 The setting of the story is more than just a location. It details the time and place, such as what century and what season. But in some stories, it can be more. It sets the tone. Imagine a haunted house...a story set there, you would expect to be mysterious and a little frightening. A story set in a small town bed and breakfast, you would expect to be more light-hearted and even romantic. Author Vanessa Garden uses her latest release-WILD ROSE's setting to add to the mysterious and uniqueness of the story. There are strange things happening in Howard Hall, a frightening past, a hidden stranger... things which lead the heroine (and the reader) on a quest! Now available in Ebook and Print- WILD ROSE will keep you up turning the pages well after your bedtime as you simply must find out about the mystery at the hall. Blurb: When sixteen-year-old Iris Howard is sent to live with her estranged great-aunt at Howard Hall, nothing can prepare her for what she discovers. At the stunning estate, she is offered a life of both security and luxury. But all is not as it seems at Howard Hall, home to the infamous Rose Garden Massacre in 1974. When Iris starts to see glimpses of a boy in the attic, in the hedge maze, and in the beautiful rose gardens, she begins to question her sanity. Is he the handsome ghost of a tortured soul bound by the home’s dark past, or is he real? Sleeping secrets are awakened when Iris discovers that indeed the mystery boy exists, despite her aunt pretending that he doesn’t. Iris is soon swept into a forbidden romance with a boy she shouldn’t love, while still yearning for her old life, which can never be. EXCERPT “Iris. Iris. Time to wake up.” I sat up and blinked as the driver pulled into the paved entrance of a large, red-brick-walled estate. He stopped the car before a set of enormous cast iron gates where he punched a code of some sort into a small machine that sat on the edge of the driveway. The gates slid open, making a grating sound, the black bars trembling. Malcolm drove in but put the car into neutral after the gates sealed us in. “Are you ready for Howard Hall?” he asked, peering back at me from the driver’s seat. I rubbed my eyes and tried to process the fact that nearly two days ago, I didn’t even know Howard Hall existed. Despite this, I leaned forwards in my seat, curious. This was my dad’s family. My first window into his old life. “Yeah. I think I am.” We drove on until a lush, high green hedge on either side of us sent shadows over the vehicle, the rose garden no longer visible as we moved deeper down the driveway past the hedge. “Here we go,” said Malcolm when the hedge ended and opened up to one of the grandest and most beautiful houses I’d ever seen. “Howard Hall.” Something stirred inside of me. A flutter of recognition, and I started to wonder if perhaps my father had brought me here when I was little. I’d seen this place before…I was certain of it. Even the rose garden felt eerily familiar. “Grand, isn’t it?” I shivered. Yes. It was. But why did I get the feeling bad things had happened here? Get Your Copy Today! |
