Order of the Blade Series
DARKNESS AWAKENEDOrder of the Blade Series, Book OneThe Calydons are a race of ancient immortals cursed with a dark side. Each Calydon is destined to meet his soul mate, to be so drawn to her that he is unable to resist bonding with her through the rituals of his race…
…but their destiny is to destroy each other and all they care about the moment their bond is complete.
Quinn Masters will stop at nothing to rescue his rogue teammate. To save his blood brother and ensure his brand of justice triumphs, Quinn will break every rule of his kind and partner with the sensuous, courageous woman destined to be his ultimate destruction.
Haunted by a brutal past, Illusionist Grace Matthews will risk everything to save her kidnapped sister, including putting her life in the sinfully capable hands of an immortal warrior whose ravaging kisses and intense passion propel her ruthlessly toward a fateful destiny she can't afford to believe in.
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DARKNESS SEDUCEDOrder of the Blade Series, Book TwoImmortal warrior Gideon Roarke made an oath five hundred years ago to the woman who died for him. The ancient Calydon is ruthless in his quest to honor that promise, even if it means risking everything by teaming up with the one woman who will either destroy him, or finally bring redemption to his blackened, hardened soul.
After escaping from a two-year imprisonment at the hands of a madman, the only thing Lily Davenport wants is to go home and reclaim her life. Unfortunately for Lily, standing between her and that goal is a sensual, demanding protector whose dangerous seduction threatens to claim her life…and her soul.
The Calydons Destiny: The Calydons are a race of ancient immortals cursed with a dark side. Each Calydon is destined to meet his soul mate, to be so drawn to her that he is unable to resist bonding with her through the rituals of his race…
…but their destiny is to destroy each other and all they care about the moment their bond is complete.
After escaping from a two-year imprisonment at the hands of a madman, the only thing Lily Davenport wants is to go home and reclaim her life. Unfortunately for Lily, standing between her and that goal is a sensual, demanding protector whose dangerous seduction threatens to claim her life…and her soul.
The Calydons Destiny: The Calydons are a race of ancient immortals cursed with a dark side. Each Calydon is destined to meet his soul mate, to be so drawn to her that he is unable to resist bonding with her through the rituals of his race…
…but their destiny is to destroy each other and all they care about the moment their bond is complete.
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DARKNESS SURRENDEREDOrder of the Blade Series, Book TwoSix hundred years ago, Elijah Ross was tortured into insanity and thrust into a mental hell that no living creature has ever survived…except him.
Now, that same evil is back, and Elijah is all that stands between it and the destruction of all of humanity, but each step he takes drags him further back into the nightmare that once consumed him.
Elijah's only chance is Ana Matthews, whose sensual kisses and passionate fire thrust hope and light into his blackened heart and fragmented mind, but her deadly past could be the final trigger for his descent into irretrievable madness and the destruction of his soul…and humanity.
Now, that same evil is back, and Elijah is all that stands between it and the destruction of all of humanity, but each step he takes drags him further back into the nightmare that once consumed him.
Elijah's only chance is Ana Matthews, whose sensual kisses and passionate fire thrust hope and light into his blackened heart and fragmented mind, but her deadly past could be the final trigger for his descent into irretrievable madness and the destruction of his soul…and humanity.
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FOREVER IN DARKNESSOrder of the Blade Series, Book FourCursed to die for a choice his ancestor made, Ian Fitzgerald has spent six hundred years fighting the curse and trying to restore honor to his family's name. But his time to die has finally come, and his doom is in the guise of the one woman he cannot walk away from: his soul mate. Or is she really who she seems?
Light and darkness, shadows and death, reality and illusions swirl around Ian as the curse hauls him relentlessly toward his own demise. Desperate to survive, Ian fights ruthlessly to uncover the truth about the sensual, desperate female who has died in his arms already…twice. Can she save him, or will she be the final key to the destruction of everything he has fought to protect?
Light and darkness, shadows and death, reality and illusions swirl around Ian as the curse hauls him relentlessly toward his own demise. Desperate to survive, Ian fights ruthlessly to uncover the truth about the sensual, desperate female who has died in his arms already…twice. Can she save him, or will she be the final key to the destruction of everything he has fought to protect?
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DARKNESS REBORNOrder of the Blade Series, Book FiveTalismans carved into his body. A lethal darkness amassing inside him. A woman who calls to his spirit on levels so intimate and so passionate that his deadened soul screams in agony. Calydon warrior Kane Santiago has a past he can't remember, and a deadly legacy closing in on him. His only chance is Sarah Burns, a sensual, courageous woman fighting to save herself and her family from an ancient, brutal evil.Sarah is on the verge of losing everything, but she can't afford to trust Kane, who is either the key to her final destruction…or her only chance of survival. Bound together by a connection so deep that it has the power to bring the past and all its nightmares back to life, Kane and Sarah must tap into the hearts they closed down so long ago or lose everything, including their souls.
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DARKNESS ARISENThe Order of the Blade Series, Book SixAvailable March 25, 2013Darkness Hunts Him.Calydon warrior Ian Fitzgerald refuses to die. Cursed by black magic, he has stayed alive through sheer force of will and unyielding commitment to a mission he is sworn to complete. There is only one thing that can defeat him…and she has just found him.
Desire Torments Her.Ravaged by her own passions, tarnished angel Alice Shaw is fighting desperately for salvation before all she cares about is lost forever. Her sensual allure, and the forbidden power buried inside her, are outshone only by the burning need she awakens in Ian.
Fierce Passion Ignites.Raging desire explodes between Ian and Alice, pushing them to the brink of destruction. They cannot afford to succumb, but the cord that binds them will never let them go…not until their most dreaded nightmares come true. Together, they are destined to fail. Together, they will fight to survive the impossible
Desire Torments Her.Ravaged by her own passions, tarnished angel Alice Shaw is fighting desperately for salvation before all she cares about is lost forever. Her sensual allure, and the forbidden power buried inside her, are outshone only by the burning need she awakens in Ian.
Fierce Passion Ignites.Raging desire explodes between Ian and Alice, pushing them to the brink of destruction. They cannot afford to succumb, but the cord that binds them will never let them go…not until their most dreaded nightmares come true. Together, they are destined to fail. Together, they will fight to survive the impossible
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Stephanie Rowe Bio
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Four-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Heart® Award winner Stephanie Rowe is the nationally bestselling author of more than twenty published novels with major New York publishers, including Warner/Grand Central, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dorchester & Sourcebooks. Stephanie has received starred reviews from Booklist and high praise from Publisher's Weekly. Stephanie writes romance (paranormal, contemporary and suspense), teen fiction, middle grade fiction and motivational nonfiction, including her bestselling dark paranormal Order of the Blade series.
Connect with Stephanie:
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Actually, this book had a different inspiration than others. Usually, I tell my cover artist what my book is about, and he puts together a cover based on what I tell him. For Darkness Arisen, he was working a little bit of ahead of schedule and decided to do the cover before I told him anything about the book. When he sent the draft of the cover to me, I had planned for the story to happen in the woods. Once I got the cover, and there was the ocean and these misty, ghost-like women on the cover, I completely changed the story and ended up with a really fun and new direction for the series. So, although I knew some elements of the story beforehand, the true nature of the story came to life after I saw the cover for the book. It worked so well that we have adopted that as our new process. He puts together a cover and then I will write to it.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Other than the main couple, Ian and Sarah, the character I find most intriguing is Ryland. He is such a dichotomy of unflinching loyalty and merciless violence, along with an obsession with angels that just doesn't seem to fit who he is. I'm really excited to delve deeper into his story in Darkness Unleashed. But I'm also strangely obsessed with the horse, Deathbringer. He's incredibly noble and badass, and he has many stories of his own to tell…
Which came first, the title or the novel?
The concept came first, then the title, then the actual writing of the book. From earlier books, I knew that Ian had really suffered when his soulmate had died, so I decided that the worst possible thing for him to face would be a soulmate who would die repeatedly on him, forcing him to face his worst nightmare until he figured out how to handle it. The angel of life seemed to be the perfect foil for him: a woman who could come back to life after being killed, so she could keep sending them both through that same hell until they found a way to break the cycle. Sometimes, the only way to heal is to face your nightmares until you defeat them. The fact that she comes back from the dead correlates to the word choice of "arisen," in addition to the fact that she brings to life the curse that has been hunting him for five hundred years.
What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
The last scene in the book. Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly how to wrap up a story in a way that gives depth, meaning and triumph to the struggle that came before, but I felt like the final scene in the book pulled it together in such an emotional and powerful way.
Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Write with emotion. That's the bottom line. Not just your own emotion, but to bring the characters to life so deeply that you feel their emotions as if they are their own. It is not uncommon to see tears streaming down my cheeks when I'm writing an emotional scene, or laughing outloud while I'm writing another part. What makes a story compelling is when the reader gets emotionally invested in the characters, and that can only happen if they suffer, cry, breathe and laugh like a real person. I truly believe the only way that a writer can make a story come alive is if they open themselves up completely and access the very depths of their soul while they are writing. It's scary, difficult and risky, and it took me many, many books before I really understood it, but I feel like that understanding has taken my last few books to a new level.
What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I love it all! I think the misty-ghostlike women are really intriguing. I love the power of the male image, and the image of the ocean, because the ocean is so much bigger and powerful than any being.
What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2013?
Of my own books, or in general? For my own books, I'm really looking forward to the release of my new dark paranormal series, The Ruined Lords. Guardian of the Hidden will be the first book, and it's really, really cool. So excited to invite readers into a new world! I'm also excited for Elisabeth Naughton's next paranormal. She is so talented!
What was your favorite book in 2012?
Honestly, I've read so many books this year that it would be impossible to select one of them. I love Christine Feehan's GAME series, and Lisa Kleypas's historicals. Those are two of my favorites!
What’s up next for you?
I'm currently working on the seventh Order of the Blade book, Darkness Unleashed, which will be out later in the year. I'm also working on Guardian of the Hidden, the launch book for my new paranormal series. Plus a top secret surprise project that I can't reveal yet…
Is there anything that you would like to add?
Thank you so much for having me! I really appreciate it!
DARKNESS ARISEN
Blog Tour Schedule
3/25 - The Reading Café
3/26 - Reading Between The Wines
3/28 - United by Books
3/30 - Ramblings From This Chick
3/31 - Redheaded Bookworm
4/01 - Wicked Readings
4/02 - Beach Bum Reads
4/03 - Books-n-Kisses
4/04 - Riverina Romantics
4/06 - Alexx Mom Cat's Gateway
4/07 - GraveTells
4/10 - Romancing The Book
4/11 - Cocktails and Books
4/12 - I Smell Sheep
4/13 - Jeep Diva
I'm on the third book of the Order series and they are so good and even though I love all of your men, I can't wait to read Ryland's story. He is so tormented and close to the edge, my heart breaks for him, so I'm on the edge waiting for him to find his sheva and happiness.
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