Elizabeth Amber’s new June release is Dane, The Lords of Satyr, an erotic historical paranormal romance, which has been awarded an RT Book Reviews Top Pick! We’re giving away an autographed copy to one randomly-chosen commenter.
Digging for stories in the Roman Forum
Are there certain settings you particularly like to read about in romance novels? For me, the time and place that fascinates is 19th century Italy.
Not long ago, my husband and I took a lengthy dream vacation to Italy and parts of France and Greece. The time I spent in the Roman Forum whetted my appetite to write about it. My June release, Dane, begins a new trilogy with my Lords of Satyr series. The earlier books–Nicholas, Raine, and Lyon–belong to Tuscany, circa 1823. A new cast of brothers, Dane, Bastian, and Sevin—each with a new set of agendas–are now in Rome, circa 1880s, during the time Queen Victoria ruled England.
The city of Rome sits about 25 feet higher than it did when the Forum was first built. Why? Because over centuries, it has been built and torn down and rebuilt again, as the city grew and changed and as political and theological tides changed. Out with the old gods and in with the new, then the newer. New temples had to be built; old ones torn down. And the nearby Tiber River regularly deposited sediment, raising the ground level. But the Forum was once the grand center of Rome. Ancient Romans shopped there. The Senate was there. Major temples and shrines, too. The prison.
In fact, I chose the Forum’s dank, claustrophobic Mamertine Prison as the site where Dane goes searching for clues to his missing brother. Dane has a fear of closed-in spaces and is anxious to be out of there quickly. (I know how he feels.) Unfortunately for him, he is waylaid by a blackmailing society matron who has a wedding on her mind. This prison was originally a cistern—a place to store rainwater. Only very important prisoners were housed there. Some were put to death and secretly flushed out to the Tiber River via a secret waterway. It’s a creepy, molding place, so of course I had to include it!
The arch of Septimius Severus is well-preserved compared to much of the Forum. It’s an impressive, recognizable icon. If I were arranging a meeting in the Forum ruins, it’s a place I might choose because it’s huge and easy to spot. I chose this as the location where the heroine, Eva, arranges a meeting with a “gentleman” she hopes will prove to be the satyr father that abandoned her pregnant mother twenty-two years earlier.
I put Dane’s oldest brother Bastian in charge of the Forum excavations. Because I’m the author, I get to do cool things like. I gave the brothers lavish homes and businesses on three of the seven famous hills that surround the Forum. Dane is in charge of the family’s ancestral olive grove on Aventine Hill, where family secrets are closely guarded.
This is where Eva first meets Dane. It’s a Calling night. A time when the satyr change physically in a carnal ritual devoted to the Roman god of wine. (The satyr are the followers of Bacchus in mythology.)
Both have secrets.
Eva hides the fact that she is the only female satyr in existence.
And the secret of Dane’s missing brother’s whereabouts is locked within his mind, hoarded by an alternate personality.
It’s now the 1880s and the forum digs are in high gear. Discoveries made there threaten to expose the satyr and their kind. By hiding what they are, the satyr have managed to live among humans throughout Italy for centuries. But things are changing. Dane and his two remaining brothers must entrench themselves in Roman society as thoroughly as possible. And that means taking human wives.
Who better to find a human wife for Dane, than an ElseWorld matchmaker? He thinks it will be a simple matter. He’ll request an uncomplicated wife, and will be presented with one. But when he visits the matchmaker, he encounters her strange household, which includes a greedy pixie, a gimlet-eyed maidservant, and two orphaned fey children …
Excerpt from Dane, The Lords of Satyr:
Dane sat across from the occupant of the desk, genuinely intrigued by her as he hadn’t been by a woman for as long as he could remember. He hadn’t given any thought to what he’d expected a matchmaker and her premises would be like, but he was certain that if he had, he could not have imagined this. For there was nothing at all expected about this room and its bizarre occupants.
In the garden, he’d been briefly interrogated before being invited inside by the diminutive, stocky man who appeared to have more than a few drops of pixie blood in him. In true pixie fashion, the fellow was fixated on matters of finance and had discussed the matchmaker’s exorbitant fee even as he lead him to this salon. A mulatto serving woman had arrived next, her face dour and suspicious, her blood so mixed that it was impossible to discern her ancestry even with his gifted nose. Likely over a dozen ElseWorld species had gone into the witch’s brew that had spawned her.
Then had come the return of the two little girls who’d admitted him to the garden to begin with. They sat together on the carpet now, the older one sketching, and the younger one playing with a toy steam locomotive and making soft chugging noises.
And finally he’d been confronted with this mysterious woman—Mademoiselle Evangeline Delacorte she called herself. The matchmaker. Seated opposite her with a desk between them, he studied every detail of her without appearing to. A trick he’d learned during his days as a Tracker.
She resembled an ancient Egyptian scryer, with kohl around her eyes, rings on every finger, and bangles thick at both wrists. What sort of female wore a provocative ball gown to conduct business, other than a courtesan? A tangle of necklaces draped her bosom—her opulent bosom. It was a physical aspect of a woman that he particularly admired, and hers was of a dimension that stirred him. He shifted in his chair, causing its leather to creak, and looked away. Were he to become too enchanted with her charms, it would be tantamount to an outright invitation to Dante –his other self– to join him in his skin.
The moment she’d come into the room, the matchmaker had ducked her head and quickly located a gauzy veil, which she’d draped over her head and shoulders. While it was transparent and did almost nothing to obscure her features, some form of magic had been woven into it, for he found that when he looked away, he couldn’t recall her face. But stranger still was the fact that her scent was so elusive that he couldn’t quite make out what species she was. This above all piqued his curiosity. In ElseWorld, his ability to distinguish one scent from another was legendary. However, here he felt as if something within him were purposely interfering with his ability to read hers. She and her entourage presented a puzzle. Something he’d never been able to resist.
“You’ve come to me seeking a bride?” It was the second time the woman had asked him the same question. It was rhetorical. The scroll the Council had sent to his brothers lay on the desk before her, bristling with ElseWorld magic and her address upon it plain to see. Her fingers stroked its edges restlessly. She was nervous. Which usually meant someone was hiding something.
Dane crossed one booted ankle over his opposite knee and crossed his arms. “No, I come to you seeking a foreman for my grove.”
The older girl glanced up from her drawing. “But Mademoiselle doesn’t locate foremen,” she informed him with a seriousness that sat strangely on one so young. “She finds brides.”
Mimi, who’d driven her train beneath the matchmaker’s desk, peered out at him and nodded. The serving woman squirmed on the corner chair where she sat with her mending. The girls’ precocious behavior irritated her, and it was clear to him that she had no great affection for them.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to settle for a bride instead.”
Copyright by Elizabeth Amber
Enjoy more excerpts at www.elizabethamber.com
Thank you so much, Elizabeth, for stopping by and the wonderful post. I just added Dane to my TBB list. 🙂 Stop by and visit Elizabeth on her website listed directly above. You can check out The Season’s review of Dane here.
This is an excellent series to invest in. These men are wickedly hot! Ms Amber’s writing skills are out of this world!!! Thanks for showcasing her work here at The Season!!!!
Beautiful pictures. I’ll have to look for her books.
I have fallen in love with the series when I stumbled on it in the bookstore. This book has been much anticipated for me!
You had me at historical/paranormal! I wish there were more books with this sub-genre, and erotic as well? Yikes, and that cover, sizzling hot! But this on my wish list! All the best for your release!
I have been eyeing this series…must add to TBR list!
I love the sound of these books and they have been added to my must have list
Have Fun
Helen
I want this book for the cover alone..lol.
I’ve read so many great reviews for these books,can’t wait to read them
Happy Monday, all. First off, I’d like to thank Bev and the lovely ladies at The Season for having me as a guest today.
And a huge thank you to you, Jody, for the lovely review of Dane. Especially amazing in view of the fact that I wasn’t able to get a copy of the book to send you for review until a couple of weeks ago. Much appreciated!
Hi Cecile! I feel very at home at The Season, since it’s largely about historical romances. I started out with Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters and never looked back. Thank you so much for your “wickedly” kind words about the Lords of Satyr. xox
JCP, The forum is beautiful. But I bet it’s hot right about now. I went there in March, which was a great time. It was cool and it wasn’t tourist season yet. I hope you enjoy the satyr novels if you get a chance.
Oooh, I’m intrigued!
sounds interesting 🙂
Hi Amanda. And thank you so much! I’m so glad you stumbled into the satyr novels. The cover fairy was very good to this series from the start. Raine and Lyon just pubbed in Germany with different covers than the US ones. The word SATYRS is huge. And the guys are tatted. The covers are gorgeous. If you like, you can see the German Raine here http://www.amazon.de/Raine-Elizabeth-Amber/dp/3426506963/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275953787&sr=8-1
LOL, Karyn. I like this subgenre as a reader as well. After reading historicals for so long, I like to try historicals blended with something else just to spice things up. I hope you enjoy Dane if you get a chance to read it. Or him. I never know what pronoun to apply to these books, since they bear the names of the heroes. It seems rude to call them “it.” I think I’m getting into a weird area here… :o)
Danielle, it’s hard to look away. LOL The covers are pretty eye-catching, aren’t they? Nicholas garnered attention from the beginning, which gave the series a nice boost.
Helen, I’m glad they sound intriguing. I like the idea of a “must have” list. My “want” list is so long, that I could manage it better if I divide it into “must haves” and “wants.”
Hi Elain. I know what you mean. I want tee-shirts! I saw that one of Kate Douglas’s readers actually made some tee shirts of her Wolf Tales series, and they are adorable.
Glad to hear that, Jennifer! Thanks.
Thank you, Donna Ann. Good to hear that.
LOL, Karyn. I like this subgenre as a reader as well. After reading historicals for so long, I like to try historicals blended with something else just to spice things up. I hope you enjoy Dane if you get a chance to read it. Or him. I never know what pronoun to apply to these books, since they bear the names of the heroes. It seems rude to call them “it.” I think I’m getting into a weird area here… :o)
Elizabeth’s Satyr series is one of my favorites. I’ve been a fan since Nicholas came out. I can’t wait to read Dane.
This series sounds hot! I definitely need to check it out 🙂
Lisa, this is so good to hear! Awesome that you found the series early on. I hope you enjoy Dane if you do get a chance to take a look. xox
Hi Raelena. I’m so glad you think so. Thank you so much for dropping by The Season today for a dash of hot Dane . . . a spoonful of sexy with your historicals . . . a sprinkle of satyr … Hmm. Suddenly I have the urge to start cooking, but I think it’s bedtime here.
Night all!
Hi Elizabeth and Beverley,
I absolutely love this series. I’ve been waiting for Dane. The covers are amazing aren’t they ?
Thanks for the blurb you posted because we can never get enough of these brothers. 🙂
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com
I am currently reading the first 3 books in the Lords of Satyr (in the midst of Lyon) and am putting Dane on my TBR list right now – I love Rome – have visited several times, and am looking forward to this historical novel!
Carol, hi. And thank you for the kind words about the satyr guys. I truly appreciate that you stopped in to say them. I hope you enjoy Dane. Hugs and happy Tuesday to you!
Hi Marilyn. Awesome that you’re reading the satyr novels. Thank you. I love finding an author who already has several books in a series, don’t you? Let me know what you think of Dane if you get a chance. You’re so lucky to have gotten to go to Rome a few times. My husband went in summer once (with some hussy he dated before he met me–the nerve! :o) He said it was beastly hot. I can imagine standing in the forum with no shade trees around, baking away. I hope to go again sometime, but will shoot for fall or spring. Glad you dropped in to chat!
Hi Elizabeth,
Love the post and really love the pics. I’m so totally jealous. You’ve gone to 3 countries I’m dying to visit. I was supposed to go to Greece in the 10th grade with my history class but we moved after the 9th grade and I had to change high schools.
Congrats on your release of Dane: Lords of Satyr.
Bev
I so love Elizabeth’s books! So rich, that its breath taking reading them and really getting to visualize the settings. It was great to see pics on the history with Rome! Thats beautiful that you could visit there and see it and experience it. I bet it even gave you more of the feel when writing this new trilogy? Is there yet a setting you’d like to set a book in and visit Elizabeth?
I loved reading this about Dane! I know when I learn info on historical settings and the like, I get so into it that I’m so far into learning about it, so I love more so learning what I do from the romance books I read
cathiecaffey(at)gmail(dot)com
I love the post! Wow, I’ve read all of the books except Dane and I’m excited.
I have the first 4 books in my TBR but have totally forgotten about until now…LOL..I think I will start with tht series as soon I’m done with reading the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost (I’m current reading book #3).
Lovely excerpt. I think they would sell more erotics if they had different kind of covers.
Hi Bev! Thank you again for having me as a guest on The Season. And thanks for the congrats on Dane. You have got to get yourself to Europe one of these days. When I went, the exchange rate was horrible, so we were careful about where we ate and where we stayed. Those were about the only way to conserve. The rates are better now, so think about it. I can hardly wait to see your pics when you get back!
Hi Cathie! Good to see you here. I’m with you—I love learning something about history or about foreign places when I read a romance novel. Or any novel, for that matter. Yes, it has been really helpful to be able to visualize a space or place in 3-D when I’m writing. It’s so much easier than reading about a place and working from photos—although that helps too. Thanks for your kind words about the satyr novels. Glad you’re enjoying them!
Samantha, hi! Thanks m’dear. I appreciate that. I hope you enjoy Dane if you get a chance and am thrilled to hear that you’ve enjoyed the others.
Hello, Marjana. I’m glad we reminded you. LOL I’ve heard of Jeaniene’s series—good to know you’re enjoying them. They’ve done really well.
Hi Lucy! Thank you re the excerpt. You could be right about the covers. Publishers put a ton of thinking into them, so I guess they’re doing what seems best. Sometimes I read a book that’s not labeled erotic, yet it’s every bit as hot as an erotic. So, sometimes the way a book is positioned marketing-wise is just about labeling and cover design. Thanks for dropping by The Season!
And thanks again to Bev and Jody!
Lovely post and beautiful pictures. Though I just couldn’t take my eyes off one of them…yes, the cover!!!! What a delickable man…oh my!!!!
Valerie
in Germany