Honey Queen
by Christina Mercer
Release Date: 05/31/14
Summary from Goodreads:
Love is honey sweet,
but it comes with a fatal sting . . .
Melaina Maris needs wings to fly the gap between loving Sam and her family’s
ancient curse that forces carnal love and then kills the male lovers. She won’t
let the same fate that killed her father befall another. She refuses to allow
her goddess-created bloodline to continue. But there’s no easy way out,
especially after the curse turns her into the Honey Queen—savior to honey
bees—intensifying her charms.
To help her fulfill the curse’s demands in the least harmful way, her grandmother
takes her to mate with terminally ill Boyd. But Boyd’s gay. And an expert in
mythology. Instead of having sex, Melaina learns how she might summon the
goddess who created the first ancestor bee-charmer and cursed her bloodline.
Melaina's magic—tears to save honey bees from endangerment—could be enough to
persuade the goddess to end the curse. But an unexpected discovery soon changes
that hope, spinning Melaina into a swarm of love, friendship and death.
Available from:
Here's An Excerpt!
On my way home, I stop and grab the mail at the end of our drive, and Sam rolls up in his white pick-up with the words Leonard’s Dairy Ranch painted across the side. “Hey, Mel,” he says, chocolate eyes melting my insides. “Been a while.”
I swallow hard, hoping the rush of heat to my face doesn’t show. “Yeah, well, I’m trying to graduate early, and you know, busy helping Gran.”
He nods, and his eyes flicker over my car. “You ever feel like riding shotgun in that thing, I’d be more than happy to take the wheel.”
I get back in my car and toss the mail on the seat next to me. “I’ll remember that.”
He laughs, and just as I shut the door, he calls out, “Go out with me.”
Shit.
I take a deep breath and roll down the window. His brown shag drapes around his smile. His perfect, irresistible smile. “Sam, you’re my best friend. I don’t want to ruin that. Besides, I have to stay focused on school.”
“That’s bull, Mel, and you know it. Having a little fun isn’t going to turn you into your mom.”
He knows me well, has since I was in the first grade and he was in the second, but he still doesn’t know what I am. Gran calls us Apis charmers; I call us Apis slaves. And I’d bet him the pink slip to my car, he’d feel differently about dating me if he knew the truth.
“You’re right. I’m not going to end up like my mom, and the best way to make sure I don’t is to stay away from distractions.” With a wave, I speed down the drive.
I don’t realize how hard I’m biting my lip until I taste blood. Sometimes I wonder if it’d be easier to run away
and let the sickness take me. Sam is pure torture—the sweetest hot fudge sundae, the rarest orchid, the love I can never know.
I take a deep breath and roll down the window. His brown shag drapes around his smile. His perfect, irresistible smile. “Sam, you’re my best friend. I don’t want to ruin that. Besides, I have to stay focused on school.”
“That’s bull, Mel, and you know it. Having a little fun isn’t going to turn you into your mom.”
He knows me well, has since I was in the first grade and he was in the second, but he still doesn’t know what I am. Gran calls us Apis charmers; I call us Apis slaves. And I’d bet him the pink slip to my car, he’d feel differently about dating me if he knew the truth.
“You’re right. I’m not going to end up like my mom, and the best way to make sure I don’t is to stay away from distractions.” With a wave, I speed down the drive.
I don’t realize how hard I’m biting my lip until I taste blood. Sometimes I wonder if it’d be easier to run away
and let the sickness take me. Sam is pure torture—the sweetest hot fudge sundae, the rarest orchid, the love I can never know.
About the Author
Christina Mercer is an award-winning author of fiction for children and
young adults. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central
Regional Conference, was a Semi-Finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel
Award Contest, and won Honorable Mention in the 21st Annual Writer's Digest
Self Published Book Awards. She holds a degree in Accounting from California
State University at Sacramento and a Certificate in Herbal Studies from Clayton
College of Natural Health. Christina resides in Northern California enjoying
life with her husband, two sons, four dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees.
Author Links:
Christina Mercer is an award-winning author of fiction for children and
young adults. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central
Regional Conference, was a Semi-Finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel
Award Contest, and won Honorable Mention in the 21st Annual Writer's Digest
Self Published Book Awards. She holds a degree in Accounting from California
State University at Sacramento and a Certificate in Herbal Studies from Clayton
College of Natural Health. Christina resides in Northern California enjoying
life with her husband, two sons, four dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
1 ebook of Honey Queen (INT)
1 "Honey Bee" swag pack (USA). Swag will be bookmark,
buzz card, beeswax lip balm, honey sticks, honeybee charm.
Book Blitz Organized by:
sounds good and like the color scheme of cover
ReplyDeleteThanks! I like the colors too :)
DeleteI like the colors and that excerpt was great!
ReplyDeleteI agree :) Thanks for always stopping by!
DeleteThis is a truly unique concept. Definitely haven't heard of anything like this before!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Neither have I!
DeleteLooks quite interesting, sounds a lot like Practical Magic when it comes to the guys they love dying because of a curse. Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of Practical Magic, but I'm sure it's a good one! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSounds like something that I may try sometime. The concept is really good. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is :)
DeleteOoooh, great excerpt! This sounds really good! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah! Thanks for stopping by!
Delete