Title: Hearts In Exile
Series: Tallenmere (stand-alone)
Author: Mysti Parker
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy,
Romance
Publisher: Melange
Books
Formats Available In: All eBook
formats and Print
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Blurb: Somewhere, hidden in the
waters of the Southern Sea, lies an island unlike any other. Within
the amber glow of its pyrogem-laden cliffs, legend says the very
heart of the dragon god Drae keeps the island, and its occupants,
alive.
Loralee Munroviel, daughter of Leogard's High Priestess Arianne, had no idea what she would face when she arrived by boat ten years ago and was left alone in exile. All she knew about Draekoria's inhabitants was written in one tattered notebook. Now, her life revolves around keeping Drae's descendants happy. Never in her life did she imagine being a Dragon Keeper.
Captain Igrorio Everlyn, known as Sir Robert to his unit of Holy Paladins, has faced his share of hell, battling the evils of Emperor Sarvonn's tyranny and the dark god Tyr's abominations. But none of that compares to the ten years of hell he's been without Loralee, presumed dead.
One freak storm changes everything. Now the two of them must fight to re-establish the delicate balance of the island before the dragons take things into their own hands. Through it all, they discover the secrets that kept them, and their hearts, exiled for a decade.
Loralee Munroviel, daughter of Leogard's High Priestess Arianne, had no idea what she would face when she arrived by boat ten years ago and was left alone in exile. All she knew about Draekoria's inhabitants was written in one tattered notebook. Now, her life revolves around keeping Drae's descendants happy. Never in her life did she imagine being a Dragon Keeper.
Captain Igrorio Everlyn, known as Sir Robert to his unit of Holy Paladins, has faced his share of hell, battling the evils of Emperor Sarvonn's tyranny and the dark god Tyr's abominations. But none of that compares to the ten years of hell he's been without Loralee, presumed dead.
One freak storm changes everything. Now the two of them must fight to re-establish the delicate balance of the island before the dragons take things into their own hands. Through it all, they discover the secrets that kept them, and their hearts, exiled for a decade.
Excerpt From Chapter Three:
After a shipwreck, Sir Robert wakes
up in a strange cottage, only to find Loralee, the love of his life,
whom he thought had been dead for a decade…
“I don’t understand. What is this
place?”
“It’s an island. Very few know of
its existence.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the
fog of this confusing dream come to life. “But, why would you be
here, and why would you be sorry? Unless…”
The words wouldn’t come. My racing
mind pitched in to help. Unless she didn’t want to marry me
after all.
Wrenching pain I’d kept tucked inside
broke free, and I clambered to my feet. Loralee followed suit,
backing herself into the small dining table.
I tried, but could not hide the bitter
anger in my words. “How could you do this to me? Do you have any
idea what I’ve been through?”
Her eyes widened. She clutched the
table with one hand and her robe with the other. “What you’ve
been through? I didn’t want this. I was forced here.”
“What do you mean, forced here? Where
are your shackles?” My voice roared through the little cottage as I
gestured around me with one arm. “Where are the bars? This looks
like no prison I’ve ever seen.”
Her voice cracked the air, rivaling
with my own. “I was betrayed, forced into exile. Don’t you
understand? I never wanted to leave you. I never wanted anything so
much as I wanted you.”
Pacing away, I closed my eyes and
breathed deeply. I had to calm myself, to let the weight of this
discovery, the improbability of her explanation to sink into my
water-logged brain.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at
her just yet, so I stared at my bare feet instead. “Why didn’t
you tell me, write to me?”
“I tried. I begged the supply ship
crew to bring my letters to you. They always took them, but never
brought one in return. I suspect they destroyed them, but I had no
way of knowing.” She sucked in a shaky breath as though trying to
hold back her tears. “I never stopped loving you.”
Turning back to face her, I felt like a
mindless beast. Here I was, raging against the love of my life when
she’d all but been brought back from the dead.
“Loralee.” I eased toward her. She
cringed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Without a word, I leaned in and pressed
my forehead to hers, allowing myself to breathe in her scent for the
first time in a decade. We stood suspended like that for a while,
lost in time, and emerging from a purgatory neither of us had
imagined ten years ago. I would have been content to stand like that
forever, but Loralee burst into tears and wilted to the floor.
I followed her down and opened the
quilt to wrap us both inside. I held her tight while she cried.
While I cried.
I finally got enough breath to speak
again. “What did you mean by forced here? They told me you were…”
I couldn’t say it, not with her warm and so very alive against me.
“I know.”
The weight of it all came crashing down
on me. “This is my fault, isn’t it? You’re here because of me.”
She made no attempt to wipe her cheeks,
but shook her head and stared at the rafters as though entreating the
gods. “No, it’s not your fault. Not at all. There is so much to
explain, I don’t know where to start.”
I couldn’t comprehend any of it, so I
focused on the here and now. “You found me on the shore?”
She nodded.
“The crew, Francis…did you find
anyone else out there?”
“No, I had Xax-, I mean, no, I
searched but didn’t find anyone else.”
The familiar weight of grief squeezed
my chest, and a few more tears escaped before I could stop them.
She pulled me close and whispered, “I’m
so sorry. I know how much you loved him. We all did.”
“We all grieved for you. You’ve
been here…all this time?”
“Yes.”
“By the gods, Loralee, I’ve missed
you so much.” I put my wet cheek against hers and pressed my lips
to her soft skin. “Part of me died the day I thought you…
please…just tell me how you ended up here.”
Loralee took a few deep breaths and
finally pulled away from me. She caressed my cheek and smiled weakly.
“I’ll make us a pot of tea. And then, I think we should start at
the beginning, back to the Great Plague and when we first met. Do you
remember that?”
Smiling past the sadness, I covered her
hand with mine and closed my eyes. “How could I ever forget?”
Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time
wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger's Tale
was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in
the fantasy romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April
2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already
received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has
been likened to Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of
Truth' series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between
Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.
Mysti's other writings have appeared in
the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas
Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine
EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers
Village University's six week free course, F2K.
Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an
online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a
blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She
resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.
Tallenmere Series:
Thanks for hosting me today, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteI want to let all your readers know that I'm having a big drawing to accompany this tour. For anyone who buys a copy of Hearts in Exile from now til August 1, they're entered into a drawing for some fabulous prizes totaling ~$60:
A $10 Amazon Gift Card, Dragon Necklace, I ♥ Dragons Tote Bag, This Gal (or Guy) Loves Dragons T-shirt, Hearts in Exile Notebook, and set of three signed playlist postcards.
For photos of the prizes and information on how to enter, they can join this Facebook Event Page:https://www.facebook.com/events/519253418129437/