Author: Auria Jourdain
Series: N/A
Pages: 270
Date Published: 2015
Publisher: Crimson Frost Books
Format: Kindle
Genre: Historical Romance
A ghost child left to die in a French forest, Contesse Blanchefort seeks her long-buried past after her adoptive father dies at the Bastille. Embarking on a quest across England with a pagan woman and a rogue Gypsy, Contesse falls ill in London, and her companions are forced to seek help. With overwhelming compassion, physician’s apprentice Eric McEwan nurses Contesse back to health, but discovers that her exotic accent and pale features set his heart ablaze...her mere touch brands his soul. Passion blooms as the two discover their love for one another—with disastrous consequences.
Upon his expulsion from Cambridge, Eric must battle his domineering grandfather’s wrath. When family tragedy strikes, he must return to his provincial home and confront his abusive past. Carrying on with her quest, Contesse struggles to free herself from her childhood as sinister details are revealed. Without Eric, she’s lost. But love is strong...can they conquer their demons to find one another again?
~Try an Excerpt!~
Dumbfounded at this new information, Contesse shook her head. “I had no idea! All these years, and our country doctor couldn’t explain what was wrong with me…a child with skin and hair as pale as a—” A gasp escaped her lips, finally uncovering the epithet the old crone had called her. “She called me a ghost!”“Who? Your mother?”
Folding her arms across her chest, she glanced away. “No. The old woman that haunts my dreams. She took care of me when I was a child…before Edouard found me. She was right…look at me!”
Eric pulled her close and forked his fingers through her hair from the roots to the ends. Trailing a light finger down her neck, he husked, “She’s daft, Contesse. You certainly feel real to me…pure and innocent, like an angel…”
Contesse inhaled sharply as desire surged through her veins. Waves of desire invaded her body with his mere touch. A flush of warmth crept up her cheeks, her womanly folds moistening in response to his husky voice. What’s he doing to me?
Entwining his fingers with hers, he searched her face. “Have you ever been kissed?”
She lowered her eyes, unable to face him lest she burst into tears. “Oui. Once. But he didn’t want me either.”
Entwining his fingers with hers, he searched her face. “Have you ever been kissed?”
She lowered her eyes, unable to face him lest she burst into tears. “Oui. Once. But he didn’t want me either.”
With a sympathetic shake of his head, he tipped her chin up and stared at her. “Then he’s a fool. God, but you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen...”
~Meet Auria!~
History buff, Francophile, and hopeless romantic that demands an HEA—it’s the perfect mixture for writing romance! With fond childhood memories of reading on quiet afternoons, I loved the "happily ever after" sweet teen romances, but I quickly plunged into the world of historical romance—my get-away-from-real-life transporter. Add in a degree in Political Studies with six years of French, and twenty years later, I’m living my dream. With three published novels, 7 finished, and several more in my head, I have years of work ahead of me!
Auria will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
"... With three published novels, 7 finished, and several more in my head, I have years of work ahead of me!"
ReplyDeleteI think that's great that (a) you have published novels (not an easy feat), (b) you have several written, (c) you have more in your head, and (d) you are looking forward to even more work! Well done!
Thanks so much, Laney:D I'm not sure, but I think most authors would agree that writing is a sickness only cured by getting everything out of your head and on paper, computer, etc. :D Sometimes it's little things that set off an idea for me. My next release is a contemporary Romantic Suspense set at a ski hill in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I live, and the idea for that one popped into mind as I sat at the ski chalet and listened to the workers' tales while my son had racing practice :D I appreciate you stopping by today! Good luck in the Rafflecopter.
Delete~Auria~
Good Morning! Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog today, Andra, and thanks to the readers for your questions and comments. I'll be checking in here and there, and I'd love to chat with you about my books, my writing, or any whimsy that you might have. :D
ReplyDeleteFirst, a bit about my books: I love history, and I do extensive research on every one of my novels. My goal is to portray the time period as accurately as possible. Set during the 18th century in the midst of a world ravaged by revolutions, Pure of Heart follows the heroine, Contesse Blanchefort, as she travels the English countryside in search of the family that abandoned her as a child. Socially outcast because of her achromatic condition (albinism), she's guided on her quest by a rogue Romani (Gypsy) and a pagan druid woman that don't see eye to eye. Along the way, she meets and falls in love with an Englishman studying to be a surgeon. Isn't that just typical of Lady Fate?
I hope you enjoyed my small excerpt of Pure of Heart. The first edition was released in 2015 with a small vanity press, and I received my rights back last spring. It needed a fresh revamp with new material and a brand new cover, and I'm so pleased with this second edition!
Don't forget to comment to be entered to win my Rafflecopter!
~Auria~
Enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDelete