Blog Tour & Giveaway: Shadow of Asphodel by Karen Kincy

Today, I have Karen Kincy to promote her new book, Shadows of Asphodel, courtesy of CBB Book Promotions. This is an action-packed novel filled with mercenaries, necromancers and sword play.

Top Ten
by Karen Kincy

What makes me fall in love with a book? My top ten reasons a story makes me swoon:

1. Characters. If I meet a charming character the moment I open a book, I’m hooked. I also love vulnerable badasses. On the outside they look confident and tough, but on the inside they have flaws and fears that you only glimpse at first glance. I’m a sucker for sexy heroes, especially in romance, though I also love a heroine who’s awesome enough to take the lead in the story. There need to be more female characters who inspire admiration and adoration.

2. Romance. If I’m reading a romance novel, I want the relationship between the characters to drag me through the emotional wringer. Bonus points if a book can make me blush or cry, both of which are quite hard to do. I absolutely love watching characters fall for each other, particularly when it isn’t love or lust at first sight, and they have to navigate all that angst. For genres other than romance, I’ll admit to crossing my fingers for a romantic subplot.

3. Tension. It can be the breathless suspense that makes you race between scenes, or the kind of slow build that makes you bite your nails. Tension between characters who haven’t admitted their attraction, or tension as a sandstorm rolls in, or tension constructed out of hidden secrets. What can I say? I don’t like to be strung along in real life, but I’ll pay for an author to do it.

4. Prose. It can be ornate and lush, or stark and bold, but knowing I’m in the hands of a confident storyteller always makes me clutch my book a little closer. I have a special weakness for gorgeous descriptions. Right now I’m reading The Night Circus and the sensory metaphors alone make me weak at the knees.

5. Action. Confession: I love fight scenes with intricate choreographies, and fight scenes with swords, and fight scenes where things explode and the characters walk away without looking back. I don’t shy away from a certain quantity of gore, so long as it’s central to the story.

6. World. I’m such a research geek that I have a special place in my heart for historical stories, particularly historical fantasies. I want to know all the little details that make a world tick. I want to imagine that I could open a door and step right inside, and I wouldn’t want to leave.

7. Wit. As an author, I happen to think that humor is one of the hardest things to pull off in a story. When a book makes me laugh, I love it even more. Witty banter between characters is one of my favorite things to read.

8. Steam. A romance can be sweet or steamy and I’ll read it, but I do like it when an author takes the heat and turns it up to eleven. Sometimes, when I’m riding the bus, I’ll read steamy books on my Kindle and hope nobody looks over my shoulder!

9. Magic. I write paranormal and fantasy novels since that’s what I love to read. I have tried to write straight contemporary books before, but some magic always creeps back into the story. As a reader, I’ll go for anything from witches to werewolves.

10. Ending. What can make or break my undying devotion for a book? The ending. I think the best kind of endings are the bittersweet ones that make you sigh with satisfaction but also leave you with a little bit of angst. It helps if there’s a sequel, so I don’t have to angst too long.

What makes you fall in love with a book?

About the Author:

Karen Kincy (Redmond, Washington) can be found lurking in her writing cave, though sunshine will lure her outside. When not writing, she stays busy gardening, tinkering with aquariums, or running just one more mile. Karen has a BA in Linguistics and Literature from The Evergreen State College.

Find the author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook

When Ardis discovers a man bleeding to death on the battlefield, she knows she has to walk away. In her work as a mercenary for Austria-Hungary, Ardis has killed many men without hesitation. One more man shouldn’t matter, even if he manages to be a charming bastard while he stands dying in the snow.
But when he raises the dead to fight for him, she realizes she must save his life.
If a necromancer like Wendel dies, he will return as a monster—or so the rumors say. Ardis decides to play it safe and rescues him. What she doesn’t expect is Wendel falling to one knee and swearing fealty. Ardis never asked for the undying loyalty of a necromancer, but it’s too late now.
Ardis and Wendel forge an uneasy alliance underscored with sexual tension. Together, they confront rebels, assassins, and a conspiracy involving a military secret: robotically-enhanced soldiers for a world on the brink of war. But as Ardis starts to fall for Wendel, she realizes the scars from his past run more deeply than she ever imagined. Can Ardis stop Wendel before his thirst for revenge destroys him and everyone else around him?

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Shadows of Asphodel

Review (4 Stars): One of the things that I loved about this book was the main character, Ardis.  She was a young woman on her own in a time where that was frowned upon by society and she could wield a sword better than her male counterparts.  She was tough, smart and deadly and killed men without thinking twice about the consequences.  That is what I loved about her and Shadows of Asphodel.  She never planned to get involved with Wendel, the necromancer, but together they just seemed to fit.  They had great chemistry together and very hot sex scenes but I wish they had just a little bit more sexual tension before they finally got together.

I thought this novel was action-packed and Ms. Kincy does a great job creating this alternate steampunk yet magical world for Ardis and Wendel.  Shadow of Asphodel was a fascinating read and I would love to see more of Ardis and Wendel in the future. 

Giveaway

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