Title- Heart of War
Series- Lady & Knight Chronicles #1
By- C.L. Foster & E.R. Rada
Publication Date- June 6th, 2014
Genre- Historical
Romance
Blurb
The Hundred Years War rages around Adalira Mortimer's life
and country, but she is not what is expected of a Lady; instead of dresses and
tea, she dreams about weapons and war.
Bastian Kyros is not typical royalty. Being a warrior is in
his blood, not paperwork and peace-keeping.
Tradition drives their families. She is expected to don her
manners and win a worthy husband, and he is expected to drop his sword and do
what's right for the sake of his family's name, land, and future.
Their chance meeting at the party of the season may offer
them both the chance to find what they desire. Brought together by their
longing for battle, their greatest fight may be in winning over their families
and conquering their own pride.
A lull in battle does not mean there is peace. The greatest
of wars are fought in the heart.
"Dare I say
you are enjoying yourself, your Grace?"
"I've only
arrived a moment ago and am ready to leave already. Does this appear enjoyable
to you?"
Bastian's droll
stare made Iason chuckle. "You can pretend all you like, but I can see
your amusement."
"I am amused
at the lengths people will go to in order to snare themselves a worthy
spouse." Bastian smiled and straightened his clothes. His new red tunic
made his tanned skin look even richer. The silver trim accented in a way he
didn't expect before. He was thoroughly impressed with the pieces when they were
presented to him. When he saw them hanging in the woman's shop, he scoffed and
commented on how they were too dainty and girly. She merely waved him off and
told him to try them on. The moment the fine silk slid across his skin, he
sighed. None of his battle clothes felt that way. The pants fit just right as
well. He felt slightly out of place with such finery on, but he could admit
that he wasn't hating the clothes.
"Yes, well,
some people enjoy the finery more than others." His knowing smile made
Bastian huff an annoyed breath.
"I couldn't
very well come in here looking like I just slayed a dragon, now could I?"
"That
doesn't work for most women, no," Iason agreed. He reached up and
straightened Bastian's silver mask. "The red gems on this thing look terribly
sparkly, your Grace. Are you sure you aren't feeling girly yet?"
Bastian swatted
his hand away. "Unless you are making certain my face remains covered,
step away. You're blocking my view."
"Your view
of what?" Iason asked excitedly as he turned and took a step back so he
was standing with Bastian.
"There,"
Bastian nodded his head to the right,
"a group of matching clothing. Why do people dress to match as if
they have no personality or thought process of their own? It seems silly to
me."
"You mean the
flock of green down there beside the dance floor? Yes, I agree. That does look
a bit overly dramatic when they all do it, though I find it endearing when
couples do it. Even when it's slight. Almost announcing that they planned to
arrive together and are, in fact, together. It's beautiful."
Bastian rolled
his eyes. "What a romantic you are. I'm sure your wife will one day enjoy
that terribly."
"I don't
plan to marry."
"No?"
Bastian asked. He kept his question light and his attention on the people.
"I mean, I
would love to have a family one day; some sons, a beautiful wife that I can
worship properly, a place that is only mine, but I don’t think that life is
meant for people like us."
"Like
us?" Bastian kept his eyes wandering over the crowd. "You plan to worship
your wife? That is something I could never do."
"You know,
we are warriors. All of this," Iason waved his hand in a gesture to
include everyone and everything in the room, "isn't us. I mean, it's you
and your people, but I'm just a regular man." He chuckled then continued,
"Worship is the right word. Have you seen the female form? It is certainly
something to dedicate some time to, sir. You should try it sometime. You'd be a
lot less stressed and stern all the time." He elbowed his friend
playfully.
"It's not
for me either. The only reason I would agree to marry is to protect my family
name. I have no interest in all of that."
"I have lots
of interest in it. It appeals to me on many levels, but I don’t know if my
lifestyle and standing will allow for it. I hope it does, though." Iason
looked around and then slapped Bastian's arm. "Look, there. The brunette
with the purple gown. Tell me you wouldn't love to roll over and see her every
morning."
"Aye, she's
a fine lady, I'm sure," he nodded tightly. "but as you can see, she
has two gentleman callers already and certainly wouldn't want to roll over and
see my face every morning. That is where the problem lies."
Character bio
Our main heroine is Adalira Mortimer who is the illegitimate
daughter of Edward, the Prince of Wales’ with his unclaimed bride, Malinda. At
18, she knows she doesn’t want to just sit around and wait to take a husband
and live a privileged life. She’s not like other girls and prefers weapons,
battle, and hard word as opposed to dresses and holding herself to the same
standards as all other women that she’s accustomed to. Earning her place and
making her own mark on the world are her goals.
Adalira’s companion, Nyota, comes from an African tribe who
was sold into slavery. After Adalira rescued her from her captors, she was made
a free woman by the Mortimer family, but she chose to live with and work for
the family out of love and respect. She is often Adalira’s sounding board for
stress and sidekick for handling it as well.
Bastian Kyros is the son Duke Kyros of Winchester. At 24
years old, his family is starting to wonder if he will ever get married, settle
down, and do what is right as the heir to his family’s throne. Business and
running lands isn’t what entices him, battle does. He simply wants to be useful
with his sword and mind and not be tied down.
Bastian’s right hand man, Iason, is a snarky, tawdry fellow
who is both brave soldier and suave businessman. For a 24 year old man, he
forgets that he has responsibilities ahead of him as well. He tends to keep
Bastian from creating more problems than necessary for himself and is the
peacekeeper of the family. Though not born of blood, they are brothers by choice.
Ryland’s “left hand man” is also like a brother. They fought
many battles together and formed a solid bond. Ryland is the exact opposite of
Iason in every way and tries to talk Bastian into following his heart instead
of plotting the destruction of mankind. He’s the definitive angel to Iason’s
devil side.
E.R. and I have a very eclectic balance of music in our
repertoire. One moment we can be listening to Vivalid, the next Daft Punk, and
then Alter Bridge. Truly, one could never guess what will come on next if we
have things on random.
For this book, we each decided to go mostly with
instrumental soundtracks with epic highs and lows so fuel our creative juices
and, man, did it EVER work! We listened to mostly the Lord of the Rings
soundtracks/scores, Lindsey Stirling songs, and a lot of Piano Guys. Music truly
breathes life into my world and I want it to always do the same for my work. I
certainly hope that shines through.
Some specific instrumental/dubstep/amazing songs we both
liked while writing were:
Guardians at the Gate - Audiomachine
the Narnia Battle song
Desert Symphony - Piano Guys
Moonlight (Electric Cello) - Piano Guys
Beautiful - Apocalyptica
Everyday - Carly Comando
About the Authors
C.L. Foster-
CL is eclectic, geeky, positive, nature-loving and
completely non-"normal" (just the way she likes to be). She has been
a fan of literature since she was a small child and finally decided to take her
dreams (both waking and sleeping!) and do something positive with them.
CL has lived all over the world and has a Bachelor's degree
in Criminal Justice, minoring in Psychology and Forensics. Which means you
don't want to cross her because she knows how and where to hide a body so it's
never found! She proudly admits to hearing voices in her head, but at times,
her characters' impromptu visits can be rude and annoying. Thankfully, she has
adequate patience for their shenanigans and can out ninja them any day of the
week.
CL's voice is boisterous, sassy, and not finished yet! Stay
tuned!
Author Links
Website /Pinterest /YouTube /Instagram /
Google + /Goodreads /Twitter /facebook /Amazon
Website /Pinterest /YouTube /Instagram /
Google + /Goodreads /Twitter /facebook /Amazon
E.R. Rada
E.R. Rada is a NY native who's mind is in a constant battle
with reality and fiction. He's been penning his tales while expressing his
inner most demons and heartfelt wishes since he was able to rhyme.
Poetry and fantasy are his weapons of choice as his
inner-most wish to be a dragon-riding, sword-wielding warrior has yet to come
to fruition. E.R. knows there is no time limit on greatness, so he continues to
float on his constant state of flux; learning, growing, and improving as time
goes on.
E.R. is a battle worn soldier who will quickly compare
apples and oranges, simply because he's told he can't. Never one to conform, he
embraces his nerdy/geek tendencies and is well known for creating new and
interesting ways to do things (see: stubborn/the hard way). In doing things his
own way, he has earned his way through life with plenty of battle scars,
knowledge, and memories.
Giveaway
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