Belega by Dianne Hartsock

The Karthagans have regained their ancient powers of manipulating nature, but at the price of madness.

Welcome to the March 19th stop on the blog tour for Belega by Dianne Hartsock with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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About the Book

Belega
The Karthagans Book One
by Dianne Hartsock

Published 13 March 2024
NineStar Press

Genre: Erotic Fantasy Romance (M/M)
Page Count: 389
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

The Karthagans have regained their ancient powers of manipulating nature, but at the price of madness. In their lust for control, they’ve destroyed their island and most of their race. They come now to Belega, where one of them, Camron, seeks domination over the known world. The Mage has come from the northern continent of Sennia to bring peace but finding his strength no match for the coming struggle, he passes his abilities on to Natan, who only desires a simple life.

Now only Natan has the ability to stop Camron, but the personal cost is more than he imagines. It is only with the combined strength of his friends, his Karthagan lover, Kavi, and his deep desire to bring lasting peace to the earth, that he finds the courage to overcome Camron and restore balance to the world.

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Excerpt

Bryon finally drove a shoulder into the weakened frame. With a loud crack it gave way, and he fell through to the room beyond. He lay panting on the dirt floor as pain struck him in waves that left him sobbing into his hands, praying that it would end.

Cold fingers brushed against his face in the darkness. He cried out in terror and tried to draw away, but the touch had frozen him to the earth.

A voice dry as dust whispered in the black room, “Thirst.”

Bryon’s tongue turned to ashes.

“Loneliness,” it breathed, and he stood suddenly on a grassy hillside with his heart pounding as he leaned on the shovel, looking at the open graves of his parents and sister, lost to illness.

“Despair,” the voice commanded, and Bryon cried out as his memories rushed to a bleak day and the well Kavi had been thrown into.

“Death,” the voice commanded in the darkness, so Bryon went gratefully into the pit.

Pain, and the coldness of the ground where he lay prone on his stomach, brought him back to the lake. He raised his head. Colors swirled, screaming in the icy blackness.

“Why are you doing this to me?” It was an effort to speak. Thirst became an agony he couldn’t ignore, and he tasted blood where his lips had split open.

Someone grabbed his hair, jerking his head back. He felt cold fingers on his throat. “It’s no more than you did to me and my people. But know this.” He felt a warm breath on his cheek. “Barkuit will never triumph over us.”

“I’m not from Barkuit,” he managed as she pulled harder on his hair, making breathing difficult.

“You lie.”

She slammed his face against the ground while sharp nails dug into his scalp. He screamed as his skull seemed to rip open, and then she walked into his mind. The crawling sensation came close to driving him mad.

She released him suddenly, and he heard her back away, her own breath coming in sharp gasps in the darkness. “I don’t understand.”

She sounded lost, bewildered. Bryon found he could move and dragged his protesting muscles to sit cross-legged on the ground. The blinding pain began to ease in his head, so he took several deep breaths until the dizziness passed.

“Who are you?” he asked carefully. Since she called to mind an animal half wild with fear, he tried not to frighten her further. He could sense her hesitation. Slowly she came and sat opposite him, and they contemplated each other without sight in the darkness.

“Well, girl, you’ve hurt me, believing me an enemy. What do you intend to do with me now?”

He heard her indrawn breath and quick movement and steeled himself, but instead of pain, he felt awe as a tiny flame appeared in the blackness. It seemed to float above a delicate hand and grew until it illuminated a face of such beauty it stole his breath.

About the Author

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of m/m romance, paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind.

She now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her hands, which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

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Giveaway Alert!

Dianne Hartsock will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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