About
The Book:
Out now from Swoon
Romance.
Sixteen-year-old Mya
Jones is cursed.
She is, hands down, the most beautiful creature on earth. But beauty can wound, and Mya finds herself reviled and shunned by her peers. If there is even a chance that she could start over, Mya longs to take it, no matter the risks.
So when the strange Mr. Merk offers her a new life away from home, Mya is hesitant but hopeful. Only she didn't count on the mysterious Ross, or her feelings for him.
BEAUTIFUL CURSE is a contemporary retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid.
She is, hands down, the most beautiful creature on earth. But beauty can wound, and Mya finds herself reviled and shunned by her peers. If there is even a chance that she could start over, Mya longs to take it, no matter the risks.
So when the strange Mr. Merk offers her a new life away from home, Mya is hesitant but hopeful. Only she didn't count on the mysterious Ross, or her feelings for him.
BEAUTIFUL CURSE is a contemporary retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid.
LEARN MORE
PURCHASE
Book
Excerpt:
“Please
call me Ross. I hope that we’ll be friends.”
I paused, considering. Everything
had been so dreamlike, so magical, since coming to the palace, that I had
almost set aside the initial fears that had plagued me when Mr. Merk took me.
Almost, but not quite. “What’s the price of your friendship?” I tried not to
sound combative, but I was leery, on edge.
A sad sigh filled the room. “I ask
only that you remain here with me. I will give you all that you wish for, and
ask for very little in return.”
“That’s not an answer.” I tried to reason with the voice in the dark, but it
was like fighting with my shadow: impossible to catch, and yet at the same
time, totally familiar. There was something about the voice that made me feel
safe, but my brain refused to let go of my earlier caution.
“Then here’s an answer. Tonight, the price of my friendship is that you dine
with me.”
“Here? But it’s pitch black!”
“Even so, this is how I choose to
dine. Will you join me?”
I hesitated, and a warm hand closed
around my wrist. I jerked back, but even as my companion turned me loose, I
felt the flood of heat that surged up my arm where he touched me. “I am
hungry,” I admitted, trying to get a grip on my emotions. His hand had felt
human ... and strong.
He didn’t try to touch me again, but
instead said, “Step forward three even paces.
There you will find the table.”
I walked cautiously, but I was able
to take three steps across the darkness without obstruction. My fingertips
brushed the polished surface of the table.
There was a scraping sound close by,
and the voice commanded me again. “The chair is immediately to your left. Will
you please sit?”
I lowered myself into the chair
gingerly, groping in the dark, but it was solid beneath me. I relaxed slightly,
even though my nerves were still on edge from the absolute darkness of the
room.
“Why do you eat in the dark?” I
asked curiously.
His voice was silky and laced with
innuendo. “I find that it heightens the senses. Perhaps you’ll tell me if you
agree after the meal.”
About the Author:
Jen
McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. A Michigander by birth, she now
lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. A graduate of Western Michigan
University, she also holds a MS in Library Science from Clarion University of
Pennsylvania. When
she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches college writing composition
and yoga. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a
bookseller, but those are stories for another time. Her fiction titles include DAUGHTER OF CHAOS
(YA), THE SECRET OF ISOBEL KEY (NA), and the recently released sequel, HER
SECRET INHERITANCE. Visit http://www.jenmcconnel.com
to learn more.
Connect With Jen:
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