The Velvet Hall is the sequel to The Woman from Cheshire Ave. While Cheshire Avenue acted as an introduction to the Hirosawa family, Velvet Hall focuses on them more fully.
Arienne Juneau returns home after seven years away from her family. Her cousin Thierry is now a twice-elected Governor, married to an heiress named Kathryn, and living at Chateau Amaranthe, once owned by the infamous d'Auvigne family. Arienne, a budding opera singer, is granted apartments at her cousin's chateau, along with whatever else her heart desires.
But in the misty mountains of St. Verde, Arienne will learn the ugliest truths about history, family, and politics, and she will learn them from a man whose surname awakens the deepest dread.
Western Medicine (2012)
Hamaliel Clarke and his younger sister Orianne d'Auvigne are all that's left of a tightly knit, very wealthy family, and Orianne's health is rapidly deteriorating. With the family's financial empire attracting attention seemingly from every corner of River City, the two retreat to their chateau in St. Verde to find some measure of peace and quiet.
Enter Suriel Zhou.
Suriel could care less about Hamaliel and Orianne's money, but Cyndi Rhodes - the daughter of a former billionaire - has set her eyes on returning to her former glory. And since Suriel has set his eyes on Cyndi, he figures it can't hurt to use her greed to his advantage.
But as the four complicated lives intersect, it's only a matter of time before they're slowly whittled down to three.
Introduced in The Velvet Hall (and only hinted at in Cheshire Avenue), the history and inner workings of the dark and shadowy d'Auvigne family are exposed. Hotel mogul Akihiro Hirayama marries his only remaining son Keiji to Melisende d'Auvigne, to protect Keiji from the Hirosawas. And though Melisende appears to be a sweet, meek, and perfectly gentle woman, Akihiro's beginning to think he should've just stuck to dealing with the devil he knew.
After spending her whole life in the role of the unwanted second daughter, Melisende d'Auvigne is tired of playing nice. Now that she's married to a future billionaire, she feels assured she can make her move. And though she knows her father-in-law is already onto her, Melisende has far greater worries to contend with: her own family, where killing a blood relative is sometimes not only approved, but expected.
Unbeknownst to most humans, the Earth is surrounded by a connection of Realms comprising potent astral energy. During the Mythic Age, many humans moved out into the Realms, and built mighty nations. But because some of their Realms shared borders with the Demon Realms, war was inevitable.
The one who commands the armies of humankind is a mystical and militial leader known as the Guard.
The Guard will be a supernatural comedy, replete with a large diverse cast of characters, some notably inspired by actors Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Leonard Roberts, and J. August Richards. I've drafted countless variations of this story for over a decade, and now I feel it's time.
I swear, I don't remember getting an alert that you posted this. I cannot wait to read the rest of TMB.
ReplyDeleteLeonard Motherfucking Roberts is an inspiration for The Guard? Which in itself sounds like a kick-ass series of books. It is, isn't it? A series?
I backdated this post.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, "The Guard" will have to be a series. Too many characters, too much history, too much information for just one book.