Darker Themes
Hi
everyone. Thank you, NJ, for letting me
visit here today to talk about my newest novella, Destiny & Dragons.
My
fairy tale series are light and humorous and quick little reads to pass the
afternoon. But as some readers have already figured out, there are also more
serious themes in the tales.
In
Let Down Your Hair it was about acceptance of yourself and your partner,
without trying to change them. It was
about living your life the way you want to, without fear of what others think
of you.
For
Potions & Prisons I delved into sacrifice, and what you would give
up to be with the one you love – which seems to be a theme for more than one of
my books.
Destiny
& Dragons is my third fairy story and it also touches
on the theme of sacrifice, but it is not the only topic I raise.
Abandonment
by your family is a popular theme in MM romances. Too many teens come out to
their families only to be disowned or kicked out of their homes. In a contemporary setting this can work very
well. In a fairy tale setting, not so
much. So I went with a different type of
abandonment, more fitting for this particular kingdom.
Runt,
the sweet young dragon, has suffered the worst kind of abandonment and has lost
hope entirely, when he is found by Marcus.
Left behind by his family, held prisoner, tortured, and abused, he has a
lot of issues to work through if he is going to get a happy ending.
I
hope you enjoy my fairy tales, whether for the simple humour or the more
serious topics I raise in them.
Blurb
When
Lord Marcus set out on his quest, it seemed a simple enough task to accomplish.
Slay the dragon and rescue the princess, securing his father's approval and
earning his happily ever after—only the princess is a witch and the dragon is
nowhere to be seen. Instead he finds a young man who has a very big secret and
is in far greater need of rescuing. Marcus's well planned quest might have
taken an unexpected turn, but his happy ending could still be within his grasp,
if he can earn the trust of a dragon who has been betrayed and hurt by everyone
he has ever known.
Excerpt
Once the servants had departed, Marcus went
to fetch Runt from the bedroom so he could take a bath. As Runt stripped out of
his borrowed clothes, Marcus tried not to stare at his body. When he caught
Robert's knowing glance, he scowled and set about scrubbing at Runt's hair with
a little more force than was necessary. When Runt cringed at his ministrations,
he mumbled apologies and made an effort to take more care. He tried to keep his
touches business-like, but he didn't fool anyone and certainly not himself. As
he washed away the layers of dirt, bruises upon bruises were revealed, along
with more scars than Marcus had ever seen on another living being. Marcus's
heart ached when he saw the abuse the poor dragon had suffered.
He was vaguely aware of Robert and Aiden
leaving the chambers, but he couldn't take his eyes off Runt. A thin scar,
several years old, stretched down the length of his arm. Marcus traced the
raised flesh with his finger.
"One of the princes did that," Runt
whispered. "I was lucky. If I hadn't moved just in time, he would have
pierced my heart. Sometimes I used to wonder whether I might be better off if
one of them had."
"No!" Marcus took Runt into his
arms, cautious not to hold him too tightly. "Never say that. You're safe
now."
"I'd given up," Runt cried. "When
you came to the castle, I'd given up hope of ever being free again. I longed
for the pain to end. I just wanted everything to be over."
Marcus carried Runt to the rug in front of
the fire. He held the dragon while he sobbed and Marcus murmured nonsense words
into his ear. He vowed the witch would be dead before the end of the year. No
one else would suffer at her hands.
Author
Bio
L.M.
Brown is an English writer of MM and MMM romances. She believes there is
nothing hotter or sweeter than two men in love with each other… unless it is
three.
L.M.
Brown loves hearing from readers so don't be shy.
Find
L.M. Brown Here
Twitter:
@LMBrownAuthor
