- Title: Double Alchemy: Climax (Double Alchemy Book #2)
- Author: Susan Mac Nicol
- Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
- Release Date: 22nd May, 2014
- Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance
Guestpost:
I’m very much a person for looking forward. I try not to live in the past and when today is over, that’s it. You can’t get it back, you can’t change it so why bother. Instead all you could do is learn from the milliseconds that have passed then go out and try and make today better or at the very least, stay out of trouble. Having said that, there are some rather funny incidents in my past that make me chuckle when I reflect back on them.
One of them was my very first day on a new job, in the middle of the suburb of Hillbrow, in Johannesburg, SA. Hillbrow then was a teeming metropolitan city, full of concrete buildings, very vibey African stalls and the inevitable beggars . I’d been at my new job with the unlikely named ‘Taj Mahal Jewellers’ for the rather paltry time of three hours, working the outdated switchboard, cutting my boss, Mr, Himelsein, (who looked like Danny de Vito) off about half a dozen times as I learnt which lead to plug where. His partner and lady friend, Ms. Greengar, hissed at me to be more careful. She was a fairly large and imposing presence and I was pretty scared of her.
I decided to take a break from thoroughly irritating my new boss and his partner with my miserable efforts to be like Mary Printz, (you can read about her here http://nyti.ms/QWYJHz ) and went out to buy a sandwich at a nearby shop.
I managed to get there, buy my bacon and avocado baguette and started to make my way back to the office. There was one problem. I couldn’t remember where it was. Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you that I have a shocking sense of direction. My husband says if he simply puts me on the opposite of a street that I’ve just walked down, I wouldn’t have a clue where I was. That is true and I cannot in all honesty dispute that.
So I wandered up and down the busy Hillbrow streets, walking from one street corner to the next (I bet some of you are familiar with where this is going now) and generally getting more and more nervous that I was going to be late back. The formidable Ms. Greengar would not have taken that lightly.
Imagine my consternation when a man sidled up to me and engaged me in conversation.
“How much?” he hissed at me out of the corner of his mouth as he looked around him furtively.
I looked down at the bacon and avocado baguette I held in my hand.
“Err, about two rand fifty,” I stammered and he blinked, looking at me as if I was the crazy one.
“Jussus. That’s cheap.” he said doubtfully but with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
I blinked back. By now I was getting the impression the sandwich was not what he was interested in. I could feel my hands grow clammy and I stepped back.
“Are we talking about the sandwich?” I whispered feebly. He stepped back, light dawning in his eyes as he realised he might just have made a terrible faux pas.
“No. I wasn’t talking about the sandwich,” he stammered. “Forget it, I’m sorry. I think made a mistake.”
The man turned tail and walked as quickly as he could in the opposite direction leaving me with a baguette and a distinct feeling of both relief and pride. Relief that I had escaped unscathed from what could have been a very tricky situation and pride that someone had actually offered to pay for my –ahem- services.
Needless to say, I did eventually find my way back to the office, I was late, I continued to cut Mr. Himelsein off and eventually they promoted me to the large walk in safe at the back of the jewellery manufacturing section to look after the lovely sparkly bits of jewels, gold and silver that the artisans used to make the jewellery. This was definitely more my forte.
Blurb:
Powerful modern warlock Quinn Fairmont found ecstasy with the silver-eyed and not-quite-human Cade Mairston, but to know true happiness the pair must best both the shadow of a long-ago lover and an ancient enemy who seeks to destroy love, light and all they hold dear.
A BLINDING LIGHT
It begins with a Book of Shadows discovered by a London coven. The grimoire is as dangerous as it is rare, which is why it evokes modern-day warlock Quinn Fairmont’s desire. He collects objects of great power and beauty—like his lover, Cade Mairston.
Against all odds he and Cade found each other, but their perils have just begun. First is the ex-lover who once held Quinn in thrall. And, someone has been killing warlocks. Could it be one of his own kind? There are those too who would challenge Quinn’s power in their quest to overthrow him as Grand Master. Or is the danger something darker, something invoked inadvertently, rising from the shadows, building from the very inside of a man until it brings an end with a quick flash of light? Of the truth, the surface has only been scratched. Now Quinn and Cade must go deeper and find both answers and an end. They must learn what lurks in the hearts of men…and whether it seeks to love or destroy.
Double Alchemy: Climax Excerpt
Quinn’s eyes flashed violently at his uncle. “I am not fucking losing him to the depths of a bloody Hampstead Heath pond.”
He knelt down beside Cade again, closing his eyes as he tried once more to heal, but the wound just kept seeping blood, now at a much slower rate than before. Cade’s face was ash white, his dark hair standing out starkly against the deathly pallor of his face.
Quinn. Your Cade is nearly gone. You have to put him in the water now before it is too late. There is no time for your modern medicine. He will not survive unless you do it now. The Water Sprites will take him and heal him as long as there is still a spark of life left in him.
“I can’t. Don’t ask me to do that. I can’t.” Quinn’s voice was strangled as he struggled to compose himself. His body was cold, his mind sluggish and he had never felt so desperate.
Daniel strode forward and despite his small and wiry frame, he picked Cade up in his arms. He looked at Quinn, his voice resolute. “He’s dying. This may be the only way to save him.”
Quinn growled and reached out with a hand to hold him back. Daniel sidestepped him and looked at him with a resolute expression. “You can hurt me if you want but it won’t help Cade. This is all we have left to try before he dies.”
Quinn’s hand still gripped him tightly and the older man winced.
“If anyone is going to do this, it’s going to be me.” Quinn’s voice cracked and he held out his arms. Wordlessly, Daniel placed Cade in Quinn’s outstretched arms and Quinn pulled his lover closer to his body. He walked down to the water’s edge and waded in as Daniel watched helplessly from the bank, his face stark. Quinn gently laid Cade down in the water. He seemed to float for a while, hair spreading about in the water like black smoke. His face was still, eyes closed as Quinn held tightly onto his cold hand, rubbing his thumb over the engagement ring. Quinn’s vision blurred as tears filled his eyes.
You need to let Cade go. Let him join his kind below the water. Trust me.
Taliesin’s voice was soft, compassionate. Quinn heaved a shuddering sigh as Daniel joined him in the water, laying a comforting arm on his.
“I can’t—” Quinn shook his head in grief, his heart breaking.
His uncle took hold of his shoulders, firmly holding him back. “There’s no other way, son. Let him go.”
Quinn relinquished his grip on Cade’s hand, standing there as he heard a soft splash and saw the water rippling around them. As they watched, two sets of pale hands emerged out of the water, and slowly, lovingly, Cade was dragged gently beneath the dark waters of the pond. Quinn saw the hand with his ring on it slowly disappear under the water. It was the last glimpse he had of the man he loved.
Praise for Double Alchemy (Book #1)
“I love Paranormal stories & I’m a huge fan of Susan Mac Nicol’s M/M books. In this book, she brings both genres together & gives us this amazing story. With her master storytelling, she takes us into the mystical & magical world of Witches, Warlocks, Withinners & Feys. A world where danger lurks in the shadows.” – Maria Recchia
“I stayed up all night reading this story. Susan has a way of writing that is different than anyone else. She’s uniquely brilliant at weaving a tale that brings out my emotions. I have laughed in every one of her stories. That’s incredible for me. Not just a smile, but a laugh. I love that. This book needs to be read. You won’t be disappointed.” – Author Kindle Alexander
“Susan Mac Nicol has created a complex and fully realized fantasy world…. Quinn is the star of this novel, taking out the bad guy and learning how to trust in Cade’s love enough to share his unsavory past.” Library Journal
“I completely loved this beautifully and highly detailed written Paranormal story! This wasn’t a predictable story by any means. How Susan Mac Nicol takes us on a ride through this very creative and engrossing world that you will not forget, anytime soon and will be wanting more and more of it. I am a huge fan of this author and Double Alchemy, doesn’t disappoint by any means at all. I highly recommend this hot, steamy, love, paranormal and so beautifully written story!” Paul Berry
“Susan Mac Nicol brings us another sexilicious m/m romance but also takes us into a magyckal world of Warlocks, Withinners, Fae, Witchfinders and Witches… I loved the combination of the magyck and the m/m romance storyline. I am so glad Ms Mac Nicol is not keeping us waiting as the second book in the series will be released 22nd May 2014. I highly recommended this book to read and is an absolute five star rating from me.” Foxylutely Book Reviews
Praise for Susan Mac Nicol
“We have to re-iterate that this Author will always be an automatic one-click for us. Her writing is flawless and her flawed characters are completely lovable. There’s always something quirky and fun in her stories as well as drama, angst and heaps of passion! We can highly recommend!!” – Gitte & Jenny – Totally Booked Blog
“Susan has been hailed as a genius writer of male/male literature. Her Saving Alexander has been nominated for several awards and has been reviewed widely. Congrats on all your success, Susan. You have earned it.” – Gay Lit Authors
Purchase links for DOUBLE ALCHEMY (Book #1)
Boroughs Publishing Group | Amazon: US, UK, CA, AU
Purchase links for DOUBLE ALCHEMY: CLIMAX (Book #2)
About Susan Mac Nicol :
Susan Mac Nicol was born in Leeds, UK, and left for South Africa when she was eight. She returned to the UK thirty years later and now lives in Essex. Her debut novel Cassandra by Starlight, the first in a trilogy, was published last year by Boroughs Publishing Group in the US. Sue’s latest story, Double Alchemy: Climax is her sixth m/m romance.
Sue has written since she was very young, and never thought she would see herself becoming a Romance writer, being a horror/psychological thriller reader all her life. But the Romance genre is now something very close to her heart and she intends continuing the trend.
Sue is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Romantic Novelists Association here in the UK.
Susan Mac Nicol is also author of The Magick of Christmas, Confounding Cupid, Cassandra by Starlight, Together in Starlight, Stripped Bare, Saving Alexander, Worth Keeping, Waiting for Rain and Double Alchemy.
Social Links: Website | Blog| Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest
Official Tour Page: http://authoressentials.virtualwritersinc.com/2014/04/double-alchemy-climax-by-susan-mac-nicol/
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1496356080577818/
Book Trailer:
An e-copy of DOUBLE ALCHEMY & an e-copy THE GIFT OF MAGIC
I have read several of Susan’s books and can honestly say I enjoyed if not loved all of them! I would love to win a copy as I haven’t read this one 😉
I haven’t YET read any of Ms Mac Nichols books, but intend to rectify the omission as soon as possible.
This is a new to me author….can’t wait to read these books!
I have not read any of Susan’s books. Adding to my list.
This is a new to me author. I have though, heard good things about this series. I look forward to reading.
What a hilarious story, Susan! Your life’s adventures surely must give you plenty of colorful background for your storytelling! This was great! 🙂
I am loving this series. I read the first book and gave been eager to read this one.
Thanks for being a part of Susan’s tour!