The Bright and the Lost

The Young and the Dark: blurb and sneak peek

THE YOUNG AND THE DARK is the sequel to THE BRIGHT AND THE LOST!  It's a YA Historical Fantasy set in 1922 that mixes romance, magic and mystery. 

BLURB

Following the upsetting events that disrupted her London Season and changed her life forever, eighteen-year-old Vita is ready to spend a quiet winter at her country estate with her fiancé.

Newly wed to the handsome son of a Hong-Kong businessman, Vita's best friend Izzy can't quite believe all her dreams are finally coming true: she's escaped her ruined family and she's traded the horrid English weather for the Californian sunshine.

However, when an unexpected event disrupts Vita's routine at Weatherly, she has no choice but to leave behind her home and go in search of Holden - the stranger who turned her life upside down during the summer and knows the answers to all of her questions. Her quest leads her to New York, where new dangers lurk in the shadows of the city's skyscrapers and speakeasies.

From Hollywood to Manhattan, darkness soon engulfs the lives of both girls, who find themselves in a race against time to locate Holden, unravel the mysteries surrounding Vita - and avoid getting caught in a thousand-year-old secret war that threatens to destroy them all. 

SNEAK PEEK  

England, September 1922

Whispers of a stranger's presence in the woods spread like electricity through a water around Weatherly.

Vita heard it from her maid, before Mr. Lawrence confirmed it.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

She stood in the manor's kitchen with her arms crossed, while her fiancé's henchman ran a hand through his hair and avoided her gaze.

"It's just a couple of farm boys who've seen him, m'lady," he said, his tone apologetic. "We don't know nothing for sure."

Vita let out a sigh, worry more than anger drawing her eyebrows together. All the servants had scurried away from the room when she had entered it, and it was just Mr. Lawrence's tall figure standing before her.

"When did they see this man?"

"At dawn this morning," Mr. Lawrence replied.

He played with his tweed cap, which made Vita suspicious. She glanced at the clock above the kitchen's entrance – it wasn't even ten o'clock.

"So it's just been a few hours," she said. "Are we looking for this person?"

She didn't like the idea of an outsider lurking around her woods, but she liked the thought of him encountering Nyx even less. The chimera Holden had left in her care had made the mansion's grounds his territory, and he wouldn't react well to an intruder if he deemed him a threat to Vita.

"I've called the boss," Mr. Lawrence said. "But he said not to spread ourselves thin lookin' for the chap. Said to keep an eye out for him just in case he shows himself again, and to stay with you at the house."

Vita's frown deepened. Archie wasn't one to underestimate a threat, but in this case, she wondered if his concern for her made him overlook the safety of the people living on the estate. But as the de facto lady of the house, she was fully aware that the farmers and their families, as well as the servants of the house, were under her responsibility.

Her doubts must have been etched onto her face, for Mr. Lawrence asked: "You disagree?"

She pressed her lips together. "I know Archie thinks about my safety first. I just don't want to find out tomorrow something happened to one of the farmers' children because we didn't do anything."

Mr. Lawrence shrugged. "The boys said the man didn't look dangerous. Was runnin' in the woods, didn't try to attack them or whatnot. Wouldn't have mentioned it at all, except they didn't know him and he was--"

A faint blush came over his cheeks, and he hesitated. Vita's eyes widened, confused.

"What was he?"

Mr. Lawrence fidgeted again, and she reminded herself to remain patient.

"Well, you see, m'lady, the chap was...naked."

Want to know what happens next? THE YOUNG AND THE DARK is now available on Wattpad. Feel free to check out my profile for the link, and don't hesitate to vote/comment on it! I'm looking forward to your feedback!