Exile in Darkness
by Annalisa Carr
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Heritage and magic matter to the London covens.
Aristocratic witch, Isabella Pethany, has heritage but not magic.

Underworld powerbroker, amnesiac vampire Maldit, has magic but no heritage.

Lukas Sindis, coven sorcerer and famous psychopath, has both.

Isabella knows her null magic status makes her an embarrassment to her family, but since Natalie, her sister, was murdered, she is all they have left. Guilt makes her willing to do almost anything to compensate for her lack of value, but her grandmother’s proposal to match her with Lukas, in an attempt to bring strong magic back to their bloodline, is a step too far.

When Maldit rescues a strange witch from hunting vampires, his main concern is to limit trouble in his territory. Everyone knows witches are troublesome, and this one is no exception. Her proximity slashes through his damaged memory, allowing him to catch glimpses of his forgotten past.

Drugs have suppressed Lukas’s magic for almost twenty years, filling him with a reservoir of trapped power. When he escapes, his magic flies free, washing over Maldit and Isabella, and clearing away the spells paralysing both of them.

The dark secrets of the London coven are about to explode into the light of day.

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Excerpt

“What do you think you’re doing?” As soon as they were in the taxi, Daisy started on her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Isabella folded her arms, hunched her shoulders and huddled in her corner of the back seat.
“Don’t lie to me. You let that vampire kiss you. Are you insane?” Spiralling strands of pale hair rose like a halo around Daisy’s face. “And he came to your house. He knows where you live.”
“Your ponytail’s coming undone.”
“Isabella!” Daisy’s voice rose to a screech.
“I like him.” She hadn’t even reached the stage of admitting it to herself yet. Daisy was a pain in the ass. Isabella had never understood how such loud noises emerged from such a small person.
“He’s a vampire.”
“Maybe.”
“A vampire, Izzy. The same species you just told me killed your sister. What happens if he bites you again? What happens if you get addicted? What if—”
“Daisy—”
Daisy blew out an impatient breath. “I can see he’s absolutely gorgeous. Those cheekbones… I’d like to paint him, but for goodness sake, Izzy. You kissed him.”
“All right. I get what you’re saying.” Daisy’s rapidly rising voice made her head ache. “But he’s not like that. And he might help find out who killed Natalie. I need to know.”
“So you’ll see him again? Even if he’s likely to kill you?”
“He’s not going to kill me. He saved my life and anyway, like I said, it might as well be him as Lukas Sindis.”
“And what do expect to get from him? That kiss wasn’t about your sister. Are you looking for a fling?”
“I—”
“Vampires don’t do sex. Remember? Xenobiology level 1? They bite.”

Author Bio

Annalisa Carr lives in the English Lake District, where she shares a view of the fells with three cats. She spent the early part of her life working as a protein crystallographer, a job she found fascinating. She now spends her time writing, in a variety of genres. Science Fiction, fantasy and fantasy romance are her favourites.

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Guest Post

Please welcome Exile in Darkness author Annalisa Carr to Diane’s Book Blog.

My Favourite Books

This is such a hard question – there are so many, and what’s more, the list changes with time, so at any moment the list is a snapshot of what I’m reading, and what’s stayed with me over the years.

The Lord of The Rings by J R R Tolkien is a book that’s enthralled me since I was thirteen years old. Heroism, adventure, world-building, engaging characters, the book has it all. Of course, I read it differently now, and see more of its faults (it has no well-rounded female characters, for example), but I still love the story and reread it every few years.

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer is a brilliant feel-good Regency romance. Like most of her novels, it sparkles with humour, historical detail and romance. Both hero and heroine are likeable, with believable flaws and the ending is satisfying. I love Georgette Heyer’s gentle humour, her three-dimensional characters and her superb plots. I like her detective novels too.

Palace Walk (The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz) is the first novel in the ‘Cairo Trilogy’, a story of an Egyptian family in the first decades of the twentieth century. It’s a story that is both a family saga, a political novel, and a historical epic, describing life in Cairo during the British occupation, the world wars and independence. The charm of the books lies in the brilliantly drawn characters, the tyrannical patriarch, his gentle wife, and the five very different children, whose lives diverge as they reach adulthood. It was engrossing (and it won a Nobel prize for literature).

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie is another feel-good romance. Most of Jennifer Crusie’s romances are fun, satisfying reads. They are full of humour, quirky characters and great descriptions of small town life. I return to them whenever the weather is miserable and I need cheering up.

Bitten (or practically anything by Kelley Armstrong). Great characters and great plots in the Otherworld series. I liked her thrillers as well.

Magic Bites (or anything by Ilona Andrews). The Kate Daniels series and its spinoffs is currently my favourite urban fantasy series. They have brilliant plots and realistic characters, as well as a streak of humour running through them.

The Hollows series by Kim Harrison is another urban fantasy series I loved. It seems to have come to an end now – hugely missed.

Moon Called (the whole Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs). Yet another urban fantasy series (there’s a bit of a theme here). I’ve just reread all the books as well as the Alpha and Omega spinoffs.

Shards of Honour (The Vorkosigan series by Lois Bujold McMasters) is a character driven science fiction/space opera series. Its main protagonist, Miles, suffers from brittle bone syndrome after his mother was poisoned during her pregnancy. Miles is one of the most charismatic (and annoying) heroes I’ve met in science fiction.

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. This is another family saga set in India. It’s personal and political, and romantic as Lata’s mother searches for a suitable husband for her daughter.

Finally, books which have stayed with me for years – Anne of Green Gables, The Silver Sword, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Titus Groan and loads more.

Please share your favourites and recommendations with me....