A Terrible Beauty — Nancy Baker

A classic fairy tale gets a horrifying, adult twist, in this suspenseful romance by the author of The Night Inside.

Twenty years ago, Simon Donovan, an antiquities scholar, wronged Sidonie Moreau, his former research assistant -- and she has not forgotten. Threatening to expose him, she demands he come to her remote mansion in the mountainous north to repay his debt. But she wasn't expecting his son, Matthew, a struggling painter, to take his place.

Matthew is intrigued by the mysterious Sidonie, but when she reveals what she wants, he is horrified: his blood, willingly given. No harm will come to him if he refuses, and his days leave him free to paint as he pleases, but each night she must ask and he must answer. Trapped by the vast wilderness all around them, Matthew has no choice but to submit to her terms.

Although he vows to never surrender to Sidonie, Matthew cannot ignore her smile, her charm, or the sorrow in her eyes. Grappling with secrets within his heart, tempted by desire and despair, he knows one night he just might say yes . . .

Praise for A Terrible Beauty

“A polished and enchanting tale. . . . It is, in a word, breathtaking.” -- Ottawa Citizen

“Baker's prose is lush and sensual . . . she has a real gift for making the fantastic seem plausible and investing the mundane with eerie significance.” -- Sunday Sun (Toronto)

“A Terrible Beauty is modern Canadian Gothic. . . . Nancy Baker shows her mastery of the form -- the mysterious letter, the journey into the wilderness, the shadows that hide from the flickering firelight -- and her real affection for a good ol' fashioned vampire yarn.” -- Telegraph-Journal

“Baker's narrative is seductive and compelling. Like Rice, she transcends the horror genre.” -- The Province

“Don't hold your breath waiting for Disney to film this very adult and erotic version of Beauty and the Beast.” -- Winnipeg Free Press