Expected Pub: September 16, 2012 by Lakehouse Press
“I’m a monster, Eva. There is no saving a monster. But I love that you want to try.”
My heart constricts at the expression on his face. He has no hope for himself, so I have to hope for him.
“You’re not a monster,” I argue softly. “You’re a man, Luca. A man like any other, you’re made of blood and bone.”
As a little boy, Luca Minaldi was told he was a monster.
As an adult, he knows it is true.
He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all.
Eva Talbot is spending the summer in Malta to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, a mysterious and handsome shipping tycoon, there is an instant attraction, a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him.
Eva is hired to care for his mother, who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all.
Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself?
The answer is a matter of life or death.
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtwritesYA
Website: www.courtneycolewrites.com
Author Bio:
Courtney Cole is a novelist who lives near Lake Michigan with her small domestic zoo (aka family), her pet iPad and her favorite cashmere socks. She’s always working on her next novel. To learn more about her, visit www.courtneycolewrites.com
Courtney Cole is a novelist who lives near Lake Michigan with her small domestic zoo (aka family), her pet iPad and her favorite cashmere socks. She’s always working on her next novel. To learn more about her, visit www.courtneycolewrites.com
Book Excerpt Teaser!
Teaser One: Eva’s Point
of View
“Can
you start at the beginning?” I ask. He nods.
And
so he tells me of life at Chessarae. Of being a child here, with a
mother who was distant and detached and a father who was never home.
Luca knows why now, because Nicolas was increasingly confined to the
cave in the maze, more and more as his life progressed. But since
the Minaldis do not speak of their curse, not even to each other, he
didn’t understand as a boy. He felt abandoned and alone.
Luca
Minaldi may be confident and powerful on the outside, but on the
inside he is a broken little boy. And with each word that comes from
his mouth, from his perfectly formed lips, I feel my heart constrict
just a little more until it is difficult for me to speak, to ask him
questions.
“When
did you understand what was happening to you?” I ask. It’s hard
to formulate sound around the lump that has swelled in my throat.
“I
always knew,” he answers, quiet in this large room. He gets up and
pours us each a glass of Scotch, moving fluidly. He takes a gulp of
his and I grip my cold glass tightly.
“I
always knew. My mother told me at a very young age that there was
something wrong with me, that I was a monster like my father. My
brothers and I had a nurse who stayed with us in our wing. If we
showed signs of sleepwalking or something similar, she was instructed
to tie our hands to our bed and not allow us to leave until it had
passed. As time went on, it was clear that it only afflicted me. My
brothers were normal.”
A
tear slips from the corner of my eye now as I picture Luca as a boy,
terrified and alone in the darkness of his room, tied to his enormous
bed.
“Luca…
I…”
I
can’t speak any more. The words won’t come. And another tear
slips down my cheek. My eyes are hot and burning, so I close them.
I know how you feel Heidi, I really want to read this one right now too but, the pesky TBR pile still needs some TLC. ;)
ReplyDeleteUgh, I need to read one of Courtney's books! I think I have like 3 on my tbr. This one sounds good, too. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI know, me too Christy! Some day I will get to all these wonderful books I want to try!
ReplyDelete