Title: Through The Veil (The Aisling Chronicles #1)
Release date: February 22nd, 2016
Author: Colleen Halverson
Entangled
About the book:
Elizabeth Tanner is no Tinkerbell, and her life is no fairy tale. Broke and drowning in student loans, the one thing she wants more than anything is a scholarship from the Trinity Foundation. But after the ancient Irish text she's studying turns out to be more than just a book, she becomes their prisoner instead. And when Trinity reveals Elizabeth is half-Fae, she finds herself at the center of a plot to save the magical races of Ireland from a brutal civil war.
As Commander of Trinity's elite warriors, Finn O'Connell isn't used to having his authority challenged. He doesn't know whether to punish or protect the infuriating young woman in his custody. When he discovers the Dark Fae want to use Elizabeth's abilities to control the source of all power in the universe, he'll risk everything to help her.
At the mercy of Trinity and enslaved to the Dark Fae, Elizabeth finds herself alone on the wrong side of an Irish myth thousands of years in the making. Refusing to be a pawn in their game, Elizabeth has to fight her way back to the man she loves, but to do so, she must wage her own war against the magic that binds her.
As Commander of Trinity's elite warriors, Finn O'Connell isn't used to having his authority challenged. He doesn't know whether to punish or protect the infuriating young woman in his custody. When he discovers the Dark Fae want to use Elizabeth's abilities to control the source of all power in the universe, he'll risk everything to help her.
At the mercy of Trinity and enslaved to the Dark Fae, Elizabeth finds herself alone on the wrong side of an Irish myth thousands of years in the making. Refusing to be a pawn in their game, Elizabeth has to fight her way back to the man she loves, but to do so, she must wage her own war against the magic that binds her.
Excerpt:
I turned the corner and took in the
large man towering over Candace’s shiny blond head. Tapping his foot and
muttering something about being “late for another meeting,” he shot her a
menacing scowl. He clutched the edge of the desk as if he might overturn it and
swallow our intern whole like a mini eggroll.
Candace bit her lip, her big brown
manga eyes wide with bubbling anxiety as she fumbled with some files.
I hated a bully. Being an army brat
with a new school almost every year, I could spot one a mile away.
“Can I help you?” I threw back my
shoulders and tried to make myself appear taller.
The man puffed his linebacker
chest. “Finn O’Connell. I’m with the Trinity Foundation. I have an appointment
with Dr. Kevin Forrester.” He had a crisp Irish accent, his consonants cutting
through the shafts of afternoon light spilling into the room.
“I’m sorry, but Dr. Forrester is
out.”
Where are you,
old man?
I stepped forward, pasting a
confident smile on my face. “Is there something I could help you with?”
Mr. O’Connell stalked over to me,
and I fought the urge to step back. Six foot five and no problems with invading
personal space, the man from Trinity emitted waves of heat, and his body hummed
like a pulsing engine shrouded in gleaming black chrome.
My heart raced as I tilted my head
up and up to meet a pair of intense gray eyes that made me forget my
last name. Gritting my teeth, I steeled myself, crossing my arms. Never show
fear: rule number one for managing the bullies in your life.
“Dr. Forrester recently acquired a
new manuscript—”
“The Book of Arranmore!”
Finn tilted his head, trying to
make sense of the jumble of consonants I had just vomited. “Excuse me?”
“Um, yes. The Book of Arranmore.Sorry.”
I twisted my mouth into some semblance of a smile, but inside my stomach
knotted, thinking of the changing pictures, the shifting text. “It’s a
wonderful new addition to our collection.”
Finn glanced down the hallway
toward the archives. “Would you mind if I take a look?”
“Um…” I curled my fingers into my
palm. “I think it might be best if we wait for Dr. Forrester. If you would like
to come back later—”
“No, I would not like to come back
later. My time is precious, Miss…?”
I raised my eyebrows, bristling at
the Miss. “Tanner. Elizabeth Tanner.”
“Miss Tanner,” he said. “As
a contributing member to this institution, I think I am entitled to a small
preview.”
Entitled. Only certain kinds of men
could throw that word around. Men in Burberry leather trench coats,
dry-cleaned, pressed shirts so white they glistened like morning snow. Men with
large checkbooks. Men, who, with the flick of a lazy, indecipherable signature
could decide the destiny of my academic career.
“Of course, Mr. O’Connell,” I said.
“We have it in the back here, if you would like to follow me. I was just
working on it.”
Finn rode my heels, and I hurried
to keep some distance between us. Opening the door and crossing the reading
room, I darted to my workspace, leaning against the desk to establish my
territory. I raised my chin, but inside my stomach fluttered as Finn took in
the mountains of scattered notes I had amassed over the past few weeks. A messy
desk is the sign of a true genius, right? Judging from the scowl on the
Irishman’s face, he didn’t seem to think so.
I took a deep breath and was about
to open my mouth to wax intellectual on The Book of Arranmore when my
hand slipped over the computer mouse. AC/DC screeched across the wood-paneled
walls, elaborating on the calamitous effects of American thighs.
I let out a squeak, whirling around
and fumbling to press pause, my hands shaking violently. The music stopped
mid-scream, and then silence.
“Interesting taste in music, Miss
Tanner.”
His words burned hot against the
side of my neck, and I gasped. Finn stood a mere inch behind me. He stared down
at the computer screen, the blue light flashing on the teasing smile spread
across his face. Heat bloomed in my cheeks, and I clicked on the tiny X
to close out the program.
“Oh, that wasn’t mine!” I brushed
my hair out of my eyes.
“These dang undergrads. I mean, who
listens to AC/DC, right?”
Finn’s smile faded, his dark stare
replacing the brief lightness in his features. I chewed on my lip, arrested for
a moment by the impossible length of his eyelashes.
“Is this it?” Finn turned and
planted his fists on the table, caging the manuscript with his arms.
“Yes.” Closing in on Finn, I
breathed in the clean, leather smell emanating from his long coat. Warm and
intoxicating, he smelled like a mix of fresh laundry and badass.
About the author:
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 freshman. 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.
Author Links:
Giveaway:
Swag Pack
One signed copy of Through the Veil
Swag Pack
One signed copy of Through the Veil
One Book of Kells Coloring Book
One Tree of Life Pendant
One Tree of Life Journal
One hand-painted one-of-a-kind Tree of Life scarf
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