Happy Publication Day to Dark Tides Kimberly Vale! In this highly anticipated sequel to our favourite pirate fantasy in Crossbones Kimberly Vale is back with another spellbinding story of love, danger, and adventure! From the blurb: Kimberly Vale’s swashbuckling pirates return for another high seas, high stakes adventure where Csilla and the Bones crew must battle more otherworldly creatures seeping in from Limbo, and threatening to swallow them whole. The Dark Tides are rising . . . When love is an anchor, the sea can swallow you whole. Csilla Abado has a full plate after becoming the first Queen of Bones. While leading Cerulia, she needs to find a way to mend the lingering crack between Limbo and the mortal realm. And when Lorelai and Nara go missing, the crew takes to the seas once more to try and find them . . . facing the worst of the villains and even more otherworldly creatures spilling in from the crack. Kane Blackwater, desperate to find Dominic Rove, washes up at Death’s Cove where he comes face-to-face with creatures who have no place in this world. When he’s wounded, his magic-laced injury seeps throughout his body, spreading an unknown evil into his veins. His time is running out and he must decide what's more important to him: Lorelai’s life or his own. Lorelei Storm isn't the same since her return from the realm of Limbo. A menacing and powerful magic rests under her skin, and she fears it as much as she craves its potential. When she flees Cerulia, she’s captured and taken prisoner by an Incendian Scout, and learning to control her powerful new magic may be the only chance she has at saving her own life. As the war between gods and mortals builds to a crescendo, Csilla, Kane, and Lorelei must not only protect their world from destruction, but also their hearts from looming devastation. The seas darken and not everyone will survive the rising tides. Crossbones Goodreads / Crossbones Amazon / Crossbones B&N Dark Tides Goodreads / Dark Tides Amazon / Dark Tides B&N EXCERPT: “I don’t deserve you,” he murmured. “What you deserve is to be happy.” She traced the golden weavings on the collar of his coat. She meant to say more. That he deserved to find happiness with or without her. That he should love with his whole being and forgive himself his past. But his lips met hers before she could say anything else. His kiss was a burst of warmth that spread over her cheeks and down her neck. Then he was gone, shying away from her as he searched her face “Is this okay with you?” he asked, his voice a rasp, nearly pleading. “Is this what you want? She answered by grabbing the collar of his coat with both hands and pulling him to her. He chuckled under her lips and kissed her back, his hands fitting back into place around her like it was where they were meant to be. She bowed into him as his hand traveled up her spine, his fingers twining into her hair. She’d kissed a boy once back in Port Barlow, but not like this. Not with this type of hunger. She could kiss Kane under the stars until they faded into the bleeding light of sunrise and it still wouldn’t be enough. One moment they were holding each other, the next they were stumbling to a nearby pillar. Lorelei’s back pressed against it as Kane leaned into her, kissing her again, deeper this time. Their rushed breaths filled the quiet space of the terrace. His hands roamed over her ribs and onto her hips, clenching the black fabric of her dress. She lightly scratched the back of his neck and he sighed against her lips, the sound of it unraveling her. Sparks started in her core, spreading up her chest, through her arms and into her fingers before she even realized what was hap- pening. Her wild magic summoned itself so quickly, she didn’t have time to bite it back. Like an uncorked bottle, magic poured from her. The moment her sparks left her; Kane jolted. He convulsed under her touch, his entire body shaking like lightning swam through him. She let go of him, her heart in her throat as he crumpled to the ground. Though she no longer touched him, he still shook with tremors, his breaths more like ragged pants. Lorelei moved to crouch down next to him, her trembling fingers reaching. But then she straightened back against the pillar, looking at her hands, afraid she’d lose control again. Attempting to make fear a stranger had only left it clawing at her door. “What . . .” Kane said between breaths. He groaned as he rolled onto his side. “What was that?” Her tongue turned to sand. Words were lost to her, swept away with the sea breeze. “Lorelei?” he looked up at her from the ground, searching her with concern. “What happened? Were you harmed?” Her heart throbbed. He worried over her even though he was the one shivering on the ground. She’d put him there. Her lack of control could’ve killed him. The more she thought of her grave mistake, the brighter the spark inside her grew. She glanced down at her hands, her breath hitching. Her fingertips looked like they’d been dipped in gold. The terrace melted away and she was back in Limbo, her arms coated in the very same gold. In that realm, the power of her storm magic was unfathomable. Perhaps monsters weren’t the only thing slipping through the cracks in Limbo. Lorelei rubbed her fingertips together, but the gold remained like paint smudged into her skin. She couldn’t stay there. No, she couldn’t stay anywhere near the ones she cared about. It was foolish of her to think that she could find a sliver of peace, even for just one evening. A cloud of regret hung over her. Kane grunted, drawing her attention back to him as he crawled onto his knees. He lifted his head back to look at her, blinking as if trying to see clearly. “What’s wrong? Was it—was that you?” His expression was unreadable. She’d never seen him look at her like that before. It was a mixture of shock and wonder, but did she detect disgust or was that her mind playing tricks on her? “I’m sorry,” she managed to say. Her voice didn’t sound like her own, like she was speaking from behind a glass window. “I didn’t mean to. I can’t believe I—” Kane rose to his feet, the movement wobbly and labored. “Shh, I’m fine.” He reached out and cupped her cheek with his palm. “Are you?” His thumb softly stroked her cheek and sparks pricked at her fingertips again. She stepped away and curled her fingers into fists as if her golden fingertips would cease to exist if she couldn’t see them. “I have to go.” Lorelei’s voice cracked. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go.” She turned away from him, her face cold, her stomach churning, but she couldn’t take the chance of hurting him again. “Wait,” he rasped, grabbing her wrist. His hand was warm. She wanted so much to hold on to it tightly. “Please. Stay.” The pools of his eyes and the scratch in his voice nearly pinned her where she stood. She’d stay with him. She’d let herself lie in his arms until the sun woke up. She’d kiss him and he’d kiss her like nothing else mattered, like they were the only two in the world. But she couldn’t risk it. She tore herself away from him before she caved in. “I have to go,” she said, unable to hide the way her voice quivered. “Please. Let me go.” Kane dropped her wrist, his warmth leaving her skin much too fast, the evening chill sweeping into her quickly. Tears welled as she half-ran away, spilling onto her cheeks as she stumbled through the empty side halls of the courtyard. Faded guitars and laughter drifted on the wind, deepening the cold in her heart. About the author:
Kimberly Vale is a reader, a bit of a hopeless romantic, and started writing on Wattpad as a teen. In the years since then, she has accumulated millions of reads online and has volunteered her time to mentorship programs and other efforts in the writing community. With a BA in Education, Kimberly teaches remediation and dyslexia intervention in public schools and lives in Arkansas with her husband, two children, and two dogs. She also enjoys playing video games, trying new recipes, and coming up with ridiculous theories about her current tv-obsessions. Comments are closed.
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