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Castle of Dark Dreams #0.5
Color Me Wicked
Amanda Harcourt had one scorching night of incredible sex with Conleth Maguire on a Galveston, Texas beach ten years ago. Then she’d left Con for a career in New York City. She’s back in Galveston now as the interior designer for the weird and wacky Castle of Dark Dreams, a theme park attraction. Old memories surface when she finds out that Con has been hired to paint the castle. Because no matter what she tries to tell herself, she’s never forgotten him or the rose tattoo on his hip.
Con remembers everything about Mandy, including the blue butterfly tattoo on her round little behind. And now that she’s back, he’s determined to make her realize what she abandoned so many years ago. Namely, him.
He wants to paint the castle in darkly erotic colors. She’s into understated elegance. But they agree on one thing. Even grumpy wizards, telepathic cats, and voyeur plants won’t stop them from finishing what began on that beach.
Con remembers everything about Mandy, including the blue butterfly tattoo on her round little behind. And now that she’s back, he’s determined to make her realize what she abandoned so many years ago. Namely, him.
He wants to paint the castle in darkly erotic colors. She’s into understated elegance. But they agree on one thing. Even grumpy wizards, telepathic cats, and voyeur plants won’t stop them from finishing what began on that beach.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2012
14 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Nina Bangs
43 books673 followersTalk about misspent youth. What did I do during those lazy summer days of childhood when I could’ve been honing my writing skills? Nothing. Okay, so I spent a lot of time dreaming I was a cowgirl with a trusty black stallion. Oh, and I read every Walter Farley horse novel. I was an only child so I relied on my imagination to supply the excitement in my life.
By high school, I’d decided to trade in my lariat for a trench coat. I was into dark and dangerous. As an intrepid foreign correspondent, I’d stalk the mean streets of the world. Did I actually write anything? No, but I did read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I worked at a department store during college. My short stint in the accounting department taught me a lot about math. Three hundred-dollar shortages plus hysterical tears equaled instant move to gift-wrap. A career in math was not in my future. I didn’t care because I’d discovered “real” literature. I plowed through James Joyce’s Ulysses and Tolstoy’s War and Peace. If it didn’t make my eyes cross then it wasn’t worth reading. Yes, I admit it, I was a literary snob.
Nina and best buddy, Barbara Joyce.
Folk singers extraordinaire.
But there’s just so much “real” literature one person can take. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and a determination to avoid books that induced eye crossing or had tragic endings. The only things I managed to write during those years were research papers.
I taught second grade for several years then spent two years in Dublin, Ireland. A friend and I supported ourselves by singing folk songs in Irish pubs. We weren’t great, but we were young, enthusiastic, and wore short skirts. It was obviously my destiny to be the next Judy Collins. I spent a lot of time poring through music books.
Returning to New Jersey and reality, I taught elementary school until I grew restless again. My cross-country odyssey included stays in Arizona, California, and Texas. Along the way, I indulged my love of horses. No black stallions, but I did have several beautiful Arabian mares. I read tons of books on breeding and showing.
Somewhere between California and Texas I grew addicted to romance novels and cats. The cat’s independent attitude was exactly the quality I admired in my romance heroes. And once I decided to try writing my own romances, I made sure a cat crept into each story.
Texas is my permanent home. I’ve come full circle. Born in San Antonio, I spent most of my life in New Jersey. Maybe the Texas in my blood accounts for my attachment to strong men, fast horses, and wide-open spaces. My love of cats? Haven’t a clue.
By high school, I’d decided to trade in my lariat for a trench coat. I was into dark and dangerous. As an intrepid foreign correspondent, I’d stalk the mean streets of the world. Did I actually write anything? No, but I did read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I worked at a department store during college. My short stint in the accounting department taught me a lot about math. Three hundred-dollar shortages plus hysterical tears equaled instant move to gift-wrap. A career in math was not in my future. I didn’t care because I’d discovered “real” literature. I plowed through James Joyce’s Ulysses and Tolstoy’s War and Peace. If it didn’t make my eyes cross then it wasn’t worth reading. Yes, I admit it, I was a literary snob.
Nina and best buddy, Barbara Joyce.
Folk singers extraordinaire.
But there’s just so much “real” literature one person can take. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and a determination to avoid books that induced eye crossing or had tragic endings. The only things I managed to write during those years were research papers.
I taught second grade for several years then spent two years in Dublin, Ireland. A friend and I supported ourselves by singing folk songs in Irish pubs. We weren’t great, but we were young, enthusiastic, and wore short skirts. It was obviously my destiny to be the next Judy Collins. I spent a lot of time poring through music books.
Returning to New Jersey and reality, I taught elementary school until I grew restless again. My cross-country odyssey included stays in Arizona, California, and Texas. Along the way, I indulged my love of horses. No black stallions, but I did have several beautiful Arabian mares. I read tons of books on breeding and showing.
Somewhere between California and Texas I grew addicted to romance novels and cats. The cat’s independent attitude was exactly the quality I admired in my romance heroes. And once I decided to try writing my own romances, I made sure a cat crept into each story.
Texas is my permanent home. I’ve come full circle. Born in San Antonio, I spent most of my life in New Jersey. Maybe the Texas in my blood accounts for my attachment to strong men, fast horses, and wide-open spaces. My love of cats? Haven’t a clue.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 10, 2013
How it all began.......I have read this whole series and LOVE IT! Nina is so creative. Its not the same ole same ole vampire, werewolf or paranormal creature. From book to book the stories just continue to get better and better.
April 4, 2013
This is the first book in the Wicked Series that I read. This may be a short story, but it is awesome.
This tells how the Castle of Dark Dreams came to life. Awesome book
This tells how the Castle of Dark Dreams came to life. Awesome book
April 23, 2018
This is a novella/prequel to the Castle of Dark Dreams series.
Amanda and Conleth are mentioned in book 1 as the interior designer and the painter, respectively, of the castle, and they turned out to be Sparkle’s first victims. Errr… the lucky chosen ones Sparkle decided to help in sexy, naughty ways. Mandy and Con are fighting their attraction to each other every step of the way, however, and Sparkle has her work cut out for her.
Since the book is a prequel, we get to see the castle in the newly named Live the Fantasy theme park before it became the darkly sensual Castle of Dark Dreams. Holgarth is as snarky as ever in his wizard outfit, and Sparkle’s in charge of the candy store. The best part? Deimos is still there, but his personality is different. Though he’s still shy and doesn’t care much about sexual chaos to Sparkle’s chagrin, he’s surprisingly halfway interested in sex, he wants to destroy things, and he’s not really interested in action hero stuff—which is a big difference to his character in the other books.
It’s a fun story, but there wasn’t a villain or a complex storyline. However, it was interesting to learn how the castle’s paint job, design, and decorations came to be. I liked the story, but it’s not needed to understand the full-length books in the series.
3 Stars
Disclaimer – I downloaded this book from Amazon and volunteered to review it. I am not compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
Amanda and Conleth are mentioned in book 1 as the interior designer and the painter, respectively, of the castle, and they turned out to be Sparkle’s first victims. Errr… the lucky chosen ones Sparkle decided to help in sexy, naughty ways. Mandy and Con are fighting their attraction to each other every step of the way, however, and Sparkle has her work cut out for her.
Since the book is a prequel, we get to see the castle in the newly named Live the Fantasy theme park before it became the darkly sensual Castle of Dark Dreams. Holgarth is as snarky as ever in his wizard outfit, and Sparkle’s in charge of the candy store. The best part? Deimos is still there, but his personality is different. Though he’s still shy and doesn’t care much about sexual chaos to Sparkle’s chagrin, he’s surprisingly halfway interested in sex, he wants to destroy things, and he’s not really interested in action hero stuff—which is a big difference to his character in the other books.
It’s a fun story, but there wasn’t a villain or a complex storyline. However, it was interesting to learn how the castle’s paint job, design, and decorations came to be. I liked the story, but it’s not needed to understand the full-length books in the series.
3 Stars
Disclaimer – I downloaded this book from Amazon and volunteered to review it. I am not compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
November 26, 2017
It just wasn’t for me, I didn’t particularly like the main characters so it made it very difficult for me to read. She came across as a bitch on the phone talking about how she was educated and that meant she got to make the decisions because he wasn’t, and she was always demanding he do his job the way she wanted him to (picking colours and such) because it was her job, even though no one told them what they had to do besides work there lol. And I didn’t like the ‘sluts in her basement’ line that kept being used. Who the fuck even thinks that lol
November 9, 2017
I liked some aspects of it. I wish I could give this a 3.5. It felt a little rushed, but I really enjoyed finding out more about the owner and history of the park. I think Deimos' personality was off in this. He seems far more embarrassed by sex in the "later" books (since this is a prequel) than he does in this one, which seemed odd to me. I don't think it's a bad story, per se, but it doesn't live up to the rest of the series in my eyes.
November 5, 2024
In Galveston, Texas, there is a former theme park next door to a store. Amanda Harcourt, who was raised in Galveston but moved to New York 10 years ago has moved back to do work on turning the theme park into something. She meets the agent in a store next door to the park. Sparkle Stardust and her cat, Deimos, have special talents, and a special need to Amanda to return and work with Conleth Maquire in redoing the castle.
Of course, the two have history and there are fireworks between the two over how to decorate the castle. Amanda (Mandy) has learned from her time in New York to be calm and pick calm colors for walls and funishings. Conleth wants bold colors, as well as a renewal of their brief affair from ten years ago.
What they don't count on is that the wizard who is the real go between with the owner and the pair, with Sparkle and her cat have magical abilities and can influence and get things to happen that Mandy is absolutely certain she doesn't want.
It is a series and this is purely an introduction but it was a quick read and sorta fun.
Of course, the two have history and there are fireworks between the two over how to decorate the castle. Amanda (Mandy) has learned from her time in New York to be calm and pick calm colors for walls and funishings. Conleth wants bold colors, as well as a renewal of their brief affair from ten years ago.
What they don't count on is that the wizard who is the real go between with the owner and the pair, with Sparkle and her cat have magical abilities and can influence and get things to happen that Mandy is absolutely certain she doesn't want.
It is a series and this is purely an introduction but it was a quick read and sorta fun.
March 7, 2013
Cute little prequel that isn't necessary to read for the series, but is amusing anyway. I missed not having Ganymede's antics. There is a little bit of Sparkle being Sparkle, and some fun with Deimos and Holgarth. Lord knows the secondaries in this series are my favorite characters. LOL Not a bad read for a short story.
September 4, 2013
Very short novella. Nice intro/prequel to the series with only a touch of the paranormal.
I found I liked the characters and their story, even with the sudden "wrap it up" ending.
But, I would have loved to see even more of the castle and how it came to become the Castle of Dark Dreams that was such a wonderful location in other titles in the series.
I found I liked the characters and their story, even with the sudden "wrap it up" ending.
But, I would have loved to see even more of the castle and how it came to become the Castle of Dark Dreams that was such a wonderful location in other titles in the series.
August 27, 2016
A good, quick read. I liked the introduction of some of the series's main characters and the interplay between our hero and heroine. My only complaint is that it felt like they got their happily ever after a little too easily. I wish that they would have had to work for it a little more.
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April 4, 2012it's cool
January 5, 2013
I enjoyed learning the beginnings of the Castle of Dark Dreams, but the shortened format cheat me out of character development and foreplay that Nina Bangs writes so well.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews