In Ember Glen, men purge under the full moon. It’s the duty of women to serve them.
Welcome to one of the many stops on the book blitz for Spark of Madness by Brynn Ford with XPresso Book Tours. Look for others participating in this blitz across social media and on your favourite bookish blogs July 21-28, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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About the Book
Spark of Madness
Ember Glen Book One
by Brynn Ford
Published 21 July 2022
Genre: Dark Romance, Dystopian
Page Count: 281
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In Ember Glen, men purge under the full moon. It’s the duty of women to serve them. When Mercy refuses to serve, Arlo will force her to find absolution through three brutal trials. But will their forbidden romance destroy their world?
Mercy
Neglecting my duty to serve is a sin, and during the last full moon, I became a sinner.
He saw me run from my duty, chased me, and caught me.
He promised me that I would be punished.
But I never could have imagined the hellish fate that would be chosen for me. More than that, I never could have imagined the maddening lust that would spark between me and the man who caught me.
This passion is forbidden…and it might set us on fire.
Arlo
It’s my role to catch the sinners, and Mercy sinned gravely.
I saw her and I chased her, drawn to her inexplicably.
She sparked something within me, but she had to be brought to judgment.
Her punishment is coming in the form of an archaic ritual we’re bringing back to make an example of her. I’ll be her warden, her keeper, the man to ensure she stays alive between her torturous trials.
Something within her brings out the worst of me…and the worst of me wants to ruin her.
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AUTHOR NOTE: This is a dark romance series that involves many triggering elements which may be upsetting for some readers. A complete list of tropes and triggers can be found on the author’s website at brynnford.com/triggers.
SERIES NOTE: Spark of Madness is book 1 of 3 in the Ember Glen series and it ends on a cliffhanger. The author plans to publish all 3 books by the end of 2022. The trilogy follows Mercy and Arlo and must be read in order.
READING ORDER
Book 1: Spark of Madness (July 21, 2022)
Book 2: Blaze of Misery (October 20, 2022)
Book 3: Embers of Mercy (December 29, 2022)
Excerpt
The touch of leather against my cheek startles me. My eyes snap open as Arlo traces the trail of tears with the tip of his gloved finger.
“You’re pretty when you cry, sinner,” he whispers from behind me.
Sadness turns to anger, and I let go of the fabric at my chest to swat his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
He snatches me by the wrist before I can bring my arm down, and whips me around to face him, bringing us chest to chest. “Are you finally seeing the full impact of your sins? Friends turning away from you?”
“They don’t know what they’re saying.”
“I think they know exactly what they’re saying. Your actions have consequences for everyone you care about.”
I look at him squarely. “And what consequences will those you care about face when your sins come to light?” My threat of exposing our dirty secret is idle for now but reminding him that I could expose him is the only power I have in my life right now.
His jaw tenses and his eyes turn sideways, looking to see if anyone else is near enough to hear. “You haven’t told anyone.” It’s a statement more than it is a question.
My shoulders sag. “No. I haven’t.”
“Good choice.”
“No one would believe me.”
“Probably right.”
“And they wouldn’t care if they did.”
“You’re very insightful for a sinner.”
“Is that all I am? From now until the day I die? I’m no longer a person, only a sinner?”
He clicks his tongue. “There’s that golden insight of yours.”
I look at our hands between our chests, realizing only then that his gloved palm has slipped from my wrist to curl around my fingers. He holds my hand so tightly that I can’t pull away—and I’m not entirely certain I want to. I look up at him and he sucks in a breath as our eyes meet, then he blinks and releases my hand.
“Come along now,” he says. “Delle’s already gone back to the Homestead, and I’d like to check on her.”
I don’t wait for Arlo’s lead; I move around him and stalk across the square at a quick pace. It’s only a few steps before I feel his hand on the small of my back.
“I don’t need you to lead me. I know where I’m going.”
I twitch my hip, arching sideways and trying to shrug him away. His hand only slides around the side of my waist and grips me.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mercy. If I wanted to lead you, I’d place a collar around your neck and attach it to a leash.”
I stop abruptly and look over at him. “I may be the sinner, but there’s something deeply wrong with you, Warden Rainn.”
He stares at me, blinking his bright blue eyes. “Just as there is with you, Mercy Madness.”
About the Author
Brynn Ford writes dark romance for daring readers. She is a lover of the dark, twisted, and playful, and strives to bring these elements into her stories.
When she isn’t obsessively writing, you may find her binge-watching favorite shows while eating far too much junk food or fanatically reading, always seeking to lose herself in the emotional roller coaster of a damn good story.
She’s a firm believer that her characters continue to live outside the pages in the minds of her readers. Stories don’t end just because there aren’t any more pages to turn.
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Giveaway Alert!
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)
2x signed copies of Spark of Madness
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