The Talisman #HistoricalRomance

The Talisman by Christine Young

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level:

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This is a wonderful tale, full of action, emotion and a bit mystical at times. Enjoy this one.

Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More 4 Cups

Blurb: The Talisman

The Talisman

Running from a marriage that lasted one night, Dr. Moriah McKeown discovers the land she has settled on is coveted by determined and lawless men. Yet the proud young woman who once vowed never to abandon her home has second thoughts when her adopted children are threatened. Her only recourse is to enlist the aid of a dark, dangerous gun for hire. 

Haunted by the past and a betrayal he will never forgive, Ian Civanovich uses his fast gun and his reckless courage to forget the faithlessness of a woman in his past. He will trust no female--nor will he rest until the threat hovering over Moriah McKeown is put to rest.

EXCERPT: The Talisman

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.

This is a wonderful tale, full of action, emotion and a bit mystical at times. Enjoy this one.

Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More 4 Cups

#EditingByAngels

Editing by Angels

Rogue’s Angels would like to help make the publishing process a little bit easier. We offer editing, proofreading, and covers at a reasonable price. 

Rogues Angels have years of editing experience, starting in the 90’s. Please check out resumes at the Rogue’s Angels blog: http://roguesangels.blogspot.com

Editing plus proofreading rates are:

$150 for under 50K words

$250 for 50K to 100K words

$350 for over 100K words.

Covers price varies. Once a cover is used it will not be used again. Check out pre-made covers at:

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For more information contact Christine Young ~ achristay@aol.com

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Street Dogs on the Loose!

Digital version

AVAILABLE for pre-order!

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PRINT COPY NOW!

Abused. Neglected. Abandoned. 

ADOPTED!

Dogs end up homeless for many reasons. 

Some end up on the streets.

Others find themselves in shelters.

The lucky ones are adopted by loving families.

As a life-long dog lover,

former animal shelter worker,

volunteer and doggie foster parent,

as well as current mom to an eclectic pack of furbabies,

this is a heart-rending topic for me.

Yet as a romantic comedy writer, 

my mission was to tell the story of these beautiful souls

and make it funny.

I cried

while doing research.

I wiped tears off my keyboard

as their story unfolded. 

And I gave the dogs a voice.

A serious voice tinged with humor.

A sad situation lightened with hope.

A happy ending with the tables turned

and humans being interviewed by dogs

to see if their human home was deserving

of a Royal Canine.

Dedicated to all the dogs I have loved, 

STREET DOG DREAMS

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CHRISTMAS PAWSIBILITIES,

be sure to leave a comment at

our post from earlier this week.

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#CheckInAndShare

It's Check In Day.

Let's Make Fireworks

Time to pay the piper! How did you do? How much did you write? Did words explode on your WIP?

This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.

How well are you doing?

Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.

Every word is one word closer to the finished product.

Finished Sweet Dreams a paranormal romance.  Caitlin's Duke is back to me. Finished Foolish For Piper. Hope to have cover art for Caitlin's Duke to the cover artist by next week.


Busy, busy, busy!

#TheRockStar #ContemporaryRomance

The Rock Star

Genie Gabriel

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 3

Buy at Amazon

The Rock Star by Genie Gabriel

The Long and The Short of It Reviews called this sensual romance "an excellent tale of love and the power of healing."

BLURB: The Rock Star

Fifteen years and many heart-wrenching experiences after their disastrous first meeting, a reformed rock star and the woman who idolized him as a teenager get a second chance to prove songs of the heart are the sweetest music of all.

EXCERPT: The Rock Star

Spotlights flashed in rainbows across the stage. Red. Green. Blue. Crisscrossing until they merged into one white-hot light on Geoff Chastain’s face, evoking memories of other times. The screams of thousands of teenaged girls washed through his memory as he pulled the microphone from its stand. 

The first notes of his daughter's favorite song filled the auditorium and his breath caught, jagged, in his chest. Pain pulsed through Geoff's heart with each beat of the drum. He nearly dropped to his knees, longing to crawl back into the self-imposed exile where he had existed since his daughter died. 

The faces of the kids in wheelchairs looked up at him with bright expectation. The whispers of the singers waiting in the stage wings curled around him in concern. 

Daddy, promise you won’t let the music die.His daughter’s last request haunted Geoff. He never suspected life would become so desolate he would forget to eat and sleep, let alone lose touch with the music that had always flowed so easily from his soul.

A singer moved from the wings to stand beside him. Her presence drifted around him in silent encouragement. Her sweet contralto coaxed him to sing with her. 

Focus,he ordered his brain, staring at the woman. Waves of auburn hair framed her face, then tumbled halfway down a lush body barely covered in spandex and sequins. A woman designed to stir a man to action. 

Geoff's voice rasped with disuse on the first verse; the woman's harmony covered it. As he started the second verse, an image of his daughter swam before his eyes and Geoff's throat closed. The woman picked up the melody without missing a beat, as if they had planned this duet.

He grasped at her hand and drew a deep breath. Her soft scent filled his nostrils, drawing his attention away from the pain. Giving him the strength to dig deep inside where the music had lain in silent mourning. 

Geoff's voice mingled with hers on the chorus, then soared as he soloed the third verse. Their voices chased each other through the final refrain, then their eyes met and held on the last triumphant note. Awed silence hung for a moment before applause erupted and the crowd was in motion.

A sea of well-wishers swarmed onto the stage. Not the frenzied near-riots of years ago, but the exuberant cheer of celebration. Smiles and congratulations wrapped warmly around Geoff as men pumped his hand and women kissed his cheek. 

But the mysterious auburn-haired woman who saved his musical butt had disappeared.

Street Dog Dreams

Title: Street Dog Dreams

Author: Genie Gabriel

Genre: Humor/Animals/Fantasy

Book Heat Level: 1

Buy at: Amazon,Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, Google Play

Read first chapter

TAGLINE

What if dogs were royalty and humans their loyal servants? A humorous look at the challenges of dogs living on the streets and the humans devoted to making their dreams of soft beds and gourmet meals come true.

BLURB: Street Dog Dreams

What if dogs were royalty and humans their loyal servants? Hop aboard our invisible flying machine as Aunt Maddie and Uncle Horace join an international search for a new dogdom. The Royal Canines are recruiting street dogs who want a better life with devoted humans who speak the language of dogs. As foretold in an enchanted tapestry, their dream will turn an abandoned village in Sardinia, Italy, into an automated town where dogs can open their own refrigerators, play in the park all day, and always have a soft bed to sleep on--after they take a shower, of course!

EXCERPT: Street Dog Dreams

While Chiara donned the dog costume and stood on her usual street, Greta’s wealthy dog owner had searchers combing the streets for her beloved canine. Though worried about their canine friends, Horace and Maddie let the searchers do their job while they respected the Canine Queen’s wish to move ahead in finding a place for a new dogdom. 

So they journeyed to the advertised one dollar house. Though disappointed in that place, a short distance beyond they found an entire abandoned city. Crayon-colored houses marched shoulder to shoulder up the hillside crowned by a castle-like fortress. Although many of the stone structures were crumbling, a large number were mostly intact and could provide shelter while repairs were underway in the rest of the city. 

Maddie marched from house to house, snapping multitudes of photos to send to the Canine Queen. At the same time, Horace tagged along behind, juggling a measuring wheel and his new computer tablet to calculate and record the size of houses, the width of streets, and how large the entire town was. 

“Do you think the Royal Canines would like living here?” Maddie asked.

“I can think of many ways to make life easier for our doggie friends.” Horace frowned thoughtfully as he touched the screen of the computer tablet. “They won’t all need the robotic gloves with human-like thumbs if we automate the doors to open, have pedals to operate refrigerator doors, build self-driving vehicles to transport puppies and older dogs–oh my! So many possibilities. I’ll be busy tinkering to help our friends for quite some time.”

“Maybe you can take on an apprentice,” Maddie suggested.

Horace scratched his head, encouraging his spiky white hair to stand up even more. “Maybe I could if the right person–or dog–was interested. Maybe I could.”

“Don’t forget your rolling measure, dear,” Maddie said as Horace began to wander down the narrow cobblestone streets, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Horace kept walking, so Maddie shrugged and tucked the instrument into the wheeled cart that contained several other tools and a picnic lunch.

Maddie easily caught up with Horace and took his arm as they resumed examining the houses.

When they neared the top of the hillside city, Horace paused to take a deep breath. In spite of the joy of being with his beloved wife, Horace missed his basement laboratory at home in their modern day castle. He also wasn’t sure how much of this adventuring his out-of-shape body would tolerate. Maddie seemed tireless and fearless while he...well, he was much more cautious and ready to go home. Well, at least back to his host’s home.

“Have we seen enough for today?” Horace asked.

Maddie looked toward the top of the hill just a short distance away. “Let’s go see what’s behind those rock walls. Maybe it’s a castle like ours.”

“Or just crumbling stones.”

“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Down the hill a ways, I think, along with most of the soles of my shoes.”

With a laugh, Maddie said, “You’ve been such a good sport for our first adventure together. A quick look at the castle, then we’ll go back to my cousin’s house.”

Horace took a breath, then marched the rest of the way to the top of the hill with Maddie.

Indeed, the rock walls did seem to be crumbling in many places, with stones scattering down the hillside. However, inside the walls, the structures were more solid.

“This building seems to be in good shape.” Maddie pushed open the door of a two-story stone structure. 

“Not as new as our castle back home.” Horace scanned the building.

“And without most of the conveniences you have invented for us, I would imagine.” Maddie smiled before she stepped inside.

“Be careful, my dear. There may be rodents or rotting floors.”

“Oh, my.” Maddie stopped just inside the doorway.

Not expecting her abrupt halt, Horace bumped into her. “Apologies, my dear.”

“Horace, look at this!” Maddie whispered with awe.

She stepped closer and examined a scene of the village spread out below them with stars twinkling above. Several people stood in the narrow streets and dogs peeked around corners of the houses. “It’s a tapestry.”

“Two of these dogs look like Reynaud and the Canine Queen.” Horace squinted, trying to see the detail through glasses that insisted on slipping down his nose. “And I believe those are their puppies playing in the courtyard.”

“A dog in every house.” Maddie’s grip on Horace’s arm conveyed her excitement. “This is the new dogdom.”

“How can you be so sure just from a picture?”

“It’s not just a picture. This is a sign–an omen. The Canine Queen will be so pleased.”

As they hurried out of the stone fortress and back down the hill into the city, a woman watched from inside the stone structure, smiling.

Website URL: www.GenieGabriel.com

Blog URL:http://quantumcanines.blogspot.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/genene.valleau

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