by Lia Davis
April 8, 2016
71 pages
Published by After Glows
A deadly family curse looms as Nate and Haylee fall in love. Can they find a way to break the curse and have a happily ever after or is Haylee’s fate to suffer the same curse as her ancestors?
Aspiring author, Nate Wilson wants some space from his overbearing family and a job he doesn’t like. A week on the Oregon coast sounds like paradise and just what he needs to get the creative juices flowing. Unfortunately, his plans are derailed when a storm moves in and a ghostly figure flashes in his headlights, sending him skidding off the road and into a tree. Lucky for him, he ends up in front of a Bed and Breakfast, and the beautiful owner may do more to spur his creativity than any beach could.
Hesitant witch and inn owner, Haylee Clark is cursed. Well, not her exactly—at least not yet—but all of the women in her family have suffered the same fate. They fell in love, only to have that passion turn sour and their husbands die tragically, leaving them brokenhearted. So far, Haylee has done well to avoid that destiny, but when the captivating Nate Wilson crashes into her life, he awakens something within her that she never thought to feel.
When the pair stumbles upon a hidden room where Haylee’s grandmother used to conduct her rituals, they unknowingly unleash a dark entity hell-bent on destruction, and discover that a family heirloom is the source of the Clark family curse. Despite the spell, they can’t deny their attraction, and give in to the magic between them. But the closer Haylee and Nate get, the more the curse tries to tear them apart. If they don’t find a way to defeat the evil, they may lose more than their hearts.
Add SUNSTONE’S FIRE to your Goodreads TBR list!
Sunstone’s Fire (Curse in Stone, book 1) by Lia Davis
*Please note this is an ARC copy of chapter one for the book is currently in edits. It may contain typos.*
Chapter One – part one
Lightning cracked across the dark, cloud-covered sky, illuminating the street. Great. Just what he needed. A storm. On his vacation. Although the rain would match his mood.
Nate gripped the wheel a little tighter. He shouldn’t be as annoyed as much he was, but lately, it seemed he couldn’t catch a break. He was single, his family was always in his business, and his job sucked. He’d hit a crossroads in his life. His career, if he wanted to call it that, wasn’t what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Even though Wilson Enterprises was the family business and he was expected to follow in his father’s and brothers’ footsteps. He didn’t want to be stuck in an office all day. He longed to travel, see the world.
At thirty-five, it was time to start looking to where he wanted to be five or ten years from now. The vacation was a way to get out of town, change the scenery, and a means to clear his head. The destination wasn’t important. Neither was the weather.
It could rain all it wanted.
Another flash of lightning lit up the night. A woman dressed in a long, white gown with hair the color of night appeared in the middle of the road. Fear and panic burned his gut as he jerked the steering wheel to avoid hitting her. The car swerved. Out of reflex, he hit the brakes, causing the vehicle to spiral out of control onto the shoulder, ending by crashing into a large tree. His forehead slammed into the steering wheel. Pain arched through his skull and he groaned. Lifting his head, he scanned the area for the woman, but she wasn’t there. Had he imagined the whole thing?
After a few moments, a tap on the window jerked his attention to a dark-hooded figure standing outside the driver’s side door. Or was it minutes? The fact that he hadn’t noticed her there worried him that he might had lost consciousness.
When he glanced back out the windshield, he noted the fat raindrops pounding on the glass. Frowning, he took his keys from the ignition and opened the door. Big, blue eyes glanced up at him from under the hood then blinked at once. A woman, but not the one that had caused him to crash. This woman’s sensual, full lips frowned as she asked, “Are you all right?”
He nodded. The pain in his head eased slightly. “Yeah.”
“Come out of the rain.” She wrapped her black rain jacket tighter around her and darted up a stone pathway to a large, dark old house covered in ivy.
After a quick glance up and down the street and at the cemetery across from them, Nate looked at his car and shook his head. It hissed from having the front smashed. He wasn’t one to become attached to things, yet he’d had the car since college. And this was the first accident he’d had. Letting out a sigh, he threaded a hand through his wet hair and followed the woman up the path. On his way, he spied the white sign that read The Clark House Bed and Breakfast.
Once inside the foyer, he gaped at the beauty of the place. Coffee-colored walls accented by mahogany wood trim extended to the high, vaulted ceilings. The floor was a dark hardwood, worn from age. He shivered, not because he was cold, but because he got the feeling he was being watched. Hanging on the wall to his right was a painting of a cemetery, and he wondered if it was the one across the street. In the background of the painting, a silhouette of a woman was portrayed. It was blurred but appeared as if it were meant to be a ghost.
Lightning cracked across the dark, cloud-covered sky, illuminating the street. Great. Just what he needed. A storm. On his vacation. Although the rain would match his mood.
Nate gripped the wheel a little tighter. He shouldn’t be as annoyed as much he was, but lately, it seemed he couldn’t catch a break. He was single, his family was always in his business, and his job sucked. He’d hit a crossroads in his life. His career, if he wanted to call it that, wasn’t what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Even though Wilson Enterprises was the family business and he was expected to follow in his father’s and brothers’ footsteps. He didn’t want to be stuck in an office all day. He longed to travel, see the world.
At thirty-five, it was time to start looking to where he wanted to be five or ten years from now. The vacation was a way to get out of town, change the scenery, and a means to clear his head. The destination wasn’t important. Neither was the weather.
It could rain all it wanted.
Another flash of lightning lit up the night. A woman dressed in a long, white gown with hair the color of night appeared in the middle of the road. Fear and panic burned his gut as he jerked the steering wheel to avoid hitting her. The car swerved. Out of reflex, he hit the brakes, causing the vehicle to spiral out of control onto the shoulder, ending by crashing into a large tree. His forehead slammed into the steering wheel. Pain arched through his skull and he groaned. Lifting his head, he scanned the area for the woman, but she wasn’t there. Had he imagined the whole thing?
After a few moments, a tap on the window jerked his attention to a dark-hooded figure standing outside the driver’s side door. Or was it minutes? The fact that he hadn’t noticed her there worried him that he might had lost consciousness.
When he glanced back out the windshield, he noted the fat raindrops pounding on the glass. Frowning, he took his keys from the ignition and opened the door. Big, blue eyes glanced up at him from under the hood then blinked at once. A woman, but not the one that had caused him to crash. This woman’s sensual, full lips frowned as she asked, “Are you all right?”
He nodded. The pain in his head eased slightly. “Yeah.”
“Come out of the rain.” She wrapped her black rain jacket tighter around her and darted up a stone pathway to a large, dark old house covered in ivy.
After a quick glance up and down the street and at the cemetery across from them, Nate looked at his car and shook his head. It hissed from having the front smashed. He wasn’t one to become attached to things, yet he’d had the car since college. And this was the first accident he’d had. Letting out a sigh, he threaded a hand through his wet hair and followed the woman up the path. On his way, he spied the white sign that read The Clark House Bed and Breakfast.
Once inside the foyer, he gaped at the beauty of the place. Coffee-colored walls accented by mahogany wood trim extended to the high, vaulted ceilings. The floor was a dark hardwood, worn from age. He shivered, not because he was cold, but because he got the feeling he was being watched. Hanging on the wall to his right was a painting of a cemetery, and he wondered if it was the one across the street. In the background of the painting, a silhouette of a woman was portrayed. It was blurred but appeared as if it were meant to be a ghost.
Make sure to stop at each participating blog to read all of Chapter 1:
Part 1, March 21—I Smell Sheep
Part 2, March 22—Grave Tells
Part 3, March 23—Vampire Book Club
Part 4, March 24—Fresh Fiction
Part 5, March 25—Literary Escapism
Part 2, March 22—Grave Tells
Part 3, March 23—Vampire Book Club
Part 4, March 24—Fresh Fiction
Part 5, March 25—Literary Escapism
About the Author:
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In 2008, Lia Davis ventured into the world of writing and publishing and never looked back. She has published more than twenty books, including the bestselling A Tiger’s Claim, book one in her fan favorite Ashwood Falls series. Her novels feature compassionate yet strong alpha heroes who know how to please their women and her leading ladies are each strong in their own way. No matter what obstacle she throws at them, they come out better in the end.
While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.
Lia’s favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it’s her home and she loves it! Sign up for her newsletter, become a member of her fan club, and follow her on Twitter @NovelsByLia.
While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.
Lia’s favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it’s her home and she loves it! Sign up for her newsletter, become a member of her fan club, and follow her on Twitter @NovelsByLia.
GIVEAWAY
Thanks so much for sharing the first part of the chapter one reveal! <3
ReplyDeleteI love ghost stories.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
What a great opening chapter! Love the mystery of it already.
ReplyDeleteThank's for sharing Chapter one!
ReplyDeleteghost stories are interesting
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing story!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking at this series. I love the cover and having a gargoyle on front is a plus. Love gargoyles. Can't wait to try.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat cover - looks great so far.
ReplyDelete