Author: Annette Gisby
Genre: Multiple Genres including: Historical, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Paranormal and Erotica
Publisher: LuLu Publishing/Paperback Smashwords (ebook)
Date Published: November 2012
ISBN: (paperback) 9781291197846
ISBN: (Ebook) 9781301379989
Age Group: Adult
Word Count: 62,000
Cover Artist: Claudia McKinney http://www.phatpuppyart.com
Book Description
Shadows of
the Rose is a varied
collections of tales, taking place in various times, various places from the
witch trials of past centuries to the future in time and space. This collection
also features the two recent short stories, The Prince's Guard and Of Pets and
Pleasures, which are also available as separate ebooks.
The Witch Hunter - a young girl is accused of sorcery and the witch
hunter sent to condemn her is not as he seems...
Baby Blues - set in a future where family planning is controlled
by the state and it is illegal to make love...
Free Falling - some friendly aliens have found the cure for most of
human diseases, except for one--the one you have...
The Glass Guitar - Meg thinks a haunted guitar might be just the
present for her musician boyfriend's birthday...
Shadows of the Rose - a lovers' tryst in a ruined abbey, but there is
something not quite right - what's that there, hidden beneath the shadows of
the rose?
Author Bio:
Annette Gisby grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland, moving to London when she was seventeen. She writes in multiple genres and styles, anything from romance to thriller or erotica to horror, even both at the same time.
When not writing, she enjoys reading, cinema, theatre and travelling the world despite getting travel sick on most forms of transport., even a bicycle. Sometimes you might find her playing Dragon Quest or The Sims computer games or watching Japanese Anime.
She lives in Hampshire with her husband, a collection of porcelain dolls, cuddly toys and enough books to fill a library. It's diminishing gradually since the advent of ebooks, but still has a long way to go.
EXCERPT:
(from short story The Prince's Guard)
Prince Dashan surveyed himself in the looking-glass, turning this way and that to see if
the disguise would hold out. If he’d paid more attention to his magical arts studies, he
could probably have used glamour, but he didn’t know any of the more complex
incantations, so he had to rely on more old-fashioned methods. He’d dusted his fair hair
and face with ash from the fire, although there wasn’t much he could do about the bright
blue hue of his eyes, he just hoped with the hood of his cloak drawn over his head and the
dirt on his face it would be enough.
The leather trousers and jerkin he wore were grimy with dirt and creased with age, so
much so that their colour was indeterminate. A rough, home-spun shirt and a pair of
scuffed brown leather boots completed his ensemble.
“How do I look?” Dashan turned to his little brother, who was staring at him, mouth
agape and eyes agog at Dashan’s transformation from spoiled prince to peasant in such a
short space of time.
“You’re not really sneaking out tonight, are you?” asked Aniel. “What if Captain Ryland
catches you again? Father won’t be happy with you.”
“I’ve no intention of getting caught this time. Why do you think I’m wearing this
disguise?” Dashan’s face darkened as he thought of Captain Ryland. Just because he was
captain of the King’s men-at-arms, he seemed to think that meant that he was the boss of
the princes too. Officially, he was Captain of the Guards, unofficially he was Dashan’s
bodyguard and Dashan railed at that fact. Everywhere he turned, there was Ryland
getting in his way and preventing him from having any fun. Dashan couldn’t remember
the last time he’d seen his friends or even visited a tavern without Ryland tagging along
or turning up. He put a pall on everything, like a mourner mistakenly turning up for a
wedding feast rather than a funeral.
“What about the Alradai? If there are any of their spies about, you could be in serious
trouble. That’s why Father wanted you to have a bodyguard in the first place. You could
start an international incident if you get kidnapped. The Alradai would love to have the
crown prince as a hostage. They’d like nothing better for us to be at war again.”
“No one’s going to know I’m a prince,” said Dashan, frowning. “I’m just an ordinary
peasant out to enjoy an evening at the tavern.”
“And maybe a wench or two, eh?” Aniel winked at him.
“Maybe,” Dashan agreed, although he knew he was lying to himself and his brother. For
a long while he’d suspected that the female form wasn’t where his interest lay. Instead of
spying on the maids like his brothers sometimes did, Dashan was often to be found
watching the soldiers and men-at-arms at their drills. He much preferred it in the summer
when they would remove their armour and shirts, practicing their arms in little more than
their kilts. It was strong, firm chests Dashan dreamed of, not flowery scents and softness.
He wanted someone strong, someone forceful, someone so passionate that they forgot he
was a prince and just ravished him. The trouble was that the only person he could
imagine being as forceful as that was Ryland. Dashan scowled, he doubted Ryland had a
passionate bone in his body. He was just annoying. Dashan couldn’t wait to be rid of him.
Ryland riled him like no one else could.
No one thought it odd that the crown prince spent so much in the men’s company, after
all once he was king, they would be his men to command and his father just thought he
was being friendly to the men who would serve him. The trouble was, Dashan wanted to
be more than friendly. He wanted much more, but the castle was a hotbed of gossip, so
there was no one he could approach without word of it getting back to his father. He’d
heard that in the lower city there were places you could go to, pleasure houses that
catered to every patron’s whim, male or female.
Dashan knew what he wanted and tonight he was going to get it.
Shadows of The Rose “Buy”Links
Giveaway!!!
Annette will be giving away 5 ebook Copies as well as 1 printed copy to 6 lucky Winners:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour organizer:
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