Yep, here's another email that's "a day late and a dollar short" since it's Thursday for most of us and Friday for some. But this time I've got an excuse for my tardiness—aaaaand I've made it past the halfway point in my quest to finish Gift of Wind so it can hit the retailers at the end of November!

I'm dropping another snippet from Skye's perspective down below, along with a link to pre-order the eBook from my book shop. But first, the reason my email's dropping into your inbox today instead of yesterday....

🥁 drumroll 🥁

❣️ Instalove 99¢ Book Blast ❣️

This one-day event is for readers who'd like a quick break from slow burn romances that take an entire series to build. If you're sick of throwing your hands up and saying, "JUST KIIIIIISSSS!" this is the event for you.

How about some one night stands that turn into something more? Unplanned meetups at the bar or on vacation that awaken those butterflies? What about those moments when you get shut away in a castle by an undead Teuton priest sporting a pair of marble horns atop his head....

...Only to discover the "beast" might have a good heart after all. 💛

Click on the link below to browse all the bookish deals, and load your e-reader up with celebrations of instalove. This is why reading fiction is so fulfilling, because stuff that doesn't work in the real world works in stories. 😊

https://www.instalovebookblast.com/99-books

If you'd rather just grab the book I've included in the event, feel free to snag Helena & Konstantin's unexpected romance by clicking the graphic below. Gift of Light will be on sale for 99¢ until the end of the month, so if you haven't checked out my first attempt at a fairy tale retelling set in the Teutonic Fantasy Realm, now's your chance to do it at a discount!

**Special message for friends of mine (yes, real-life friends) who are subscribed to my newsletter but don't like reading sex scenes**

(Yep, I know you're still here peeking at the sinful stories C.L. Carhart's tossing out into the world. I see you, and I love you! 💖)

Gift of Light is THE ONLY book I've published so far that has 0—yes, ZERO—sex scenes. Konstantin & Helena don't get frisky until after the book ends. So if you've been secretly wishing you could support my author career without compromising your standards, this is the book you need to buy.

✨ Gift Of Light ✨

**FAIR WARNING: if you'd rather not read steamy content in an email, I'd advise you to skip over today's snippet from Gift of Wind.**

Gift of Wind - Snippet #2 🔥

Blissed out after a fulfilling round of intimacy, I sprawled upon a cozy blanket with my face buried in a pillow, every sensation of Karl’s caresses replaying in my mind. Our elements had crafted glistening traces of frost upon the headboard and on the mirror high above, a sensual reminder of the winter that had just begun to vanish on the heels of spring. While I drifted in the trance of bloodletting, my spirit had tasted the strength of Karl’s sway, his deep urge to restore my self-confidence after Rohde damaged my heart.

Now that I knew Karl could eliminate my mental addiction to alcohol once he held my heart in his hands, my earlier hesitations had begun to crumble. But there were some things we needed to confront first, dark aspects of my past I felt certain he did not yet know. He considered himself a failure because he once sought a demon’s aid with a blood-transfer, and his priestly influence proved unable to save Lori’s life—which was doomed anyway due to Lady Ilsa’s mystical knowledge. Two honest, understandable errors.

As satisfying as it was to bask in the wonders of physical and elemental union, we needed to seriously discuss our future before we went any further. I could not allow Karl to bind my heart without being sure of his expectations. With my spirit weakened by Rohde’s brutality, I knew I could not survive another priest’s rejection. Karl knew of my addiction and he knew an elder had enslaved me.

But he did not know I once worked as a camgirl. A profession that paid the bills after I walked away from the foster care system. One that taught me how to exploit men’s loneliness for personal gain, to convince them the pretty maiden who read classic literature in wispy lingerie actually cared about them.

None of them cared about me, of course, or someone would have tracked me down after Rohde snatched me at that yacht party and dragged me through hell for “dishonoring my bloodline with outsiders online.” A tiny part of me had hoped while I suffered for three years shut away in a closet. Maybe someone would come for me one day. One of the lonely businessmen, one of the girlfriends I met at the LGBT club. Even a foster parent or sibling from days long gone.

Instead, a Black Priest descended in a cloud of dark energy, shattering what little I thought I knew about my people and the boundaries of my magic. It seemed Karl had made peace with Teya’s husband this night, joining with him to diagnose the state of my addiction. Maybe he would stop cringing whenever I called that man my Truhtein. But could he forgive and accept the darkest part of my soul, the part that knew how to exploit people’s feelings? While I had no innate urge to use that skill I honed in my youth, it remained a shaded quality of Skye Stern.

I considered broaching the subject to him while my body relaxed on the bed, my wintry wind gradually receding into my blood and spirit. But Karl shuffled away from me and exited the room before I gathered the nerve to speak, his bare ass catching my eye when I rolled to my side to watch him go. I could not suppress a smile at the memory of what we just shared. He likely figured I had fallen asleep and decided to scour the kitchen for a drink or a snack.

He had brought my mug of cider into the bedroom before we got started. It sat empty and forgotten on a bedside table somewhere in the crimson-themed room. My stomach gurgled, informing me sustenance might not be a bad idea after burning so many calories. So I pushed myself upward with a stretch and moved to the side of the bed, intending to follow my priestly muse.

My wintry wind led me to the expansive parlor, where Karl stood near two rubber trees framing one of the floor-to-ceiling windows along the far wall. He had not put on any clothes, the muscles of his shoulders, back, and legs arousing my desire all over again. I longed for him to sweep me off my feet like he did after he and the Black Priest invoked their spell over my brain, his power consuming me, assuring me I was safe from harm, from rejection, from disappointment.

I crept to his side in silence, the crackling of latent flames in the fireplace the only sound in the room. Movement caught my attention through the glass, and my eyes widened as I saw what had prompted Karl to pause here. Not the view of the snow-capped peaks with countless stars dotting the sky, or even the gardens lit by soft string lights concealing the villa from nearby villages. No.

Steam rose from a granite-lined pool just steps from where we stood at the window, blue lights glimmering under the water, a trickling waterfall sliding down from the boulders rendering the spring a hideaway reserved for this suite’s guests. By the edge of the pool nearest to the villa, the Black Priest stood in naked glory, his hands buried in Teya’s hair as she sucked him off. His body looked faultless in the moonlight, the waves of his hair a light silver that hinted at blond. He bared his teeth as Teya swallowed, her fiery eyes gazing at his face in obvious adoration.

“We—probably shouldn’t be watching this?” I touched Karl’s arm as I spoke, fighting my own curiosity while I regarded the Cursed One who kept his exterior a mystery from everyone. Except for Teya. And possibly their daughter Anya. Teya rose up in the water to lock her arms around his neck, the muscles of his own arms rippling as he crushed her to his chest, their lips locking together. Golden flames erupted around their bodies, black sparks weaving amid the fires.

“It’s hot though.” Karl’s fingers touched my neck and traced their way down my spine, his attention fixed on the couple embracing in the pool.

“He’s going to cut our eyes out if we don’t quit watching,” I hissed, forcing my feet to step back, catching Karl’s hand as I urged him to follow.

“I found chips.” My priest quirked a grin and tugged me toward the kitchen.

Yep, now you know Skye & Karl got to witness something very few living humans—Teuton or mundane—have managed to witness.

Have to admit. I might be a little envious. 🤣

You can pre-order Gift of Wind by clicking on the graphic above.

Other Books You Might Like

Got 2 books to share with you from my fellow indie authors, the first of which is free on all retailers. The second book is on Kindle only, and yes, I apologize for that. (I can't read it either; I buy from Smashwords. Can't win 'em all.)

Enemies by nature. Companions by choice.

Warrior-Scout Ashayna Stonemantle has no awareness of her fate until her sentient magic manipulates her into seeking out one of the enemy—Sorntar, Crown Prince of the Phoenix. If she dare trust the word of an enemy prince who is also an avian shape-shifting mage, their souls and futures are eternally linked.

When their willful magic awakens early and forces them into an unbreakable bond, Ashayna and Sorntar are accused of being corrupted by an ancient evil. To prove their innocence, they must work together to discover what happened in the past to pit bondmate against bondmate. As the search for the truth draws them closer together, Ashayna realizes she has growing feelings for Sorntar. But before she can tell him, his tainted power enslaves him.

Faced with an impossible decision, Ashayna chooses to fight for Sorntar’s soul even at the risk of her own.

✨ FREE On All Retailers ✨

Can one villain find redemption in the arms of another villain?

Magnus Creedmore, a magnetic and enigmatic criminal mastermind, walks a perilous path through the underbelly of the city. With a thirst for power and revenge burning in his veins, he sets his sights on reshaping the criminal underworld of Havenfall. Ensnared in a tangled web of dark secrets and deceit, he stops at nothing in his desire to establish his dominance over the city’s corruption. But when he crosses paths with Melinda Kensington, a woman whose beauty hides a complex past that captivates him, his world is forever altered.

Their connection ignites a scorching and forbidden flame, intertwining their fates in a treacherous dance. As Magnus and Melinda embark on a treacherous dance of love and deception, ignited by a dangerous and all-consuming passion, they find themselves entangled in a battle against the Twilight Force, a secret organization determined to maintain the fragile balance of power in Havenfall. Amidst the chaos, they navigate a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Trust becomes their most elusive currency and the line between ally and enemy blurs.

✨ Kindle Only ✨

Now I'd better get back to my laptop so I can write & polish the last 10-ish chapters of Skye's second chance romance with Karl. Will our wintry heroine conquer all of her personal demons and seize the happily-ever-after she longs for with her ice priest muse?

We'll find out for sure at the end of November. But you'd better believe I'm rooting for the two frosty love birds—along with that mysterious Black Priest and his yellow-fired wife.

(Methinks those two might need their own book—or their own series—at some future point....)

Hope you have a wonderfully weird week, and don't forget to check out the Instalove Book Blast at the first link below. 💖

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Instalove Book Blast:

https://www.instalovebookblast.com/99-books

Get Gift of Light for 99¢:

https://clcarhart.com/products/gift-of-light-ebook

Pre-order Gift of Wind:

https://clcarhart.com/products/gift-of-wind-ebook

Sci-fi & Fantasy Book Fair:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/fabulousfantasysizzlingscifi/y4ss2xop56