Eva’s Homecoming by Celia Breslin

A curse stole her away. Can true love lead her home? After several years away for school and work, Eva O’Reilly is finally home. The West Coast was fine, but her heart belongs to the Heartland and the town where she grew up. Sadly, with her mother’s sudden passing and no other living relatives, Eva is alone and hurting. Angus of the Tuatha Dé Danaan is elated his one true love has finally returned, and he’s determined to win her heart all over again. There are just two problems: she can’t see him or remember the Fae folk even exist. As Eva mourns, Angus fights to dispel the veil keeping them apart. With the aid of a gang of flower fairies and the kindly elderly Wiccan next door, these cursed lovers may well receive a second chance at their happily forever after…

Give us the one to two sentence tagline for your book.

A curse stole her away. Can true love and pinch of magic lead her home?

What is your favorite scene/moment in your book?

No spoilers here, but I can say I love the epilogue and also any scene involving the flower fairies. Those mischievous little Fae are loads of fun.

How do you use magic in your book?

My story is a paranormal romance steeped in Fae magic in particular. Powers include the ability to fly, summon weapons, open portals to Faerie, etc. There’s also a Wiccan who can whip up powerful potions.

Would your hero enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, or apple bobbing?

Yes to lattes, as long as they involve a dash of Irish whiskey. He’d down handfuls of candy corn, too. My fae have a fierce sweet tooth!

What costume would your heroine wear to a halloween party?

If Eva’s friends, the flower fairies, have any say in her costume, she’ll be dressed as one of them. If not, she’d likely go for angel.

What scene did you adore writing in this book?

The turning point was a particularly joyful moment, as is the epilogue.

Is this book a spooky/scary PNR, or a cozy/snuggling with a monster PNR?

Definitely cozy/snuggling. With sizzling love scenes, too.

What is your favorite monster to write?

Vampires.

If you had to pick, would you rather have fangs, claws, or wings?

Retractable claws.

Halloween’s coming. Do you do anything special to celebrate?

My family likes to binge-watch our favorite “spooky” TV shows and movies. Example: The Cabin In the Woods and iZombie.

Angus stood in the center of the garden, throat tight and burning, a huge gulp of air trapped in his lungs.

Around him, a dozen diminutive flower fairies cavorted among the flora, chortling with glee. “She’s here, she’s here, our Eva is here!”

His gaze targeted the back door, body taut as he awaited his first glimpse of the female he loved. The only one he would ever love. Mo chroí, my heart. My heart walks the world, outside my body. “Come back to me.”

His voice was barely audible above the incessant chatter of the flower fairies. “We sang to her. She heard us! She liked it.”

“Hush,” he commanded, and they fell silent, vibrating with gleeful anticipation.

Seven years without her. The longest, loneliest bloody years of his basically eternal existence…

[…]

Eva stared out at the yard with haunted, brown eyes. Dark circles like the ones she’d sported months ago at the wake and funeral marred the perfection of her milky skin. He wanted to lay gentle kisses on her eyelids, nip the tip of her nose with its light dusting of freckles, lave her lips with his tongue then push it between those perfect lips…

“See me, Eva,” he whispered.

“See us,” Rosina echoed.

Eva cocked her head and touched her ear as if in response to their words. The incessant giggling of the flower fairies ceased, an expectant hush falling over the garden.

Though consumed with sorrow, Eva surveyed the yard with appreciation. Angus and the flower fairies had been tending to the yard and garden since she’d left. There was little to be done in the winter months but in the Fall, they’d trimmed and raked, then planted, pruned, and watered in Spring and Summer. Jasmine, lavender, and other blooming plants scented the air, and he watched his female take a deep breath.

Her shoulders seemed to lose some tension as she took in the neatly trimmed yard and carefully curated garden. “It’s perfect,” she said.

Angus’s heart swelled with pride at a job well done only to stutter in agony when her lovely brown eyes lingered on the central spot where he stood yet looked right through him.

“No. No, no, no,” he whispered. See me this time, Eva. Let the curse be gone.

Mrs. Murphy joined Eva near the door. “He tended it for you. From the moment you went off to school.”

“What?” Eva scanned the yard, then returned her attention to the spot where he stood surrounded by the flower fairies, all of them quivering with excitement.

“The garden, girl. He looked after it for you.”

Lines formed in Eva’s forehead, and her attention shifted to Mrs. Murphy. “I don’t understand, who did?”

He bowed his head and rubbed his brow. Each time she returns she still cannot See. My fault. All of this. Mine.

Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and one feisty cat. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for werewolves, vampires, and the Fae. When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family and friends, or indulging her addiction to fantasy TV shows and movies.

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