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Nicolas
by Dianne Hartsock
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Betrayed by a lover,
Jamie rents an isolated cabin on Lake Huron, wanting only to be left alone.
Instead, he is pulled from his solitary existence as an artist and tumbles
headlong into the legend of Saint Nicolas.
As a young man, Nicolas
accidentally killed a man intent on murdering three children, only to have the
man’s malicious spirit rise up against him. Fleeing through the centuries from
the Krampus, the evil troll-like creature that dogs his steps, Nico finds
refuge with the young artist who takes him into his home and bed. But Jamie has
questions. Who is Nicolas, and why does the Krampus want to destroy him?
When the Krampus begins
to torment and torture anyone Nico comes in contact with to punish him, Jamie’s
life is put in danger. And Jamie isn’t sure whether he can help Nico defeat his
nemesis or if he’s merely a pawn in the Krampus’s game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now for an excerpt:
Jamie woke with reluctance, not wanting to climb from the
warm limbo he found himself in, feeling safe, secure. Arms pulled him a little
closer, and he snuggled against the firm chest, resting his ear over the
strongly beating heart. He wanted to stay there forever, but it soon grew
stifling under the blanket; he pulled the edge down and blinked at the warm
hazel eyes meeting his gaze. Who was this?
The stranger smiled and a hand crept out of the blanket,
fingers brushing Jamie’s lips. “Angelo mio.”
What…. Memory surfaced, and he pulled back a little, face
heating when he realized they were both almost naked, the guy lean and strong
and… hard, against him. Feeling out of his depth with the man he slid further
back, and fell off the edge of the couch onto his tailbone.
“Fuck. That was graceful,” he muttered, embarrassed. He
knelt and rubbed his sore back, not looking up until the man chuckled.
Expecting ridicule, the concern and warm light in his guest’s eyes tugged at
his heart.
“Are you all right? Sounded like you landed pretty hard,”
the man asked with sympathy.
“I’m fine.” Jamie grabbed his jeans from last night and
pulled them on, feeling more comfortable after he’d tugged his sweater over his
head. He turned back and caught the guy’s enticing lips twitching with a smile.
Blushing, he laughed at his own nervousness. “Sorry. I don’t usually wake up
naked with strange men in my bed.”
The man leaned up on an elbow, looking interested. “Do you
usually wake up with strange men?”
“No!” Catching the glint of amusement in his eyes, Jamie
laughed again. “Okay, enough teasing. At least tell me your name so I know what
to call you.”
“I’m Nico De Mira.” He reached out a hand. “And you are….”
“Jamie Brannen.” They shook, Jamie enjoying the roughness of
the man’s palm in his own softer hand.
“Thank you for saving me.” Nico turned Jamie’s hand over and
stroked a thumb over his wrist, adding under his breath, “Tesoro mio.”
Jamie’s lips parted, but he lost his nerve to ask what he
meant when Nico let go of his hand. Then concern swept him when his guest
covered his mouth on a deep, wet sounding cough. The cough continued and Jamie
dropped to the couch beside him, helping him sit up. The man seemed breathless
when it at last subsided.
“Are you okay? Let me get you some water.” Jamie trotted to
the kitchen. God, that cough sounded bad. Bronchitis, pneumonia, some kind of
infection? Grabbing bottled water from the refrigerator, he returned to the
couch and tried not to stare at his guest. The blanket had slipped off Nico’s
shoulders, revealing a sculpted chest and arms; not blatantly muscular, but
Jamie would enjoy putting his lips on them. It took determination not to drop
to his knees and run his hands over that sleek Mediterranean body, feel the
sparse, dark curls adorning the man’s chest under his fingertips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Author:
Dianne grew up
in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood
floors and secret closets and
back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the
basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs.
Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her
love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of
paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, m/m romance, and anything else that
comes to mind.
She now lives
in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient
husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the
keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the
perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in
the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her
hands, which kindles her imagination.
Currently,
Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the
perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich
colors and textures of flowers and foliage.
Blog:
http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/diannehartsock
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4707011-dianne-hartsock
Amazon Author
Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Dianne-Hartsock/e/B005106SYQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1361897239&sr=8-1
Facebook Author
Page: https://www.facebook.com/Dianne-Hartsock-Author-107985445959828/
NICOLAS buy
links:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Nicolas-Dianne-Hartsock/dp/163476188X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473111182&sr=8-1&keywords=dianne+hartsock
Barnes and
Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nicolas-dianne-hartsock/1123118053?ean=9781634761888
ARe Books:
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nicolas-1937566-143.html
Dreamspinner:
https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/nicolas-by-dianne-hartsock-3760-b
a Rafflecopter giveaway
20 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you so much Wendi for having me as your guest today!
I love the cover! I cant wait to read this!!
Congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
Thanks for the post! The Krampus sounds like an interesting villain.
Sounds good. I love the cover.
DanieX, I love the cover too! So sexy. Thanks for stopping in.
Hi Lisa! And thanks. :)
Hey Jen, I had so much fun researching for this book. The Krampus is so deliciously wicked!
Thanks Kim! I love the cover too :D
I have to agree The Krampus is a fascinating character.
Enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like an awesome read, have a wonderful holiday read!
What is the best book that you have read recently? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
I'm looking forward to reading this one! Thanks for sharing :)
He's pretty wicked, ShrleyAnn! Very fun to write. :)
Thanks Eva! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
I'm reading the 'Odd Thomas' series by Dean Koontz, Joseph. My favorite character of all time. :)
Hope you enjoy my guys, Victoria! Thanks for dropping in. :)
I really enjoyed reading the entire post, thank you!
Thank you Nikolina! Glad you made it by :)
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