I am happy to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for QUEEN TO ASHES by Mallory McCartney! I have an excerpt to share with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!
About The Book:
Title: QUEEN TO
ASHES (Black Dawn #2)
Author: Mallory McCartney
Pub. Date: January 8,
2019
Publisher: Clean Reads
Publishing
Formats: eBook
Pages: ?
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Amazon
Canada
“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?
Renegade and Black
Dawn are 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)
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.
Title: RENEGADE (Black Dawn 0.5)
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.
Now on to the excerpt!
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.
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!
Tour
Schedule:
Week
One:
2/18/2019- That Transylvanian
Chick Book Blog- Spotlight
2/19/2019- BookHounds YA- Excerpt
2/20/2019- The Page Unbound- Excerpt
2/21/2019- Kelly P's Blog- Spotlight
2/22/2019- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt
Week
Two:
2/25/2019- Adventures Thru
Wonderland- Review
2/26/2019- Novel Novice- Excerpt
2/27/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt
2/28/2019- A Gingerly Review- Excerpt
3/1/2019- dmcireadsblog- Excerpt
Week
Three:
3/4/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Spotlight
3/5/2019- ❧Defining Ways❧- Excerpt
3/6/2019- K.L. Knovitzke – Author- Excerpt
3/7/2019- Lone Tree Reviews- Excerpt
3/8/2019- Lauren is Reading- Review
Week
Four:
3/11/2019- D Books and Reviews- Review
3/12/2019- Writer of Wrongs- Excerpt
3/13/2019- Here's to Happy Endings- Spotlight
3/14/2019- Bookriot- Review
3/15/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt
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