about the book
Arabella Celestine Idris Jezelia, first daughter of the house of Morrighan, lays face down naked on a stone-hard table surrounded by her mother, the priest, the others brought to bear witness, and the artisans who scrap with knives the intricate kavah onto her back, the combined crests of the kingdoms of Morrighan and Dalbreck. When the kavah is declared perfect, the traditional endless singsong prayers begin. As they rub the stinging oils mixed with dye into her back, she dares not whimper or move. It is all part of the wedding ritual.
Arabella, lovingly called Lia by her three roguish brothers, is just seventeen. She is being married off for a much-needed alliance to a prince she thinks of as an old lecherous toad. The Dalbreck king is a wizened ancient, so his son must be very old as well. She has never met him.
And the prince is in for a big surprise. First, he thinks he is getting a true first daughter, a woman with the gift of sight. Her parents are perpetrating a sham. Lia is not a Siarrah; she does not possess the gift. What’s more, she has no intention of going though the rest of the ceremony.
When she was smaller, she had no problem keeping up with her brothers as they roamed and adventured. Watched more closely as she grew older, she still snuck out, joining her brothers in their gambling games and pub brawls. They are very proud of their formidable knife-wielding sister.
She and her maid Pauline are going to run away. In the seaside town of Terravin far from Morrighan, they disguise themselves and work as barmaids. The jewels from her wedding cloak will keep them in comfort. But her flight will come with a high price. Her father will consider her act treason…and, if caught, she will be assassinated.
What Lia doesn’t plan on are the secrets she will uncover, and the two men, Rafe and Kaden, she will meet and fall in love with. One is the prince she jilted…one is the assassin sent to kill her!
about the author
Mary Pearson woke up every morning when she was a kid as a different character and wouldn’t respond to any other name. One day when she was a wandering four-year-old exploring Sears, two sales ladies found her. When they asked what her name was, she told them it was Little Red Riding Hood. The clerks eventually gave up trying to find out her real name and paged the parents of Little Red Riding Hood…and her parents knew exactly whose child was lost!
Most authors write in their bios merely about their college education, but Mary thinks it’s important that you know that her other teachers were inspirational, too. Her second grade teacher, Mrs. Alsenz was an awesome story creator and teller. Fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Bonsey encouraged shy Mary’s writing. And crusty twelfth-grade mentor, Mr. Kirk, instilled a love of the English language. Okay, the BFA in art from Long Beach State U was important, too, as well as the teaching credentials from San Diego State U.
Mary started writing while she was a second-grade teacher. She still loves making up characters, and nothing could be better than creating her very own characters for her very own books! Though she still loves imagining herself as someone else, she no longer answers to the name of Little Red Riding Hood. Please call her Mary!
Mary lives and writes (eight books so far) in San Diego with her husband, and two golden retrievers, Brody and Hunter. She has two lovely daughters and two awesome sons-in-laws. She likes Milk Duds, taking her boots off after skiing, rabbits, and ice cream. She dislikes emptying the dishwasher, really scary movies like “Alien,” walking through spider webs, and lima beans.
Source:
Author website
Also by Mary E. Pearson:
The Heart of Betrayal (Remnant Chronicles, Book 2). Henry Holt. July 2015.
Fox Forever (Jenna Fox Chronicles, Book 3). Henry Holt. 2013.
The Fox Inheritance (Jenna Fox Chronicles, Book 2). Henry Holt. 2011.
The Miles Between. Henry Holt. 2009.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles, Book 1). Henry Holt. 2008.
A Room on Lorelei Street. Henry Holt. 2005.
Scribbler of Dreams. Harcourt. 2001.
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