Today I am happy to be participating in a blog tour for Prince of Secrets and Shadows written by C.S. Johnson. Before I begin this promo post, I would like to thank R&R Book Tours and the author for organizing this fantastic blog tour. There have been so many great posts and I am happy to be a part of it. I was actually a part of the tour for the first book in this series Kingdom of Ash and Soot. Stay until the end and we have something special for you all as well!
Alright…today, let’s learn a little more about C. S. Johnson and her new novel Prince of Secrets and Shadows.
Prince of Secrets and Shadows (The Order of the Crystal Daggers #2)
Author: C. S. Johnson
Published: December 4th, 2018
Publisher: Prodigy Gold Books
Book Length: 250 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Buy the book: Amazon
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, but if I did not find a way to break free of him, I would risk doing even more harm.
Ferdy met my gaze with his. “I promise you this, Ella, that as of now, I will never lie to you again.” He leaned forward and kissed me again, and I stood there, letting him, desperately debating whether I could trust him or not. His promise burned through me, his words scorched into my being. It was so tempting to believe him, more tempting than anything else I had ever faced in all my life.
Freedom was only freedom if I could trust it to be true.
PRAGUE, 1870
After joining the Order of the Crystal Daggers, led by her dauntless grandmother, Lady Penelope, Eleanora Svobodová set out to save her kingdom from oncoming devastation.
And she failed.
Following the attack on Prague Castle, Eleanora is determined to redeem herself. She sets out to win Karl’s trust while distancing herself from Ferdy, whose secrets and lies have done nothing to stop her from falling in love with him. As she struggles to let him go, questions about the mission and her mother’s past cause a rift between Amir and Lady Penelope and add to the growing discord between Eleanora and her brother.
But when a cunning provocateur arrives in Prague, Eleanora discovers there is an even more deadly game afoot, one that reaches into Amir’s past and threatens Lady Penelope’s future. Now, the members of the Order must work together if they are to uncover the true enemy hiding in Bohemia.
Can they work together despite their divisions? Or will their division lead to even more destruction?
With spies, secrets, and suspense, Prince of Secrets and Shadows is the second book in The Order of the Crystal Daggers, a spy adventure series from C. S. Johnson.
Doesn’t that sounds good?! If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a new must-read series.
Excerpt
Lady Penelope will be upset with me when I see her again.
I decided I would welcome her ire, if it meant Ben was alive and the Order would allow me a chance to redeem myself. And then Lord Maximillian would pay, I vowed, gripping my fingers into fists as my failure tormented me.
“Please,” Philip said, stepping forward as I began to pull on my boots. “You are not well.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. It was at that moment I realized my dagger, the one that marked me as a member of the Order of the Crystal Daggers, was missing. “Where is my dagger?”
Philip hesitated again. “Please, just rest for now, my lady. His Highness only wishes for you to recover.”
“I am feeling fine,” I repeated angrily, shooting him a threatening glance. “Give me back my things. I need to be on my way, and I won’t let you—or him—stop me.”
Philip did not seem to be very brave—or at least, he was not willing to anger me. As displaced and determined as I was, I supposed I could not fault him for that. He gulped and nodded slowly. “As you wish, my lady. I shall return.”
He paused briefly when he opened the door. “I know I should not tell you this,” he said quietly, “but His Highness wishes for you to stay here. You are safe, and so are your secrets. We are indebted to you for what you have done.”
Heat poured through me. As Philip left, relocking the doors, I finally caught sight of myself in the mirror. My cheeks burned bright crimson as my heart began to beat faster inside my chest.
He wants me to stay.
But a long moment later, I forced myself to move. I could not stay. I had my family to find, my work to finish.
My dignity to salvage, my honor to restore.
I grabbed at the dress left out for me and tugged it over my head. With the stays laced loosely, I could easily wear it over my stealth habit. I hurried to secure it, grateful it would be a suitable disguise. Just as I was contemplating how to get home, even if it meant walking the whole way there, the lock clicked again.
The door opened as I pulled my hair free and tucked my hood down beneath a line of ruffles.
“You can put my dagger down on the table, Philip.” I tugged the sleeves down off my shoulders, grimacing as the lower neckline brushed over the small cut. “I’ll get it in a moment.”
“I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that you hardly pay attention to me when we meet like this.”
My spine tingled with sudden awareness, and my heart began to race at the sound of his voice. It was not Philip who had come.
It was Ferdy.
About the Author
C. S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me.
Cover Reveal
Here is the surprise…the cover reveal of book 3!! The cover of the first and second books have been stunning so you all know this will be no exception.
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Here it is…
Yep…stunning as expected! Heart of Hope and Fear will be nothing but exceptional! Be sure to watch for the newest addition in this great historical fiction series.
Giveaway
I have an amazing giveaway for you all today! The author is giving away a print copy of Prince of Secrets and Shadows.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blog Tour Organized By:
R&R Book Tours
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.
There’s an error when I go to subscribe to her website. 🙁
Oh no! I’ll try to figure this out!
Oh! This sounds interesting! Actually, I think I have a copy of Kingdom of Ash and soot with me. Might as well read that one first😊
I haven’t read the first but I was a part of the first tour and did a promo post also. They sound so good!