The Innocent: A Novel
Candice Raquel Lee
(Independently published, June 14, 2018)
In a world with speed-dating, Snapchat, and hook-ups, Alexa Wyndaham wants Love, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it… even say no to an incubus. But it’s not going to be that easy, Alexa is changing in ways she can’t imagine. A kiss from a stranger on Valentine's Day nearly ends her. He’s after her energy as are all the supernatural creatures of New York City, and they are willing to do anything to get it. Alexa’s only hope of survival is Cristien La Roche, an incubus, a medieval knight, and a man tormented by his past. Alexa is everything he desires, but with a touch that can kill, he’s just as likely to take her life as he is to save her. Cristien is damned if he helps her and damned if he doesn't. Even if he can save Alexa a hundred times from those who seek her power, he still won’t be able to protect her from his own deadly past. In the end, one will come face to face with the white light and the other their darkest nightmare.Together, Alexa and Cristien will have to answer the question, “Which is stronger Love or Death?” The Innocent/i> is a story about love, the love of books, the love of friends and love of one for another. It is a journey that is heartbreaking as it is humorous, thought-provoking as it is uplifting. It masterfully retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche as a coming-of-age tale that teaches the wisdom of forgiveness, the nature of suffering, the illusion of evil, and the power of unconditional love. It will take star-crossed lovers Alexa and Cristien from suffering to heroism, from hatred to forgiveness, from Death to Life. It will teach them to see beyond the skin to the beauty within us all. A truly powerful and transformative read, reminiscent of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Helene Wecker's The Golem and the Jinni.