Book Description:
I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told. Those of humble birth suffer their heartbreaks and celebrate their triumphs unnoticed by the bards, leaving no trace in the fables of their time….
And so begins Elise Dalriss’s story
When she hears her great-granddaughter recount a tale about a beautiful princess awakened by a handsome prince, it pushes open a door to the past, a door Elise has long kept locked. For Elise was the companion to the real princess who slumbered – and she is the only one left who knows the truth of what happened so many years ago.
As the memories start to unfold, Elise is plunged back in to the magnificent world behind the opulent palace walls. Fleeing a hardscrabble existence and personal tragedy, she builds a new life for herself as a servant to the royal family and quickly rises within the castle hierarchy. As Elise proves herself a loyal confidante, she is drawn into the lives of an extraordinary cast of women: a beautiful queen who wakes each morning with tears on her pillow, an elderly spinster who in heartache shuts herself away, a princess who yearns to be free, and the ambitious and frightening sister who cannot accept the fact that she will never rule. Elise has guarded their secrets – and her own – for a lifetime. ‘While Beauty Sleeps’ is her story.
In this rich and compelling novel of love and terror, friendship and fate, we are introduced to a heroine of extraordinary determination – the true heart of a legend – who reveals what it really takes to reach happily ever after.
Praise for Well Beauty Slept:
“Elizabeth Blackwell is a story-telling genius. Her mesmerizing writing weaves a spell that will enchant you. ‘While Beauty Slept’ breathes new life into the fairytale genre with a historical twist that will take your breath away.” —Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ‘The Princess Diaries’ and ‘Heather Wells’ mystery series
“Elizabeth Blackwell’s writing is magical in this complex, dark, and sensual retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Imaginative, evocative, full of surprises, this is a captivating debut. And like all great fairy tales, this one has the kind of happy ending that requires tissues to wipe way the tears.”—M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of ‘Seduction’
“…’While Beauty Slept’ is like no version of the Sleeping Beauty story that you’ve read before…a rich and immensely satisfying reimagining of the classic fairy tale, one that looks at the ageless struggle between love and duty, and asks whether it’s possible to be true to both.” —Alma Katsu, author of ‘The Taker trilogy’
About Elizabeth Blackwell:
Photo Credit: Heidi Jo BradyHJB
Elizabeth Blackwell holds a B.A. in History from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parenting, Chicago magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, and she is also the author of ‘Frommer’s Chicago’ guidebook.
She spent four years as an editor at North Shore, a lifestyle magazine for the Chicago suburbs, and wrote a weekly small-business column for www.TheStreet.com. In 2006, she won Harlequin’s “Everlasting Love” writing competition, and her first novel, ‘The Letter’, was published by Harlequin in 2007, followed by ‘The House of Secrets’ (Harlequin, 2009).
This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on November 26, 2014. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
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