Storm Crossed
Grim Series
Book 4
Author: Dani Harper
Release Date: January 9, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
ISBN-10: 1503948943
ISBN-13: 978-1503948945
Book Description:
The latest stand-alone novel in Dani Harper’s Grim Series will delight old and new fans alike, transporting them to the ancient fae realm beneath the modern human world, where magic rules and menace abounds . . .
Heir to a noble fae house, Trahern is forced to watch helplessly as his twin brother is cruelly changed into a grim—a death dog—as punishment for falling in love with the wrong person. Trahern doesn’t believe love exists, but he will do anything to keep his brother alive—even join the Wild Hunt and ride the night skies of the human world.
Lissy Santiago-Callahan believes in love but has no time for it. She’s busy juggling her career as an academic and her home life as a single mom to a young son with Asperger’s. Her hectic life in sleepy Eastern Washington is made even more chaotic with the sudden arrival of a demanding fae and his unusual “dog.”
Mortal and immortal have nothing in common, and the attraction between Lissy and Trahern surprises them both. But when their desire places Lissy and her child in the path of a deadly faery feud, will the connection last, or will their separate worlds prove too great a divide?
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About the Author
EXCERPT
“What are you doing here?” demanded a new voice, a rich masculine voice, and every one of her friends fell silent.
Oh great, we’ve attracted a park ranger, thought Lissy as she turned to face this new issue. How are we going to explain—
It was no ranger. The first thing her eyes took in was a heavy black cloak, thrown back to reveal strange leather clothing. Ornately tooled and trimmed with silver, it hugged a lean frame.
No, some instinct decided, not lean but lithe. Lithe like a big cat, all coiled agility and snake-strike muscle in a deceptively relaxed package. She was forced to tilt her head to see the strong jaw that underscored the man’s angular face—and the scar that ran diagonally across his throat.
Still, he could have been called handsome if it wasn’t for a strange otherness to his perfect features that was impossible to describe. Human, yet decidedly not. And no human she knew boasted hair like that. Pulled into a thick braid that fell halfway down his back, it was white in the way that snow was white—not a single shade, but many.
She had to remind herself to breathe. This was no lost cosplay enthusiast or a Lord of the Rings extra, but an actual living, breathing member of the faery race. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a faint thought protested that such a thing was completely impossible. It wasn’t very convincing, however, not with a flesh and blood dog the size of a goddamn Volkswagen already in front of her.
The man’s pale hair glowed in the fire’s light. A fistful of loose strands fell across his face, and beneath them his eyes were watchful, alert. A panther scanning for prey.
And he had found her.
The stranger’s unnerving gaze lingered for only a moment before apparently dismissing her. “What are you doing here?” he asked again, and Lissy realized he spoke to the enormous canine behind her.
“Wait a sec. This is your dog? Yours?” All the shock and fear of the past few minutes transmuted into anger. She’d been prepared to die defending her child, and this man, this being, was totally responsible! It was as if a switch inside had been thrown. Normal-everyday-college-science-professor Lissy was abruptly replaced with I-will-savagely-tear-apart-ten-man-eating-lions-to-save-my-kid Lissy. She stepped directly into his line of sight. “What the hell were you thinking, letting this animal run around loose like that?” she demanded.
He merely looked around her, as if she was a tree or a bush or a goddamn rock, and that just ramped up her fury. “You! I’m talking to you!” Without thought but backed by a considerable amount of adrenaline, she shoved him with all her strength. The element of surprise gave her an extra advantage, and the tall man stumbled back a step.
Now she had his full attention.
Most nature documentaries she’d watched advised against locking stares with wild animals, yet Lissy stood her ground and met the stranger’s riveting gaze boldly—despite her resentment at having to look up to do it. She all but bared her teeth as she stated her case: “You. Endangered. My. Son.”
“There was no danger to your offspring. The hound does not devour mortals.”
Was he mocking her with that imperious tone? “Yeah, well us mortals had no way of knowing that your monster dog doesn’t snack on humans. You have no right to frighten people like that!”
“I require no rights from you. I ride with the Hunt.”
Her gaze flicked to a faint ripple of movement at his side. The heavy cloak drew aside as if by its own volition, and the fae’s hand casually rested on the handle of a large coil of plaited leather at his hip. Ghostly tongues of bluish light flickered continuously over the heavy whip, here then gone in an instant only to reappear in a different spot, as if they were living things.
Lissy could hear some gasps from her cluster of friends, and some hurried words between Morgan and Brooke. Though she’d never encountered the Wild Hunt herself, she knew that had to be what the stranger referred to. As a mere human, she should be utterly terrified.
Instead, she couldn’t care less if he was a unicorn. “Well, I require a goddamn apology from you, Mister,” she heard herself say, and folded her arms to wait.
Legend, lore, love, and magic. These are the hallmarks of Dani Harper’s transformational tales of faeries, shapeshifters, ghosts, and more, for a mature audience.
A former newspaper editor, Dani’s passion for all things supernatural led her to a second career writing fiction. There isn't anything she likes better than exploring myths and legends from many cultures, which serve to inspire her sizzling and suspenseful stories.
A longtime resident of the Canadian north and southeastern Alaska, she now lives in rural Washington with her retired mountain-man husband. Together they do battle with runaway garden gnomes, rampant fruit trees, and a roving herd of predatory chickens.
Dani Harper is the author of Storm Crossed, Storm Warned, Storm Bound, Storm Warrior (the Grim Series), as well as First Bite (Dark Wolf), for Montlake Romance. She is also the author of a Yuletide ghost story, The Holiday Spirit, plus a popular shapeshifter series, which includes Changeling Moon, Changeling Dream, and Changeling Dawn.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
Blog Tour Organised by:
How old were you when you decided you wanted to start writing.
ReplyDeleteHi James - I can't remember a time when I didn't want to write. Even before I could read, I was obsessed with books, and somehow understood that SOMEBODY had "made" the story. And I wanted to be that person!
DeleteI love this excerpt. Love Lissy's attitude. Thanks for the excerpt and giveaway opportunity. I just wondered how many books were planned for this series?
ReplyDeleteCarol Luciano
Lucky4750 at aol dot com
Hi Carol! I'm glad you liked the "first meet" between Lissy and Trahern. Lissy is definitely not a pushover, ESPECIALLY when it comes to her son, Fox. I'm working on Book 5, but how many books after that will depend on the characters (although I don't expect the noisy bunch to ever be quiet, LOL) and my publisher.
DeleteDo you have backyard chickens? They have been getting very popular here!
ReplyDeleteHi Darby - My reputation must have preceded me, LOL! YES, I'm hopelessly addicted to chickens. They really should come with warning labels.... I started with just a handful, and now I have around 30. I have lots of different breeds too, including quite a few "wild-haired" crested chickens. Fortunately we have a big yard in a rural area!
DeleteWhat made you decide to make the fae realm underneath the human world?
ReplyDeleteI've stayed true to Celtic legend and UK folklore, both of which speak of the faery realm as being underground. Strange hills that occur throughout the British Isles are commonly referred to as "faery mounds", and for more than two thousand years were considered to be entrances to the faery world. Lakes were also thought to be entrances as well.
DeleteI've loved all the "Grimm Stories", that I've read so far. I enjoyed the twist in this story with the Fae being character changed by love. If you were to have date with one of the Fae from your books who would it be?
ReplyDeleteOmigosh, it would be hard to choose! I'd like to spend time with any of the riders from the Wild Hunt --- and Lurien would be best of all.
DeleteWhat made you turn to paranormal story writing?
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria! I've adored things that go bump in the night my entire life. Growing up, I avidly read horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. I didn't read romance. But one day in a bookstore, I ran across Christine Feehan's story, Dark Dream, in a vamp anthology. WOW - it was the first time I'd seen the monster be the hero! I was hooked from that point on, first reading, then writing PNR.
DeleteIf you could pick any mythical or paranormal creature you would want to become which would you choose?
ReplyDeleteMy answer varies from day to day, depending on my imagination! Today I'd like to be a gryphon or a dragon!
DeleteWhich actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?
ReplyDeleteHi Solange! I think Mila Kunis could play Lissy Santiago-Callahan, the heroine of Storm Crossed.
DeleteAs a lover of unique names. How did you come up with the name Trahern?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance.
Hi Klydra! Trahern is a Welsh name that means "strong as iron". I borrow heavily from the Welsh language whenever I write about the Fae. Trahern appeared in Storm Warned as well, as a member of the Wild Hunt. I didn't know I was going to write about him in Storm Crossed --- my characters usually surprise me that way, LOL.
DeleteWhat is your favorite creature?
ReplyDeleteI have many favorites, but one of them is definitely the Pwca (pronounced Pooka). A fae shapeshifter, the Pooka often favors the form of a great black horse.
DeleteHave you ever gone hunting for paranormal activity?
ReplyDeleteHi Peggy - No, it usually finds me! Several members of my family and I have run into ghosts from time to time.
DeleteHow many books in the series?
ReplyDeleteHi Helen - That's a good question. I'm under contract for Book 5, which I'm writing now, but I'm leaving the series open-ended for more stories. I don't have a number in mind, but the characters have a lot more to tell!
DeleteDo small fairy-like creatures appear in the folklore of many cultures ?
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanna! Faeries or fairies DO appear in the folklore of many countries, but they aren't necessarily small. In fact, creatures of many shapes and sizes are regarded as faery in nature. They can be ugly or beautiful, predatory or benevolent. The word Fae, or Fey, has historically been used to describe any supernatural being or phenomenon.
DeleteHi Al! Thank you VERY much for spotlighting my new release today. :) I really like your blog - glad I got to visit it today.
ReplyDeleteHow may chickens do you have?
ReplyDeleteAbout 30 ... but there may be more. I'm afraid to count! I have a serious chicken addiction!
DeleteWhat is your favorite fairy?
ReplyDeleteI just learned about faery portal being a real place - are there other locations in the book that are real?
ReplyDeleteHi Steph! Yes, not only is Palouse Falls a real place, but so are Steptoe Butte, Walla Walla, and all other locations mentioned as being in the mortal world. This is also true of the first three books in the series.
DeleteWhat is your favorite paranormal to read about?
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry - In fiction, I have a passion for shapeshifters, particularly wolves. I enjoy dragons and gryphons too.
DeleteWhat is your favorite paranormal creature?
ReplyDeleteWhat genres of books do you bring with you when you go on vacation?
ReplyDeleteWhat's your favorite folklore about fairies?
ReplyDelete