Please welcome Nickie Fleming author of The Black Coach.
Nickie will be giving away a copy of one of her ebooks to one randomly selected commenter.
Title: The Black Coach
ISBN: 978-1-62420-311-4
Author: Nickie Fleming
Genre: Gothic Romance
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 3
REVIEW:
The Black Coach
Nickie Fleming
Reviewed by Tamara White
5 Stars of 5
Abuse, Murder, Love, and the Black Coach
Nickie Fleming’s crisp and colorful words thrust the reader
back into a time where horse drawn coaches were the mode of transportation and
women’s dresses dragged on the ground. The author’s words give you a real sense
of being there. I enjoyed the pace of the book. The book moves effortlessly
through the well-defined plot. The book creates an immediate interest in the
main character. From the first page the author quickly draws you into the
tumultuous life of the young blonde hair woman Maggie. Maggie is a woman who
possesses a quiet determination that gives her the strength she needs to defy
her beginnings. From the moment you meet
Maggie you want to see her make it. Neil Pickering, the man whose life becomes
unexpectedly intertwined with Maggie’s, is a unique character. He is as
intellectually strong and determined as he is handsome. Whenever Pickering is
present his personality commands the scene. His need to understand medicine
matches her need to survive. I enjoyed the gritty murders that take place in
the book. The murders have a dark undertone, which left me eager to finish each
page and discover who has such a thirst for death. The Black Coach plot offers
its readers mystery, hope, intrigue, and a quiet love story. It is an immediate
for anyone passionate about reading.
TAGLINE
The Devil is riding his black coach across the moors of
Yorkshire and hunts virgins. Or is this so?
BLURB
Strange things are happening
in the village of Pickering, Yorkshire. Two girls are found murdered, and there
is talk about strange going-ons at night. Caught in the middle of this turmoil
is Maggie Thompson, an orphan, who needs to fend for herself. Running away from
an employer who maltreated her, she nearly dies during a winter storm. She is
rescued by a man who lives in a nearly abandoned house. Neil Harrington has his
own secrets however. Maggie will have to trust on her feelings to know what is
right or wrong. And she can’t forget there is a killer on the rampage…
EXCERPT
It didn't take long before Maggie was fast
asleep once again. When Martha noted her drooping head, she put a cushion
behind it, to make the girl more comfortable and lastly spread a plaid over
her, lest she should catch a cold.
She studied the girl for a while. Cleaned up,
she already looked a lot better than the previous day. She had better talk to
the master. The girl's speech was remarkable fine for a working-class child.
She felt sure there was something of a mystery involved here. Perhaps thinking
about this would lighten Neil's mood. He'd been mourning Lady Suzanne long
enough to her liking.
Around noon her son walked into the kitchen for
his lunch. He looked up when he saw the sleeping girl.
"Is she fit to come down already?" he
wanted to know.
"She's not completely better," Martha
told him, "but she ate all of her breakfast, and as you can see she's
sleeping again. No better healer then rest, I say."
"The master asked me how she was,"
Amos said. "I'm glad I can tell him she's doing fine."
"Did he need you to fetch something?"
Martha wanted to know. They both knew to what she was referring.
"I brought in the usual. I don't mind,
though," her son acknowledged.
She nodded. "We have a good master in his
lordship. No matter what other people may think, he's a decent human and I'm
proud to be serving him."
"So am I," Amos agreed.
He sat down at the kitchen table and immediately
began to eat when his mother put a full plate before him.
"I thought you'd like some stew,"
Martha said. "There is enough meat in it to give you stamina for the next
trip."
No need for more words. Mother and son
understood each other perfectly.
~ * ~
Later that afternoon, in Pickering village, the
men of the region gathered in the local pub after ending their work on the
fields and farms. The talk was lively and the beer flowed freely.
John Barry put down his pint, wiped his mouth
with his sleeve and remarked to his mate Ben, "Saw that black coach again
yesterday, when I went to check on the sheep."
Ben hardly looked up. "Aye, I'm
listening."
"Wonder whose property it is and what its
business is. Always appears when darkness falls."
Ben took another gulp of his pint. Then he
acknowledged what John mentioned. "My brother's son, Tim, saw it too. He
said it rode so fast, as if chased by the devil."
"Yeah, it was speeding for sure. Could not
see who or what was in it."
"Not the first time it's been seen on our
road. Something strange going on, I think."
Joshua Thistlewaite, the landlord, heard the
comments but didn't comment on them. He just poured the drinks like a good
landlord. Besides, he couldn't well afford to spend time talking to his
customers. The pub was full, as always around this time. His sharp eyes
surveyed everything to be sure he could intervene at a timely fashion.
All the men and lads he knew from around, except
for the one stranger. He'd never seen the man before. The man entered about
half an hour ago and ordered a light ale in a polite way. Now he was seated in
the farthest corner of the pub, sipping his pint.
While enjoying a calmer moment behind the tap,
Joshua studied the stranger more closely. He looked to be in his forties, had a
stern face and lips which seldom laughed. A
lawyer or a banker in all probability, he thought.
What bothered him a little was that the man
appeared to be listening in on the conversation of Ben and John, although he
couldn't fathom why such ordinary talk would interest a man of his quality.
Disturbing his thoughts, the stranger beckoned
him.
"What can I do for you, sir?" he
asked, hurrying over to his table and trying not to show he had been studying
him.
"First, fetch me another pint of this
excellent lager and then, if you can spare the time, I'd like to talk to you
for a while."
It was said in a cultivated tongue, and Joshua
could immediately tell the stranger didn't originate from this part of the
country. London or some other southern
town, he guessed.
He hurried to carry out the order, while asking
Ben to step behind the bar for the time he was occupied elsewhere. He returned
to the table.
"I am now at your disposal, sir."
He saw how the stranger glanced shortly at Ben,
who was already tapping another pint for John.
"Do you get a lot of people in here?"
he then wanted to know.
"It depends," Joshua replied. "On
weekdays it can get busy when all the men need to water their throats."
"You must know quite well what goes on in
the village," the stranger continued.
Joshua shrugged. He carefully weighed his words,
not wanting to reveal too much. His instinct told him something was not right
here.
"Not much goes on in Pickering I don't know
about."
The gent nodded. "I thought so. Well, I am
trying to locate a young woman by the name of Margaret Thompson. She would be
eighteen years of age and has blonde hair. Do you know if any such girl lives
in or passed by your village?"
Joshua was silent for a moment. The request
confirmed his ill feelings. He understood he would have to be very sparse in
answering, to make sure he didn't cause harm to anyone or anything.
"Why do you need to know?" he asked,
but in such a way the other would not be insulted.
The man smiled. To all appearances, he looked
innocent and seemed trustworthy. Joshua knew better. He felt an underlying
coldness and sensed some feeling of threat.
"She's come into an inheritance and the
trustees have asked me to find out her whereabouts," the man answered,
while smiling again, and producing a gold coin out of one of his pockets.
Joshua eyed the coin and reconsidered. It could be true. He knew there existed
men who were employed to search for people who were lost or had disappeared.
After all, the stranger had done nothing wrong yet.
"Farmer Aldleigh has a blonde girl working
for him," he offered, feeling at last he could trust the man enough.
"She came asking for work not so long ago. Perhaps she's the one you are
looking for?"
"It might be," the other agreed, while
putting the gold coin into his hand. "Can you be so kind as to give me
directions to this farm?"
"It'll be my pleasure, sir," Joshua
beamed. "When you follow the road leading out of the village, you go until
the crossroads and then turn left. Aldleigh's farm is a mile or so from there.
If you don't wait too long, you can be there before darkness falls."
"Thank you. I'll go and have a talk with
the farmer."
"Glad to be of service."
"No, it is I who must thank you," the
stranger said while putting a second gold coin on the table. He then got to his
feet and grabbed his overcoat.
Joshua returned to his work. His eyes followed
the gentleman as he made his way through the throngs of farmers and finally
left the pub.
REVIEW:
The Black Coach
by Nickie Fleming
3.5 stars
Reviewed by D. A. Cairns
A troubled young woman flees an abusive situation and is
rescued by a mysterious man. Another man is searching for her, and a series of
murders links all three in this intriguing, and suspenseful romance.
The Black Coach was engaging from the beginning. I
immediately fell for Maggie and wanted a happy ending for her. I was curious
about her rescuer’s activities and behavior, and also wondered how the murders
were connected to her, even though it was obvious they most certainly were.
Lots of questions and doubts were raised in my mind as I read, especially with
Fleming’s deft foreshadowing. Nice slow burn on the sexual tension between the
lead characters who were very believable. Very neatly plotted, it is a pacey
and compelling story which I can recommend to readers of mystery/romance.
I read the whole novella length book in one sitting because
I enjoyed it a lot. I suspect you will too.
Author Bio:
Nickie Fleming was born
and raised in the historical town of Dendermonde, Belgium, home of the
legendary Horse Bayard. Nickie read English and Dutch Literature and
Linguistics at the University of Ghent, where she took her master's degree in
1978. She began work as a teacher of languages to 16-18 year-olds and has done
so during her long career. She has been writing since she could hold a pen in
her hand, but only came to publication when she was well over 50—mainly because
she was not actively seeking it. Besides writing, Nickie spends her time with
the things she loves—and those she doesn't like so much: housekeeping, reading
(favorites are thrillers and good romances), listening to good music, going to
see shows and concerts, travelling, food and wine... Nickie is single and
shares her house with her only sister, who is equally single. The two ladies
get along just fine and do most things together.
REVIEW:
THE BLACK COACH--a gothic
romance
by Nickie Fleming
Rating-- 4.5
Reviewed by G. Lloyd Helm
Ms. Fleming has written a wonderfully Dickensian tale of a poor girl who has
the great good fortune of almost dying on the road in front of a coach carrying
a kindly young doctor. There is some Bronte-esque serendipity throughout the
story, but it only makes the story more charming.
I knocked off a half point of the rating because the story is somewhat
predictable, but not so much so as to be clichéd. It is worth the read with a
satisfying happily ever after ending.
G. L Helm
