Blurb:
After saving her love, Princess Elyne returns to the Otherworld by order of her mother. But it’s not the homecoming she expects. Furious Elyne has meddled with humans, the queen imprisons her and strips away her magic. The only way Elyne can get it back is to perform one selfless act.

When Queen Maeve sends Derron to find the Guardian of the Sword of Light, he can’t leave without releasing Elyne. After all, she altered time to save his life. But freeing the princess comes with a steep price—he must take her with him on this dangerous quest. And the two must deal with feelings of past hurt and the love growing between them.

Their search becomes more than a pursuit for the missing Guardian as Lord Kieran rises to dominate the Unseelie court. He will stop at nothing to gain control of both the Otherworld and the human realm. Even with the help of Elves, dragons and their human friends, the odds are stacked against Derron and Elyne.

Excerpt:
“I’m sure it was because I’m so charming.”

This made him laugh out loud, showing off his deep dimples on either side of his kissable mouth. It sent her stomach plummeting to her shoes to see the joy in his face. Something he hadn’t had in far too long. As least since his last joust in the human realm when he nearly died…twice.

Derron slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked. She stumbled, falling into him a lot closer than he probably intended. She could feel the warmth of him pressing through to her skin, delighting every sense she had. Her pulse quickened as he leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek. Disappointment quickly followed when that was all she got. A sisterly peck.

“You are truly delightful, your highness,” Derron said.

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Irritation clawed through her. Mostly because he didn’t take her in his arms and kiss her thoroughly. As though she were the last Fae woman worth kissing.

“Why not? Isn’t that your rightful title?”

“It is, but it’s unnecessary for you to continue to use ‘your highness’.”

“You don’t seem to mind when the others call you that.” Before she could answer, he asked, “Would you prefer ‘princess’, then?”

“No.” She pouted, clenching her jaw tight and trying not to pucker her lips. Still, she was incensed. And he still held her so close she could literally feel his pulsing heart. Or maybe that was her imagination.

“‘Your worship’?”

Now he was teasing her. She flushed to the tips of her pointed ears, her face burning hot.

“Not that either, I gather. How about ‘your grace’? I suppose I could bend the rules of address this once and call you that. Would that do?”

“No.” She punched him in the ribs to get away but he still held fast. “Let me go.”

He stopped walking so suddenly she stumbled again. This time he turned to her, grasped her arms and pulled her close. So close, her hands rested on his chest and she knew for certain she could feel his heart pounding through his tunic. Their eyes locked, his searching hers. Heat flooded her. Something she’d not known…well, ever. And especially for Derron.

It had been much too long since he’d looked at her like that. Ages, in fact. When he had tried to court her and all she wanted to do was run away from him. She’d wanted nothing to do with him. She had been such a fool to reject him. And why had she? She thought she hadn’t been in love with him. How wrong she was.

“Elyne, then. How about I call you Elyne?”

She liked the way her name sounded on his tongue. Oh, he’d said it before. But usually with princess attached to it. Rarely her name. And never looking at her like that.

Her gaze focused on his lips, perfect for kissing. The deep-set dimples on either side. The scruffy blond whiskers shadowing his jaw and cheeks. Neither of them wore their glamour here in the Otherworld to hide their true Fae features. His ears were tipped like hers, his blond hair fell over his forehead in thick waves and she longed to run her fingers through the silken strands.

“You may call me Elyne.”

His gaze landed on her lips, paused, and then lifted back to hers. He wanted to kiss her but he was afraid. Mayhap as afraid as she was for him to kiss her. That would mean they had deep feelings for each other and since they’d made such a mess of things with the broken betrothal, she wasn’t sure where that would leave them.

“Then ’tis what I’ll call ye.”

She blinked in surprise as he released her and resumed walking. For that brief moment, his Irish lilt came out so clear it took her aback. In fact, she couldn’t recall ever hearing it. He masked it so well.

“You coming, Elyne?” he called over his shoulder.

Elyne picked up her skirts and fell in step beside him. “Shouldn’t I be armed as well?” She steered the conversation as far from the two of them as possible. She didn’t want to acknowledge the need and desire Derron had managed to stir inside her. All she wanted to do was ignore it.

“You? Armed? Why?”

“All of you are armed,” she said. “You have a sword and a dagger. And I have no magic.”

“Fear not, dear prin—Elyne. I promise to keep thee safe.”

She snarled at him. Mocking me again. “Are you denying me a weapon?”

“Can you shoot a bow?” he asked, giving her a sideways glance. Even though he tried to keep his face passive, she could see the underlying smirk.

“Nay.”

“Wield a sword?”

“Nay.”

Derron chuckled. “Then, pray tell, what sort of weapon do you wish for?”

She’d never laid her hands on a weapon before but it seemed silly to be traipsing through the Woodlands Forest with nothing but her wits. She would feel much better if she had something within reach. Mayhap some sort of blade she could keep on her person. Something that could replace the fact she had no magic. She may as well be running around naked.

She looked over Derron, noticed the sheath tied to his thigh and knew that’s what she wanted.

“A dagger.” Aye, that would make her feel better to have one. “I know how to use that.”

“A dagger?” He splayed his fingers. “You have any ideas on where to get one? I don’t see Thuluke’s Weapons Shoppe here.”

Her gaze landed once again on his dagger. He put a possessive hand on it. “You want mine. Of course you do.”

“You could spare the dagger.”

“I could, couldn’t I?” Smiling, Derron unsheathed his dagger and handed it to her. “I expect you to take good care of that. It was a gift from my father.”

“It will be safe with me.” She ran her finger along the pearl hilt, admiring the iridescent colors dancing along it.

“Have any idea how to use it?”

Elyne blinked. “Not exactly.”

Grinning, he stepped behind her, wrapped his long fingers around her thin wrist. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

Derron’s body pressed against her back, molding to her easily. With her wrist in his hand, the delicious warm skin pressing hers, it was difficult for her to concentrate on his words.

“Thrust like this.” He pulled her arm back and then pushed it forward. “Aim for the heart. If you miss that, then the neck.” Heated breath cascaded over her nape. His woodsy scent filled her nose.

“Why?” she asked.

“Best way to kill a man, princess. How does it feel?”

Splendid. Though she was certain he meant the dagger in her hand. “It feels like a dagger.”

He chuckled and released her. “You’ll need this too.” He untied the sheath from his thigh. “But a lady, nay a princess, shouldn’t keep that in plain sight.”

“Why not?”

“She is more lethal with a hidden weapon.”

A mischievous light twinkled in his eyes, making her heart do a quick ka-thunk in her chest. Derron knelt at her feet, his gaze still on hers. When his hand went up her skirt and rested on her calf, she nearly came undone. Slowly, he slid his hand along her leg, pushing up her skirt to reveal an expanse of creamy white skin. Her heart throbbed, pounding wildly in her chest and ears. Her breath caught in her throat.

Elyne watched as he tied the sheath to her thigh in the same manner. She’d swear she could still feel the warmth of his skin on it as he secured it in place.

“There. The dagger?” He held his hand up for it.

She placed the pearl hilt in his palm and he deftly slid it into the sheath. All the while keeping his hands in constant contact with her leg.

“That should do it.” Derron rose to his full height.

He had two inches on her, his hair brushing his forehead as he gave her a wicked smile. He knew what he was doing and he liked doing it. She liked him doing it. Why did he touch her so intimately when they’d been at odds for so long? He’d gone to the court to have their betrothal broken and now this?

“Feel better, princess?”

“I—”

But that was as far as she got when an arrow went zooming between them and buried in the ancient oak beside her head.

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Spotlight on Ariel Tachna and Giveaway

Office manager Sam Emery is unemployed and out of luck. When his emotionally abusive wife demands a divorce, he contacts the one person he has left, his brother, Neil. He doesn’t expect Neil to reject him, but he also doesn’t expect the news of his divorce—and of his sexuality—to be met with such acceptance.

Neil takes Sam to Lang Downs, the sheep station Neil calls home. There, Sam learns that life as a gay man isn’t impossible. Caine and Macklin, the station owners, certainly seem to be making it work. When Caine offers Sam a job, it’s a dream come true.

Jeremy Taylor leaves the only home he’s ever known when his brother’s homophobia becomes more than he can bear. He goes to the one place he knows he will be accepted: Lang Downs. He clicks with Sam instantly—but the animosity between Lang Downs and Jeremy’s home station runs deep, and the jackaroos won’t accept Jeremy without a fight. Between Sam’s insecurity and Jeremy’s precarious position, their road will be a hard one—and that’s without having to wait for Sam’s divorce to be final before starting a new life together.

Excerpt:

Sam looked around the canteen, trying to decide where to sit. With the breeding finished, three weeks into his tenure on the station, the seasonal jackaroos would be leaving in the morning. Kami had broken out the barbie and grilled up more meat than Sam figured three times as many people could eat, along with more sides than Sam knew what to do with. Everyone was in high spirits, the emotion rubbing off even on Sam, but that didn’t solve his current problem. Molly and Neil had left for Yass as soon as Macklin declared the work done for the day so they could look at venues for their wedding and reception, leaving Sam with no one he really knew. He’d spent the days working in the office and the evenings with Neil and Molly, or else alone in his room if the other two seemed to want some privacy. He’d gotten a lot of work done, which was good, but he hadn’t made any new friends beyond his soon-to-be sister-in-law.

“Don’t stand there blocking the food. Come sit down.” Sam couldn’t remember the name of the kid who spoke, but he followed him back to the table where he was sitting with another kid, two jackaroos… and Jeremy Taylor.

“I’m Jason, by the way,” the kid said. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”

“Sam,” he said automatically. “Sam Emery. So what do you do on the station?”

“My dad’s the head mechanic,” Jason said, “but I don’t really like engines. I’d much rather work with the animals. Macklin lets me help out some now that I’m old enough. I’m going to be a vet some day and come back here and take care of all the animals.”

“How can you not like engines?” the other kid interrupted. From the look on both boys’ faces, it was a familiar argument.

“And just like that, we won’t get another word out of them tonight not related to the merits of engines versus animals. I’m Chris. That’s my brother, Seth. This is Jesse and Jeremy.”

“Nice to officially meet you all,” Sam said. “I’m Sam, Neil’s brother, and I guess Caine’s office manager, at least until we can get everything straightened out with the inheritance taxes and everything. I don’t know if he’ll need me after that.”

“He’d rather be out with Macklin on the station,” Jesse said. “As long as you’re willing to put up with the station and the job, he’ll keep you around.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Sam asked.

“Because a lot of people think life on a station is all romantic, like you see in the movies,” Jeremy answered before Jesse could, “when really it’s a lot of isolation and hard work, extremes of temperature, and the weather trying to beat the shit out of you. There’s nothing romantic about life on a station.”

Chris and Jesse snickered.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t have a romance on a station,” Jeremy said, rolling his eyes, “because that obviously happens. We’ve got three couples on this station right now who met here, and that’s just the ones I know about. That’s not what I mean. I mean the way it’s portrayed in movies. We saw it every year at Taylor Peak. We’d hire on these young guys, all fresh-faced and convinced they were setting off on some grand adventure. Half of them didn’t even make it through a single season, much less come back.”

“I’m not working under any illusions,” Sam said, “but I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and a job that uses my skills. That’s a little hard to complain about.”

“We’ll see what you say in the middle of July, when it’s freezing cold, or in the middle of December when it’s so hot you can barely breathe,” Jeremy said.

“That sounds like a challenge to me,” Sam said, not quite believing his own temerity. “What do I get if I make it? If I last a year?”

“All the beer you want for a year,” Jeremy replied without batting an eyelash. “If you make it through April of next year, I’ll buy you beer for a year.”

“Deal,” Sam said, holding out his hand to shake on it.

Jeremy sealed the deal, and if Sam didn’t pull his hand back as quickly as he might once have done, no one seemed at all bothered by it.

“I asked Macklin if I could take the supply run tomorrow,” Jeremy said, changing the subject completely. “Anybody need anything while I’m in town?”

“I could use a couple of things,” Chris said. “I’ll make you a list.”

“No, I’m good,” Jesse said.

“Do you think I could come with you?” Sam asked. “I don’t have much of anything I’ll need for the winter up here, but boots and coats aren’t something I can ask someone else to buy for me.”

“There’s an extra seat in the ute,” Jeremy said with a shrug. “The drive’ll go faster with someone to talk to.”

It wasn’t as enthusiastic a response as Sam might have hoped, but it was better than a refusal. Sam reminded himself Jeremy had a history with Neil, even if Sam didn’t know the details, and that of course Jeremy would be cautious since he didn’t know if Sam would share Neil’s opinions. “Thanks. What time are you planning on leaving?”

“As soon as we’re done with breakfast,” Jeremy replied. “It’s a four-hour drive to Boorowa.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Caine stood up at the front of the room and whistled for everyone’s attention before they could say anything else.

“I want to thank everyone for their hard work this season,” he began. “None of you had to take a chance on Lang Downs when we hired you in the spring, whether this was your first season on the station or another of many. None of you had to take a chance on me. This year could have been a disaster for us. New owner, a lot of new men, but it wasn’t, and that’s due to your hard work, particularly Neil, Kyle, and Ian, who worked harder than I would have asked of anyone. We had a good summer, and you’ll all find a little something extra in your final paycheck in the morning. I wish you all the best this winter and look forward to seeing you again next spring.”

The jackaroos all applauded at the news of a bonus.

“He’s too generous,” Jesse muttered. “Half of them barely even earned their actual paycheck, much less a bonus.”

“He can afford to be generous,” Sam said. “Whether they deserve it or not, the station is in the black.”

“That’s good news,” Jeremy said. “I don’t know if this was truth or Devlin being a bastard, but I heard rumors the station had a rough year before Lang died, maybe even a rough couple of years.”

Sam didn’t say anything since he wasn’t sure how much Caine was comfortable sharing with his employees, but it hadn’t just been rumors. The numbers hadn’t been bad enough to put the station in danger, but Sam had seen a couple of years in the red as he’d looked back through the accounts to get a sense of trends. Weather and circumstances beyond the graziers’ control had played into that, Sam knew, but Caine had turned it around. He and Macklin were a formidable team.

Jeremy grinned. “Of course, knowing Devlin, he probably made it all up to deflect attention from the issues Taylor Peak was having at the same time.”

“Mismanagement aside, I would think weather conditions and that sort of thing would affect both stations fairly equally,” Sam said. “I mean, it’s not like they’re on opposite sides of the territory. They’re neighbors.”

“Yes, much to my brother’s dismay,” Jeremy said. “I, on the other hand, think it’s bloody brilliant.”

“Why’s that?” Sam asked.

“Because anything that annoys my brother is bloody brilliant in my book,” Jeremy replied. “He’s a misogynistic, racist, homophobic bigot, and I’m done defending him, no matter what your brother thinks. He didn’t like it when I told him that, but I’m done with him, so it doesn’t matter.”

Sam noticed the nearly faded bruise around Jeremy’s eye, the slight discoloration mostly hidden by his tanned skin. “That how you got the black eye?”

“I might have said a few things he didn’t like,” Jeremy said. “It was worth it, though, and he looked worse than I did when I was done with him.”

Sam took a moment to be grateful to Caine for changing Neil’s homophobic attitude before Sam arrived. Without that, Sam could all too easily imagine them coming to blows, only Sam wouldn’t have acquitted himself nearly as well as Jeremy seemed to have done. Sam’s strength had always been numbers, not fists.

Sam lay in bed that night and replayed the conversation with Jeremy, and the easy way he accepted Jesse and Chris. Sam hadn’t noticed anything in their behavior right away, but it had become more obvious over the course of the evening. Jeremy hadn’t even blinked when Seth had made an obnoxious adolescent comment about how close they were sitting together and nobody wanting to see that. Jesse had casually smacked the teen on the back of the head, and everyone, Seth included, had laughed. If anything, Chris and Jesse had sat even closer after that.

Not being homophobic didn’t make Jeremy gay, though, and that was what Sam found himself wishing could be true. He had taken to observing the jackaroos in the canteen since he arrived, and already he could tell the difference between the year-rounders and the seasonal ones. They moved differently, looked different, carried themselves with a different kind of confidence, like somehow the land beneath their feet grounded them in a way it didn’t do for the seasonal employees.

Jeremy had arrived on Lang Downs the same day Sam had, but Jeremy moved the same way Neil and Macklin did, with the innate grace and confidence that came from knowing what they were doing and knowing they could handle anything the tablelands threw at them. Sam found it insanely attractive.

Of course even if Jeremy was gay, he’d never look twice at someone like Sam, who didn’t know the first thing about sheep and probably wouldn’t last an hour without doing something stupid.

It wouldn’t stop him from looking, though, or from fantasizing occasionally. He’d hooked up with some attractive men over the past year, but none of them held a candle to Jeremy’s ruggedness. He had lines around his eyes from squinting against the sun and a scar on his cheek, long since healed. He wasn’t classically handsome by any stretch of the imagination, but Sam had seen the wicked sense of humor in his blue-green eyes, the way they came alive as he told tale after tale of growing up on a sheep station and all the antics of a teenaged boy. He’d run his fingers through his short blond hair at one point, leaving it in spiky disarray. Sam figured that would be enough to feed his dreams for weeks, because unlike the men he’d hooked up with or the ones he’d watched furtively on porn sites, Jeremy was for real.

It would be easy to beat off right now to the memory of laughing eyes, mussed hair, and a crooked smile, but the alarm would go off early, and when it did, Sam would get to spend the entire day with Jeremy. That was far better than an empty fantasy. With that thought in mind, he rolled onto his side and willed himself to sleep.

Ariel Tachna lives outside of Houston with her husband, her daughter and son, and their cat.  Before moving there, she traveled all over the world, having fallen in love with France, where she met her husband, and India, where she hopes to retire some day.  She’s bilingual with snippets of four other languages to her credit and is as in love with languages as she is with writing.

Web site: http://www.arieltachna.com

Blog: http://arieltachna.livejournal.com

Twitter: @arieltachna

Facebook: http://tiny.cc/29npd

To purchase my books, you can always go to Dreamspinner’s web site, http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com  or you can go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, Fictionwise, or Rainbow eBooks, http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/.  I’m sure there are probably other eBook outlets as well, but I don’t go searching for them.  Also, if you want to buy the book in print, any bookstore that allows special orders can order the book for you with the title and my name.

Giveaway

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Inspire Blitz and Giveaway

As I raised my head, I met stunning blue eyes set in the most gorgeous face that I had ever seen. WOW! I thought as my body reacted on the spot. Trying not to ogle but unable to look away, I quickly took in the sight. He was tall, with short, dark, spiky hair and was sporting a slight five o’clock shadow on his perfect chin. So SEXY! my mind purred as I looked down to see the rest of him. Although he was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans, I could tell that he was built and that his body underneath was just as incredible. Our eyes briefly locked, and then he smiled. His mouth immediately drew my attention, and I had to look away before he could read my thoughts on my face.

Inspire  by Heather Buchine
Publication date: March 31st 2013
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:
18-year old Paige Rice, an exquisite beauty from East Hampton, NY, has just celebrated her high school graduation and is expecting to spend her summer living it up with all her socialite friends. But her parents have a different idea – she is being hauled away-literally- to the mountains of Vermont for the entire summer- in an RV!

Assuming she will be an outcast amongst the other teens at the campground still does not prepare her for the treatment she receives, which is far worse than she imagined. She also isn’t prepared for Travis, the campground owner’s son and the “Sexiest” guy she has ever laid eyes on. Travis is the only one who shows any interest in getting to know Paige. The only problem is that they have to explore what lies between them in secret. But once all the secrets are stripped away, the truth may be crushing.

***Intended for mature audiences due to language and sexual content***

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17725218-inspire?ac=1

Purchase  

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Inspire-ebook/dp/B00C51HA6E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368319916&sr=8-2&keywords=Inspire

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AUTHOR BIO

By no surprise my favorite hobbies are reading and writing. But beyond escaping into the

written fantasy world, I love experiencing new things. Surfing, motorcycle riding, snow blading, glass blowing, parasailing, SUP boarding are just a few that I have checked off my bucket list, but there is still so much more to explore. Right now, being a mom is my biggest adventure and the best by far!! In the quiet calm hours of the night though, I can usually be found typing away creating a world of romance where drama still exists but love (hopefully!!) always prevails.

Author Links:
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