G I V E A W A Y E N D E D
@XpressoTours Blog Tours – March 11th to March 17th
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT), 18+ – March 25, 2024
A Seduction of Dreams and Nightmares by A.J. Locke
Book & Author Details:
A Seduction of Dreams and Nightmares by A.J. Locke
Synopsis:
They say humans are dreams and Fiends are nightmares. For though Fiends have magic, beauty, and power, their immortal lives are restricted. Vampires must sate their blood lust. Wytches will crumble to dust when their magic runs out. Shapeshifting Haunts must keep their vicious beasts caged. Incubi and succubi cannot indulge in carnal pleasure without dire consequences.
Novari is a human who bartends for Luccero, an alluring incubus and the star of her fantasies. She can’t have Luc, but she does have Keo, who also wouldn’t mind Luc’s touch. Keo, who loathes being a vampire, is in pursuit of a fabled cure that will turn Fiends human. A cure highly in demand as many Fiends crave freedom from their burdened lives.
When an unexpected discovery about the cure’s location puts Novari and Keo in danger, they take refuge in Luccero’s sprawling manor. There, they contemplate how to stay safe … and succumb to each other’s seduction.
The pleasure she finds with Luc and Keo makes Novari want to hide away forever, but when the danger zeroes in, they’ll have to figure out how to overcome it before the dream they’ve found together becomes a nightmare.
Author Bio:
A.J. Locke is a young adult and adult fantasy author, and also writes and illustrates picture books. She is an artist of various mediums including oil and acrylic paint, and watercolor. When she’s trying to avoid her writing projects she can be found trying to make a dent in her TBR pile, playing video games, watching anime, baking, and chasing the ever elusive eight hours of sleep. A.J. is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and now resides in NYC.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / TikTok / Instagram
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EXCERPTS:
Excerpt 1
“Cursed,” came Luc’s soft voice. “As Fiends we consider ourselves cursed, nightmares. Humans, fragile and finite as they may be, are the dreams. They are born, they grow, they change, they have choices we will never have about who they want to be and what feeds their appetites. But we, everlasting and unchanging until the moment of our demise, have little choice. I can never travel far by myself lest I have no means to sate my Lust. I came into existence as an incubus with a specific way I must live, and that is all I can ever be.”
His words reminded me of the conversation with Keo last night and the way he’d questioned his urges because he couldn’t stop wondering if everything about him was decided before he even existed.
“I don’t think I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about things from your perspective. I feel bad about that.”
Luc chuckled. “Humans are selfish beings; I do not fault you for it.”
“I’m not—”
“I meant it not as an insult,” he cut in, “you are selfish because you know your time is limited. That there is an inevitable end you cannot avoid, and though you wish for the years to take you into old age, you live with no idea if your next day will be your last. Thus, you focus on yourselves, your pursuits, your pleasures. You can pick up jobs, hobbies, lovers, and discard them as your mood fits because ‘life is short,’ no?
“You try to pull as much life from the world as you can because when you die, there is no coming back. Fiends can walk through centuries; we do not think of time the same way. Were two hundred of your friends to ask you to keep something of theirs in your care for the rest of your life you would say there was no way you could dedicate your life to taking care of things that do not belong to you. Things that would impede your ability to live your life on your terms.”
He raised his hand to indicate the greenhouse. “But for me? I said yes every single time a Fleurisse came to me. Because it was of no consequence to hold on to things that would remain as long as I. All I have is time, and thus, we endure the long years together.”
Luccero was far more perceptive and empathetic than I would have ever thought he was. In a few short hours I’d learned more about him than I’d ever known. Because all I’d seen when I looked at him was his beauty, all I’d felt was his charm and his lusty aura. But he was so much more than a creature of seduction. I was sure his long life was full of amazing stories. He could tell me something about every Fleurisse here, was probably knowledgeable about things I wouldn’t know the first thing about.
I badly wanted to know this side of him more.
Excerpt 2
I wonder what Luc does on nights like these.
The thought flitted through my mind as I turned down a quieter block and the top of Luc’s manor came into view.
I hadn’t really thought about it before, I realized. I was always so focused on lusting after Luc that I didn’t muse about him in ways that weren’t related to sex. But my curiosity had piqued after watching him take out the recycling in pajama pants and fuzzy slippers this morning.
Did he have a television? Did he watch trashy T.V.? Intellectual documentaries? Sitcoms? Nature programs? Anime? Somehow, I couldn’t picture him on a sectional with a remote in his hand. Did sex Fiends do anything other than feed off sexual energy and fuck their Mates? I volleyed that thought around and wondered why I didn’t know the answer. Surely they did more than indulge their erotic desires, right? Cook, read books, travel, make art, play sports?
Keo did more than drink blood. He was a movie buff, well read, loved vintage cars and magic tricks. Was great at board games but hated card games. Absolutely loved carnivals and street fairs. Loved to rummage around the nighttime flea markets downtown. I’d never thought of him as ‘just a vampire.’
But I think … I think I’d always thought of Luccero as ‘just an incubus.’ He was the star of my lusty fantasies and a great boss to work for. But I didn’t know much about him beyond Tempest.
And now I wanted to know?
Thanks to periwinkle pajama pants and fuzzy slippers?
Excerpt 3
“Shall you have another, Keovallen?”
“Y-yes, thanks. And you know um … you can just call me Keo.”
Luc’s smile widened as he picked up another chip. “Ah, but you see, I like the sound of your name. I enjoy the feel of it as it rolls off my tongue. I love the taste of every syllable. Keovallen.”
“Oh … Ok … that’s fine then …” Keo smiled shyly and ducked his head. If he had a lighter complexion, he’d be flushed red.
Luc chuckled and I smiled. That simple sentence had frazzled Keo in the best way. I couldn’t make fun of him though. Luc was a master at flirting, and I was in the same boat when it came to being turned upside down by him.
“You shorten my name sometimes,” I teased, “guess my syllables don’t roll off the tongue as well as Keo’s?”
“They most certainly do, Novari.” Luc shifted his gaze to me. “But your name, in shortened form, gives meaning to a brightly burning star, does it not? A magnified flare of spectacular light and fire.”
“Yes …” I had only been teasing, not at all offended by how he referred to me as I liked the familiarity of being called Nova, but his reasoning was threatening to tilt me off the stool.
“I like that analogy when it comes to you,” he whispered. “Hot, intense, brightly burning. My Nova.”
Excerpt 4 (Spicy)
“I want to take my time with you,” he said against my skin. “I want to learn you, explore you. I want to see your reaction to every touch I lay upon you. I want to hear how you say my name as I take you over the edge. Give me control, Nova. Let me enjoy you the way I want. Will you do that?”
He raised his head and stared at me. His hair was a cocoon around us, as was his aura, which had already awakened my arousal in ways that made me feel like I was burning, like I was the heart of a star and Luc was the depths of the universe around me.
“Yes,” I breathed. “I’m yours.”
“Mine …” A shudder went through him as he searched my eyes.
“I have had many years to master my control. But I will want to take you, Nova. That is the nature of who I am, it is everything I was made to be. I will want to consume every part of you. I will not, because I have promised you safe play, but you must understand that I am nothing but a creature of sexual desires and unless you truly trust me … we should not do this.”
“Luc …” I hadn’t missed the note of longing in his voice, or the underlay of frustration.
I am nothing but a creature of sexual desires.
All he was made to be and nothing else.
I slid my hand down his chest. “I trust you. And I understand the risks and the boundaries that cannot be crossed. So please,” this time I flicked my tongue across his lips, “please consume me.”
“I will make you mine,” he whispered back. “My plaything, my captive. I will pull you into depths you will never want to surface from. Be careful what you ask of me.”
Excerpt 5 (Spicy)
“Hmm …” He pulled his thumb out and caressed my lips again, trailing moisture that my tongue flicked out to taste.
Keo made a sound and we turned to him. He was on his knees, his hands planted against the floor, his bottom lip between his teeth and a hungry look on his face.
Luc moved his hand down my neck and tilted my head to the side, brushing my hair back. I was looking at him, but he was staring at Keo, and kept his eyes on him as he bent his head and trailed his tongue up my neck.
I groaned. Keo made another wanting sound.
“It excites you to see me touch her, doesn’t it?” Luc whispered, his lips against my neck. Answer me, Keovallen.”
“Yes,” was Keo’s breathy reply. Luc chuckled, and lavished his tongue up my neck again.
My eyelids fluttered closed as he kissed his way to my jaw, tilting my head back up. His tongue eased over my lips as though he were exploring them, taking the time to learn the shape of them.
“Mmm …” Luc looked down at me. His thumb pushed between my lips and teeth. I bit down and a rumble sounded in his throat.
He moved until he was leaning against the sofa and turned me around so my back was against his chest. Keo was staring at us as though enraptured.
Luc pulled my tank top up and off. His hands splayed over my shoulders and down my chest.
“Nova, Keovallen, shall we play?” His words were a dark, heady promise of pleasure.
“Yes,” came two breathless replies.
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GIVEAWAY!
1) Handmade book sleeve
2) Themed Notebook
3) Worldbuilding key item: Everway Compass decoration
4) Character art bookmarks: Luccero, Novari, Keovallen
5) Character art prints: Luccero, Novari, Keovallen
6) Handmade pressed flower necklace
7) Sticker sheet
