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ARROWS: Much like a Greek siren with the curse of broken-hearted suitors scattered throughout her past, Emalie goes away to college hoping to leave her old habits behind and find real love. To her immense displeasure, her habitual wearing of sunglasses as a means to potential “prey” of her powers proves to be ineffective. Almost immediately, a boy named Quincy sees her blue, beautiful eyes, and as though they are Cupid’s arrows, he is struck with love. But why isn’t he acting crazy with infatuation?
To make matters worse, another classmate named Tony kidnaps her for a game with some friends and she must use her eyes to escape the dangerous encounter. The downside to the escape: Tony falls in love with her. Struggling against her feelings of vulnerability and the belief that she is a victim of circumstance unable to influence the plot of her life, she must make a choice. She can either continue a life of captive, posessive love with Tony or take a leap, risk her secrets, and pursue her goal of finding love unsolicited by her cursed eyes.
ARCHERS: Eyes. That’s what I am. That’s all I’ve ever been. I have long, dark ash brown hair, calloused fingertips on my left hand from playing guitar and when I talk too quickly or emotionally, I get a slight lisp. But despite how very complex I am, despite how human I am, all that guys deem noteworthy about me are my eyes. My gorgeously blue eyes. The bane of my existence. All that every guy has ever loved about me was my eyes. My life has been a series of dramatic, romantic entries by men who are hopelessly and unreasonably in love with me. The love they feel for me burns like an unquenchable wildfire; hot, steamy, fast-moving, and unpredictable. Regardless of the unpredictability of the fire, one thing is for certain. The love always dies.
To make matters worse, another classmate named Tony kidnaps her for a game with some friends and she must use her eyes to escape the dangerous encounter. The downside to the escape: Tony falls in love with her. Struggling against her feelings of vulnerability and the belief that she is a victim of circumstance unable to influence the plot of her life, she must make a choice. She can either continue a life of captive, posessive love with Tony or take a leap, risk her secrets, and pursue her goal of finding love unsolicited by her cursed eyes.
ARCHERS: Eyes. That’s what I am. That’s all I’ve ever been. I have long, dark ash brown hair, calloused fingertips on my left hand from playing guitar and when I talk too quickly or emotionally, I get a slight lisp. But despite how very complex I am, despite how human I am, all that guys deem noteworthy about me are my eyes. My gorgeously blue eyes. The bane of my existence. All that every guy has ever loved about me was my eyes. My life has been a series of dramatic, romantic entries by men who are hopelessly and unreasonably in love with me. The love they feel for me burns like an unquenchable wildfire; hot, steamy, fast-moving, and unpredictable. Regardless of the unpredictability of the fire, one thing is for certain. The love always dies.
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Inspiration for the work:
I wrote Arrows after getting out of an emotionally unhealthy relationship. It was inspired by some of my more hilarious dating experiences, coupled with some of the most terrifying. I wrote it as a romantic comedy, but put in some underlying messages on how to identify unhealthy and abusive relationships. It took me a few years to figure out how exactly to go about writing the sequel, Archers. But once I started training MMA, it became obvious to me that MMA was exactly what Emalie needed to stop victimizing herself and take control of her life.
Reviews for Arrows and Archers:
Very interesting concept. Good read. Suspense right to the end.
- S. P. Bassett
The story takes some unexpected turns that I whole-heartedly enjoy. It's a good, casual read that I definitely recommend.
-Matthew Beynon
I loved reading this book. It is fun and romantic that any young adult or adult would enjoy. I loved the message that it send to young women (and old women) about love, friendship, and self worth. It only took a few days to read (mostly in the evenings after kids are in bed). I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book.
-Lucinda Wade
Lara Hues’ first book, Arrows, is about college freshman Emalie’s search for true love. Emalie has unusual powers-- which seem to be more a curse than a blessing--that make her relationships with men complicated. As if those complications weren’t enough, Emalie’s powers also cause her to struggle with friendships, trust, and self-worth. Her adventure is filled with mishaps, roommate drama, and even a little danger.
I really enjoyed reading this book! It made me reminisce my college days and all the fun, drama, and complications that I went through. The characters have real personalities that make you say, “I know someone just like that!” Arrows is a fun, quick-paced novel, and though it is geared toward young adults, I think anyone over thirteen will enjoy it.
- Melanie
I started this book after putting my girls to bed. It was so good and I just couldn't put it down until I finished it. I felt like I was on a wild ride filled with love and adventure. The storyline was also made me think about love and the many forms that it takes. While I would love to have the power of simply looking at someone and having them fall in love with me, especially when I was in college, I don't know that I would want everyone to fall in love with me. Very fun and definitely worth the purchase.
-Jennifer Autry
Typically I'm a realistic fiction type of girl, so I was a little skeptical at first. Much to my surprise, I couldn't put "Arrows" down. I was so attached to the characters. Lara Hues is a refreshing young author. She had a unique message of love and friendship mainly through the character of Emalie. At first, I won't lie she is incredibly irritating and has a very "poor me" view of life (she's just frustrating enough that you want to keep reading though). As the book continues, you see her grow into a strong female character. It's an amazing message to young girls that opposes the media's portrayal of fairytale love and happiness. I will definitely be reading the next Lara Hues book.
-Elizabeth Connolly
I read this book out loud to my wife about a year ago, and we still talk about some of its scenes. We would compare it to watching one of the better Disney Channel original movies--is it perfect? Not quite. But is it enjoyable? Absolutely! A fun story with neat ideas and good characters. Lara Hues is a promising new author, and we look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.
-Amazon Customer
The premise of this story is original and intriguing. Emalie is an engaging character with a unique problem, and the author does a nice job of letting an essentially comic situation morph into some genuine peril. The love story with Quincy was very appealing, and whole emotionally confusing situation with the possessive Tony was well done. .....over all it was a pleasure to read, and even in its awkward moments, the writing had an engaging energy and considerable charm. I think younger readers in particular, maybe 13 to 15 year olds, will find it quite captivating.
- Atthys Gage
- S. P. Bassett
The story takes some unexpected turns that I whole-heartedly enjoy. It's a good, casual read that I definitely recommend.
-Matthew Beynon
I loved reading this book. It is fun and romantic that any young adult or adult would enjoy. I loved the message that it send to young women (and old women) about love, friendship, and self worth. It only took a few days to read (mostly in the evenings after kids are in bed). I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book.
-Lucinda Wade
Lara Hues’ first book, Arrows, is about college freshman Emalie’s search for true love. Emalie has unusual powers-- which seem to be more a curse than a blessing--that make her relationships with men complicated. As if those complications weren’t enough, Emalie’s powers also cause her to struggle with friendships, trust, and self-worth. Her adventure is filled with mishaps, roommate drama, and even a little danger.
I really enjoyed reading this book! It made me reminisce my college days and all the fun, drama, and complications that I went through. The characters have real personalities that make you say, “I know someone just like that!” Arrows is a fun, quick-paced novel, and though it is geared toward young adults, I think anyone over thirteen will enjoy it.
- Melanie
I started this book after putting my girls to bed. It was so good and I just couldn't put it down until I finished it. I felt like I was on a wild ride filled with love and adventure. The storyline was also made me think about love and the many forms that it takes. While I would love to have the power of simply looking at someone and having them fall in love with me, especially when I was in college, I don't know that I would want everyone to fall in love with me. Very fun and definitely worth the purchase.
-Jennifer Autry
Typically I'm a realistic fiction type of girl, so I was a little skeptical at first. Much to my surprise, I couldn't put "Arrows" down. I was so attached to the characters. Lara Hues is a refreshing young author. She had a unique message of love and friendship mainly through the character of Emalie. At first, I won't lie she is incredibly irritating and has a very "poor me" view of life (she's just frustrating enough that you want to keep reading though). As the book continues, you see her grow into a strong female character. It's an amazing message to young girls that opposes the media's portrayal of fairytale love and happiness. I will definitely be reading the next Lara Hues book.
-Elizabeth Connolly
I read this book out loud to my wife about a year ago, and we still talk about some of its scenes. We would compare it to watching one of the better Disney Channel original movies--is it perfect? Not quite. But is it enjoyable? Absolutely! A fun story with neat ideas and good characters. Lara Hues is a promising new author, and we look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.
-Amazon Customer
The premise of this story is original and intriguing. Emalie is an engaging character with a unique problem, and the author does a nice job of letting an essentially comic situation morph into some genuine peril. The love story with Quincy was very appealing, and whole emotionally confusing situation with the possessive Tony was well done. .....over all it was a pleasure to read, and even in its awkward moments, the writing had an engaging energy and considerable charm. I think younger readers in particular, maybe 13 to 15 year olds, will find it quite captivating.
- Atthys Gage
Photo used under Creative Commons from Charlie Day DaytimeStudios
