Friday, June 24, 2016

Blog Tour Review and Excerpt - - Beauty and the Highland Beast







Beauty and the Highland Beast
A Highland Fairy Tale - Book 1 (digital)
By Lecia Cornwall
Publisher: SMP Swerve (an imprint of St. Martin's Press)
Release Date: June 21, 2016



Powerful and dangerous highlander Dair Sinclair was once the favored son of his clan, The Sinclairs of Carraig Brigh. With Dair at the helm, Sinclair ships circled the globe bringing home incredible fortune. Until one deadly mission when Dair is captured, tortured and is unable to save his young cousin. He returns home breaking under the weight of his guilt and becomes known as the Madman of Carraig Brigh.
When a pagan healer predicts that only a virgin bride can heal his son’s body and mind, Dair’s father sets off to find the perfect wife for his son. At the castle of the fearsome McLeods, he meets lovely and kind Fia MacLeod.
Although Dair does his best to frighten Fia, she sees the man underneath the damage and uses her charm and special gifts to heal his mind and heart. Will Dair let Fia love him or is he cursed with madness forever?



I'm always excited when a new Lecia Cornwall book comes out. This is an author who captured my attention with her debut novel and has kept me returning book after book with her innovative story ideas and writing that draws me into her fictional world, losing myself in the lives of her characters. While I've enjoyed all of her books, this one, Beauty and the Highland Beast is one of my favorites.

Dair and Fia are such worthy characters; flawed, complex, and the perfect counterbalance to one another. With the confidence of a natural leader and the swagger of a pirate, Dair sailed the world, conquering hearts and building his clan's fortune until the fateful mission that sent him spiraling into madness; the madness of grief and guilt. He can't forget the horror of his cousin's death, continuing to relive it in his dreams, sure that he's being haunted by her unforgiving ghost, and causing his clan to fear for his sanity, his very life. He captured my heart when he began to show his and I fought to save him as hard as Fia did. And Fia, oh, how I adored her.

Fia has spent her twenty years in the protective (some might say "smothering") cocoon of her family's love. A healer, beautiful Fia's kind heart and gentle ways draw both people and animals to her but her perceived clumsiness and fey nature lead people to believe she needs protecting and the pronounced limp and scars from a childhood injury mean she's most likely to remain a spinster for life. It was a joy to watch her blossom and become a strong, assertive woman willing to reach for her happiness and fight for what she deserves.

Filled with suspense, danger, and intrigue, Beauty and the Highland Beast is also laced with humor and brimming with passion. The characters are so fully developed they practically leap from the pages; the madness of the villains so perfectly portrayed they gave me chills while Dair and Fia filled my heart with love and affection. The secondary characters fill in all the extra spaces splendidly in scenes that are so vividly described, I felt as if I was right there with them. I especially enjoyed scenes between the brawny Sinclair men and Fia's cat, Beelzebub (appropriately named). And Fia's father? The fearsome chief whose heart is held in the collective palms of his twelve daughters? I adored him! I hope we'll see more of the MacLeod laird and his daughters in future books.

~PJ

What's your favorite classic fairy tale?

Do you enjoy romances based on fairy tales? Have any favorites?

Have you read Lecia Cornwall's books yet?

I'm giving a Kindle copy of Beauty and the Highland Beast to one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's post. Deadline for comments to be eligible for giveaway is 11:00 PM, Saturday, June 25, 2016. 









Beauty and the Highland Beast Excerpt  

How had the Sinclairs heard of Moire? She was a humble soul. She kept to herself, tended the ancient spring of the goddess, and helped only those who came to her. Fear numbed the icy blast of the wind as she stared up at Carraig Brigh’s bony tower, a crooked black finger rising from a solid fist of rock.

“Ye’ve made a mistake,” she whined as they rode under the iron teeth of the gate. “I’m naught but a simple midwife.” No one listened, and the wind carried her pleas over the edge of the cliff and drowned them in the bay below.

In the bailey, men stood in the light of gale-thrashed torches. There wasn’t a friendly face among them, or a word of welcome.

Someone hauled her off the garron, kept hold of her arm as he propelled her across the bailey. The portcullis fell with a metallic squall that ended on a human note, a wail of pure agony that floated down from the tower and made Moire’s innards curl against her backbone. The clansmen shifted uneasily, crossed themselves, and turned their eyes up to the narrow window high above them. 
Moire’s escort grabbed a torch from the nearest man as he opened an iron-studded door and pushed her up the steps inside.

“Do you truly have magic, old woman?” he asked. “You’d best hope you can conjure a cure.”

She stumbled. A witch. They thought they’d summoned a witch.

“A midwife, just a midwife,” she protested again, panting. The curving stone steps were steep, but he gave her no time to catch her breath. Her old legs were no match for his long, muscular ones. She scrabbled at his sleeve. “Please, there’s been a mistake.”

“There’s no mistake, Moire o’ the Spring. ’Tis you and no other we were sent to fetch. The chief would summon the devil himself if he thought it could save his son.”

“What’s wrong with him?” she found the courage to ask.

He grunted. “Have ye heard of Jean Sinclair?”

“Aye, of course. The lass they called the Holy Maid of Carraig Brigh,” Moire replied.

“That’s her. She was Alasdair Og’s cousin, the chief’s niece. Padraig wasn’t pleased when she decided to take holy orders and shut herself away in a French convent.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “’Tis a sad tale. They set sail from Sinclair Bay and put in at Berwick for the night, only to be ambushed by English soldiers. Alasdair Og thought there’d been a mistake, that they’d been taken for pirates, perhaps, or kidnapped for ransom. He imagined it would be a matter of a few days’ delay, an exchange of coin, and they’d be on their way again. But they didn’t bother themselves about ransom. They took the gold Alasdair Og was carrying right enough, and the goods, and the ship, and they murdered his crew. Then they beat Alasdair Og half to death, and threw him and Jean into the dungeon of Coldburn Keep.”

Moire put a hand to her throat, a shiver racing up her spine.

“Worst of all was what they did to poor wee Jean. They raped her, tortured her, then murdered her in front of Alasdair Og. He was chained to the wall, could do nothing to help her. She pleaded with God for help. She was just a slip of a girl. They said if she was Catholic and a Highlander, then she was no better than an idolatrous witch. ’Twas hatred—not just for the Scots, but for Alasdair Og in particular. They called him a pirate, blamed him for things that had nothing at all to do with the Sinclairs. It wasn’t wee Jeannie’s fight—Alasdair told them that, but they wouldn’t listen. He lay in his own filth for a fortnight, chained, wounded, and listened while they beat her, broke her bones, tormented her. 

They kept him alive to hear her screams.”

“And then?” Moire asked.

The man grimaced. “They hanged her as a heretic in the courtyard, forced Alasdair to his feet, made him stand at the window and watch.” He stared down at her from the step above. “He can’t forget any of it. That’s why they call him mad—he has nightmares, feels constant pain, and starts at shadows. 
Can you help him?”

She blinked. Did the holy maid haunt Alasdair Og Sinclair? Perhaps it was the devil’s work after all. Moire knew little of the Christian God, either Catholic or Covenanter. She followed the ancient goddess, tended her sacred spring . . .

Another guttural scream came from the top of the tower. Moire shrank against the cold stones of the wall and made a sign against evil.

Her companion took hold of her arm again. “Come on.” He opened a door at the top of the steps, dragged her through it. The room was nearly dark, lit by a single candle—expensive beeswax—and the dull glow of a brazier in the corner. The sweet scent of the candle mixed with the dark stink of old blood, corruption, and sweat. It was a smell Moire knew. It meant illness far beyond her ability to heal, and death.             





17 comments:

  1. I do love BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. This story has all of the elements I love.

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  2. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale PLUS I love Highland romances...I'm sold! :-)

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  3. Snow White... Eloisa writes a lot of storie with a nod to fairy tales. I don't believe I've read anything by Lecia.

    denise

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  4. My absolute favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. I loved the Disney version when it first came out and now they are doing a live action version. I can't wait to see that one in the theaters. I loved the Disney version because I identified with the heroine - a lover of books and reading.

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    1. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite too.

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  5. Cinderella is a favorite.

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    1. I've heard good things about the newest Cinderella movie starring Lily James. Have you seen it?

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  6. Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite fairy tale. I've got a few of Lecia's books on my tbr but still haven't read any....

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  7. Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite fairy tale. I've got a few of Lecia's books on my tbr but still haven't read any....

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  8. I love Sleeping Beauty the best. Yes, I do like romances based on fairy tales. Thank you for the excerpt as I have not read Lecia Cornwall 's books. If I don't win, I will have to get this book. Thanks.

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  9. I love Beauty and The Beast. My favorite based on that is The Vixen and The Vet by Katy Regnery. I have not read anything by you but am looking forward to reading this book.

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  10. What a wonderful review. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. I find every version I can to see how the author has developed it. These characters sound like two that I need to get to know. It was a wise clan that sought to heal him with the love and tenderness of a woman like Fia. I will definitely be reading BEAUTY AND THE HIGHLAND BEAST.
    I have not yet read any of Lecia Cornwall's books. You be sure I will be remedying that.

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