Forbidden.
Why is that so darn fun to read about?
We all have our reasons, but for me, it's especially delicious when it's part of a story where characters butt up against unfair rules. The Rules Forbid It! And here this character is, doing it anyway!
When a bunch of fantasy romance authors decided to team up to write 20 stories for a fairy tale anthology—and call it Once Upon a Forbidden Desire—you can just imagine how fast I jumped on board.
Now that the anthology's getting closer to release, I've got a sneak peek for you.
Behold: The opening of my Rumpelstiltskin retelling, "Into the Bargain."
The wrong man answered the door.
Pen put on her well-worn polite smile, hoping it concealed her anxiety. “Hello. I have an appointment to see the omnimancer.”
The man—a typic, no long queue of silver hair to mark him as a wizard—gave her a look that went straight through her. Did he suspect why she was here?
“Omnimancer Porten was called out of town.” He leaned against the impressively arched doorway. “An emergency, you understand.”
“When do you expect him back, Mr. …?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” he said, unsatisfactorily answering one of her questions and ignoring the other.
She took in a shaky breath. “I’ll wait, then.”
“I very much doubt he’ll be back today.”
“Nevertheless, I will wait.”
He quirked his lips, one side only, in there-and-gone amusement. “You’re welcome to it. But there’s no one here except me, I should warn you.”
Pen stole a glance at his left hand, hoping to see a wedding ring. No such luck. Well—in for a penny, in for a pound. He moved aside, and she held up the long skirt of her dress to step in, the cheerful noises of midday shoppers on Washington Street fading as he shut the door.
If her father were still alive, he’d be appalled. Alone with an unmarried man, Penelope!
But he was dead. That was the reason she was here, after all.
📚🌟📚🌟📚
More cool & bookish things
New book alert: I got my hot hands on an advance review copy of Siren's Search, and it was so much fun. It's out today, and this is why you want it:
Reyn Callan is worried her popularity might be driven by a latent strain of succubus magic. Velario Ferrini is trying to keep the lid on a brewing disaster that could derail his chance to become his country's king.
They don't think much of each other. And they have no intention of changing their minds about that when a fake courtship offers a way to solve both their problems ...
Looking for more fantasy romance books? Find a bunch free in Kindle Unlimited here, from a woman who needs help from the one man who can go to the Land of the Dead (and come back to tell the tale) to a Little Mermaid meets Captain Hook story (except the voiceless heroine has a knife).
Looking for free-for-everyone fantasy romance books? Find 'em here, from a sorceress' assassination attempt that unexpectedly helps her target to a Merprince trying to blackmail his way out of a curse.
You made it to the end! You're awesome. (Of course.) And oh hey, here are my latest books.
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