February ARC giveaway of A Breath of Eyre & Exclusive Sneak Peek!

A Breath of Eyre is six weeks from its release day, so I thought this would be an excellent time for another ARC giveaway (I'm giving away 2 signed ARCs with swag!) plus a teaser excerpt. As many of you know, A Breath of Eyre is about a girl who gets lost, literally, in her favorite novel, Jane Eyre. Emma is a sucker for storybook romance, so much so that she fails to see the possibilities for love in her own world.

I’m also sharing an exclusive teaser from A Breath of Eyre in which Emma may or may not be ready for a little real world romance. All you have to do to enter is read the teaser below and then, in the comments section, predict what's going to happen next. Plus, you'll get:

 +1 entry for tweeting or posting on Facebook: February ARC #giveaway for @evemariemont's A BREATH OF EYRE, plus exclusive sneak peek teaser: http://tinyurl.com/7m8a8cp
+1 entry for posting the contest link on your blog
+1 entry for following my blog
The giveaway is open internationally and will end Monday, February 20 at midnight EST. Remember there are 2 ARCs up for grabs now, so better chances! Thanks so much for entering!

A Breath of Eyre Excerpt:

“Tell me about your necklace.” He stopped walking and reached across to touch the pendant. When his finger brushed my skin, I stopped breathing.

“It was my mother’s,” I said, hearing my voice shake.

“Oh yeah. I knew I’d seen it before.” He bent his head to inspect it, his eyes at my level. I dropped my own because the moment felt too heavy, too real. I was staring at the top button of his shirt when I saw a glint of silver. “Hey, you’re wearing something, too.” I reached out and barely grazed his collarbone with my knuckle. He drew open his shirt to reveal a pair of dog tags.

“My uncle’s,” he explained. “He died in Cambodia when he was nineteen. My dad tells me I’m a lot like him. I wish I’d known him. My dad and I don’t really get along, but I have a feeling me and my uncle would have. My dad just thinks I’m a screw-up.”

“My dad thinks the same thing.”

“Your dad thinks I’m a screw-up?” he said.

“No, no,” I said, laughing. “He thinks I am.”

Gray regarded me quizzically. “He couldn’t possibly. You’re, like, the goody-two-shoes, straight-A student. My mom told me you have over a 4.0 G.P.A. with all those honors classes you take. We refer to you as Miss Perfect around the dinner table."

“Believe me, I’m not perfect,” I said, flattered that they talked about me at the dinner table. “Barbara thinks I’m troubled. My dad doesn’t even like me anymore. I’m just so tired of trying to please everyone. I’m tired of being good all the time.”

“Don’t underestimate good. There are times I’d give anything to be good.” His face clouded over, like some awful memory had just caught up with him. I wanted to say something to make him feel better, but I didn’t know what. When he turned to face me, he looked like he wanted to tell me something.

“What is it?” I said.

“Nothing. It’s just…” His voice trailed off, and he bit the inside of his cheek. For a moment, his eyes held on to that vulnerability, and then they got a mischievous glint in them. “It’s hard to take you seriously in those braids, Townsend.”

I glanced down at my costume. “I know. I feel so stupid. Nobody else dressed up.”

“Don’t feel stupid,” he said. “You look adorable.” He tugged gently on one of my braids, and my heart soared. One little compliment, and I was getting all soft around the edges.

I started to say something, but before I could finish my sentence, his hand was cupping my cheek and he was leaning in to kiss me.