Book Promo ~ Burning Blood by Daniel De Lorne

No one gets to choose who they spend eternity with.

Aurelia d’Arjou has vampires for brothers, but it is as a witch that she comes into her own power, keeping balance and control, using her strength to mitigate the death and pain that her brothers bring. When she is forced to take on the centuries long task of keeping the world safe from the brutal demon that wore her father’s skin, duty dominates her life. But rare happiness comes in the form of a beguiling, flame-haired oracle who makes the perfect companion…but for one thing.

Hame doesn’t want to be an oracle, but when a demon destroys the closest thing to a father he has, he has little choice but to aid Aurelia with his visions. Unable to love her as she would wish, their centuries-old friendship comes under attack when a handsome Welsh witch enters his life – and his heart.

As treachery and betrayal push Hame to choose between his closest friend and his lover, it becomes clear that when it comes to war, love doesn’t always conquer all, and happy endings are never guaranteed.

EXCERPT

Aurelia jerked with the cart as the wheels rumbled over each bump in the road. Her muscles tensed as she tried to stay upright, but it was difficult with her hands shackled in front of her and chained to the floor through metal loops. She studied them. If she didn’t, she’d be forced to look up and see the faces of the screaming townsfolk of Carcassonne, people who’d once been her kin, as they shrieked for her to burn. If she looked up, they’d be the ones to dance in the flames, and right now she just wanted to get this over with.

An onion punched her in the left breast, as strong as a fist. Almost as strong as Henri’s. It stole the breath from her and she doubled over. More vegetables pelted her, some as hard as stones. Maybe they were. She couldn’t stand straight any longer. She’d have to take the remaining distance hunched over, protecting herself as much as possible and holding onto her will.

She could have done away with this in an instant. She could have scorched the earth around her, making a pyre of her own that would blaze through the vile villagers gathered here today to watch her go up in smoke.

Keep calm. This will all be over soon.

She focused on the floor of the cart, then on one plank of wood, then tighter on one small section of its worn grain. The sounds and cries around her muffled. She kept her concentration locked on one tiny, curled knot and poured her whole world into it. The vegetables, the rocks, the missiles continued, but they were as gnats on a summer’s night.

The cart lurched to a halt but she saved herself from tumbling. Calmer than she’d felt in a week, she raised herself upright. With all the majesty she could muster, she regarded the peasants she’d been forced to live amongst. She fixed her eye on Benoit, a tanner, poised ready to throw a turnip, but it slipped from his hand. The corner of her mouth curled.

She looked at the stake rising out of a pile of dried sticks. They would ignite with the barest of sparks and set her white smock aflame. She swallowed hard. For the first time since her sentencing, she felt uneasy about what was to happen next.

Out of the corner of her eye she spied the two priests in their vestments, moving towards the cart — and her. Their lips mumbled prayers to the Lord, old white-haired Père Laurens with the younger Guillaume beside him, both with their eyes bright and hungry for the spectacle of seeing God’s will be done. It had been weeks since their last burning.

One of the guards who’d led her cart untied her from the floor. He grunted, and pulled roughly on her rope, pitching her forward. Hating him for the loss of grace, she wished she were a more vengeful person. The things she could do to him…

Maybe I will when all this is done.

The pelting began again as she was brought to the pyre, and led up the steps to the stake. From this higher point she could see the crowd and how it swelled. The square heaved with people. Children on fathers’ shoulders. Women with their faces twisted. More of those who had once been her people roared for her execution.

Her stomach ached, not from lack of food, for she’d been provided for, as disgusting as it was, but from the hate surrounding her. She had once been among them and now was cast out forever. She found Simone, Violette and Marie, but she no longer knew them. Just as they no longer knew her.

The Aurelia they had known was gone; the girl with the raven hair and the brightness in her eyes that seemed a blessing from God, considering she lived with those men, her family, and with no mother. Well, maybe that explained it. She’d made a deal with the Devil because her mother had run away and left them behind.

To continue reading, purchase your copy of Burning Blood now from:

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Guest Post and Giveaway ~ Daniel de Lorne

It is my pleasure to welcome author Daniel de Lorne, to My Book Chatter today to chat about characters from his recent book Beckoning Blood...

Daniel de Lorne, In love with an extrovert called Olivier

Like most writers, I’m an introvert. That doesn’t mean I shun all forms of social interaction, I’m just selective about how I spend my time around others. I’ll go to parties but I probably won’t be the centre of attention, and I’ll tend to find one or two people to have a more in-depth conversation with.

In this respect, I’m a bit like Thierry, one of the main characters in my book Beckoning Blood. He’s the one who keeps out of sight, the overlooked one, and sometimes, completely invisible – literally. He likes the quiet life. Or at least he would, if his twin brother Olivier weren’t around.

Thierry, trailing behind, was almost invisible. And that’s how he liked it. While not totally see-through, he’d let his ability take over and faded into the background, no need for a smile he didn’t mean. It allowed him to cast his attention further afield, and see what was really going on.

Now, Olivier is an extrovert, most assuredly. In fact, he’s such an extrovert that people can’t help but be drawn to him. Call it magnetism. Call it charisma. Call it the unholy effects of vampiric blood. Whatever you call it, Olivier has it and the rest of us are slaves to its power.

Even me.

While the romance in Beckoning Blood is largely about Thierry’s lost love and how he reclaims it, a good part of the book is about the dynamics between the twin brothers. Because of their natures, it’s easier to be attracted to one more than the other. And for many (and me) that’s Olivier.

But don’t be fooled by his charm and how easy he is to love. He’s a psycho. Plain and simple. But aren’t all the best psychos the ones who barely have to do anything to make you fall under their spell?

Olivier had always been good at seduction. When he was human, both sexes were drawn to him without much persuasion, for better or worse, but now it radiated from him with the force of the sun. His voice, his eyes, his whole body was irresistible.

And sure, he murders a lot of people, taking sadistic glee in the process but when it comes to being ensnared by the bad boy, you’d be surprised how much you can justify away.

Olivier relished the sight of the terrified man. He loved the feeling of pressing down on this human, his arms strong enough to hold him in place without a thought, without the technical knowledge required to fire a gun, the precision with which to look, to measure the wind and the angle and to pre-empt the intentions of his prey. In comparison, this was blunt and primal, but far more pleasing.

Olivier was definitely the easier character to write. He’s got his problems, for sure. There’s a whole host of daddy issues going on, and if Thierry would just give in, then maybe Olivier would cut down on the slaughter. Maybe. But would we really want him to? And don’t we just a guy with problems because it makes us think he’s redeemable. Who knows? Maybe Olivier is. Only time will tell.

Beckoning Blood release date May 1, 2014

A gripping, blood‐drenched saga about twin brothers, the men they love, and the enduring truth that true love never dies – no matter how many times you kill it.

Thierry d’Arjou has but one escape from the daily misery of his work at a medieval abattoir – Etienne de Balthas. But keeping their love a secret triggers a bloody chain of events that condemns Thierry to a monstrous immortality. Thierry quickly learns that to survive his timeless exile, he must hide his sensitive heart from the man who both eases and ensures his loneliness...his twin brother.

Shaped by the fists of a brutal father, Olivier d’Arjou cares for only two things: his own pleasure and his twin. But their sadistic path through centuries is littered with old rivals and new foes, and Olivier must fight for what is rightfully his – Thierry, made immortal just for him.

You can read My Book Chatter's review here

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Daniel de Lorne writes mostly about the loves and trials of hot and sexy paranormal men – and creatures. He grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and developed a fascination for the mythical and magical early on. Daniel wrote stories from a young age but it was high school biology class he remembers fondly as providing an excellent cover for writing stories that were filled with teen angst and fantastical creatures. He now lives in Canada with his partner. It was while in this great northern frontier that Escape Publishing accepted his first book, Beckoning Blood, for publication.

For a free read, introducing you to the “heroes” of Daniel’s book, head to his website at www.danieldelorne.com/the-boys.

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Book Review ~ Beckoning Blood by Daniel de Lorne

Title: Beckoning Blood
Author: Daniel de Lorne
Release Date: May 1st 2014
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley
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A gripping, blood‐drenched saga about twin brothers, the men they love, and the enduring truth that true love never dies — no matter how many times you kill it.

Thierry d’Arjou has but one escape from the daily misery of his work at a medieval abattoir — Etienne de Balthas. But keeping their love a secret triggers a bloody chain of events that condemns Thierry to a monstrous immortality. Thierry quickly learns that to survive his timeless exile, he must hide his sensitive heart from the man who both eases and ensures his loneliness...his twin brother.

Shaped by the fists of a brutal father, Olivier d’Arjou cares for only two things: his own pleasure and his twin. But their sadistic path through centuries is littered with old rivals and new foes, and Olivier must fight for what is rightfully his – Thierry, made immortal just for him.

My Thoughts

Beckoning Blood starts off with some of the grittiest, gory scenes I’ve read in quite some time and I really loved it. Dark, dangerous and dirty; twins Thierry and Olivier know how to fight, how to keep secrets, and how to avoid their murderous father. Each with desires that could see them dead, living in a world full of fear and destruction, this paranormally linked pair struggle to stay alive in the squalor of 1390’s Carcassonne.

Really great writing and a story that gripped me from the start, Beckoning Blood was intriguing and mysterious and wrapped in all the sultry tones of an M/M romance full of twists and turns. Beckoning Blood covers different moments in time and places and I found myself really enjoying this raw, no-holds-barred story.

There were however, a couple of moments when the story became a little stilted and I found myself tempted to skim a few pages, but it would soon pick up again and I’d be thrust amongst another tremulous situation of treachery and jealousy.

Beckoning Blood is a centuries old roller coaster ride that spans the globe, full of debauchery, love, mystery and intrigue and I really enjoyed its rough and somewhat risqué story. I’ll happily read further books in this series - 4 Stars.

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