A Family of Stone
(2023)(The seventh book in the Terrestrial Affairs series)
A novel by Chelsea Gaither
Blood is thicker than Water
Astrid Stone is moving. When her friend Violet Two-Bears offers her a place to live (not to mention support to leave) Astrid jumps on the chance . With Vi's support, Astrid can finally free herself of her murderous ex-husband and toxic estranged family. She isn't married to Jonas Hunter, and she won't ever be a Blackstone, and become complicity in the family crimes. It's finally time to take that stand and to divest herself of unwanted ties
But those ties aren’t done with her.
On the eve of the move, the Blackstones abduct Violet and her grandchildren. As a ransom, they demand the one thing Astrid can’t provide: herself. Namely, a human Astrid. Unable to meet demands with her monstrous true form exposed, Astrid throws herself on the mercy of the most dangerous being she knows: Nuada Airgetlam, the former King of the Fae…whose Changeling was once Astrid’s fiancé. And Violet Two-Bears’s son.
The King proposes a dangerous compromise: A Fae Game, with a morbid prize. If Donna Blackstone wins, Astrid returns to the family fold. If Nuada wins, Donna owes the vengeful monarch a forfeit, and there are no limits to what the King may demand. Returned to her family estate and surrounded by enemies, Astrid now has to navigate both malicious Fae secrets, and a family ruled by wealth, brutality, and blood.
And not all of the Blackstone skeletons are willing to stay in their closet…
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Astrid Stone is moving. When her friend Violet Two-Bears offers her a place to live (not to mention support to leave) Astrid jumps on the chance . With Vi's support, Astrid can finally free herself of her murderous ex-husband and toxic estranged family. She isn't married to Jonas Hunter, and she won't ever be a Blackstone, and become complicity in the family crimes. It's finally time to take that stand and to divest herself of unwanted ties
But those ties aren’t done with her.
On the eve of the move, the Blackstones abduct Violet and her grandchildren. As a ransom, they demand the one thing Astrid can’t provide: herself. Namely, a human Astrid. Unable to meet demands with her monstrous true form exposed, Astrid throws herself on the mercy of the most dangerous being she knows: Nuada Airgetlam, the former King of the Fae…whose Changeling was once Astrid’s fiancé. And Violet Two-Bears’s son.
The King proposes a dangerous compromise: A Fae Game, with a morbid prize. If Donna Blackstone wins, Astrid returns to the family fold. If Nuada wins, Donna owes the vengeful monarch a forfeit, and there are no limits to what the King may demand. Returned to her family estate and surrounded by enemies, Astrid now has to navigate both malicious Fae secrets, and a family ruled by wealth, brutality, and blood.
And not all of the Blackstone skeletons are willing to stay in their closet…
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Used availability for Chelsea Gaither's A Family of Stone