Hello again! Itís Ari of Ari McKay, and the lovely folks here at Scattered Thoughts apparently havenít gotten tired of me yet, since theyíve given me the opportunity to talk to you all once more! Today Iím here with our re-release of Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun, book two of the Guardians of Gaia series, and I really canít tell you just how excited I am that this book is back in circulation!
Absence of the Sun picks up the Blood Bathory saga very shortly after the end of Like the Night, but you donít have to have read Like the Night to follow the action (although, of course, we would love it if you do!) The theriomorph shapeshifters have fought the vampires in New York City to a standstill, forcing a retreat. Anna Nadasdy, Elizabethís daughter, has imprisoned her mother in a coffin and denied her blood, forcing Elzabeth into torpor. But the theriomorphs under the command of Marielle Du Lac receive a request from Antonio De Barajas, the leader of Gaiaís European guardians. Anna is refusing to feed Elizabethís ghouls, and the half-vampire creatures are starving, tearing apart both rogue vampires and innocent humans indiscriminately. Antonio needs help to track down and destroy the ghouls, and the person whose help he wants most is Tyr Gustavson.
Tyr, however, has been feral for seventy years. Following the slaughter of his lover, Aaron, and the other theriomorphs he was working with on a rescue mission at the close of WWII, Tyr retreated into his tiger form, unable to bear the loss. Antonio manages to coax his friend into returning to the human world, and along with Marielle, Will Trask, Evan St. John, Steven Avalon, and several other theriomorphs, Tyr heads to France and back into the eternal struggle.
As their task winds down, however, the group makes an unexpected discovery. They stumble upon one of Elizabethís twisted ìprisonsî — a mausoleum where she holds captive vampires in coffins, leaving them to the mental torture of a ghoul keeper. The group proceeds to destroy the remaining vampiresÖ all but one. Lying in torpor they find Captain Adam Carson, a human who was among the POWs Tyrís group had been trying to rescue on that long-ago nightmare mission. Marielle decides to allow Adam to be revived using a small amount of potent theriomorph blood in order to question him about the mission, and, to the surprise of everyone, Adam requests that they stake him to end the existence he loathes.
Instead of destruction, Marielle does the unthinkable, allowing Adam to join the group. She senses something in him similar to Evan St. John, who resisted Elizabethís machinations and help fight against her. Tyr is horrified that yet another vampire is being allowed to join them, though part of his objection to Adam is that he feels guilt at having failed to keep Adam from being taken by Elizabeth.
AndÖ well, I donít want to give away the entire plot! Suffice it to say that Tyr and Adam have a rocky road finding their way to romance, including Adamís encounter with Thrace, the traitor Dark Guardian who created the first of the Nosferatu, then Unspeakable Ones the theriomorphs have been fighting for almost a thousand years.
I hope youíve enjoyed this small glimpse into the world of Absence of the Sun, and that youíre intrigued enough to check out both it and the first book in the series. The cover art is by the incredible Lou Harper of Cover Affairs, who has so perfectly caught the essence of Adam for us. Thanks for giving me a few minutes of your day, and have a wonderful week!
Cover Design: Lou Harper @ Cover Affairs
Blood Bathory: Like The Night (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK
Tyger tyger, burning brightÖ
As theriomorphs in the service of Gaia, Tyr Gustavson and his lover Aaron fought against the vampires aiding the Third Reich during WWII. But even the fierceness of Tyrís tiger form couldnít save Aaron from being torn apart when a mission went horribly wrong. Lost in his pain, Tyr remained feral until he was unwillingly recalled to Gaiaís service seventy years later.
In the forests of the night…
When fighter pilot Adam Carsonís plane was shot down, he thought the worst that could happen was being sent to a Nazi prison camp. Little did he know there were other monsters in the shadows, and one of them wanted to claim him. But refusing Elizabeth Bathory had a price. Adam was turned against his will and trapped in a coffin as punishment for his resistance.
What immortal hand or eyeÖ
While hunting ghouls, Tyr and his colleagues discover Adamís prison. Believing he could be an asset, Marielle Du Lac frees him. Adam joins the team and is drawn to Tyr, despite Tyrís hatred of vampires. When Tyr rejects Adam out of fear, Adam accepts a suicidal mission to find Thrace, the original nosferatu. If their desperate plan works, the theriomorphs could destroy not only Elizabeth, but the sire of all vampires as well. But if it fails, they could unleash a force leading to the destruction of them allÖ and perhaps of Gaia herself.
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About The Authors
Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Hercís Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.
Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.
McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, sheís relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.
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