Guest post + Giveaway: Enchanting Absinthe by Shona Husk

What music do Vampires listen to?
This was the seemingly harmless question that started the ‘Sex with Strings’ series. At the time I was writing an urban fantasy (that I love, even though it languishes at the back of a cupboard), and there was one small nightclub scene. It was a Vampire nightclub and for some reason a DJ wasn’t working, it just didn’t feel real for me.

Since Vampires are long lived and would have developed their tastes decades or centuries ago (the same way I still love the music I did as a teen—but that’s a whole other post) I tried to find a way to incorporate what we’d call classical music into a nightclub and modernize it.
I was thinking a string quartet with a dash of rock, a lashing of grunge and a whole lot of sex appeal. Thus the band Lucinda’s Lover was born. Of course one I’d created them I couldn’t let them walk off stage and disappear because I wanted to know more about them.

Who were they once they washed off the eyeliner and stripped of their leather pants? How did the four of them get together and what were their personalities? And most importantly, who would be their perfect match?

Here’s a little snippet of when Absinthe first sees Claire at a gig.
Absinthe let the energy of the crowd wash over him. In a small venue like this it didn’t take long to build; a mix of excitement and sex. Humans thought it was the atmosphere of a live event. In part that was true. The rest was magic created from the amped up emotions. Magic he used to serve his own interest. The club was full, with a good representation of everything— Were, Vampires, humans…the group of Shamen to the side of the stage. No doubt they were pulling something out the air and getting a magical boost the same as him. His lip didn’t curl in distaste. Couldn’t when so many watched him. They loved Absinthe…he knew they wouldn’t feel the same way about William if they knew what he was.

He let himself fall into the music as if he was part of it. It was so easy; he’d done it so many times before. But every time his gaze skimmed past the crowd, it got stuck on a woman in a copper-colored corset. Stuck was the right word. His gaze was drawn to her. Even though it was too early in the show to pick anyone for his after show entertainment, he could feel his magic seeking her out. He couldn’t hold an enchantment for a whole show, so he tried to rein it back in.

Never before had anyone called to him like that.

He grinned and stamped his feet as they tumbled into the next song. His bow tapped on his leg. This was supposedly his breather. What the hell was she?

Blurb: Claire Winters is two days away from taking her place in the Shamanic Council’s Genetic Protection Program. To keep the fragile bloodline strong, every Shaman female must have one pure Shaman child. Tonight she wants one last fling and she has the lead violinist of Lucinda’s Lover in her sights–even though lustful liaisons with Vampires are strictly forbidden.

Absinthe has shunned long term relationships for so long he’s not sure he knows how to do anything but one-night stands. A forbidden hybrid of Shaman and Vampire, he has the ability to draw up power during shows and enchant people–usually women–out of their panties. But when he chooses Claire and a quickie backstage turns into a passionate night he can’t forget, he isn’t sure who was enchanting who.

Enchanting Absinthe is coming out July 13th
You can buy Enchanting Abs

inthe at Jasmine Jade and Amazon

Bio:

A civil designer by day and an author by night, Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally.

With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she is published with Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Carina Press and Sourcebooks.

You can find out more about Shona Husk at Website | Facebook | Twitter

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