Sealed with a Kiss

Silk and Steel #0.5

by Ariana Nash

Sealed with a Kiss is a fantasy m/m short story - 20min read time

"You can have all of me for one night only. Say no, and I'll leave, but say yes and I'll give you a night you'll remember forever."

As one of the few remaining elven assassins, Eroan Ilanea doesn't have much time for pleasure. Until a messenger arrives from a nearby village and suddenly pleasure is all he can think about. The kind of pleasure he's never surrendered to before. The messenger is a tease, a vision of elicit delights, and he'll be gone in the morning.

This night, Eroan just might say yes...

Sealed with a Kiss is a short, sexy, m/m story that takes place several years before events in the novel Silk & Steel (to be published in 2019).

Genre: Dark fantasy
Heat level: Scorching

Pages: 42
Read-time: 20 minutes.

Ariana Nash is a pen name of international bestselling author Pippa DaCosta. Her Ariana Nash books are m/m adult reads.

Note: Trey gets his own novella in Lost & Found, Silk & Steel, #3.5.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, LGBT, Novella, Dragons, Queer

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Born to wolves, Ariana Nash only ventures from the Cornish moors when the moon is fat and the night alive with myths and legends. She captures those myths in glass jars and returning home, weaves them into stories filled with forbidden desires, fantasy realms, and wicked delights.

Her debut novel Silk & Steel hit Amazon's:

#1 LGBT Bestsellers Horror
#1 LGBT Bestsellers Fantasy
#1 LGBT Fantasy Hot New Releases
#1 LGBT Horror Hot New Releases - for 3 months!

Join her Goodreads group here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Sign up to her newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/silk-steel

Reviews

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 'what an awesome intro' stars

“Eroan Ilanea,” Trey whispered. “One day, that name will be more than an Order assassin. Elves all over will whisper it.”
“They will?”
“Hm...” Trey's breathing slowed. “It'll be spoken in awe... At a time when we'll need you the most.”

First read: 8 Dec 2019 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐
Re-read: 4 Feb 2021 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This novella was such a fantastic, delightful surprise. I'm not even sure how I came across this series but I picked up the novella because it is free for the author's subscribers. And all I can say is WOW!! Yeah, a tiny 40 pages or so long novella got this reaction out of me even when I have no idea what exactly is going on in this story.

There's not much explained about worldbuilding but clearly, this is not the main focus here. It's only an intro to get you hooked and damn I fell hard. I'm even willing to hand this author the ropes to tie me down to her series because I need more.

What I gathered from the little pieces of info is that dragons are the bad guys and there's a group of elven assassins who are trying to bring them down. I love love love this premise. I mean, dragons and elves, hell yes!!

So far I met one of the MCs. Elf assassin Eroan. I just got an image of Legolas in my head because of the platinum blond hair. Yes, this will do perfectly.



If I got this right, the novella takes place several years before the events of the series, when Eroan is a young assassin in training, maybe at the beginning of his career, still learning things about his work, life, himself. And then one day he meets a messenger visiting his village and it's the first time he finds himself to be attracted to a man.

The messenger had the type of jaw Eroan wanted to run his fingertips along, or maybe he'd use his mouth, and he wouldn't stop there. The messenger's lips, full, and bow-like, Eroan would explore next.

I immediately liked Trey. He's sexy, mysterious, confident, and he wants Eoran. Also, it's clear that he's used to getting what he wants.

Eroan caught his wrist and squeezed tight enough to make the male bare his teeth, revealing tiny, sharp canines. Eroan bowed his head, leaning cheek to cheek, and whispered, “I don’t think you realize who you’re teasing.”
Trey’s hand twisted and plunged between Eroan’s legs, expertly cupping Eroan’s hardening arousal. “Then show me who I’m fucking with, Eroan, Assassin of the Order.”

There's a tangible connection between Eoran and Trey. I don't know what I expected from this novella. When I learned that Trey is just some guy whom Eoran once met, I honestly didn't think there would be many emotions involved. Usually, there's not enough space in novellas to have any kind of development. I think I expected it to be only about sex.

“You’re the cutest when you blush,” Trey purred.
“I’ve never been called cute before.” He threw Trey’s shirt at him.
The messenger snatched it out of the air. “It’s a night for firsts.”

However, there were so many emotions behind it. What these two males felt for each other and even if only for one night. They both have lonely lives. The messenger and the assassin, they practically live from one day to another, never sure if they will see the dawn of a new day. Two lonely souls that found solace and companionship in each other's arms. It was not so much about lust as it was about the desire to be close to another person. And now I'm gonna cry. I'm such a mess.

Dragons could have come in the night and burned the village down around him, and he wouldn’t have noticed. Wouldn’t have cared. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but Eroan had given years of his life in service to the Order. This night… This night was his.

P.S. I just found out there's another novella about Trey. Again, I have no idea what it is about, I only know I need it. And you can bet what I will be reading in 2020. Yeah, baby, I'll be all over this series.

P.P.S. When I was re-reading this novella, I tried to find some fan art that would suit Eroan and Trey and I fell down the rabbit hole of Tolkien's elves fan arts. Enjoy!







Silk and Steel series
5 'what an awesome intro' stars
5 'Where has this book been all my life!?!' stars
5 'Elves & Dragons' stars
ALL THE 'MINDBLOWINGLY INTENSE AND FUCKING BEAUTIFUL' STARS
4,5 'Trey and Venali turned me into an emotional mess!' stars
4,5 'Black & Red' stars
5 'My two sets of precious babies in one book!!' stars

[Rachel (LoverofTBR) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silk & Steel series
Book 0.5 - Sealed With A Kiss
Book 1 - Silk & Steel
Book 2 - Iron & Fire
Book 3 - Blood & Ice
Book 3.5 - Lost & Found
Book 4 - The Black Prince


3.5 Steamy 🌟

Yes, this was madness, but it was good madness, oh so good, and Eroan could feel his barriers falling away. All of it, the ache of loneliness the Order life imposed upon him, the thrill of understanding that this was what he’d ached for his entire life but had never allowed himself to have.

Sealed With a Kiss was a beautifully told tale of a night between Eroan, an Order assassin, and Trey, a messenger. As clearly described in this very short novella, this encounter is important for Eroan as he has never had an opportunity to explore his desires before Trey and he is able to do so freely with Trey because he is an outsider.

It was hot, but I felt like something was lacking. Maybe there should have been more buildup to their night together, this was a very insta-lust situation. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing set up for the series and I will be picking up Silk & Steel immediately!

[Melanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS!

"I'll give you a night you'll never forget."

This was a short, smutty novella that serves as a teaser for the first book of this series...and it was definitely enough to convince me to start!

In a few hours, this would just be a memory to cling to during long, cold nights. Nights in which there were bigger, darker things waiting to tear him to pieces.

Can't wait to learn more about our Hero.

"Eroan Ilanae," Trey whispered. "One day that name will be more than an Order assassin. Elves all over will whisper it."

Elves, assassins and dragons? How could I say no?

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Eroan Ilanea,” Trey whispered. “One day, that name will be more than an Order assassin. Elves all over will whisper it.”
“They will?”
“Hm...” Trey's breathing slowed. “It'll be spoken in awe... At a time when we'll need you the most.”

3.5 stars

Sealed with a Kiss is the story of that famous night between Eroan and Trey. This is a very short (but oh-so-hot) story that's basically smut, smut, and more smut. There is no world-building here, but since I already read the Silk & Steel series and I already know the characters and their world, I didn't mind the lack of world-building at all.



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[Azbaqiyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot - 3/5
Character - 3/5
World Building - 3/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Cover - 3/5

Rating - 3 / 5

[Pippa DaCosta]

Sexy m/m elves.



Dayam!

FREE to all Ariana Nash subscribers!

[Rachel Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75 Stars)

Ariana Nash is the pen name of Pippa DaCosta, and Sealed With a Kiss is the prequel to the dark M/M fantasy series, Silk and Steel.

This short story is a great introduction to Eroan's world of elves and dragons and danger. It's a tale of first times and accepting who you are. And it's heckin sexy. The messenger, he's... *fans self*

To me there's a slight New Adult vibe, and that may be because Eroan and his friends are (I think) late teens and early 20's, and still learning things about themselves. Eroan's a warrior, there's no question about that, but at this point of his life I think he's still working out who he truly is. I understand book one takes place when Eroan is older and more confident, and features a slow burn romance with him and a new character.

I'm looking forward to learning more about this world, Eroan's story, and his relationship with the dragon prince, Lysander. ;)

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sexy little snippet into the Silk and Steel world 😍 I loved the premise and the tangible attraction and chemistry between Eroan and Trey.
I had a tiny little problem with repetitiveness of some words - but hey, it's a freebie supposed to attract people to this world. And I feel attracted 😉😉😉
I just hope the editting is a little bit better in the main series 😜
I'm definitely going to go for Eroan's story!!!

[Pingmg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot introduction to Eroan Ilanae’s character.🔥❤️

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Pippa first mentioned on FB that she plans to write a dark fantasy m/m book I had some serious reservations. Mostly because every other m/m book I’ve read had made me feel squirmy inside and not in a good way when I get to the sex scenes. The more explicit they are the more uncomfortable they make me feel. As a result, I generally skip those scenes or read only the dialogs. In a way I have higher expectations from m/m books because I read them strictly for the story and not for the smut.
So I was pretty surprised when I not only liked the story (and this has a lot more plot than most smut novels have :D) but I found myself mostly enjoying the more explicit part of Sealed with a Kiss. I still had some moments when I wasn’t comfortable with what was happening but as a whole I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. It’s on the lighter side, especially for a Pippa story. I liked seeing this little backstory and to get to meet Eroan in this pivotal moment of his life. I believe this will make it easier for me to connect with him once I have the main book in my hands.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent prequel...definitely whets my appetite for the first installment, especially after that little preview at the end!

[Ariana Nash]

What can you expect in this super HOT and sexy m/m short story!?

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly a decent novella. It definitely made me want to continue with the series to see where life will take Eroan.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pippa DaCosta is one of my favourite authors so when I found out she was writing a new series under the pen name Ariana Nash, it went straight to the top of my wish list. Sealed with a Kiss is only a short story but boy does it introduce us to this new world with a bang!

Here we are introduced to main character Eroan, an elvish warrior who works hard to protect his village from the dragons that are slowly destroying his realm. We don't know a lot about the world yet but this little taster did a perfect job of whetting my appetite for the first full length book, Silk and Steel, which is being published in January.

This is an m/m series and Ariana Nash takes no time in raising the heat levels between Eroan and a messenger who has arrived at the village with important news. Seriously, this is short but it's scorching and if this is any indication of what's to come in the rest of the series I can't wait to continue reading.

This story is available to purchase on Amazon or you can get a copy for free by signing up to Ariana Nash's newsletter so you have no excuses not to give it a try. If you like your stories hot enough to melt your kindle then you're going to love every minute of it!

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was a deliciously tasty short! Yum.

[ash | · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for free here: Sealed with a Kiss

[M'rella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t take stars off for too much sex, after all I knew exactly what I was getting into. What brought the stars down:
- characters wondering around aimlessly. In an attempt to show us around the place, I guess?
- Trey, a strong, strikingly handsome messenger, was presented to us as capable and experienced, but his first interaction with Eroan was somewhat clumsy, after which “the male” went back to being bold and sure. Even in a short story it felt a little out of character.
- “the male” reference to Trey was used at least 35 times on at least as many pages of the actual story.

2.5 stars

[Dana aka ♥Belladonna♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect little taster to the up-coming M/M fantasy Silk & Steel, Sealed with a Kiss introduces us to Eroan, an assassin/guard of the Elven Order who is stunned by his attraction to the messenger, Trey. The perfect introduction to the world, characters, and sexual revelations. I can't wait to read more.

[jessica ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting to see more of Eroan’s life before the start of Silk and Steel, but after about 25% in it got boring and didn’t seem very necessary of an addition.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t you just love waking up to surprises? I got to enjoy the lovely prequel to the soon to be released Silk & Steel book 1 before anyone in the house was awake and I am torn between re-reading it about six more times or harassing the author to move up her release date.

The story of a young elven assassin (Eroan) who just discovered that he is attracted to his own sex thanks to a gorgeous messenger visiting from Cheen. Trey (the messenger) is a fantastic character and I hope he pops up in the regular series because I enjoyed his personality a fun mix of snark and seduction. When Trey takes it into his own hands to make the first moves it leads to this fun little scene which I think is my favorite!

“Shit. I’m… I… I misread you. I’m… That was…” Trey blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck, and all Eroan could think, all he could see, was the male’s mouth, and how he ached all over to feel that sudden, all-consuming lust again. Because it had never—never—been like that before. “It’s a good thing I’ll be gone in the morning,” the messenger mumbled.

Now poor confused Eroan understands what had been missing. Oh I can’t wait for more, especially a more experienced Eroan.

[Elsbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Trey. Happy to see he'll get his own story!

[Kel]

Dnf. Skimmed. Did not hold my interest.

[Ghazal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cute ^-^

[Louise H's Book Thoughts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever heard the saying "The best things come in small packages?", well that is totally true for this quick read.

It's a vignette from Eroan's life, the turning point in his sexuality, the awakening of his true desires. And boy is it a hot read, yet also a powerful and full of emotion read too. This isn't cheap erotica but an almost heart wrenching scene of a love that can never be. It's a good job it is a short story otherwise I would have been so in love with the characters that nothing but a HEA would have sufficed!

I was totally absorbed into this encounter between Eroan and the Messenger, Trey. Both men live with the knowledge that today might be their last day, that any liaison between them will be brief and ephemeral. However it is also filled with amazing passion and so utterly beautiful and desperate.

There was also the opportunity to get a feel for the world in which this story, and the series, will be set. A pretty amazing achievement in such a short story, though not surprising given the talent of this author.

[Louise Cromie · Rating 5 out of 5]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Wow! I knew this would be good but I didn’t realise it would be THIS good! Very few can write a story where there is STILL a story as well as all the... lustful intimacy!

Fun, passion, love, lust, strength & fantasy! Pippa... you’ve cracked it! I CANNOT WAIT for the next one!

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, intense and beautiful. Intriguing story, bittersweet in a world of chaos and challenges. To find comfort and companionship where possible. Looking forward to Silk & Steel, another promising series by this author.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow seeing Eroan so young and vulnerable was adorable....and damn...Trey is one sexy playboy elf. Not only that I feel for him. So yes of course I fell in love with Trey. I hope he has his own love story...because this bae needs love.

[Misty Welchel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof. The spice was spicing in this one. I'd say more of a 4.25/5 simply because I'm biased and prefer Lysander, but overall I really enjoyed it.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was such a delicious tease! I loved it and I can't wait to read more about Eroan.

[Lori¸¸¸.•*❀Ɍɛɑɗs̱LɪƙɛIʈs̱H̱ɛɍJɔɓ 유❤유 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, sexy little prelude to a much darker series.