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.
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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.
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Book
Excerpts
“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.”
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