Hi !

I’m in my writing cave this month, working on The Gargoyle & the Maiden. While I'm being antisocial, I thought I'd give you a little advance look at the scene where Idabel meets her gargoyle for the first time! 💜

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE

Ripped Out by the Roots

Kneeling in a pool of moonlight on the balcony, Idabel began cutting stalks of herbs, wishing she had paper to wrap them. Her apron would have to do. She filled it with as much dill and basil as she could, then stood, turning to go.

She froze when an enormous, dark shape moved through her peripheral vision. She turned her head in time to see a gargoyle land with minimal noise on the nearest plinth. Clutching her apron and its precious contents close, she gasped, stumbling back.

He was huge. She had to crane her head to see all of him, his harsh features lit by the street lanterns below. His heavy brow furrowed as he gave her a narrow-eyed appraisal. He looked like a predator, and every instinct in her was to run.

When she made a move toward the door, his right wing snapped out to block her exit. “Are you an intruder?” he barked, his voice like a crash of thunder. She blinked blankly at him. All thoughts had fled. He made an irritated noise at her confusion. “Do you bear ill will toward those in Maiden Hall?”

She shook her head, biting her lip to keep back her whimper of fear. “I live here.”

“Are you a thief?”

“What? No!”

He settled down on his haunches, one muscular shoulder tipped toward her as he gripped the edge of his stone perch. “So you admit they are yours, these growing things?”

Her stomach clenched a warning, but what could she do? If she denied it, she’d be arrested for stealing. Gaoled and punished, maybe even expelled. Preferring to pay a fine rather than lose a hand or home, she nodded. “I planted them. They aren’t a danger, though,” she hurried to add. “Their roots are twenty feet in the air. They’d have to grow through bucket, balcony, and building before they touched the ground.”

Frankly, she didn’t see the danger in growing them the usual way, either. Everyone she knew in the south grew acres of crops, and never once did a fae lord use his magic to crawl up the roots and make the people dance like puppets. But she’d done her best to follow the spirit of the law prohibiting plants inside the city walls, if not the letter.

“What of the seeds?” the gargoyle rumbled. “Will you count and collect each one to ensure they do not escape the bounds of your buckets”¬—he spit the word contemptuously—“and lodge in the earth somewhere?”

“I…will do my best,” she sputtered, flustered.

“Your best is not enough.” His scowl flashed sharp canines that sent a cool, sickening feeling through her, like seeing an exposed bone in a bad break. “The rules are the rules for a reason. No growing things within the walls.”

He hopped down onto the balcony, and quick as a viper, ripped up every pot of herbs by the roots. Then he kicked over her makeshift planters, smashing them with his hard heel until the whole balcony was nothing but mud and ruin.

A cry caught in her throat, but still, he heard it. With a sharp look over his shoulder, he scoffed at her misery. “I enjoyed this even less, I assure you.”

With that, he took flight, dirt raining down from his ill-gotten bouquet as his wings carried him away.

You can preorder this enemies-to-lovers gargoyle romance now (or add it to your wishlist to read in Kindle Unlimited). 💜

Preorder The Gargoyle and the Maiden!

NEW FROM OTHER AUTHORS

While you wait for me to emerge with a new shiny book to share with you, check out these amazing new releases from my author friends! I had the privilege to read them both before publication (I'm very spoiled like that) and am really excited to share them with you. 🥰

Faking with the Fae King by Krista Luna

Hannah will do anything to save her magical small town, even fake-marry a grumpy shadow fae. What could possibly go wrong?

Read it Now!

So I Married an Alien by Lyonne Riley          

Amara applied for an alien husband hoping to find love. Could the stoic, four-armed Roth'kar be exactly what she's been searching for?

Read It Now!

Have a great weekend full of great books!

Love,

Sara

www.linktr.ee/saraivyhill

P.S. Looking for NSFW Character Art?

Visit www.saraivyhill.com

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