MOONLESS is
Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.
EXCERPT:
The study door stood closed. She neared, shaking. Pressing
cautiously against it, she expected the mahogany to burn her.
Father’s voice boomed through the wood. “No! And that is final!”
The barrier lurched. She leapt back as it swung open.
He halted before her. Boots, not stylish, but entirely practical
and worn; breeches, a sturdy gray, modestly hugging a trim form; waist coat
concealed by a subtly weathered coat; shirt, fitted and simple . . .
Her jaw fell.
Ginger locks framed his clean-shaven face with a straight nose,
high cheekbones, expressive brows and enigmatic blue eyes. He was a perfect
paramour of twenty years, except for a jagged white scar cutting from below one
eye down his cheek. A sheen of beauty hung over his whole being. He verily
glowed.
Like Bellezza. Like herself!
She gasped. Sweet pollen and rustic oak tickled her nose,
transporting her to a grove of wooded mystery so deep mankind would never
comprehend the fullness. Those consuming eyes met hers and flickers of heat
burst in her cheeks, spreading across the back of her neck. His pupils widened,
nearly eclipsing the night sky. She wanted to reach out and touch
him, to fall into the blackness of his gaze.
A grunt from the den brought her back to the hall.
He bowed, movements excruciatingly slow, eyes never leaving her
face. His lips parted as if he might speak, but with a dark glance toward the
room he’d abandoned, his mouth sealed in a grim line. The corners of his eyes
crinkled, pain glinting in his hypnotic stare. He nodded and stepped around
her.
A breath of fresh-cut tinder and summer blooms pulled her
eyelids closed, like the farewell kiss of a faerie nightmare.
Title: Moonless
Author: Crystal Collier
Series: Maiden of Time #1
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Category: Young Adult (YA)
Publication:
November 13th, 2013
BLURB:
In the English society of 1768 where women are
bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up
alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man
straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her
whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered
host in the middle of the night.
Among the many
things to change for her that evening are: her physical appearance—from ghastly
to breathtaking, an epidemic of night terrors predicting the future, and the
blue-eyed man’s unexpected infusion into her life. Not only do his appearances
precede tragedies, but they’re echoed by the arrival of ravenous, black-robed
wraiths on moonless nights.
Unable to
decide whether he is one of these monsters or protecting her from them, she
uncovers what her father has been concealing: truths about her own identity,
about the blue-eyed man, and about love. After an attack close to home, Alexia
realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To
protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape
with the man of her dreams and risk becoming one of the Soulless.
Crystal, author of MOONLESS, is a former composer/writer
for Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her brother-induced
ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and
impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida
home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie
locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a
bottomless supply of cheese.
Another great and teasing excerpt, Crystal!
ReplyDeleteHi Chrys :)
Hi, Suzanne! I'm glad you liked her excerpt. :)
DeleteThanks, Suzanne. *shrugs* I'm a tease. What can I say. ;)
DeleteAha, yay n'stuff. Finally, I have arrived. I know, who is this dude? Anyhow....how excellent to see the gosh darn cute Crystal revealing herself, um revealing her book and cover and excepts and the mystery single word and me breaking the rules and using the conjunction word, "and" to formulate a run-on sentence.
ReplyDeleteThank you for having Crystal on your lovely site, Chrys :)
Cheese release me, let me go......
Gary :)
I couldn't pass up the chance to have Crystal on my blog, Gary. :D Thank you for stopping by! Good luck with the mystery sentence. :)
DeleteLoved the excerpt! The cover, too, is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAnd the pitch is great. Jane Eyre and Supernatural... :-)
Thank you for sharing this.
You're welcome! I also love the tagline (Jane Eye and Supernatural). ;)
DeleteI love seeing Crystal's book everywhere. And all the excerpts are really awesome. You really get a feel for the story that way.
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Kelly! She (and her book) definitely deserves to be everywhere. :)
DeleteI learned about Crystal's book last week and I fell in love with the whole concept. I also am a huge fan of her cover. Thankfully, I entered yesterday but as usual, my mobile wouldn't let me comment here! Thanks for hosting, Chrys and best of luck with your book Crystal!
ReplyDeleteIsn't the cover beautiful and mysterious? I think it fits the story line very well. :) Good luck with the giveaway, Gina!
DeleteJane Eyre meets Supernatural is such a fantastic log line! Good luck with your book, Crystal (and I am totally digging that cover)!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Quanie. The more for Crystal the better. :)
DeleteHmmm, your explanation says this ends on the 10th, but it's over already? An-t-way, the book sounds good! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the confusion, Petula. The Mystery Sentence Game and the giveaway are two separate things created by the author. It looks like the giveaway is now closed, but the game that the author created is still going on. If you follow the author's instructions in the explanation, you will have the chance to win one of 10 free copies.
Delete