Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Dragon Song, by Tara West: Release Day Blitz & Giveaway!!




Welcome to the Release Day Blitz 
for Dragon Song,
sponsored by 
Bewitching Book Tours!!

Please join us for the Facebook party!
It's from 12 to 2 PM, today, Oct. 20th!
Just click HERE!!
 
For my stop, I'm featuring a mini-review
and excerpt!
There's also a blitz-wide giveaway!!



Dragon Song
(Dawn of the Dragon Queen, Book 1)
Tara West
Trade Paperback, 216 pages
Kindle Edition, 250 pages
Shifting Sands Publishing
October 20, 2015
Fantasy, Historical Fiction. 
Paranormal Romance
Cover Art & Design 
Renee Barratt at The Cover Counts







Duncan MacQuoid, dragon-slayer, is no more. In his place is a tortured man seeking solace for his sins. One fateful night he finds a woman he believes will be his salvation. Little does he know, his love for her could be his final undoing.

Fiona Firesblood, dragon-shifter and noble queen, will stop at nothing to protect her child, even if it means she must sever the bond with her mate, Duncan MacQuoid, the one man she loves above all others, and the one man whose past could destroy them all.

Safina Firesblood, daughter of a cursed union between dragon and dragon-slayer, has grown into a young woman, a powerful dragon princess in her own right. When she’s given one chance at true love, will she risk the dragon queen’s wrath or resign herself to an eternity of sorrow?




Purchase Links

Paperback Edition

Kindle Edition






Note 
 This mini-review deals with the excerpt below,
not the entire book.

The scene below is so well-written and riveting! We get to know the main characters right away, and thus, the novel's central conflict is immediately revealed. Fiona and Duncan are as different from each other as two lovers can be, and must deal with that one main difference, which threatens to separate them forever, in spite of the fact that they have a child together.
This scene is very dramatic and poignant; Fiona is mourning the loss of her mother at the hands of the man who has become her mate....and yet, in spite of the strong, negative emotions evoked, there is also a touch of humor, evident in Duncan's initial bewilderment at this fierce woman's reaction toward him, when she learns of his true identity.
In short, I am pre-ordering the Kindle edition right away, and I do hope to win the paperback!! If I don't, I'm buying it, as well!!
(Of course, it also helps that the book has such a
GORGEOUS  cover....)  






“Murderer!” She shoved him back with such force, he toppled from the bed in a tangle of furs. 
“Fiona, ’tis me, Duncan,” he cried as he struggled to stand.
What had come over her? One moment they were caressing beneath the warm furs, and the next she had sprung from his bed, screaming like a banshee.
“I know who you are, MacQuoid. Dragonslayer!” She ended on a shrill sob before covering her face with her hands.
Duncan stood, kicking the furs to the side and reaching for her. “I am a dragonslayer no more, Fiona.”
“Why did you make love to me? You should have killed me like you did the rest of my kind.” She rushed through the flap of his tiny hut into the cool morning air.
Swearing under his breath, Duncan wrapped a fur around his waist and chased after her. 
Surely they had both gone mad.
The morning was exceptionally cold, and Fiona wore not a stitch of clothes. A chill wind from the north whipped the heavy branches overhead into a frenzy. Autumn leaves danced around Fiona’s feet as she wept, kneeling beside a fallen oak. 
The sharp edge of her suffering pierced the cavity of Duncan’s chest. He still did not understand how her emotions had been tethered to his own, but he did feel her pain, so keen he thought his heart would break from it.  
“Fiona, you are mistaken. Come inside where ’tis warm,” he pleaded.
She looked up at him through tear-soaked eyes. “You killed my mother!” Her body shook with violent tremors. “You struck her with a spear, and she had never sought to harm mankind. Never!”
Duncan’s head spun and he felt weightless. Mouth agape, he stared at her, hoping his senses would return. And then the words from the she-dragon reverberated through his skull.
I have never sought to harm mankind. Never!
“’Twas a dragon I speared, not a human.” But even as he said the words, he knew ’twas a lie. That dragon had been no dumb beast. She was something more.
“She was my mother!” Fiona wailed. “She was kind and good and all I had left in the world.”
“Fiona,” Duncan struggled for words, knowing nothing he could say would ever bring back her mother. “Forgive me.” Stepping forward, he reached out, needing to touch her and soothe her pain.
“Do not touch me! Do not ever touch me!”
What happened next Duncan would not have believed had he not seen the she-dragon transform into a beautiful woman each night in his dreams.
But those were dreams, and the dragon hovering above him now was no fantasy, though just a moment before she had been his beautiful lass.
Panting like a wounded animal, she singed his hair with her fiery breath. 
Duncan did not cower. He did not fear. They had shared a connection when he loved her beneath the light of the full moon. She would not harm him now.  
He looked up into her amber eyes, which were the same as last night, only larger, sadder. ’Twas then he knew neither of them would come away from this unscathed. For her heart was shattered, and he did not know how he could live without her forgiveness. 






Tara West writes books about dragons, witches, and handsome heroes while eating chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. She's willing to share her dragons, witches and heroes. Keep your hands off her chocolate.

Tara West's young adult and new adult romances have been Kindle bestsellers. A former high school English teacher, Tara is now a full-time writer and graphic artist. She enjoys spending time with her family, interacting with her fans, and fishing the Texas coast.  Her email address is: tara@tarawest.com









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4 comments:

  1. Omg this is so sad and amazing!! Finding out that the guy you're with killed your mother... I'm adding this to my tbr list right now obviously haha.

    Although I'm a little bit confused now. Is the story supposed to be about Duncan and Fiona? Or about their daughter Safina?

    Thank you so much for sharing!! :D

    Lipstick and Mocha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Carla!

      Yes, this is very sad indeed.....very shocking, too. Fiona's mother must have been in dragon form when Duncan killed her, but still..... I definitely want to read this book to find out how Tara West resolves that!

      I think that this story is about Duncan and Fiona, but their daughter comes into the picture later on in the novel, probably as she grows up.

      When I came over to answer your comment, I noticed that Tara had replied to you, in her comment below.

      You're very welcome for the share! Thanks for the great comment!! : )

      Delete
  2. Thanks so much for your mini review. I hope you enjoy it! To answer Carla's question, this series will have two love stores, one for Fiona and Duncan, and one for Safina and Gabriel. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Tara!

      You're very welcome for the mini-review! I'm SO looking forward to reading this book!!!

      And you're writing Safina's love story as well? Of course I want to read THAT story, too!!!

      Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving such a nice comment!! : )

      Delete

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