Spotlight/Giveaway: Hearts in Exile by Mysti Parker

Hearts in Exile (Tallenmere #3)

by Mysti Parker

Fantasy Romance

Categories: Action/Adventure

Publisher: Melange Books

Release Date: May 26, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 124,000

Available at:

Amazon | B&N

The ‘Tallenmere’ Series is available at Melange Books, Amazon, B&N and many other online bookstores.

A Ranger's Tale (Tallenmere #1)

Serenya's Song (Tallenmere #2)

Blurb:

In Tallenmere, fate has a way of catching up with you...

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 reestablish 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.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Excerpt:

Loralee, as daughter of the High Priestess, is tasked with helping young Igrorio (Sir Robert) heal from his near-death experience during the Plague. She’s got a tough job ahead of her…

A girl’s voice startled me from sleep. “Do you like dragons?”

“What?”

My eyelids felt like they’d been weighed down with rocks. I brought my arm up to rub them, but even it felt strange and unused, like I had been poured into a new body. Finally, I cracked one eye open, then the other, and realized I had no idea where I was.

A blurry face framed with an over-abundance of red hair leaned over me. “I said, do you like dragons?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. My voice sounded as dull and scratchy as a rusty old knife. “I’ve never thought much about them.”

“Hmm, well, since you’ll be here for a while, I thought you may want some books to peruse. Or do you like to paint or draw? I can get supplies-”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, how incredibly rude of me. I must apologize. I am Loralee. Loralee Munroviel.”

“The Priestess’s daughter?”

“That’s right. And you are?”

“Igrorio Everlyn.”

I blinked and got a better look at her exaggerated features. Her teeth were too big, the points of her ears nearly reached the top of her head, freckles dotted her round cheeks, and her eyes were like two giant green marbles. Even her smile whisked across her face like someone had painted it on in a hurry.

I scanned the room. It was fairly small with no windows, but squares of opaque glass in the ceiling let in filtered light. Green ivy clung to the bare wooden beams between the plastered walls, growing upward, where it wrapped around the rafters on the ceiling. It didn’t reach the glass, so someone must have kept it cleared away.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“You’re in the Temple, in a recovery room. Once you’ve built up your strength with some Blessed Water, nourishing food, and plenty of rest, you can-”

She bit her lip and stared down at the book on her lap.

“Go home?” I finished for her. A tight lump formed in my throat.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to-”

I flipped over to my other side and focused on the glossy, tri-pointed leaves beside my bed. Everything came back. Mama on the barge, Papa’s suicide, our home burning to ashes around me, and the girl who brought me back from the brink of death. I should have been grateful, that much I knew. But what did I have left? Everything beyond the here and now was too uncertain, too overwhelming. I should have died in that inferno.

“Leave me alone,” I whispered.

She said nothing, but her chair scraped against the stone floor. A moment later, the door clicked behind her, and I let my tears fall.

About the Author:

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 specific 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.

Connect with Mysti Parker:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Prize is 1 eBook copy of "Hearts in Exile" (Int); 1 autographed print copy of "Hearts in Exile" (US/Canada). Contest ends July 14. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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