Running from demons,
Alexandra McMurdie stumbles into Forbidden Ground and is transported from the
twenty-first century to life in the 1800s, a life she is unprepared for.
EXCERPT
Midnight...the witching hour, a time to ease one's conscience and
look to the next world for answers. Wild tales of a vortex told by the Native
Americans where up was down and large was small, intrigued the valley settlers.
One had only to expect the unexpected and it would occur. A ball could roll up
hill but not down. No one ventured through the vortex unchanged, simply because
the site defied the human mind. Here there were no limits set and no boundaries
defined.
Mysterious tales ran rampant among the Native Americans.
Fantastical stories portrayed visitors from other ages, other worlds, and even
other dimensions passing through time and stopping here for a moment of rest
before continuing their journey. Difficult to comprehend, impossible to believe
unless one met his fate head on at the appropriate hour. Midnight. When spirits
roamed the earth, anything could occur and anyone could vanish.
Midnight...an hour to be wary of, to remain at home and hope it passed by without illusions floating on the
stairway, of distinctive flickering in the candlelight, or a hesitant knock on
the door from some invisible apparition. No one would wander out at this hour
or challenge another, unless faced with no other choice.
Captain James Lawrence had sworn to uphold the law. Tonight, he
might have to venture into the unknown; meet any challenge. He might stumble
upon an innocent unsuspecting traveler, perhaps encounter a miracle and find a
path straight to heaven.
The deserted countryside lay as a freshly painted picture bathed
in the moonlight, and the crystal ice that coated the laurel trees shimmered,
sending prisms of light toward the heavens. Even February's freezing rains
paused as if paying homage to the hour.
Midnight.
James watched the moisture hover in a mindless drizzle of mist;
low lying clouds floated and swirled in gossamer veils near the earth,
entwining themselves in the manzanita and laurel, around the blackberry bushes,
and the fields of grasses and weeds that dotted the hillside.
"Not tonight. Not again..." He pounded his fist against
the railing, hoping he heard wrong.
From the west, James Lawrence could hear the low baying of hounds
and the steady beat of horses as he stood on the porch of his home surveying
his land. Charles Majors would bring his hounds, six of them, merciless in
their intent, and trained to hunt man. They did not give up and he'd never
known them to fail.
"Son of a bitch!" he said fiercely, "not
tonight!" His fist landed squarely on the wooden beam holding up the roof.
He stared into the night, cursing the situation. Duty and honor in the
forefront of his mind, he knew he would join the posse.
Soon the men would stand at his porch expecting him to mount and
ride with them. They were law-abiding men from town. A couple of them owned
stores, some panned for gold. One was the saloon owner and another owned the
town newspaper. He owed the community, knew he couldn't avoid this
responsibility. If they would only come without the dogs, the nightmares might
stop.
He rubbed his temples and wished the hammering within would
vanish, but the pounding hooves grew louder, the hammering worse. His muscles
flexed and as a brittle tension radiated through him, he held his breath,
purposely waiting.
Staring into the cold night, he reflected on another time. A time
during the war when the dogs had hunted him and they had come so perilously
close to his heels. Now, on this moonlit night, even his home offered him no
protection, no safe retreat. They came to him for his help—for his expertise.
James shivered, yet the sensation wasn't caused by the cold.
He had hoped they wouldn't call on him again, but now it seemed as
if the trail lay fresh and in his direction. He hated the look in a man's eye
when cornered with nowhere to go; loathed the utter despair that accompanied
it.
And the fear.
"Poor wretched soul," he said. "He'll know what
hell feels like before the morning sun rises."
REVIEW: LibriAmoriMiei
My
Review:
It 's a
wonderful romance with an incredible time travel, a romantic love story, two
charming characters, lots of suspense and a little adventure.
To escape
an assault Alexandra falls into a strange vortex and finds herself living in
1868. She is a strong and independent woman of the XXI century and it is not
easy for her to adapt to the mentality and to the limited means of 1800. While
trying to survive, she meets James and she falls in love. But their love story
is full of difficulties, James has many open wounds suffered during the
civil war.
I really
liked the style of this author, she knows how to capture the reader's attention,
once you start it, it's really hard to put it down. Her stories are full of
magic and she is able to create atmospheres full of suspense.
This was a
truly engaging and delightful read. The story had a good pace, the plot was
clever and the dialogue was witty.
I
highly recommend this book!
REVIEW:
Straight To Heaven by Christine Young
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Genre: Historical, Time Travel
Length: Full (389 pgs)
Heat: Spicy
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Poppy
A solid entry into the time travel genre.
James, an honorable man who was left
damaged by the Civil war makes a wonderful hero. His honor is indisputable, as
shown the by the way he devotedly takes care of his young, orphaned niece,
Jessie.
Alexandra is a sweet woman who is pursued
through time by a villain who wants her for his own. She unexpectedly falls
into a vortex when running from him in 2015 and finds herself in the past, just
following the end of the war between the states.
The villain, Sean Cassidy, is truly
reprehensible. And single minded. All he wants is Alexandra, and he doesn’t
care what he has to do to get her.
I enjoyed watching Alex trying to find
her way around the past. It’s remarkable how many little slang sayings make no sense
out of context, like when she wants to keep James from the treehouse where she
and Jessie are talking, and gives as her reason that “it’s Grand Central
Station” up there. Of course, the way women behave now and how they were
expected to behave in the late 1800s was also an issue. Ms. Young does a good
job painting the past through Alex’s eyes.
The romance between James and Alex is
bittersweet, since Alex intends on returning to her own time. But neither can
help falling for the other and it’s sweet and heartbreaking and helps both
James and Jessie to heal from their emotional wounds.
The only “complaint” I had with the story
is that James is so good and Sean Cassidy is so bad. I wish James
had been more flawed and that the villain had a few redeemable qualities. Oh,
and the other thing that made me a bit crazy is how the author seldom referred
to him as simply “Sean” and mostly called him by his full name, Sean Cassidy.
Not only did it feel a bit odd, but every time it happened I ended up picturing
him as the teen idol from my youth.
Overall, though, Straight To Heaven
was a well-written, interesting book that should appeal the time travel romance
fans. And it should certainly touch your heart. It did mine.
4 **** – Sweetly romantic time-travel
**
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review **
I’m
a huge fan of time-travel and an avid reader of historical romances so my
expectations were quite high before I read this book. I think that might have
been a negative factor in my enjoyment of the book. It took a while for me to
connect with the story and the characters. However, once I did I had a good
time with the book.
The
author does a very good job with both the main and the supporting characters.
The plot is well-written and the suspense builds up to the climax in the end.
My reason for not rating it with five stars is that I like my heroes a bit on
the flawed side and James Lawrence is too sweet for that. Also, the love scenes
were good but felt a bit rushed. As an author of erotic romances I was a bit
disappointed in them.
All
things considered, though, this is a very good book that I recommend for those
who enjoy time-traveling and sweet romance.
AMAZON
(I’ve posted the review on Amazon but it hasn’t gone live yet. I’ll include
link here as soon as it becomes available).
ALSO BY CHRISTINE YOUNG
Reviewed by Ashley Ladd,
"Happily Ever After"
4 out of 5 stars
Sweet Misbehavin' is a romantic, mystical tale packed with magic, action, and adventure. Romance blooms when Margo, a novice fire starter running from an evil demon meets Carr, a heroic shape shifter. Although Margo has an innate distrust in people, especially in men, Carr gains her trust and convinces her to let him and his clan protect her and her young daughter. Not only does Margo come to know Carr, but comes to know herself, grow her powers, and trust in love again. This is a beautiful story that I heartily recommend reading. Although short, it packs a mighty wallop.
4 out of 5 stars
Sweet Misbehavin' is a romantic, mystical tale packed with magic, action, and adventure. Romance blooms when Margo, a novice fire starter running from an evil demon meets Carr, a heroic shape shifter. Although Margo has an innate distrust in people, especially in men, Carr gains her trust and convinces her to let him and his clan protect her and her young daughter. Not only does Margo come to know Carr, but comes to know herself, grow her powers, and trust in love again. This is a beautiful story that I heartily recommend reading. Although short, it packs a mighty wallop.
BLURB
Cast adrift after fleeing the
home of Jokul, the ice demon, Atantsi, a firestarter, grew to womanhood as she
moved through time to keep the demon from finding her. Though stubborn and
courageous, she was ill prepared to use powers she had not been taught. Her
first sight of the intoxicating Carr McKenna left her breathless, and her
second encounter gave her hope for a future she never thought she had.
A
playboy, a second son and a shifter, a man who thought his life would be
carefree, Carr McKenna was shocked to discover the woman he’d paid as an escort
is a firestarter who is running for her life. He is the leader of all the
McKennas around the world and that he has multiple powers. His passion for
Margo and the need to defend her might cost him his life as well as hers.
Reviewed by Ashley Ladd,
"Happily Ever After"
4 out of 5 stars
Sweet Misbehavin' is a romantic, mystical tale packed with magic, action, and adventure. Romance blooms when Margo, a novice fire starter running from an evil demon meets Carr, a heroic shape shifter. Although Margo has an innate distrust in people, especially in men, Carr gains her trust and convinces her to let him and his clan protect her and her young daughter. Not only does Margo come to know Carr, but comes to know herself, grow her powers, and trust in love again. This is a beautiful story that I heartily recommend reading. Although short, it packs a mighty wallop.
4 out of 5 stars
Sweet Misbehavin' is a romantic, mystical tale packed with magic, action, and adventure. Romance blooms when Margo, a novice fire starter running from an evil demon meets Carr, a heroic shape shifter. Although Margo has an innate distrust in people, especially in men, Carr gains her trust and convinces her to let him and his clan protect her and her young daughter. Not only does Margo come to know Carr, but comes to know herself, grow her powers, and trust in love again. This is a beautiful story that I heartily recommend reading. Although short, it packs a mighty wallop.
BLURB
Cast adrift after fleeing the
home of Jokul, the ice demon, Atantsi, a firestarter, grew to womanhood as she
moved through time to keep the demon from finding her. Though stubborn and
courageous, she was ill prepared to use powers she had not been taught. Her
first sight of the intoxicating Carr McKenna left her breathless, and her
second encounter gave her hope for a future she never thought she had.
A
playboy, a second son and a shifter, a man who thought his life would be
carefree, Carr McKenna was shocked to discover the woman he’d paid as an escort
is a firestarter who is running for her life. He is the leader of all the
McKennas around the world and that he has multiple powers. His passion for
Margo and the need to defend her might cost him his life as well as hers.
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