BITTERSWEET
by Michele Barrow-Belilse
Published March 24th 2015
BLURB:
To
save the Faery world and her mother’s life, seventeen year old Lorelei
sacrificed everything, and the dangerous bargains she made in Nevermore had
lasting repercussions. Now safely back in her own world, Lorelei seems the same
to her high school friends and her supernatural boyfriend, despite the dark
magic growing within her. Love across dimensions is complicated, especially
when an invisible veil between the two worlds is sealing, threatening to
separate Lorelei and Adrius forever.
Determined to find a
solution, Lorelei resorts to exploring her new found powers. But when her
friends fall ill, and her healing touch only makes things worse, Lorelei can’t
help but wonder if she's responsible.
Nightmares from the
Nevermore tighten their icy hold when someone arrives determined to destroy
Lorelei’s world, starting with those closest to her. Once again she’s forced to
choose between her family… her friends… and a love that was ill-fated from the
start.
Excerpt:
“One kiss and now you believe you love this creature?
Preposterous. I will not have it. She has you hexed. Bewitched from your right
mind. That is the only reasonable explanation to account for such impudence.
Such lusting can only be derived from dark magic. It seeps from her pores, can
you not feel it?” Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness surveyed me with cold
disdain before refocusing her wrath on her son.
“I would never do that,” I blurted. “I’d never use magic to
force someone into loving me.” Venus and I were very different that way.
Mab snarled. “Do not address me unless I have given you
permission to do so,” she said. “I am the queen of this court. And you are nothing
more than a whelp on the verge of losing her life.” Her cutting glare flicked
back to her son. “I cannot allow this. You traipsing across lands following
this…” she waved her hand in my direction. “It is madness. I prayed that after
you'd taken a taste you would have been satisfied, satiated of such empty
hollow carnal delights and moved on to saner tasks. Like serving your mother.”
“You removed me from your court, Mother. I no longer serve
you,” Zanthiel replied evenly.
Mab’s voice lowered, and grew sickly sweet. “My darling, it
was but to show you your love for me. Your loyalty lies within you still. It
merely needed a subtle reminder.”
“By way of banning me from my home, and resigning me to live
among thieves, shadows and the dead. It is an odd way of demonstrating motherly
love.”
“There are many expectations of you. You cannot fulfill your
duty with your mind blinded by your heart. This unhealthy obsession has you
transfixed, Zanthiel. Can you not see? She has you immobilized.” Her voice grew
louder and the rafters latterly shook. “And to what end?”
She looked at me, but I wasn’t certain she wanted me to
answer, so I remained silent. I studied the chains enclosing Zanthiel’s hands
and ankles. Could I break them open, dissolve them? What if something went
wrong, and I hurt him instead? No, it wasn’t the right time. I glanced over at
her statuesque guards, their skin blue from decades of cold. Two of them were
studying me with a vile mix of curiosity and hunger. One caught my eye and he
ran a bloated tongue across his chaffed lips. My stomach turned over.
“I am hers for as long as she requires my assistance. It has
always been that way. Fated by prophecy. You know this to be true, Mother.”
He was having trouble speaking and yet his expression held
that same icy glare. By looking at him you’d never know what pain he was in.
But I knew him on a deeper level. I was beginning to see through his façade,
like a smokescreen of glamour, I saw behind the mask. The fear and loathing and
the inexplicable suffering as the iron ate into his flesh like acid.
The queen’s eyes narrowed and grew impossibly colder. “Why
have you come? Surely you did not expect a grand and hospitable welcome. What
purpose drew you into my court to face imminent death? Do speak now, whelp,”
she said with sudden impatience. “And know that if you are caught lying I will
cut out your tongue and feed it to the trolls.”
I shuddered, having no doubt she actually would. “We have a…
request.”
I glanced at Zanthiel, blood seeping from the iron chains
binding his wrists and ankles. I couldn’t let him continue to suffer. The
poison would eventually seep into his bloodstream and kill him. Then she'd
direct her wrath at me.
I took a tentative step forward, not fully convinced I
wouldn’t be cut down where I stood, for being so bold.
But she leaned back against her throne and tapped a broken
fingernail impatiently. “You have my full attention. Come out with it. What is
this request of which you speak?”
AUTHOR Bio:
A dreamer at
heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality
and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would
grow up to write about the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and
loves so well. A fan of all things romantic, her young adult novels are
populated with scintillating witches, vampires and fey. Her bestselling debut book series Fire and
Ice (Faerie Song Trilogy) was optioned for a major motion picture this year.
Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her
never-ending obsession with reading, writing and most importantly…
chocolate.
Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook Author Page ~
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2 comments:
Thanks so much for having me & my book BITTERSWEET, on your blog!!
Such a gorgeous cover.
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