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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.
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 Stars! Michelle M. Pillow did not re-write the story of Beauty and
the Beast. This is the story of two people thrown together by others for
their own purposes. No one expected them to find love. This story has
action, adventure, and plot twists galore. The sex scenes are artfully woven
into the story. Vladamir and Eden overcome great odds to find true love.
This book is a classic love story. It is the kind of story a reader enjoys
getting lost in." Candy, Ecataromance Reviews, April 2006
"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 1/2 Angels! Michelle
Pillow takes her readers on a journey back to Saxon times and delivers You can just close your eyes
and see everything before you. Maiden and the Monster is one
of the best medieval stories that this reviewer has ever read." Danny Fallen
Angels, April 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
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