COVER REVEAL: “Beauty and Valor” by Jessamyn Kingley
COVER REVEAL
Book Title: Beauty and
Valor (D’Vaire, Book 32)
Author and Publisher:
Jessamyn Kingley
Cover Artist: LJ Anderson of
Mayhem Cover Creations
Release Date: October 20,
2022
Genres: MM Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Tropes: Fated mates
Themes: Love, overcoming obstacles
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 88 638
words
It is not a standalone story
but does the book end on a
cliffhanger.
Amazon Series Link
Perfection comes in many
forms, and true courage is beautiful.
Blurb
Preston Hawthorneonca-Stone is a warrior. In a fit of rage,
his father changed Preston’s life on a horrible day in 1994. Now a brain injury survivor,
Preston lives with his brother and their growing family. A recent addition to the Council of
Sorcery and Shifters, Preston has landed his dream job of working with animals.
Resurrected in 1995, Ridgely Walsh is dedicated to his job
and the tightknit group of friends he considers family. With his penchant for honesty, Ridgely
is the level-headed and sometimes hard-assed member of their little group. Ridgely doesn’t
play foolish games, and he accepts people at face value.
Although Ridgely yearns for a mate, nothing prepares him
for the moment he meets Preston. The beautiful jaguar-human hybrid with the big brown
eyes halts Ridgely in his tracks. Ridgely rapidly discovers his true purpose is to be a good
partner to his other half. Preston is equally taken with Ridgely but fears how the fallen knight
will handle his imperfections. Together, they must navigate the path Fate chose for them and
discover what it means to love unconditionally.
Excerpt
As Preston walked to the table, Ridgely rose and
immediately understood by the hitch in the hybrid’s gate that his slow speech wasn’t the
only unique thing about him. Ridgely’s mind processed that information. In the Council
world, they staffed hospitals and clinics with druids capable of mending nearly every malady.
What they could not fix was anything in the brain and some issues in the spinal cord.
Ridgely wondered if Preston had been born with some
anomaly or if he’d suffered an accident. As a human hybrid, Preston was more delicate than
an average shifter, but neither that nor his physical challenges bothered Ridgely. His curiosity
was genuine, but Ridgely would allow Preston to reveal his secrets in his own time. When his
mate was ready, Ridgely hoped to understand what set him apart, but it was one of the
many things intriguing about Preston.
With a smile, Ridgely circled the table and aided Preston
into his seat.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Ridgely told Preston.
“I’m sorry I walk slow,” Preston replied, consternation
making his brow furrow, and he locked his gaze on the shiny white plates on the
table.
His lips pursed, Ridgely strode to his chair and sat. “I can’t
imagine why you’re apologizing to me for how you walk. It makes no difference to me how
you get to the table, just as long as you’re here.”
Preston’s dimples deepened as he lifted his head and
smiled at Ridgely. “Dates are scary.”
“Right? I changed my shirt three times.”
“I picked mine out yesterday. My family helped.”
Their server appeared and took their drink orders. Ridgely
went with a beer, while Preston chose a raspberry tea.
“I feel bad that I’m drinking and you’re not,” Ridgely
said.
With a twist of his mouth, Preston’s thick lashes concealed
his dark eyes. “I have to take some medications, and I’m not supposed to have alcohol with
them.”
“I hope you don’t feel like apologizing for that too.”
Preston pulled his lips in, and humor danced in his gaze. “I
was considering it.”
“Believe it or not, I figured that out. Your face is pretty
expressive.”
“I know. It makes me a terrible liar.”
Ridgely chuckled. “That’s fine with me. I’m not a fan of
dishonesty.”
“I don’t like it either.”
“Let’s decide what we’re ordering so we can compare notes
and find more things in common.”
“Okay,” Preston said. “Have you eaten here
before?”
“Once. I had steak, I think. I remember the food being
delicious.”
Their drinks arrived, and they informed the server of their
choices of cuisine. The server took the menus and left them alone again.
“I have a hard time remembering things,” Preston informed
Ridgely quietly. His lanky frame tensed, and Ridgely’s instinct was to soothe the troubled
man. “Jordan used to make me lists for my daily hygiene and other routine tasks. Without
them, I’d forget to do the basics like brushing my teeth, taking my medications, putting
everything I need for the day in my bag, and feeding my kittens.”
“Sounds to me like you guys approached a problem and
found a workable solution.”
“You have a positive attitude. I like that about you.”
“Thank you, Dimples. I like you too. Tell me more about
your job. I know you’re a big animal lover. Have you always worked at rescues?”
Preston grinned at the nickname, and Ridgely loved the joy
on his beautiful face.
“No, I couldn’t get anyone to hire me when we lived as
humans. The Council has programs designed to help people like me, and that’s how I was
hired at Felidaes. I worked in a restaurant prior to that. My boss was nice, but it was
boring.”
“I’m glad you joined the Council, otherwise it might’ve
been a long time before we met.”
“I read that humans killed the leaders of the fallen
knights.”
Ridgely nodded. “They did centuries ago. I try not to be
biased against anyone, but the humans I’ve interacted while I’m working haven’t treated me
or my co-workers kindly.”
“It wasn’t horrible to live as humans, but it was a lie. I
didn’t want to make friends because I hated being dishonest about myself. Although Jordan
worked hard to ensure I had the care I needed, I had to switch doctors constantly so they
wouldn’t discover I was a hybrid. I’m happy I don’t have to deal with that any longer. I have
more opportunities, and it’s a relief to be myself. And we had to shift in our apartment, so
my beast didn’t like that.”
Their food arrived, and Ridgely eagerly dug into his
potatoes. Just as Ridgely remembered, the taste was exquisite, but not nearly as enchanting
as the man across from him.
About the Author
Jessamyn Kingley lives in
Nevada where she begs the men in her head to tell her their amazing stories which she
dutifully writes it all down in what has become a small mountain of notebooks. She falls in
love with each couple and swears whatever book she wrote last is her absolute
favorite.
Jessamyn is married and
working toward remembering to start the dishwasher without being distracted by the scent
of the magical detergent. For personal enjoyment, she aids in cat rescue while slashing and
gashing her way through mobs in various MMORPGs. Caffeine is her very best friend and is
only cast aside briefly for the sin better known as BBQ potato chips.
Join her Facebook group, Jessamyn’s Ruffian’s
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