Louise Lyndon: Elvenrude Trilogy

Ally Shields will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

This letter was written during the Elvenrude Trilogy book two, Cross Keys: Revelation:

Dearest Mother,

I'm writing to you from a dark dungeon somewhere in Cyrilia, a strange and desolate world beyond a secret portal. I'll not waste paper and ink by telling you about it, because it's unlikely you'll ever read this. If I get home, I'll tell you everything, except maybe about the fear and loneliness. And if I don't make it back to Elvenrude…well, writing this helps pass the time.

I made a terrible mistake in the months before and the very day I was kidnapped. I may not get a chance to make it right. And it breaks my heart he might never know the truth.

How could I have been so stupid, so blind?

He and I had a fight that day, parting with angry words. He'd been so protective for months, objecting to the constant secret missions, the risks I've taken, and I pushed back, shoving him away. The harder he tried to make things work, the more I fought him, protecting my so-called independence. When the entire time, he was really all I wanted. If only I had told him.

I begin to despair I will never leave these four stone walls. Never see my family or Elvenrude again. And never have the chance to prove to him that I love him more than life. Why did it take so long to know my heart so clearly?

I pray this won't be the end of us, and I cling to a spark of hope. If I get the slightest chance, I'll run or fight my way home.

Sweet fairy dreams. Your loving, if foolish daughter,

Kameo

Cross Keys (Elvenrude Book 1)

When a common elf—forbidden portal travel to the human world—is spotted in New Orleans, Kameo Ryndel is ordered by the king to bring him home. Before she can intervene, he's shot and his body inexplicably stolen. Even more puzzling is Seth Lormarc's appearance at the scene. Although he's an Elite elf from a rival guild and the sexy, arrogant heir to the centuries-old feud between their families, she'd reluctant to believe he's a murderer.

As their paths continue to cross and a deadly plot unfolds, they struggle to set aside the past, deny the growing attraction between them, and root out a conspiracy hidden deep inside Elvenrude…a conspiracy threatening their entire way of life.

Cross Keys: Revelation (Elvenrude Book 2)

Kam and Seth's romance hasn't been smooth over the past six months. She's been on too many CIA missions; he's had to shoulder more of his clan's duties. Then invisible assailants attack an elven guild worker, and Kam and Seth pull together to track down the intruders. The CIA interrupts again, and she and Seth part on angry words.

Returning from the short CIA mission, Kam is kidnapped by the mysterious intruders and taken to a place she never knew existed—beyond the Louisiana bayou. When she learns a terrible secret and the intruders' deadly plans, she's desperate to get home and warn Seth.

He's searching day and night, not sure whether she's dead or alive…but knowing he has to have her back.

Cross Keys: Unity (Elvenrude Book 3)

Despite unrest in their Elven homeland, Kam and Seth have scheduled their long-awaited promise ceremony for the night of the Winter Solstice. But once again fate intervenes in the form of an elf captured by human authorities, an escalation of the local rebellion, and a widespread theft of ancient human artifacts that forces the Elven king to break an oath thousands of years old.

When a spirit woman predicts a world-ending catastrophe, Kam and Seth set out on a worldwide hunt to stop an old enemy, while back in Elvenrude, Rhyden (Seth's cousin) and Esty (Kam's sister) have issues of their own. If any of them fail, there may be nothing left…and tomorrow might not come.

Excerpt from Cross Keys (Elvenrude Book 1):

Caleb nodded absently at the departing couple, then returned his gaze to Kam. “I’m serious. It’s time you became more involved with trade matters. In fact,” he paused, “you have several decisions you should be making. When are you coming home?”

“I’m here now.” She clamped down on a spark of anger. Why did every conversation with him lead into demands about the future?

“You know that isn’t what I meant.”

She stiffened. “It’s too soon for any long-term decisions. I like where we are now.” A storm was gathering in his eyes, and she took steps to head off a fight. The King's Harvest Ball was hardly the time or place. She tilted her head and looked at him. “Are you about ready to leave?” A diversion was in order before she lost her temper and said something she’d regret. “I have to be back in the city by early morning, and I can think of better things we could be doing.”

“More than ready.” His smile held a provocative edge. “Shall we start our round of goodbyes?”

“I’m going to visit the ladies’ room, then I’ll catch up with you.” She ducked her head and hurried away, anxious to get out of sight before he realized just how annoyed she was. She shoved the door open into the hallway a little harder than was necessary and ran into a solid body. She stumbled, throwing out her arms for balance.

“Oh, I’m so sor—” Strong hands caught her, and she looked up into Seth Lormarc’s glittering green eyes. “You!”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Do I know you?”

A spark of unexpected awareness ran up her arms, and she tried to shake off his grasp. He held tight until she was steady. “No, but I know who you are.” She looked pointedly at his hands. “Take your hands off me.”

“No problem.” He released her and stepped back, a smile parting his lips. “Are you always so charming?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Ally Shields grew up in the Midwest along the Mississippi River, still considers herself "a river rat," and currently resides near Des Moines. After a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time fiction writing in 2009. Her first urban fantasy, Awakening the Fire (Guardian Witch #1) was published in 2012, and she currently has ten published novels. She loves to travel in the US and abroad and incorporates many of those settings into her books. Ms. Shields welcomes reader contact through her website and can frequently be found on Twitter.

Web links:

Website: http://allyshields.com

Blog: http://allyshields.com/blog.html

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShieldsAlly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllyShieldsAuthor/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527209.Ally_Shields

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Ally-Shields/e/B009AKNDZU

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100652807699295011703/posts

Newsletter: http://paper.li/ShieldsAlly/1353941420

Cross Keys (Elvenrude Book 1):

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Keys-Ally-Shields-ebook/dp/B00NSR0OT4/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-keys-ally-shields/1120425394?ean=2940150347144