Release Blitz, Review, Author Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway: Luck of the Draw by Addison Albright

Luck of the Draw By Addison Albright

Genre: Fantasy, GLBTQ, MM, Romance

Tropes: Arranged marriage, peace treaty, dark secrets, forgiveness

Released: July 22, 2023

Publisher: JMS Books, LLC

Length: 25,700 words

Cover Design: Written Ink Designs

Synopsis

Drawing the short straw is bad luck…isn’t it?

A treaty between three warring realms calls for a mass wedding ceremony amongst their eligible princes and princesses to solidify the peace. But since the number of males and females differ, one of the marriages must be between two of the princes.

Prince Obren of Canna draws the short straw, sealing his fate, and Prince Dukan of Butari volunteers to be the other half of the nontraditional marriage. The two princes fought nobly in the years-long war and are willing to do whatever it takes to finalize the treaty, ending the conflict that took the lives of their loved ones…Obren’s brother and Dukan’s lover.

Each harbors a dark secret, and King Rogan of Canna has long nurtured a deep hatred of Obren, blaming him for bringing home the deadly virus responsible for the untimely death of his much-adored wife. Obren and Dukan can’t deny their chemistry, but can they overcome the ugly truths complicating their path to a friendly, respectful, and—dare they hope—loving relationship? Will King Rogan stop at nothing to dash Obren’s chance at happiness, or does that short straw represent good luck, after all?

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

I really enjoyed this story!

It’s been a little over a year since I read my last book by Addison Albright so I was really happy to get a chance to read and review this novella. I know some people don’t read blurbs but I do recommend it for this book because it’s a pretty good introduction to the story.

I felt really bad for Obren. His father hates him for something he couldn’t control. That leads to him being set up for something he never expected.

I loved how both Obren and Dukan were able to put aside bad things and proceed with the arrangement that neither of them specifically asked for. There’s a dark threat – secrets they are both keeping – and a twist that I didn’t see coming.

This was a great story; I really enjoy a well written novella!

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

Reviews for Addison Albright

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Author Interview

Hello and thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog today!

Q: What’s your favorite scene in your latest book and what makes it a fave?
A: I’m going to go with the scene where the MCs are sharing their “dark secrets” with each other. It’s a fave because of the strong emotions involved.
Would you care to share an excerpt from the scene with us? — Sure! For context, Obren and Dukan are princes who are recently betrothed as part of a peace treaty. Both fought in the war where, in one battle, Obren (an archer) was cut off from arrow resupply and used his slingshot to kill the man who was about to kill his younger brother. Turns out that man was Dukan’s lover.

[Obren] was ready when Dukan reared to throw his stone, and at precisely the right moment, he released the string that wasn’t looped around his middle finger to send his stone to meet Dukan’s over the water.
The stones collided with a resounding clatter. Dukan’s reaction was immediate, turning, fully alert, with his hand at the ready on the hilt of his sword.
His eyes widened and his upper body swayed back when their gazes locked. They stood silently as Obren carefully tucked his slingshot into his waistband. It seemed an eternity passed before Dukan broke the tension-filled silence.
“Obren?”
Of course, Dukan wasn’t questioning who he was. They were close enough for that to be obvious. That one word represented a different question. Although the answer to that, too, was evident assuming there wasn’t another covert slingshot ace out there with Obren’s level of expertise.
“I’m sorry.” Obren managed to warble those two short words. He cleared his throat. “I thought it best to be honest with you.”
Dukan didn’t reply. He stood staring, slowly bobbing his head ever so slightly. His hand dropped from where he’d been holding it on the hilt of his sword, but he remained silent. It was difficult to parse the expression in his eyes at their distance, but he appeared thoughtful.
Obren continued. “Lale…he’s good, but he isn’t nearly the swordsman Pejo was. Maybe he eventually will be, but…he wasn’t yet. He—” Obren choked, replaying the scene in his mind. His blood running cold, fearing for his brother’s life. “He was no match for him.”
No match for Lord Vidan Faddy. Dukan would know who he was talking about, but Obren found it difficult to say the name aloud.
A tear streaked down Obren’s cheek, and his voice shook as he continued his plea. “Lale was about to be run through. I couldn’t…couldn’t…just stand there and do nothing.” Obren’s voice gained strength. “Couldn’t just stand there and watch my remaining brother be killed!”
A rattling sob escaped Obren, and he took a moment to listen to a songbird trill in a nearby tree. He softly continued, and hoped his eyes expressed his anguish and the plea for forgiveness that he felt from the top of his head, through every bone, to the tips of his toes. “I will forever be deeply sorry for your loss and the pain it causes you, but I can’t be sorry for saving my brother’s life.”

Q: If you could spend some real-life time with one of your characters, who would you choose and why?
A: I’ll go with Wilson from Weekend at Bigfoot’s. He’s a tabloid writer and travels the country, and sometimes the world, for the stories he writes. He never believed have the nonsense he wrote about…not before meeting Oliver, anyway. But he would be highly entertaining with all the stories he would have to tell, especially with his new perspective.

Q: On the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?
A: One of my favorite characters is Nash from To Love and To Cherish. But he’s a bit of a hot mess and would probably drive me nuts.

Q: Have you ever written a line, paragraph, or passage, and thought, “Darn, that’s pretty amazing, even if I do say so myself”? What was it?
A. LOL. Yeah, I’ll go with the scene in When Are You? where Leo and Vinnie have just made it back through a time rift (although in that moment they don’t know that’s what it was) before it snapped closed, and they are just discovering that they’ve been cut off from their young son. Literally cut off, as in Leo is holding the top few inches of the stroller’s handlebar and the rest of it, including their child, is on the other side. Very emotional scene, needless to say! (But I want to reassure potential readers that there is a happy ending, and the child isn’t even particularly traumatized)

Q: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?
A: Mystery. It’s one of my faves to read, but as a pantser, it would be extra tricky. Some of my stories have a little element of mystery, but they’re not full-blown mysteries. I have evolved from full-blown pantser to more of a hybrid “plantser,” so maybe there’s hope I’ll be able to write one sometime in the future?

Q: Let’s talk tropes: do you have a few favorites that you enjoy both writing and reading? If so, what are they and what makes them your favorites?
A: Yes! Amnesia, Marriage of Convenience, and Arranged Marriage. Mashing them together is even more fun. I combined Marriage of Convenience with Amnesia in To Love and To Cherish, and Amnesia and Arranged Marriage in The Plans Trilogy. It’s kind of hard to put my finger on what’s so appealing about them since I find the ideal of arranged marriage, in particular, to be horrifying in real life. Amnesia just plain opens up so many potential fun scenarios. Hurt/Comfort is another trope that’s like catnip to me, probably because it gives so much opportunity to show empathy in otherwise gruff characters?

Q: If you could choose one of your books to be adapted for the silver screen, which would you choose? Why do you think it would translate well to film?
A: That’s a tough decision, but I think I’ll go with The Plans Trilogy. It has a nice combo of fun, sweet, dramatic, and heroic elements. It even has an element of mystery, though I didn’t know myself when I wrote the first two parts, ultimately whodunit in the end. I’m just lucky I was able to make all the existing elements work toward pointing the finger in that direction when the lightbulb finally lit up over my head with ideas for the third/final installment.

Q: If I were to interview your main characters, what would they say about you?
A: She sure is easy to manipulate! She only thinks she’s writing our stories, but we’re the ones in control!

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three things you’d absolutely have to have?
A: If “things” can be people, I’ll go with Henry, Devon, and Garrett from ’Til Death Do Us Part since they’ve already figured out how to do it with basically no assets.

Q: Star Trek or Star Wars – both or neither? Explain.
A: Star Wars, but that’s not a fully informed answer since I’ve never given Star Trek a fair shake. I think I’ve watched an episode or two of its first incarnation along the way but found it cheesy and didn’t appreciate that at the time. Now, there’s just so much of it out there it feels overwhelming to even start. The original Star Wars trilogy was absolutely brilliant, and I’ve stuck with that universe through thick and thin.

Thanks again for having me on your wonderful blog! I’ll leave you with a quick link. I’ve created a handy list on Books2Read with all my books organized by different categories for readers’ convenience: https://books2read.com/rl/AddisonAlbright

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Excerpt

Chapter 1: Drawing Straws

Obren, a prince of Canna, had drawn straws many times in the past, but never had the stakes been so high. This time it was not about who would go first or last either in childhood games of years gone by, or in sexual liaisons from more recent years. It was not about who would help pitch the army tents versus dig the holes for the latrine. Or fill them in, later, when breaking camp.

This time, the rest of his life was at stake. Not life or death itself, but the direction his life would follow and its potential to bring him happiness.

Obren’s stomach twisted into a knot as his father, King Rogan of Canna, offered his closed fist. Obren drew in a deep breath, understanding, to the marrow of his bones, that any plea to avoid this choice was pointless. A straw must be drawn, and as the older of the two brothers, he would draw first.

Not that the order of drawing mattered. Whether or not he drew the short straw would be down to luck. The luck of the draw would decide his life’s path. His hand twitched as he checked a nervous impulse to smooth down his already neatly styled blond hair.

Obren closed his eyes, shut out the sounds of his father’s heavy breathing, and focused on preventing the quiver building in his gut from reaching his hand as he lifted it. He paused and opened his eyes. Was there any possible stratagem he could employ to boost his chances?

“Just pick one,” Lale hissed. “Let’s get this over with.” Lale, being Obren’s younger brother, was as invested in the outcome as was Obren.

Obren swallowed, squared his shoulders, and snatched one of the two straws sticking up from Father’s fist. He stepped back and stared at the stick, but it gave him no information.

No useful information, anyway. Length could be both absolute and relative. He could see that the absolute length of his straw was about six knuckles long. But it was the length relative to the straw remaining in Father’s hand that would give the answer.

Lale strode swiftly forward and grabbed the remaining straw. The brothers stood staring at one another for ten solid beats before slowly raising their hands to compare straws.

Obren stared blankly at them, but it was the slow grin spreading across Lale’s face that came into focus first. Lale held the longer of the two.

Heat suffused Obren’s face as he snapped his straw in half and let the two pieces drop to the floor.

“Enough of that.” The king used his regal tone, usually reserved for court. “You will do your duty, and you will do it without displays that should have been left behind when you graduated out of the nursery.”

Obren clenched his jaw. He shouldn’t say anything more, but his mouth ran on unheeded. “I’m older. It wouldn’t have been out of order for you to have decided based upon our ages.”

“Your sisters are older still. You’re not even the spare, let alone the heir. You don’t matter.”

Lale snorted, and Obren shot a glare in his direction. But Lale was looking at their father with an unwise expression of disgust. The snort hadn’t been directed at Obren; it had been in response to Father’s unkind remark about both of their worth.

Obren softened his own expression, and when Lale returned his gaze to Obren, Lale swallowed, and said, “Obren’s right. Neither of us wants this, of course, but it should be me.”

The two brothers had never been the best of friends. Their personalities didn’t align well for that. But they’d always felt the bond of brotherhood, and here, Lale probably felt a sense of duty to repay Obren for saving his life amidst a fierce battle in the final year of the war.

Obren wasn’t entirely sure if his conscience would have allowed him to let Lale take this burden upon himself after winning the draw—probably not, impulsive comment notwithstanding—but that option wasn’t on the table. “Nonsense. The selection was fairly made,” the king said with a glare of his own directed at Obren. “I expect you to behave like a rational adult at both the reunion dinner this evening and the ball tomorrow night.”

Obren held in his retort and gave a curt nod before turning on his heel and striding, with as much dignity as he could muster, from the room.

Anger roiled through his belly as he raced through the castle hallways to his suite of rooms. His footsteps clicked on the stone floor and echoed through the empty passages. A lingering whiff of the sausages they’d eaten at breakfast still hung in the air.

It was an understatement to say that Father preferred Lale. Had done since Obren had been a schoolboy. In fact, Obren wouldn’t be surprised to learn if Father had somehow manipulated the straws to ensure Obren picked the shorter of the two.

Father had never forgiven him for his mother’s death. As if Obren had deliberately caught the jumping spotty fever. He certainly hadn’t been aware enough during the height of his illness to influence his mother to stay away from him. She’d nursed him, as a loving mother would do, and she’d become ill herself, succumbing to the disease whereas Obren had recovered.

Once in his suite, he flopped face down onto the bed and screamed into his pillow.

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About Author

Addison Albright

Rainbow Award winning author Addison Albright lives smack dab in the middle of the USA. Her stories are gay romance in contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction genres. She generally adds a subtle touch of humor, a dash of drama/angst, and a sprinkle of slice-of-life to her stories. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in mathematics and a minor in chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, French fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

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