The Count's Lair

The Count’s Lair

by Stephanie Burkhart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Count Anton Varga is haunted by the curse of the moon. It tugs on his emotions, ravishing his soul. Anton abhors the beast he must learn to tame if he is to find peace.

Lady Amelia Andrassy is an accomplished pianist, but her life in Budapest has been filled with heartache. When Amelia faints in the Duma's bookstore, it's Anton's strong arms that cradle her fall. His unusual eyes spark with hers, replacing their individual loneliness with the promise of feral passion.

After a two-month separation, Anton is ready to walk into Amelia's life again, but is Amelia ready to fan the spark they shared into a flame?


EXCERPT:

"Amelia, to be honest about my intentions, I want to court you."

"Court me?" She stepped back.

He grabbed her wrist, as if desperate to keep her near him. His eyes impaled her, making her breathless. Was it too soon to think of always and forever with him? Had he really changed? Her heart believed so. Now, she just had to convince her head.

"I have no one to ask for permission, but you. Search your heart. I care for you deeply. I want to explore this, Amelia, but only if you do. I swear I'm ready for this."

Her lips trembled as she stepped forward, moved by the conviction in his voice. Dare she fall in love again? The chance was worth it. "Yes."

"Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her, infusing her with his warmth. She melted against the length of his body, savoring the contact. It felt right.

He parted from her, placed his hands on her upper arms, and looked at her. "The feelings I have when I'm near you are nothing like I've had before, but--"

"Go on." She prompted when he delayed too long.

"But I have a secret, too -- a secret that chokes me when I think of telling you."

"Anton--" A secret?

He held up his hand. "Let me finish. I promise to tell you, but I can't right now. I can only

give you clues." "Really?"

"You must accept this, Amelia. I know it may be unusual, but it's the only way I can think of to be honest with you."

Taken off guard, she faced him. Anton's full lips and smoldering eyes riveted her to him. In fact, his looks were everything she was attracted to in a man, but it all came down to trust. Could she trust him? If she said yes to him right now, then she was giving him her trust, which included his secret.

"How many clues do you have?"

"Three. Once you know my secret, if you want to break our courtship, you can. I'll understand."

Her body shivered. Was his secret dangerous? Even if it was, did she care? A part of her just wanted to throw herself into his arms and let come what may. Another part of her told her to keep her feet firmly on the ground.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  She served 11 years in the US Army and currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate and is addicted to coffee.  She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:

http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:

http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:

http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

PINTEREST:

http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Counts-Lair-Budapest-Moon-Book-ebook/dp/B004LLIEMK

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/budapest-moon-book-two-the-counts-lair-stephanie-burkhart/1029218357?ean=9781612529509

Stephanie will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find her tour schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-tour-counts-lair-by-stephanie.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Review

There are several things I really like about The Count's Lair.  First, the book's setting is in Budapest, and I've never read anything set in Budapest. The author didn't bore with long descriptions, but she was able with a few well-placed paragraphs to set the stage beautifully.

Second, I love the way she wove history and fantasy into one seamless blend. I think she caught the historical flavor of the times very well, and at the same time, she gave her heroine an independent spirit that made her a worthy consort for the count.

Third, I liked the count. He's a complicated man with a secret that may destroy his hope of a future with Amelia, but he loves her so much he shares the unsharable with her in hopes of winning her heart. He was willing to give his life for her if needs be, and I loved that about him. I don't know if you know the count's secret or not, so I won't share, but it's big.

Fourth, the count's adopted gypsy family are great secondary characters. They've got his back and helped him do some things he couldn't do for himself.

My only complaint is that the book ended too soon, but I think the third book in the series is on the way, so I'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Well done, Stephanie Burkhart. I'll give you a 5 out of 5 on this one.

The Count's Lair

Today's guest is author Stephanie Burkhart. Stephanie, welcome to the blog.

Thank you, Elaine, for having me on your blog today.

Just a little about me: I was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. After graduating from Central High, I joined the US Army. I spent 11 years in the military, 7 in Germany. While in the military, I earned a BS in Political Science from California Baptist University in Riverside, CA in 1995. I left the Army in 1997 and settled in California, but my favorite football team is still the New England Patriots. I work for LAPD as a 911 dispatcher. I've been married for 19 years. I have two boys, Andrew, 8, and Joseph, 4.

ELAINE: I bet you have some stories to tell! Could you tell us a little about your writing?

STEPH: I've been writing for about 10 years now. My first novel was "Destination: Berlin," a sweet military adventure romance. It's with iUniverse and the reviews for it are quiet good. I've dabbled in some horror short stories which I publish under my pen name. In romance, I've also written contemporaries and a time travel. With Desert Breeze Publishing, I've explored the paranormal subgenre. I've also got a sci-fi short story romance in the Borealis Anthology, Book 2. I enjoy working with small press because of the wonderful editorial support and most authors are supportive in sharing marketing and advertising tips.

ELAINE: Can you tell us five things about you that nobody would ever guess?

STEPH: I've been married over 19 years and I was married in Nykobig, Denmark. My marriage certificate is in five different languages. I took 3 years of high school French and I adore the language. It's very beautiful on the ear. I love to play racquetball. I stuck my hand in a beehive when I was five. It was so traumatic, I don't remember it happening.

ELAINE: Ouch on that beehive thing. What do you think makes a book a page turner?

STEPH: Engage me! One author I really enjoy is Melanie Atkins. She puts me right in the scene with the main characters. She uses a good, strong, active voice in her writing.

ELAINE: Which genre of books appeals least to you? Why?

STEPH: That's a toughie because I find enjoyment in most genres. Let's see…what's not on my shelf? Hard core Science Fiction and Fantasy. I did however enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies, and I like the Star Trek books.

ELAINE: On the average, how long does it take you to write a book?

STEPH: I've got it down to about three months, give or take 2 weeks for prep work which includes research, crafting my characters, outlining, etc.

ELAINE: Would you share some of your links?

STEPH: Sure you can find me:

BLOG:
http://sgcardin.blogspot.com

WEBSITE:
http://sgcardin.tripod.com

FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1357922219

GOODREADS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

ELAINE: We'd love to read an excerpt from your latest release.

STEPH: Sure. This is from "The Count's Lair," a paranormal romance set in Budapest, Hungary during Christmas 1901.

Amelia went inside. The room was cast in obsidian shadows by a single candle burning on her dressing room table. The air was laced with the scent of mulberries. She grew warm. Her heart beat faster. Her defenses cracked.

"Anton?" she whispered.

He stepped out of the darkness behind her, placing his hands on her upper arms, pressing his chest against her back. His lips brushed against her ear, sending a shockwave through her. "You look wonderful tonight, Amelia."

She dared to close her eyes and enjoy his embrace. "Anton."

"Yes, it's me."

Warm feelings of longing stirred within her, only to be quickly doused by the sting of anger at his sudden departure. She stepped out of their embrace and spun to glare at him. "How dare you."

He backed away, confusion pooling in his unusual eyes. "I thought--"

"You thought what?"

"That you'd want to see me."

"It's been two months since I last saw you, and you didn't even try to seek me out. I had no idea if you were dead, alive, or just too busy with your life to think of me."

"I'm sorry." His expression softened. "I had hoped to avoid the cool look in your eyes just now."

Exasperated, she let out a quick breath. "You're infuriating."

"So I've been told."

She crossed her arms and struggled to keep her crumbling battlements up. He had a lot to explain. The candlelight cast dark, almost satyr-like shadows over his chiseled face. If his explanation made sense, she'd will her heart to believe him. "So, Anton, how do you explain your absence? I thought I'd found a friend."

He paused and drew in a deep breath. His eyes grew translucent. "I am sorry. I had a lot to think about. I thought you would understand. I wanted to give you time to mourn your husband properly."

"I see."

"I also wanted to clear my head."


YOU TUBE BOOK TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaiYNNpETok
The Count's Lair is avail as ebook for Kindle, B&N Nook, Sony Ereader, and Kobo. You can also download a copy from the Publisher's Website at:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-142/Stephanie-Burkhart-Budapest-Moon/Detail.bok

Good Time: Leave me a comment and I'll be back tomorrow to give away a print copy of my sweet military romance, "Destination: Berlin."

Smiles
Steph

Thanks for coming, Steph. Your book sounds like a page turner to me.