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Jan 18, 20236 min read

The Gryphon and His Thief by @KMNbooks is a New Year, New Books Fete pick #pnr #romance #giveaway



Title: The Gryphon and His Thief


Author: Karen Michelle Nutt


Genre: Fantasy Paranormal Romance


Book Blurb:


Darrien Andros, a gryphon sworn to protect humans is cursed to live forever, safeguarding the items in the Museum of Cursed Antiquities. His mundane life between the world of the living and turning to stone as the sun rises is disrupted when a thief attempts to steal Hecate's Stone. He cannot eliminate her for her thieving ways. Not when she resembles his dead wife. Cali Angelis, a thief for hire, needs Hecate's stone for her client. Only Darrien makes her question her client's motives. She'd like to think Darrien delusional, but she's seen the unbelievable. Will they unravel the mysteries behind the stone before history repeats itself?


Excerpt:

It took no more than one evening to track them and end their lives before returning the object to its rightful berth in the museum. Those men were bloody fools, the lot of them, to go up against a gryphon.


Only, the thief tonight had been a woman. He sighed heavily. It did not matter, he thought with determination. The end result would be the same. She’d stolen a stone that housed the power of an evil Necromancer. If such an item fell into the wrong hands, a new meaning to this century’s term “hell on earth” would ensue.


In a few days, the veil between life and death would be at its weakest. The one wielding the stone would be able to call on the dead with ease and bend them to their will. Charon, the ferryman, who ferried the dead to Hades, would not be able to deny such a request. He would be forced to bring the souls through the veil one by one.


This could not happen. If the dead walked among the living, they would eventually feed off of them. They would crave the energy that makes the living thrive. No, he could not allow the thief to accomplish such a goal.


The thief’s vehicle pulled into the parking lot of a motel where a sign flashed “vacancy” in red on the marquee. Another sign on a door to the main building overlooked the street and directed customers to check in. The rooms were located adjacent to it. The one-story units had different color doors, but all had gold numbers nailed to the center, ranging from one to twenty. The thief pulled into a car slot in front of a room with a dark green door marked number seven. By the look of the parking lot there was possibly only one other room rented for the night, which made his job much easier. If the occupant decided to be a good, law- abiding citizen, he’d take him out too.


He meant to perch on the roof of the building and keep to the shadows of the overhanging tree, but at the last second he landed on the earth behind the shrubbery. His location, opposite where the thief parked, provide a better view of her next move, without him being too obvious—once he changed into his human form.


He would have preferred the clothing he remembered from his youth. Instead, he fashioned himself in the current style of this era. He glanced down and smoothed his hand over the I Love Rock and Roll T-shirt. The worn blue jeans were comfortable, but then he frowned when his gaze landed on his bare feet. In the next second, he visualized covering them with snakeskin boots and then nodded in approval. Crouching low behind the shrubbery, he waited to make his next move.


The woman stepped out of her sedan and hurried toward a room. Her hands shook as she tried to manage the keycard into the lock mechanism and ended up dropping it in the bushes next to the walkway. It took her a few seconds to retrieve it, giving him a nice view of her shapely bottom. His lips curved before he stopped himself and was surprised at where his thoughts had ventured. He had not admired a woman in a long time and the odd sensation left him unnerved. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and shook off his moment of weakness. He didn’t have time for fanciful thoughts. He refocused and forced himself to concentrate on the thief’s actions and not her comely attributes.


Once she had the keycard in her hand, he made his move, materializing beside her as she disengaged the lock to her door. She gasped and stepped back as if to flee, but he proved quicker and his hand snaked out, grabbing her wrist. He’d not make the same mistake twice and have her slip out of his grip, leaving him with only a glove for his trouble. The skin-to-skin contact sparked a current of electricity, a jolt worthy of Zeus’ warning bolts, and by the heavens those stung.


They flew apart from the zap of energy and he slammed into the vending machine, sparking it to life and sending candy bars and chips dropping into the bin for easy access. The thief bounced against her vehicle, fell to the ground, and hit her head against the bumper on the way down, knocking her unconscious.


Fearing she’d spring to life and bolt again, he soared to his feet and strode toward her, but she lay unmoving with only the rise and fall of her chest to tell him she still lived.


“Unfortunate for you, my dear sweet thief,” he murmured. Her unconscious state made slicing her neck and taking back what belonged to the museum that much easier. He crouched down next to her and released his talons from his fingertips with a slight shift.


“Ah...soooo...nice,” the thief murmured, her voice like a sweet melody to his ears.


He frowned and stared at her, his clawed hand ready to slash, but he didn’t act. Instead, he found himself mesmerized as her tongue slipped out to moisten those pink lips of hers. He thought she would awaken, but then she shifted her bottom and settled as she curled on her side.


He retracted his claws. Curiosity got the better of him, and he had to behold the thief’s true features. He reached for the ski mask and yanked it off her head. Waves of ginger strands tumbled out like autumn arriving by storm and summer being left behind by the raging winds.


He blinked in surprise, and his blood pounded in his temples as he absorbed her every feature, features he knew as well as his own. “Callista?” he breathed the name, though it took all the air from him as if she sucker punched him.


The thief...this woman couldn’t be his lady wife.


Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):










The Wild Rose Press: https://tinyurl.com/3wecupsw


It’s a brand-new year, full of possibilities. Did you make any resolutions/goals for 2023? If so, please share one.


Donate clothes I never wear!


“We all tend to hang onto stuff "just in case." But in 2023, if I haven't worn it in a year, I’m giving to someone else so they may enjoy it.


Why is your featured book a must-read in 2023?


Featured in this fast-paced tale that intertwines mythology, history, and romance, you'll fall in love with the sexy gryphon shifter, root for the sassy heroine, and boo the villain you'll love to hate.


Giveaway –


One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card



Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.


Runs January 1 – 31, 2023.


Drawing will be held on February 1, 2023.



Author Biography:


Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has her fur babies that keep her busy.


When she's not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates book covers at Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover".


Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, time travel or contemporary romances, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.


Social Media Links:


Visit the author at her website: http://www.kmnbooks.com


Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”



Amazon Author Page:





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