I understand this book has a few curse words and sexual tension, but it also has Christian content, and we feature books like Portrait of Jenny from time to time if they have good reviews.
Enjoy this excerpt! I sure do love the cover.
BACK COVER
Not even a beautiful woman can save Richard Tanner from his
past.
Following an explosive—and public—argument
with his ex-girlfriend, artist Richard Tanner races into a rainstorm, gripped
by a powerful migraine. He wanders to the gazebo in University Park, where he
meets the beautiful and mysterious Jenny—a brief encounter that leaves an
indelible impression on his mind—and in his paintings.
When Detective Jack Hargrave
accuses Richard of the brutal assault on his ex, he finds himself confronting
demons of a past he doesn’t remember. A time when little Richie Tanner walked
into University Park whole, was beaten and left to die…a time that may hold the
key to his future.
Excerpt
from Chapter 1 PORTRAIT OF JENNY
by
Alice K. Arenz
For the first time since I’d
noticed her, I realized her clothing was completely dry in contrast to my own
rather bedraggled state. For an instant, I felt awkward and self-conscious,
especially since I was still fighting that unusual urge—but it was only for an
instant. The moment those violet eyes met mine once more, I was lost,
completely caught up in the girl before me.
“You come here often?”
The question was inept, and I
could have kicked myself for having asked it. I still wanted to move closer to
her, examine her from every angle, my artist’s eye preparing the figure before
me to transfer her likeness onto canvas. Even this was odd. I’d always steered
away from portraits, never feeling capable of giving the subject the proper
three-dimensional look. But this girl…
“It’s nice here.” She withdrew her
hand from beneath the gutter, pulling it in to watch the remainder of the water
run between her fingers. “Do you come
here often?” She gazed up at me, the smile still playing about her lips, the
question innocent rather than mocking.
I shook my head. “It’s usually too
crowded for my taste. It’s a beautiful spot, though.”
She nodded. “I don’t care for
crowds, either.”
She dried her hand on the hem of
her skirt, then stood and stretched her arms over her head. The action set in
motion a long chain with an ankh at its end, both swinging and bouncing lightly
between her breasts. Even from where I sat, I could see the unusual design of
silver and gold entwined, and wished again to have a better look at the girl.
My assumption that she was short
was correct; she couldn’t be more than five feet if that. There was a delicacy
about her, an overwhelming presence of femininity that was so rare in girls
today. She wore it casually, as one might an old, familiar piece of clothing,
which added to her overall attractiveness. I guessed her at around twenty but
knew immediately that her very smallness could add to the illusion of youth.
But the vitality I sensed from her was no illusion. She seemed to radiate a
kind of controlled sense of being, abundant energy that was held tightly in
check.
I was held transfixed as she
appeared to float across the gazebo with her eyes downcast, their long,
sweeping lashes and her secret smile making it impossible to catch my breath.
Coming to, I ran nervous fingers through my hair in an effort to make myself
more presentable.
“You should use an umbrella next
time.” She stopped a short way in front of me near the edge of one of the
picnic tables. Lowering herself gracefully onto the seat, she clutched absently
at her pendant as she regarded me with obvious amusement.
I felt the heat rise from my neck
into my face, and wondered idly about the last time I’d blushed. It wasn’t a
normal reaction for me, my response to the girl seeming to prove just how
special she was.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,”
she said softly, lowering her eyes from mine once more.
“You didn’t, er, well.” I laughed.
“You’re right. I should’ve used an umbrella. Actually, I had one when I started
out. Guess I left it at my last stop.”
I made a futile attempt to straighten
my wet clothing, quickly realized the uselessness of the effort, then sat back
to drink her in.
The blush came readily to her
face, touching the high cheekbones and adding to her overall beauty. Her eyes
seemed to take on a darker hue as the rosy glow spread across her face, and she
looked at me frankly, completely aware I studied her every move.
“I’m being rude—”
“No, no. It’s all right. Really.
I,” she smiled broadly. “I’m flattered. It’s not often a girl sees such honest
admiration in a man’s eyes. I like it.”
“Honest?”
She nodded. “Completely. No
come-ons, no overt acts to seduce me. Why, you actually seem quite shy, even a
little embarrassed to be so interested in me.” She drew her legs onto the bench
and hugged them to her as she’d been doing earlier. “Whether you know it or
not, you’re really quite sweet. And, I’d imagine, very nice looking when you’re
not soaking wet.”
“Thank you. I think.”
She laughed.
“My name’s Richard Tanner.” I held
out my hand, but she made no move to take it. Seeing her hesitation, I withdrew
it and made a show of tucking the book back inside my jacket pocket.
“I’m Jenny.”
*~*~*~*
Romantic mystery/suspense Portrait of Jenny is the newest book of
2010 ACFW Carol Award winning author, Alice K. Arenz. A member of American
Christian Fiction Writers, her first three novels were honored by two finals
and one win in ACFW’s Carol Award: cozy mysteries The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (a 2009
finalist), The Case of the Mystified M.D., (2010 winner), and mystery/suspense Mirrored Image (a 2011 finalist), all re-released by Forget Me Not
Romances, a division of Winged Publications. Last August, An American Gothic, also a romantic mystery/suspense, was released
by Forget Me Not Romances.
Visit her at her website www.akawriter.com
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