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Book: Follow Me Into Darkness: Five Tales of Carnivale Romance
Authors: Santino Hassell, J.C. Lillis, J.R. Gray, Kris Ripper, and Roan Parrish
Publisher: Open Ink Press
Date of Publication: 2/4/16
Price: $3.99 (originally) | Sale Price: 99 cents
Authors: Santino Hassell, J.C. Lillis, J.R. Gray, Kris Ripper, and Roan Parrish
Publisher: Open Ink Press
Date of Publication: 2/4/16
Price: $3.99 (originally) | Sale Price: 99 cents
Five of the top
voices in queer romance teamed up last year to give you Follow Me Into Darkness: Five Tales of Carnivale Romance. Their
stories were bold, they were decadent, they were achingly sinful. They begged
you to remove your masks just once and many of you listened. Their stories
looked into the heart of modern day New Orleans and its steamy past, followed
an errant queen in disguise, walked through the lush streets of Rio, and then
continued straight on into the lofty pages of a Shakespearean soliloquy.
Mardi Gras is coming fast and Follow Me Into Darkness is back to seduce you. It's on sale for only 99 cents from 2/26 - 3/5 plus the authors are giving you gifts and treats along the way!
For one week only, romance writers Santino Hassell, J.R. Gray, J.C. Lillis, Roan Parrish, and Kris Ripper dare you to take off your masks again...but are you ready for what might happen if you do?
About the Book:
Mardi Gras is coming fast and Follow Me Into Darkness is back to seduce you. It's on sale for only 99 cents from 2/26 - 3/5 plus the authors are giving you gifts and treats along the way!
For one week only, romance writers Santino Hassell, J.R. Gray, J.C. Lillis, Roan Parrish, and Kris Ripper dare you to take off your masks again...but are you ready for what might happen if you do?
About the Book:
Carnivale is a time
for decadence, for revelry, and for mischief. A time when we shed the
figurative masks we wear in everyday life in favor of new ones… ones that allow
us to be a little bolder, a little more adventurous, and perhaps a little truer
to ourselves. Follow Me Into Darkness is a compilation of original tales of
queer romance by five of the premier authors of contemporary romance.
Hurricane by Santino Hassell
Hurricane by Santino Hassell
Interesting
things never happened to Zay. He was the wallflower everyone forgot about as
soon as the booze began to flow, and Mardi Gras had never been an exception.
But after a chance encounter with a devil-may-care grifter, this year's
celebration brings adventure and whirlwind romance.
If We Be Friends by J.C. Lillis
If We Be Friends by J.C. Lillis
Seventeen-year-old
Ven should be flying high—he's playing the title role
in a new TV drama about Hamlet's teen years, and tonight they're having a Mardi
Gras cast party in a possibly-haunted castle. But Ven's lost all his mirth
since his boyfriend suggested they "take a break," so he plans to
skip the bash and brood in his trailer all night. Then the exasperating guy who
plays Horatio challenges him to a Shakespearean soliloquy-off, and Ven knows
his actorly honor is at stake. He says yes to the duel, trudges off to the the
party to meet his fate--and finds that more awaits him onstage than a battle of
wits and words.
Masked by J.R. Gray
Masked by J.R. Gray
Blistering heat
and half-naked masked men as far as the eye can see, but Heath runs into the
one face it's taken him fifteen years to forget. Javier is plagued with a life
of regret, but when a second chance confronts him, can he let go of his
hang-ups and seize the moment?
The Queen's Reflection by Kris Ripper
The Queen's Reflection by Kris Ripper
Isah plays the role everyone expects: malleable and cautious, a true
queen. But what others see as a queen's appropriate modesty is really just a
disguise for what Isah has never told anyone, the thing no one can ever know.
This body, dressed in the queen's gowns, is a lie.
Once a year, at carnival, Isah dons someone else's clothes and becomes them for a night. A young cook in stained whites, or a stableboy in worn breeches. As long as no one gets too close the pretense holds.
Until two strangers look past all the characters and Isah finally exposes the person behind the mask.
Touched by Roan Parrish
This body, dressed in the queen's gowns, is a lie.
Once a year, at carnival, Isah dons someone else's clothes and becomes them for a night. A young cook in stained whites, or a stableboy in worn breeches. As long as no one gets too close the pretense holds.
Until two strangers look past all the characters and Isah finally exposes the person behind the mask.
Touched by Roan Parrish
Sometimes when
he touches people Philippe Rondeau sees their future. It's erratic and
inconvenient, but mostly he's learned to deal with it. Sure he hasn't found
true love yet, but he has friends and lovers, and is kept busy running his
family's jazz club in Prohibition-era New Orleans. But now it's Mardi Gras and
all bets are off. In the space of one night, Philippe falls under the spell of
jazz musician Claude and learns a terrible secret about his powers. If Philippe
is certain of anything it's that the future can be tricky, but the chance at
love makes it all seem worthwhile.
Buy Links
What I thought about Follow Me Into Darkness
The five tales in Follow Me Into Darkness are entertaining stories of decedence and revelry taking place during Carnival. I was initially attracted to this book because I'm a big fan of Santino Hassell and there were other authors I've been wanting to read, but haven't had the opportunity. Sometimes with anthologies like this, I end up only reading that one story but I am happy to say that once I started Follow Me Into Darkness, I really couldn't put it down, and I ended up devouring this in a night.
There's great variety in the stories told here and I really liked that about Follow Me Into Darkness and I'd be hard pressed to say which was my favorite, although I'm leaning toward The Queen's Reflection, a tale of a very unhappy queen and the friends made during an illicit escape. All of the stories held me interest and had me wanting to know how it would all end.
There is something for everyone in Follow Me Into Darkness. The stories are the exact right size -- not too long or short and while some will leave you wanting more, each story is wrapped up nicely.
Definitely recommended.
ARC provided for review.
There's great variety in the stories told here and I really liked that about Follow Me Into Darkness and I'd be hard pressed to say which was my favorite, although I'm leaning toward The Queen's Reflection, a tale of a very unhappy queen and the friends made during an illicit escape. All of the stories held me interest and had me wanting to know how it would all end.
There is something for everyone in Follow Me Into Darkness. The stories are the exact right size -- not too long or short and while some will leave you wanting more, each story is wrapped up nicely.
Definitely recommended.
ARC provided for review.
About the Authors:
J.R. Gray
When not staying
up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it's half assumed
he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant
and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He
frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations,
to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even
though it's been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle
and bewilder. If Gray wasn't writing…well, that's not possible. The buildup of
untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea
of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers
he/him pronouns.
newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bigxIL
website: JRGrayBooks.com
twitter: twitter.com/theoriginalgray
twitter: twitter.com/booksbygray
facebook: facebook.com/GrayBooks
tumblr: booksbygray.tumblr.com
tumblr: theoriginalgray.tumblr.com
(NSFW)
pinterest: pinterest.com/JRGrayBooks/
Santino Hassell
Santino Hassell is a
writer of queer romance heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of
New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and
his own life experiences.
newsletter: santinohassell.com/newsletter/
website: santinohassell.com
twitter: twitter.com/santinohassell
facebook: facebook.com/theonlysonnyhassell
facebook: facebook.com/santinohassellbooks
instagram: instagram.com/santinohassell
goodreads: http://bit.ly/1yBeaqc
J.C. Lillis
J.C. Lillis
writes contemporary YA novels about fandom, friendship, love, and art. Her
Mardi Gras story was inspired by crazy days and nights in her college theater,
where part of her heart still beats under the
floorboards. She lives in Baltimore with her patient family and a cat
who intends to eat her someday.
website: jclillis.com
twitter: twitter.com/jclillis
instagram: instagram.com/jclillis
facebook: facebook.com/jclillisbooks
pinterest: pinterest.com/jclillis
Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish is
currently wandering between Philadelphia and New Orleans. When not writing, she
can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever
city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or
cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord
harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a
six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.
newsletter: http://bit.ly/1bNCAaF
website: roanparrish.com
twitter: twitter.com/RoanParrish
facebook: facebook.com/roanparrish
instagram: instagram.com/roanparrish
pinterest: pinterest.com/ARoanParrish/
Kris Ripper
Kris Ripper
lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay
Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a
row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the
z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction
since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long
before that.
Find Kris at:
website: krisripper.com
facebook: facebook.com/kris.ripper
facebook: facebook.com/krisripperbooks
twitter: twitter.com/smuttastickris
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