Synopsis:
When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess. She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself. It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.
At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide. When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen. And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.
Lou has begun exploring the Neo Pagan faith, a dramatic shift from her wealthy Catholic upbringing. Despite her fears of being too “hocus pocusy”, Lou turns to her new faith as she struggles to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Isobel Key. But faith or not, Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.
See below the giveaway for an excerpt!
Review: I loved this book!
From the first chapter you will be hooked with ALL the characters and turning pages quicker than you can read them! The author takes you back and forth in the present and past, providing a great story that will keep you guessing! It;s a fast paced read and one I highly recommend!
About the Author: Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”). She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.
A Michigander by birth, she now
lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she
isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a
community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a
librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time. You can find her at: her Website , on Twitter @ProDeaWriter , on her Blog, at Goodreads and on Facebook
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Be sure to check out the rest of the tour stops for additional giveaways and excerpts:
November 23 - Gothic Angel Book Reviews - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
November 24 - Disincentive Reviews - Givewaway/Excerpt/PROMO
November 25 - Hooked in a Book - Review/Excerpt
November 25 - Winged Reviews - Guest Post/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
November 25 - For the Love of Film and Novels - Giveaway/Guest Post/Excerpt/PROMO
November 26 - Book Addict - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
November 26 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review/Excerpt
November 27 - The Readioactive Book Blog - Review/Interview/Giveaway/
November 28 - Rowan's Mom - Review/Giveaway
November 29 - My Seryniti - Review/Interview/Excerpt
November 30 - Lovely Reads - Interview/Giveaway/Guest Post/PROMO
November 30 - Reviewing Shelf - Review/Giveaway
December 1 - Books For Me - Review
December 2 - Bless Their Hearts Mom - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
December 3 - Marie Loves Books - Review/Giveaway
December 4 - My Escape - Review/Giveaway/Interview
December 5 - YA Novel Reader - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
December 6 - Bea's Book Nook - Review/Giveaway
December 7 - Forget the Hosework, I'm Reading - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
December 8 - Bookishly Devoted - Review/Giveaway
December 9 - Wonderland Reviews - Review/Interview
December 10 - Cozie Corner - Review/Giveaway
December 11 - Kimmie's Bookshelf - Guest Post/Excerpt/Giveaway/PROMO
December 12 - Genuine Jen - Review/Giveaway
December 13 - Books Books, The Magical Fruit - Giveaway/Excerpt/Interview/
EXCERPT:
CHAPTER ONE
“I quit!” Lou’s words echoed around the checkout line, and customers craned their necks to see
what was happening. Red in the face, Lou looked down at her register in embarrassment. Her
manager patted her shoulder.
“Let’s go back in the office to talk about this.” He turned, expecting her to follow.
“No!” Louder than she’d intended, Lou stood her ground. “You heard me. I’ve had enough of
this store.” As she spoke, she tossed her nametag on the counter. An errant brown curl flipped over
her eye, and she pushed it away. Under the shocked gaze of her manager and the curious stares of a
snake-like line of holiday shoppers, Lou fled.
Once she was outside in the bitter December wind, she headed for the nearest T stop, acting out
of habit more than conscious thought. She’d walked this easy route between the bookstore and the
T for the past four years, and her body took over while her mind churned.
She had a college degree, for Pete’s sake! Cum laude from Duke University had landed her a job
selling books and stationary to the snobby suburbanites outside of Boston. Sighing, she paid her
fare and took her seat on the train bound for the city center.
Suddenly, the weight of what she had done hit her, and she buried her face in her hands. What
was she thinking, quitting her job like that? Lou replayed the afternoon in her mind. Nothing had
happened today that hadn’t happened a thousand other times. Maybe it was the proverbial straw
that broke the camel’s back: four years of answering bizarre questions and customers who were
always right had finally taken its toll on her psyche.
But now what would she do? Lou wasn’t a person who acted on impulse: she was cautious and
considered her options. And now she was unemployed the week before Christmas. Lou slumped
in her seat. Unless she figured something out, and fast, she might have to move back in with her
family. It wasn’t that Lou had anything against her family, not really: her parents had adopted her
shortly after her birth, and they’d never made her feel like anything but their cherished only child.
But Lou was almost 27, and it had never been part of her plan to live at home after college. Part of
her plan: that was funny, she thought. It sounded like she’d ever had a plan.
Sure, she always knew that she’d attend college after high school. With parents who had both
made careers in the medical field, Lou had never doubted that she’d follow their lead and soak up as
much education as she could. Money wasn’t an issue, so when she turned 18 and Duke University
accepted her, she thought it would be ideal. She moved to North Carolina and spent four years
studying the liberal arts, unable to decide on a tangible career path. Nothing seemed to fit, and even
though she earned her degree, she didn’t really know what she was going to do after college. It was
lucky that her best friend needed a roommate in Boston, Lou mused, or she might have ended up
back with her parents four years ago.
Shaking her head, Lou glanced up as the train rolled to a stop. Standing unsteadily, she tried to
ignore the raging pity party in her mind. As the doors whooshed open, the cold winter air assaulted
her again. For the first time she realized that she’d left her coat behind in the employee lounge.
November 23 - Gothic Angel Book Reviews - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
November 24 - Disincentive Reviews - Givewaway/Excerpt/PROMO
November 25 - Hooked in a Book - Review/Excerpt
November 25 - Winged Reviews - Guest Post/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
November 25 - For the Love of Film and Novels - Giveaway/Guest Post/Excerpt/PROMO
November 26 - Book Addict - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
November 26 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review/Excerpt
November 27 - The Readioactive Book Blog - Review/Interview/Giveaway/
November 28 - Rowan's Mom - Review/Giveaway
November 29 - My Seryniti - Review/Interview/Excerpt
November 30 - Lovely Reads - Interview/Giveaway/Guest Post/PROMO
November 30 - Reviewing Shelf - Review/Giveaway
December 1 - Books For Me - Review
December 2 - Bless Their Hearts Mom - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
EXCERPT:
CHAPTER ONE
“I quit!” Lou’s words echoed around the checkout line, and customers craned their necks to see
what was happening. Red in the face, Lou looked down at her register in embarrassment. Her
manager patted her shoulder.
“I quit!” Lou’s words echoed around the checkout line, and customers craned their necks to see
what was happening. Red in the face, Lou looked down at her register in embarrassment. Her
manager patted her shoulder.
“Let’s go back in the office to talk about this.” He turned, expecting her to follow.
“No!” Louder than she’d intended, Lou stood her ground. “You heard me. I’ve had enough of
this store.” As she spoke, she tossed her nametag on the counter. An errant brown curl flipped over
her eye, and she pushed it away. Under the shocked gaze of her manager and the curious stares of a
snake-like line of holiday shoppers, Lou fled.
Once she was outside in the bitter December wind, she headed for the nearest T stop, acting out
of habit more than conscious thought. She’d walked this easy route between the bookstore and the
T for the past four years, and her body took over while her mind churned.
She had a college degree, for Pete’s sake! Cum laude from Duke University had landed her a job
selling books and stationary to the snobby suburbanites outside of Boston. Sighing, she paid her
fare and took her seat on the train bound for the city center.
Suddenly, the weight of what she had done hit her, and she buried her face in her hands. What
was she thinking, quitting her job like that? Lou replayed the afternoon in her mind. Nothing had
happened today that hadn’t happened a thousand other times. Maybe it was the proverbial straw
that broke the camel’s back: four years of answering bizarre questions and customers who were
always right had finally taken its toll on her psyche.
But now what would she do? Lou wasn’t a person who acted on impulse: she was cautious and
considered her options. And now she was unemployed the week before Christmas. Lou slumped
in her seat. Unless she figured something out, and fast, she might have to move back in with her
family. It wasn’t that Lou had anything against her family, not really: her parents had adopted her
shortly after her birth, and they’d never made her feel like anything but their cherished only child.
But Lou was almost 27, and it had never been part of her plan to live at home after college. Part of
her plan: that was funny, she thought. It sounded like she’d ever had a plan.
Sure, she always knew that she’d attend college after high school. With parents who had both
made careers in the medical field, Lou had never doubted that she’d follow their lead and soak up as
much education as she could. Money wasn’t an issue, so when she turned 18 and Duke University
accepted her, she thought it would be ideal. She moved to North Carolina and spent four years
studying the liberal arts, unable to decide on a tangible career path. Nothing seemed to fit, and even
though she earned her degree, she didn’t really know what she was going to do after college. It was
lucky that her best friend needed a roommate in Boston, Lou mused, or she might have ended up
back with her parents four years ago.
Shaking her head, Lou glanced up as the train rolled to a stop. Standing unsteadily, she tried to
ignore the raging pity party in her mind. As the doors whooshed open, the cold winter air assaulted
her again. For the first time she realized that she’d left her coat behind in the employee lounge.
Thank you so much for featuring my book today! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it. The sequel is coming in January! :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting story. One that I would love to read.
ReplyDeletelkish77123 at gmail dot com
I love books with intrigue. This sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
Sounds like a very exciting book. Think it would interest me.
ReplyDelete