Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Courting Nightfall by Amanda Meuwissen
Zen is a half dark elf in a world that hates him, protected by being raised by the Order of the Sun to become a priest. He longs for a different life with a mysterious, beautiful man he only glimpses in dreams. After encountering an adventuring party, Zen is drawn to accompany them to destroy a fabled vampire lord, but the pull he feels toward those lands might be more fated than he realizes.
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“Once, long ago,” Morty began, hunched toward Zen and wildly animated, like telling a campfire story to children, “hundreds—no, a thousand—years ago, there was a human lord very near here, who ruled over a fief with its border neighboring Daxos.
“His lands were vast, including a sprawling castle and many villages and valleys. The humans of Aerie hated outsiders then. Well, more so than they do now. Half anythings were treated even worse than whispers and glares, but it was the dark elves who were considered evil and driven off. That much I’m sure you know, but the king demanded of all his lords that if they discovered dark elves after that, or darklings like yourself, they were to be killed on sight.”
“All of them?” Zen felt his stomach drop.
“Every last one, out of fear for the Dark Goddess. The dark elves worship her, you know. And giants.”
Dante grinned, and Zen couldn’t tell if the expression meant he worshipped her as well or if he was only joking.
It was common knowledge that dark elves and giants worshipped the Lady of Chaos, but no one related to one of those races would ever admit the same, not in Aerie, where the Sun God High Priest in the capitol held power only second to the king.
“Now, this lord, a human named Gaian Seraph,” Morty continued, “was a good man, honorable. He refused to follow the king’s order. Over time, he even made a sanctuary for dark elves and darklings, for any halfs nearby, on his own lands. He built a wall, not only out of stone but as a magical barrier, for he was a powerful wizard, not just a noble with lands and title.
“While it’s said he truly believed in the cause of treating everyone equally, regardless of birth or worship, he’d also fallen in love with a darkling rogue.”
Zen leaned forward to mirror Morty, utterly entranced.
“This darkling was a true hero. He’d roam the lands, helping smuggle people into the safety of the barrier, risking himself to help others who were hunted. But, as you can imagine, the king and the neighboring lords weren’t happy with Gaian and his darkling lover. They couldn’t penetrate the barrier, even with their most powerful wizards, but the darkling often ventured outside of it to do his duty and, as good as he was, one day he was caught.
“The king’s men left his head at the edge of the barrier, and Gaian went rightly mad. He promised they would pay and that he would find a way to bring his lover back. To prolong his own life, it’s said he turned to the Dark Goddess, and she made him a powerful vampire like none other, for he still had all his magic.
“Slowly his madness and his new dark powers cursed his lands and people. They’re all monsters now, the few humans and other races remaining only raised to be cattle to feed his horde, as he continues to look for a way to bring his lover back and to enact his vengeance on this kingdom.
“They say the Sun God condemned him further, since the Lord of Law abhors vampires, and made it so that Gaian is a prisoner in his own barrier, unable to leave. Until recently, that is. All these attacks are signs that the barrier is weakening. Resurrected love or no, Lord Gaian will have his revenge, and it is already beginning.”
Zen took in a loud breath, not realizing he’d been holding it. His hands were on his knees as he remained leaning forward, waiting for some sort of epilogue, but Morty simply sat back with a satisfied smirk.
To celebrate Amanda’s new release, we are giving you a chance to win an 2 e-copies of Courting Nightfall!
About the Author:
Amanda Meuwissen is a bisexual, happily married, and self-proclaimed geek. Primarily an M/M romance author with a focus on urban fantasy, she has a Bachelor of Arts in a personally designed Creative Writing major from St. Olaf College and is an avid consumer of fiction through film, prose, and video games. Amanda lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her husband, John, and their cat, Helga. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. For more information, visit amandameuwissen.com.
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