The First AROR Excerpt Has Arrived!
With minimal spoilers, of course.
Hi everyone,
We’re only six weeks out from A Reign of Rose’s release, so I thought it was a good time to share a little excerpt from the book! It was next to impossible to pick a scene that didn’t give away any spoilers/reveals, but I think this snippet offers a decent eye into Solaris. Not a fun place to hang, IMHO.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ BTW, September’s newsletter will be the last one before AROR’s release and do I have the !!!!GIVEAWAY OF A LIFETIME!!!! in store for you all. Keep your eyes peeled for that email—it will probably go out closer to the end of the month.
Ok, a few little updates before I share the excerpt:
Want a signed copy of AROR that comes with an exclusive sticker? You can get those from the Ripped Bodice, here!
Or, prefer to pre-order a regular copy via Amazon or Barnes & Noble for quicker delivery? You can do so here!
Do you live in SoCal, Texas, or Missouri/Illinois? I’d love to meet you ON TOUR this October!
Here’s the line up:
October 8th at The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles, CA with Karina Halle. Tickets HERE.
October 10th at The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, MO. Tickets HERE.
October 11th at Lark and Owl Booksellers outside of Austin, TX with Ali Hazelwood. Tickets HERE.
Slightly off topic, but, does the below resemble your saved photos?
It sure looks like my entire photo library. If you, too, are into 6’6 Irish men with the voice of an angel, you can follow my journey to publish a Hozier-inspired contemporary rock star romance in this broadcast channel 🎸🍀
💖 Bonus Scenes! 💖
For those who haven’t read them yet, you can read Kane's POV of the Wine Cellar (Password: Birchwine! with a capital B and an exclamation point) and Griffin’s POV of the aftermath of Reaper’s Cavern (Password: Griffinneedsglasses with a capital G) HERE.
Do you have your Amber Kingdom candle and your I ♥️ Kane “Who Did This To You” Ravenwood shirt? If not, you can shop for these two, and other incredible Sacred Stones merch, here!
AND NOW (thanks for your patience) the first excerpt of A Reign of Rose!
***
I knew my lighte had returned the moment I’d opened my eyes. It had only been four days since my last harvesting. Usually it took a week. This was some kind of record.
The days in which my lighte regenerated were the most hopeful, and thus the very hardest, and I took steadying, soothing breaths to remind myself of that fact before I got carried away.
Just the tingle of power at my fingertips was enough to send my mind down a thousand varied, unorganized paths: Set the entire room ablaze and make a run for it when they come for you. Use your round lighte shield as a battering ram and bowl yourself through the locked doors. Hold Maddox hostage with those long strands of white sun and force the guards to let you leave.
I’d lost days swept up in those fantasies. Breaking free. Running all the way home. Scooping Leigh into my arms. Mari’s bright hair, Dagan’s loving scowl . . .
And then I’d have to remind myself of the reality: by the time my lighte regenerated even close to enough to enact any of those plans, I’d be harvested once again.
But the lighte in my veins didn’t only mean power. Life, strength, energy returned to my body and the urge to take off running, to move and stretch and fight was just this shy of agonizing. I hadn’t run in months—maybe the longest stretch I’d gone since childhood—and I missed the meditation most on days like this, when I knew I actually could move if I so chose. It was like being given sacks of coin and sent into an overflowing, glittering candy shop only
to learn the sweets tasted of someone else’s spit.
Conjuring a similar taste in my mouth, Maddox smacked my doors open and leveled a glare at me. “The king wishes to see you in the baths.”
My heart darted like a hare from a hawk.
“Now?” A stupid question.
Maddox’s expression told me he agreed. “Yes, now.”
I crawled from the bed, still in one of the fussy collared nightgowns I’d been gifted. When I’d searched the suite my first week here, I’d found drawers upon drawers—an entire closet—piled high with finery of every dense fabric and opulent, jewel-toned color. Teal and caramel and emerald dresses, gold-threaded shoes, diamond drop earrings.
I’d never wanted to set so many nice things on fire so badly.
Swatting away the fog of sleep, I made my way to the armoire and scrunched my nose up at the scent of apricot syrup that permeated the wardrobe. I could only imagine the entire castle had been spelled to make all the dust and cobwebs smell like pungent fruit, and I’d come to despise the fragrance. I missed mothballs.
I’d just wrapped a hand around one dresser knob when Maddox called out, “You won’t need to change.”
More blood chilling. More heart racing. I sucked in a shaking breath, still facing the armoire. Don’t give that gargoyle the satisfaction of your fear, Kane’s voice commanded in my head.
Maddox and Wyn escorted me down a hallway I’d only pictured for two months on end. I’d been stored in that tower like supplies for the winter—and the new sights were as unnerving and exquisite as I’d imagined.
A feat of industrial power and intricacy: wheels and cogs, iron and steel, gold and diamond and rubies. The marble floor, red and reflective as glossy blood. Impossibly high ceilings, interior archways that served as bustling bridges from one wing to the next, balconies and windows offering glimpses into elegant, manicured courtyards absent of flowers, ringed instead with immaculately sheared hedges. Not a single leaf out of place.
The scent of ash was thick in the air. My nostrils stung as I asked Wyn, “Was there a kitchen fire?”
His limp appeared to be bothering him today. He favored his good leg as he struggled to keep up with Maddox and me. “Sometimes it rains right after dawn.”
I balked at him, though he kept his soft hazel eyes ahead of us. “Sometimes it rains . . . ash?”
Wyn shook his head like that would’ve been ridiculous. “Fire.”
Of course. Of course it rained fire in Solaris. I didn’t even bother to ask how Lazarus convinced his court that it was nothing to concern themselves with. How the people outside of the walled city protected themselves. I didn’t care to hear the truth nor the lies.