Mina's Bookshelf: THE SHARP HOOK OF LOVE by Sherry Jones: Book Spotlight & Excerpt

THE SHARP HOOK OF LOVE

Sherry Jones

Publication Date: October 7, 2014

Gallery Books

Formats: eBook, Paperback

Pages: 352

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

The first retelling of the passionate, twelfth-century love story since the discovery of 113 lost love letters between Heloise d’Argenteuil and Pierre Abelard—the original Romeo and Juliet.

"While I sleep you never leave me, and after I wake I see you, as soon as I open my eyes, even before the light of day itself." —Abelard to Heloise

Among the young women of twelfth-century Paris, Heloise d’Argenteuil stands apart. Extraordinarily educated and quick-witted, she is being groomed by her uncle to become an abbess in the service of God.

But with one encounter, her destiny changes forever. Pierre Abelard, headmaster at the Notre-Dame Cloister School, is acclaimed as one of the greatest philosophers in France. His controversial reputation only adds to his allure, yet despite the legions of women swooning over his poetry and dashing looks, he is captivated by the brilliant Heloise alone. As their relationship blossoms from a meeting of the minds to a forbidden love affair, both Heloise and Abelard must choose between love, duty, and ambition.

Sherry Jones weaves the lovers’ own words into an evocative account of desire and sacrifice. As intimate as it is erotic, as devastating as it is beautiful, The Sharp Hook of Love is a poignant, tender tribute to one of history’s greatest romances, and to love’s power to transform and endure.

Praise for The Sharp Hook of Love

"Heloise is the sort of heroine you cannot help rooting for: brilliant and naïve, vulnerable and tough. The Sharp Hook of Love will have you up all night holding your breath as you turn each page." (Rebecca Kanner author of Sinners and the Sea)

"Jones weaves history and passion in a tale full of emotional heft that questions what it means to truly love someone..." (Kirkus Reviews)

"A sensual journey into twelfth century Paris. With a sharp eye for historical detail, Jones weaves an unforgettable, compelling tale about enduring love." (Lynn Cullen nationally bestselling author of Mrs. Poe)

"Passion and treachery mingle in Sherry Jones's explosive novel The Sharp Hook of Love. Wrenching and erotic, this is a grand romance in every sense of the word." (Mary Sharratt author of Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen)

Buy the Book

Amazon (Kindle)

Amazon (Paperback)

Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

About the Author

Sherry Jones is the author of five biographical fiction books: The Sharp Hook of Love, about the famed 12th-century lovers Abelard and Heloise; The Jewel of Medina and The Sword of Medina, international — and controversial — best sellers about the life of A’isha, who married the Muslim prophet Muhammad at age nine and went on to become the most famous and influential woman in Islam; Four Sisters, All Queens, a tale of four sisters in 13th century Provence who became queens of France, England, Germany, and Italy, and White Heart, an e-novella about the famous French “White Queen” Blanche de Castille.

For more information please visit Sherry Jones's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Goodreads.

Excerpt

When I lifted my gaze so shyly to his face, did he behold the

girl dancing inside me? Could he hear the music playing so

sweetly? At night, alone in the study of my uncle’s house, reading

the Porphyry assigned to me and writing my arguments, I would

hear that tune begin quietly, as if played by a distant piper, then

increase until it had filled me to overflowing and drowned out all

thoughts but those of Abelard. How intently he gazed into my

eyes as I spoke, pouring out my very soul to him in our long

talks. Who had ever listened to anything that I said? Who had

ever responded with smiles and compliments? With him, I

became utterly myself as never before—and, to my astonishment,

when I looked into his eyes like mirrors reflecting myself back to

me, I admired the person I beheld there. Thinking of him,

bathed in that sweet music, I would take up a new tablet and

write verses to accompany that tune—words not of feigned love,

as in our letters, but of the elation that had seized me on the day

we met, and which aroused my spirit more with every moment I

spent in his presence.

For him, I’d told myself, our letters made up an elaborate

game of elocution, and no more. Every teacher played similarly

with his scholars, writing letters as an exercise, an amusement.

Love? What had a philosopher to do with love?

To one who is sweeter from day to day, is loved now as much as

possible and is always to be loved more than anything. Standing in

the cathedral, reading these words, I felt a fullness in my chest, as

though my heart expanded. Who had ever loved me?

—The Sharp Hook of Love, page 26