EXCERPT

An Excerpt From: MAIDEN AND THE MONSTER

Copyright © MICHELLE M. PILLOW, 2006.

All Rights Reserved

Note from the Author

In 878, King Guthrum and his vast nation of pagan Vikings (Also known as Norsemen or Danes) had rule over half of Briton. Though initially they came to the shores to raid and pillage, they were now settling in their newly conquered land. A powerful race, the Vikings were said to be nigh unstoppable. And before the Christian King Alfred of Wessex, known as Alfred the Great, they had gone relatively unopposed.

During this time, the Danish king was at war with King Alfred, which culminated at Whitshire, in what is known as the Battle of Edington. This was the last significant battle between the two kingdoms and Alfred won. Now the tides of power were turning. Guthrum and his Vikings were on the losing side.

After experiencing decisive losses, the Danish king signed the Treaty of Wedmore. The Treaty allowed Guthrum to leave with the provision that he never returned. Furthermore, the land was divided in two parts—Wessex and what later became known as the Danelaw (Northumbria, East Anglia and Essex).

In accordance with the treaty’s demands, King Guthrum had to leave several men from his army in Wessex. There the soldiers resided as political hostages—an insurance of peace between the two kingdoms. If Guthrum broke his promise never to return, the hostages would be killed. As part of the treaty, the pagan men were also made to convert to Christianity.

Often noblemen and knights held as prisoners were given leave to move freely, held only by their word of honor. It is in this rocky political climate that our hero finds himself. A prisoner of a foreign king, surrounded by the very people he’d been at war against.

Though the events surrounding the story are fact, the characters, places and story itself are a work of fiction.

EXCERPT FROM BOOK:

“Nay, don’t ask for your freedom again. It’s a useless plea. I won’t release you.” He watched her lips as she flicked her tongue over the edge. The scent of lilies came to him from her hair as she moved her head to the side. He wondered if Haldana had purposefully used the scent. It had been one of his favorites long ago. He breathed in the enticing perfume of her. For a moment, he was lost in her spell. “Tomorrow you’ll be given new quarters.”

“The tower? You wish to put me in a real prison? Or mayhap even the dungeon? I have sworn to you I won’t leave. At least give me a chance to prove my honor afore you doubt it. If I prove my honor false then you shall imprison me with my blessing, for I won’t deny that then I’ll be most deserving of it.”

“Nay, m’lady, not the tower and most definitely not the dungeon,” he answered softly, the sound a vast contrast to his usual hard tone. He wanted to laugh, for he didn’t have a tower save for the chamber she was already in. “Prove your honor.”

“Then, you’re to make me your…?” Again she tried to pull from his arms. “I’m to be put in your chamber, m’lord? With you? Won’t your Duchess be upset?”

“There is no Duchess of Lakeshire.” Vladamir couldn’t draw his gaze from her delightfully full lips as they quivered enchantingly under his watchful eyes. He thought of chaining her to his bed, forcing her to be his bed slave until he took his fill of her. “M’lady’s prison shall be of gilded bars. You’ll be afforded full use of the castle. You’ll be fed. The servants will treat you with the respect due your station, unless you prove you deserve otherwise.”

“Thank you.”

“But,” he warned, squeezing her shoulders once more and causing her to wince. “You won’t be permitted outside the bailey walls. I don’t care if the castle is burning to the ground. If you don’t have my permission, you shall stay and burn with it. If I find you trying to leave, I’ll lock you in the dungeon for all your days and I’ll besiege your father’s keep until all those who live within starve. I’ll burn his crops, slaughter his peasants and his cattle and leave them to rot where they lay. And you, m’lady, will know the full meaning of hell afore you die.”

“I understand,” she said softly. “I won’t try to escape. My only wish is that you’ll reconsider and let me go.”

“I won’t do that,” he answered, his voice harsh. His chest heaved with rapid breaths, but his growling tone turned soft. “M’lady will do well to wish for other things for I’ll never let you go.”

“Then I’ll stay here true to my word and I’ll only leave with your permission.” Eden conceded, taking a deep breath. “I will swear it on mine own blood, but only if I may have one demand. Methinks it fair.”

Anything.

Vladamir nodded his head and then realized she couldn’t see him well enough through the darkness to make the gesture out. “What?”

“Don’t harm my father’s people. They don’t deserve your wrath. I don’t know what plans you may have, but keep your quarrel with my father only. If it is he who has spurred your anger, then he shall have to face it.” She pulled away from him and he let her go. Her chin lifted proudly before him, even in her fear of him. “If you don’t harm them, I’ll stay here. But, if I find out that you hurt them in any way that wasn’t self-defense, I’ll break my vow and will do whatever is in my power to escape you. I’ll spend the rest of my days if needs be bringing you to justice and I won’t stop until ‘tis done. Do we have a deal?”

“Yea, m’lady.” He smiled at her courage. It puzzled him that she showed no concern for her father’s safety, yet cared so openly for the lives of peasants. “I won’t harm your father’s people.”

“Good.” She held out her hand, her fingers shaking, but she didn’t back down. “Hand me your dagger, m’lord, so that I may keep my word and pledge my honor with my blood. Let us seal the bargain so it shall be done.”

“I won’t demand your blood just yet,” he said softly, denying her his dagger. Instead, Vladamir clasped her outstretched hand and pulled it to his chest over the beating of his heart. Not stopping to think of the consequences of his actions, he swung her into his arms. Shifting her off balance so she fell to the side, he encased her within his embrace. She was so small and fragile to him as she trembled in surprise. His body lurched, wanting this. He bent down and pressed his mouth against her parted lips, unable to resist her temptation a moment more. He needed to feel her heat, her soft lips.

The duke ran the fingers of his free hand into her hair and pressed her to him. The sweet petals of her mouth parted as she sought her breath. She moaned lightly. His tongue daringly traced the line of her lips and her slender body molded into his as if it had been carved for him to hold.

Vladamir had been a long time without the comforts of a woman’s embrace and was a man long used to taking what he wanted. Eden clutched his tunic as he held her to his chest, feeling her intimate heat along his thigh, burning him. He pushed his leg against her, eliciting a soft moan. Innocent, she backed her hips away from his searching. Unable to resist, he grew bolder, forcing his thigh between hers.

© copyright November 2005, Michelle M. Pillow

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

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 REVIEWS

"5 Angels! Maiden and the Monster is one of the best medieval romances I have ever read."- FAR

2007 RT Reviewer Choice Award WINNER!

RT TOPPICK!

 "4 1/2 STARS! This is a perfect blend of history, emotion, tension, hot sex and fascinating and sympathetic characters, and the writing is superb. Pillow chooses magical details to set the scene, and they add to both the history and the emotion."

Page Traynor, RT Bookclub Magazine

April 2006 Issue

"4 1/2 Hearts! This tale, set in the days of the Saxons, is extremely well done. The characters and setting are so well described that I had no problem picturing them. The love scenes are very hot and made, rather than detracted from the story. The tortured hero and his innocent maiden are very real characters, each one with human failings and misunderstandings... I did not expect the plot twists that the author devised and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next, leaving me to stay up very late to finish this tale. This one is a definite keeper." Reviewer: Maura Frankman, January 30, 2006

“ 4 STARS! Ms. Pillow has developed a touching novel with deeply intricate characters...  Those readers who enjoy a bit of historical charm in their romance will find Maiden and the Monster a wonderful book to read.” Francesca Hayne, Just Erotic Romance Reviews, December 2005

"I was so entranced by Maiden and the Monster I couldn’t put it down. It’s intense, and full of emotion... powerful and moving, ...Maiden and the Monster is a keeper!" Nannette, Joyfully Reviewed, December 2005

"Maiden and the Monster is one of the best medieval romances I have ever read. It really showcases the author’s talent for historicals. The background history is deftly intertwined with the love story. Add to that some very hot encounters between our protagonists, and you’ve got a masterpiece! There’s a perfect balance of sex and story. And, Lord what a story!

Vladamir is one of those sexy alpha heroes with a few scars on the outside, but even more on the inside. He just makes you want to soothe away his hurts. Eden is a strong heroine who understands her lot in life and is determined to make the best of it. Ms. Pillow lets the reader in on the internal struggle both Vladamir and Eden go through to come to terms with their feelings for each other.

Michelle Pillow is a wonderful author with no genre boundaries. I've enjoyed all her paranormals, and I'm thrilled that she has not given up historicals! Maiden and the Monster is a keeper for me, and I predict it will be for many, many other readers as well."

Reviewed by: Shelley. Fallen Angel Reviews, December 2005

 AWARDS AND RANKINGS

Winner of the 2006 RT Reviewer's Choice Award!

Best Erotic Romance

RT TOPPICK!

Artwork

Honorable Mention, Coverart

2005 Preditors and Editors Poll #22 Novel - Romance