
Welcome to Rabid Reads Diana! The third book in her Horngate Witches series titled Shadow City, is coming out in a matter of days (December 27th to be exact)!
![]() |
Author Bio
I have a fascination for the Victorians, weather, geology, horses, plants and mythology, I like spicy food, chocolate and cheesecake, and I have an odd sense of humor. (Or so I’ve been told. Often.) Incidentally, the Pharaoh is in fact my real name, and oddly enough, is of British origin. |
Some of my current favorite sf/f writers are Ilona Andrews, Carol Berg, C.E. Murphy, Patty Briggs, Lynn Flewelling, Rachel Caine, David Coe, and Anne Bishop.
|
At Horngate, Christmas is a holiday to pause and thank goodness your still alive, to remember absent friends and to exchange gifts. But what gifts? Shopping isn’t so easy to do when the apocalypse has come. So people have to be creative. The hardest person to find things for is Max. What do you get for the girl who has a high pain threshold, kills things for a living, hates frilly stuff, and packs her closet full of weapons?
1 | a tooled knife belt made from elk hide (from Secret Santa, aka Tyler—the man who’s never without at least one knife, but usually has a half dozen or more hidden on his body) |
2 | a knitted scarf in zebra colors (from Tris, Max’s sister, who pulled apart a sweater for the yarn, fully aware that Max is not bothered by heat or cold. After being tricked into thinking her sister was dead for the last 30 years, Tris feels very good that she isn’t strangling Max with the scarf) |
3 | A slinky red cocktail dress made of silk with a plunging neckline and a back open nearly to her butt. (No one is claiming this one—they are too afraid she’ll kill them) |
4 | A care package of toilet paper, dental floss, toothpaste, toothbrush, bubblebath and shampoo (also no one is claiming this, but in a postapocalyptic world, these things are precious commodities) |
5 | A gorgeous ammonite necklace set in silver with opals nestled all around it. (from Max’s friend/former captor Scooter. She’s afraid to wear it, as it stinks of magic and he’s got an odd sense of humor—some would say slightly sadistic) |
6 | A brilliantly colored purple bedspread made of a hybrid between silk and satin (from Ilanion, a recent friend. The spread came with the message—To remember me by. I enjoyed having you naked in my bed. Max makes a point of destroying the note before Alexander can see it. He’s become a bit possessive, not that she minds in the least. She’s looking forward to seeing him naked in her bed, the silky fabric sliding over his velvet skin.) |
7 | A coffee mug that says “Not Dead Yet, but Working On It Every Day” (from Oz. She slugs him in the shoulder) |
8 | A vase made from twisted glass. No flowers put inside will ever wilt. (from Max’s brother Kyle and parents. It startles her and makes her cry.) |
9 | A picture of Max and Niko. She doesn’t remember when it was taken. They are smiling, despite their torn clothes and the mud splattering them from head to foot. (From Giselle, though she does not claim it. Max can’t help her smile as she looks at it) |
10 | A twist of holly coated in ice. These are magic—Max can feel it. The ice doesn’t melt and the holly doesn’t wilt. She has no idea what it does. (Come the Hag. It might be a gift. It might be a curse.) |
![]()
|
About the Blogger
I review Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books with a focus all things werewolf. Based out of Ottawa, Canada
Love the post! And the book sounds awesome! It brings to mind a quote from Harry Potter that I think I would say, “I love magic!” hehe
Thank you so much for another introduction to a series I was ignorant of! I’ve got one heck of a list going here!!
Happy Holidays!
Gena Robertson
robertsongena@hotmail.com
This series is new to me too. I’ll have to add it to the tbr list.