THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES is a stunning historical gothic romantic suspense published by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, releasing on July 19th. Written to be a total and complete standalone novel, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES is the second title in M.J. Rose’s The Daughters of La Lune Series. Sexy, compelling, and seductive, be sure to grab your copy today!
EXCERPT:
Outside
I found quiet. No sirens, few cars. The streets of Paris were eerily
unwelcoming, but at least everything existed in three dimensions. Walking on
cobblestones, looking above me at the stars, I focused on the facts of the
world around me, not the fantasies I kept crafting in my little room. The
buildings loomed large in the moonlight; footsteps of one other late-night
pedestrian echoed in the still night. Glancing over I saw a lasciviously
dressed woman hurrying in the opposite direction. Crossing rue Royale, I walked
under the archway and into the Louvre’s courtyard and kept going until I
reached the quai du Louvre. I descended the wide stone steps down to the path
running along the river, the quai des Tuileries, and made my way as close as I
could get to the water.
But
this was nothing like walking by the sea in Cannes. I missed the scent of salt,
the sound of the waves crashing, the give of the sand underfoot. Instead, the
swiftly flowing river smelled cold and slightly metallic; the stones underfoot
were uneven and unforgiving. Only the moon was the same. At that very moment,
the same moon was shining down on the beach at home. And the soldiers in the
field. And the tombstones in the cemetery.
The
path appeared empty. I was alone. With no destination in mind, I just kept
moving forward, hoping I might walk into proof that my mind wasn’t infected. Or
even proof that it was. I just wanted an answer.
If I
could just know I wasn’t insane, I could live with the discomfort. I could
withstand the bittersweet romance with a lover whom I knew I would lose one
day. I could tolerate the noise. But this lack of proof? This uncertainty?
That’s what I couldn’t endure anymore. Were the voices in my head or in some
other place? Was I making up Jean Luc, or was he a trapped soul communicating
with me?
And
if Jean Luc was real—if any ghost could be real—then this love affair was
doomed, wasn’t it?
I’d
reached the oldest bridge in Paris, the Pont Neuf, and stood underneath it.
Water swirled in eddies around the bridge’s piles. So many had walked across
its span since it had been built in the sixteenth century. How many times had
my ancestor, the original La Lune, traversed it? Had she stood here and stared
down at the water, missing her lover, wondering how she could live with the
mistakes she’d made in trying to recapture what she’d lost, what she’d
destroyed? Had she ever stood here and wondered if the river would welcome her
and offer her the release she so badly wanted . . . freedom from
longing, from loneliness?
Despondent,
I climbed the stairs to the street level. I meant to turn away, not to walk out
onto the bridge. But I did. I walked halfway out, stood at the railing, and
stared down.
M.J. Rose’sTHE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
July 11th
What the Cat Read – Excerpt
Deluged with Books Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Fiction Adventures – Excerpt
July 12th
Mes Livres – Review
Adventures in Writing – Excerpt
The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt
July 13th
Hart's Romance Pulse – Excerpt
Penny For My Thoughts – Review
Socially Awkward Book Nerd – Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Excerpt
July 14th
Brooke Blogs – Excerpt
Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt
I Read Indie – Excerpt
July 15th
Zach's YA Reviews – Review
A Brit and a Yank – Excerpt
The Book Sirens – Excerpt
Sassy Moms Say Read Romance – Review
July 16th
Roxy's Reviews – Excerpt
Gaga Over Books – Review & Excerpt
Kick Back & Review – Excerpt
July 17th
Only One More Page – Excerpt
Fly Away on the Wings of a Book – Review & Excerpt
July 18th
Okie Dreams Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
KT Book Reviews – Excerpt
Vampire Book Club – Excerpt
July 19th
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews – Review
Romance Book Nerd – Excerpt
Rachel's Rambles – Review & Excerpt
July 20th
My Fictional Escape – Excerpt
Literaria – Review
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps – Excerpt
July 21st
WTF Are You Reading? – Review & Excerpt
Julalicious Book Paradise – Excerpt
Love Affair With Fiction – Review & Excerpt
July 22nd
G & T's Indie Café – Excerpt
Rebel Heart Bookshelf – Review & Excerpt
With Love for Books – Review
BCS reviews – Review & Excerpt
"The most powerful book I've read this year! Seductive, compelling, and beautifully written." ~New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster
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As World War I rages and the Romanov dynasty reaches its sudden, brutal end, a young jewelry maker discovers love, passion, and her own healing powers in this rich and romantic ghost story, the perfect follow-up to M.J. Rose’s “brilliantly crafted” (Providence Journal) novel The Witch of Painted Sorrows.
Nestled within Paris’s historic Palais Royal is a jewelry store unlike any other. La Fantasie Russie is owned by Pavel Orloff, protégé to the famous Faberge, and is known by the city’s fashion elite as the place to find the rarest of gemstones and the most unique designs. But war has transformed Paris from a city of style and romance to a place of fear and mourning. In the summer of 1918, places where lovers used to walk, widows now wander alone.
So it is from La Fantasie Russie’s workshop that young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi now spends her time making trench watches for soldiers at the front, as well as mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. People say that Opaline’s creations are magical. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. The concept is too closely associated with her mother Sandrine, who practices the dark arts passed down from their ancestor La Lune, one of sixteenth century Paris’s most famous courtesans.
But Opaline does have a rare gift even she can’t deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. Certain gemstones, combined with a personal item, such as a lock of hair, enable her to receive messages from beyond the grave. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message—directly to her.
So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family. Full of romance, seduction, and a love so powerful it reaches beyond the grave, The Secret Language of Stones is yet another “spellbindingly haunting” (Suspense magazine), “entrancing read that will long be savored” (Library Journal, starred review).
A dazzling mix of history, mystery and mystical arts . . . Rose's paranormal historical bewitches from start to finish. Her amazing ability to make her story line believable and her extraordinary protagonist relatable result in an unforgettable psychic thriller." (Library Journal (Starred review))
"An exciting mix of adventure, intrigue, and romance in this thrilling historical tale." (Booklist)
“Haunting, spellbinding, captivating; Rose's story of the power of love and redemption is masterful. More than a romance or ghost story, this is a tale of a young woman learning to embrace her unique qualities...So carefully crafted and beautifully written, readers will believe in the magical possibilities of love transcending time.” (RT Magazine (Top Pick))
“Rose follows up The Witch of Painted Sorrows (2015) with Sandrine’s daughter’s story, set against the tragic yet exquisite canvases of Paris, the Great War, and the Russian Revolution, and offers fascinating historical tidbits in the midst of bright, imaginative storytelling and complex, supernatural worldbuilding. A compelling, heart-wrenching, creative, and intricate read.” (Kirkus Reviews)
And Don’t Miss the First Book in The Daughters of La Lune Series, THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS!
Daughter of La Lune Pendant Giveaway!
We're celebrating the release of THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES by giving away a beautiful Daughter of La Lune pendant. Designed by Cadsawan Jewelry, the silver pendant contains a labradorite, a magical stone excellent for awakening one's own awareness of inner spirit, intuition, and psychic abilities.
About M.J. Rose:
New York Times Bestseller, M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice… books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it.
Rose’s work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the ’80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors – Authorbuzz.com
The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the Reincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and currently serves, with Lee Child, as the organization’s co-president.
Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
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1 comment:
Thank you so much! ~Jessica, InkSlinger PR
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