Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A Valentine’s Teaser Tuesdays - Smitten


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:




  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Smitten


Summary from Goodreads:

Welcome to Smitten, Vermont.


With the help of four friends, it's about to become the most romantic town in America.


The proposed closing of the lumber mill comes as unwelcome news for the citizens of Smitten. How will the town survive without its main employer? A close-knit group of women think they've got just the plan to save Smitten. They'll capitalize on its name and turn it into a tourist destination for lovers-complete with sweet shops, a high-end spa, romantic music on the square, and cabins outfitted with fireplaces and hot tubs.
But is this manly town ready for an influx of romantically-minded guests?


Country music sensation Sawyer Smitten, the town's hometown hero, wants to help by holding his own wedding there on Valentine's Day. And little Mia's lavender wreaths hang all over town as a reminder that faith can work miracles. Along the way, four women spearheading the town's transformation-energetic Natalie, sophisticated Julia, graceful Shelby, and athletic Reese-get in the spirit by reviving their own love lives.


Join best-selling inspirational romance authors (and real-life BFFs) Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for an inspiring stay at the (soon-to-be) most romantic town on the eastern seaboard.


One visit . . . and you'll be smitten too.



Teaser:

"She turned to him, and she was close enough that he could see the gold flecks in her brown eyes. “Catch the vision, Carson. Close your eyes and see it."

 What's your teaser today?

Monday, February 13, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway with Elizabeth Marx, author of All's Fair in Vanities War




Today I am happy to welcome Elizabeth Marx, author of All's Fair In Vanities War to Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!  Make sure that you read all the way to the bottom because not only is there a giveaway at the end of this post...but also instructions for entering the Tour's Grand Prize giveaway!!!

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Rafflecopter either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page so you can see the widget!) 



A  CELTIC  LOVE  SPELL
                               


In recognition of Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I thought I’d share something about a Celtic love spell that is given to Keleigh in All’s Fair in Vanities War.  The picture above is the lover’s knot she received, a symbol of the universe drawn in a continuous line. This knot has two mirrored halves that connect to form a heart, this particular knot is drawn in blood, and only pacts and oaths are drawn in blood. Words were etched around the edge of this lover’s knot making it a powerful cantrip: a potent love spell that is meant to harness the emotional state of the person it was cast for.  The Celts were known for their spiral triskele’s; a motif consisting of three interlocking spirals or bent human legs. If you look closely you can find three interwoven hearts representing three people whose love is bound together for all eternity. But what three lovers these hearts represent we aren’t quite sure of yet.

Before ends the month of mist,
of maiden fair and strawberry hair,
her love will billow around me everywhere.
Implore her to come to tryst,
of Pagan prayer or wicker wear,
her loves’ willow burning down the gentry’s heir.”


To learn more about the Celts and the narrator of All’s Fair in Vanities War please visit The Seer at:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheSeers7DeadlyFairyTales  or check out the website at http://www.elizabethmarxbooks.com



Thank you so much Elizabeth for sharing a bit of Keleigh's world and the Celts with us today.  I actually am very familiar with Celtic symbology...I've been wearing a Celtic triskele bracelet and necklace almost every day for about 7 years!! (Yes I am boring...the only jewelry that I regularly change are my earrings! lol)






All's Fair In Vanities War 
by Elizabeth Marx

Salem’s always held sinister secrets. No one understands this better than a sixteen-year-old girl who dies on Halloween night and is reborn a Seer. 

The Seer can’t imagine anything worse than being an invisible teenager with enormous black wings. Until she finds out she’s been sacrificed to watch over Locke’s new flame. 

Locke Cavanaugh is a Druid, and part of the Order, a clandestine organization entrusted with keeping its members cloaked in the Ordinary world. Physically scarred from the accident that took his girlfriends life, Locke is searching for the OtherWorldly magic that damaged him, because only those without blemish can rule the Order. And once at the helm of the Order he has every intention of finding those responsible for her death. 

On the West Coast, Keleigh Flaherty witnesses her parents’ murder by beasts that should only exist in nightmares. She is whisked off to the safety of Salem, where she learns how potent and dangerous her concealed Vate talents are. Keleigh wants to be Ordinary, but when her mother reaches out from the OtherWorld, and implores her to find a forgotten relic she’ll have to use all her ExtraOrdinary powers to locate it. 


As Locke and Keleigh join forces, they unravel the Order’s involvement in the witch hysteria and murmurs of a Celtic prophecy. While Locke’s affection for Keleigh blooms, The Seer is torn between her duty to protect Keleigh, and her desire to stop Locke from making the ultimate sacrifice in order to earn Keleigh’s love . . . 


But if they don’t find the witches bottle before the 
ShiningOnes do, someone stalking Keleigh from the shadows will take her instead and plunge all worlds into chaos.
  Windy city writer, Elizabeth Marx, brings cosmopolitan life alive in her fiction—a blend of romance, fast-paced Chicago living, and a sprinkle of magical realism. Elizabeth resides with her husband, girls, and two cats who’ve spelled everyone into believing they’re really dogs. She grew up in the city, has traveled extensively, and still says there’s no town like Chi town. 


Check the book out out here:GoodReads

Buy it here: Amazon | BN 
Connect with Elizabeth: Website |  Facebook
The Grand Prize Giveaway:
To enter the giveaway for the $50 Grand prize- You must "LIKE" The Seer's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheSeers7DeadlyFairyTales), then post one of her best lines from All's Fair in Vanities War on the wall. Yes, this means you have to read the book in order to participate.

My Giveaway:  

Up for grabs are two e-copies of All's Fair in Vanities War and 3 bookmarks!  Use the rafflecopter form below to enter!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

In My Mailbox 2/12/12


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share whatever books and bookish goodies that you've bought, borrowed, won, or been gifted and have thus entered your home the previous week. You can show off books that you are excited about and it's also a great opportunity to showcase books that you may not actually have the time to read or review.


Added to my Bookshelf for Pleasure:






Paperback of Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
Hardcover of Linger - Maggie Stiefvater
Hardcover of Forever -  Maggie Stiefvater






ARC of Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
Paperback of Rescue Me – Christy Reece


Added to my Bookshelf for Review:






Hardcover of The Underside of Joy – Sere Prince Halverson


Added to my nook for Pleasure:






Ghost a la Mode -  Sue Ann Jaffarian
Lord Fool to the Rescue – LL Muir

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Guest Post and Valentine's Giveaway with E Van Lowe


I am so pleased to welcome E Van Lowe to Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!


PS I just found out the he used to write for Knight Rider!! I hate to admit it was one of my favorite shows as a child! (Yes I am dating myself! lol)


Anyway...here he is:


A Storyteller’s Dream
by E. Van Lowe

Early in the spring of 2006 I hit a wall with my career. I had reached what felt very much like a crossroads in my life.  After several months of talks with a studio, I had failed to land a job writing and producing a popular TV drama.  I had the feeling I wasn’t hired because of my age.  I had had a stellar career writing and producing many great TV shows and some not so great shows.  But in show biz, people over fifty have been known to hit a wall. I was over fifty.

I wasn’t certain I’d hit the wall, but I didn’t want to knock on doors for several more years only to discover I was unhireable--not because of my lack of talent, but because I had allowed myself to grow old.  I decided I wasn’t going to wait to find out if I had been, what we in the biz call, “aged-out.” It was time to begin my next career.

I grew up loving to read.  I had started my writing career as a novelist and playwright.  In grad school, I wrote two very popular horror novels of the 80s under the pseudonym Sal Conte.  I decided it was time to return to my great love—books.  Only this time I would write under my own name.

I also decided to write Young Adult.  I chose Young Adult because when I was at Disney I developed a show for the Disney Channel called Even Stevens.  I had a great time developing that show and felt writing for a younger audience was my thing.  I went into writing YA for girls as a neophyte.  I had done no research. I didn’t know anything about the genre—other than I’d read quite a few books, including those of Meg Cabot, and the Fearless series by Francine Pascal.

I then told my Hollywood agent and manager not to send me out on any job meetings for a while.  I was writing a book.  Never Slow Dance With A Zombie. While neither of them liked that I was not earning them a commission, they both embraced my new career.  Midway through writing the book I asked my manager host a reading for me at Sony Studios.  I wanted to get some feedback, but mostly I wanted to hear the book for myself, and decide if I was wasting my time.  I figured if it was at a studio a lot of people would show up—they did.

As soon as the reading ended my agent, Jim Kellem, came up to me and said “I can sell that.”

“You don’t know anything about selling books,” I told him.  “I’m talking to a New York agent to sell the book for me.”  The reading went very well.  The book was fairly well received, so I continued writing.  A few weeks after the reading, my agent called and told me he’d scheduled a few meetings for me.  
“What did you schedule meetings for?  I told you I was writing a book.”

“These are movie meetings,” he said.  “People want to hear about the book.”

“I haven’t even finished it.”

“People still want to hear about it,” he said.  Both he and my manager, Sheree Guitar, started setting meetings at studios and production companies to talk about the book.  Suddenly Hollywood seemed interested in me again. That’s when that old saw came to mind:  “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Or as far as I was concerned: There’s more than one way to skin a cat and have a career in Hollywood.
I love writing novels.  It’s much more fun and rewarding than writing for TV.  But I also enjoy working in Hollywood.  I realized as an artist that our art can take many forms.  Sometimes it can begin in one form—a book—like Harry Potter, and wind up in another, reaching an even wider audience.  That’s what I wanted to do.  I wanted to write books and help my books exist in broader mediums that can increase my audience.  My art is not just writing.  As a storytelling artist I include film and TV and theater and video games—even the internet as my medium.  As a storytelling artist I want to be somewhat experimental.

As of this writing that first novel, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie, is slowly winding its way to the big screen.  The screenplay for my Sal Conte horror short story, The Toothache Man is currently being written by a screenwriter.  I have two more novels, Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel. They are the first two books in the Falling Angels SagaEarth Angel just came out and is on blog tour as of this writing.  I’ve also been in discussions about doing something fresh and different for the internet. I am busier than ever.  

It’s exciting to be able to use everything I’ve learned in my twenty plus years in Hollywood in my new career as storytelling artist.  My dream is to have my stories exist in more than one medium, reaching people wherever they may be.

Looking back, I am actually happy I didn’t land the job on that TV drama.  I may not be making as much money (sometimes I don’t make any money) but I am much happier.  I am no longer wondering about the end of my career. I am at the threshold of something new and exciting. You’re never too old to chase a new dream.  Trust me; I know—I’m having the time of my life.

By the way, even though I signed with a New York agent, it was my Hollywood agent, Jim Kellem, who sold Never Slow Dance With A Zombie to Tor (McMillan/St. Martin’s Press) in the spring of 2007.  Go figure.



The Author:

E. Van Lowe is an author, television writer, screenwriter, Playwright and Producer who has written and produced such shows as The Cosby Show, Even Stevens, and Homeboys In Outer Space.  He has been nominated for both an Emmy and an Academy Award.  Van Lowe recently stepped into the young adult fiction genre with his comedic novel, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie.  It was a selection of the Scholastic Book Club, and a nominee for an ALA Award.  Boyfriend From Hell is Van Lowe’s second YA novel.





The Books:


Earth Angel
By E Van Lowe
Genre: Paranormal YA
Book 2

Heaven Can Wait!

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over. Far from it. For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between. They will do ANYTHING to get it.

In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

Megan Barnett has recently defeated Satan, found a fantastic new best friend, and has won the heart of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson. But that doesn’t mean her troubles are over. Far from it. For Megan doesn’t realize that she is in possession of a powerful paranormal weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels, demons and everything in between.

In E. Van Lowe’s romantic yet thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan finds herself in a gripping life or death battle to save the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.
 Boyfriend from Hell
By E Van Lowe
Genre: Paranormal YA
Book 1

Aww, Hell No!

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes? Of course not…”

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again. She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago.

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando. Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships. But neither of the handsome guys is quite what he seems. In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him. If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.

Boyfriend From Hell is the first book in the Falling Angels Saga from the author of the gruesomely hilarious, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie.

Never Slow Dance with a Zombie On the night of her middle school graduation, Margot Jean Johnson wrote a high school manifesto detailing her goals for what she was sure would be a most excellent high school career. She and her best friend, Sybil, would be popular and, most important, have boyfriends. Three years later they haven’t accomplished a thing!
Then Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find that most of the student body has been turned into flesh-eating zombies. When kooky principal Taft asks the girls to coexist with the zombies until the end of the semester, they realize this could be the perfect opportunity to live out their high school dreams. Now all they have to do is stay alive…

Check Them out here: GoodReads | Trailer
Buy them here:  Amazon | BN 
Connect with E Van Lowe:   Website | BlogTwitterFacebook






The Giveaway:
Fall in Love with the Falling Angels Series
Valentine’s Giveaway
E Van Lowe is giving away a signed set of his books (Never Slow Dance With A Zombie, Boyfriend From Hell and Earth AngelAlong with a fun Valentine theme YA Gift Basket containing a plush puppy, a heart mug, an ARC of Wintertow by Stephen Emond, devil socks, devil and angel duckies, RockStar Sweethearts, Red Hots Lip Balm, Bath and Body Works pocket bac, and travel size Pink Chiffon lotion, pencils and a Bewitching Book Tours bookmark.





The giveaway is open to US Only

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Cat Thursday - 2/9/12


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s) and then link up at the host's site: The True Book Addict
It's all for the love of cats! 
Enjoy!

Some old photos of my Angel circa 2004:






Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway with author Resa Nelson


I am so pleased to welcome Resa Nelson, author of The Dragonslayer’s Sword and The Iron Maiden, to Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!




How a Last-Minute Decision Changed My Novel
by Resa Nelson

While researching my 4-book Dragonslayer series, I took a leap of faith and went to a seminar about medieval and Renaissance weapons in England.  I felt intimidated because it was clear that the vast majority of people attending the seminar already knew each other.  From what I could tell, it looked like a pretty tight-knit community.  I felt like the odd woman out, but I plowed ahead and went to the seminar.

It was held at the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds, and I arrived a day early so I could spend as much time as I wanted exploring the museum, which turned out to be a great decision.  For anyone with an interest in suits of armor and swords, this museum is exquisite.

I found the seminar fascinating.  Each day different experts spoke about their research of using specific medieval or Renaissance weapons.  My favorite presentation was about an unusual style of wrestling that’s existed in Iceland for centuries:  glima (pronounced GLEE-ma) wrestling.  In a nutshell, two people hold on lightly to each other’s belts and kind of dance around, looking for the right moment to trip the other up and wrestle him to the ground.  To me, it looked like a very peculiar version of the foxtrot.  Later during the seminar I got to try my hand at glima wrestling, and it was tremendously fun.  But I digress.

You might be wondering how people today can research medieval and Renaissance weapons techniques.  It’s because during those times there were weapons masters who often developed their own techniques and taught them to people.  (I based a character in Book 2, The Iron Maiden, on what I learned about real-life weapons masters.)  Some of these weapons masters wrote books about the techniques they taught with cryptic instructions and tons of illustrations.  Dozens of books like these that were written in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance still exist today.  There are sword guilds all over the world where people are working with copies of these ancient books, trying to figure out what they mean and recreate the techniques.  This is a new field of study that’s been going on for the past decade or so.  I ended up joining a sword guild and had the experience of working with a copy of a manual about sword techniques used in the 1400s.  Working to decipher and understand and recreate the techniques is one of the most interesting things I’ve ever done.  But I digress again.

Going to the weapons seminar in England turned out to be one of the best decisions I made for the sake of my Dragonslayer series.  Being surrounded by experts from all across Europe gave me the opportunity to ask people all kinds of questions.  It created the perfect environment for me to think through issues I had yet to solve about the plot of Book 1.  My mind was constantly turning.  I listened and learned and watched people trying different techniques and got to try a few myself.

On the last day of the seminar, I was having lunch and brainstorming in the cafeteria of the Royal Armouries museum, writing frantically as all kinds of new ideas dawned on me.  All of a sudden, all of the threads I’d created for Book 1 came together in my head, and I finally had a solid grasp of Book 1’s plot and  my main character, Astrid.  If you read The Dragonslayer’s Sword, the last couple of chapters of that book are what popped into my head while I was in the cafeteria.  If I’d never gone to the seminar – if I’d given up and let the obstacles to going there defeat me – I don’t think these ideas ever would have occurred to me.  Book 1 would have been quite different, and it might never have been more than one book – I might never have seen how to expand it into a series.  Ironically, going to the seminar was pretty much a last-minute decision based on intuition.  Ever since, I’ve made other last-minute decisions that have turned out just as well.  I’ve become a big believer in just going for it.

During this blog tour I’m telling lots of stories about the research I’ve done for my Dragonslayer series.  You can find out where I’ve been and where I’m going next by checking my website (http://www.resanelson.com), my Facebook page (Resa Nelson & The Dragonslayer’s Sword), or following me on Twitter (ResaNelson).

If you’d like to sample my work for free, you can download a free “mini” ebook called “Dragonslayer Stories” from my website at http://www.resanelson.com/files.  No cost, no obligation, nothing to sign up for, no information gathering.  I like giving away samples of my work so you can decide for yourself whether you like it or not.  If you do, you can enter to win a copy of the first two books in my series, which I’ll give away at the end of this tour on Feb. 14.  To enter, just send email to ResaBonusGifts@aol.com.  (I won’t keep your email address – this just makes it easier for me to keep track of entries.)  I’m also doing a book giveaway on GoodReads, so you can enter to win there, too.


The Books:

Synopsis for The Dragonslayer’s Sword (Book 1)
For Astrid, a blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers, the emergence of a strange gemstone from her body sets in motion a chain of events that threaten to destroy her life. Her happiness is shattered when her lover--the dragonslayer--disappears without a trace, and the life that she knows and loves implodes without warning.Astrid lives in a world of shapeshifters whose thoughts have the power to change not only themselves but others. Everything Astrid knows to be true is called into question when she learns the truth about her past and the mysterious family from which she was separated as a child.Reality turns inside out as Astrid gradually learns the truth about the people she loves as well as those she disdains. With the fate of dragons, ghosts, and slaves in foreign lands resting on her shoulders, Astrid faces the challenge of deciding who she is and how she will stand up inside her own skin. Will she withdraw and hide from the world that has disappointed her so much...or will she rise to lead others to freedom and peace?

 Synopsis for The Iron Maiden (Book 2)
Astrid is reluctant to travel the winter route beyond the Northlands, even though it’s her duty. She’d rather stay home in her village, surrounded by friends and neighbors. Ignoring the bonds of tradition, she decides to spend the cold winter months in the warmth of her blacksmithing shop. Why should she leave the comfort of her cottage to serve and protect foreigners who might raid and harm her native Northlands?Everything changes when a traveling merchant steals Starlight, the first dragonslayer’s sword Astrid forged and her last link to her sweetheart DiStephan. Having no time to alert her friends, Astrid races in pursuit of the merchant, determined to reclaim Starlight as her own and return home in time for dinner. Instead, her quest leads her to new lands, unexpected friendships with foreigners, and a harrowing encounter with the damage done by the followers of a new god that considers women as nothing more than servants to men. All the while, she must be ready to face any dragon traveling the winter route.In Book 2 of the Dragonslayer series, Astrid must learn that deciding who she is isn’t a decision she can make just once. It’s a decision she must make every day.

Check Them out here: GoodReads | Trailer
Buy them here:  Amazon | BN 

Connect with Resa:   Her Website | TwitterFacebook

The Author:



Resa Nelson has been selling fiction professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) and is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop.

Resa was also the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years and was a contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Her first novel, The Dragonslayer’s Sword, was nominated for the Nebula Award, the highest honor in science fiction and fantasy. It was also a Finalist for the EPPIE Award. This medieval fantasy novel is based on a short story first published in the premiere issue of Science Fiction Age magazine and ranked 2nd in that magazine's first Readers Top Ten Poll. The Dragonslayer's Sword is Book 1 in a 4-book series. Book 2, The Iron Maiden, was recently published. Book 3 is scheduled for publication in Summer 2012.
Resa's standalone novel, Our Lady of the Absolute, is a fantasy/mystery/thriller about a modern-day society based on ancient Egypt. Midwest Book Review gave this book a 5-star review, calling it "a riveting fantasy, very highly recommended."
In real life, Resa is a fan of chocolate, travel, summer, museums, ballet, movies, and Broadway musicals (her favorites are Les Miserables and Wicked).  She lives in Massachusetts.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays–The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:




  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Lantern


Summary from Goodreads:
A modern gothic novel of love, secrets, and murder--set against the lush backdrop of Provence.
Meeting Dom was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me. When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom in Switzerland, their whirlwind relationship leads them to Les Genevriers, an abandoned house set among the fragrant lavender fields of the South of France. Each enchanting day delivers happy discoveries: hidden chambers, secret vaults, a beautiful wrought-iron lantern. Deeply in love and surrounded by music, books, and the heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive.
But with autumn's arrival the days begin to cool, and so, too, does Dom. Though Eve knows he bears the emotional scars of a failed marriage--one he refuses to talk about--his silence arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reticent Dom is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers--and with unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel.
Like its owner, Les Genevriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have turned cold and uninviting; shadows now fall unexpectedly; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past or a manifestation of her current troubles with Dom? Can she trust Dom, or could her life be in danger?
Eve does not know that Les Genevriers has been haunted before. Benedicte Lincel, the house's former owner, thrived as a young girl within the rich elements of the landscape: the violets hidden in the woodland, the warm wind through the almond trees. She knew the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy--long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.

Teaser:

"All I had were my impressions, which may or may not have provided an accurate picture of what really happened.  And when the time comes that you really want to find out the truth, there is no one left to ask."  pg 134*

What's your teaser today?




*Quote taken from an ARC and may differ from the finished product.
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