Hiya guys, we have Hurri Cosmo popping in today with the blog tour for her new re-releases The Servant Prince, The Servant King and The Servant Crown, we have great excerpts from each book, a brilliant giveaway and my review of The Servant Prince so check out eh post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~
The Servant Prince
Hurri Cosmo
Prince Joron of Blade Rain was kissed by a man he had no idea was King Aric of Claymoor Doom. Of course King Aric had no idea the one he kissed was even a man since Joron was dressed as a woman.
Disguised to escape the newly crowned king of Blade Rain who just happens to be Joron’s brother, Joron is swept off his feet by Aric when he is rescued by him from an assault. Aric is also swept off his feet by the beauty of the “woman” and that one amazing kiss. Aric, who is led to believe the beautiful woman he kissed is actually the princess, immediately goes to the king of Blade Rain and offers for the princess’s hand in marriage and his offer is accepted.
Unfortunately, King Aric is now betrothed to Liarta, Joron’s sister. But an emergency has King Aric racing home without finding out the mistake he has made and now Joron must ride to Claymoor Doom to renegotiate the offer since Liarta is in love with someone else and does not want to marry King Aric.
Imagine Aric’s surprise when he discovers the Prince is the one he thought was the Princess! So Aric does the only thing he can think of. He will release Liarta from her obligation of marriage, but only if Joron takes her place… in the marriage bed.
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The Servant King
Things are going well for King Aric. He had Joron safely hidden away. Diagus, although a continuing threat to Joron, had left his castle empty handed, and the Cetin Gang was headed for his dungeons. He should be thrilled but – something was not right. He could feel it.
Sure enough, when he returns to Claymoor castle, he finds Joron has been kidnapped and he must ride immediately to rescue him. And knowing the culprit, it was not going to be an easy task. However, Aric has a trump card; a letter from a dead king. Seemingly nonsensical at first, it now points a finger directly at a murderer and Aric is convinced Joron is next. Somehow he has to find him and get Joron back into his protective arms before it’s too late.
Unfortunately, there are other huge pitfalls just waiting in the shadows. It turns out Joron is the true king of Blade Rain and Aric’s long dead wife miraculously returns to claim Aric as her own. Between all the lies, murders, and life altering revelations, is there hope for these two at all?
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The Servant crown
King Diagus of Blade Rain is in a bind. He is duty bound to produce a royal heir and the only way he knows that can happen is if he beds a woman. Definitely not his idea of Happily Ever After. In fact, far from it. Except instead of walking down the aisle with the princess he has arranged to marry, Diagus is off in the wilds of Claymoor Doom. But there’s a good reason. Rumor had it there was someone near Gray Valley with Diagus’s stark blue eyes. A possible relative and therefore an heir? Was there a chance he might not have to marry a woman, after all? Regrettably, Diagus finds no one matching the rumor’s description. What he does find is a heinous, black magic plot for murder and Diagus is the next on the list.
Tama’s pregnant sister claimed to be carrying the child of a king. Not just any king. The mighty king of Blade Rain. She was determined to get out of the very poor house of Hilman and into the lap of luxury. But fate had its own agenda. Sadly, Tama must raise his nephew all by himself after his sister unexpectedly dies in childbirth. It’s not a problem, though. He loves Aydin as he loved his sister – with all his heart.
However, Tama’s lazy and abusive father, Beourn, is angry and extremely disappointed. Being the grandfather of a crown prince, he was looking forward to moving to the castle and living a life of extravagance. With his daughter’s death, that was no longer possible. So, he does the unthinkable. He kidnaps Aydin with the intent of selling him to the rich and powerful king. Tama is stunned he would do such a thing and chases after Beourn to rescue Aydin.
But he doesn’t get far before he is confronted with a beautiful man being viciously attacked. Of course Tama has to help. If he doesn’t the man will surely die. Except Tama quickly learns the man is far more than just someone in trouble. In fact, the man is a king and will change Tama’s life. Forever.
The Servant Prince Excerpt!
So here he was, about to break the wedding engagement made by his brother for his sister to a king. Not just any king but the king. He wasn’t going to lie to himself. This could become unpleasant. It was one of the reasons Joron had encouraged his sister to elope the night before he left. If things went badly, there would still be no going back because his sister would be married and gone and safe.
He closed his eyes. He didn’t know how many times he had gone over it in his head. The three solid days of riding alone with no one to talk to, and the whole time only thinking about this moment and all that could go wrong, had made him jittery and short of breath. He hoped this king’s sense of business was as good as he had heard because what he had to offer should speak to that. It was going to be the way he started this conversation.
Suddenly there was a noise behind him. He quickly turned to see the double doors opening once again, and a large man swept into the room. The two guards who were at the door came in after him. Joron caught his breath as he admired the impressive man who was obviously the king. He was wearing a simple black shirt over a well-developed chest and black pants as well with black slippers. As plain as the clothes were, they were impeccably made. The materials were exquisite, and the body they clung to was magnificent. But Joron’s gaze was riveted to the man’s amazing thighs. They were thick and strong and muscular, and for some reason, he could not pull his attention away. He wanted to touch those thighs; he wanted to taste them.
Joron was shocked at his own thoughts as he watched those muscles work and flex their way into the room. Joron forced his eyes up to notice the king’s long dark-blond hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, framing his chiseled face…and that was where Joron’s gaze stopped. His eyes flew open wide as recognition hit hard. This is the man who saved me, who kissed me! Oh gods, this is the man who’d filled his dreams and nightmares and thoughts…and had for days and nights and…oh. But…it was when he was dressed as a woman.
Joron’s mouth dropped open, but absolutely no words came out.
The king continued his stride into the room, walking toward Joron, keeping a stoic expression. Stopping in front of one of the oversized chairs, he sat. He indicated to Joron, who still stood with wide eyes near the fireplace, to sit on the other.
Joron realized he was staring. He was so stunned to see this man again, and more astonished he was actually the King of Claymoor Doom, that he found it difficult to bring his emotions back under control. He was sure the man did not recognize him, since there was absolutely no indication of it on his face, so he figured he was safe. But he was irritated with himself because he was sure his distress showed and the king had to have noticed.
He walked the few steps to the offered chair and sat with as much dignity as he could manage, clearing his throat, readying himself for the task he came to accomplish. He battled with his thoughts, though, because at the moment all he could think of were those warm, demanding lips and those all-encompassing arms that now sat across from him. His body reacted all on its own. He was grateful to be able to sit. He waited patiently, eyes on the floor directly in front of him, for the king to give him permission to speak and to find a point at which he was not afraid to talk.
The Servant King Excerpt!
“You know, Aric, I don’t mind you not inviting me to your bed…yet. But I will not have you inviting anyone else either. I know all about the little harlot you’ve taken up with. I will not allow him to dirty our marriage bed any longer. If you don’t comply, I promise you, you will regret it.” Throughout her little speech, she only raised her voice slightly with a few of the words. Otherwise her tone remained conversational and cheery, as if she were telling her husband a story about the latest tea party she went to, as opposed to the not-so-veiled threat she was leveling.
She had also passed a fitful night. She had fully expected Aric would take her to his rooms, but it didn’t happen. She was thinking now he wouldn’t, not without a whole lot more enticement. Even finding those rooms was a challenge.
So she needed a new tactic. She rose early, since she wasn’t sleeping well anyway, and had her newly appointed maids make her stunning. It wasn’t that big of a job. Right before she left her rooms, she tore her beautiful dress right at her bosom. She looked back at her maids and smiled as they stood with eyes wide and mouths gaping. She then sought out her husband and finally found him in his office next to the throne room, where they were at the moment.
Aric smirked as he sat behind his desk and simply looked at her. “I will comply with your wishes, Abydell, but understand I do not do it under duress. I do it because I will honor my commitment to my marriage, not because you threaten me. Your threats are a waste of breath and absolutely baseless. You have no power.”
Abydell frowned and toyed with her ripped dress.
Aric harrumphed. “Dress in the dark…dear?”
Abydell shot him a shocked expression. “No!” She immediately glanced away and covered her mouth. She let out what she hoped was a pained cry. “I…I was attacked.”
She saw Aric flinch in her peripheral vision. Good. I have his attention.
“By whom?”
She couldn’t help but thrill at the sound of his voice. He sounded angry. What husband wouldn’t be? “Earlier I…I saw your… I encountered that man you’re so enamored with and he…he…” She let the rest of her sentence trail off, trusting the man would figure it out as she covered her entire face and turned completely away. She could force out a tear or two if she had to, as well, but she needed time to accomplish it.
“What?” She heard Aric come out of his chair, knocking it over with a crash. “When did you see Joron?”
Turning, she wiped away a nonexistent tear. “Right before I came to see you, darling. He…he was at my door. He was so angry. He threatened to kill me! If those guards hadn’t been there…I’m not sure what would have happened!” She smoothed her hand over her ample bosom, forcing the king’s eyes to take in her well-earned curves.
“What do you mean? What did you do?”
“Me? I did nothing. He attacked me, tore my dress.” She wiped again at her imagined tears, sniffing for effect. “I fought him off as best I could…but he was so strong. I…the guards finally were able to pull him off but… Oh, Aric. I was so frightened, and I knew you would never allow your wife to be molested by anyone, so the guards stopped him and took him away.”
Yes, she decided she would go the direction of making Aric jealous, of bringing out his protective side. What man, what king, would not protect a defenseless woman against the attack of any man? It would have worked better if she had that man in hand, but even Relel couldn’t find Joron after he had lost him the night before.
She smiled inside at the memory of watching Relel limp. The damage the idiot was able to inflict was surprising, which was why she went in this direction. He was a little escape artist, though, since her men could not find him. However, at some point, they would find a castle servant who would betray the little bastard. It would simply take time, and time was on her side.
She frowned, trying to look as if she could burst into tears at any moment. “I’m not sure what he would have done with…those…hands on me…but…he didn’t only attack me.” She let out a hitched sigh, finally able to force a tear to slide down her face. “Have you seen your brother? Seems he is sporting few bruises this morning, too, given by that young man. Attacking the royal family is unforgivable.”
She raised her gaze to meet Aric’s. She knew they were bright with tears. What man could resist the tears of a beautiful woman? She would plant seeds of doubt about the foreign prince, make it clear the young man was out of control. Aric would be forced to allow Joron to be arrested.
“He should be beheaded.”
The Servant Crown Excerpt!
Tama tried to turn the horse. He needed to get this witch to let go of him. Knowing something was very wrong, Aydin’s whimpers had turned to screaming and crying, and he clung fiercely to Tama’s neck. The princess was maneuvering her horse closer for some reason, maybe it was to try and stop Tama from running, but her horse did not like getting that close to the witch. It reared, dumping the princess to the ground. In response, one of the soldiers leaped off his horse to help the princess, another tried in vain to stop the now-frantic, panicking horse the princess had been riding, and two others tried to move out of the way. In the chaos, no one noticed a new group of horsemen join them.
Suddenly, there was a large man on a horse between Tama and the witch.
“Your Majesty?” Tama whispered.
Diagus turned to Tama, leaned over, planting a kiss on his lips, then came away with a wink. “Looks like you need to be rescued this time.” He turned to face the witch. “Keep your filthy hands off my son and my man. There will be no deal had here today, old woman.”
The old woman tipped her head back and laughed. “So you think, Diagus, son of Mormir. So you think.”
The woods moved then. Six, seven, ten, maybe even twenty or more trees pulled up their roots and lumbered toward the group. Bumpy, gnarly, sick-looking masses of trees came at them, startling Tama and his horse who proceeded to do the same thing the princess’s horse did. The animal threw both Tama and Aydin to the ground, the fake rabbit twirling in the air above them as they went down. Tama pulled Aydin close to shelter him from being injured. However, the fall jarred Tama to the point his head was spinning. He heard Diagus call out to him, but in the bedlam the clearing had turned into, he could no longer see him.
Suddenly he was hit from behind and a blinding pain rocketed through his head. Try as he might, he couldn’t hold on to Aydin, who was ripped from his hands. Tama heard Aydin scream as he scrambled to his feet, fighting off the deadly sharp branches of the monster trees. It had been the witch, that wretched midwife. Somehow, she had gotten to Tama through the mayhem and grabbed Aydin. She was running now, deeper into the marsh.
Tama kicked out but knew there was absolutely no hope of getting free. Were these horrors from a nightmare going to kill them? Or did they have teeth like those grotesque fish and Tama was going to make a hearty meal?
Suddenly, Tama was face-first in the dirt, a pressure coming down hard on his shoulders. But right there near his left eye was the rabbit. Its fur was glistening in the light, standing on end as if it were full of the sparks from Tama’s hair.
“Wubbing my bunny on you!” Aydin squealed as he rubbed the bunny in Tama’s hair, making the strands stand straight up off his head. Tama could feel the snapping as if the rabbit were alive and tiny paws were pulling on his hair, which made Aydin laugh so hard he peed his pants.
As if in a dream, Tama reached out and picked the rabbit up, the snapping sparks tickling his hand, and he felt that tingle flow immediately through his body, frightening him even more than the walking trees had. But it had an odd effect. The trees stopped moving right where they were and once again took root.
Tama pulled on the sleeve of his shirt, which had somehow gotten in the way of one of those roots, but it was held fast to the ground. Tama reached over with the hand that still held the rabbit to either loosen the root or tear his sleeve. Inadvertently, he touched the root with the rabbit, and when it made contact, the gnarly thing immediately withered and died, releasing Tama’s sleeve.
Amazed and confused, he scrambled to his feet and ran to touch the tree that the king was wrestling. The second he did, it withered in the same way. It seemed to scream, then died, even as it attempted to take root once more. It failed and fell over, void of motion and life. He ran and touched a few more with the same results, the others, sensing that they were about to be touched, hurried off into the darkening forest.
The princess’s soldiers didn’t stick around either. They pulled their terrified horses around and thundered out of the clearing, which was no longer much of one, now filled with dead trees, some standing, most fallen. It was obvious they intended on getting as far away from Dark Marsh as possible, leaving the princess sitting on the muddy ground, crying out for them to stop.
About Hurri!
I live in Minnesota where I holds tight to the idea that here, where it’s cold a good part of the year, I won’t age as fast. Yep, I avoid the truth as much as I avoid mirrors. But one of the reasons I love writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, I doesn’t mind “real life” and I do try to at least keep it in mind when I write my stories, but I truly love creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every – single – time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason I love reading this genre, too. Give me a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and my computer, whether I am reading or writing, and I will entertain myself for hours. The fact I actually get paid to do it, is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.
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Review
Title: The Servant Prince
Series: Ice Dragon Tales 01
Author: Hurri Cosmo
Genre: High Fantasy
Length: Novel (185pgs)
ISNB: 9781370840205
Publisher: Hurri Cosmo (6th March 2017)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Prince Joron of Blade Rain was kissed by a man he had no idea was King Aric of Claymoor Doom. Of course King Aric had no idea the one he kissed was even a man since Joron was dressed as a woman. Disguised to escape the newly crowned king of Blade Rain who just happens to be Joron’s brother, Joron is swept off his feet by Aric when he is rescued by him from an assault. Aric is also swept off his feet by the beauty of the “woman” and that one amazing kiss. Aric, who is led to believe the beautiful woman he kissed is actually the princess, immediately goes to the king of Blade Rain and offers for the princess’s hand in marriage and his offer is accepted. Unfortunately, King Aric is now betrothed to Liarta, Joron’s sister. But an emergency has King Aric racing home without finding out the mistake he has made and now Joron must ride to Claymoor Doom to renegotiate the offer since Liarta is in love with someone else and does not want to marry King Aric.
Imagine Aric’s surprise when he discovers the Prince is the one he thought was the Princess! So Aric does the only thing he can think of. He will release Liarta from her obligation of marriage, but only if Joron takes her place… in the marriage bed.
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Review: Joron is a prince of Blade Run and has lived the last several years helping to fix the problems that his sex mad, cruel father ignored. When his older brother, Diagus, returns due to his father’s ill health he has hope that things will begin to improve, and he holds on to that hope even as he learns that he has to avoid Diagus at all costs. When his brother inherits the throne, Joron learns he is the owner of Ice Dragon Pass and his step-mother will stop at nothing to return it to his Diagus’ rule.
King Aric is visiting to negotiate for passage through Ice Dragon Pass, and to see if he can find the servant who caught his eye months ago. When Aric comes across a lady being attacked he is overcome by her beauty and decides to make her his. Joron is shocked to learn of his sisters impending marriage, especially since she is promised to another who she loves and sets out to Claymoor Doom to convince King Aric to release his sister from the contract and then things become interesting. With Aric refusing to let him go and his brother’s obsession with him, Joron can still only think about his subjects and their suffering, but can he give up the love he is beginning to find or will the threat to others make him give up his freedom?
I have to say that this story was a joy to read, a world that has a medieval feel to it, a generous thoughtful prince in danger, a powerful king who is arrogant and a new king who isn’t quite right in the head. Joron is an incredible character who is selfless and kind; he is also beautiful and intelligent and has put himself at risk for his people. Aric is an interesting character who is arrogant and very sure of himself, he sees what he wants and will do anything to get it. Diagus is a character who is definitely the baddie, he creeps you out with his obsession and although you get glimpses of something good in him, the obsession overshadows everything else.
I was pulled quickly into this story and found myself wondering what was going to happen next, the storyline is very involved but has many characters who share the weight. The perspective does move from character to character but in such a way that it is very clear and not confusing, and I have to say it was nice to be able to see certain parts from other people’s eyes. The storyline itself is brilliantly composed because there is more going on than just Joron and Aric getting together, we have a self-involved Queen/Queen Mother who will do anything to make sure her son has power, we have a new king obsessed with making his brother his, we have an arrogant king who has mystery surrounding him and then Joron who will do anything to protect those he cares about.
Joron’s and Aric’s relationship isn’t easy and from the way the story ended it isn’t going to be easy either, the sex between them is hot and at first it is coercive but Joron soon discovers just how much he enjoys it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see what will happen next, there is so much to look forward to with the different players in the story and the plans that are beginning to unfold.
I recommend this to those who love high fantasy, great characters, a brilliant storyline, some creepiness, danger, hot sex and the beginning of difficult love story.