Today I'm thrilled to tell you that the latest paranormal romance novella set in the Teutonic Fantasy Realm is just about to hit the retailers—and your e-reader!

ARC Readers: Check your inbox (and your spam folder) for an email from BookFunnel with your review copy of Forbidden Gift.

I literally just sent those emails out a couple minutes before this one should be hitting your inbox, so now's your chance to dive into Gisela's story and come out with some review-y thoughts. 😁

If you're not part of my ARC team, you'll be able to grab Gisela's rather suggestive love story just one week from today. Forbidden Gift will be out on all retailers on February 20th, so next Thursday you'll be getting the typical "indie author is begging for sales" email from yours truly. 🙃

Have to admit, I think Gisela handled this situation a lot more courageously than I would have. 👀 Let's take a sneak peek into her suite right now....

Forbidden Gift Snippet

The round clock above the door to the hallway showed ten minutes till eight when I deemed myself as ready as I could be for my first client. I had taken a thorough bath, a shower cap shielding my hair from the water as I soaped every portion of my body. Once dry, I brushed my teeth at the sink, then trimmed and filed my fingernails and toenails. As a virgin preparing to surrender to a man’s will for the first time, I chose a white silk set of lingerie that included a bra and snug panties. No black or red for me quite yet. By next week that might change.

Overtop of the lingerie, I wore a light pink gown printed with roses. Though it might be more fitting as springtime attire, my soul felt drawn to the rosebushes on the balcony with their nutritious fruits. Besides, the dress itself was magnificent. I could imagine myself gliding into a ballroom on the arm of a debonair young man in a tux, eager to dance the night away like Cinderella. In spite of this path my uncle directed me to take, I could dream just like I had as a telegraph operator.

Maybe I could seek out a loving partnership after I finished my duties here at the Scarlet Butterfly. While most of my earnings must be paid directly to Onkel Hubert, surely I could stash some Schillings away for later. I could take the train to a city with a larger Teuton conclave and meet a man who did not find my metal intimidating. One who would understand that I offered my youth to this brothel for the sake of our people, not because I had some twisted urge to channel Delilah from the Bible.

Leaning against an arm of the backless couch, I tapped my cream-colored heels together and watched the hands of the clock. Hopefully my pale pink lipstick, eyeshadow, and blush would impress my first client. All three nearly matched the hue of my dress. I had even spritzed my hair with rose-scented perfume, its aroma drawing my thoughts to those thorny bushes outside. In the kitchen tomorrow, I would look for a covered dish so I could preserve extra rosehips as winter treats for myself and my sisters.

It was so strange to think of the other witches working here as if they were my actual sisters. Long ago I had a baby brother who survived for only four days outside my mother’s womb, having fallen prey to a sickness the doctors could not heal. My uncle pinpointed that tragedy as another cause of my mother’s instability, a burden my parents had shouldered in silence. Neither spoke of my brother after he passed, and I had no memories of him. But now I had five sisters who walked a path much like mine. Vibeka and Hertha. Three others. Tomorrow I would—

Three firm raps at the door startled me out of my muses. Jolting upright, I saw that the clock read two minutes past eight. Whoever knocked at my door did not speak nor turn the knob. My first client. Should I invite him inside?

My legs felt like jelly. If I tried to stand on eight-centimeter heels right now, it would not go well. Reaching into my spirit, I invoked my metal to stretch beyond the door and identify what sort of elemental magic it must embrace during my first foray into the erotic sphere.

Wait.

Why did my metal refuse to respond to my call?

A horrified grimace bent my lips as I stared from the door to the clock and back again. Never in my life had I reached for my magic and felt nothing, not since my mother taught me how to conjure and contain it when I was a little girl. This was not normal. Not normal at all.

My uncle had threatened to suppress my element if I refused to work for Frau Betty and her husband. To block my Teutonic heritage and render me a magicless outsider. I had brushed off his threats as empty words. It could not actually be possible to suppress a witch’s magic. Could it?

Three knocks rang out upon my door again, a bit louder this time. Pressing a hand to my chest, I sought to regulate my breaths from short pants into a steady rhythm, my eyes wide as I focused one last time on the sturdy element I believed to be inherent to myself as a Teuton witch.

And I got the uncanny sense that my metal lay inert in a dark corner, unable and unwilling to rise to my aid.

I had been poisoned.

Frau Betty had put something in my dinner.

My hand slid down to my lap and balled into a fist. Why would she render me defenseless against clients who might wield destructive elements? Surely this brothel was not a front for torturing witches under the guise of breeding. Right?

The knock sounded again, and I forced myself to answer. “Come in. Please.”

I shut my eyes as the doorknob started to turn, shifting my legs beneath the skirt of my gown and ordering myself to play it cool. I could not show weakness in front of my first client. He would learn of my inexperience soon enough.

When I reopened my eyes, I found myself regarding a tall man wearing a dark trench coat and matching hat, his large left hand closing the door behind him while he looked around the room. “Lots of pink. Is this a candy shop?”

He spoke accented German, his casual observation throwing me through a loop. A candy shop? Blinking rapidly, I watched him remove his hat and set it onto the nightstand, his hair a fascinating mix of flaxen gold and sleek copper. His gaze met mine and he smiled, his irises a captivating bronze.

He neither looked nor spoke like a typical Teuton.

“Not a candy shop,” I managed to say, my fingers plucking at the fabric of my dress as my client worked his way out of his coat. “I do have wine though.”

“We’ll save that for later.” The man chuckled, then glanced around the room again, possibly seeking a coat hook. Something this suite lacked, unless I opened the wardrobe. Could I make it there? Would my legs hold me?

“Please. Lay your coat at the foot of my bed. For now.” My tongue felt like a stranger in my mouth, and my palms had started sweating. What was my problem?

“Of course.” My client placed his coat where I had directed, towering legs bringing him much nearer to where I sat. “I’m Radomir Maňas. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. Got distracted by all the—pink.”

He gestured toward the pillows piled at the far end of my bed, amusement evident on his face. To my surprise, a giggle slipped between my lips before I could stop it. “It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Gisela.”

“I know.” Radomir studied my face for a moment, a trace of darkness in his eyes as his thick brows slid together. “Why is your metal inert, Gisela?”

“You—you can tell?

***

If you haven't reserved your copy of Forbidden Gift yet, you can do that here at my shop (where the eBook might just drop a couple days early....)

https://clcarhart.com/products/forbidden-gift-ebook

Or you can nab it at your favorite retailer:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/5t5i9q9zq7

I'm so excited to share a fresh story in the Teutonic Fantasy Realm for the first time since July 2024! (Shout out to Sylvia in Magical Gift for grabbing hold of my creativity while I slogged through burnout.) Assuming the creeks don't rise, there should be at least 3 full-length books and 2 more novellas coming this year, so if you're already caught up on all those elemental witches and the magical dudes they happen to love, get ready for more mystical stories soon!

Book Fairs For February

Yep, I realize today is Valentine's Day, and here I am yapping about Gisela's love story like it's just another day of the week. For those of us in the U.S., tomorrow's the day to raid all the stores for half-price candy. 🤪 Now it's time to load up your e-reader so you've got intriguing stories to occupy your brain while your taste buds are relishing sugary treats.

Other Books You Might Like

Found a couple indie books you might want to take a look at while you're browsing today's collection of stories. Both are available on all retailers—one is free with Kobo Plus—while the other looks to be a free series starter. Dive into compelling realms of fantasy today!

Death had never been kissed, until now . . .

Thanatos meets seventeen-year-old Therese while she's in a coma hovering between the realm of the dead and the realm of dreams. A lucid dreamer, she takes control of her dream and kisses him, unaware that he is Death.

It was his first kiss. No one, in his long existence, has ever wanted to kiss Death.

After Therese awakens from her coma, Thanatos is desperate to find her. He makes a deal with Hades and goes to the Upperworld as a mortal to pursue her and to see where it might lead.

The deal requires Therese to avenge the death of her parents. With the help of Than’s fierce and exotic sisters, the Furies, she finds herself in an arena face to face with the murderer, and only one will survive.

✨ FREE On All Retailers ✨

This marriage may be her salvation. Or her doom.

Julia Woodrow possesses nothing but a name tainted by her mother’s scandal, so she hasn’t a clue why Gabriel, Baron Arevale, offers to wed her after one chance meeting. However, to escape her abusive father, Julia is prepared to risk anything. Even marriage to this enigmatic stranger. They’ll become acquainted after the wedding, surely?

Except their union brings more questions than answers. Passion burns beneath Gabriel’s cool exterior, igniting Julia’s own desires, yet he seems determined to keep her at arm’s length. Why did he marry her, when he has no use for a wife? Why won’t he speak about his past? And how can he suffer a deadly wound, then wake the next day as though nothing happened?

✨ All Retailers ✨

Now that we've got enough stories to keep us occupied until Forbidden Gift hits the retailers next Thursday, it looks like it's time for me to depart. Got lots of stuff brewing in the Teutonic cauldron, and with my burnout loosening its grip, there's no time like the present to see what emerges next. I hope you'll be there with me as the Teutonic Fantasy Realm expands in months to come! 🔥

For now, have a wonderfully weird week, and I'll catch you on the flip side.

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Pre-order Forbidden Gift:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/5t5i9q9zq7

Paranormal Romance Book Fair:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/newyearFantasyandParanormalRomance/fadoq6r1i8

PNR & Gothic Romance Newsletter Freebies:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/NewsletterDFPNR/h94v1n11zf

Sci-fi & Fantasy on Kobo Plus (and other retailers too!):

https://bf.clcarhart.com/kobo-plus-february-2025/vqvmfvo2xt