Excerpt:
The Talisman by
Christine Young
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 4
Buy at:
www.roguephoenixpress.com
This is the 4th book in the
Lakota/Pinkerton series
Dakota's Bride, My Angel, The Locket, The
Talisman, and Forever His
Buffalo Creek,
South Dakota
1895
Hot, dry air scorched the
prairie grass. Sweat slid along his spine. Danger clung to every whisper;
seemed to swirl and grow with each passing second. Ivan Civanovich watched the
woman below. With deadly purpose, he studied the lady who had hired him--the
woman who had bought his gun and perhaps death.
"Reckless
courage," Ivan mused.
"Si Senor, she does
have what you call a great courage, but I don’t know about the reckless part.
She is always so very careful," Pedro said.
"I’m a dangerous man,
Pedro."
"This is why she
hired you."
"The lady has no
business hiring men like me. She’s a woman. She is supposed to nurture
lives."
"She needs you to
keep the bad men from taking the land away--our home," Pedro said.
Ivan pushed the tip of his
hat back from his brows. From his vantage point, he considered the woman while
she hung the freshly laundered white sheets on the line. A strange shudder
swept through him, his muscles tensing with the sudden feeling he knew this
woman, had known her forever. The sensations were too strong, the feelings too
acute, and it troubled him because knowing her was impossible.
Her hair, a wild mop of
red curls, battled with the stiff, hot wind rising off the prairie. The breeze
and her hair flowed in undulating currents between the lines, threatening to
tangle themselves in the wire. She bent over at the waist, giving him a perfect
view of her backside while she toyed with something on the ground. Seconds
later she picked up the object of her curiosity, turned it over in her hands
then tossed it aside.
He didn’t like to think
about what could happen to her in the next few weeks. She’d advertised for a
gun for a hire. She didn’t know what she bargained for, and he’d bet his
inheritance she didn’t have any idea what kind of trouble she’d purchased.
When she looked up the
hill, his grin widened. She couldn’t see him, but her shoulders tensed and she
sucked air. Her hand touched her forehead, shielding her eyes from the blinding
sunlight. She scanned the horizon, turning a complete circle before she
stopped.
"Good," he said,
"she is cautious."
"She knows someone is
up here," Pedro announced.
"She’s got more
starch in her drawers and the stiffest backbone of any woman I’ve ever
seen." Ivan whistled through his teeth, his eyes intent and focused upon
the woman.
"Si." Pedro
agreed. "She sure enough does but her heart is made of spun gold."
Ivan wiped the back of his
hand across his forehead. Beads of sweat dripped down his back. His gaze swept
across the barren landscape then followed the line of trees that bordered the
creek. He lifted the glasses to his eyes and turned his attention to a spot
about a mile north of her ranch. The railroad wanted easement rights. So why
wouldn’t she sell to them. "Spun gold, huh." He dropped the
binoculars, letting them dangle from their strap around his neck.
"Si, boss."
"I see." Ivan
leaned forward, resting his forearm on the saddle horn.
Ivan wasn’t sure he
understood. Women had a lot of fine qualities, many of which he didn’t want to
live without but a soft, feminine heart shouldn’t be deciding life and death
matters.
Spun gold.
No, he’d never met a female with a heart of gold, spun or otherwise. He’d never
known a woman who wouldn’t betray a man for a piece of gold. Save one, he
amended, and his best friend had married her. Alexi Popov had his trials too.
He had kidnapped Angela and spirited her away to his home in the Crimea. In the
end though, he gave up his title, his land, and most of his wealth for Angela.
He followed her back to America and married her.
Review
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THE TALISMAN
CHRISTINE YOUNG ISBN#: 978-0-9824833-0-5 June 2009 Rogue Phoenix Press http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/ E-Book $3.99 231 Pages Historical Romance
Rating: 4 Cups
Moriah is a bit exotic for the frontier town in which she
settled. She has trained as a doctor, she is wealthy, she is divorced, and
she has four children with no father in sight. Her only friends in the area
are the whores and owner of Maggie’s place.
Ivan is a gun for hire. He lost his faithless wife and young son
many years before and has no interest in love. When he sees Moriah, the
legend connected with the heirloom armband he wears comes back to him
vividly.
A corrupt preacher and Moriah’s brutal ex-husband are determined
to steal her land and money from her. The preacher, in fact, has already
arranged to sell the land to the railroad and is threatening Moriah and her
four children. Moriah is forced to hire someone to protect them. Ivan Civanovich
is all that she could ask for and too easy to fall in love with.
This is a wonderful tale, full of action, emotion and a bit
mystical at times. Ivan and Moriah each have a silver armband set with amber,
an heirloom in their families. They are unlikely soul mates at first, but the
author creates a very engrossing love story for them. There are no half
measures here at all, the heroes are very good and brave and the villains
have absolutely no redeeming qualities. Sometimes it is nice to not have to make
a decision whether to love or hate a character. The only part of the story
that I did not love was the ending of the subplot of Etta and St. John. I
know that there is a sequel coming but things stopped a little too abruptly
there. Enjoy this one.
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More |
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Contest
Drawing on St. Patrick's Day
Prizes:
$10.00 Starbucks e-GC
copy of my novella Star Crossed
copy of my novella The Gift
$5.00 Rogue Phoenix Press Gift Card
Happy St.Patrick's Day
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