Books
SkyBlue
A Novel
A desperate girl.
A cursed man.
A disturbing secret.
19-year-old Beatrice Tilney embraces potential spinsterhood, preferring independence to the indignities of marrying for money or social status. But when her father dies, leaving her family penniless, Beatrice must sacrifice what she values most—her heart—to protect those she loves.
She enters a marriage of convenience with Monsieur Dumas, a Frenchman with an adventurous past and an enticing present. Despite being showered with riches in her new manor, a strange darkness lurks in its corners and in Dumas' heart.
At times, Dumas seems to transform from an alluring gentleman into a monstrous being consumed by rage. Still, Beatrice begins falling for the man burdened with a curse too dark to share.
She must unravel the magical secrets Dumas hides and unlock the truth buried deep within his heart before an ancient evil destroys them both forever.
About the Bluebeard fairytale
If you've never heard the Grimm or Perrault story of Bluebeard, here's the lowdown: creepy-yet-intriguing aristocrat marries one young woman after another, but they keep disappearing. The culprit? He murdered them (yikes!). Cue the courageous heroine, given a key to her new husband's most secret room and told never to open it. She does. She narrowly escapes the same horrific fate as his other wives.
Many readers (the author included) have wondered why Bluebeard killed his wives. Barring the fact that he may just be a serial killer, M. P. Halliday's rendition of the story explores the possibility of magic—a man cursed by a vicious Egyptian god who compels him to test the merits of his unsuspecting wives. The girl who breaks his curse will win his heart.
Also, Bluebeard is hot in this version. Like, hot. The author had to take several breaks when writing his scenes because she kept needing to fan herself.