  Hawkesmoor: Novel of Vampire & Faerie by Anne Merino Publisher: Rivercliff Books & Media (an imprint of Wetware Media) – May 18, 2020 ~ Available in Print and ebook, 486 pages Category: Vampire Romance, Romantic Fantasy, and Paranormal Tour Dates June and July, 2020 ~ ISBN: 978-0-9971416-8-9 Book Description: Vampires, Romance and dark Celtic Mysticism fuse and blaze in this epic tale set in Manhattan, Yorkshire, England — and time itself. Robin Dashwood, a handsome and charming British vampire with long gone aristocratic connections, is about to be thrown into an epic adventure that will shine light upon the rise of the vampire. This is the last thing he could imagine himself doing. Robin prefers to hide in plain sight, having devised a quiet life for himself in New York as a history professor in hopes of avoiding other more powerful vampires and their dangerous, decadent political machinations. A chance encounter in a Manhattan art gallery introduces him to the beautiful Lady Caroline DeBarry and reveals a vicious murder from Robin’s human past. In search of answers to this historical mystery, he returns home to England and to Caroline who has captured his heart. As Robin uncovers the truth, he finds traces of a far more ancient and shrouded realm than even that of the vampire. This will shake the foundations of vampire lore and its brutal hierarchy, placing Lady Caroline in terrible danger and setting in motion events that will lead to a final bloody confrontation between a revenant army and humankind. Hawkesmoor is the first book in a trilogy that will continue the eerie adventures of Robin Dashwood — a very British vampire. Buy Hawkesmoor: | Amazon| Barnes&Noble| IndieBound REVIEW by LAWonder10: Attractive Professor Robin Dashwood is not as he appears to be. His past is devastating and haunts him, yet he puts on a charming facade. In a New York art gallery, he meets attractive Caroline DeBarry, who immediately captivates him. The connection between the two is intense and felt by both. However, he suddenly disappears and, confused, Caroline returns to England. Robin finds himself jerked back into his past by unscrupulous means. He is forced to remember horrors from his former life. He is miraculously freed, only to return to London to find Caroline and discover shocking truths. He discovers new strengths and will do anything to protect those he loves. This vampire series combines ideas found in other vampire series by popular authors. It presents even another unique paranormal concept. I found it difficult at first to "get into" but as the chapters progressed, the intrigue increased. It began "flowing" more smoothly, and the action became non-stop. There were unexpected "twists" and a bitter-sweet ending. However, I was delighted to learn this is a first in a trilogy and not a "stand alone". There were other times the gaps between scenes felt abrupt and incomplete. READER BEWARE: There are some sexual scenes and some profanity. I offer a Three and a Half Stars rating for the above reasons. This book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review.
“The paranormal features are refreshingly unconventional and well handled. Fans of romantic fantasy will be interested to see where the series goes.”- Publisher’s Weekly “Delightfully well-crafted, intricate and enchantingly imaginative, I was drawn deep into this enjoyable read with its complex world and fascinating characters. It actually makes me feel excited for vampires again! Romance and adventure, with an odd charm all its own, and fully realized world-building. Highly recommended!”- Award-winning author of A Lady in Disguise, Nine Ladies Dancingand Miss Fortescue’s Protector in Paris “Hawkesmoor is a delightful ride through vampires and time. Its mysteries draw in the reader irresistibly. And it’s more fun than Anne Rice!”-Bryan Alexander, Georgetown University, Futurist, and author “Blogging Dracula since 2005” "If you’re in the market for a new, fresh vampire saga or just a bloody good time, look no further!”-Steve Hockensmith, New York Times best-selling author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
A funny thing happened on the way to being published... I believe I was always really meant to be a writer. I grew up in a family of writers. My father was a noted writer of a number of well-received books and had been quoted by the U.S. Supreme Court in one of their key decisions. My grandmother published serious literary poetry. My Uncle Cyril is the well-known Welsh author, Richard Cyril Hughes. The writing discipline was all around me in my childhood, and I had the distinct impression that's what adults did once they grew up – they wrote something. Being published was a rite of passage. My mother was always very encouraging of the arts in general and during one long Christmas holiday suggested “Why don't you write something?” I wrote a 50 page mystery story, Secret of the Thirteenth Pharaoh. My lead characters were thirteen-year-old twins, Chip and Judy Powers, who loved a good mystery. Their father was a well-known archaeologist who worked for the government for reasons unclear even to the author. The high point for me was giving Chip and Judy secret government issued licenses that allowed them to drive a car despite being only thirteen. My mother stoically made her way through all 50 handwritten pages and finally pronounced that I had talent. I was elated! But – I would eventually learn there was always a but in writing – she noted that I was in desperate need of great, punchy opening and closing sentences. Mum fetched a collection of Trixie Beldons and Famous Fives, showing me how these crafty writers wrote a catchy opening and closing. I continued to write for pleasure, but my ambitions shifted to focus on a professional ballet career and I went on to dance for various American companies. I also continued to write for fun and to fill time between rehearsals. Many dancers knit or crocheted between endless rehearsals. Utterly hopeless at anything crafty, I'd plop down in a corner to write, usually on a yellow legal pad. I wrote novels that I never finished and the occasional short story. All those fragments taught me a lot about what I enjoyed writing and helped me begin to develop something of a style. After a knee injury, I finally retired from the stage. I become a choreographer and formed my own ballet company in Los Angeles. Gathering together a small band of retired professionals like myself, we built a company that was entirely unique at the time. In those days, the only new ballets deemed “artistically valid” were contemporary abstracts in which dancers moved, without story, to music. But I wanted to create ballets about people with interesting stories and challenges to overcome, so we devised completely original ballets featuring fresh stories and characters, and set them to music never before used for ballets. Over the next 25 years, we would tell all sorts of stories from giddy 1920s comedies to Medieval tragedies and Edwardian murder mysteries. We developed a cult following in Los Angeles and audiences loved the vibrant characters, soaring music and beautiful period settings. But in our 25th year, we realized that it was time to retire permanently from the stage. Most of the dancers had been with me from the start and time had taken its toll on bodies no longer quite so young. We decided to mount one last production. This would be The Moon Goddess, a ballet about a young Welsh army officer in World War I who sees the Moon Goddess – one of Welsh folklore's harbingers of death – pricking her way through the bodies on the battlefield one Christmas Eve. He realizes the Moon Goddess has come for him and thinks back to another Christmas Eve with family and friends before the war. The final performance of The Moon Goddess saw tears on both sides — stage and audience — for a variety of reasons. One of our dancers had a mother in Stage Four of breast cancer and this lovely woman came to the performance despite being very frail. Afterward, she held my hand and said “I want to thank you for this story. I was feeling pretty low when I got here but now, after this ballet, I know it's okay to die.” Later, I cried as I repeated the story to my husband Tom, who is a filmmaker. Tom said “That's the power of writing, of a great story. You know, you've been writing novels and screenplays with ballet all this time!” It was then I understood that I was a writer and always had been. I picked up a notebook – much like the one my mother had given me all those years ago – and started the first pages of what would become Hawkesmoor: A Novel of Vampire and Faerie. Hawkesmoor is a unique and refreshing take on the vampire novel, and is the first book in a trilogy. Book one begins in modern day Manhattan and shifts to the wild beauty of Yorkshire in the U.K. The hero of the story is Robin Dashwood, a handsome and charming British vampire with long gone aristocratic connections. He has created a quiet life for himself as an NYU history professor in an attempt to avoid more powerful vampires. A chance encounter in a Manhattan art gallery introduces Robin to the beautiful Lady Caroline DeBarry and reveals a vicious murder from his human past. In search of answers to this historical mystery, he returns home to England, and to Caroline who has captured his heart. As Robin uncovers the truth, he and Caroline are thrown into an epic adventure that will send them both spinning through time and space, dream and reality. I loved writing Hawkesmoor, and I like to think that had it been a story written at an earlier time in my life, it would have made a fantastically thrilling ballet! About Anne Merino...  Anne Merino grew up in Arizona and Wales before deciding to become a professional ballerina. After a long career dancing for notable companies in the US and abroad, she retired from the stage to write novels and plays. She lives in Northern California with her filmmaker husband, two sons and a retired working dog named Hector. Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube |   This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of print or ebook however, print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 2 winners. This giveaway ends July 29, 2020, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only. To ENTER, Click on HERE! 
2 Comments
6/8/2020 10:17:01 pm
Thank you so very much for talking about Hawkesmoor! I hope your readers will find the adventures of Robin Dashwood good eerie fun. Leave a Reply. |
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