Children
of the Veil (The
Aisling Chronicles #2)
By: Colleen
Halverson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Entangled
Date of Publication: October 26, 2016
ISBN: 9781633757738
ASIN: B01LZDAFQY
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: 120K
Elizabeth Tanner has one goal: to find
her mother in whatever dimension she’s imprisoned. But to do that, she has to
face her estranged father, and to do that, she needs a shot of whiskey…or
seven. But after an attempt on her life and the return of her lost love, she
wakes up with one hell of a hangover and a whole barrage of questions.
Finn O’Connell doesn’t know why the
Fianna want him to aid Elizabeth in her search, but he’ll take any excuse to be
near her again. Together, they dive headlong into the shadows of her mother’s
secrets and find themselves embroiled in a Fae rebellion that will test Finn’s
loyalties and their love.
With the Faerie realm verging on chaos,
Elizabeth and Finn will embark on a quest that will lead them from the streets
of Chicago to London’s seedy Fae underground. But rescuing Elizabeth’s mother
means journeying to a place Finn can’t follow, and Elizabeth is forced to make
a choice between finding her at last or saving her own soul.
Teaser
Excerpt:
Elizabeth Tanner has one goal: find her
mother and free her. But after an attempt on her life and the return of her
lost love, her search leads to more questions than answers. Finn O’Connell
doesn’t know why the Fianna want him to help Elizabeth, but he’ll take any
excuse to be near her. Diving into the shadows of her mother’s secrets throws
them into a Fae rebellion that will test their love, and rescuing Elizabeth’s
mother means making a choice between finding her or saving her own soul.
Excerpt 1
My
legs buckled and he snatched me into his arms, my head lolling against his
chest. I breathed in the smell of leather, fresh folded laundry, and that pure,
manly scent of Finn-ness. God, I had missed him.
“Who…?” I managed to say, the words feeling like caked mud in my mouth.
He didn’t answer, but slipped me into his car and I sank into the leather seat, darkness eating at the edge of my sight. The purring engine lulled me into a daze, and I must have passed out because the next thing I knew, we were stumbling up the stairs to my apartment.
“I live here,” I slurred.
“I know,” Finn mumbled, his muscled arm propping me up. “Where are your keys?”
Snowflakes collected on the crown of his head, his eyebrows knitting together. The curve of his mouth filled my vision, and my fingers slipped over the soft skin, tracing the delicate cupid bow on his top lip. His face softened, multiple Finns swimming through the muted streetlight.
“Mmmmm…” I murmured, running my hand against the side of his face, trying to keep from seeing double. “Stay still.”
He placed a gentle hand over my hand. “Elizabeth, your keys. It’s freezing out here.”
I brought his palm next to my face, brushing my lips against his callused fingers. Need burned through my body, and I fell against his broad chest, covering his mouth with mine with a moan. For a moment, he kissed me back, his hands pressing firm against my shoulders. The falling snow tickled my neck, sending icy trails down my spine, and I pressed into him seeking his warmth. He made a low sound in his throat.
“You’re drunk,” he whispered.
“I don’t care.” I whispered into his ear.
Finn disentangled himself from my arms, and I slipped on a patch of ice, falling on my ass with a giggle. He leaned over me, patting my jeans in search for my keys. His hands strayed to my waist, tickling my side, and I laughed, grabbing his hands.
He hovered over me, his hair grazing the firm line of his jaw. “Elizabeth, stop. I mean it. Where are your keys?”
He rifled in my coat, and something landed on the balcony with a thud. The book of Yeats’ poetry lay in the snow, white powder quickly accumulating on its worn cover. Finn made to grab it, but I snatched it away, wiping it off and sticking it safe back inside my coat. He stared down at me and swallowed hard, the tinkling crystal of falling snow the only sound in the silent street.
“Elizabeth…” He whispered, his hand brushing away a wet lock of hair plastered to my cheek.
I shrugged away, rifling in my jeans pocket for my keys and threw them at him. A wave of dizziness washed over me and I curled up on the balcony, willing the snow to blanket over me, desiring nothing but to become the winter so I could sleep for four months and reemerge whole again. Stinging numbness gripped my fingers and toes, and I shivered, burying my head against my arm.
“Let’s get you inside.” Finn’s arm slipped beneath my shoulders and under my knees.
“Who…?” I managed to say, the words feeling like caked mud in my mouth.
He didn’t answer, but slipped me into his car and I sank into the leather seat, darkness eating at the edge of my sight. The purring engine lulled me into a daze, and I must have passed out because the next thing I knew, we were stumbling up the stairs to my apartment.
“I live here,” I slurred.
“I know,” Finn mumbled, his muscled arm propping me up. “Where are your keys?”
Snowflakes collected on the crown of his head, his eyebrows knitting together. The curve of his mouth filled my vision, and my fingers slipped over the soft skin, tracing the delicate cupid bow on his top lip. His face softened, multiple Finns swimming through the muted streetlight.
“Mmmmm…” I murmured, running my hand against the side of his face, trying to keep from seeing double. “Stay still.”
He placed a gentle hand over my hand. “Elizabeth, your keys. It’s freezing out here.”
I brought his palm next to my face, brushing my lips against his callused fingers. Need burned through my body, and I fell against his broad chest, covering his mouth with mine with a moan. For a moment, he kissed me back, his hands pressing firm against my shoulders. The falling snow tickled my neck, sending icy trails down my spine, and I pressed into him seeking his warmth. He made a low sound in his throat.
“You’re drunk,” he whispered.
“I don’t care.” I whispered into his ear.
Finn disentangled himself from my arms, and I slipped on a patch of ice, falling on my ass with a giggle. He leaned over me, patting my jeans in search for my keys. His hands strayed to my waist, tickling my side, and I laughed, grabbing his hands.
He hovered over me, his hair grazing the firm line of his jaw. “Elizabeth, stop. I mean it. Where are your keys?”
He rifled in my coat, and something landed on the balcony with a thud. The book of Yeats’ poetry lay in the snow, white powder quickly accumulating on its worn cover. Finn made to grab it, but I snatched it away, wiping it off and sticking it safe back inside my coat. He stared down at me and swallowed hard, the tinkling crystal of falling snow the only sound in the silent street.
“Elizabeth…” He whispered, his hand brushing away a wet lock of hair plastered to my cheek.
I shrugged away, rifling in my jeans pocket for my keys and threw them at him. A wave of dizziness washed over me and I curled up on the balcony, willing the snow to blanket over me, desiring nothing but to become the winter so I could sleep for four months and reemerge whole again. Stinging numbness gripped my fingers and toes, and I shivered, burying my head against my arm.
“Let’s get you inside.” Finn’s arm slipped beneath my shoulders and under my knees.
Excerpt 2
Finn stood up and placed his hands on my
shoulders, massaging my sore muscles. I turned my head to the side, allowing
him access to my neck. He rubbed his thumb down my spine, and I let out a soft
moan as the tension in my body released.
“The way you addressed that soldier tonight,
and your oath to Phelan,” he said. “I have to admit, I was quite enamored by
your display of power.”
“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing
yet, Mr. O’Connell.” My fingertips hummed with aisling energy as he brushed my hair aside and kissed me between my
shoulder blades. In spite of my exhaustion and everything I learned tonight, my
body ached for him.
“I think royalty looks good on
you.” He smoothed his hands down my arms, and breathed into my ear. “But then
again, I think everything looks good on you, Princess”
I placed my hand over Finn’s.
“You just want to see me in a dress again.”
“I suppose I’m still stuck in
the 18th century.” He stroked my hair, pulling my wayward curls
behind my ears. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to seeing women in
trousers.”
I stood up and stretched,
turning to the cot in the corner. “Well, get used to it, buddy.” Finn grabbed
my ass, and I squealed as he pulled me into his lap, the rickety wooden chair
groaning beneath our weight.
“I could get used to these
tight blue jeans, however.” Finn moved his hand down my hip. “They are quite
flattering in a twenty-first century sort of way.”
“I’m glad you approve,” I
breathed into his ear, reaching back and placing his cheek close to mine.
“It’s just that a lady’s
skirts made it much easier to do this.”
Finn wrapped his arm around my waist and slipped his fingers inside the
waistband of my jeans.
I gasped, grabbing at his
hand—to release me or plunge deeper, I wasn’t sure.
- Signed copy of THROUGH THE VEIL, Book 1 The Aisling Chronicles
- Signed copy of CHILDREN OF THE VEIL, Book 2 The Aisling Chronicles
- A select collection of pins, patches, and stickers from Creepy Company https://www.creepycompany.com/
- $50 Amazon Gift Card
OPEN TO US ONLY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
As a child, Colleen Halverson used to
play in the woods imagining worlds and telling stories to herself. Growing up
on military bases, she found solace in her local library and later decided to
make a living sharing the wonders of literature to poor, unsuspecting college
freshmen. After backpacking through Ireland and singing in a traditional Irish
music band, she earned a PhD in English with a specialization in Irish
literature. When she’s not making up stories or teaching, she can be found
hiking the rolling hills of the Driftless area of Wisconsin with her husband
and two children. CHILDREN OF THE VEIL is the follow up to her debut urban
fantasy novel, THROUGH THE VEIL.
twitter: https://twitter.com/cbhalverson
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbhalverson/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleen_halverson/
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