Aurora’s brother had been murdered, but only after being tortured.
I love that she is alone…in the middle of the night…
Thump. What’s that? Is it the cat? Thump. Uh-oh. I know Jane…and that is no cat!
Hide? Run? Too late. Merry Christmas to her. 🙁
Brady…Okay, I didn’t see that coming. Instalove…Instalust…The scenario is pretty far fetched, but it is fiction and I do love to forget the logical and set my mind free to follow where the author wants to take me.
Do you want a short, easy read, with thrills, chills and a happy ever after? You might want to give this a try.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Diamond Star by Jane Blythe.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
~ Part of the Heart of a Hunk multi-author box set ~
It’s
Christmas Eve, and Aurora Kinsley is grieving her brother who was
recently murdered. That quickly becomes the least of her concerns when
she wakes in the middle of the night to find four men trashing the
house. To survive the mess her brother left behind, she’ll have to put
her trust in one of the men who killed her only sibling.
** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
~~~
Hello. Welcome to another edition of Sherry’s Shelves. Spring is in the air and so was love…Hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine…s Day. Mr Wonderful was his usual wonderful self. He got me some delicious chocolate covered strawberries and a beautiful, wonderfully fragrant bouquet of roses.
So… I have been having issues with my arm and I do believe I have biceps tendonitis. Mr Wonderful has it in his elbow. You may probably be able to guess why….one of the drawbacks of technology…computeritis. We both love our computers and when we aren’t out and about doing things, we spend a lot of time on them. How about you? Any side affects come your way? What do you do to correct them?
The sun is shining and I feel good. I love the feet of it on my skin, warming me, lulling me into a trance, igniting my imagination, transporting me to another place…kind of like when I read a good book.
It is a lazy summer day in the Appalachian foothills of Tennessee; much
like the day before, and the day before that. Everything seems normal
– at least on the surface; like an idyllic, pastoral painting; the
sky dyed with pastels of blue and white, the ground carpeted with
dark green fescue and bluegrass, a clapboard farmhouse resting on top
of a hill, sugar maples, oaks and Eastern red cedars providing
welcome shade from the heat of a Tennessee summer sun. You can almost
see moving images of little children running barefoot through the
grass; an era before tweeting and texting and the triumph of
technology over all.
Alas, appearances lie.
Behind the clapboard farmhouse sits a red barn, all bright and new looking;
fresh enough to lull a casual observer into believing it the benign
keeper of hey for cattle and shelter for goats. A closer look reveals
the color to be not barn red, but blood red.
Locals tend to close their eyes when passing by that barn. Something is just
not right about it. Some say it is unnatural. Some say it’s obscene
and evil. But they don’t say such things out loud, for the owner of
the barn is Sheldon Sprigg, a well-respected man of the cloth, the
preacher at Hare’s Corner Church of God Incarnate. Sheldon is the
most upright man in these parts. He keeps the law religiously, and
makes sure his wife and teenaged daughter do too. After all, to obey
is better than sacrifice.
Still, there’s just something that not right about that barn.
Michael Potts grew up near Smyrna, Tennessee and is currently Professor of
Philosophy at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
His undergraduate degree (in Biblical languages) is from David
Lipscomb University. He also holds the Master of Theology from
Harding University Graduate School of Religion, the Master of Arts
(in Religion) from Vanderbilt University, and the Ph.D. in philosophy
from The University of Georgia. Michael has twenty articles in
scholarly journals, nine book chapters, six encyclopedia articles,
six book reviews, and he co-edited the book, “Beyond Brain
Death: The Case Against Brain Based Criteria for Human Death,”
which was published in 2000 by Kluwer Academic Publishers. He also
has over fifty scholarly presentations, including one presented at
the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at The Vatican in 2005. Michael is
a 2007 graduate of The Writers Loft at Middle Tennessee State
University and a 2007 graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop at St.
Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. His poetry has been
published in Journal of the American Medical Association, Iodine
Poetry Journal, Poems & Plays, and other literary journals. His
poetry chapbook, “From Field to Thicket,” won the 2006 Mary
Belle Campbell Poetry Book Award of the North Carolina Writers
Network. His creative nonfiction essay, “Haunted,” won the
Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Award, also sponsored by the North
Carolina Writers Network. Besides reading and writing, he enjoys
vegetable gardening, canning, and ghost investigations. He and his
wife, Karen, live with their three cats, Frodo, Rosie, and Pippin, in
Linden, North Carolina.
Elias Zanbaka reached out to me through Goodreads offering his short story, Environmentally Friendly, to me for review. I’m glad I took him up on the offer. At the time of posting, it was free (be sure and check for the “0”) and you can grab it HERE.
I’m so glad I grabbed this original, intense, wild rollercoaster ride of a short story that had me zipping through the pages, following a cop trying to do a good thing, giving more than taking and leaving me wanting more of this wonderful character.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Out of seven billion people, one man has declared war on Mother Nature and plans to bring it to its knees.
Out of all the criminals in Los Angeles, he’s the number one target being hunted by the LAPD tonight.
And out of the entire LAPD, one officer is hell-bent on helping him complete his mission.
Eileen has never been interested in love. Ever since her father’s
abandonment, she’s vowed to never experience such pain again. But the
enchanted forest has different ideas. When the continuously shifting
pathways lead her to a mysterious stranger, Eileen finds her promise to
fiercely guard her heart increasingly difficult to keep.
One night when she becomes lost in a storm, the enchanted forest’s
pathways lead her to the castle, home to the kingdom’s Dark Prince,
where Eileen finds herself entangled in what many consider an
opportunity but which Eileen believes to be a curse: competing for the
Dark Prince’s hand through a series of tests that judge one’s royal
worth. Eileen is neither royal nor interested in becoming a princess.
But the mysterious stranger she met in the woods has his own reasons for
helping her succeed, but the cost of his assistance may be too high:
that of Eileen’s heart, the one thing she’s vowed never to give.
Inspired by “The Princess and the Pea”
Praise for the Book
“This was SUCH a cute book! The characters were very well
developed…The supporting characters were just as endearing…as the main
characters. The descriptions of surroundings were impeccable, I could
just see the environment and feel the feelings that were invoked by
them. The plot was really well thought out, the ideas were super
creative, and I love the general fairy tale feel…I couldn’t put it down,
I just fell in love with the characters and I can’t WAIT for the next
one!”
“I ADORE the creativity in this book! The forest is so magical and
has so many enchanting moments throughout the story. I loved being
transported into a fairy tale theme as I read; it was a perfect escape
into a sweet and charming era! I absolutely loved the direction the
story went and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the adventure Eileen
stumbled upon. There are so many fun characters in the story, each with
unique personalities! This is such a darling story about loyalty,
romance, friendship and all with a fairytale feeling!”
“This is a delightful story of romance and adventure, centered near a
magical forest that guides its travelers to discover not only its own
enchantments, but also to find true love along the way. It is also a
story of growth and overcoming one’s weaknesses, and of going forward
despite one’s fears. Both of those things are inspirational to me, and I
found myself relating to the characters and hoping for their success.
An enjoyable journey to give hope to your heart!”
“I really enjoyed this story. The characters are fun and delightful
and they were well developed. I liked that it was only loosely based on
an existing fairy tale and branch out in interesting ways to create
romance and drama. I get really bored with the same re-telling over and
over and this was fresh and new.”
Excerpt
A knock sounded on the door. I bit back a sigh, both of impatience and relief. “Come in.”
I gasped as the door swung open, for it wasn’t Alaina who stood there but—“Aiden?”
He beamed, his eyes
lighting up as they settled on my face. Warmth seeped over me to see him
again after all these weeks, and my heart performed several cartwheels
as he stared at me, his expression tender.
“Aiden!” I fell into his arms, burrowing myself against him.
He nestled against my hair.
“It’s wonderful to see you. I admit I thought it’d be much longer
before our paths crossed again, and I’m pleased that’s not the case.”
I tipped my head back to gape up at him. “Wait, what are you doing here?”
“An excellent question; one I was about to ask you. May I come in?”
I slowly nodded. He shut
the door behind him, his eyes never once leaving my face. The shock of
seeing him at the palace of all places slowly subsided and I tentatively
smiled. “I can’t believe you’re here. I never thought I’d see you
again.”
He returned my smile with a
lopsided one of his own and my insides fluttered. “I promised we’d see
each other again. How are you?”
I sighed. “I’m in a bit of a predicament.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Indeed. So you’re a secret princess keen on trying to persuade the prince to marry you?”
I pulled a face. “No, this is all some horrible misunderstanding.”
“Is it?” He folded his arms and leaned against my bedpost. “And how did a common girl end up in such a plight?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. A secret danced within his dark eyes, taunting me. “You don’t happen to know the answer, do you?”
He chuckled, and the warm
sound I’d fiercely missed washed over me. “I do, actually.” His smile
widened. “I’ve really missed you, Eileen. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Why am I here?” I pressed my hands on my hips and glared at him, demanding he answer me.
He straightened and came
over until he stood directly in front of me, enveloping me in his warmth
and causing the strange sensations that only came from him to fill my
heart. “It so happened I witnessed your unexpected arrival last night.”
“What are you even doing here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a member of the court.”
My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. How does your being a member of the court explain why I now find myself trapped here?”
“Because thanks to my
position, it wasn’t difficult to convince the guards that you’re one of
the princesses come here to woo the prince.” He winked.
I gaped at him, my heart pounding furiously. With each beat my insides burned, my anger searing and poisonous. “You told them what?”
He frowned. “I told the guards that you’re a princess.”
“You mean to tell me,” I hissed through gritted teeth, “that it’s your fault I’m tangled in this dangerous mess?”
Perplexity twisted his expression. “Mess? It’s an opportunity.”
“An opportunity for what, exactly? To be executed?”
He rolled his eyes. “Why so dramatic?”
My fists tightened. “If I’m
caught posing as a royal, what do you think will happen? You think the
royal family will merely have a good laugh before releasing me? No,
they’ll send me to the gallows.” My blood chilled. I needed to escape. I
stomped to the door, but Aiden blocked my exit.
Author Camille Peters
Camille Peters was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah where she
grew up surrounded by books. As a child, she spent every spare moment
reading and writing her own stories on every scrap of paper she could
find. Becoming an author was always more than a childhood dream; it was a
certainty.
Her love of writing grew alongside her as she took local writing classes
in her teens, spent a year studying Creative Writing at the English
University of Northampton, and graduated from the University of Utah
with a degree in English and History. She’s now blessed to be a
full-time author.
When she’s not writing she’s thinking about writing, and when’s she’s
not thinking about writing she’s…alright, she’s always thinking about
writing, but she can also be found reading, playing board games with her
family and friends, or taking long, bare-foot walks as she lives inside
her imagination and brainstorms more tales.
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and is sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Book & Author Details: The Open Road by Bo and Quinn Loftis Publication date: February 13th 2019 Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Like all young couples, Jason O’Neal and his wife, Bethany, imagined a long and happy life with their children. But when Jason loses his family to a tragic accident, his storybook life dies with them on a two-lane highway. Unable to cope with the loss, Jason makes a last-ditch effort to find peace with their deaths. He plans to fulfill Bethany’s dream of visiting all fifty states, leaving mementos of his family along the way.
Samantha Showalter knows heartache after being left crying in an empty parking lot at the end of a three-year, abusive relationship. Seven months later, she’s rebuilding her life through sheer force of will, until her ex-fiancé shows up at her doorstep unannounced. But Samantha’s best friend has a plan to help Sam let go of her past once and for all … and finally find herself again.
Fate, with a little help from a meddling best friend, will bring two broken souls together. Both have their own valleys to cross before either can hope for a future of happiness.
Will Jason and Samantha find peace in each other, or will their past pain be too much to overcome?
Quinn Loftis is a multi-award winning author of more than 20 novels, including the USA Today Bestseller, Fate and Fury. In a previous life, Quinn was a nurse, but God had other plans for her. In 2011, she published her first novel, Prince of Wolves, and the rest, as they say, is history. Quinn is thankful to God and gives Him all the glory for her amazing life and family. She is blessed to be married to her best friend for over 19 years and they have three boys, two dogs, and a cat that wants to take over the world.
Bo Loftis is an attorney turned novelist who recently penned his second novel, The Open Road, with his USA Today Bestselling author wife, Quinn Loftis. Bo lives in the Arkansas River Valley, where he deftly toes the line between gamer and jock, splitting his time between gaming (both board and video) and playing basketball, mountain biking, and acting as a color commentator for local high school football games. He has three sons, each of which love to use him as their own person jungle gym, and he wouldn’t trade them for the world.
A house on wheels, three mangy rednecks and a Wrestlemania road trip. I feel nothing can go wrong. ‘as I chuckle under my breath’
Some men never grow up, and Mike’s friends, Lonnie and Pork Chop are a perfect example.
They decide to take a shortcut and I know nothing good can come of that, but I sure am eager to find out what kind of trouble they find. They, literally, run into the “goat”, causing a crazy band of vicious, coldblooded cultists to chase them down.
Have no fear. Adam has a way of taking his flawed and twisted characters and turning them into lovable friends that come through at the end, but at what cost. He kills his characters off with no shame, probably laughing with glee as Another One Bites the Dust.
This action packed, fire and brimstone apocalyptic tale leaves me wondering…does anyone survive when the line between good and evil is blurred? Be careful…if you let pride…think you know it all….Arrogance is not an asset.
One minute I felt the truth of it all and the next I felt I was in hell with Sam and Dean Winchester.
Adam Howe shattered my expectations, leaving me loving and hating Mike and his band of misfits…and looking forward to their next twisted adventure.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Scapegoat by Adam Howe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
March 29, 1987… For
metalheads Mike Rawson, Lonnie Deveroux, and Pork Chop, an RV road trip
to Wrestlemania III becomes a one-way ticket to hell. While delivering
an illegal shipment of counterfeit wrestling merchandise, an ill-fated
shortcut through the Kentucky backwoods leads them to a teenaged girl
carved head to toe in arcane symbols. Soon our unlikely heroes are being
hunted through the boonies by a cult of religious crazies who make the
Westboro Baptists look like choirboys… a cult that will stop at nothing
to get the girl back and complete a ritual that has held an ancient evil
at bay for centuries… Until now.
From Adam Howe, writer of Die
Dog or Eat the Hatchet, and the winner of Stephen King’s On Writing
contest… and James Newman, acclaimed author of Odd Man Out and
Animosity.
PRAISE FOR SCAPEGOAT:
“As if Joe Lansdale
wrote, and John Carpenter directed, the Jonestown massacre. SCAPEGOAT is
Howe and Newman’s Kool-Aid and you’ll want to drink it to the very last
drop.” (Eryk Pruitt, What We Reckon)
“A delightful backwoods detour through the three Rs of Southern-fried horror: Rednecks, revenge, and Wrestlemania! One of 2018’s most entertaining reads. This is one GOAT you’ll definitely want to get.” (Michael Patrick Hicks, Mass Hysteria)
ABOUT ADAM HOWE
Adam
Howe writes the twisted fiction your mother warned you about. A British
writer of fiction and screenplays, he lives in London with his partner,
their daughter, and a hellhound named Gino. Writing as Garrett Addams,
his short story Jumper was chosen by Stephen King as the winner of the
international On Writing contest, and published in the paperback/Kindle
editions of King’s memoir. His fiction has appeared in places like
Nightmare Magazine, Thuglit, Mythic Delirium, and Year’s Best Hardcore
Horror Volume 1. He is the author of Tijuana Donkey Showdown, and two
novella collections, Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet, and Black Cat Mojo. In
the pipeline: the occult thriller Scapegoat, co-written with James
Newman, a horror/crime collaboration with Adam Cesare, and 80s action
throwback, One Tough Bastard.
I have been reading the Scion Chronicles since the beginning, The Daughter of Nothing by Eric Kent Edstrom. Sister of Shadows is the third book and all I can say is Eric did not let me down.
The evil of humanity oozes from the pages in the third book, Sister of Shadows by Eric Kent Edstrom. I am loving the series and can hardly wait to see how he wraps it up in the fourth and final book.
Sister of Shadows picks up where Child of Lies left off, so reading in order is necessary. I have loved each story, watching the children struggle to survive as they discover who they really are and why they were ‘born’.
The topic raises ethical and moral issues, while pointing out how power and money corrupt and some people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
I have a lot of notes, but because this is the third book, I tossed them to the wind. I will not spoil all the twists, turns and surprises that Eric has piled onto these resilient children. I have watched them grown and develop into young adults, pushed beyond anything they ever could have conceived. I have watched their leadership skills rise to the forefront, their maturity and creativity grow at a fast pace, forced because of their circumstances.
They make a run for freedom, for life, and the treachery and danger that follows them kept me in suspense, wondering who will survive, because Eric doesn’t hesitate to kill off his characters. I hope they haunt him at night. LOL One of my favorite newbies is Meow Meow and if you read the story you will see why. This girl is off the charts, afraid of nothing.
I find the story unique and original, and it sticks in my head. It is hard to surprise me with something new and different, so this is a refreshing story. A story that keeps on giving a high level of tension and pacing, keeping my total attention.
I laughed, I cried, I raged and I sighed…knowing Eric has more to come.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sister of Shadows by Eric Kent Edstrom.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Escape. That is all Jacey cares about as the riveting story of the Scions continues.
Escape is in their grasp. The Scions now have a way off the island—a ship—but they have no place to go.
With
an enemy hiding in their midst, and shaken by murder, kidnapping, and
an impending military invasion, time for escape is running out.
A fast-paced rollercoaster of a novel, Sister of Shadows will keep you breathless all the way to the shocking finale.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR .
Eric is an author, songwriter, husband, father, and guitarist. He is the author of YA SF series The Undermountain Saga, which includes Undermountain, Afterlife, and Starkiller.Eric loves working out with kettlebells and eating pretty much anything with peanut butter. . Stalk Eric: Website / Twitter / Goodreads .
The Haunting of Thores-Cross
Ghosts of Thores-Cross Book 1
by Karen Perkins
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
“The ghost of a wronged young woman in the village of Thores-Cross waits 230 years to have her story told in Perkins’s suspenseful and atmospheric first Yorkshire Ghost novel” – BookLife by Publishers Weekly *Silver Medal Winner, European fiction – 2015 IPPY Book Awards *#1 Bestseller in 6 Amazon Categories, including Ghost Suspense, British Horror and Gothic Romance *Top 10 Bestseller in 8 more, including Historical Thrillers and Occult Horror *Over 100 5-STAR reviews on Amazon.comLikened by independent reviewers on Amazon to the Brontë sisters, Edgar Allen Poe, Barbara Erskine and Nathaniel Hawthorne, Karen Perkins’ novels are filled with unflinching honesty and an acute understanding of human nature. She explores not only the depths of humanity, but the depths of human motivation behind the actions and pain people inflict upon each other, as well as the repercussions of these actions not only in the short term, but also the later generations who live with the implications of the past. Emma Moorcroft is still grieving after a late miscarriage and moves to her dream house at Thruscross Reservoir with her husband, Dave. Both Emma and Dave hope that moving into their new home signifies a fresh start, but life is not that simple. Emma has nightmares about the reservoir and the drowned village that lies beneath the water, and is further disturbed by the sound of church bells – from a church that no longer exists. Jennet is fifteen and lives in the isolated community of Thores-Cross, where life revolves about the sheep on which they depend. Following the sudden loss of both her parents, she is seduced by the local wool merchant, Richard Ramsgill. She becomes pregnant and is shunned not only by Ramsgill, but by the entire village. Lonely and embittered, Jennet’s problems escalate, leading to tragic consequences which continue to have an effect through the centuries. Emma becomes fixated on Jennet, neglecting herself, her beloved dogs and her husband to the point where her marriage may not survive. As Jennet and Emma’s lives become further entwined, Emma’s obsession deepens and she realises that the curse Jennet inflicted on the Ramsgill family over two hundred years ago is still claiming lives. Emma is the only one who can stop Jennet killing again, but will her efforts be enough? Goodreads * Amazon
Cursed
Ghosts of Thores-Cross Book 2
Jennet’s here. No one is safe.
A skeleton is dug up at the crossing of the ways on Hanging Moor, striking dread into the heart of Old Ma Ramsgill – the elderly matriarch of the village of Thruscross. And with good reason. The eighteenth-century witch, Jennet, has been woken. A spate of killings by a vicious black dog gives credence to her warnings and the community – in particular her family – realise they are in terrible danger. Drastic measures are needed to contain her, but with the imminent flooding of the valley to create a new reservoir, do they have the ability to stop her and break her curse? Goodreads * Amazon
Jennet
Ghosts of Thores-Cross Book 3
‘Jennet will have your heart and your fear in equal measure’ ‘Through Jennet we see how cruelty can drive even the most ordinary people to hatred and, in Jennet’s case, evil’ Yorkshire is in the grip of a heatwave, and Thruscross Reservoir has dried up to reveal the remains of the drowned village of Thores-Cross beneath. Playing in the mud which coats the valley floor, four-year-old Clare Wainwright finds an old inkpot, and can’t wait to show it to her best friend, Louise. But when Louise’s mother, Emma, sees it, her reaction is shocking, and both families are plunged into their worst nightmares. Emma knows what the inkpot portends:Jennet has woken.Now she wants the children. This is not a gore-ridden, jump-scare horror story. This is more real than that. Jennet is a story about the horrific things that people do to each other, and the way we react to that maltreatment – which does not always end with death. Jennet’s story is a horror story because it’s not necessarily fiction. It reflects the way women were treated in the time that Jennet lived. It reflects the psychology of the abuse cycle. And it reflects real life. All of it. If, as I believe, the spirit does not die when the physical body dies, then how many spirits are looking for vengeance today? What wrongs will you want to right when you pass through that veil? What will I? This is the conclusion of Jennet’s story, which began in The Haunting of Thores-Cross. I hope she finds peace. I really do.Goodreads * Amazon
Karen Perkins is the author of eight fiction titles: the Yorkshire Ghost Stories and the Valkyrie Series of historical nautical fiction. All of her fiction has appeared at the top of bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, including the top 21 in the UK Kindle Store in 2018. Her first Yorkshire Ghost Story – THE HAUNTING OF THORES-CROSS – won the Silver Medal for European Fiction in the prestigious 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York, whilst her Valkyrie novel, DEAD RECKONING, was long-listed in the 2011 MSLEXIA novel competition. Originally a financial advisor, a sailing injury left Karen with a chronic pain condition which she has been battling for over twenty five years (although she did take the European ladies title despite the injury!). Writing has given her a new lease of – and purpose to – life, and she is currently working on a sequel to Parliament of Rooks: Haunting Brontë Country. When not writing, she helps other authors prepare their books for publishing and has edited over 150 titles, including the 2017 Kindle UK Storyteller Award winner, The Relic Hunters by David Leadbeater, and has also published a series of publishing guides to help aspiring authors realise their dreams. Karen Perkins is a member of the Society of Authors and the Horror Writers Association. Website * Facebook * Facebook Group * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads
Shadows of Atlantis: Awakening
by Mara Powers
Genre: Fantasy
Shadows of Atlantis: Awakening
by Mara Powers
Genre: Fantasy
“…had
me turning the pages obsessively from the very beginning.” Readers
Favorite.
Enter the legacy of the legend…
Brigitte has been chosen to renew the treaty
between Atlantis and the ancient bloodline of Lemuria. As an emissary of
nature, her betrothal would ensure the continued function of the Crystal Grid,
the life source of the ten kingdoms of Atlantis. But as Brigitte prepares to
leave from her home in the magical Dreamvale, her people are attacked by a
storm of shadows. Now she is running for her life.
Upon her arrival in the ruling city of Atlantis,
she meets D’Vinid, a dejected musician who lives the quintessential Atlantean
lifestyle of revelry, escapism and apathy. Under the eclipse of a sacred
festival, they are swept into an attraction they cannot resist. Their union may
protect humanity from its worst enemy – the shadows of Atlantis. But there is
one problem, this man is not her betrothed.
Brigitte soon discovers that the corruption of the
Grid could very well be the Grid itself. Citizens have neglected to attend the
rituals required to charge the crystals with their psychic emanations. Some
have fallen prey to an epidemic called “the madness”, caused by shadowy
parasites that feed off human suffering. But as nature always strives toward
balance, the crystals have activated a genetic upgrade among the people. The
youth have begun to express supernatural powers. Could it be that D’Vinid and
Brigitte are meant to be leaders among the awakened? And if so, why does it
seem impossible for them to be together?
A mysterious tale of romance, seduction and
betrayal that reaches just enough into the modern mind to ask – will we learn
the lessons of Atlantis?
**Only .99 cents!**Add to GoodreadsAmazon * B&N
Leaving
the Dreamvale would mean Brigitte would gradually forget growing up on
the rocky shores of the mystical islands. She stood in her favorite
place high above the dreamclan village watching the ocean dance with the
cliffs. It would be her last chance to behold the glory of sunset
before boarding the galleon bobbing in the cove below.
Evenings
were always a masterpiece of color, the best time to behold the
splendor of nature’s art. Clouds of rainbow prisms had the look of
creatures billowing in the sky. But in the distance, a wall of storm
opened like the jaws of a predator, drifting ever closer to the
peaceful, green island.
“Brigitte.”
A male voice echoed through her contemplation. She felt a pang of
disappointment. Leaving would mean the beginning of a journey she had
feared all her life. With one last lingering view of the panorama, she
held her breath, reached out her arms and leapt from the cliff. As a
mass of dancing particles, she bounced down the ragged rocks toward the
village, one with the wind. Taking her time would be rude, so she kept
moving until she filled the inside of her room.
Her
brother Lukias was a dreamseer, finely tuned to the invisible. As
usual, his hair was a shock of chaos that pointed in every direction.
The amber of his eyes sparkled with gold flecks as he stood over her
body with arms crossed. He looked right at her dream form. “The council
has called us,” he said with a hint of impatience.
Brigitte sank back into her body and opened her eyes.
“I
warned you not to dreamwalk too much.” He turned his back as she
reached for her travel clothes. “You could separate from your body and
forget how to return. Especially here in the Dreamvale.”
“It
hardly matters anymore.” She watched the sun’s rays shoot dusty light
through holes in the walls. She thought about the pattern it made every
day at this time, the royal symbol of Atlantis. “In Atlantis we will be
bound to our bodies.”
Lukias
reached out a caring hand and patted her shoulder. “There will be ways
to dreamwalk in the realms of matter. It will just be more…
challenging.”
She
smirked, knowing he always loved a challenge. He could always find
humor even in the grimmest of circumstances. They exchanged a few
moments of unfolding memories until, with the final boot in place, she
stamped her feet and started for the door. “You coming?”
Together
they walked to the center of the village where the council was gathered
in a semi-circle facing a woman. She wore the leather of seafarers, her
face shaded by a wide-brimmed hat. With one hip thrust to the side, her
demeanor was unruffled with a twist of amusement.
Their father Denikon raised his booming voice for all to hear. “Captain Ofira Pazit of the Dreamship Vex Voyager,
I give you my daughter Brigitte, emissary to Atlantis. She is the first
true Moirae born into our dreamclan for seven generations.”
The
captain wrinkled her chin. “Impressive. Embodied Watchers are rare,
even among dreamclans.” Her chameleon eyes shifted in the fading light.
“If you are ready, I think it wise that we set sail before that shadow
storm arrives, don’t you?” Her eyes slid toward the horizon. “This storm
has struck more than one dreamclan. All of them were to send emissaries
for the renewal of the Telluric Treaty. None of them have been heard
from.” She turned back to the council. “Are you certain you want to risk
staying? It would be a tight fit, but we can evacuate the rest of you.”
Brigitte
glanced at the grim face of her tutor Indrius. The mysterious Atlantean
woman had always been a curiosity to the clan. Though she had spent
many years among them, she was never one of them. She was riddled with
tragedy from a past she never spoke of, a past born in Atlantis.
Denikon
answered, “Those who remain have chosen to face the shadows.” His voice
was steadfast though regret lingered in his eyes. He exchanged a nod
with Indrius. “I am sending Lukias, my son and heir, to accompany his
sister. If we fall, he will be the future of our clan. But trust me, we
will not go down without a fight.”
The
council had argued for many moon cycles, trying to decide the fate of
their people. It was important for Brigitte to escape. Her path was
evident. The first ships had already departed, taking women and children
to places of refuge. The rest stayed, devising a strategy. Though they
were hopeful, they worked with the solemnity of people who faced their
demise.
She
squinted at Lukias as he and Indrius said their goodbyes. Theirs was
always a close relationship. But everyone liked Lukias. Her time spent
with Indrius was always strained at best. She offered him a gift. The
sun flashed off a crystal dangling from a silver chain. Brigitte could
feel the telluric consciousness radiating from the multi-faceted quartz.
It pulsed with a longing that made her fidget.
After
a whispered message to Lukias, the white-haired woman turned to look at
Brigitte. Her green eyes were gray with emotion. She brushed Brigitte’s
cheek with her fingertips. “You know your task,” she began. “Remember
your Watcher powers. It has become exceedingly difficult to travel
between realms on this planet. I fear this shadow storm will make it
even more difficult. Atlantis is suffering from a disease. It will try
and take you, too. Do not be attached to your human wishes and emotions.
For humans, attachment can turn to weakness and suffering. This only
serves to feed the shadows. Your path will not be easy.”
“I will do what it takes to find a cause and a cure for Atlantis. I will be mindful of your warnings.”
“Therein
lies the trick. As you descend deeper into the Meridian Realm, you will
forget my warnings. Take steps to hold them in your heart.” She
lingered in Brigitte’s eyes for a few awkward moments. “I have prepared
you as best I could, my child. I regret how I’ve treated you.” She faced
Brigitte and held her shoulders. “Know that I loved you like my own
daughter. My treatment toward you was an attempt to prepare you for the
task you face. Atlantis will not be kind to you.”
“I understand, Indrius. You had no choice.” Brigitte wanted to cry. But her tears had long since dried up.
Mara Powers is
a rebel of the written word who has tackled the monumental task of recreating
Atlantis. When she was 16 in Fort Collins, Colorado, she began visiting the
library in search of things she couldn’t learn in school. Her goal was to
re-define her religion. She studied theology voraciously until she discovered
the concept of reincarnation though Hinduism. It was the answer to a lifelong
existential crisis that had plagued her for many sleepless nights. The study of
reincarnation led her to the channel Edgar Cayce. In his many books, she found
his past life readings of lifetimes spent in Atlantis. This was the beginning
of a lifelong quest to unravel the secrets of this mystery. She has spent
upwards of 30 years exploring the labyrinth of ancient civilizations. Her
decision to turn it all into a high concept, visionary fantasy series stems
from her study of the esoteric depiction of Atlantis. With the other half of
her research rooted in the secular, it was the best way to illustrate both
aspects of this fascinating legend. Her work is the legacy of the legend.
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