NEW RELEASE
Book Title: Light from
the Grave
Author: Sara Dobie
Bauer
Publisher: Carnation Books
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Designs
Release Date: October 24,
2023
Genres: Paranormal M/M romance
Tropes: witches, anti-hero, age gap
Themes: grief, mental health, redemption, family
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 94 000 words/374
pages
It is a standalone book and
does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
I’m what nightmares are
made of, but I’m not sure who’s more dangerous: him or me.
Blurb
In the world of witches, Keller Rex is a legendary
monster—a dark sorcerer with a gift for suffering. He has long been the protector of the
Zayne coven and their ancestral home in Charleston, South Carolina. When the family
matriarch, Vivian Zayne, dies under mysterious circumstances, he is tasked with finding the
only person who can open her sealed Book of Shadows: the son no one knew she
had.
Dylan Quinn has never bothered to figure out why cats
follow him everywhere, but it’s been that way for as long as he can remember. After the
unexpected passing of his adoptive mother, he had to make a new home for himself in small-
town Ohio. Things have been quiet ever since, but lately, there are strange voices in his
dreams and a sense of being watched.
When a striking Southern gent appears in town, Dylan
welcomes the distraction. Keller is handsome and charming, but Dylan can tell there’s
something else, something eerie about him. And he discovers he’s right, as Keller goes from
being Dylan’s seducer… to his abductor.
Now back in Charleston, Dylan’s newfound family is
shocked when it’s discovered his magical affinity is for death itself. Despite his fears, he’ll
need to learn to control his terrifying powers in order to open the Zayne Book of Shadows.
He also needs to keep his coven safe, and time is running out. The estate’s protective wards
expire on Halloween, and power-hungry witches from all over are ready to pounce.
While Dylan’s awakening darkness threatens to overwhelm
him, Keller finds himself confronted by feelings he thought long dead. Keller will do anything
to protect his young necromancer and open Vivian’s Book of Shadows, but the Zaynes are in
for a surprise when Dylan resurrects someone he shouldn’t.
Excerpt
Dylan stood by his kitchen island drinking a glass of water
and froze at the sudden arrival in his home. Keller moved with inhuman speed. He appeared
right in front of Dylan, who gasped and dropped his glass, which shattered on the wooden
floor at their feet. Taking hold of Dylan’s shirt, Keller shoved the smaller man against the
fridge.
“What are you?”
Dylan’s chin trembled. “What?”
Keller clenched his teeth. “What are you?”
“I-I don’t understand, but I’d really like you to leave
please.”
Keller let go of Dylan. He chuckled and paced halfway
across the small apartment and back. He was tired of playing games, tired of trying to work
his magic on someone who seemed impervious to his influence, so Keller chose truth. “Your
family is waiting,” he said. “Long story short: your biological mother is dead. She was a bitch
who won’t be missed, and there is no time to spare. Several lives depend on you, so we
need to go. Now.”
“What the fuck, man?” His words shook. “I don’t know who
you think I am, but my biological mother died giving birth to me. That’s why my adopted
mom agreed to give me her family name.”
“Zayne,” Keller said.
Dylan took a startled step back and again rammed right into
the fridge. “How do you know that?”
“Because your biological mother did not die giving birth to
you. She died a week ago.”
“How?”
Keller snorted. “That’s up for debate.”
“I don’t—”
Keller held up a hand between them, a silent but visible
order for Dylan to listen. “Your biological mother’s name was Vivian Zayne, and she was a
very powerful witch. We, as her coven, didn’t know you existed until the reading of her will.
Imagine our surprise.”
Dylan’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You come from a family of witches.”
“Witches aren’t real.”
“Are you sure?”
Dylan didn’t look sure of anything. He looked like a
frightened child.
Keller leaned his elbows on the kitchen island. “How long
have cats been following you?”
“They’re just … cats,” Dylan said. “They follow
everyone.”
“They follow you. How long have they been following you?
Your whole life, I assume.”
Dylan glanced at the row of cats watching from his
bedroom doorway.
“We call them familiars.” Keller clicked his tongue and
stood. “Now, you may continue to have an internal crisis on the drive to Charleston. You’re
coming with me. You don’t have a choice.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” He reached for the
chain around his neck—a nervous tic Keller had noticed before—but his fingertips found
nothing.
With that, Keller leaned his head back and roared with
laughter. He didn’t have much time to enjoy his dark amusement though, because even if
Dylan didn’t believe in witches, he did believe in that necklace.
When the boy charged for his bedroom, Keller sprung into
action. He wrapped his arms around Dylan’s upper body and held him captive against his
chest, but Dylan still struggled against him, struggled to reach the necklace Keller saw
hanging on the lamp by Dylan’s bed.
Keller spoke with his lips against Dylan’s ear. “All you had to
do was wear that necklace, and I couldn’t control you. What a day to forget to put it on,
hmm?”
In his arms, Dylan gave up fighting but did tremble with
silent tears.
“Shh,” Keller whispered. “I’ll only hurt you if you make
me.”
Dylan started shouting. He called out for help, but Keller
covered his mouth with his hand and subdued his screams. The dampness of Dylan’s warm
breath mixed with the saltwater of his tears against Keller’s palm.
Then, something strange happened. Keller found himself
thrown backwards. He landed with a thud against Dylan’s bedroom wall. Dylan was no
longer in his arms. Dylan was also no longer screaming. Keller, recovered from the invisible
attack, raised his head to find Dylan standing in front of him—Dylan, but not Dylan. His eyes
had gone black, just like they had in the coffee shop. Tiny black veins appeared around his
eyes and spread down his cheeks.
Keller stared in wonder while cats hissed from Dylan’s
windowpane but came no closer. “There you are, gorgeous,” Keller said.
About the Author
Bestselling romance
author.
Bisexual witch.
Feminist. Pro-choice. Anti-
censorship.
Timothee Chalamet
freak.
Horror movie
aficionado.
Vampire mermaid in a past
life.
Sara Dobie Bauer somehow
survived her party-hard college years at Ohio University to earn a creative writing degree.
She lives with her precious Pit Bull in Northeast Ohio, although she’d really like to live in a
Tim Burton film.
Author Links
Blog/Website
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