Spark
Trials Book 1
Ronelle Antoinette
Fantasy Romance
can you afford to risk it all for love when your life is not your
own?
say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but In
Egalion’s Imperial court, you can’t tell one from the
other…especially when they change at the flip of a coin. Behind the
luxury and splendor lies a realm of treachery where cloak-and-dagger
political maneuvering threatens to destroy the peace of two thousand
years.
Battlemage Jex Xander has a mouth that frequently gets him into
trouble, while in contrast, Enari Namelum speaks not at all. When Jex
becomes the target of a faceless curse-slinger, Enari, the girl he
has protected since the day they met, must now protect him. A string
of ritual human sacrifices coupled with Jex’s growing inability to
keep his feelings (and hands) to himself only serve to complicate
matters. Amidst the mounting chaos, passion and romance should be the
last thing on their minds, but life and the Goddess seem to have
other ideas.
a world as enticing as it is perilous, love, danger, and magic will
collide, leaving lives irrevocably changed. The events of a single
summer stand to change the course of more than just the kingdom of
Egalion and the ones dismissed as pawns may yet prove to be the most
important players.
Spark” is the hush before the storm, the last deep breath before
the plunge. The flint has been struck and it’s possible the whole
world might go up in flames…because love in the Imperial court is
as dangerous a thing as backroom politics and jealousy can be as much
a driving force as silver and gold.
Action? Romance? Yes! This romantic fantasy novel by Ronelle
Antoinette is a broad, epic, sweeping fantasy with more twists and
turns and ups and downs than a wild roller-coaster! The first
installment of the Elemental Trials series is one of those books that
really is so much more than what the blurb can convey. Described as
“surprisingly complex and visionary” by one reviewer, “Errant
Spark” will leave you mesmerized from the first page to the
last.
by Amazing Stories Magazine’s Ricky L Brown as “a simple story
about interesting characters with just enough romance and magic to
make it work. […] Errant Spark is as complex as George RR Martin,
with a world that is well-suited for conniving and cavorting. Rest
assured, there is plenty of sex and violence, but not as raw and
stabby as the aforementioned works. It’s more like a big kid’s
version of a fairy tale.
Recommended
for:
teens and up
of epic fantasy and romance
looking for characters they want to eat…or take home and
enjoy
who can appreciate a gorgeous tapestry of magic, myth, and
mayhem
of fine love stories that complement the plot and that ‘slow
burn’
of surprises, twists-and-turns, and well-placed, necessary
supernatural elements
looking for sex, magic, love, fantasy, and a story that will sweep
you away
who don’t mind staying up all night so they can turn that final
page
As of 11/21/16, a series glossary has been included at the end of
this novel (in ebook and print form only).
2017 Book Excellence Award finalist in fantasy
will shake foundations.
night of careless passion leaves Battlemage Jex Xander and Adept
Enari Alycon in a precarious position. Long-time lovers they might
be, but the Imperial ambassador and the daughter of Egalion’s High
Mage have rather public roles in the court—whether they wish it or
not—and scandal couldn’t come at a worse time.
Treachery
will tip balances.
a hostile kingdom reluctantly agrees to parley, the fate of
two-thousand years of peace is on the line. In the midst of
negotiations, Enari becomes the target of one of the Greater
Maelstrom. She and Jex must race against time to save her life and
that of her unborn child. What happens when an earth-shattering
secret, a demon bent on destruction, and a kingdom teetering on the
brink of war collide is anyone’s guess.
will have consequences.
decisions of a few will determine the fate of many, and who or what
will remain standing in the end is still uncertain. Hearts and lives
are on the cusp of irrevocable change…and not necessarily for the
better.
secrets? Those will change everything.
Antoinette lives in western Colorado with her husband, two cats, and
one dog-who-believes-he’s-a-person. While she is a mother of none,
she’s an auntie to what should qualify as a small army. She is an
admitted caffeine addict, chocoholic, and hopeless romantic who has
carried on a passionate affair with the genre of fantasy since she
was old enough to read ‘chapter books’.
dabbled in creative writing for many years before making it a career.
(She even considered it as a major in college, though she ended up
getting a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology.) She published
her first novel, Errant Spark, in July of 2016.
“May I join you?”
Without waiting for a response, Jex Xander settled gracefully to the ground beside her. He
offered her a tin cup and she took it, warily examining the contents.
“You have the look of someone who could use that.” He jerked his chin at the cup before
turning his attention to his own bowl of stew and chunk of bread.
Chamomile and meadowsweet wafted up on the steam and she inhaled appreciatively, but
didn’t drink.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Fishing a flask out of his pocket, the mage unstoppered it and leaned
over her, pouring a small amount of something brownish into the tea. “Not the best quality, I’m
afraid, and I know it smells vile, but it’ll take the edge off your sore muscles, I promise.” He
grinned at her startled expression before settling more comfortably and beginning to eat heartily.
Enari took a tentative sip and tried not to gag. It was horrid, but the warmth that spread in
her belly was soothing, so she continued to drink. They sat in silence for several moments as
stars twinkled to life overhead. A few even shot brightly across the sky and Enari watched them,
still awed at the sheer immensity of the view above her. At the Temple, parts of the night sky had
always been obscured by foliage, even when viewed from the high branches of the trees she
climbed.
“Mmm, Plamen works his forge tonight,” Jex observed around a mouthful of bread,
“Wonder what he’s making?”
Enari didn’t answer and after a moment, he tried again.
“Did the kvinna speak truth? Are you really still a novice?” He used the remaining crust to
mop out his bowl before licking his fingers and wiping them in the grass beside him.
She nodded, still not looking at him.
“May I ask how old you are?”
It was a rude question to ask a woman, he knew, but he’d been watching her all afternoon
and hadn’t been able to guess her age. ‘Young’ was all he’d determined for certain. Probably too
young.
Using a stick, she drew a number in the dirt and his conscience eased. Eighteen. Not too
young, then, or at least not so much that he felt guilty for looking. And he definitely had been
looking. Couldn’t blame a man, really.
Well, the kvinna probably would. She seemed the excessively protective sort.
“I have a sister about your age, back in Rowan. Not as quiet as you, though,” he mused,
hoping to at least get a smile out of the girl. She was exotically appealing and he could only
imagine how much more radiant she would be if she smiled.
Enari stood quickly. She didn’t know how to fend off interested men and retreating to bed
seemed like the easiest way out of this awkward situation.
“Novice!” one of the guardsmen called out. To Jex, he sounded more than a little drunk. “If
you be done with that pretty boy, come and spend time with a real man. The night promises to be
chill, but I’ll warm you well if he won’t!”
Jex rose to his feet upon seeing her uncertainty and embarrassment.
“You!” he called back, “Didn’t your mother teach you how to address a lady?”
“Mind your own business, mage,” the man retorted. He got up unsteadily and swaggered
towards Enari. She hurriedly backed away, eyes darting left and right as she sought an avenue of
escape.
Before the man could reach her, Jex stepped up and put his palm in the center of the other’s
chest. He gave him a stiff shove, eyes dark with menace.
“Don’t be a fool. I wasn’t sent to protect these women from their own escorts but I will. I
suggest you find your bedroll, friend,” he said dangerously, “Sleep it off, or you’ll be no good to
anyone on the morrow.”
Enari stared at the pair with round eyes. The mage didn’t even know her, yet here he was,
protecting her honor like she was some grand lady.
After a moment of glaring at each other, the guardsmen broke eye contact first. Muttering
sullenly under his breath, he retreated and Jex released a sigh. He really hadn’t wanted to fight
the drunken lout, even though he was confident he’d have won.
“Silent little thing, aren’t you?” Returning his attention to Enari, he reached out and touched
her cheek gently.
Weariness in blurry waves of gray, spikes of hard red adrenaline and anger, fading sparks
of vibrant blue lust… Goddess, she’d be so pretty if she smiled. Too pretty to stay much longer in
a group of men with no one but her Sura to look after her. Stupid, stupid to send such a small
party across so much open land.
Quiet thunder of a rapidly pounding heart, the sharp tang of fear-sweat, nervous little
brown mouse… That man almost…he could have…and the mage. I don’t even know him, he
doesn’t know me, but he stopped the other one. His hand is on my skin and…
Starting in alarm, Enari recoiled and the string of awareness that was and wasn’t hers
snapped like gossamer thread. She took a quick step back and the sudden movement unbalanced
her. Her sore leg muscles were unable to compensate and with a surprised gasp, she fell onto her
bottom in the dirt. Jex looked down at her, clearly as startled as she.
A heavy hand grabbed the back of his tunic and the grizzled old guard captain shook him
roughly. His voice was deep and his accent was rough. “She dun’a like to be touched, mageling.
Keep your mitts to yourself!”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I,” Jex stuttered and cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he finished
lamely, looking back and forth between Enari and the captain, as if unsure who he was actually
apologizing to. He offered her a hand up, took a look at the captain’s face, and put both of them
in his pockets.
“You alright, little mistress?” the captain asked Enari.
She nodded and climbed stiffly to her feet, brushing dirt from her trousers.
“I’m sorry for startling you, Nani,” Jex apologized again. Enari smiled and waved it away.
He frowned at the captain and opened his mouth.
As if guessing the younger man’s thoughts, the captain shook his head. “She dun’a speak,
either.” He narrowed his eyes threateningly at Jex, thick brows beetling down even further. “But
dun’a you be going and thinking she be stupid for it, mage. She ain’t.”
Jex held up his hands in placation and took a step away. “I would never!”
“See that you dun’a.” With that, the captain strode away into the darkness. Jex made a face
and gestured rudely at his retreating back. Enari covered a smile.
Turning back to her, he raised a speculative eyebrow and put his hands on his hips. “He
wasn’t having me on, was he?”
Enari’s expression turned distant.
“Alright, alright. Keep your secrets.” His eyes darted to the bowl of stew she’d somehow
managed not to drop or spill all over herself. “Are you going to eat that?”
I really like the art on the cover.
this looks like a great romance book
The excerpt sounds really exciting and the cover is fantastic.