Blog
22
Dec
2014

Shira Anthony’s Blood And Rain

I love having Shira on my blog. Today is no exception. Her newest book Blood And Rain is one I cannot wait to read. What’s not to love about hot vampires getting it on? I had Shira give us some of the songs that inspired the book. After the wonderful music, read all about the book, and an excerpt that will make you drool on your keyboard and scream for more. At the very bottom enter for a chance to win a handmade Blood and Rain unisex pendant from artist Martin Brodour.

Thanks, Amanda, for hosting the Blood and Rain Blog Tour today! Amanda has asked me to share the Blood and Rain playlist with everyone. Unlike my Blue Notes Series books, there is no music embedded in the Blood Series books. There are, though, songs that inspired some of the emotions behind this new series that I thought I’d share with everyone.

“My Immortal,” by Evanescence
What better song to embody vampires who live so long they might as well be immortal? I love the dark, brooding words of this song and Amy Lee’s beautiful voice. And what a perfect song for one of the three MM couples in the series: Adrien Gilbert, the vampire hunter, and Nicolas Lambert, the vampire Adrien comes to love. The series begins with a broken-hearted Adrien who still imagines he hears Nicolas calling his name, although he can’t find his way to Nicolas in spite of more than a century of searching for him. Adrien, an immortal himself, wishes he could die rather than suffer eternity without Nicolas.

“Ghost,” by The Indigo Girls
This was the song than inspired the series. Just like “My Immortal,” it reminds me of Adrien’s love for Nicolas, a ghost that haunts his life. It’s also the inspiration for the title of the second book, Blood and Ghosts, which will be released in early 2015.

“Bleed 2 Feed,” by Cc Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis
I loved the first few seasons of “True Blood” and the first five Sookie Stackhouse books (Southern Vampire Stories), and part of what was so wonderful about the series was the amazing music. This is from the first season, I believe, and it’s one of my favorites. Love the beat (reminds me of a heartbeat), and it just reeks of sex. And let’s face it, vampires are sexy as hell!

“Bad Things,” by Jace Everett
This song is from the opening credits of “True Blood,” and I love the rockabilly beat and guitar riffs. So hot! I can just imagine… well, bad things. Mmmm. Blood and sex and vampires. What else?

So those are some of the songs that inspired and continue to inspire my vampires! I hope they’ll inspire you too. -Shira

Blurb:
Adrien Gilbert has spent several lifetimes searching for the love he lost. Born in the 1800s into a clan of fabled vampire hunters, Adrien once wanted nothing more than to tend his family’s vineyard in southern France or read a good book. But Adrien’s peaceful existence ends abruptly when his older brother, François, is murdered. Bound by his hunter’s oath, Adrien sets out on a path that will forever change his life when he agrees to execute his brother’s killer, the vampire Charles Duvalier.

After months chasing the elusive Charles, Adrien reluctantly makes a bargain with Nicolas Lambert, an ancient vampire. Adrien will escort Nicolas to Paris for his marriage to a rival clanswoman, and Nicolas will help Adrien find Charles. Nicolas’s quiet strength and gentle heart soon convince Adrien that Nicolas is nothing like the vampires he has sworn to destroy. As the wedding date draws nearer, a force intent on destroying the fragile peace between the vampire clans threatens to tear apart both the vampire realm and the world of the hunters. To secure both past and future for those he loves, Adrien must find a way to stop the looming war between hunters and vampires. But first he’ll have to let Nicolas go.

Excerpt:
Adrien licked the skin of Cole’s neck, feeling the blood pulse there, hearing it call to him. Cole tilted his head in anticipation, opening himself to Adrien.

Adrien buried his teeth in Cole’s skin. Blood flooded his mouth and danced on his tongue, sweet and salty. Too long. His body was far more vampire-like in its craving for blood than when he’d first been given the gift of an ancient vampire’s soul. He wondered if it was the same for other immortals.

Adrien tried to ignore the images that flashed through his mind—the sound of silvery laughter, a mother’s loving caress. Cole’s memories. Adrien despised this forced intimacy, but he’d come to see it as the price of blood. Something to be tolerated.

It hadn’t always been that way. When he’d shared Nicolas’s blood, Adrien had experienced great joy. He’d seen himself through Nicolas’s eyes and felt the depth of Nicolas’s love. Each drop of that precious liquid had opened new doors. Each taste offered insight into Nicolas’s heart and soul. A beloved memory. A mystery—the mystery of Nicolas—unfolding with every swallow.

Adrien drank his fill, then claimed Cole’s mouth. This kind of contact he could stomach. He didn’t need sex to survive, but he enjoyed the release. Cole unbuttoned Adrien’s black silk shirt and his cock swelled against Adrien’s thigh. Adrien moaned as Cole skated his fingertips over his chest.

“I have never known a hunter to crave blood,” Cole whispered in his ear. “I thought only we experienced the bloodlust.”

“You were wrong,” Adrien said as he pulled Cole’s shirt over his head and mouthed a pretty pink nipple. Sex was always better after he fed, and Adrien’s cock was already hard at the thought of fucking such a lovely ass. He drew Cole’s body against his, walked backward into the living room, and pulled Cole with him onto the rug. Soon they were naked and he was no longer a hunter or an immortal, he was simply a man, seeking release, seeking pleasure.

For at least an hour after, Adrien lay on the floor and allowed the night air to caress his bare skin. He closed his eyes and dozed.

“Adrien.”

The voice awakened him. Nicolas’s voice again. Why sleep if it only served to reawaken the pain he sought to suppress?

He stood and pulled on his jeans. He walked onto the balcony in his bare feet, then climbed to the roof of the penthouse.

Pathetic.

Having reached the edge, he spread his arms. He leaned forward and fell unimpeded, riding the wind like a sigh. The glass of the building sailed by him, the breeze buffeting his face. He hit the water and sank into the cold blackness. He wished he could die.

About Shira:
Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.

Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 35’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthony
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony
Twitter: @WriterShira
Website: http://www.shiraanthony.com
E-mail: shiraanthony@hotmail.com

Buy Links:
Dreamspinner: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5805&cPath=55_484
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodandrain-1686465-145.html

Tour Stops:
15-Dec: Joyfully Jay
16-Dec: Prism Book Alliance
17-Dec: Rebecca Cohen Writes, Rainbow Gold Reviews
18-Dec: Love Bytes
19-Dec: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
22-Dec: Amanda C. Stone
23-Dec: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
24-Dec: Emotion in Motion
25-Dec: Molly Lolly
26-Dec: Book Suburbia

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 Comment

  1. Trix says:

    I love the playlist!

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