Solentine Dagarra. Bastard son of a hero margrave, secret head of the Shears, devoted older brother, cousin, and son. Urbane, charming, ruthless. Noble by day, assassin by night, effortless thirst trap on all occasions.
Favorite quote: “Nothing is more annoying than a man who doesn’t have the decency to die after he’s murdered.”
It is said that the male lead belongs to the heroine.* Solentine is not the male lead. He belongs to everyone.
Artwork by Helena Elias
*The Romance of Tiger and Rose, cdrama.
Large files ahead. Click the images to view the artwork in detail.
A small snippet from Solentine’s short story.
A wiry woman charged Sol, swinging a short sword. He leaned back, and the point of her blade fanned his face, cutting only air. He spun past her, stabbing and slashing. She fell, and he kept moving. A tall dark-haired fighter blocked his way. Sol stabbed him twice, once in the kidney and then in the stomach, rupturing the bowels, and kicked his leading leg out from under him. The third man, in his thirties, with his red hair tied back, dropped his club and raised his hands. Sol pointed his left dagger at the wall, where the small man lay, crumpled on the floor. The man obeyed and ran there.
The last remaining fighter swung a long slender blade, drawing an elaborate pattern around himself. Southeastern style. The man was in his mid-twenties, athletic and light on his feet. A pricy haircut, a decent sword. A small medallion embossed with a white sword hung around his neck. Fador had hired himself a mercenary duelist.
The mercenary cut the air with a flourish. “I am Derrein of Garver. I have never lost a fight to the death.”
“I would imagine so,” Sol said. “Or we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?”
“Whom do I have the honor of …”
Sol struck. Derrein saw the attack coming but wasn’t fast enough. Sol’s right dagger slid into his side, lacerating the liver. The mercenary stumbled away, clutching at the red stain spreading through his tunic.
Sol pointed at the door. Derrein fled. If he made it to a healer in time, he’d have a chance to recover, though his ego likely never would.
Promotion, we do it:
Ooo loved the snippet! A really nice start to the day, I must say. Thanks!!
Love this snippet
Channeling Princess Bride???
‘Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!'”
😂
Counting down the days! This is my first ever pre-order: that’s how excited I am!
You must be new to the Horde. Most of us keep trying to pre-order what we’ve already pre-ordered, but much like with elevators, pressing the button repeatedly does not make it come faster. Damn it.
Tru dat
Thank you for snippet. I have pre ordered a hardcopy of book, but I want one of the UK hardcopy versions. They are beautiful.
+1
I am so excited! I was wondering if I could get confirmation that the Imagine Books Shop edition is signed? I know it said it was on the blog but it didn’t on the post in their Facebook group. I am planning on pre-ordering but would love a signed copy!
The Imagine Books editions are signed 🙂
awesome, thank you so much!
Never lost a fight to the death, really? Thank you, Captain Obvious! So sorry I don’t have an *eyeroll* big enough for you.
Snippet on a Tuesday: unexpected in the very best way. Thank you!
What, pray tell, is a “Thirst Trap”? I’m not hip to it.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/thirst-trap 🙂
Allow me to elucidate:
First, know that thirst= horniness.
A thirst trap happens when a hottie with a body uses their assets to garner fame or money.
No, not necessarily 🙂. You can post thirst traps just for one person. It just means aiming for the sexual type of interest.
So basically what used to be referred to as a pinup photo or pinup art?
In the latest HL novella, I had to go look up “rizz” and “yeet”. But I missed checking “thirst trap” as it was almost obvious from the context.
Not exactly. Pin up art was coy and was very clear about what it is. There is a reason they called it cheesecake. Thirst trap aims for sexy without trying kind of vibe. It often fails hilariously.
Okay. That makes it a lot clearer and explains the “trap” part of the phrase. Thanks.
It’s used tongue in cheek here to highlight the fact that Solentine is scorching. 🙂
Quick, get the garden hose out! The Horde may need to get cooled off after reading about Solentine! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I am so glad he is ours. He is so skilled and gorgeous to boot!
Thank you for the surprise Tuesday snippet.
5 weeks left before we get another precious. Woo-hoo! 🤸🥳
wow
good morning to you too
Y’all are not fair. Snippets are a double edged treat !! Because now, I want more (of the book, not of Sol specifically…. no really… seriously…)
oooh 😍 very nice and deadly too ☺️
Getting excited now, I’ve bought every format so This Kingdom will be at my finger tips when I feel the urge 🤭
thank you for the Snippet and piccy
I need to wrap my head around a new world, first thing I thought when I read the title was “What house is Solentine from?”
Glad to see I am not the only one…🤣
Oh wow. Very handsome devil. Every art Helena has made for you guys has hit it out of the park for me. I absolutely love her style. Very much appreciate your continued art providing. And I can’t wait to read about him!!
Agreed, she is unbelievably talented, and a match made in heaven 🙂
a snippet…thank you so much
great art. love me some bad guy look 😉
Thanks for the snippet. Can’t wait for release date.
we love promotions – thank you
Anyone else start giggling at “Promotion, we do it”?
Is this character art going to be in any of the published books or special editions somewhere? Or it is just blog art?
Oh my!
Ilona, that illustration needs a warning label at the top of the post. This chronologically advantaged lady just had her heart jumpstarted……
It goes without saying that the artwork is exquisite.
Y’all…I think we could fix him 😂
Think we could do a “Hugh treatment”? 😉
there’s no hear me out needed here 🤣
I definitely want Solentine on my side rather than against me. He is so pretty, but deranged (in a “good” way)!
I was wondering if Sol would be the male lead when we met him! So glad he’s for everyone! Is the male lead the mysterious guy we met in the garden? Because I totally think we’re going to see him again! And he’s not afraid of the big bad guy!
OK – cuppa #4, reread Blog post, smile. Cuppa #5 reread, sigh and smile!
If w*it##g was always this much fun!
Thank you for the art and words!!