Happy double release day to Victoria H. Smith!
Time can bring about many positive changes. For Ariel Richmond, getting her magical necklace to work isn’t one of them.
The year has introduced new comrades and friends, and every day they find their place within Ariel’s alliance. But Ariel herself is at a standstill. While her world advances around her, she’s forced to watch other’s successes. And as her frustrations about her progression toward leadership grow, she and Luca are driven further apart.
Luca sees Ariel’s situation, not as a hindrance, but as an unexpected strategy. Her stalemate keeps her out of battle, allowing him and her coalition to insure her safety from the world that threatens to destroy her. His constant fight to protect Ariel also acts as a shield, making it easy to distract himself from the nightmares of his past and hide his darkest secrets from the woman he loves.
As Luca hides behind his walls, Ariel is forced to become a leader on own. When a surprise from her past arrives willing to aid her, Ariel struggles between the priority of leadership and that of love.
Time ticks away and the enemy won’t wait for the Bringer of Peace to become a leader. The hunt for blood is on whether Ariel is ready or not.
The details behind that infamous hookup in The Bringer’s Quest…
Gemini Maylor is bored as hell. He lost his best friend Luca to a set of long legs and a pair of breasts. Now, he’s not only shy one wingman, but finds himself feeling a way he never has before.
Lonely.
Bailey Hughes loves the quiet. But she has to admit she misses her bestie. As draining as it is to be Ariel Richmond’s best friend, Bailey finds the job oddly fulfilling. So when Ariel and her boyfriend Luca decide to devote more time to each other, Bailey finds herself left behind.
Gemini and Bailey couldn’t be more opposite. Gemini is a fiery Eldaen man with a rock star complex. And Bailey is, well, kinda average. But when the absence of their best friends brings them together, they discover a heat between them that only makes sense. The question is: Is that fire lasting?
Incandescence is a new adult romance with science fiction elements. The 50,000-word novella is not a standalone and follows The Bringer’s Quest.
**Warning: Novella contains strong language. Gemini just can’t seem to help himself.**
Excerpt from The Bringer’s Quest:
“You know,” I said, chewing on my lip, “you never told me what you thought of my outfit.”
His eyes hummed with soft light at the request.
I sucked in a breath. Hot damn.
His lips lifted, clearly seeing that I saw his reaction. “Do I really have to say?”
Technically? No, he didn’t. His eyes said all they needed to. But me, being the evil gal that I was, had to hear it.
I let my chest fall forward so he could see the goods better. “Yep.”
He didn’t give into my game. Keeping direct eye contact with me, he merely maintained his smile and said, “Sei bella.”
I dropped my shoulders, knowing that phrase all too well. I thought I turned him on more than that.
“Only beautiful?” I asked, fighting the whine in my voice.
He sighed. “What do you want me to say, Ariel?”
There was a whole list of things I would have settled for. I guessed I’d keep it clean and not make him say them. “I want you to say I look hot.”
Turning over my hand, he traced my palm with a long finger. This sent a much-desired tingle—in all the right places.
“Your beauty could never be properly defined by this word,” he said, continuing his play of my hand.
Sweet babies. Did he always know the right thing to say? My mind was a whirl, but I came out of my daze quickly. He was trying to swoon his way out of talking dirty, and this girl wasn’t having it. I closed the distance between us, enjoying the plush, unrestricted seats. “Try harder.”
I’d handed him a clear challenge. Placed him right on the spot. Despite this, I still didn’t think he’d give in to me. This was Luca Grinaldi after all. Gentlemen extraordinaire. So imagine surprise when his lips not only went to my ear, but his hand . . . went into my dress.
Gripping my thigh, he was all up on me, lips grazing my ear as he whispered sweet nothings. At least, that was what it sounded like to me. His voice was airy, smooth and light, and in a different language entirely.
I shuddered. Holy crap he was seducing me in Italian. I wanted to scream that it wasn’t fair. That I wanted to understand whatever dirty and delicious things he was saying to me. But as his voice continued, I found myself not caring at all. I just drank it in, melting under his touch and words.
About the author:
Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the twenty-something characters she writes give her an earful about it.
In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, blogging, reading, and sending off a few tweets on Twitter when she can. She writes new adult fiction romance in the sub-genres of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary, but really, anywhere her pen takes her she goes.
Author Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Cheers,
Congrats Victoria on your latest releases. The Incandescence cover is my favourite.
Congratulations, Victoria! Cool covers.