I am sitting here waiting for the edits of Emerald Blaze. The edits will determine if it’s a decent book or not, so I can’t concentrate on anything. I was going to post something clever or witty, but no dice.
We finished the Roman scene, because we both hate to leave scenes unfinished, so here is your Monday snippet. 🙂
The endless steppe stretched in front of him under a moonlit sky. Tall dark stalks of kovyl, the feather grass, reached to his thighs. In the distance, black clouds churned, lying low on the grass, a supernatural darkness, cold and alive. It had no eyes, but it stared at him all the same, impatient.
A gust of wind came. The kovyl bent, the silvery feathers of its flowers and leaves shivering in the wind. Waves rolled across the grass ocean.
He picked up his black robe and walked through grasses to the darkness…
“Roman?”
A woman’s voice fought through his dream. Someone shook his shoulder.
“Roman!”
His eyes snapped open. A woman leaned into his view, her big blue eyes open wide. Her red hair, put away into a slick bun the night before, stuck out around her head in lose curves. He rather liked it messy, he decided.
“Someone’s in the house,” she hissed. “I heard a noise.”
His head hurt. Getting out of the soft, warm blanket and looking for the source of the noise was absolutely the last thing he wanted to do right this second.
“Let them be,” Roman muttered, sinking back into the drowsiness.
“Roman!”
“Okay, okay.” He sat up and swung his legs out of the blanket. Cold bit at his naked flesh and he shivered. The magic was up, which meant the CHA had no power. He’d left a fire burning in the fireplace, but it must’ve died down during the night. One of the many drawbacks of the magic waves. Oh, so many.
Something banged in the kitchen.
Behind him Layla gasped.
He crossed the bedroom to the doorway. He didn’t bother with feylanterns. There was no need. His vision was as good in darkness as it was in daylight, and even if it hadn’t been, he’d memorized the contours of the house a long time ago. He could walk around his home blindfolded and never bump a single thing.
Another noise, a ceramic clink of one plate on another.
A cold draft iced his back, and he jerked in response, shivered, and walked into the kitchen. Moon shone through the window, sending gauzy light at the U-shaped arrangement of cabinets. He never understood the need to fill each horizontal surface, and the black granite countertops gleamed slightly in the moonlight, mostly bare. The dirty dishes in the sink were an eye sore. He would’ve washed them last night, but Layla had interesting ideas about the rest of the evening, and he’d decided they were worth exploring.
A dry staccato of claws clicked on the wood. He spun right, following the sound. A small dark shape darted to the left.
Behind him the window banged, and a fresh gust of icy wind lashed his bare back. Well, that explained it.
He sighed, closed the window, and latched it shut.
Claws scurried behind him. A cabinet door thudded.
He’d had a hard week. All he wanted was a quiet weekend, a good meal, sex, and ten hours of sleep to catch up on all the downtime he’d been missing. He would’ve settled for eight hours. Hell, even six.
He pulled a little bowl out of a cabinet, opened the refrigerator, took out a jug of milk, and poured some into the bowl. The vision of the steppe might have been a summons, or it might have been just a fucked up dream. There was no way to tell. If it was a summons, and he’d missed it, there would be hell to pay. The Destroyer always got his due.
Roman set the bowl on the floor and clicked his tongue.
The door of the cabinet crept open and eight of an inch. A small glowing eye stared at him, like a golden coin at the bottom of a dark pond catching a stray ray of the sun.
He slipped into Russian. “Well, come on. Come on out.”
A small brown hand reached through the gap, grasping the door from the inside. Long black claws clicked on the wood. The small critter scooted out. About the size of a house cat, it was covered with brown fluffy squirrel fur, but its body had more in common with a lemur or a monkey, except for a prehensile naked tail that must’ve been pilfered from some unfortunate opossum. Small leathery wings thrust out of its back, the left one bloody and torn. Its face with huge round eyes and a small pink nose resembled that of a bush baby, but where the little primates looked cute, this one looked creepy and freaked out, like something that had fallen out of a man’s nightmare and wasn’t sure how to get back in.
It sat on its haunches, put its creepy clawed hands together, and waved them up and down, begging, giving him a good look at its hind paws and the two long claws protruding from them in a semblance of goat hoofs.
An anchutka. A catch-all name for the small evil critters, a subset of what pagan Slavs called nechist – the unclean force. To be fair, anchutkas weren’t malevolent in the way some of the nechist were. There was a world of difference between them and something like Badzula, who actively sought out vulnerable people, moved into their houses, and filled them with so much despair they became vagrants.
The anchutkas were mostly harmless if ignored. If you bugged them enough, they would bite, and if they wanted to chase you off, they would scurry around and moan in eerie voices. Sometimes a more powerful nechist managed to wrangle them together and force them into service. But even then, they were cowards and ran away at the first opportunity.
Roman pushed the bowl toward the anchutka. The beast scurried over with surprising quickness and lapped at the milk. He got a better look at the wing. The leathery membrane hung in shreds. Something with big teeth must’ve gotten a hold of it.
Movement made him turn. Layla stood behind him, wrapped in a bed sheet and clutching the baseball bat he kept by the door.
“What is it…” Layla saw the anchutka. Her eyes went wide, and she shrieked.
The anchutka jumped, choked on the milk, and vomited a half-eaten mouse on the floor in a fit of panic.
Great.
“Kill it! Kill it!”
Roman walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s fine. It’s harmless.”
“Kill it!”
“No.” He kept his voice soothing. “It’s just a little beast. It won’t hurt you.”
She blinked. “Why is it here?”
“Because it got hurt. When evil things get injured, sometimes they find me. Go back to bed. I’ll stitch it up and join you.”
The anchutka let out a long shuddering moan. Layla jerked.
“You’re going to touch it?”
“Yes. I’ll wash my hands after.”
“When you said you were a priest of an evil god…”
“Dark god,” he corrected out of habit. He knew exactly how this conversation would go. He had it several times now and it never ended well.
“I thought it was a pickup line.”
“It’s not.”
She shook her head. “I’m going to need more explanation here. Like how evil are you?”
He opened his mouth.
Darkness drowned his mind.
He stood on an endless steppe under a moonless sky. Night boiled in front of him in a furious cloud, studded with stars and lightning. The Destroyer was infinitely patient. But never with him.
Roman pulled his black robes out of the way and knelt in the kovyl. He had missed the summons in his dream. Now there would be a price.
The darkness coalesced into a man. He was too tall and too broad shouldered, dressed in a black tunic and black pants. Blue-black hair fell on his shoulders. A fire burned in the grass next to him, with a couple of logs waiting to be used as chairs. A deer roasted on the spit above the flames.
The Hunter. Not too bad. The Warrior was worse, the Old Man worse still, and the Darkness was the worst, but the Hunter could be reasonable.
Chernobog turned to him. Strict silver eyes took his measure. The god nodded toward the fire.
Roman rose, walked over, and waited by the flame.
The smoke boiled from the fire and an image of a young man formed in its depths. Chestnut hair worn too long, narrow face, a fragile looking kid, maybe seventeen, maybe slightly older. A glass jaw and a weary look in his eyes, like he expected to be punched in the face. The type of kid that would end up stuffed into a locker in high school.
Chernobog opened his mouth. “Fix this.”
Right. “Do you want him killed or saved?”
Chernobog pondered it. “He’s already dead. Veles wants his wolf back. Use the wolf shepherd.”
Agony split Roman’s skull. He tore through the pain and opened his eyes. Every muscle hurt, his body locked and immobile. Roman grit his teeth and strained to lift his arms. Pain flashed, so sharp it was blinding, and then he could move again.
He stood in the kitchen, naked. A puddle of urine cooled by his feet. The anchutka hugged his legs, making worried moaning noises. A discarded sheet lay on the floor. His senses told him he was alone in the house. Layla was gone.
New day, same old shit. He sighed, picked up the anchutka, put it on the counter, and went to get a rag to clean up the mess.
I love Roman. Thank you for the snippet. Dare I hope for a novel? 😉
+ 1
Great so good it’s a real lead in for a book hint hint
+1
Don’t tell Andrea, Derek, or Julie, but Roman is my favorite side character. I’m so happy we get a Roman story.
there has to be a kate, curran, conlan cameo 🙁
Thank you. I hope to read more about Roman.
More, neeeed more.
Pretty, pretty please and thanx
Oh, THANK YOU! So wanting to read the new series! And EB – August seems like a LONG time away – so appreciate your posting snippets!
Yay, Roman! I would tell you to relax and do something fun, but I have a feeling the suggestion would bounce back and smack me in the head. Try not to stress too much, at least. =)
Aw, poor Roman, poor Anchutka, poor dead kid. Everyone’s misunderstood. What a wonderful vignette to start off Monday. Thank you!
I just want to hug him and make him some soup…
As usual, I would read anything you write and I would definitely buy this book!
Thank you!
o.m.g.
you guys are SOOOOOO good
Roman stories – yes please
Whose pee is it???!!!?!!?
Oh nice! Thank you!
As always, I’m intrigued and love it.
Poor Roman! …I mean, are there folks who understand this stuff who he’s not related to?
Kate. Probably a short list.
A Roman snippet on Monday is one of the bestest gifts ever!
Loved it! Thank you for writing today! I hope y’all feel better soon! Happy Florida house hunting!
That was amazing! Thank you so much (I love Roman)! I hope everything turns out well with Emerald Blaze.
+1 so kind of you while you wait. Would love a HEA for Roman in his own book with cameos from all our favorites but I think he would make an awesome cameo is Hugh & Elara’s. Hope you can plan an awesome relaxing beach vacation while you wait so you have something to look forward to.
Can’t wait for more
Thank you for the Monday treat! intriguing!
I need this book… 😀
Loved it. Thank you for posting!!!
What a wonderful snippet! Loved reading this. Roman is a very complicated character. Thank you!!
And, poor Roman! I hope we get to find out that he finds a worthwhile companion.
Is anyone taking bets that it might be Alina, the witch who made the circle in, “Magic Breaks?”
Amazing. Now I want Roman’s story more than ever before.
Oh Roman! ????????
I really really want the book from which this is snipped.
Thank you for improving my day,,, 🙂
Thank you so much for the snippet. I am having . . .a DAY and this helped. Good luck with the edits.
WOW!! If this is what you guys do while you’re waiting for edits, the mind boggles! 🙂
This is great! Is there a Roman book coming? I would love to read one!!
Oh I just love this. Roman is such a real character
Wow! That made me sad.
Thank you so much! This is wonderful.
Oh man, I love Roman so much. Thank you for another glimpse into this intriguing character!
Please e-mail and tell me why I am blocked from the comments thread.
You are not. Your browser cached the website, so your comment took 15 minutes to show up.
Luvvvvvvvv!????Roman.
Okay….so that was excellent.
Thank you so much need a quick ffix
Poor Roman. Any man that proudly wears eeyore pjs deserves a happy ever after
Thank you. I hope we see more of this eventually. Poor Layla. I somehow doubt we’ll see her again. Then again, nothing is random.
Can we have some more, please?
I love who Roman is, how brave, kind, battered misunderstood but still he Keeps on trying.
What a brilliant authorPair to made a funny side character be a fully developed one too.
awwwww Roman
Thank you! It was a lovely Monday surprise.
OMG I love it! Poor Roman. The right woman is out there for our favorite priest of a dark God.
Oooh. Excellent. Thank you so much. Roman is an awesome character. This is really interesting. I wish there was more. Thank you for this though.
So we’re gonna get a Roman book? Pleez, pleez, pleez, puleez??? We really need a Roman book, he deserves someone awesome.
Love Roman! Thank you so much for this snippet. 😀
I feel so bad for Roman. You just want to make him a cup of cocoa and give him a hug.
I love Roman.
Poor Roman!
Great snippet! ????
Oh my! Roman’s god does not fool around.
Thank you for the snippet.
For your peace of mind, I hope the edits come in soon, and that it’s all minor stuff, easily addressed.
Oooooh, Roman, Roman, Roman!
Yeay for Roman <3
+1! ????
Poor Roman can’t catch a break. I really like him humor and intelligence in a nice package. A least let him have a nice girlfriend for awhile. Thanks for the snippet.
+1!!
Supernatural candy. So tasty, because it’s not too bitter and not to sweet – just right.
Love Roman. Thanks so much!
Idk what your edits usually look like but I’m sure EB is up to snuff. You guys are an amazing team.
Poor Roman needs a lady who isn’t mated or a runner. Loved it. Fingers still crossed we see him get a HEA somewhere, somehow.
+1
Poor Roman. I’m imagining the frantic conversation Layla will be having with her bestie when she gets far enough away to stop hyperventilating. “OMG! You won’t believe this. Gorgeous guy. Great pickup line. Spectacular sex. And then the demons arrived and he peed himself. Why do I always get the weirdos? What’s wrong with me? Talk about the date from hell.” ????????????
????????????
I bet the girl is the one who peed. She was probably totally freaked out. ????
Hahahaha
Poor, sweet, dark priest Roman. No rest for the wicked! Thanks for the snippet as always, and what a great transport for a lunch.
urine? who’s urine? man or beast? Poor Roman, The girl was obviously not a witch.
Thank you so much for the snippet. And everything you’ve shown us from EB indicates it’s fantastic. Thank you for all your stories.
What Shoe said. You guys couldn’t write a bad book if you tried.
Oh Roman’s story, we wants it so bad xx
Thank you!
Yeahza!
Thank you.
Thank you!
*incoherent happy noises *
Not sure which I wish for more: a complete Roman book, or just a series of snippets about how Roman’s job keeps ruining his dating life.
Roman Rocks!
Thank you! This was a bright spot in a dark time. Roman is a great character. So many layers.
Roman! Yes! *victory dance*
I wonder how Roman would get along with Desandra. She wouldn’t be frightened off, and he wouldn’t assume her Lamasu child is evil incarnate.
Ohh… this is an excellent pairing. I would read that book!
Ahh this is the first Roman snippet I’ve seen and I loved it! Just finished re-reading the entire KD series and would LOVE a book (or three!) about Erra and Julie’s adventure. I remember you said you weren’t going to write that because some of your fans lost their damn minds, but I implore you… there must be more! Erra did say she would see Kate soon after all. Simply can’t get enough of this universe and the characters you’ve created. I’m an avid reader and this is by far the most well-written and fantastic series out there. Thank you for sharing it with us.
+1 would love more Erra. She deserves an HEA too. . . Nut not with Roman.
Wow! I am beyond intrigued as always when you post your snippets. Thank you for upping my curiosity to 100!
THANK YOU! I know you have alot going on but I would kiss your feet for even just one book on Roman.????????????????
Ps also he deserves a girl worth his while ????????
LOVE THIS SO HARD! Am having heinous day without end, at least 8 more hrs left. Getting beat up AGAIN about–among other things–helping our huge homeless population. LOVE the critters. I am planning on researching Badzulas now. They expkain much.
Yay for Roman! He and Erra should get together. He and his dark god won’t be able to freak her out.
Roman needs a woman made of stronger stuff. I love that he is helping the critter. I really appreciate your snippets. Made my day for sure. Here’s hoping the editing doesn’t screw up too many of your hints and time line plants. Any book from you two is a good book. Thank you.
Thanks for the snipet =D
Roman deserves his HEA … But Layla seems dull !! Roman SO deserves a woman who is going to go downstairs with him if she heard a noise and with a wicked looking knife and some badass spells =D
+1!!
Thanks for the snipette. Hope you get to Florida. I’d like to borrow the little guy and send him off to an ex-employer who is being an ass and really deserves it.
Ohhhh…
Thank you
Thank you, a pleasant surprise, and always welcome.
Poor Roman. Cool definitely took a holiday on this one.
Thank you so much! Wonder who the young boy was if he was a wolf. So glad he takes care of wounded beasties. Too bad she couldn’t stay and be a part of it.
Thanks for the snippet
Mmm
meaning:
Made my monday
Thank you both so much
Woo hoo!! Roman!!! He’s such a great character and I do hope he finds a HEA eventually. If there are Roman snippets, does that mean there’s a possible Roman novel or novella? I would so buy/read/enjoy that! Thanks for making Monday actually enjoyable for at least a few minutes.
+1 ????
Thank you, love Roman xx
Omg. I want this book. Lol.
Perfect start to my day <3 Thank you!
Lovely. Thank you.
Thank you! Makes my Monday more enjoyable.
Nice!
OMG amazing. I love your imagination.
Thank you so much, my heart is filled with joy. I have no words. EXCELLENT snippet!!!!
This is wonderful! Thanks very much. I hope the edits go well! ????
Thank you, I always thought Roman was an interesting character…. Please, please more Roman, House of Andrews?
Lovely, as always! Thank you.
I live in Kansas, your description of the sea of grass was spot on.
Thank you.
I keep hoping the muses will gift you with the urge to write a Roman story, but I am not holding my breath. This would be an amazing opening if the spirit ever so moves one or both of you.
OBTW, we fans are right – you two couldn’t write a bad book if you tried.
You’re going to stress anyway, but the Horde is right this time, too.
Virtual tea and cookies for you and we hope you will get your edits soon, so you can stop worrying.
It’s not easy being the priest for a dark god! Thanks for finishing the scene and sharing with us. I hope the edits go well for you two.
Happy, happy, happy! Thank you for helping me get thru Monday! I’m sure your edits will be minor. Love your writing! Sad we’ll lose you in TX, but good luck in your move to Florida!
Roman! That will teach him to ditch the Eeyore PJs!
Thank you. I’m a Roman fan.
Thank you! The weekend was rough, the snippet helps to make things so much better.
Wow! I hope there are more of these. It looks really interesting.
So the question is who does the urine puddle belong too? There are three possibilities.
he he he.
Thank you I needed that.
I wondered too but my bet is on the anchutka 🙂
I hadn’t considered Layla, and was leaning towards the anchutka. ????
Poor Roman. A dark priest’s work is never done.
Sadly pain can cause the peeing . And Volvs do use pee in wardings. I hope Roman can find a proper woman . like Rose of Tigras
In middle of partial kitchen demolition. Trying to keep it workable while tearing it apart. This made me smile. Roman would need a special person, just like Hugh did. Glad we just have rats and mice.
Love love love Roman! ???? I think he was an amazing character and I love this snippet to death! ♥️
YesYesYessss, me tooooo! I would love for Roman to find a real and strong woman! And
This is interesting. I have wanted to read more about Roman for quite a while. I await your author’s magic
Thank you for this snippet! What a nice surprise. Oh Roman… I agree he needs a special woman who can deal with him being the dark God’s priest.
Hmm…I wonder what quest Roman has to do? I realize there was a huge hint at the end of the snippet.
*Announcer voice:. Will Roman find that special someone? What does he need to do for the dark god? Tune in to this blog for more information which is brought to you by House Andrews and the Hundred Acre Wood (Eeyore PJs anyone?). ????
Thank you for the welcomed distraction from the world today. It’s wonderful of you to think of others when you’re on pins and needles about your incoming edits. You and Gordon put so much soul into your work, it makes sense that the raw anticipation of having it scrutinized and sent back to you must feel new each time. Thank you for being willing to go through this process each time you conceive a new book. I appreciate you!
((Supportive Hug))
What a lovely gift! Thank you.
Thank you – this made my Monday all better.
Love the snippet! Thanks very much!
Loved it! Thank you!
Thank you for the hit of Roman – what a treat! 🙂
In a world where blending in and being normal is so prized, I always appreciated how Kate accepted people’s quirks including Roman. She liked him. I enjoyed escaping into Kate’s world and imagining maybe she would like me too. I will enjoy reading your portrayal of the dark god’s priest who also wants to be connected without sacrificing pieces of himself to do it.
Thank you for the blessing of a snippet. I hope you get a blessing in return. Some sleep, some else to focus on, good news. Thank you House Andrews. You are greatly appreciated for all that you do for so many of us.
Yep, yep, yep… so much love for this! Thank you for a wonderful snippet! xxx
Thanks for this. I miss roman
I love this snippet. Roman is one of my very very favorite characters. As per usual, y’all have done him justice. I know you’re very busy but please find time for the delicious Roman!!
Thank you!!
Thank you! <3 Roman. He can find someone who understands him better than Layla. Can't wait!!!
Love the snippet. Thank you. I’m a primary care doctor in Seattle and so it has been a very stressful start to the week as we face covid. So I appreciate to live someone else’s troubles for a bit!
Aww, poor little evil critter, and Roman. I can’t wait for more
Emerald Blaze? What series does it belong to. I know I’ve been away for a while, but to miss a whole book! Holy crap on a cracker.
Thank you for sharing.
Sending peace light and love ????K
It’s the second book of Catalina and Alessandro (Nevada’s middle sister). You haven’t missed it. It’s available for pre-order. 🙂
Has the name Veles come up before? It feels vaguely familiar.
Yep. When Kate had to get Teddy’s sword back from the dark god in the boggy woods. Veles’ daughter was in the trees basically telling Kate not to marry Curran. That was before the war between Kate and her dad.
Ah, thanks!
Roman was one of my favourites the first time he appeared. I always hoped that he would get his own book. Thank you for this awesome snippet
+1000000
What a fantastic treat – so looking forward to reading more!
That was lovely. Thank you so much. I love Roman, he’s my second favorite character after Julie.
Yay! Thank you for the snippet, Roman is one of my favorite characters in the Kate Daniels world. I really hope we see more of him!!
I love Roland’s character. Please write more about him.
Layla is unworthy of Roman. I hope he finds a woman with a more flexible mindset. The anchutka seems nice ♡
What book is this from? I want to read it! LOL
OMG Roman! I can’t wait for what this will be. I am hoping for a full book but will be completely happy with a novella too.
Love this. Roman is a fantastic character and this made my morning. I wasn’t feeling all that motivated and the reminder that I have it pretty darn good – no dark god summons or pee on the floor at this moment! Plus a great bit of storytelling – it puts it all in perspective. Thanks for posting this and for all you do.
What a wonderful and glorious gift! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’ve been raiding KU for books lately and unfortunately coming across a fair amount of dreck, plus just some not-great stuff.
I feel like I’ve had my brain scrubbed clean now, so once again – gratitude.
“I thought it was a pickup line.” Oh man, that’s priceless!
I loved this so much. Just one (or part of) a chapter and I’m already sucked in and emotionally invested in Roman. Sigh, he really does deserve a good woman.
+1
Can’t agree with you more. Roman has always been intriguing, and now my interest is piqued even more. And he does deserve a (not necessarily good) woman!
Thanks for the snippet, House Andrews!
Art imitates life. Four possibilities for the source of that puddle.
Can’t wait to read it when it’s done! I love Roman!
Thanks!
I adore Roman.
How can you not love a man who sleeps in Eeyore pyjamas and takes care of helpless little “evil”/dark wounded creatures. And cuddles “evil” dragons?
If Layla doesn’t want him, I’m super single and available. Plus, I have my own dark side, so his wouldn’t bother me. He’s one of the good guys, no matter what God he serves.
Can I have him, please? 😉
I love me some Roman.
Groovy; thank you! The edits surely went well.
Fascinating! Thank you…another awesome story to look forward to.
I just read the preview chapter for Emerald Blaze at the end of Sweep with Me. It was so good! Looking forward to full book in the fall.
Ahhh Roman…. thank you!
Loved your snippet. I enjoy the mythology. Looking forward to the Roman book.
Yasssssss!!! Hands down, my favorite under appreciated character of the KD universe. Thanks!!!! I love all things Roman and this has made my week ????
I might be the 10,000th person to say this but I really hope this becomes a book or novella.
LOVE IT! Thank You very much. I hope he finds love someday until then it is good to see he’s well
I really like Roman.. it’s lovely to see a bit more of what a good man does when he is the priest of a dark god… hope we see more of him one day.
Ohhh, the whole scene got only better and way more tantalizing- Roman ist just so cool a character……
Thank you for the lovely snippet.
It is because of this blog I saw megaquarium and nobly refrained from buying it, while feeling very proud and strongwilled since I already have numerous sim games in this style. But of course I did add it to my wishlist. Then yesterday, 2nd March, GOG sends me an email about an item on sale from my wishlist and megaquarium is reduced from £19.99 to £11.69. And now I’m researching fish and considering combi-heaters. I’ve never even liked any of my brothers’ tanks (except for when he had an algae blenny I referred to as Dragon (he didn’t like me to name the fish, especially in the coral tanks) who would ‘kiss’ the tank when I came up to it. It was a kiss dammit, and no-one will convince me otherwise). So yeah, thanks for that 😉
My gods this was fantastic and so unexpected! I LOVE Roman and would adore his own novel, novella, anything more he can be pulled into. You build the absolute best secondary characters on the planet, hands down!! By the time you’re done they’re pretty much more developed than most authors primary characters. (While on the topic, I still long for more Derek!)
Yay! I’ve always wanted to know more about Roman and this was simply wonderful. Thank you!!
I am very admiring of how your different series have slightly different writing styles. Not just 1st vs 3rd person, but Iron and Magic for example having a darker tone/different way of describing things than the Sweep series would. I think this paragraph shows that so well. And on top of that Roman has such a lovely mixture of grim dark and tenderness. I love that you have a powerful male character that is completely unabashed about liking weddings and cute creatures ( for some definition of cute ) and wanting some softness in his life.
Thank you so much for more Roman. More, please! And yes, Roman so deserves a woman who can accept him for what he is and not flee when things get intereting.
SO, I wonder, do you have odd little pieces of scrap tucked in pockets and wallets and handbags, with notes; of random thoughts about hugh roman dina the inn OR are you a techie. Iphone, e-reader, pad, scrolling scrolling for that last random thought ….
to be developed, explored, while waiting for edits or mail or an answer so you can plan accordingly
Oh, so good! Gave me the goosebumps:)
Awesome, as usual! Poor Roman, but he is such a trooper. Definitely deserves someone who is not afraid of things that go bump in the night!
Ah, Roman. Such an interesting man. Tall, dark, good looking, strong, smart, humorous. Ok, it’s dark humor. But such an attractive man. But OMG the baggage. Never mind the potential in laws, Chernobog! And would the big black dragon be allowed indoors? On the couch even? Dimensional problems can always be solved, it’s the the mud that’s the problem. And possible scorch marks..
+1 ????
Yes Roman will need a strong woman indeed. How about Era? Then he and Kate will be family too >:)
I am SO looking forward to this! Roman is one of the characters I really would like to know more about.
Thank you for the snippet!
Squeeee!!!!!!!
I love Roman. He’s probably my favourite secondary character in there series.
Thanks so much for this!!
Well, clearly Layla doesn’t know what she is missing. Roman is so sexy.
Poor Roman. Thank you!
Oh, poor Roman. I wonder if Layla will come to her senses…
This made my day! Roman is my favorite, and I can’t wait to read what you come up with for a story where he is the main event!
This was amazing! I really hope you consider a Halloween holiday novella starring Roman. ???? That would be so awesome.
Oooh, +1!
+1
Wonderful long snippet! Love Roman. Thank you so much for the treat.
Excellent! Roman rides again 🙂 Hope he gets a girl who won’t take any crap but appreciates him!
Poor Ronan. He’s not evil at all! He deserves a HEA as well, with a nice girl who’ll be there for him… Wait, I’m starting to sound like my grandma now…
Thanks for the snippet!
Thank you for this snippet, it’s like receiving an unexpected gift!
Thank you for that Roman!! ????????
Pure gold.
I don‘t know how you do it every time. I read a snippet and get instantly hooked. I want to read it all, my imagine gets in overdrive and spills dozens of possible endings. Thank You for your Art to write!
What she said.
Love it. More please!!!
Love Roman. You can do a lot with him and take his story into a totally different direction if you want.
Great world building here and a pet anchutka will be a scene stealer.
Thank you!!!
Thank you for the snippet . I have always pictured (in my head) Adam Driver as Roman ( just tossing it out there for the other members of the BDH. ) Who do you see in your head when you read Roman?
Lol Adam Driver fever.
ROOOOOMANNNN!!! I’ve loved him since Gunmetal Magic. It’s been a long hope of mine to see a book (or two, or three, hahah) for Roman. Man, I want that to happen.
Thanks for the snippet 🙂
Thank you for that! I would, as everyone has mentioned, love for Roman to get his own story and hopefully it will also be a love story. Great as always!
Yay! Roman snippet!
Thank you.
Of course I am greedy and I want more. <3
Poor Roman.
He tells the truth and the ladies drop him.
Yes!! I’ve always loved the phrase “I am myself not evil, I am merely beloved by evil things,” usually referring to my cats. I love that Roman embodies that for me!
Thank you for this. I’m awaiting the arrival of my baby girl, and it’s nice to have a distraction from the physical discomfort.
Oh, nice! I like Roman. Anyone who can and will stitch up little wings is okay in my book! =D
Yay for Roman! Love his (your) sense of humor, and his relationship with Kate…especially as her wedding planner! More about him, please?
do your kids speak russian ilona?
Thank you. I loved this,. I thought Kate’s aunt was interested in Roman? Although he did seem to be a bit freaked out by the idea.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Roman, but a “hey things might get weird” would probably help when having a stranger in his house at night.
I’m hoping Layla comes back with the witchy equivalent of an uzi and tells Chernobog to let the poor guy have a nap in peace…
Aww a Roman Snippet, i nearly missed it. Thank you so much!!
I want to know more so bad!
I love everything you write and now I wish for a Book about Roman 😀