Knight Moves Giveaway Winner

It looks like the new year is off to a great start! Thanks so much for being a part of our release this week. But now it's time to pick the winner for giveaway, and the winner is...

Sula!

I have your email, so expect to hear from us soon.

Don't forget to stop by in February for our Something's Coming pax, five stories all about tarots and fortunes. See you then!

Tender Is the Knight by K-lee Klein

I had never written any sort of historical story before I wrote Tender is the Knight, and to be perfectly honest, I was more than a little intimidated. I'm not afraid of research or trying to get my facts straight, but obviously historical accuracy is very important in undertaking a specific period in time.

Details can make or break a story whether it's contemporary, historical, paranormal, etc., so adding aspects like food, color, material and specific names for clothing, are always important. You'd think that doing research would be a breeze on the Internet with so many options, so many sites, and so many supposedly official opinions, but sometimes too many sources can be detrimental.

One of the most difficult things for me was figuring out how my characters would talk—the words they'd use, the ones they wouldn't, how they would address others, even how they would speak in a more intimate situation. It got to the point where I felt hopelessly stuck before I even began. Eventually I pulled on my big girl panties and sought out a source that, though not the right country or even time frame, was somewhat similar in formal speech and very familiar to me—anything and everything to do with Alexander the Great.

You see, I became hopelessly addicted to the great Alexander and his childhood friend and lifetime lover, Hephaistion, when I saw the movie then started reading fanfiction. Eventually I wrote some of own, but I also enjoyed the research part of it. I devoured anything to do with Xander and Phai, and in some strange way, my addiction got me over the hump in dealing with Tristan and Clayne in Medieval England. And it really wasn't such a chore to have to watch Colin Farrell and Jared Leto speaking to each other. Rawr.

Despite all my new and old research, I did cheat a little. Tender is the Knight is set in a universe similar to Camelot and King Arthur so I did get to play with some of the facts just a wee bit. Hopefully it all came out good in the wash, and my first semi-historical story will find someone who enjoys it. Cheers.

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Tender Is the Knight by K-lee Klein is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

He’s Out of his Mind and… Out of Time by A.J. Llewellyn

I have always loved knights. Like many kids, I grew up watching classic movies and one of the first I can recall was Ivanhoe. I adored Robert Taylor both in the TV series, The Detectives, and as the knight Ivanhoe, shunned by his father, but ultimately the hero of the story.

When my grandma took me to the movies for double-features each Saturday, I enjoyed the cartoons that came on first, but loved the intense costume dramas that followed. I fantasized I was Rebecca, the Jewish woman Ivanhoe really loved (played by the luscious Elizabeth Taylor), but would have settled for being the Lady Rowena, the one traditions at the time dictated he should marry.

Ah, love. Knights! Honor! 

In 1982, while the rest of the world swooned over the amazingly successful Brideshead Revisted series and its teddy bear-hugging star, Anthony Andrews, I obsessed over his TV version of Ivanhoe. Once again I wanted to be Rebecca, but by then two things had happened. I’d begun to realize the men I picked were all deeply flawed and if my track record ran true to form I was more likely to land myself Wamba, the king’s court jester than Ivanhoe, or even the deliciously wicked Count de Bracy.

I’d also noticed that the racial tension had been toned down considerably in the apparently more conservative 1980s. Rebecca’s feelings had become one-sided, but still, knights just floated my boat. I even bought an odd little self-help book some years later called The Knight in Rusty Armor, thinking it would fan the chain mail flames in my heart. But it didn’t. 

This led to a friend giving me a copy of Slay Your Own Dragons.

She was definitely trying to tell me something.

I felt passionately about the Knights of the Round Table, especially in the movie Excalibur. Lord I loved that movie! I also adored a few of the other knights who popped up from time to time - such as the wonderful medieval knight played by Jean Reno who accidentally gets transported to the present in the hilarious French film The Visitors. But for years I’ve wanted to write my own story. I liked the idea of a modern day man transported back in time where he discovers he was a knight and has somehow lost all his powers. 

When Amber Allure suggested the Knight Moves PAX anthology, I jumped at the chance to write Out of Time.

I loved being able to research nineteenth century Mexico during its brief time of royalty and since it’s just over the border from California, I made a weekend trip down there to learn as much as I could. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I did writing it!

Here is the synopsis:

Biologist Arlo Perez has spent his whole life avoiding decisions, confrontations, anything concrete. Anything resembling a commitment. When his lover, Miguel, dumps him, a depressed Arlo decides to put down roots in Merced, a small California town nestled between Yosemite and the old gold-panning country region. There, he secures a new fellowship at a college and looks forward to adventure and fun.

But just as he’s getting used to normal, he gets a whole lot more than he bargained for.

One day when his car breaks down, Arlo winds up at the mercy of a deranged garage owner in Port Hueneme. And somehow, he finds himself tossed back in time to an era of knights, dragons, and pit fights. Suddenly, he’s in Mexico, 1867, and there’s only one way out—fight or die.

Can Arlo get himself out of this horrible and confusing mess? Can he stop feeling out of place and out of his senses? Or is he completely out of time?

For Purchase and/or excerpt please click this link: 

http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2111-Out-Of-Time.aspx

But who is your favorite knight either in fact or fiction? I’d love to know! For the chance to win a copy of ALL FIVE Amber PAX™ Knight Moves stories, please post a comment to enter the draw to WIN!

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Oh, What a Knight by Christiane France

The excerpt below is based on an idea that just dropped into my head one day. I thought it would be intriguing to open a story with the main character literally caught in the middle—the past is behind him and his future a completely blank page.

Blurb:

Following the death of his employer, Harvey St. Onge—a local gay man with a reputation for attracting handsome young men and throwing wild parties at his country estate—Griffin Andrews is literally on the outside looking in. Harv had promised to take care of Griff, but when the lawyer shows up and Griff is paid off and shown the door with the rest of the staff, he figures Harv “forgot” his promise. Now, Griff may be stuck in the country, miles from anywhere with no transportation and no proof of Harv’s promise, but he’s a survivor. So he packs what he can carry and starts walking. 

Partway into his journey, however, a handsome motorist stops and offers Griff a lift. Shane Walker says he’s just going as far as Peninsula Heights. But by the time they get there, Griff’s life has done a fast one-eighty. He has a new friend, the promise of a job, and a place to stay. It all sounds too good be true. 

Now Griff has to wonder—is Shane really Griff’s proverbial “white knight in shining armor” riding to his rescue, or something else?

Excerpt:

The steel security gate clicked shut behind me. The good life I’d had was over and here I was, stranded on a stretch of dusty country back road. In spite of all that I wasn’t particularly worried. When one thing ended another turned up. It always did. It might take me a little time and patience to get resettled, but I had both in abundance. What I no longer had was a chauffeur-driven limo at my disposal or enough cash to keep me going for more than a month, six weeks absolute tops. I’d have to rely on my feet to get me to my next destination, or hitch a ride, which in this cruel, uncertain world was something I avoided like the plague. All of which made my first priority finding another job, fast.

I adjusted the straps of my backpack and settled it comfortably in place while I considered my options. A right turn and a five-mile walk would take me to Peninsula Heights. Turn left and about thirty-five miles later I’d reach the steel mills of Hamilton. Two small blue-collar towns that didn’t promise much in the way of lucrative employment opportunities. At least not the kind I had in mind. For those I had to head somewhere a tad more sophisticated and cosmopolitan.

Another forty miles on from Hamilton was Toronto, where I’d met Harvey, my most recent and now late, lamented employer. In the other direction, less than ten miles beyond Peninsula Heights, lay Niagara Falls, tourist mecca and home to a couple of world class casinos.

A fast, two-second internal debate, and I turned right. The Falls was the closest. A week or so checking out the action should get me back on track moneywise and from there I’d figure out my next move. Montreal? New York? L.A.? Or if my luck was really in, maybe a trip to London, Paris or Rome as a change of pace.

Oh, sure. Like that would happen. But right now I needed to think big. And the bigger the better.

Cool mysteries and hot romance - http://www.chrisgrover.ca
Latest Release: RISING DAMP
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http://christianefrance.blogspot.ca/

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Oh, What a Knight by Christiane France is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

The Lusty Knights of Blaze by D.J. Manly

Knights and the ideals of knighthood appeared often in medieval and Renaissance literature, and have a sizable niche in literary romance. Some notable examples would be The Song of Roland by Geoffrey Chaucer, and Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote. 

Who can forget the Knights of the Roundtable?

A Knight was expected to be a brave warrior and to always act in a courteous and professional manner in military affairs. Knights were accorded respect even from their enemy. When knights were captured as prisoners of war, usually they were given comfortable accommodations until exchanged for ransom, unlike a common soldier. 

Chivalry was a characteristic of knighthood. It went hand in hand with professional ethics and military service to the king in exchange for landed property. Knights were expected to be brave and heroic but were not your run of the mill soldier. They were noble and gentile, and were often intellects and avid horsemen. They were respectful of others, even those who were their enemies. 

In the Lusty Knights of Blaze, Dustin Porter is one such knight. He represents the romantic notion of the knights of old, possessing nobility that speaks to honor and duty. 

I set the story in a time unknown in a fictitious land because I wanted Dustin to be a shining example of what we’ve come to expect from a Knight.  Dustin embodies all the romance and bravery that comes with his station in life, and I’m sure the reader will fall in love with him right along with Karnal.

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Lusty Knights of Blaze by D.J. Manly is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

How It All Started by Vivien Dean

Stories start in a hundred different ways. Sometimes, it's an image. Sometimes, there's a theme I want to explore. In the case of my story for the Knight Moves pax, it all began with the title.

But a story is a lot more than its title. I didn't even know it was going to be for this pax. Sometimes, a title will come to me, and it doesn't go with much of anything that I'm working on. When that happens, I pull out one of my trusty notebooks and write it down.

For the record, I have a lot of notebooks, each one for a different kind of thing. Titles. Story ideas. Scenes. Character sketches. My brainstorming is always best when I do it in longhand. Plus? I love, love, love notebooks. I ask for them for every birthday and Christmas. A hand-tooled leather notebook just might be the most perfect gift ever.

Anyway. Back to my title notebook. When I sat down to work on my knight story, I kept going around and around, unable to settle on a single idea. Did I want to go contemporary? Did I want to go historical? I could even go paranormal, I thought. Desperate, I went to my titles, and there it was.

Against a Wounded Landscape.

The image of a war-torn country stuck, and from there, the rest of the story unfolded as if it was just waiting for me to find it. I discovered Sir Tanash, the knight who would do anything for his king. I found Liseny, the sheltered prince eager to prove his worth. They welcomed me into their world, and I'm so excited about getting to share their world with you now.

Sir Tanash, the greatest knight Tasora has ever known, has one quest—to rescue his king’s only son. Fifteen years ago, Princy Liseny was kidnapped, and in the time since, Tasora has crumbled. By bringing the prince home, Tanash hopes to return the kingdom to its former glory.

As captive in a rival land, Liseny has spent most of his life locked away from the world, brought out as the ultimate prize while his real home is slowly destroyed. Escape is a godsend. So is Tanash, but neither is as simple as Liseny hopes. He has to learn to adjust in more ways than one. Though Tanash refuses to act on their mutual attraction, he does agree to help Liseny seek out an alliance to take back to Tasora.

What he doesn’t expect is to fall for the young prince along the way...

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Against a Wounded Landscape by Vivien Dean is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Knight Moves

Genres: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

The titles listed below comprise the Knight Moves AmberPax™ Collection. Buy all five together and receive a 35% discount! To purchase any of the titles individually, click on the covers below to go to the books' separate pages. 

Against a Wounded Landscape by Vivien Dean Extended Novella (Gay)

Lusty Knights of Blaze by D.J. Manly Novella (Gay)

Oh, What a Knight by Christiane France Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Out of Time by A.J. Llewellyn Novella (Gay)

Tender Is the Knight by K-lee Klein Novella (Gay)

 

In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (1/18-1/23) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

Tender Is the Knight by K-lee Klein

Tristan is a skilled knight, sworn to defend the Kingdom of Leadon. He’s devoted his life to being the best he can be, and he’s as steadfast and loyal as his knighted father was before him. But when the king of Leadon informs Tristan he’s arranged a marriage for him in order to unite Leadon with a neighboring kingdom, Tristan, for the first time, balks at an order. He cannot and will not marry the princess because his heart already belongs to another.

Clayne is the poor assistant to the village blacksmith, and content with his station in life. Especially since he has the love and support of a very special man...his very own tender knight. He and Tristan grew up together, forging a bond first of friendship, and then of love, and even when Tristan became a knight of the kingdom, nothing could shake them apart. But the king’s command that Tristan marry a princess just might.

When the king threatens Clayne’s life to get his way, Tristan is forced to choose between following the dictate to save the man he loves, or a riskier plan that will endanger them both and challenge everything in which they believe...

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/Witchcraft/Magic

Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (29k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...“My life is how I like it.” Tristan finally raised his gaze, eyes narrowing in the opposing way he’d been taught not to behave in the presence of royalty. “I mean no disrespect, but I cannot go through with such an arrangement. I don’t believe your offer is the right one for me.”

The king lowered himself to his chair again. “You are your father’s son,” Garrick said, jutting out his chin in disregard of the statement. Tristan fumed but held strong. “He said the same when he disrespected me,” the king continued. “Would you say his fate turned out as he had hoped after his treason?”

“My father? What do you…my father died defending you. He died with honor and loyalty to you.”

“His loyalty faltered when he disagreed with my orders. You do not wish to join him in his treasonous conduct, do you, Tristam?”

Tristan was on his feet so fast his head spun. His mouth dropped open and he was instantly freezing. One plus one suddenly added up to two. “Why would…how could you? My father was a good man. Surely you don’t mean what you’re saying?”

“If you do not wish to hear the truth, that is your choice. Consider it all water under the bridge now. It is you we are talking about, not your father. I am offering you freedom to go about your life on an easy path, while at the same time having status and a wife to please you. What more can a man want?”

Shallow intakes of air slurred Tristan’s words. “I’m not that man. If that’s the life you deem me fit for—you order me to have—then I’ll give up my knighthood or join my father in the ground before I obey your orders.”

The king laughed again, heartily but disrespectfully. “Do not be ridiculous. I’ve never met a man who would give up his own life to not marry.”

“I’m not most men.”

“So it appears. And what of the man in the blacksmith’s shop? Does he rank as most men? Will you order his death as well, young Tristam? Do you believe him so devoted to you that he’ll give his own life for your stupidity?”

Red hot rage mixed with ice cold fear in Tristan’s veins. “Don’t…you wouldn’t dare. He has nothing to do with this.”

“I believe he does, and have you forgotten who I am. I would most certainly dare if you do not do as I’ve declared, as I have already promised. Your little friend means nothing to me or anyone else. Pull up your hose, boy. Do as you are told, and he will remain as he is and you may do with him what you choose.”

Tristan stood speechless, all the bluster slowly seeping from his body. “I can’t,” he said, his voice raw, throat and eyes burning with unspent emotion. “Please don’t…”

“I believe we’re done here. The wedding is in seven days. Get your affairs in order and prepare to become a wedded man. This is a high honor. Remember it as such. Now leave me.”

There was clearly nothing else Tristan could say, at least not in that moment. His emotions were heightened, itching just under his skin, tugging at his mouth, his eyes, but the last thing he could do was reveal any breaks in his composure in front of his king.

His king.

Those words no longer held the meaning they had upon waking that morning. He suspected they never would again...

Out of Time by A.J. Llewellyn

Biologist Arlo Perez has spent his whole life avoiding decisions, confrontations, anything concrete. Anything resembling a commitment. When his lover, Miguel, dumps him, a depressed Arlo decides to put down roots in Merced, a small California town nestled between Yosemite and the old gold-panning country region. There, he secures a new fellowship at a college and looks forward to adventure and fun.

But just as he’s getting used to normal, he gets a whole lot more than he bargained for.

One day when his car breaks down, Arlo winds up at the mercy of a deranged garage owner in Port Hueneme. And somehow, he finds himself tossed back in time to an era of knights, dragons, and pit fights. Suddenly, he’s in Mexico, 1867, and there’s only one way out—fight or die.

Can Arlo get himself out of this horrible and confusing mess? Can he stop feeling out of place and out of his senses? Or is he completely out of time?

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/Time Travel/Paranormal/Action/Adventure

Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (20k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...Ron looked at me. “You got away from me last time.” He wagged a finger in my face.

“What?” I repeated. Jeez, Louise, it seemed the only word in my vocabulary. “What are you talking about?”

“The knight battles,” Ron said. “Are you really this dumb?”

“Are you kidding? Knights? What kind of knights?”

“Come on, Arturo, modesty does not become you.” The garage owner flicked a hateful gaze over me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Look. I know I owe you money and I forgot to send you the pink slip, but my name is not Arturo.”

Ron gave me a nasty laugh. “I sold that car, Arturo. And it really was a lemon.” He shook his head. “But the chick that bought it likes it, so she’s got me working on it.”

“But you don’t have the pink slip and my name’s not Arturo.” Why wouldn’t he listen to me?

“Yeah. Right.” He arched a brow at me. “All it took was a bill of sale and a forged signature and the vehicle’s all mine. Now get in the arena, you stupid ass.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

The two guys beside me grabbed my arms and began to drag me.

“Josie!” I screamed, but when I turned, she was getting back into the Daimler. She didn’t look at me as Graham peeled away with a squeal of tires before she’d even closed the door.

Holy shit.

The two men I’d been sitting with dragged me into what looked like a barn. They gave me a mighty shove and I fell flat on my face in the weirdest smelling mud I’d ever come across.

Pain radiated down my neck and arms. My body sagged in the mire. I worked hard to lift my face and, when I looked up, I blinked, and blinked some more. Blinded by the thick, soupy, foul mud I couldn’t believe what was coming for me, as in right at me.

Lots and lots of dragons.

Fire-breathing dragons.

And there was Miguel walking through the middle of them, dragging his left leg behind him. He was covered in blood and seemed half-dead.

What the hell was he doing? He was a writer. He had enough trouble working up the enthusiasm to go to the gym let alone fight.

A roar went up and I realized there was a huge crowd of people. The dragons’ heads went up and fire shot into the sky. The sudden burst of heat made my eyes burn and my skin twitch with discomfort.

“Miguel,” I whispered.

He looked at me, myriad emotions flickering across his face, and he fell down in a heap at my feet.

The two men hauled me into the center of an arena. I blinked, and swallowed, and wanted to cry. One crumpled man in chain mail lay huddled against a fence. There was blood in the dirt and a roar went up in the crowd. I freaked out when the biggest man I’d ever seen in the scariest-looking chain mail lifted a massive sword and said, “I want you to stop me...”

Oh, What a Knight by Christiane France

(Part of the Peninsula Heights series)

Following the death of his employer, Harvey St. Onge—a local gay man with a reputation for attracting handsome young men and throwing wild parties at his country estate—Griffin Andrews is literally on the outside looking in. Harv had promised to take care of Griff, but when the lawyer shows up and Griff is paid off and shown the door with the rest of the staff, he figures Harv “forgot” his promise. Now, Griff may be stuck in the country, miles from anywhere with no transportation and no proof of Harv’s promise, but he’s a survivor. So he packs what he can carry and starts walking.

Partway into his journey, however, a handsome motorist stops and offers Griff a lift. Shane Walker says he’s just going as far as Peninsula Heights. But by the time they get there, Griff’s life has done a fast one-eighty. He has a new friend, the promise of a job, and a place to stay. It all sounds too good be true.

Now Griff has to wonder—is Shane really Griff’s proverbial “white knight in shining armor” riding to his rescue, or something else?...

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/Series

Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (17k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...The next time I opened my eyes it was daylight. The sun was peeking through the curtains, but Shane appeared to still be sleeping. I wanted to pee but not so bad it couldn’t wait. His morning hard-on was pressing against my hip, demanding attention, and I figured his needs came first.

I reached for him under the covers, surprised to encounter bare flesh rather than the jean fabric I’d expected. He’d obviously gone to the bathroom sometime during the night and left his pants and underwear behind. All he had on now was a T-shirt and that worked perfectly from my perspective. I touched his cock, loving the way it swelled and bucked against my hand as I stroked it from root to tip. He began making urgent noises deep in his throat, like he was telling me to hurry things up, so I knew he was on the verge of waking.

I was feeling a tad needy myself, so I threw back the covers, took off my clothes and dropped them on the floor. I then reversed position, grasped his swollen dick in both hands and swiped my tongue back and forth over the glistening tip. As the noises Shane was making increased in volume, I began sucking him slowly into my mouth. A moment later he was wide awake. He grasped my butt cheeks with both hands and took my highly aroused eight-plus inches into the warmth and wetness of his mouth.

It felt so fucking incredible I was on the edge of an orgasm in two seconds flat and I suspected Shane was as well. I figured I had enough control to make the ride last a tiny bit longer, or so I thought. That was until he decided to get inventive and abandoned my cock in favor of sliding his finger up my ass and then pulling it out again oh-so-slowly until he had me shaking with need. I quit what I was doing and held my breath. I hadn’t been fucked in a long time and I’d forgotten how amazing it could be, especially when done by a pro. But I wanted more than just his finger, I wanted to feel his nice big cock up there.

I sucked in a breath and released it as a sigh. “That the best you can do?”

He ran his tongue down my crack and gently squeezed my balls, sending my need up another ten notches. “You saying you want me to go all the way with this?”

“You bet. I have a feeling it’s what we both want.”

“You got that right. One look at your nice tight ass and…”

“What? You started to drool?”

“Something like that. When you woke me up I was dreaming about what I wanted to do to you.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Can you hold on while I rustle up a few supplies?”

“I can if you can.”

Shane was back in no time with a handful of condoms and a tube of lubricant that he placed on the nightstand. “How long since you’ve done this?”

“Too long, so hurry up. But go easy on me please?”

He hesitated, frowning. “This bed’s kinda small and on the rickety side… I wouldn’t want it to collapse on us.”

“No problem.” I grinned and gave his bare butt a slap as I hopped out and assumed the position on the floor, “I like it this way the best.”

“Why’s that?”

I laughed and wiggled my ass. “I can howl at the moon when I come.”

“That so?” He parted my butt cheeks and delivered a generous amount of lube into my hole. “For your information there’s no moon at this hour.”

“No problem. Sun will work just as well...”

Lusty Knights of Blaze by D.J. Manly

Years ago, the town of Waken Loch was conquered by the ruthless King Bastian and his overwhelming forces, and the occupation of the land changed Karnal Fugitaine’s world forever. During the intervening years, the king ruled with an iron fist, executing anyone who resisted, including Karnal’s father, and his soldiers transformed Waken Loch into a town no longer recognizable to its natives. The king’s men also coveted everything within the town, including Karnal’s older sister, Sarah, who died after giving birth to a child conceived in rape by one of the king’s lusty knights of Blaze.

The night Sarah was forced to serve the soldiers at the inn where she worked, one man was seen urging her toward his room, insisting she bring him fresh linens and supplies. That man was a knight named Dustin Porter.

Now, Karnal won’t rest until he finally locates Dustin and enacts his long-sought revenge. But the more Karnal learns about what happened to his sister all those years ago, and the handsome knight of Blaze named Dustin to whom he grudgingly finds himself attracted, the more he begins to wonder...is Dustin truly the culprit after all?

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/Menage (M/M/M)/Group Sex

Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (28k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...The tongue so skilfully licking the head of his cock abruptly came to a halt, as did the tongue twirling around his nipple. A blond head popped up from under the blanket, while an almost identical one pulled away from his chest.

“Dustin Porter. If you don’t open this door immediately, I will break it in. I have business with you.”

Dustin glanced at one twin, then the other. “Did either of you think of locking the door?”

They shook their heads at exactly the same time. Damn creepy these two sometimes.

“Who do you think it is?” one asked as the incessant banging got louder. His name was Kye. Or is it Tye? No, Tye is the other one. Who in hell names their kids Kye and Tye anyway?

“No idea,” Dustin said.

The man called out again, “Answer now, Dustin Porter. I know you’re in there. I’m going to break down this door.”

Only the king or the knight’s commander would summon him when he was on his down time and it would mean there was some sort of skirmish on the border that was out of control. But a messenger would never speak to a knight in that tone. “You boys best get some clothes on,” Dustin advised, “and I’ll see what all the commotion is about.”

They looked disappointed.

“We’ll pick this up again later,” he said with a grin.

Just then, the door flew open with a sharp crack. Dustin pushed the twins down under the blanket and sprang up into a sitting position.

The young stranger who stood in front of the bed had drawn his sword. He looked flushed and angry, his chest heaving. His mop of chestnut hair hung in his face, and his clothes and boots appeared dirty and worn.

“Dustin Porter?” He moved closer to the bed.

“Who in hell are you?” Dustin snapped. The twins wiggled under the blanket, and Dustin placed his hands on their heads to calm them.

The intruders’ gaze moved to the blankets. “What is that?”

“What is what?” Dustin asked innocently.

“Under the covers. Do you have animals in bed with you?”

“They can be at...times.”

The twins chuckled.

“Who in the…?” The young man grabbed the blanket.

Dustin nabbed it just in time and yanked it back. “If you want to see me naked, just ask.”

The man let go of the blanket and backed away.

Dustin had obviously succeeded in embarrassing him.

“Who are you, and what do you want? I could kill you for this, busting into my room uninvited, so I suggest you start talking fast.”

“Listen”—the man pointed the sword at him—“whatever or whoever is under that blanket, I want it or them to leave.”

“You do, do you?” Dustin raised an eyebrow. “The only person who is leaving this room right now is you. Are you planning to run me through with that sword?”

The man’s head shot up. “I would never kill an unarmed man.”

Dustin hid a smile. “Not to mention, an undressed one.”

“Get rid of”—the man motioned to the lumps under the blanket—“that.”

“And you’ll tell me what you want?”

“Yes. And don’t worry, I won’t kill you here.”

Dustin blinked, then lowered the blanket to reveal Tye and Kye. “Gentleman, I’m afraid you must leave me. But don’t go far.”

The twins climbed out of bed.

The stranger looked stunned as he watched the young men pull on their pants. With shirts and shoes in hand, the twins left the room. One tried to close the door but it refused to shut all the way. Instead, he left it.

“The door was unlocked,” Dustin said. “They always forget to lock it. You didn’t need to break it. And you’re paying for it, not me. Now, kindly explain yourself.”

The stone-faced man whisked some hair off his forehead, his eyes filled with determined fury. “You will duel with me—and I will kill you...”

Against a Wounded Landscape by Vivien Dean

Sir Tanash, the greatest knight Tasora has ever known, has one quest—to rescue his king’s only son. Fifteen years ago, Princy Liseny was kidnapped, and in the time since, Tasora has crumbled. By bringing the prince home, Tanash hopes to return the kingdom to its former glory.

As captive in a rival land, Liseny has spent most of his life locked away from the world, brought out as the ultimate prize while his real home is slowly destroyed. Escape is a godsend. So is Tanash, but neither is as simple as Liseny hopes. He has to learn to adjust in more ways than one. Though Tanash refuses to act on their mutual attraction, he does agree to help Liseny seek out an alliance to take back to Tasora.

What he doesn’t expect is to fall for the young prince along the way...

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/BDSM (Light)

Heat Level: 2
Length: Extended Novella (39k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...At the foot of the bed, a young man clad in a muslin tunic and black breeches stood with his slim fingers curled around a small brass pot, poised to throw it at the slightest provocation. Piercing blue eyes gaped at Tanash, fringed in thick black lashes, made brighter by pale skin he very much doubted had ever seen much of the sun. His brown hair was shorn to his scalp, but the harshness was offset by the soft, pouty mouth, almost too feminine for someone whose sinewy biceps could be seen through his shirt. Never had Tanash seen such a striking creature, male or female. For a moment, he forgot why he was there.

“Who are you?”

The nervous query snapped him from his fugue, and he immediately dropped to a single knee and bowed his head. “Sir Tanash of Tasora, my liege. I mean only to return you to your father.”

“How—” His voice cracked, and he coughed once. “What is that horrific smell?”

Tanash had been surrounded by the stinkbuds for so long, he barely noticed how it continued to cling to his flesh. “I can explain later. Once we’re free of these walls. Here.” Reaching inside his tunic, he ripped away the badge he’d brought to prove his fealty and held it out in an upturned palm. “So you may see that I speak the truth. But we must be quick if we wish to gain some ground before they discover either of our absences. I swear, my liege, I will answer any question you might have once the threat is behind us.”

“You’re truly here to take me home?”

“Yes. Or die trying.”

At Liseny’s slight cry, Tanash glanced up to see him crumple to the edge of the bed, the pot falling forgotten from his hand. Tanash threw himself forward to catch it before it rang across the stone floor and alerted anyone nearby, realizing only after he rose again that he’d probably made more noise breaking in the door.

Liseny was oblivious to his efforts, his eyes liquid and unfocused.

“My liege,” Tanash said, but when Liseny didn’t respond, he dared to reach out, shake his shoulder, and tried, “Liseny. We must be quick.”

Liseny looked up at that. He was obviously unaccustomed to any signs of respect. Tanash made a mental note to be more liberal with his use of his proper name until Liseny came to better grips with his true station.

“Do you have a plan?” Liseny asked.

“I would never have come unprepared. Do you have a cloak? And another pair of shoes.”

“What about clothes? Food?”

“Unnecessary for now. Once we’re off the isle—”

“You have a boat?”

Tanash gritted his teeth to stem his mounting frustration. “Please. The sooner we leave—”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

As Liseny darted to a wardrobe in the corner, Tanash gathered as many small trinkets of value that he could find. He would never be able to sell them here, but back in Tasora, they could be melted down or used for whatever the king wished. Normally, he considered looting beneath him, but this was an entirely unique situation. Fifteen years ago, King Awryn had stolen Tasora’s most prized possession, leaving the kingdom in a disarray it never truly recovered from. A few baubles were scarcely worth the anguish he had wrought.

If Tanash had his way, the only real restitution would be Awryn’s head on a pike.

He finished to find Liseny regarding him with wide, solemn eyes. A dark cloak draped over his shoulders, a bulky bag strapped to his waist, while in his hands, he held out a folded piece of thick wool.

“It’ll be too small, but it will help mask the smell,” Liseny said.

Tanash took it with a grateful nod. “Are you ready?”

He caught the delicate bob of Liseny’s throat as he swallowed. “I will follow you anywhere...”