A new Shaede Assassin novel has been published - Against the Dawn! This is the 4th novel in the series by Amanda Bonilla. Check out the excerpt below and also enter to win a copy.
Thanks so much to Sally and The Qwillery for having me as a guest today! One of my favorite characters in the Shaede Assassin world is Asher. The mysterious half Shaede/half Sidhe is a mysterious, snarky pain in the butt who is the perfect pal for someone like Darian. He has a lot of screen time in AGAINST THE DAWN and I’m excited to share an Asher excerpt with you today!
Asher stepped out the service elevator and I retrieved a second mug from the cupboard. He was carrying two boxes: one square and white cardboard, while the other was rectangular and made of rich mahogany. “You come bearing gifts?” I fixed him with a stern look as I filled the new fancy French press left in the cupboard with coffee grounds and put a kettle on to boil. “What did you do?”
“It’s nothing I did,” Asher remarked as he placed both boxes on my kitchen island counter, “though I sort of take offense to the fact that you feel like I need to apologize for something. I’m nothing more than the delivery boy this morning. I think someone’s trying to impress you.”
I narrowed my gaze and stared at the boxes, both curious as to their contents and worried to open them and see. I figured the white cardboard one would be the safest choice and I popped the lid to find three of the most beautiful chocolate éclairs I’d ever seen inside.
“They’re from Bakery Nouveau,” Asher said with a shrug. “I’m not gonna lie, I ate one on the way over here and it was freaking delicious.”
I laughed and grabbed two plates, placing one éclair on one and two on the other. I slid the single pastry over to Asher as the kettle whistled so I grabbed it off the stove and poured the boiling water into the coffee press. “Coffee?”
“Sure,” he replied, settling onto one of the barstools. “So, are you going to open the other box or what?”
I depressed the plunger and poured the brewed coffee into the mugs. Did I want to open the other box? Who knew what I’d find inside? “Cream?” I asked instead, sliding a container of half and half to Asher along with a bowl of sugar and a spoon.
“Come on, Darian.” There were times that Asher totally reminded me of an errant teenager. “I’m dying to see what’s inside. Just open it.”
“Who’s it from?” As though I had to ask.
“Please,” Asher said with a snort.
“What did he tell you this morning when he sent you over here?”
“Not a damned thing. I was given two sets of addresses to make pickups at with the implicit instructions to hand both boxes to you personally.”
I wondered if Xander found it tiring to throw his weight around the way he did. “And you had no trouble helping yourself to the éclairs but you didn’t even peek in the other box?”
Asher smiled. “I tried. But it’s warded.”
Well, that was interesting. Whatever was inside that box, Xander wanted locked up good and tight. “If you can’t get into it, what makes you think I can?” Asher gave me a look and I poured some cream into my coffee. “Okay, you’ve got a point. Slide it over here.”
His smile rivaled that of a kid on Christmas morning. He couldn’t wait to see what was inside. I placed my hands on the rich polished wood and the magic protecting its contents warmed my palms. The minute my skin made contact with the box, I felt a burst of energy that traveled from the top of my head down my spine. My curiosity rivaled my suspicion; the magic used to protect the contents of the box was pretty damned specific. I not only wondered how he’d managed to have it done, but who did it. Magic like that would have required a personal belonging of mine to accomplish. It made me question Xander’s motives in remodeling my apartment. Did he have a plastic baggie with hair from one of my brushes somewhere? And…ew. I really, really hoped that wasn’t the case.
I held my breath as I lifted the lid. I don’t know what I expected to find inside. With the wards Xander had placed on the box, it could have been just about anything. The breath I was holding left my lungs in rush as my jaw dropped. I had to give it Xander, he sure knew how to give a gift. My katana had been a present from Xander and it was one of my most prized possessions. And let me tell you, the contents of that mahogany box were going to give that damned sword a run for its money in the favorites department.
A pair of daggers rested in a nest of black velvet. The blades were unlike anything I’d ever seen, and that was saying something. Neither metal nor stone as far as I could tell, the black blades gleamed almost blue in the morning sunlight that filtered into my kitchen. The grips were equally impressive, old worn wood wrapped in dark leather. I lifted one from its nest and held it in my palm. As though the dagger had been made for me, it weighed almost nothing, the balance was impeccable and the grip molded itself into my palm as though I’d worn the pattern of my hand into its surface from decades of use.
“What is it?” I asked, my tone awestruck. Power surged from the dagger, infusing me with a sense of strength and confidence. As though I could scale tall buildings in a single bound or some shit. This was an old, potent magic. And despite the rush I felt from the dagger in my hand, I was wary of its power.
“I have no idea,” Asher said, his own voice filled with wonder. “But I want one.”
“It’s nothing I did,” Asher remarked as he placed both boxes on my kitchen island counter, “though I sort of take offense to the fact that you feel like I need to apologize for something. I’m nothing more than the delivery boy this morning. I think someone’s trying to impress you.”
I narrowed my gaze and stared at the boxes, both curious as to their contents and worried to open them and see. I figured the white cardboard one would be the safest choice and I popped the lid to find three of the most beautiful chocolate éclairs I’d ever seen inside.
“They’re from Bakery Nouveau,” Asher said with a shrug. “I’m not gonna lie, I ate one on the way over here and it was freaking delicious.”
I laughed and grabbed two plates, placing one éclair on one and two on the other. I slid the single pastry over to Asher as the kettle whistled so I grabbed it off the stove and poured the boiling water into the coffee press. “Coffee?”
“Sure,” he replied, settling onto one of the barstools. “So, are you going to open the other box or what?”
I depressed the plunger and poured the brewed coffee into the mugs. Did I want to open the other box? Who knew what I’d find inside? “Cream?” I asked instead, sliding a container of half and half to Asher along with a bowl of sugar and a spoon.
“Come on, Darian.” There were times that Asher totally reminded me of an errant teenager. “I’m dying to see what’s inside. Just open it.”
“Who’s it from?” As though I had to ask.
“Please,” Asher said with a snort.
“What did he tell you this morning when he sent you over here?”
“Not a damned thing. I was given two sets of addresses to make pickups at with the implicit instructions to hand both boxes to you personally.”
I wondered if Xander found it tiring to throw his weight around the way he did. “And you had no trouble helping yourself to the éclairs but you didn’t even peek in the other box?”
Asher smiled. “I tried. But it’s warded.”
Well, that was interesting. Whatever was inside that box, Xander wanted locked up good and tight. “If you can’t get into it, what makes you think I can?” Asher gave me a look and I poured some cream into my coffee. “Okay, you’ve got a point. Slide it over here.”
His smile rivaled that of a kid on Christmas morning. He couldn’t wait to see what was inside. I placed my hands on the rich polished wood and the magic protecting its contents warmed my palms. The minute my skin made contact with the box, I felt a burst of energy that traveled from the top of my head down my spine. My curiosity rivaled my suspicion; the magic used to protect the contents of the box was pretty damned specific. I not only wondered how he’d managed to have it done, but who did it. Magic like that would have required a personal belonging of mine to accomplish. It made me question Xander’s motives in remodeling my apartment. Did he have a plastic baggie with hair from one of my brushes somewhere? And…ew. I really, really hoped that wasn’t the case.
I held my breath as I lifted the lid. I don’t know what I expected to find inside. With the wards Xander had placed on the box, it could have been just about anything. The breath I was holding left my lungs in rush as my jaw dropped. I had to give it Xander, he sure knew how to give a gift. My katana had been a present from Xander and it was one of my most prized possessions. And let me tell you, the contents of that mahogany box were going to give that damned sword a run for its money in the favorites department.
A pair of daggers rested in a nest of black velvet. The blades were unlike anything I’d ever seen, and that was saying something. Neither metal nor stone as far as I could tell, the black blades gleamed almost blue in the morning sunlight that filtered into my kitchen. The grips were equally impressive, old worn wood wrapped in dark leather. I lifted one from its nest and held it in my palm. As though the dagger had been made for me, it weighed almost nothing, the balance was impeccable and the grip molded itself into my palm as though I’d worn the pattern of my hand into its surface from decades of use.
“What is it?” I asked, my tone awestruck. Power surged from the dagger, infusing me with a sense of strength and confidence. As though I could scale tall buildings in a single bound or some shit. This was an old, potent magic. And despite the rush I felt from the dagger in my hand, I was wary of its power.
“I have no idea,” Asher said, his own voice filled with wonder. “But I want one.”
Against the Dawn
Shaede Assassin 4
NYLA, May 20, 2014
eBook, 263 pages
Shaede Assassin 4
NYLA, May 20, 2014
eBook, 263 pages
Six months can feel like a just couple of weeks when you've been away in another realm. Literally.
Now that Darian is back in Seattle, she's ready to face the life - and the man - she left behind. But it's not going to be easy when a ghost from her past shows up looking to wreak havoc on Seattle's supernatural crime scene.
Darian isn't as careless as she used to be, though. She and Tyler, her sexy Jinn protector, have come a long way in the trust department. And it's a good thing too - because when Ty contracts her to assassinate a wickedly powerful supernatural who goes by the name of Mithras, it will take all her faith in Ty, and herself, to get the job done.
While Darian does whatever it takes to get to her mark, Xander, the Shaede King is busy making plans of his own. With Darian's attention divided between Lorik's secrets and her mission she might not be able to stop Xander from doing anything in his power to separate Darian from her sworn protector and in the process, destroy his own kingdom...
Previously in Shaede Assassin:
Crave the Darkness
Shaede Assassin 3
Signet, March 5, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Shaede Assassin 3
Signet, March 5, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya—a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries—stands in the way.
It doesn’t help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone—or something—is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya’s would-be assassin.
As she probes into Anya’s past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets—and a startling connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them.…
Lost to the Gray
A Shaede Assassin Novella
Signet Eclipse, February 5, 2013
eNovella, 92 pages
A Shaede Assassin Novella
Signet Eclipse, February 5, 2013
eNovella, 92 pages
Did he do the right thing?
No one loves Darian like Tyler does. Not her friends. Not her fellow Shaedes. Not the Shaede king who wants her for himself. Tyler is the only one who sees beyond the swagger and swordplay that make her the most fearsome Shaede assassin in the world—the only one who recognizes her loyal heart and vulnerability. But her evolving powers and compulsion to finish every job no matter the stakes fills him with fear. For he knows it's only a matter of time before he loses her.
When that moment nearly comes—and Tyler discovers a trail of deceit that prevented him from protecting Darian—he snaps. He breaks. And he leaves.
Now he must learn to live without her, even as they remain bound to one another. And when a friend of Darian’s faces an unknown threat, Tyler must find a way to enter the fray without crossing paths with Darian.
Blood Before Sunrise
Shaede Assassin 2
Signet, July 3, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Shaede Assassin 2
Signet, July 3, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
“She needed a bargaining chip and this was it—Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damned well I was right. Just as he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from over. His daughter was alive; I knew it. And I was going to find her.”
For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore.
Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything. As her single-minded hunt turns into an obsession, and she and Tyler grow further apart, Darian finds herself caught between the man she loves like a brother, and the man whose love she can’t live without…
When Shadows Call
A Shaede Assassin Novella
Signet Eclipse, June 5, 2012
eNovella, 94 pages
A Shaede Assassin Novella
Signet Eclipse, June 5, 2012
eNovella, 94 pages
An exciting prequel to Amanda Bonilla’s Shaede Assassin series.
The envy of 1900s society, Darian is the rich, beautiful wife of a prominent Californian doctor—but her life is far from perfect. For years, Darian has suffered at the hand of her cruel husband and yearned for an escape—one that she knows to be all but impossible.
But when an enigmatic stranger comes to call, Darian finds herself charmed by his seductive smile and the inexplicable connection she feels. And when he makes her a thrilling—yet frightening—proposition, Darian must decide if she’s strong enough to abandon the mortal world she knows and answer the shadow’s call…
Includes an excerpt from Shaedes of Gray, and a preview from Blood Before Sunrise, available July 2012.
Shaedes of Gray
Shaede Assassin 1
Signet, December 6, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
Shaede Assassin 1
Signet, December 6, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages
In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.
When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...
About Amanda
Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. She loves the outdoors, black clothes, pink appliances and thinks junk food should be a recognized food group. In the summer, she can be found sitting by the lake, enjoying the view from her dock.
Website :Twitter @amandabonilla : Facebook
Website :Twitter @amandabonilla : Facebook
The Giveaway
What: One entrant will win a digital copy of Against the Dawn (Shaede Assassin 4) from Amanda.
How: Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59PM US Eastern Time on May 30, 2014. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.*
a Rafflecopter giveaway
OH!!!!!!! I'm been waaaaiting for this book :) Thanks for the awesome excerpt. I love this series and I'm excited and a bit sad for this last/latest book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteErin, this definitely isn't the last book in the series! ;-) There will be a novella out in November before book 5 releases next spring! :D
DeleteI hear about this series and really curious with this one, but sadly until now i still haven't read this series. Hope i can have time to read it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for chance :)
I love this series and I'm looking forward to reading this latest book! :D
ReplyDeleteHaven't read this series before
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite sries. I have been eagerly awaiting this release to see what was going to happen with Ty and Darian.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to this series, but have certainly added to my wish list. LOVE the covers.
ReplyDeleteI have had this series on my wishlist for so long and what a wonderful opportunity to win this treat and wrangle with the budget gods to get the first three LOL The cover art in this series is beautiful and the stories just what my little reading heart loves :)
ReplyDelete