog: www.joceadams.wordpress.com
Cover Reveal: TIED by Laney McMann @JTaylotPub #YALit #UF
TIED
(Fire Born #1)
by Laney McMann
Release Date: September 9, 2013
Target Reader: Young Adult
Keywords: Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, YA
Back of the Book: Normal people don’t believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.
Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.
Or is that all in her head?
Layla doesn’t know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.
No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?
The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.
In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.
Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?
The answer may never be far enough … away.
URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/31
Se tell me, what do you think of the cover? Does it make you want to pick up the book? Excite you? Confuse you? I’m always curious what sort of reactions readers have to a cover, so please feel free to share. Of course, I wouldn’t ask you all to share without being willing to do so myself, so…
My Thoughts: I absolutely love the fiery phoenix looking image in the center of the cover. It really draws you in right away and gets the eyes wandering over the rest of the cover. Eye catching is always a good thing. I find the wolfish gargoyle like creature in the corner a bit odd — maybe a bit too computer generated or sci-fi looking for me? The keywords mention fantasy, not sci-fi, so Im not sure how fitting it is to the overall cover. Without reading the story, it is of course really impossible to tell how it fits in. In general, I find the cover makes me curious about the story, so I have to give it a Thumbs UP. 🙂
Cover Reveal: Rise of the Magi – A Lila Gray Novel by Jocelyn Adams (@jocelynadams)
By this point in our blogger to reader relationship, you all are well aware of my “Cover Whore” status. I love covers and this one is for one of my favorite series, and coincidentally one I recommended highly to attendees and Albacon 2012, where I was a panelist the weekend before I wrote this post (10/22) .
Top that, right?
Well, I shall. So, pffft.
I also happen to consider the author a friend, and I am so proud to be a part of her BIG day. Congrats, Ms. Adams ;P
Here she is, the cover to the last of the Lila Gray novels — Rise if the Magi
Rise of the Magi
URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/28
Other Books in this series include:
The Glass Man (#1)
Into the Unknown Anthology – Tempted (#1.5)
Blog Tour: Shadowborn by Jocelyn Adams (@jocelynadams) #LilaGray
In my time in the writing biz, I have made a few close friends of the writerly persuasion. I am happy to say, my guest today, is one of those friends. I met Jocelyn Adams through a critique site we both used at the time, Scribophile.com. If you aren’t familiar with the site and you write, you are missing out. While a peer critique site, it has been invaluable to me in making connections and forming friendships with authors I have grown to love and admire.
In this particular case, Jocelyn Adams is the kind of writer that I strive to be. She inspires me with her gift for storytelling and with her amazing ability to finish entire novels in less time than it takes me to come up with a title for one.
The second novel is Ms. Adam’s Lila Gray series, Shadowborn was released from J. Taylor Publishing on October 1st. If you haven’t ordered a copy or added this one to your Goodreads TBR pile, you are seriously missing out.
Here are the details on the newest release:
Why me?
That’s the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns she’s the only one who can stop it. Once again, something’s on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, soulless victims in its wake.
Couldn’t the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasn’t adapted to her new role.
Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but something’s off with him, too. He’s holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her what’s going on.
The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role—the people she was born to lead—the man who she desperately loves—and the solution to the latest war raging around her.
To find the answers, she’ll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.
If she doesn’t succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.
While I have a full review of the novel to come, today Jocelyn Adams was kind enough to allow me to share with you a special Halloween themed Lila Gray short.
I’m beyond excited to have a chance to be the first to share it with you all.
Devil in Heels – A Lila Gray Short
I groaned as Brígh spun me toward the mirror. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Oh, suck it up, Lila. It’s fun.” Rock music shook her house from the party going on beyond her bedroom door. “You said you’ve never dressed up for Halloween, so now’s your chance.”
“I think you missed the part where I said dressing up is lame and even as a kid, before the world went to shit, I never dressed up. And since when do fae celebrate a human occasion?”
“Oh, hush with your minor details.” Her fingers fluffed my hair. “Okay, you can open your eyes.”
“Do I have to?”
The smack sound came before the sting in my shoulder. “Yes, you do.”
Chuckling, I rubbed my arm. “Damn, that hurt. You’re so dainty I didn’t think you had it in you.” At her huff, I sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll look.”
I opened my eyes to the reflection of a short red vinyl skirt that barely covered my naughty bits. Black fishnet stretched over my legs, at least what wasn’t hidden behind thigh-high red boots with silver heels that could have skewered a wild boar. On top, she’d squeezed my girls into a black corset with red silk ribbons as laces.
I glared at her reflection in the mirror, though she only grinned in return, her sapphire Seelie eyes sparkling with it. “You have got to be freakin’ kidding me. What the hell am I supposed to be?”
“The last few pieces you’ll have to add using glamour.” She pranced in place, wearing her black vinyl cat suit complete with tufted ears. Her pink ringlets bounced with the motion.
My fingers massaged my temples. “And what would those be?”
“Um … your red devil horns and tail?”
I whirled to face her. She took a step back. “A devil, Brígh? The entire fae nation, both of them in fact, already think I’m Lucifer’s nasty step-sister.”
She waved me off with a flick of her black-painted fingernails. “No, they don’t, and you’re not just a devil.” Her grin widened. “You’re a smoking hot, sexy as hell devil. You’re positively sinful in that outfit.” She squealed and danced over to the door. “He’s going to love it.”
My heart stumbled before sprinting. “Who’s going to love it?”
She shrugged, winked and pulled the door open, flooding the room with music and excited voices from the revelers in full party swing. “You’ll see.”
I stared after her as she walked out in her high heeled shoes, swinging her kitty tail in her fingers. She couldn’t have meant … no, that would be insane. Liam was an Unseelie fae, enemy of my people since some idiotic war separated us. He hadn’t been allowed inside the gateway to Dun Bray in months despite my efforts to change the old laws.
Unwilling to get my hopes up only to have them dashed, I shook off thoughts of seeing my secret lover tonight, and used my glamour to finish off my costume as Brígh had instructed. She’d only nag me until I complied anyway. By the time I’d finished, two short red horns poked out from my hair and a long, arrow-head tail swung behind me.
My cheeks heated as I exited her bedroom and stepped into the large party room her ancient shifter house had created for the occasion. Orange and black crepe paper streamers hung in scallops along the ceiling above the horde of Seelie fae writhing and swaying to the music.
A group by the bar turned to look at me. I recognized a few of my royal guards beneath their costumes. Their smirks and cat calls accompanied their waves.
“This is not happening to me,” I muttered as I waved to them and ducked into the crowd hoping to disappear. If the shifter house was so inclined, he could open up the floor and swallow me up, but no doubt Brígh had given him strict orders not to. So much fae energy swirled around me it took effort to move through it.
“Care to dance?”
I jumped at the deep voice in my ear. “I don’t dance.”
“Not even with me?” His familiar, seductive tone tightened everything south of my belly button.
Breath stalled in my throat, I turned to find a large man wearing a yellow and black spandex suit. A cowl of the same colors obscured the upper portion of his face, all but his deep blue eyes. My focus wandered over the swell of his chest, down to his tight abs that showed through the fabric he wore like a second skin. I knew that body, had explored every inch of it in painful detail. I reached for the Unseelie king to make sure he was real.
A familiar grin crooked one corner of Liam’s lips. “Brígh really outdid herself this time.” He chuckled as his gaze swept over me. “Though, now that I’m wearing this ridiculous Wolverine outfit she made for me, I realize I’m going to be turning it into a circus tent if I look too hard at you.”
Laughing, I leapt at him, wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed until he grunted. “I can’t believe you’re here!” When I remembered where we were and that my people would be watching me, I released him and pulled my tiny skirt back into place. “Wait, how did you get through the portal? If Nix or Gallagher find you inside Dun Bray, they’ll have a fit.”
“Brígh let me in. And you didn’t recognize me, so why would they?” Liam pulled me against him with one arm looped around my lower back and the other holding my hand in a dance pose. “Now let’s enjoy the time Brígh’s given us.”
Bewildered by his power flowing like fire through my skin, I allowed him to set us in a swaying motion amongst the crowd and smiled at Brígh across the room, who winked in return. “How did she even know … you know … about us? I thought only Gallagher and Nix knew we were sneaking around.”
“She’s a Seer. She probably saw us together in a vision.”
Liam’s breath warmed my ear and turned my core molten. Heat invaded my face as I considered what Brígh might have seen the two of us doing. Usually within three seconds of our meeting we were naked and pawing at one another like horny teenagers.
I groaned and buried my face against Liam’s throat, inhaling his heady scent and wishing the crowd would disappear so I could rip the fabric from his body the way I wanted to. “I have no idea why she’s so good to me, though she could have warned me you were coming.”
Liam snickered and held me tighter. “She’s good to you because she sees beyond your hardness to the soft, amazing woman beneath.”
My fist lowered from his shoulder and rammed into his side.
“Ouch!” His laughter induced my own. “It’s true.”
I hit him again.
“Now, now, kiddies. Play nice.” Brígh twirled up beside us wearing a smile that could turn night into day. “My room is over there, freshly made up with new sheets and everything.” She winked and squeezed Liam’s arm. “Be a shame to let it go to waste, don’t you think?”
Liam and I locked gazes long enough for me to catch the dark ideas swirling behind his. They matched my own, and then some.
As he grabbed my hand and tugged me toward Brígh’s bedroom, she shouted, “Happy Halloween, you two!”
What an awesome little tale! Just loved it. Of course, I can’t seem to get enough Lila, and her friend, Brigh is one of my favorites from the new novel. (Yes, I was lucky enough to get a review ARC of Shadowborn).
If you want to learn more about Shadowborn, or any of Jocelyn’s other amazing stories you can find her here:
Shadowborn: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
The Glass Man: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
The Machenwood Chronicles and Other Tales 