Goodness me what a ride this has been. I wrote the first draft of this story back in 2011, it was
intended to be the 6th in the Hengist series, called Aurora. But it quickly became clear this was not the same “sweet, clean” adventure stories of the sixteen year-old heroic boys living in a world filled with medieval values (and lack of technology).
Poor Rory suffers every bit as much at the hands of nasty bullies as Archer and his friends, but when girls do it, it’s much less physical, more psychological. And the best kind of grounding for when she meets a real-live psychopath – but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The
Nature’s Tribe series set the groundwork with a series of medieval romances. This one features probably the longest-running will they/won’t they love story since Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd spent four years and 67 episodes finding reasons not to be together in
Moonlighting. Or for those way too young to remember late eighties rom-com detective shows, think Harvey Spector and Donna Paulson in
Suits (2011-19). I’ve just gone through all eight series for the third time since I first heard about it after watching Meghan marry Harry.
Mmm – there’s a whole other blog post on its own!
Anyway –
Chrysalis is available on Amazon at a tempting $1.75/£1.42 for a little while longer Click on the piccie to go straight to your store and snap it up before it goes full price.
Here’s the blurb – with a huge thank you to Julie at Hidden Gems for helping to polish it.
An unrequited teenage crush. A suppressed super-power.
A world under threat from evil incarnate.
When Archer rescued Rory from bullies many years ago, she was smitten, but he was lukewarm. She doesn't realise what she'd do to grab his attention until her supposed BFF decides he'd look good on her arm. When Rory's gift, delayed from puberty, has her blacking out in the lighting box for a high school show, only he can help.
What was that about being careful what you wish for?
The revelation that her mum and Archer come from a quasi-medieval alternate-world should have knocked Rory for six, but strange dreams clue her that she might have something in common with her idol, Buffy.
As if! Archer's attempts to help control her powers bring a bittersweet torture, but with college looming, she must persevere
Archer's mission to scope out the threat from the technology-obsessed world breaching into his own includes protecting Rory. But his orders are clear - inter-world relationships are verboten. It hurt to spurn her pre-teen crush, but grown-up Rory proves irresistible. As her gifts develop, her connection to the monster threatening his world makes her dangerous to be around, and he has to choose between his heart and duty.
The chemistry between them unleashes a devastating energy as the monster escalates his evil plan. They must dig deep to endure unbearable torment, and defy fate to stop him from destroying everything they hold dear.
A blend of magical realism and humour, this medieval-meets-modern romance will delight fans of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Masquerade series.
Warning: Although mild in terms of sex, profanity and violence, some readers may be upset by the torment in a couple of scenes. Nothing fans of
Hunger Games or
Divergent can't handle.
This story runs in parallel with the
Hengist series, but it is not necessary to read them before enjoying this series, as the stories in
Context give a good summary of key events.
Colour of Light series:
#1
Context: Seven short stories of rebellion and redemption - Available May 2020
#2
Chrysalis: Medieval magic meets modern-day mystery - Available June 2020
#3
Captive: Modern-day mystery meets medieval magic - Available August 2020
#4
Catalyst: Modern military thriller meets medieval magic - Available October 2020
