Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Loose Id
Date of Publication: July 4th, 2017
Book Description:
The Philadelphia Coven has thwarted the Order of the Serpent’s every attempt to destroy their city only to draw out the scariest nightmare from the Otherworld, the Caoranach. One of the Coven’s own, Cami Akiyama, has already met this creature—the very monster who tortured her, branding her with a mark. Given Cami’s history with the big bad, the Coven leader assigns her a bodyguard, none other than the gorgeous and lethal necromancer, Dante Martinez, the ex-boyfriend she disappeared on years ago. One conversation confirms the spark between them never died, and based on the way Dante flirts, he won’t allow that flame to extinguish out without a fight.
No one has ever compared to Dante and the incendiary passion he inspired in her, but the Caoranach broke her—Cami’s too damaged for any sort of relationship. Not like that stops him. If anything, he fights harder for the memories of a love that kept her sane on the bleakest nights. And despite every effort to distance, she finds herself falling for him all over again. Except the Caoranach isn’t finished with her—the branded mark holds the secret to the city’s destruction or salvation, and Cami stands in the center of the storm.
Loose ID
Five Best American
Cities for Urban Fantasy
One of the coolest
things about urban fantasy is the way the authors of the genre distort
pre-existing cities to include the supernatural and a slew of different types
of monsters and magic. However, some cities make better settings than
others—some just lend themselves naturally to dark and mysterious.
Philadelphia
Since the name of my
urban fantasy series is the Philadelphia Coven Chronicles, you better bet this
city would be on the list. I might be a bit biased since I live locally, but
Philadelphia is such an interesting place that it works so well. For
starters—the city has a lot of seedy and dangerous sections where it’s easy to
imagine monsters lurking. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rittenhouse area
displays some of the highest wealth, which provides more inspiration if you’re
writing a wealthy vampire, etc. Threaded throughout the city though is a unique
blend of history and alternative culture, which really make Philadelphia stand
out. Plus, the city’s people are unique—in the loudmouth, lovable asshole way.
New York City
This should shock no
one. Who would’ve thought ‘the city that never sleeps’ would make a good locale
for things that go bump in the night? On top of the sheer size and breadth of
New York, there’s a fast paced motion to it as well as a sense of isolation in
a crowd, which works incredibly well for urban fantasy. Too easily, people are
lost in the cracks, slip through the seams of the crowd, and if that doesn’t
serve as a fantastic story starter, I don’t know what does. But the amount of
varying culture, arts, nightlife, etc that New York has to offer compared to
any other city in America sets it apart.
New Orleans
This one is a given,
with all the rich history and literature that’s surrounded this place. With the
witchy, voodoo vibe all around and the French architecture and jazz music that
make it unforgettable, anyone could fall in love with this setting. And with
the aboveground Cities of the Dead, the palm readers and fortune tellers, and
the way that depravity slinks into dark alleyways in this city, it’s no wonder
authors have utilized the setting for urban fantasy tales time and time again.
Baltimore
This is probably the
city no one expected on the list, but given my proximity to and love for
Baltimore, I’m going to plea its case. Baltimore is one of those cities that if
you trip onto the wrong street, you end up in some nasty, nasty neighborhoods,
which can be said of many on the list, but sprinkled amidst there are some
stand out gems of bizarre diners, beautiful parks and museums, as well as night
clubs. While most tourists flood to the Inner Harbor, which is absolutely
gorgeous, the city has so many nooks and crannies to explore, a plethora of
discoverability to the right eyes—or the wrong ones—looking at you, supervillains.
Chicago
When you’re talking
crime and character in a city, you get Chicago. It’s been made infamous by the
Dresden Files, which a fair number of urban fantasy readers have devoured at
this point. With the proximity to the Great Lakes as well as the location in
the Midwest, Chicago provides a different sort of flavor than a lot of the East
Coast cities featured. That location alone gives the city and its denizens a
different tone, adding some of the Midwestern vibe to a city rather than the
short, blunt, hustle and bustle of the East Coast.
Excerpt:
He sucked in a harsh breath. “So it had nothing to do with us?”
So, so complicated that phrase. It had everything to do with them, with how bright their flames burned when they were together and how their fire threatened to consume survival and reason alike. The aching intensity he inspired in her had reached the fervor of consumption, to the point she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to extricate herself. In their time apart, she’d grown. Fallen down, scraped her knees, and fucked up, sure. But she’d learned to stand on her own and had become a woman who could fight her own battles. Had she stayed back then, she risked not only losing him but herself in the process.
“You’ll always have the place you carved into my heart.” Her words came out quiet while the enormity of the realization crashed through her. As much as she tried to distance herself, as much as she’d tried to move on, the second Dante entered her life again, his presence returned her to a home she’d been away from for a long, long time. His uncharacteristic quiet unsettled her nerves, but after the bombshell she’d dropped, she didn’t expect quips or quick conversation.
The inches between them grew agonizing since she wanted so badly to reach out and stroke his arm or squeeze his hand and close the distance. To indulge in the comfort his mere touch allowed. However, the silence reached a deafening crescendo, and for once she couldn’t read his gaze.
Dante sat up on the bed, a bandage over his side where he’d been patched. The doctors had cut
off his shirt but left his jeans on. His mouth tightened with pain at the motion, and he moved carefully as he slid to the end of the bed to grab her hand. So close, the scent of his smokes and metal surrounded her, intoxicating in his nearness and his heat a blossom unfurling in her chest. His dark,
honeyed skin looked good enough to lick, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips on instinct.
He traced his fingertips down her cheeks to lift her chin, the slight touch electric, an awakening that traveled through her body in a way that brought her into the present for the first time in too long.
Closing the distance between them, he leaned down and brushed his lips to hers.
About the Author:
A modern day Renaissance-woman, Katherine McIntyre has learned soapmaking, beer brewing, tea blending, and most recently roasting coffee. Most of which make sure she’s hydrated and bathed while she spends the rest of her time writing. With a desire to travel and more imagination than she knows what to do with, all the stories jumping around in her head led to the logical route of jotting them down on paper. She writes novels with snarky women, ragtag crews, and guys with bad attitudes. High chances for a passionate speech thrown into the mix.
Website: http://www.katherine-mcintyre.com
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