Title: Iniquity
by: Melody Winter
Series: (Ascent, #1)
Publication date: October 25th, 2016
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Athena Harrow is about to turn twenty-one, but there will be no celebration. What is there to celebrate when the world is ruled by demons?
She hates the darkness the demons brought with them and longs for the light to return to the world—a world she only vaguely remembers. The people in her forest village blindly accept the life the demons forced upon them, even tolerating the yearly ascension ceremony where all the girls who have turned twenty-one are either sent away to serve the Master Demon or left in the village and forced to procreate.
But Paymon, the assigned village demon, selects a different role for Athena, a role that pits her against the village. While she adapts to her new life, Erebus, a younger, more powerful demon, arrives, and Athena must play a dangerous game with his emotions in return for information about the demon’s reign of darkness.
As Athena’s dreams of restoring the light begin to fade, her life with Erebus takes an unexpected turn, and this time it’s her life being put to the test.
Set in the forest around Buttercrambe in North Yorkshire, England, INIQUITY explores the frightening, darker side of romance and the uncontrolled emotions it can unleash.
shoulder and then held firmly by a hand. I was spun around and my hood pushed
away from my face.
“Athena!”
hat and his long grey hair.
as a rush of air.
with a firm grasp. “What are you doing here?” He looked around me, peering into
the background of the tavern. “Is he around?”
then Sebastian. “You owe me, Seb. Don’t disappoint.” She wandered away from the
bar, shooting him a flirtatious smile over her shoulder.
were shaped like those of a woman, too perfect a pout for a man. His skin was
smooth, pale, as if never exposed to anything but the darkness. And he smiled,
sickeningly so.
he only tightened his hold. He sidled next to me so his body was touching mine.
I could feel the heat of his body through our clothes, and I shifted away,
jerking my head backward.
somehow Erebus would find me. I didn’t allow myself to think that he was still
at the village and didn’t even know I’d run away.
moving pretty quickly.”
other demons in the tavern, and several of them looked my way.
me. “You’ll do as I say. Now, I have no idea why you are here without Erebus,
how you managed to escape his compelment, but I do know that it’s not safe for
you to be alone. I’ll look after you.”
free hand and, whilst still holding me in a tight grip, twisted my wrist.
arm another sharp twist. “I don’t go all lovesick when I meet a human. I don’t
tolerate disobedience.” He bent his head to my level and stared into my eyes. I
looked away, quietly satisfied that they weren’t black—I wasn’t feeding him
anymore than I did Erebus. “But I’m curious about you. What’s so special that
it’s got him putting you before anything and everything else, huh?”
winning through in a moment when my head was telling me to be quiet. “That’s
for me and him to know. Not you.”
he had released his tight grip, the hard palm of his hand met my face. I was
knocked sideways and stumbled to the floor.
tavern sprung from his chair and came to my assistance. “What’s your problem?”
to me and bent down. He gripped my chin, and I scrambled to my feet as he
lifted me from the floor. Other demons were showing more interest in the
unfolding events, but I didn’t see any of them as my means to escape.
attention. “Do any of you know who this is?”
What would their reaction be when they knew? Erebus had told me that news had
spread about me being intended as a wife for the Master. Was I about to see
what that meant to them?
control his wife!”
vampire turned my way and greedy sets of darkened eyes and crimson ones
surveyed me.
arm behind my back and forced me to face the shocked and more than interested
demons. “This is the woman who should have been sent to our Master. She was
categorised as a wife for him.”
disapproving noises, ones of excitement, whispered words behind raised hands.
But it was hard to tell their overall reaction—it was too mixed. I tensed in
Sebastian’s hold, and swallowed the sour taste in my mouth. What would they do,
what would they say? I shut my eyes to block out the unwanted stares, and
silently screamed for Erebus. I needed him. I wanted him, no one else. Where
was he?
Author Bio:
Growing up, Melody showed a natural ability in art, a head for maths, and a tendency to write too long English essays. Difficult to place in the world when she graduated, she pursued a career in teaching, but ended up working in finance. Melody is convinced the methodical times she spends working with numbers fuel her desire to drift into dream worlds and write about the illusory characters in her head.
Melody Winter lives in York, North Yorkshire, England with her husband and two sons. When not dealing with football, rugby, and a whole plethora of ‘boy’ activities, she will be found scribbling notes for her stories, or preparing for another trip to the nearby beaches at Scarborough and Whitby. With an obsession for anything mythical, Melody revels in reading and writing about such creatures.
0
0
0
20
Thanks for being on the tour, Lisa! 🙂
No problem!
This is such a great cover, and it sounds like a really interesting book! I hadn't heard of this one, definitely going on my TBR 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I really want to read this book. It sounds exciting.
Thanks for visiting!
Oooh… Love that excerpt! He doesn't tolerate disobedience, but is intrigued by Athena! And she's Erebus' wife, in a DEMON BAR! OMG!
Naomi @ Naomi’s Reading Palace
It is a very intriguing excerpt! Thanks for stopping by!
Definitely interesting! Loving that excerpt. Makes me wonder what Erebus' reaction is going to be when he finds out.
🙂 Thanks for visiting!
I love the cover, the excerpt, and the blurb! All in all, this definitely sounds like a must-read! Thank you for sharing and thank you for such a great giveaway!! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
have added this to my wishlist!
Thanks for visiting!
Love the excerpt! Thanks for the chance to win a copy, I'm looking forward to reading Iniquity.
Thanks for stopping by!
Now that is a pretty cover. I haven't read an NA romance in a long time as well, so it would be good to start fresh into the genre. Although I do have to admit that the fantasy side of things is what is appealing to me most right now so far :c
I read a lot NA romances, but not fantasy usually. I almost prefer teen fantasy. Not sure why. Thanks for visiting!
Holy Chipotle! Sonya and I get all those goodies! Good thing I'm getting a new Kindle for Xmas. Thanks so much!
Congratulations!