That said, yes, there's a new release!!!
I'm so proud of this book. Previously published with Ellora's Cave Blush/Cerridwen Press as Rhiannon's Pride, it's taken a little work to revise and revamp it, not only with a new title Pride, but with more detail, more action, more of a paranormal feel without losing the historical setting, the Italian Renaissance. Please note, that it's the second of a multi-book series. And, though four came out through Cerridwen Press/Blush, plans are in the works for several more stories.
As with Persuasion, available now at Amazon, Kobo, Nook B&N, iBooks, and Scribd, Pride is a historical and every attempt was made to be certain that proper address, detail, words, and fashion is correct, though because The Abcynians are an ancient race they tend to be more advanced than their human counterparts about Florence, England, and Europe.
Also, characters from Persuasion return in Pride. While Dante and Rhiannon's story unfolds, their romance is unique to them, but as a reader, you may find reading Book I helpful. Both are set at reasonable prices and easy to download to your favorite reading device.
Link to Pride, The Abcynians Book II
For Nook B&N, Kobo, iBooks, and Scribd follow an easy link: books2read.com/u/mVZ7AA
For Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0744196VX
To learn more, take a look at the blurb and a short excerpt!
They have lived for
centuries. An ancient, secretive race of were-panthers faced with near
extinction. To assure their survival they must conceal their identities and
abilities, while protecting mankind from an unimaginable, primordial evil.
Pride: The Abcynians,
Book II
Plagued
by headaches and memory loss after a life-threatening injury, Rhiannon has
spent years confined behind the walls of a decrepit castle. When a loathsome
earl attempts to earn her favor with an extravagant painting, she is inexplicably
drawn to its depiction of an ancient, mythical race. Believing the Florentine
artist could be the key to unlocking her past, she and her maid escape, hoping
to enlist his aid. Upon reaching the Piazza della Signoria months later, she is
unaware that the handsomest man amongst the lavish merchants is the one she
seeks.
Dante
Luciano is considered the most renowned artist of his time. His patrons are
wealthy and powerful. His charm and prowess with women legendary. Yet, as the
adopted son of the king of his kind, he must guard his secrets. For he
possesses the heart and soul of a panthera prince, therefore, able to shift
into a lion. Taken by the discovery of a rare Abcynian female nearby, he
recognizes her as his destined mate. Discovering Rhiannon is stricken with debilitating
pain, he takes her home, providing the remedies, protection, and knowledge she
needs to survive.
While she heals, they fall in love, beginning to
plan a future together. However, when her memory returns, imminent danger looms.
It’ll take all of Dante’s abilities and the Abcynians to save Rhiannon from a
vicious, beastly foe.In the following excerpt, Dante meets Rhiannon for the first time!
Dante Luciano searched the crowded piazza
for Paolo Arrigo. Fortunately, he had already caught the boy’s scent.
Spotting his youngest apprentice hiding near a prosperous English
merchant, he hurried through the crowd. “Paolo, there you are. It is good that
I have found you,” he greeted in English so the man would not misunderstand his
intent. “Why did you run?”
“Master,” Paolo grumbled, looking away as Dante stared down at him. “I
spilled blue powder. I did not mean to make you angry. I’d hoped to replace
it.”
Dante placed his hand on Paolo’s stooped shoulder, guiding the boy away
from the merchant, who’d taken notice of their conversation.
“Accidents occur,” Dante said. “Next time do your best. It is all I
require of you.”
“It was lapis lazuli, not azurite, Master Luciano,” Paolo
confessed.
“The loss of powder matters less to me than the loss of an apprentice.
You’ve great promise.”
“Are you certain? I will return home, if you wish.”
Studying Paolo’s tiny body, Dante could not let the boy come to harm. “There
is a place for you in my workshop. I’d like you to stay.” He meant to say more,
but something new and interesting caught his other half’s notice. Underneath
his tunic, his skin warmed, responding to whatever it was that lay just beyond
his reach.
Lifting his head, he looked about, inhaling a woman’s
scent that was both different to him and familiar, hinting she may be one of
his own kind. The piazza was filled
with signori, merchants, and
travelers seeking a glimpse at the artwork commissioned by Florence’s prominent
leaders.
“Paolo, return to the workshop. I will speak with you later.”
The boy obeyed, allowing Dante to concentrate on searching the piazza. Trusting his superior sense of
smell, he ignored the heavy perfumes and gum arabic Florentine women tended to
use in their hair. This woman’s scent was appealing to the man and the panthera
leo that he was.
As he progressed toward the Palazzo
Vecchio, his gaze raked the crowd, alighting upon the back of an
Englishwoman. Her cassia and honeyed scent became stronger, drawing him to a
sudden halt.
The mark etched upon his chest became as hot as embers, telling him much.
She was so much more than an Englishwoman. Si,
she was Abcynian. And, she well could be his.
Unlike Florentine women and servants who wore fabrics conveying their
household’s status, she wore a faded brown dress with a linen apron. Her pale
blonde hair was confined beneath a plain linen coif. How long would her tresses
be, he wondered?
Incredibly, she was much taller than the other women in the courtyard.
What worried him most right then was that she appeared too thin and he sensed
she’d either been ill or she’d gone hungry too long.
Frowning, Dante moved close enough to pounce should she attempt to run,
and far enough away to observe her without detection. As he watched, he
realized why her scent, mannerisms, and movements were not the same as the
Abcynian females he’d known in the past.
She was the offspring of a converted panthera leo pair. Had she been
full-blooded, he’d have sensed her the moment she stepped into the piazza. As she would’ve sensed him.
Drawing nearer, Dante found himself hesitating to introduce himself. If
he spoke to her in the way of their kind, and she acknowledged him, he would
claim her as his mate by right of Abcynian law.
Being mated meant he could no longer take another lover. Whether they
were heavy or slight, tall or short, merchant or servant, he loved women. Their
uniqueness and beauty touched his artist’s soul, making him long to become as
masterful bedding them as he was with a paintbrush and chisel.
He’d lived two hundred and forty-two years. Forty-two of them as an
Elder. Was it right to have one woman and ignore the rest?
With a start, his concerns became inconsequential when she turned. Lifting
her chin, she revealed her face, reminding Dante of the first time he’d seen a
woman naked. Back then he’d been unable do anything other than stare like a
hapless youth.
This woman was neither naked nor pleasantly attired, but she was
beautiful with skin the color of honey and pale blonde hair that he longed to
uncover. Her face was blessed with the high cheekbones and elegant straight
nose of a lioness, a firm though feminine chin, and a lush mouth that made him
groan. Her lips were as ripe and plump as berries, begging for a man’s
kiss.
Yet, it wasn’t her beauty that caught his heart. It was her eyes. They
were pure, haunting amber, hinting of a woman’s vulnerability, and a lioness’
curiosity. In that moment, all other women ceased to exist.
Unwilling to delay further, Dante spoke to her with his mind. Bella, per favore viene.
Waiting, he watched her look over at an older English maid. “Mary, I
think someone spoke to me,” she said.
Her voice hummed like the strings of a harpsicord, resonate, melodic,
soothing his lion’s soul as nothing and no one ever had. Smiling, Dante walked
toward her, continuing to speak in the way of Abcynian mates. Come si chiama, bella?
She
looked about, searching the crowd. Her pretty scowl sent desire pooling low and
deep in his groin. Surprised at how quickly he responded to her, he reminded
himself to be patient. Right then, he realized she didn’t recognize another
Abcynian.
