Review: A Dragon’s Fortune (The Magic Emporium) by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes

Cillian Roarke is the world’s sweetest dragon. He’s a great boss, a good person, and he spends his days making honey-glazed caramel treats in the shape of bunnies for his bakery, Honey Bunny. Still, the highlight of every day is watching the adorable college student who’s Much Too Young For Him stuff his face full of Cillian’s sweet buns.

Finnick West is a college student who dreams of baked goods, much to the consternation of his figure-skating partner. She’s not offended by the temptation, but by Finnick’s continuing failure to ask out the cute baker. With pressure from all sides, Finn knows it’s time to take something for himself, if only he can catch Hot Baker’s eye.

While the two of them work up the nerve to ask each other out, an assassination attempt reveals forces working to not only stop their interspecies romance in its tracks, but destroy everything and everyone they love.

A Dragon’s Fortune is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains dragons, ice skating, a whole bunch of sugar, and a guaranteed HEA.

Another sweet edition to this series of completely stand alone, but interconnected, novels all touched by the intervention of the peculiar Magic Emporium.

As per the blurb, Finn has been crushing hard on the reticent owner of the The Honey Bunny. Not only does Finn love every delicious concoction that Cillian creates, he’s smitten on the guy even though they’ve barely spoken a word.

Cillian in turn, is reluctant to start anything because he’s hiding a pretty big secret. He’s in the closet - not because he’s gay but because he’s a dragon, and he fears the inherent prejudices of being such could possibly interfere with his comfortable life. However, Cillian’s wish for anonymity is crushed when an assassination attempt is made on his highly public figure of a brother, so when the truth comes out, this has unforeseen consequences as Finn’s unknown shady past comes to the fore. Suddenly, both these men have some very difficult decisions to make as to whether or not they’ll allow biology to dictate their lives and whether the other is worth fighting for.

Overall, I enjoy this author duo, both together and separately (shout out to Fire and Valor!), but I typically equate a more simplistic storytelling with Burns. Though this sets up the world building and sociopolitical implications that come with in-the-know humans living with other supernaturals, I felt the plot lines regarding both Cillian being a dragon and Finn’s mysterious background were not fully realized.

Having said that, Cillian and Finn are the nicest guys around, and they’re obviously perfectly perfect for each other. This had some good bones and ends on a solid HFN for these two but leaves broader plot threads dangling which would benefit from a sequel that we probably won’t get. Regardless, fans of Burns and Fawkes should not skip their latest foray into urban fantasy! Enjoy!

Review: The Prince's Dragon (Fire and Valor #2) by W.M. Fawkes and Sam Burns

The last place Lord Tristram Radcliffe ever expected to find himself was right hand to the Llangardian throne. His parentage should have seen him banished, but he managed to keep his draconic secret. Now, King Reynold is dead. Long live King Roland.

The boy ascends to rule a kingdom in chaos, and Tristram must undo the damage of the last king's reign to save his people from lean winter and wolves in the palace itself. Reynold’s former shadow, Bet Kyston, is determined to root out King Roland's enemies, but his version of help may cause as much harm as good.

There remains a traitor near to the throne, and when the king falls mysteriously ill, Tristram’s strongest ally is forced to leave court. As his enemies move closer, the strength of Tristram's regency is more precarious than ever. Abandoned and friendless, Tristram must sacrifice everything to protect his homeland or risk not only Roland’s life, but his own.

This sequel did not disappoint and obviously, cannot be read as a standalone seeing as how this starts right where The King’s Dragon left off.

Front and center is the fragile connection between newly appointed regent Tris (half human, mostly secretly half dragon) and assassin Bet. They have one common goal and that is to keep Tris’s young cousin Roland, alive until he’s old enough to take over the crown. Each has completely different ideas and methods to accomplish such, each at opposite ends of the moral spectrum as it becomes increasingly clear that a traitor is in their midst. However, the undeniable pull between these two has only gotten stronger, and it was satisfying to see their feelings evolve into an intensity that made me swoon.

What ensues is still a complex look at the tenuous and contentious dynamic, not only between humans and dragons, but also both having hostile relations amongst others of their own kind. On the periphery, but no less interesting or important, are the various other characters in play. This involves humans and dragons alike, each struggling to find their path and do right by their peoples in any way possible. Intersperse all that with a sadistic ambitious enemy who has a seemingly unbeatable terrible power and one knows that more anxiety inducing trouble is sure to come.

All of these storylines are set in motion, as discoveries and machinations push everyone towards a journey of smartly revealed convergence.

Be forewarned that though Tris and Bet’s growing romantic feelings are the main course, also brewing is a FF and MF pairing that have significant page time and explicitness. Though I would gladly forgo the lady bits in what I choose to read, I still quite enjoyed these other two couples plus one more possibly in the works. What I came to conclude was that this story and the overall series as a whole, has emerged as an absolutely fantastic ensemble piece containing magic, dragons galore, political intrigue, and fucking asshats who need to die a slow painful death.

Yes, this still boasts 5 main POV’s with a smattering of other voices. Yes, there’s plot twists and reveals around every corner. Throw in some nice smexy and plenty of feels, and you’ve got a well rounded historical fantasy that kept me engrossed the entire time.

I applaud the complexity of how Fawkes and Burns handled so many characters and plot threads (while never being confusing), bringing a wonderful conclusion to the second act despite ending on a crazy cliffhanger. My only complaint is that the next book isn’t waiting for me to dive straight into!

Blog Tour + Giveaway: The Prince's Dragon (Fire and Valor #2) by W.M. Fawkes and Sam Burns

The Prince's Dragon (Fire and Valor #2) blog tour visits the unicorns today! Authors W.M. Fawkes and Sam Burns, along with A Novel Take PR host today's high fantasy filled tour stop and giveaway! Enter for a chance to win an e-copy of The King’s Dragon (Fire and Valor #1)! Good luck!

The Prince’s Dragon by W.M. Fawkes & Sam Burns

Series: Fire and Valor #2

Release Date: April 16, 2020

Subgenre: LGBTQIA+ High Fantasy Romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51266711-the-prince-s-dragon









Synopsis for The Prince’s Dragon:

The last place Lord Tristram Radcliffe ever expected to find himself was right hand to the Llangardian throne. His parentage should have seen him banished, but he managed to keep his draconic secret. Now, King Reynold is dead. Long live King Roland.

The boy ascends to rule a kingdom in chaos, and Tristram must undo the damage of the last king's reign to save his people from lean winter and wolves in the palace itself. Reynold’s former shadow, Bet Kyston, is determined to root out King Roland's enemies, but his version of help may cause as much harm as good.

There remains a traitor near to the throne, and when the king falls mysteriously ill, Tristram’s strongest ally is forced to leave court. As his enemies move closer, the strength of Tristram's regency is more precarious than ever. Abandoned and friendless, Tristram must sacrifice everything to protect his homeland or risk not only Roland’s life, but his own.

Excerpt

Rhiannon sighed. “I would go anywhere with you.”
The smile Sidonie gave her at hearing that made Rhiannon’s heart jump in her chest. In her life, Rhiannon had made plenty of conquests. She preferred women, their soft skin and ample curves, the way their lips tasted. But her heart had never skipped just to see a woman’s smile the way it did for Sidonie.
With a soft purr, she leaned in and brushed her nose against her knight’s.
“You don’t have to,” Sidonie offered at once. “I can go on my—”
Rhiannon cut her off by slipping her finger between their lips. “I said I will accompany my lady, and I will accompany my lady. But I might ask you one thing first.”
“What?”
Rhiannon could not help the grin that spread on her lips at Sidonie’s nervous question. She pulled Sidonie into her room and let her go. Her knight stepped farther inside as Rhiannon shut the door and held the handle with her back pressed to the wood.
“I would like to pretend,” she drawled, “for this one night, that we are not riding into war tomorrow. That there are no threats. That the most dangerous thing in this room is me.”
Rhiannon let go of the door as a charming flush crept up Sidonie’s neck. She stopped in front of her, tilting her head so that her lips were but a breath from Sidonie’s. “And the only danger I pose, my sweet knight, is to your virtue.”

Author Bio:

W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.

Sam lives in the Midwest with husband and cat, which is even less exciting than it sounds, so she's not sure why you're still reading this.

She specializes in LGBTQIA+ fiction, usually with a romantic element. There's sometimes intrigue and violence, usually a little sex, and almost always some swearing in her work. Her writing is light and happy, though, so if you're looking for a dark gritty reality, you've come to the wrong author.


Author links:

Joint Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlickerFoxBooks/

Waverly Fawkes:
http://fawkeswrites.com
https://facebook.com/w.m.fawkes
https://twitter.com/fawkeswrites
https://www.instagram.com/w.m.fawkes/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18156587.W_M_Fawkes
https://www.pinterest.com/fawkeswrites/


Sam Burns:
http://burnswrites.com
https://www.facebook.com/sam.burns.52459
https://www.instagram.com/samburnswrites/?hl=en
https://us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ef13dc96493795a8fdb75611c&id=e0fb058bf2
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16897949.Sam_Burns
https://twitter.com/SamBurnsWrites
https://www.pinterest.com/samburnswrites/

Giveaway:

Win one e-copy of The King’s Dragon by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d45f03130/?

Review: The King's Dragon (Fire and Valor #1) by W.M. Fawkes & Sam Burns

Lord Tristram Radcliffe has a secret—he is the only dragon at the king’s court in Llangard. It’s a secret he’s kept from the knights he’s fought beside, from the ladies who bat their lashes at him, and from his closest companion, Prince Reynold. If it were to get out, he’d be banished to the Mawrcraig Mountains along with the rest of his kind, but the kingdom of men is the only one he’s ever known, and his heart lives in the stone halls of those who’d count him an enemy.

When the old king dies and Prince Reynold takes the throne, two visitors from the north throw Tristram into the middle of the ancient conflict between dragons and men. They put him on a collision course with the king’s shadow, Bet Kyston, a dangerous assassin who may want him dead or may want more of Tristram that he’d ever thought to give.

With the eyes of dragons upon him and a threat from the north creeping toward the home he loves, Tristram must weigh his allegiances before his dual legacies tear him apart.

You guys…. you’ve got to check this out!


Don’t be fooled by that flashy cover thinking that this is light and whimsical because it’s not. This is fantasy at its best, and it’s set in a land and time where humans and dragons have a tentative peace that teeters on the edge of explosive consequences. However, the divide and animosity runs high, and the chance of a truce is nigh impossible despite a potential dangerous and common foe.


This is a world about a new king coming into ascension, one whose less than savory personality puts many on guard for he’s not the gentle beloved king his father was.


This features the king’s shadow Bet, who has only known struggle and pain, whose life was elevated and ultimately, saved by his highness. His loyalty is devout and steadfast, being the new king’s eyes, ears, and hands in all things necessary and not necessary regarding the king’s whims and needs.


This centers on the king’s cousin and best friend Tris, whose strength and goodness and honor shine brightly through. However, he’s hiding a very big secret. He's half dragon, which puts him in quite the precarious position as most in the kingdom of Llangard despise dragons out of the long established hatred when they once enslaved and ruled over humans - and that includes the king himself.


So get ready for a slow build attraction between Tris and Bet. Two men with different ranks, on opposite ends of the social spectrum but each outcasts in their own right. Though they’ve noticed each other from afar, their paths rarely cross until one day they do. When Tris’s secret is exposed, each man and the many other characters have some very very difficult choices to make, all of which will have damning repercussions.


Overall, Fawkes and Burns have created something that’s quite impressive. It’s intricate, complex, boasting no else than 7 POV’s, all tied together ingeniously with a slow build and reveal that keeps you on edge, where around the corner things can change in a flash and one’s status or life hangs in the balance. So many secrets abound in all sorts of ways involving assignations, alliances, promises, betrayals, magic, and dangerous longings all just waiting to be discovered.


If you like a Game of Thrones-esque type set up, a romance that is hard fought and not quite yet won, where the protagonists’ struggles are weighted, meaningful, and angsty, then this is for you, and I don't say that lightly.


Though this ends tentatively (and please don’t let that dissuade you) it has a concrete conclusion for this first installment and leaves the reader chomping at the bit for so much more! I just hate that I have to wait an interminable and unknown amount of time for the next book! Write faster please!

A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour + Giveaway: The King's Dragon (Fire and Valor #1) by W.M. Fawkes & Sam Burns

Welcome authors W.M. Fawkes and Sam Burns, as well as A Novel Take PR, today as they celebrate the recent release of LGBTQIA+ high fantasy romance, The King's Dragon (Fire and Valor #1)! Learn more from today's teaser and excerpt! Enter the giveaway where you could win one of 2 e-copies of any book from the Lords of the Underworld series! Good luck!

The King’s Dragon by W.M. Fawkes & Sam Burns

Series: Fire and Valor #1

Release Date: September 26, 2019

Subgenre: LGBTQIA+ High Fantasy Romance

Order here:
Universal: http://mybook.to/thekingsdragon
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XC67S95

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47945724-the-king-s-dragon

Synopsis for The King’s Dragon:
Lord Tristram Radcliffe has a secret—he is the only dragon at the king’s court in Llangard. It’s a secret he’s kept from the knights he’s fought beside, from the ladies who bat their lashes at him, and from his closest companion, Prince Reynold. If it were to get out, he’d be banished to the Mawrcraig Mountains along with the rest of his kind, but the kingdom of men is the only one he’s ever known, and his heart lives in the stone halls of those who’d count him an enemy.

When the old king dies and Prince Reynold takes the throne, two visitors from the north throw Tristram into the middle of the ancient conflict between dragons and men. They put him on a collision course with the king’s shadow, Bet Kyston, a dangerous assassin who may want him dead or may want more of Tristram that he’d ever thought to give.

With the eyes of dragons upon him and a threat from the north creeping toward the home he loves, Tristram must weigh his allegiances before his dual legacies tear him apart.

Author Blurbs:

“Simmering with sexual and political tension, The King’s Dragon will pull you close, and won’t let go until its final pages. A wonderfully rich and compelling world.”

~ Ariana Nash, author of Silk & Steel


“Intricate plot threads intertwined with gripping tension, chemistry, and built on a fantasy world that rivals any peer in the genre. Vivid characters that aren't cutouts of fantasy tropes, but real people with faults and virtues that will engage the reader.

This book showcases the best of Fawkes and Burns' writing and style—perfectly meshed storytelling rich in complicated and complex characters, with a plot that kept me afraid, engrossed, and my heart in my throat. An added dash of upended gender stereotypes and a refreshing addition of varied LGBTQ+ romances made this a standout in the genre. A fantastic start to a series and I cannot wait for the rest!”

~SJ Himes, author of Knight’s Fire


“Incredibly detailed world building, and a raft of characters who keep me guessing and turning pages!”

~ Allison Temple, author of Cold Pressed

Teaser

Sidonie was from the southern reaches of Llangard, where they did not have women like that. There, women were hard workers with strong backs, field-roughened hands, and leathery skin. Rhiannon had seemed like a bauble worn by a noble lady, glittering and beautiful.
And not for the likes of Sidonie.
Still, she found herself scanning the crowd for signs of golden, almost white-blonde hair. Lord Tristram was from the north, wasn’t he? Perhaps that was simply the look of northerners. Most of the women in court were regularly aflutter over his pale hair and golden eyes, including Her Highness, Princess Gillian.
She supposed among men, Tristram was a decent choice. He had fine features and full lips that most men did not. Sidonie had never seen the appeal of blunt, angular, masculine features. Give her a soft curve and a round cheek any day.
Golden-blonde curls twirled on the breeze in front of her, followed by their owner, the beautiful sylph from the day before. Her eyes were bluer than the sky, like the wildflowers that grew along the roads, and of course, she had a few of those tucked behind her ear to show them off. The smirk on her face was downright dangerous. His Majesty was wrong if he thought this woman was trouble he could handle. She was too much trouble for any man.

Excerpt

When he glanced up to meet Bet’s eyes, they were wide, the whites showing all around them. He wondered, for a moment, if he’d earned a stabbing, but then those eyes dropped to his lips, and Bet’s own parted a fraction.
As was his most unfortunate habit, Tris dove in head first.
Their mouths crashed together, a clash of tongues and teeth that started out anything but good. Tris tasted blood in his mouth, and he wasn’t sure whose it was.
In a flash, Bet turned them so that Tristram was the one with his back to the wall. He wrapped a hand around the side of Tristram’s neck, thumb coming up to hold his jaw in place in a grip that felt downright dangerous. Then he turned his head a fraction, opening up a little space between their noses and allowing himself full access.
Not to stab anyone, thankfully, though he pushed his way into Tris’s mouth as though convinced he’d be rebuffed and wanted to taste his fill before that. Tris just tilted his head up to meet the onslaught, eyes sliding shut and fingers scrabbling against the tapestry on the wall.
Bet kissed like he fought: hard, fast, and with no intention of taking prisoners. His free hand fell to Tristram’s trousers, as though he would strip them off right there in the hall, and slowed to press against his growing arousal. It seemed he appreciated what he found there, because he let out a growl that reminded Tristram of his own nearly inhuman one.
What he’d have done, Tris would never know, because a giggle echoed down the hallway, and Bet pulled back as though he’d been slapped. He turned to see a couple of ladies’ maids enter the hall, and before Tristram could so much as say his name, Bet turned and melted into the shadows.

Author Bio:

W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.

Sam lives in the Midwest with husband and cat, which is even less exciting than it sounds, so she's not sure why you're still reading this.

She specializes in LGBTQIA+ fiction, usually with a romantic element. There's sometimes intrigue and violence, usually a little sex, and almost always some swearing in her work. Her writing is light and happy, though, so if you're looking for a dark gritty reality, you've come to the wrong author.


Author links:
Joint Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlickerFoxBooks/

Waverly Fawkes:
http://fawkeswrites.com
https://facebook.com/w.m.fawkes
https://twitter.com/fawkeswrites
https://www.instagram.com/w.m.fawkes/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18156587.W_M_Fawkes
https://www.pinterest.com/fawkeswrites/


Sam Burns:
http://burnswrites.com
https://www.facebook.com/sam.burns.52459
https://www.instagram.com/samburnswrites/?hl=en
https://us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ef13dc96493795a8fdb75611c&id=e0fb058bf2
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16897949.Sam_Burns
https://twitter.com/SamBurnsWrites
https://www.pinterest.com/samburnswrites/

Giveaway:

Win one of 2 e-copies of any book from the Lords of the Underworld series by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d45f03105/?

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Patron Of Mercy (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Sam Burns & W.M Fawkes

Authors Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes, along with Signal Boost Promotions, visit to promote the latest, Patron Of Mercy (Lords of the Underworld #3)! Learn more about the urban fantasy and enter in the Patron of Mercy eBook giveaway today!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited


Length: 70,000 words approx.


Cover Design: Natasha Snow


Lords of the Underworld Series


Prince of Death - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Prisoner Of Shadows - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Blurb


Lach has spent the last few thousand years counting only on himself. What he needed, he took. What he wanted, he won with charm. All except a god he turned his back on an age ago, when he had a different name and didn’t know what he was giving up.


Thanatos, god of merciful death, is one of the gentlest gods in the pantheon—easing the transition between life and death for billions of mortals. But he has faced eternity alone. After breaking his heart on the sharp words of a fisherman’s son, he hasn’t been able to connect with anyone.


Now, Lach is crashing back into Thanatos’s life, dragging him into an adventure that could save the world . . . or kill them both.


PATRON OF MERCY IS THE THIRD BOOK IN A SERIES, BUT CAN BE READ AS A STAND ALONE NOVEL.

Sam Burns wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.

If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With coauthor Sam Burns, she writes feisty Greek gods, men, and monsters in the Lords of the Underworld series. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.


Website: https://www.fawkeswrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fawkeswrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FawkesWrites

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Prisoner Of Shadows (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes

Prisoner Of Shadows (Lords of the Underworld #2) is out! Celebrate with authors Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes and Signal Boost Promotions! Discover more and enter in the Prince of Death (Lords of the Underworld #1) giveaway!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Length: 70,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Lords of the Underworld Series

Prince of Death - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Blurb

For more than five thousand years, Prometheus has been chained in the underworld. Every day, an eagle tears out his liver. Every night, he heals. When Hermes releases him in a gambit to save himself from his father’s wrath, Prometheus must adjust to a world that’s forgotten him. Hunted by the twins, Artemis and Apollo, he finds help in an unexpected place.


Julian Bell is a vampire lost. He left his Louisiana home in 1936 and hasn’t settled since. Ten years ago he followed his best friend to New York, but the country they came to wasn’t the America he left. After losing his friend, he found himself unmoored in a strange land. As he nears his hundredth birthday, he’s realizing how truly alone he is.


When Prometheus and Julian’s paths cross one fateful night, they find in each other a safe path through the shadows.

About The Authors


Sam Burns wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.

If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.


Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Pinterest


W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With coauthor Sam Burns, she writes feisty Greek gods, men, and monsters in the Lords of the Underworld series. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.


Website: https://www.fawkeswrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fawkeswrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FawkesWrites

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Prince Of Death (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes

Authors Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes, along with Signal Boost Promotions, celebrate the release of Prince Of Death (Lords of the Underworld #1)! Learn more about the urban fantasy series and enter in the back list eBook giveaway!



Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Length: 82,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Blurb

Gifted power over life and death, Lysandros has spent millennia in the underworld, listless and alone. The youngest child of Hades and Persephone, he’s been sheltered from the threats in the world above.


Theo Ward hasn’t been so lucky. After watching his mother wither away, he’d do almost anything to have her back. When a messenger appears at the Banneker College of Magic and offers the young professor a chance to save her, Theo can’t pass it up, even if it means going straight into the underworld and dragging her home. But Theo gets more than he bargained for when he crosses paths with the prince of Hades.


Set against the king of Olympus, they must shed their past burdens and learn to trust in each other, so they can face down a storm that threatens to wipe the nation’s capital off the map.

About The Authors

Sam Burns wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.

If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.


Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Pinterest


W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With coauthor Sam Burns, she writes feisty Greek gods, men, and monsters in the Lords of the Underworld series. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.


Website: https://www.fawkeswrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fawkeswrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FawkesWrites

a
Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume Three by Various Authors

The third anthology volume of QUILTBAG fantasy series, Once Upon a Rainbow is out! Celebrate with publisher NineStar Press and IndiGo Promotions! Learn more about the eight stories from authors A.E. Ross, Elna Holst, Mark Lesney, N.J. Romaine, Sam Burns, Valentine Wheeler, and W.M. Fawkes today! Enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title:  Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume Three

Author: A. E. Ross, Elna Holst, Mark Lesney, N.J. Romaine, Sam Burns, Valentine Wheeler, W.M. Fawkes

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: July 2, 2018

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: No Romance, Male/Female, Male/Male, Female/Female

Length: 121800

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, bisexual, coming out, dragons, fae, family drama, Fantasy, gay, kidnapping, knights, lesbian, royalty, sexual, trans, warriors, witches

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

Your favorite stories from childhood have a new twist. Seven fairy tales of old with characters across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross – Glass slippers aren't for everyone.

Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst – This time around, Gretel Kindermann is on her own. Or is she?

Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney – Loss and love on the road to Bremen Town.

The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine – Who can win a hunt against the Big Bad Wolf?

The Rescue by Sam Burns – Saving princesses is hard work. Getting out of marrying them is harder.

Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler – The shoe fits, the prince is won: now what?

Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes – No one else can pull his strings.

Blurbs

Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross

What if you could walk into a party with the perfect outfit—one that matches the way you feel inside?

For Ash Zermeno, the night of his best friend’s brother’s wedding reception is a hard pass: he’s certainly not going to wear the dress he ordered months ago, and he’s got no other wardrobe options. Forget about the fact that his long-time childhood crush Roman is going to be there. It just ain’t happening, no matter how hard he wishes on it. And he didn’t even wish on it…or did he?

Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst

Gretel Kindermann has always lived in the little village at the lip of the Schwarzwald forest. But now, her father has moved away, her mother is indefinitely admitted to a private clinic, and her brother Hänsel, oh—

And all because of Margrete Heckscher. That Lebkuchen-making, sugar rush-inducing busybody, whose enthralling niece, lately arrived from Vienna, seems set on tempting poor Gretel out of her last vestiges of sanity… Because, surely, outside of the realm of fairy tales, there can be no such thing as an actual, magic-wielding witch?

Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney

Simon the Donkey, an orphaned peasant boy on a Medieval farm, flees cruel servitude to seek his fortune in his childhood dreams of becoming a performer in the fabled city of Bremen Town. On the road he finds true friendship and finally love in the arms of young Edwin the Hound. They join with two other accidental travelers, Cat the Thief, and Rooster the Maid, conspiring together to survive in a brutal world of robbery and murder, with only the magical saving power of their talents for make believe.

The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, a lone huntswoman comes across a traveller in red, walking through an autumn forest in the shadow of a spell-trapped kingdom.

Aletta moved out to the solitary woods to avoid the troubles of her past, but when she meets a young woman travelling alone with nothing but a red-hooded cloak, her sense of duty compels her to offer aid. But nothing is what it seems in the wild backwoods, and both women have secrets with far-reaching ramifications.

Aletta must confront her past and learn to trust herself, lest the hunter become the hunted.

The Rescue by Sam Burns

Brice has come to the dragon’s lair to save poor Princess Primrose, even if he doesn’t want her hand in marriage. The beautiful young man being held captive alongside her is a surprise, and Brice may not want a prize for his chivalry, but he wouldn’t mind taking Aidan home with him.

Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler

Catherine’s life was different before her stepmother took charge of the family. When her father was alive, she’d been the treasured daughter and the heir to his textile empire. Now she’s just her stepmother’s servant.

Prince Heinrich doesn’t want to marry, but as the only heir to the throne, he knows he must. When a mysterious woman at the ball in his honor is completely unimpressed by him, he’s intrigued. Could she be the partner he’s been looking for? And when catastrophe strikes both their lives, how can their arrangement hold together?

Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes

José Velásquez has no ideas for his senior project, but when his classmate trades him a giant block of white pine for scrap metal, it’s almost too easy to carve out a fantastic sculpture. From the wood, José pulls the legendary Maya warrior Tecún Umán. It’s José’s best work, but how much credit can he take for the creation of a wooden man who steps off the block on his own? To get through his last exhibition, José must find an artistic voice uniquely his own or risk losing Tecún forever.

While José worries about his senior project, Tecún longs for a chance to experience being human with the man who drew him out of his wooden shell. He’ll do whatever it takes to get a real shot at life, even if that means cutting his strings to dance on his own.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway