Soulfire
The
Nightwing Series #1
Juliette
Cross
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Kensington
Publishing/Lyrical Press
Date of Publication: October 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61650-561-5
ASIN:
Number of pages: 109
Word Count: 32K
Cover Artist: Renee Rocco
Book Description:
In a world divided by prejudice
and hatred, only love can bridge the chasm.
Tensions are rising in the
Gladium Province. The boundary between humans and Morgons has begun to blur.
While the human aristocracy strives to maintain distance between their
daughters and the dragon-hybrid race, fate has other plans.
As the daughter of the corporate
king, Jessen Cade is duty-bound to honor her arranged marriage to a man she
detests. Feeling trapped by family duty and a loveless future, she longs for
more, straying to the Morgon side of the city.
Lucius Nightwing is the eldest
son of the powerful Morgon clan, and the greatest enemy of Jessen’s father.
When a bar-room brawl thrusts Jessen into his arms, his dragon roars to the
surface, craving to sate his carnal hunger in the brown-eyed beauty. The beast
in Lucius recognizes her as his own, even if the man refuses to admit the
truth.
Available at Kensington
Excerpt:
Prologue
Thousands of
years ago, Radomis, the dragon king of the North, took flight on the last full
moon of winter. Beating great, black wings, he soared away from his mountainous
kingdom, lured by some unknown force to the sultry lands in the west where
humans dwelled. Dragons and humans had always lived apart.
On this same
night, Princess Morga honored the fertility rite of bathing under the full moon
the night before her wedding. As she stepped from the natural steaming pool,
rivulets of water glistened over milk-pale skin, ebony hair slicked over her
breasts and down her back. The dragon king saw her. Instant desire ensnared his
beastly heart. He descended.
Shifting into
human form, a man of might and beauty, he murdered her guards and handmaidens.
Horrified, Morga could do nothing when the dragon king took her in his arms,
hard lust in cold eyes. The moment his tongue licked into her mouth, she felt
the burning of soulfire—the dragon elixir meant for his one and only mate.
Golden heat melted through blood and bone, filling her with euphoric pleasure,
bonding her to him forever.
Radomis took her
on the ground among bloody bodies and moon-shadows, intent to sate his hunger.
One night would never be enough. Shifting into dragon form, he carried her in
his claws back to his kingdom. She would be his queen, trapped in a gilded cage
of opulence as the object of his endless desire.
From their
union, a child was born—an abomination. A human body with dragon wings and
dragon strength. The boy, Larkos, was outcast among dragonkind, including his
father. Only Morga showed him any love.
When Larkos
reached manhood, he wielded his rage with an avenging sword, tracking and
killing all of dragonkind. Even in beast form, his father could not match him,
finally falling to the forgotten son’s sword. What Larkos did not know was that
soulfire bonded his loving mother to the beast in such a way that when his
dragon-heart stopped beating, so did hers.
This is the tale
I’d been told when my body began changing from child to woman, a warning for
young girls to beware of Morgon men.
“Never stray
from your own kind, Jessen,” my mother would say, “or you could end up like
Princess Morga, a slave and outcast to be abhorred.”
The problem was,
I’d never been a very obedient daughter. Never the one to do exactly as I was
told. And fairy tales have no meaning when the stars align and Fortune spins
her wheel, weaving her own story for your heart.
About
the Author:
Juliette calls lush, moss-laden
Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating
mystical settings for her stories.
She has a B.A. in creative
writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was
privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school.
Her love of mythology, legends,
and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read
JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding
characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes.
Even then, she not only longed to
read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.
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Guest Post
Please welcome author Juliette Cross to Diane's Book Blog with today's guest post.
The Leading Men We Love to Love
by Juliette Cross
Because I like to analyze and title just about everything (neurotic reader/writer that I am),
I’ve analyzed and labeled each of the various, yummy types of men that make us
swoon, giggle, and want to leap through the page, punch out the heroine, and
take her place. As an alpha-loving girl, you'll find my favorite leading men
tend to lean toward the aggressive type. Sorry, beta girls. Still, I think
there’s a book boyfriend out there for everyone. Let’s take a look at a few
archetypes, shall we?
MR. SNARK:
Devastatingly
handsome, smoldering smile, and sarcastic with a bite—all of which makes you
want to slap him or kiss him. Probably both, in that order. Why does he
intrigue us so much? Well, hell, just look at that smirk! And you never know
what’s really going on behind those scintillating looks (but we can pretty much
guess). *gasp*
*Examples: Edward Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE; Dorian
the Fairy King in Richelle Mead’s DARK SWAN series
PRINCE CHARMING:
Golden good looks
with sparkling eyes and a smile that makes you melt into a pile of goo. This
guy is exactly what his title suggests—all charm and sparkling wit. Though he
may sometimes have a devious edge, he tends to be a more light-hearted leading
man. But don’t let that pretty smile fool you; he’ll defend his lady love till
the death then carry her off into the sunset (or nearest castle).
*Examples: Prince Charming, of course; Jamie Fraser from Gabaldon’s THE
OUTLANDER series
THE BAD BOY:
Do—Not—Mess—With—Him.
Seriously, ladies, this man does not play games. And if he does, he'll always
win. And the loser (you) will probably end up blindfolded and bound to a bed
awaiting his "punishment." Eeek!
He’s all kinds of hot, and I promise
you, you’re bound to get burned. His badass temperament is no joke. That’s just
who he is. And don’t ever delude yourself with the idea of changing him. So why
does this terrifying man attract us so much? I don’t know. Why is the moth
drawn to the flame? We just can’t help it. We want to feel the burn.
*Examples: Ryodan from Karen Marie Moning’s FEVER series and recently
published ICED; Christian Grey in James’ 50 SHADES OF GREY
HOPELESSLY DEVOTED:
This guy will take
a beating and keep on ticking. No matter what idiotic thing our heroine does,
he will remain steadfast and true, almost to a fault. Not much more to say
about him. Beat him, abuse him, betray him. He’ll keep sniffing around the
honey pot. He can’t help himself.
*Examples: Edward Cullen in the TWILIGHT series and Jacob in
the TWILIGHT series (Funny, but true.)
THE PREDATOR:
Animal—pure and
simple. Look out, because this one’s got night vision and he’s stalking you
with stealth. Sometimes, he likes to play with his prey. He’ll cage you into
corners and smile while doing it, making your heart beat right out of your
chest or just stop altogether. Just like The Bad Boy, this one is lethal, so
BEWARE. While The Bad Boy and the Predator are closely
related, one is certainly more beast than the other.
*Examples: Barrons from Karen Marie Moning’s FEVER series; Hawke from Nalini
Singh’s KISS OF SNOW.
STRONG,
SILENT TYPE:
All business, this
one. And, man, can he brood. Though sometimes viewed as cold and
arrogant the way he keeps his distance, he’s just calculating. Be careful of
the quiet ones, because when he finally unleashes his hidden emotions . . . ohhh,
baby!
*Examples: Riley from Nalini Singh’s BRANDED BY FIRE and Mr.
Darcy from Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.
Thank you, Diane,
for having me on today. It’s been a pleasure. J
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