Sleeping
With Shadows
by
Rachel Hailey
Genre:
Dark Paranormal Romance
Once
The King of Nightmares, Ashe lost everything when he was betrayed.
Released from prison, he's got one goal: Stay Free. To make that
happen he'll have to rescue the girl who stole his crown while saving
the court he'd rather see burn. But he can't do it alone. He needs
Callie.
Abused,
neglected, and finally shunned by The Court of Light, Callie is done
with court politics. It's just too damned bad Ashe doesn't care. He's
arrogant, manipulative, and dangerous. Everything she's been taught
to fear. It would be so easy to hate him, but the sadness in his gaze
calls to her heart, and his touch awakens her own darkness. She has
never wanted anyone more.
Callie
is Ashe's darkest desire, but to earn his freedom and prevent the
destruction of humanity, she must embrace the destiny that will keep
them apart. But is the safety of the world worth losing the kind of
love he's only dreamed of?
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Publishing
Excerpt 1:
THE SOFT KNOCK STAYED HER HAND. SHE LOOKED AT THE ALARM clock blinking
in her palm as if the sound had somehow come from the object.
Before she could respond, the door swung open. The light from the hall illuminated Ashe.
Callie's mouth ran dry.
His shirt off, jeans unbuttoned and riding low on his hips, he looked like an advertisement for
lust. Her eyes roamed over his perfect chest, following the swirling tattoos that curled down
deliciously defined abs and continued under the denim waistband.
Her pulse jumped as he came toward her. Only then did she remember she was naked, not that
she cared. She dropped the alarm clock, it bounced from the bed to the floor.
She ignored it. She only had eyes for Ashe. She bit her bottom lip as anticipation zinged through
her body.
“Can't sleep,” Ashe stated, his deep husky voice made her heart beat faster.
“No,” she whispered, still poised on her knees in the middle of the bed.
“You?” He stalked further into her room, as graceful as a hunting cat, and ten times more sensual
than any human.
This would be amazing.
He stopped at the edge of the mattress and folded his hands behind his back.
“Not so much,” he replied.
“Need help?”
“That's my line,” he said but didn't move from his spot.
She laughed softly. “Then come help me.” She crooked her finger at him and watched with
appreciation as his chest moved, sending muscles rippling.
“Lay down.” The strain in his voice was so erotic. Excitement building, she did as he bid. “Close
your eyes.”
She should have expected him to be demanding. She grinned, loving it. Her sheet landed over
her body before his hands deftly moved around her form, tucking her in so the sheet hugged the
curves of her body.
His hands lingered, sending goosebumps cascading across her skin. The bed dipped as he leaned
over her.
Callie moved her head so she could watch behind slitted eyes as he hovered.
“We have to sleep.”
Sleep was the last thing on her mind.
He brushed his fingertips across her lips, making her shiver. As his index finger lingered against
her bottom lip, her mouth fell open, and she captured the digit between her teeth. He hissed in
pleasure. Emboldened by the sound, she closed her lips around his finger and swirled her tongue
around the tip. She tasted victory as she heard his breath speed.
She nipped him playfully before letting go. He growled, causing her to giggle.
“We really need to sleep.” Ashe's eyes were glowing, and she could feel the beat of his magic.
“You said that already.”
“I know.” Ashe leaned closer, his lips parted.
“Kiss me,” Callie whispered.
“That would be a bad idea.” His eyes seemed to grow brighter.
Excerpt 2:
Ashe shoved away from the door, his eyes turning black with anger as he stalked closer.
Callie’s instincts screamed at her to run.
Ashe came to stand in front of the desk, teeth bared, his voice rang with power. “You have no
idea what it feels like to be locked away. Time melting together until you pray to die. When
every heartbeat is a taunt, every breath a curse.”
Ashe slammed his fist down on her desk, scattering paper and pens. Callie bolted from her seat,
her back slammed into the wall as she tried to flee his anger. Ashe followed her. “Oh no, you’re
not getting away yet.”
His arms snapped out, his palms slapping the wall on either side of her face, caging her.
Callie trembled.
“You should be thankful I need you sane, or I'd show you what it takes to make a person
‘psycho. How do you think you would do? Do you think you'd fare better than The Bloodkyn
Queen? Do you think you'd cope better than me?”
He pressed the side of his face against Callie’s and inhaled. Like a snake tasting the air, Ashe's
tongue darted out and captured a stray tear from her trembling cheek. “Mm. Delicious. All that
fear, that shame.”
Callie screamed as she suddenly lost her balance and tumbled into Ashe’s arms. “Please.”
“I like that word. Say it again.” Ashe licked his lower lip, his black eyes hooded.
“Please, please,” Callie stuttered, her mouth dry.
“Say, ‘Please, Ashe forgive me for whining like a petulant child’ and mean it. Let me hear the
regret in your voice.”
Callie stammered the words out, hoping it would be enough to save her.
I read my copy via Kindle Unlimited
A fast-paced Magical, action-packed ball to the wall read that any fantasy lover will enjoy
When I first picked this up I figured it would be a solid read - nothing I would shun my adulting duties for mind you.
It had a catchy blurb and that cover spoke to me.
This started as I was expecting, I was still easily able to adult and read. Then suddenly a little after the first chapter, all chaos broke loose, and the idea of adulting for the rest of the day?
GONE!
I was not setting this down until I helped Ashe and Callie!
I'm sooooo not spoiling all the fantastic surprises and hidden Easter eggs that are contained within these pages
Sleeping with Shadows has it all
The myth
The magic
The enchantment
This was why I fell in love with the fantasy genre!
"Great, she had to run through the woods to stop a fanged water horse from eating a giant bear. I miss the days when my life was ruled by sanity."
Callie is the perfect heroine! She is soft, cold, broken, strong, vicious, hungry, wanton, needy, and so much more!
(It will all make sense as everything unravels - Have a little faith)
Ashe you smexy devil you have your own skeletons hiding in the shadows.
Shayne kind of sorta pissed me off toward the end
Diana is an absolute blast
The supporting cast was just as much a part of the story as our two main characters
Each one vivid and enchanting in their own way
The universe is dimensional takes place a bit over a 100 yrs in the future so you have the urban feel while still getting the enchanting world behind the veil
From sarcastic comedy to heart-pounding suspense tapered with a bit of romance this little bunch kept me on my toes with every turn of the page
I do hope we get more from this court!
Rachel
Hailey was born and raised in the South. She's all about that nerd
life and in between writing she's dedicated herself to raising the
next generation of nerds. If she's not online or staring at a book she
can usually be found at the local game store rolling dice, shuffling
cards, or planning her next cosplay.
Her
childhood was most prominently shaped by the works of R.L. Stine,
Stephen King, Anne Rice and the Brothers Grimm.
$20 Amazon
#sleepingwithshadows #dark #paranormal #romance #paperback #kindleunlimited #rachelhailey
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