Saturday, November 30, 2019

Book Tour & Giveaway ~ The Collector by Stjepan Varesevac Cobets


The Collector 
by Stjepan Varesevac Cobets 
Genre: SciFi Thriller


They were kidnapped.
Nobody knows where they are.
They all receive instructions to follow the path through the forest.
What they discover will come as a true shock.
The truth is hidden under a veil of secrets. 




Stjepan Varesevac-Cobets was born on 12 September 1965 in Split, Croatia. He lives and works in Kastel Sucurac, where he finished his elementary and secondary schooling.

At a very young age, he started reading and loved it because, through books, he traveled to places he could never visit in person. As a child, he loved fairy tales and adventure but later discovered other genres. When he found a Jules Verne book in the library, he became fascinated by science fiction. He has been writing poetry for fifteen years and has started writing science fiction. Lately, he has also written children's fairy tales and fables.

He has published, in Croatia, "An Opened Heart" in 2002, "The Sleepy Way" in 2005, and "Love" in 2006. On Amazon he has published the poetry collections "The Child of Happiness" in 2015, science fiction novel "Godeena" in 2015, the science fiction short story "Butterfly" in 2016, the poetry collection "When the moon takes over the dream: Love Poetry" in 2016, and in 2017 the poetry collection "The Flaming Horses: Collection of poetry". He also translated his new Sci-Fi novel "The Dream of the Forest". 




$25 Amazon 
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Book Tour & Giveaway ~ The Dark Verse by M. Amanuensis Sharkchild


From the Passages of Revenants 
The Dark Verse Vol 1 
by M. Amanuensis Sharkchild 
Genre: Horror 

Publisher: Armored Books 
Publication Date: February 19, 2013


2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medal Winner for Horror
#1 Free Best Seller in Horror Anthologies 

Twenty-six short stories of occult, metaphysical, and fantastical horror that will follow you to the visions of your sleep. 

The Dark Verse is a multiverse of Lovecraftian horror, spanning different realms and times, that touches upon evils that transcend the knowable. Whether a galactic entity that casts flesh off the wicked, a scientist harnessing the power of metamorphosis, or a diabolical overlord that torments souls in a dimension of unrelenting pain, there is no escape from the occult horrors that await you within the innumerable folios of The Dark Verse. 

This is Sharkchild's first collection of grim and ethereal tales. 


**Get it FREE!! ** 



In the Blood of Death 
The Dark Verse Vol 2 
Publication Date: February 19, 2013


Twenty-six short stories of occult, metaphysical, and fantastical horror that will follow you to the visions of your sleep. 

This is Sharkchild's second tome of terror. It is a complete experience on its own and does not need the first DARK VERSE volume to be enjoyed. 



Beyond the Grip of Time 
The Dark Verse Vol 3 
Publication Date: July 1, 2014


2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal Winner for Horror
2015 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner for Horror
2015 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner for Best Cover Design - Fiction 

Twenty-six short stories of occult, metaphysical, and fantastical horror that will follow you to the visions of your sleep. 

This is Sharkchild's third tome of terror. It is a complete experience on its own and does not need the previous DARK VERSE volumes to be enjoyed. 



Within the Depths of Soul 
The Dark Verse Vol 4 
Publication Date: November 6, 2018


2019 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner for Horror
2019 Book Excellence Awards Finalist for Horror 

Twenty-six short stories of occult, metaphysical, and fantastical horror that will follow you to the visions of your sleep. 

The Dark Verse is a multiverse of Lovecraftian horror, spanning different realms and times, that touches upon evils that transcend the knowable. Whether a stadium audience dazzled by the mystic power of alchemy, a gargantuan entity that plummets to the earth calling out a single human's name, or a world where all doorways leading to it usher death, there is no escape from the occult horrors that await you within the innumerable folios of The Dark Verse. 

This is Sharkchild's fourth collection of grim and ethereal tales and can be enjoyed independently from the other Dark Verse volumes. 



Beneath the Crown of Chaos 
The Dark Verse Vol 5


Thirteen short stories and a novella of occult, metaphysical, and fantastical horror that will follow you to the visions of your sleep. Whether a cosmic assassin able to annihilate any living entity across all of existence, a universe where physical size is a direct relationship to magical power, or a realm where money is made of living and dead flesh, there is no escape from the occult horrors that await you within the innumerable folios of The Dark Verse. 

This is Sharkchild's fifth collection of grim and ethereal tales. It is currently being funded on Kickstarter and is estimated to release at the end of Spring 2020. Back the book now and get your name on its pages. 





M. AMANUENSIS SHARKCHILD is an award-winning author and publisher of a growing series of Lovecraftian horror short stories called The Dark Verse and of the dark fantasy novel, The Spirit Collectors. His self-published books are praised for their illustrious hardcover binding and artwork and have won six awards. The Dark Verse is also a podcast through which Sharkchild releases new short stories on a regular basis. The style and atmosphere of his writing is often compared to the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

He lives in lurid wakefulness and lucid dreams, overtaken by visions that uncontrollably seethe in a torrent of horror and fantasy. As a zealot of the imagination, he embraces the strange, the bizarre, and the great unknown. His path of creation has only just begun.

Some of Sharkchild's other projects include Dark Energy Discoveries and Gravescabs. Dark Energy Discoveries is an EBM music project containing his rich vocal layers and soundscapes that are embodied by a virtual group of inter-dimensional beings who have joined forces to explore the ever-expanding reaches of existence. Gravescabs are reversible plush covers that are placed over a base plush toy called a Skell.

Sharkchild.com is home to his distinct creations.

THE DARK VERSE
THE SPIRIT COLLECTORS
His writing. 

GRAVESCABS
His toys.

DARK ENERGY DISCOVERIES
His music. 


Series Links 

Author Links 


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Book Tour & Giveaway ~ The Darn Roy Thrillers by Mick Bose


Hidden Agenda 
The Dan Roy Series Book 1 
by Mick Bose 
Genre: Action Thriller


A terrifying global conspiracy is unfolding against America. 

In Afghanistan and London, Dan Roy, a black ops soldier stumbles across the plot. 

People around him begin to die mysteriously, and soon Dan and those close to him are chased by a force far greater than himself. 

In a race against time to save the world from destruction, Dan Roy finds himself up against the most vicious terrorist imaginable. 

But failure is not an option… 

BONUS MATERIAL - NOVELLA INCLUDED! 



Dark Water 
The Dan Roy Series Book 2


Dan Roy is back. So is a bullet with his name on it. 

Dan intends to settle his affairs, then roam the world. But when an innocent woman is abducted in broad daylight, Dan responds to her call for help. His actions lead him into the dangerous vortex of a global plot to cripple America, maybe for good. 

Deep under the blue waters of the Eastern Seaboard hides a deadly secret, and the enemy plan to use it to unleash mayhem. Only Dan Roy, ex Black Ops warrior, stands in their way. 

Each book in the series can be read as a standalone 


**On Sale for Only .99 cents!!** 


The Tonkin Protocol 
The Dan Roy Series Book 3


In the steamy tropical jungles of Myanmar, Dan Roy will meet his match... 

Dan has joined the backpacker trail in far South East Asia. He wants nothing but peace, and to relax. 

But trouble finds him soon enough. Kimberly Smith is a CIA agent. She is flown into Myanmar, to help locate another CIA agent, missing in action. 

When Dan saves Kim from an ambush, their fates become entwined. Ignoring the instant spark between them, Dan leaves her alone. But when Kim is attacked and abducted before his eyes, he defends her with all his might. They escape, but they are now pawns in a CIA operation that could bring the world's two superpowers to a global conflict. 

The stakes rise, and Kim and Dan run from one exotic location to another, chased by powerful forces bent on their destruction. Finally, they are forcibly separated, and Dan is left to die in the dense, remote jungles... 

A terrifying secret is revealed inside the beautiful, but rarely visited country of Myanmar. Its long border with China has always been under America's watchful eyes. A covert operation, reaching up to the highest levels of power inside the CIA and Washington, is now in danger of being exposed. Dan Roy must lift himself up from his green grave, and fight back in the only way he can. To save the world, and to get Kim back. 

She means more to him than his battle hardened heart can understand. 

Once again, failure is not an option. 

From Singapore to Langley, and Washington to Yangon, come ride with Dan Roy on an adrenaline drenched, high octane, exotic adventure that will you leave you breathless and wanting more. 



Shanghai Tang 
The Dan Roy Series Book 4


Shanghai Tang - a fast paced and heart pounding action thriller from the wildly popular Dan Roy Series. 
A betrayed assassin is thrust into the secret life of Shanghai's underworld.

Dan Roy, ex Black Ops legend, is becoming a new legend in the infamous blood fight tournament called Kumite, in Hong Kong. He is carving himself a new life, when disaster strikes his loved ones back home. He gets a phone call, and he cannot deny Kimberly Smith's plea for help. Not only is Kim’s life endangered, the rumbles of discontent have reached the White House… 

A devastating secret lurks inside the glamorous night life of Shanghai. Political interests are involved, and soon Dan finds himself in a ruthless and twisted struggle for survival. He gets help from Xiao Wei-Ling, A Chinese woman who is on the run herself. An ambitious Triad boss is making a bid to over rule the whole of Shanghai, and Dan Roy has become a thorn in his side. The Triads have help from the police, and all eyes are on Dan – alone in a foreign land. 

Get prepared for a white knuckle ride from Hong Kong and Shanghai to the corridors of power in Washington, as we follow Dan on a terrifying adventure that could be his last.

Will Dan meet his nemesis in the murky underworld of Shanghai? Or will he fight to live another day? 




Scorpion Rising 
The Dan Roy Series Book 5


Hell hath no fury like an assassin scorned. 

Her name is spoken in whispers. She kills in silence, with the sting of a needle. Her name? Scorpion. 

But she was betrayed, and left for dead. 

Now she wants revenge. And no one is going to stand in her way. Apart from one man. Dan Roy, a betrayed assassin himself. The only man who once caught a glimpse of her face. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and Dan is about to find out why. 

Two ruthless killers hunt for each other, and sparks fly when they meet, but the truth evades their grasp. A political nightmare revolves around an influential US Congressman, and the stakes are higher than ever before. 

You will keep turning the pages of this spellbinding thriller, a heart pounding journey that takes you from secret jails in Russia, to the blue waters of the Bosporus, and deep inside the power corridors of Capitol Hill. 

Get it now. 

Just don't start it late at night. 




Deep Deception 
The Dan Roy Series Book 6


A SPINE CHILLING AND ACTION PACKED THRILLER FROM THE WILDLY POPULAR DAN ROY SERIES. 
BOUND BY BLOOD, DIVIDED BY FATE... 

When a face from the past rises up like a ghost, will Dan Roy be able to confront it? 

The face belongs to a vicious assassin, who is on the warpath. Mexico has its national elections, but a US friendly politician is butchered in broad daylight. The result is chaos, and soon the spiral of violence worsens. The CIA is involved, but its Director, Sidney Dvorak, is pursued by demons of his own, demons which could destroy national security if he is not careful. 

A devastating plot is hatched in the golden rooms of the Kremlin, and the conspiracy stretches across the world, from Moscow, to Washington DC, and the swampy tropical jungles of Veracruz. Dan Roy is imprisoned in a jail from hell in Mexico, and somehow, he has to break free to bring justice. Secrets are teeming in this thriller, bullets fly fast, and hearts are broken. A tragedy, a family, and one man’s desperate choice between love and nation is pitted in this breathtaking tale. 

This has everything you love in a Dan Roy thriller, and more. 

Once you start, you won’t stop. 

Guaranteed. 



Scorpion Down 
The Dan Roy Series Book 7


They tortured her. Left her for her dead. That was their first mistake. 
But they didn't know what she was fighting for. That was their second mistake. 
The Scorpion doesn't give a third chance. 

Revenge runs in her blood like fire. There will be no reprieve. 

A brutal conspiracy looms, stretching from the Middle East, Russia, to the heart of the American intelligence. The enemy is well prepared to strike a blow from which the world will not recover. Dan Roy stands in their way, and he has to fight against the one woman whose kills are legendary. A woman he once loved. Can he kill her? It is the only way Dan Roy will survive the greatest battle of his life. 

Three lives collide in this gripping white knuckle ride, and the future of the Vatican hangs in the balance. 

Nothing will ever be the same again. 




Code Zero 
The Dan Roy Series Book 8


This code will reduce the world to ground zero... 
Only four people know the code. 
Two are terrorists. One is a dead spy.

The fourth one is Dan Roy. 

When a brazen murder takes place in broad daylight in Washington DC, a national manhunt begins to find the killer. 

But this is no ordinary killer. He hides in plain view. His tentacles are everywhere, reaching deep inside the White House, the CIA and the FBI. He is a traitor who plans to start a new cold war. A secret hatched by the KGB will bring America to its knees. They have teamed up with terrorists in the Middle East and all of them are inside the USA, in a position to strike at the heart of power.

Only one man can stop them. Dan Roy discovers their secret, and together with FBI Special Agent Trisha Dunne, he must drag the world back from the brink of extinction.

Will he succeed? 

From Moscow to Saudi Arabia, and London to Washington, a thrilling showdown looms between Dan Roy and his enemies. 




Scorpion Sting 
The Dan Roy Series Book 9


THE FIRST LADY IS MISSING, BUT NO ONE HAS NOTICED. 
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS A SECRET THAT ONLY DAN ROY KNOWS. 
SO DOES A FOREIGN POWER, AND THEY WILL USE IT TO BRING AMERICA TO ITS KNEES. 

A fearsome terrorist has his eyes set on the ultimate prize - The President and his Family. The occupants of the White House are in grave and mortal danger, but they don't know. Those who know are not sharing it. They are the highest power brokers in USA, but they hold secrets that can reduce the country to ruin... 

Dan Roy finds out, but not before his life is threatened. He flies to London to catch a killer, but his old flame, the Russian assassin Scorpion, calls for help. She is imprisoned in France. 

The Scorpion is also in the jaws of this conspiracy. Together with Dan, she must escape, to save herself and her family. 

They must beat an invisible enemy, intent on destroying the western world as we know it. 

As the President and his wife arrive in Paris, the plot against them kicks into gear. The Secret Service have no idea what they are up against. 

Can Dan and the Scorpion save the day? 

From the secret halls of power in Moscow, to the deserts of Arabia, to deep inside the White House, come join Dan Roy and the Scorpion for an unforgettable high octane adventure. 




Editorial
Reviews

"Gritty and
lightning paced. The Dan Roy Series kept me reading late into the night!"
-
Blair Howard, Amazon Bestselling Author of the Harry Starke Series.

"There are very
few authors for whom I will pause my current reading and take up their latest
release. Mick Bose is one of them. Read him. You won't regret it."
-
Ty Patterson, USA Today Bestselling Author.

"Mick Bose is the
standard bearer of a new generation of thriller writers. Complex plot lines,
detailed descriptions of foreign locations and an emotional core to an action
driven story."
- Hera B, Editor.

“Relentless action,
great characters and suspense that cuts like a knife. Just a few pages shows
why Mick Bose is an Amazon bestseller!"
- Andrew Warren, Bestselling
Author of the Thomas Caine Series.

Mick Bose is the author of the Dan Roy action thriller series. If you like Reacher, Rapp and Baldacci you will love Mick's books. 

Mick has hiked in the Himalayas, farmed in a Kibbutz, floated in the Dead Sea, lived in Russia when Communism fell and was refused entry to a posh restaurant in Washington DC because he wasn't wearing the right shoes. 

Well, the food was overpriced. Mick's books are not, and he writes them because he wants to entertain you. 



$15 Amazon 
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Blog Tour ~ Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner

Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner

 

Speak No Evil

by Liana Gardner

on Tour October 1 - November 30, 2019

Synopsis:

Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner


What if every time you told the truth, evil followed?



My name is Melody Fisher. My daddy was a snake handler in Appalachia until Mama died. Though years have passed, I can still hear the rattle before the strike that took her from me.



And it’s all my fault.



Since then, I’ve been passed around from foster home to foster home. I didn’t think anything could be as bad as losing Mama.



I was wrong.



But I will not speak of things people have done to me. Every time I do, worse evil follows. Now, the only thing I trust is what saved me years ago.



Back when I would sing the snakes calm …


Book Details:

Genre: YA Mystery

Published by: Vesuvian Books

Publication Date: October 1st 2019

Number of Pages: 285

ISBN: 1944109366 (ISBN13: 9781944109363)

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads



Read an excerpt:

Uncle Harlan slammed my bedroom door open. “You’re going to learn to show the Lord respect, girl.” He grabbed my neck and forced me to walk in front of him.
My neck hurt where he dug his fingers in.
He took me outside and shoved me toward the shed. He slipped the key in the lock and removed it from the hasp. The door creaked as it opened and then he thrust me through.
“I’m not going to allow you to follow your mother’s footsteps. You’ll learn to make peace with snakes and not show them any fear. Or else.”
He grabbed a snake case from the shelf, put it on the ground, and opened it. He stepped backward out of the shed and swung the door shut. The latch clicked. Uncle Harlan on one side of the door, and the snake and me locked inside.
“I’ll come get you in time for school in the morning.”
His footsteps receded.
Light filtered through the cracks in the shed slats. In the dim light, the snake coiled in the corner, its tongue flicking out periodically. I slowly lowered to the ground and hugged Raksha Waya tight.
The inside of the shed was slightly warmer than outside. Staying warm might be a bigger problem than keeping the snake calm. It ignored me and remained coiled, but the cold seeped into my bones. I scanned the shelves. There had to be something in here I could use to help keep warm.
A tarp sat on a shelf on the opposite side of the shed from the snake. But I might not be tall enough to pull it down. Standing on tiptoes, I grabbed a corner and tugged. My fingers slipped. I set Rakkie on a lower shelf, then reached with both hands and tugged.
The weight of the tarp almost knocked me over as I caught it.
Making sure to keep my movements small so I didn’t threaten the snake, I unfolded the tarp and spread it out. Then I grabbed Rakkie and carefully crawled under a corner. Once settled with Rakkie on my lap, I pulled it over us and tucked it under my chin.
The hours passed as the light changed and moved through the shed. My tailbone ached and my back hurt from sitting still for so long. Twilight came. Surely Uncle Harlan didn’t really mean to leave me here with the snake all night.
When the darkness was complete and I could no longer see my hand in front of my face, I faced the hard truth—Uncle Harlan meant it. I’d spend the night locked in a small space with a pit viper.
While my toes still felt frozen, the rest of me was warmer with the tarp. My eyes drooped and closed. Then I heard it.
Hiss. Rattle. The whisper of something dragging across the floorboards.
The snake was on the move. The slight rattle as it slithered through the shed made my heart pound. I froze.
***
Excerpt from Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner. Copyright © 2019 by Liana Gardner. Reproduced with permission from Liana Gardner. All rights reserved.





Author Bio:

Liana Gardner
Liana Gardner is the multi-award-winning author of 7th Grade Revolution (most recently the recipient of a 2018 Nautilus Book Award) and The Journal of Angela Ashby. The daughter of a rocket scientist and an artist, Liana combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer and in everything sees the story lurking beneath the surface.
Liana volunteers with high school students through EXP (expfuture.org). EXP unites business people and educators to prepare students for a meaningful place in the world of tomorrow. Working in partnership with industry and educators, EXP helps young people EXPerience, EXPand, and EXPlore.
Engaged in a battle against leukemia and lymphoma, Liana spends much of her time at home, but her imagination takes her wherever she wants to go.
Liana is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Catch Up With Liana Gardner On:

lianagardner.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Twitter, & Facebook!






Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!










Enter To Win!:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Vesuvian Books and Liana Gardner. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and 2 winners of a signed print copy of Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner. The giveaway begins on October 1, 2019 and runs through December 2, 2019. Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.
a Rafflecopter giveaway







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Blog Tour ~ Birth Right by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica

Birth Right

by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica

on Tour October 1 - November 30, 2019

Synopsis:

Birth Right by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica

In the mid-sixties, a young woman and a young man meet and begin the romance that will define their lives throughout the decades.

In the early nineties, two young men meet and forge a friendship that will propel both into newfound worlds.

Today, those same two men face a reality that could change the course of the world . . . and a fantasy that both have only dared to imagine.

How these three stories come together is the driving pulse of BIRTH RIGHT, a novel about despots and rulers, spouses and lovers, friendship and brotherhood. Playing out at once on the most global and the most intimate of stages, it is a story about the power one is born into and the power one earns and, at its very heart, the power of love.


Book Details

Genre: Literary Fiction
Published by: The Story Plant
Publication Date: September 7th 2019
Number of Pages: 224
ISBN: 1611882664 (ISBN13: 9781611882667)
Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads


Read an excerpt:


Alex had been to exactly one inaugural ceremony before. His parents had taken him to see President Marcador take the oath of office back when he was thirteen. That president had turned out to be ineffectual, serving only one term and, even at his young age, Alex had the sense that Marcador was going to be a footnote in Legado history. The man projected so little presence, almost as though he didn’t have enough internal energy to put a persona out there. What Alex subsequently learned was that Marcador was a compromise candidate during a period of transition for his country. The story would be decidedly different sixteen years later, when a wildly charismatic candidate – one who happened to be Alex’s cousin – would take the nation by storm and win the election in a landslide.

Alex could hardly believe the ceremony he was watching today had the same function as the one he’d witnessed as a boy. This one had so much pomp, so much music, so much color. Javier Benigno was easily the most popular political figure to rise from Legado since the late, ever-beloved Viviana Emisario, and perhaps the first to inspire the passion from the people that seemed to have been extinguished when Viviana’s helicopter had crashed during a diplomatic mission. Viviana’s death had snuffed the joy from a nation. It had done more than that to Alex, but that was a story he would forever keep to himself.

“Legado was always our most vibrant colony,” said a voice to his right. “This ceremony has more hues than a Joya de la Costa garden.”

Alex turned to look at the speaker. The man seemed to be about his age and height, though he was a bit heftier all around. Maybe this is what I’d look like if I didn’t spend as much time in the gym, Alex thought.

“I assume you’re aware that Legado hasn’t been a colony since your great-great grandfather was a twinkle in his mother’s eye.”

The man flashed a heavy-wattage smile. “Oh, well, of course. But one never stops thinking of their children as children, do they?”

“Well, we’re all grown up. And we’ve been a democracy continuously for more than a century. I don’t believe our ‘father’ can say the same thing.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” the man said, laughing boisterously. “The public elected El General to each of his nine terms. By an overwhelming majority, in fact. Usually more than ninety percent.”

A huge cheer went up at that moment. Looking down from the grandstand, Alex could see that the new president’s motorcade had entered the staging area.

“Yes, ninety percent,” Alex said to his companion. “My cousin should find that humbling, as he only received fifty-nine percent of the vote.”

“Cousin? I assume that makes you a Benigno.”

“Soberano, actually. Javier is a cousin on my mother’s side.” Alex put out his hand. “Alejandro Soberano. My friends call me Alex.”

The man shook. “Fernando Alfonso Trastámara. My friends call me Fernando.”

Alex should have recognized the man. He’d certainly seen the heir to the Léon throne in enough tabloids. “They don’t call you ‘Your Majesty.’”

“God, no. They will hopefully never call me that.”

“I assume that means you’re wishing for a very long life for your father and not that you’re expecting El General to come back from the dead.”

The man beamed again. It was easy to see why women found him so irresistible. Between the smile, the future crown, and the massive fortune, what was there to resist? “No, El General is gone forever. Just to make sure, my father sends an envoy every day to dance on his grave.”

Alex nodded approvingly. The people of Legado did indeed consider Léon to be close family, and the last thing that Alex would have ever wanted was a return to the days when El General dominated Léon so absolutely. Alex was barely in elementary school when the dictator had suddenly stepped down, allowing Fernando’s father, Juan Alfonso Trastámara, to take his rightful place on the throne and to allow for a duly elected prime minister to operate the government, but he could remember his mother spitting invective at the television every time she saw El General speak. And while Alex didn’t truly understand the cause of celebration on the streets of his hometown when El General resigned (and the only slightly-less-raucous celebration that happened when the dictator died eight months later), he would never forget the taste of the pastel con tres leches his mother made that night to mark the occasion.

“Very wise of your father,” Alex said. “Is he here?”

“He wishes he could be. He thinks highly of your cousin. But there’s a gathering of several European heads of state that Léon is hosting, so he of course needed to attend that. He sent me to represent the crown in his stead. He’s accurately deduced that my one statecraft talent is waving and smiling broadly, so I’m the perfect man for this assignment.”

Fernando did some smiling and waving at that point and excused himself. At the inaugural ball that evening, though, Fernando came up to Alex with two glasses of Champagne and offered him one.

“I noticed you didn’t have a drink,” he said.

Alex took the glass and tipped it in Fernando’s direction before taking a sip. “I was pacing myself.”

“I don’t have the remotest idea why anyone would do that.”

Alex grinned at Fernando’s acknowledgment of his excesses. “Lots of family around. And I wouldn’t want to do anything that might embarrass my cousin.”

“Hmm. Interesting perspective.”

“It was nearly time for another drink, though, so I appreciate the Champagne.”

“Happy to be of service. So, I hear you’ve been conscripted to accompany me to Anhelo tomorrow for the hospital ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

Just a few hours earlier, Alex had learned that his cousin, the president, had requested that Alex be part of the prince’s travel party for the opening of a new hospital that Léon had funded. The request had surprised Alex, because he’d never performed any sort of official government function before, and there were surely dozens of people on the presidential staff who could have filled this role. Had someone seen Alex and the prince speaking at the inauguration and decided that Alex would be a good companion? He did notice his mother looking at them a lot during the inauguration and then he saw her talking to the president later. Maybe she wanted him to become friends with the prince? But he doubted she would have such influence on the new president, even though he was her younger cousin. Did President Benigno think this might help groom Alex for some future place in his administration – something Alex had never considered and wouldn’t particularly desire, especially now that his career was kicking into its next gear? Regardless, he wasn’t going to turn down the new leader of his native land, and some pomp and circumstance at the side of the prince of Léon could be entertaining.

“Yes,” Alex said. “It appears they needed to tap the absolute best available talent for this engagement.”

“I’m flattered. I was afraid I was going to get a member of Benigno’s rotund retinue. Is it just me or is everyone in the president’s inner circle at least forty kilos overweight?”

Alex chose not to respond beyond a polite smile.

“No matter,” the prince said. “Tell me: is the Colina after-hours club scene as ribald as its reputation?”

“I wouldn’t really know. I’m down from New York, and I grew up in Anhelo. I’ve never taken much advantage of the clubs when I’ve been to Colina in the past.”

Fernando nodded thoughtfully for several long moments. Then his face brightened. “Care to join me on a bit of a research expedition after this event is over? Purely for cultural reasons, of course.”

Alex lifted an eyebrow. “I believe our plane is scheduled to leave at eight tomorrow morning.”

Fernando shrugged. “We’ll make it an early night, then. In bed no later than four.”

Alex had heard that Fernando could be a bit dangerous when out on the prowl, and Alex not only had his own reputation but the reputation of Legado’s new president to uphold. Still, it was difficult to avoid getting caught up in Fernando’s enthusiasm.

“I’ve heard of a few places that might be ideal for your ‘research.’ And I’m sure they would love a visit from the future king of Léon.”

“Excellent. One condition, though: you really need to stop calling me the future king of Léon. I already get all of the reminders I need about that from my father.”

---

Excerpt from Birth Right by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica. Copyright © 2019 by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica. Reproduced with permission from Lou Aronica. All rights reserved.


About Our Authors:

Julian Iragorri:
Julian Iragorri lives in Manhattan. He has worked on Wall Street since the early nineties.
Lou Aronica:
Lou AronicaLou Aronica is the author of the USA Today bestseller The Forever Year and the national bestseller Blue. He also collaborated on the New York Times nonfiction bestsellers The Element and Finding Your Element (with Ken Robinson) and the national bestsellers The Culture Code (with Clotaire Rapaille) and The Greatest You (with Trent Shelton). Aronica is a long- term book publishing veteran. He is President and Publisher of the independent publishing house The Story Plant.

Find Lou Online:

LouAronica.com | Goodreads | BookBub | Twitter | Facebook


Tour Host Participants:

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GIVEAWAY:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for The Story Plant, Julian Iragorri, and Lou Aronica. There will be 5 winners of one (1) copy of The Edge Of The World by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica (eBook). The giveaway begins on October 1, 2019 and runs through December 1, 2019. Void where prohibited.
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