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Launch Party for LORD OF FIRE AND ICE by Connie Mason and Mia Marlowe

from Mia Marlowe...

I'm so excited to share that LORD OF FIRE AND ICE, my 2nd collaborative novel with New York Times bestseller Connie Mason, is whisking its way to a bookseller near you. It'll hit the shelves July 3rd, just in time for a leisurely holiday read!

The reviews have been fantastic:

A vixen and a Viking warrior match wits and kisses
"The story is compelling with a rich narrative, strong characters and non-stop action. This is a tale of greed, revenge, justice and desire. Readers will enjoy a feisty, confident heroine and the courageous hero who willingly stands at her side through the good and the bad."
~ RTBOOKReviews

Connie and I are delighted to bring you this cross-over tale. We've mixed a healthy dollop of magic in with this historical romance. Our hero Brandr is a fire mage. He can call flames from the air and control the element with a thought.

But the real heat starts when he's enslaved by Katla the Black, a widow with revenge on her mind. Since he won't use his special abilities against his own people, he has to find another way to melt this ice princess and earn his freedom.

Another paranormal element in this story is the bond called "inn matki munr," which means 'the mighty passion.' According to legend, couples who love each other deeply enough can communicate without words, sending their thoughts to each other over great distances. This bonding is only beginning to form between Brandr and Katla when she is taken by a trio of brigands who are determined to keep her for a bedslave after they kill Brandr. Here's a short excerpt from LORD OF FIRE AND ICE:
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The brigand snatched a burning brand from the cattle byre and tossed it onto the roof of the sethus. “Come and fight us or watch your woman burn.”  
Brandr tried to squelch the blaze on the sethus roof with his mind, but the blood in his veins was the blood of warriors and its battle song was too loud for him to think over. He couldn’t find the calm center he needed to use his gift.
Fire spread over the dry thatch running along the ridgeline like lemmings headed for a cliff.
Brandr’s lineage was filled with men who’d lived and died by their swords. The urge to brutish violence went clear to his bones. Now the berserkr lust he usually kept under tight control burst into full passion.
A feral cry burst from his lips and head-down, he charged.
#
“Katla, get out of there!”
Brandr’s voice sounded in her head again. She leaped to her feet and ran to the barred door.
The other girls clawed at her, pulling her back.
“No,” they shouted. The tallest one continued. “You heard him. If you escape, Tryggr will kill  us as well.”
“But I’ll take you with me,” Katla said. “We can’t give up. We have to try.”
“Look at Aldis there.” The tall one pointed to the woman with the babe. She sat rocking herself in the corner with her knees tucked under her chin. “There’s no try left in her. If we leave her, she’ll die.”
“Then we must take her too,” Katla said, struggling to shake free of the others’ grasps. “Or we’ll all die.”
A contemptuous snarl lifted one corner of the girl’s mouth. “You shouldn’t cross, Tryggr. I’m his favorite. He’ll listen to me. I’ll tell him you tried to run, but we stopped you and then it’ll only be you who’ll die.”
Then there was a loud whooshing sound and when Katla looked up, flames licked at the thatch over their heads.
That settled the argument. The girls turned as one, shrieking and pounding on the barred door.
Katla stripped off her outer tunic and plunged it into the bucket of scummy water by the smoldering central fire pit. Then she ran back to Aldis and her child and covered them with the wet fabric.
“Come,” Katla urged, holding a hand over her nose and mouth against the billowing smoke. “We must find a way out. Is there a bolt hole? A root cellar?”
“There is only the one door and he’s barred it.” Aldis clutched her babe to her chest and the child wailed, sensing its mother’s anguish. “One way in. One way out.”
Burning ash began to fall around them.
“Katla, hold on.” Brandr’s voice had a serrated edge of panic.
Aldis was wrong, Katla realized, her whole being dead calm as her fate scrolled before her. There was another way out. Once the burning thatch collapsed on them, their souls would fly to the stars through the open roof.
“Good bye, Brandr,” she thought with fervor, hoping he could hear her. “At least I’ll leave this world knowing a good man loved me with a mighty passion.”
She wished she’d returned it with more grace.
 
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To enter to win a print copy of LORD OF FIRE AND ICE, please share in the comments your favorite book to read on the beach (or during the summer. Be sure to leave an email address so we can contact you if you’re chosen—US and Canada mailing addresses only, please! The winner will be announced in the comments on Friday, July 6th.

Join Mia on her LORD OF FIRE AND ICE blog tour--July 2nd-20th! There'll be exclusive excerpts, the inside info and a giveaway at every stop. Drop by MiaMarlowe.com to find out where in the world Mia is each day! 

Comments

  1. "inn matki munr", love the sound of that!

    For me the perfect summer read is something hot and steamy. A good strong love story. One book I finished recently that I loved and was perfect for summer is The Closing by Stella K.
    So far this summer I have read some good books and a few excellent ones. I just have to keep reading to find more excellent ones =)


    eyesofblueice (at) gmail

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  2. Thanks, Lexi. It's hard to beat a recliner in the sun and a hot book, isn't it?

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  3. Congrats on your new release, Mia! Sounds absolutely wonderful.

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    1. Thanks, Tracey and thanks for tweeting about the launch! Much appreciated.

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  4. Mia, I am so glad that you are publishing another novel co-authored by Connie Mason. I loved the first one and I'm sure I will love this one too!! It sounds like a great read.

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  5. Honestly, it really doesn't matter what book I take to the beach. Just as long as it keeps me entertained. Chances are its going to be a romance.
    countessofmar@yahoo.com

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  6. Beach! Beach! Did someone say beach and a book? Yes, yes, yes and I'll take a good romance book along with the sand and sound of the ocean.
    Congratulations on your newest release, Mia. It sounds beach-licios!

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  7. Beach! Beach! Did someone say beach and a book? Yes, yes, yes and I'll take a good romance book along with the sand and sound of the ocean.
    Congratulations on your newest release, Mia. It sounds beach-licios!

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  8. Congrats and good luck with the new release, Mia!
    Most of my reading is done in the winter. I've never had the leisure time to sit on a beach and read, except the one time in Myrtle Beach when I rented a chair and umbrella and insisted that the guys let me sit there and read all day. I don't recall which book it was, but I do recall that about every fifteen minutes one of the guys would come out to see if I was finished yet so we could go somewhere else. *sigh*
    My favorite fall/winter read was always Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. I've read it a dozen times and I still get the itch to read it when the leaves start to turn.

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  9. Hi Mia! What a wonderful post. Congrats on your release!

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  10. What a fun read! All the good things wrapped up in one, just like the best reads of any season.

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  11. Yay on the new release, Mia! Celebrate!!!

    When I'm at the beach, I swim and walk the beach. I'll read at night or if everyone's still asleep in the morning, read on the patio, listening to the waves. If I'm not writing. :)

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  12. Congrats on the release! I'm excited because tomorrow FINS ARE FOREVER by Tera Lynn Childs comes out! Perfect beach read.

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  13. Betty, So glad you loved SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER. Connie and I are working on a trio of Regency set books for next year called the Royal Rakes series. Check my website for more details!

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    1. Keep them coming. I love them and will be watching for them.

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  14. Me, too, Melody unless I'm reading one of the yawners my book club picks. Good thing I like those ladies. I rarely like the books.

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  15. Carolyn, all romance books need an ocean surf soundtrack, don't they?

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  16. Cheryl--I LOVE the Merlin Trilogy. Mary Stewart is a genius!

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  17. Thanks, CH. Glad you enjoyed the excerpt!

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  18. Grace, I appreciate those kind words, m'dear.

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  19. Terry--Oh! So the beach is actually a place to be active? Who knew?

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  20. Shana--Isn't it fun to anticipate a release from a favorite author? Sort of like Christmas..

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  21. My hubby laughs because I take several romances with me to the beach...he thinks one should enough.....doesn't he know variety is the spice of life? You just never know what you will be in the mood for once you get there!

    Drgnys30 at yahoo

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  22. Sounds like a great beach read! Congrats on the release.
    michyellowrose@gmail.com

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  23. Love your books and Connie's books so a combo of the two of you could only be great

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  24. Mia, congratulations! You are blessed to work with such an icon of romance. Just how did you get that job anyway? Can I be your bck up? :-)
    Amelia

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  25. Oh, I want to know what happens! My reading stays the same year round - a good book is a good book not matter when I read it (unless it is holiday based lol). Currently I'm reading Enchanting the Beast - another magical book!

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  26. Oh, sorry, forgot my email info - catslady5(at)aol.com - just in case :)

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  27. I enjoy reading small town contemporary romances when I'm out laying in the sun since I don't have to worry about getting more hot than I need to. ;)

    kliu107 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  28. Congratulations on the book! I don't have a specific book or genre to read in the summer.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  29. Congrats on your new release. Sounds great. I like the cover. I like to read books set in tropical settings on the beach.
    Crystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  30. My favorite book to read in the summer (or on the beach) is whatever book I'm reading at the time. It doesn't matter where I am, I'll get engrossed in the story and enjoy it.

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  31. I don't think I have any specific books in mind but I like reading romances in general! :)

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  32. Congrats on the latest release!

    My favourite summer reads right now are the long-awaited new releases like At Last by Jill Shalvis and Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost.

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

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  33. A Viking Warrior...now that sounds like a hero! Congratulations on your release.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  34. Please don't enter me into the giveway, just wanted to congratulate you on a delightfully fun read with a yummy hero...a perfect summer (or anytime) book!

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  35. Just had the random drawing. Congratulations to Winnie! You'll be receiving a copy of LORD OF FIRE AND ICE! Look for my email.

    For everyone else, I hope you'll join me at the other stops on my LORD OF FIRE AND ICE tour! Check <a href="http://www.miamarlowe.com>MiaMarlowe.com</a> for my itinerary!

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