Title: QUEEN TO ASHES (Black Dawn #2)
Author: Mallory McCartney
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
Publisher: Clean Reads Publishing
Formats: eBook
Pages: ?
“You lived your entire life feeling like half of
you was missing. Fight for the missing part. Fight for this.”
Emory Fae has abandoned everything she thought she knew about her previous life
on Earth. Stepping up to her role as Queen of Kiero she makes a startling
sacrifice- feigning her allegiances to Adair Stratton, the man who murdered her
parents and casted Kiero into ruin. Emory’s memories slowly piece together, and
she soon realizes the Mad King may not be all he seems— and the man who was
once best friend, may be fighting beneath the surface.
With the King’s attention on her, can she buy
Black Dawn Rebellion enough time to recuperate their forces? And when the times
comes, will she be able to kill Adair, ending his tyranny and rising herself as
the rightful Queen? Fighting to hide her secret, Emory navigates the brutal
trials of the Mad King, trying not to lose herself in the process.
Sequel to Black Dawn, now a bestselling series,
the sparks are ignited, as Emory learns the cost of freedom, and her title.
Will the rebels unite in time? A sinister force has spread across the land,
stripping everyone bare- their betrayals, their secrets, their intentions. But
above all, what will their decisions cost? By refusing to give in to the
darkness, will Emory rise as Queen?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chapter Two
Emory
All she could hear was buzzing. Tight,
unrelenting buzzing. The world dipped, and she was a ghost amongst the living. Hermind
screamed that she was going into shock as the color drained from her skin,
limbs trembling. Her body betrayed her for the briefest of seconds as Adair
looked at her hungrily, his dark gaze ravaging her. The room seemed to tilt,
and her mind felt thick and constricted. The bloodied sword was still in her
hand, and Brokk’s body splayed out lifelessly between them. Life and Death.
Love and Loss. Light and Dark. This is the divide her life had taken, and one
that she was completely and utterly lost in. Suffocated in. What had she done? What. Had. She. Done.
Before she could take another look, to
convince herself that it wasn’t him—it couldn’t have been—a strong hand gripped
her arm as Adair’s words registered with her. Then she was ushered out, with
the promise of tomorrow on his gaunt lips, and the burly guard led her away
from the king. The door shut, sealing away the gory scene. Her breath lodged in
her throat, and as they walked away, she adjusted to the world around her. It
was numbing her system being out of the cells, the bustle of Adair’s world
seeming too sharp, too fast. Her pulse roared, and through the grime and blood
she held on, trying not to give in to the deep cracks in her soul. Walk. Breathe. Survive. Make him believe you
want him. Then end him. Walk. Breathe. Survive. Survive. Survive. Survive.
Survive. The guard was silent as he pulled her down the twisting hallways,
past the prying eyes and chasing whispers.
As they walked, she could barely register
what had happened. Again, that buzzing droned out her surroundings. In the
arena, her adrenaline had smeared his edges, and he was just a Dark King on a
broken throne. But in those few moments in his chamber, during their charged
verbal dance, she was so overwhelmed that his presence had unraveled a part of
her long forgotten. That out of anyone else, he had brought snippets of blurry
memories to surface. The feeling of recognition, of friendship. Of betrayal, of
loyalty, of confusion and pain. Swallowing hard, she walked, pushing the thought
of the king out from her mind. She thought of nothing, and as they wove through
the corrupt kingdom, she gave in to the void and allowed herself to fall until
she felt nothing at all.
****
The bath water ran, pouring into the clawed
tub. It churned, making several eddies in the water. She stood, back stiff,
watching the spout gush. Too fast. Too loud. The frothy surface reflected the
paint flecking the gold and red of the walls. She blinked, turning slowly. In
her chambers, a fire blazed in its hearth, bookcases lined the stone wall, and
a huge four-poster bed waited for her. Flush to the sidewall, a closet full of
clothing beckoned to her. It was lavish, a place fit for someone the Mad King
potentially wanted to keep alive. Not for a prisoner. She shook with
adrenaline. For the time being, he had
believed her. Her hands were caked with blood. Hissing she clawed at her
skin, trying to scrub it off, only making it smear. All she could see was the
flash of steel, the spattering of red blood, and the crunch of bone. His golden
eyes, echoing of memories and loyalty before everything distorted and twisted.
A strangled sound bubbled from her lips as she slid slowly to the floor, not
caring about holding her broken pieces together anymore.
They had brought Brokk in. The same curve of his lips, same flecked golden eyes. At
first glance, it had been, without a doubt, him. All it took was one second.
His golden hair turned black; his eyes bled into nothingness, and his edges
blurred. Her instinct had screamed imposter. That hadn’t been Brokk, and she
had acted on that gut feeling alone. She replayed that moment repeatedly in her
mind. The tang of magic was overwhelming, filling her mouth, her nose, her
mind. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath. The sword had felt like lead
in her hands, and with a flash of steel, glinting in the firelight, she had killed. Her vision twisted and churned,
and she barely made it to the washroom before her stomach emptied. Cold sweat
coated her body as she retched and retched repeatedly. Gasping, she wiped her
mouth and sat down, breathing hard. Hot tears streaked down her face, and she
screamed, biting her shaking knuckles. The sharp, metallic taste of blood
filled her mouth, and she ripped her hand away, her breath coming in ragged gulps.
She was in a lethal dance between past and
truth, between love and loyalty. Closing her eyes for a moment she willed
herself to see all their faces. Memphis. Brokk. Alby. Azarius. Even Nyx. She
hoped they were safe and had found time to grieve for the Rebellion. And for
Nyx, that she had time to explain, that she didn’t lose her only family.
Leaning over, she shut the tap off, and throwing her clothes down onto the
tiled floor, she slipped into the steamy waters. It instantly turned pink from
the blood. She took the creamy bar of soap and scrubbed herself until her skin
was raw. Her mind spun and spun in the harsh play by play. The real Brokk knew
coming to Adair’s doorstep would warrant his death. A plan that reckless after
so many years of hiding… Emory paced. It couldn’t work, could it? A soft
whimper escaped her, her voice cracking.
She took in a deep breath, and closing her
eyes, she dunked underwater, allowing herself to free float. The water was
steaming hot, loosening the knots in her muscles and easing the tension from
her soul. But those whispers that had chased her, finally caught up. Emory Fae, liar, betrayer. She wouldn’t
have been able to go through with her plan if the rebellion had known. Memphis
would have tried to stop her. Her heart gave a painful clench, and her lungs
were on fire as she burst up, gasping for oxygen, splashing water everywhere,
then slipping back under.
Those final days and nights in the cell
were filled with terror. The darkness seeped from every angle, and her mind was
the target. Memory after memory came to her in her sleep, in the bowels of
Adair’s kingdom. And she remembered the frigid air circling around her as she
pled with Memphis and Brokk, for them to come with her. And Memphis, he took
away her memories of Kiero, of her life as she was plunged into the unknown
world. She had been so wrong about her mysterious shifter. Brokk had been
twisted by a best friend’s jealousy, and she had complied, not allowing him to
prove what he had been to her—what he meant to her.
Bursting through the surface of the bath,
her lungs screamed for air. She rubbed her eyes, sighing deeply. Yet it came,
snippets of her life as she pieced the puzzle together. A shiver ran down her
spine at the thought of the haunted man. She would play her part very, very well. She would pass these trials,
and then as Queen, she would free them all, and destroy him. Once and for all.
If she survived. If she believed she had a running chance to overcome Adair and
find a way to get to the Rebellion. If. If. If.
Gnashing her teeth together, she stood,
getting out of the tub. Wrapping herself in soft towels, she stalked towards
her bed, eyeing where a small tray of sliced meats, cheeses, and fruits lay on
her bed stand. Her mouth dropped opened as she lunged towards the tray,
shovelling it in. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. It was heavenly. She pushed down the guilt as
she chewed. She wouldn’t be any use half-starved. Sighing, she flopped on the
bed, and she couldn’t help herself as she started to drift off, the whispers of
her mind bringing her into a restless sleep filled with dreams of dark eyes and
steel cages, trying to keep her locked away. And her, never fast enough to
outrun any of them.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Renegade and Black Dawn will be available in the
following #Vancouver area locations : Chapters Burnaby, Indigo Surrey, Chapters
Coquitlam, Indigo West Vancouver, Indigo Granville (2505 Granville St) and
Indigo Robson (1033 Robson St) in December!
Author: Mallory McCartney
Pub. Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: Clean Reads Publishing
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 274
“The
time for Kiero’s reign in prosperity is over.”
Six years before the Black Dawn Rebellion, Adair
Stratton and Emory Fae are following in their parent’s footsteps and living at The
Academy, a home for those who are gifted. The pressure to uphold the future of
their parent’s dream falls on them. An outcast and feared by most, Adair longs
to break away from the expectations dictating his future. Even if Emory tries
to make him see differently. An unexpected group of friends keep him there, but
as whispers of unexplained disappearances start reaching from the capital,
Adair starts to doubt The Academy is all it seems.
An unexpected visit ignites new tensions as the
roguish king from across the Black Sea, Tadeas Maher of the Shattered Isles,
and his heir, Marquis Maher sail to Kiero. Notorious for their pirating and
wrath- for the first time in years, they demand the Fae’s listen to their
proposition for a new treaty, holding the news of Nei’s father’s abrupt death
over them. Caught in the middle of politics- Adair and Emory, with the help of
their best friends Brokk and Memphis search for the one thing that matters
most- finding out the truth.
In this gripping prequel to Black Dawn, their
world is tipped upside down as unlikely alliances are made. War ravages through
Kiero and is torn apart by acclaimed Kings. Through the throes of betrayal,
lies, hidden magic and love, Adair is faced with a life changing decision- to
fight or to bow to the darkness within him.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Title: BLACK DAWN
(Black Dawn #1)
Author: Mallory McCartney
Release Date: February 14,
2017
Publisher: Clean Reads
Publishing
Pages: 352
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Emory Fae enjoys
leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome
soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked
away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden
world of Kiero, and bringing Emory back she will discover she is the long lost
heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a
dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.
With both men being
darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long
dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans,
love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.
Some things are better
left in the shadows.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
About
Mallory:
Mallory McCartney is the author of the bestselling Black Dawn series. She
currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband and their three dachshunds
Link, Lola and Leonard. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading,
she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds and hiking. Other favorite
pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking
out new coffee and dessert shops.
Giveaway Details:
One lucky winner
will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.
Giveaway ends
March 15 at midnight, EST!
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