Celebrate Release Day for Till Life Do Us Part

Please help celebrate release day for

Carmen Stefanescu’s latest book

Till Life Do US Part.

Click the cover to buy.

Blurb

Barbara Heyer can hear voices of dead people. They whisper of their deaths, seek comfort for those left behind, and occasionally even warn her about future events. But when Barbara’s brother, Colin, is accused of murder, it will take more than her gift to prove his innocence.

Becoming smitten with the handsome investigator, Detective Patrick Fischer, is a serious complication given his assignment to her brother’s case. Barbara senses there is something far deeper—and perhaps much older—than the surface attraction between them. Could that be why she’s visited by a mysterious woman named Emma in her dreams? Could past life regression tie all the seemingly unconnected events together?

Barbara and Patrick must overcome heartache to find the truth to save Colin, and perhaps themselves.

 

My review of this story.

Till Life Do Us Part is a paranormal tale that investigates the power, passion, and problems associated with reincarnation. It is a compelling read and one I enjoyed. Ms. Stefanescu weaves a tale linking past and present laced with trauma, powerful love, deep emotions both good and bad, and leads the reader on a journey of many discoveries. The story is a wonderful mixture of events in the lives of several characters interlinked by the process of renincarnation. Such is the power of the writing I was never confused as to who or when things happened. The characters walk the pages of this book with powerful individualities and evoke a strong response in the reader. This is not always a gentle story but remains strong all the way through. The situations in the contemporary section are very realistic and more than once I was on the edge of my seat wondering how things would pan out. The historic elements of the story are well shown and offer glimpses of a time when the world was very different from the one we know.

All in all I enjoyed this tale. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a story that will sweep them away into another time and place, and offer them glimpses of the sheer strength of love.

 

Author Bio

Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world that of the books.

She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989 and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Several of her poems were successfully published in a collection of Contemporary English Poems, Muse Whispers vol.1 and Muse Whispers vol.2 by Midnight Edition Publication, in 2001 and 2002.

Her first novel, Shadows of the Past, was released in 2012 by Wild Child Publishing, USA.

Carmen joined the volunteer staff at Marketing For Romance Writers Author blog and is the coordinator of #Thursday13 posts.

 

You can stalk the author here:

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts

http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

A delightful guest for you to enjoy. Liza O’Connor with The Darkest Days.

Welcome, Liza.

I know people are going to love your new book.

When the pot has too many cooks a feast can be ruined, and that’s exactly what happens with Xavier and Vic’s new cases. Each proves more complicated than initially thought with criminals dropping out of the sky, wreaking havoc upon Xavier, Vic, and their excellent employees. By the end, Vic threatens to open a school that teaches criminals how to stay out of each other’s way.
Worse yet, a treasured member of the staff is shot in the heart while  attempting to save Vic and the Queen’s cousin.

Vic had no idea how to counteract wolfbane, but Dr. Connors would, and he had a telephone. She rushed to the butler, struggling to keep hold of her squirming pups. “Where is Alice’s office?”
He tried to stand up.
“No time, just tell me.”
“The old smoking room.”
She darted through the hall and toward the back of the house, with Tubs in tow. When she burst into the old smoking room, she expected to find a tidy office, and more to the point, a telephone. What she did not expect to see were two young women pointing guns at her highly annoyed partner, standing by said telephone.
Her entrance caused both girls to swing their guns in her direction. She dived behind the desk to her right just before two shots rang out.

The Darkest Days
Book 6
Free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Need to catch up?
Book 1
The Troublesome Apprentice
Book 2
The Missing Partner
Book 2.5
A Right to Love
Book 3
The Mesmerist
Book 4
Well Kept Secrets
Book 5
Pack of Trouble

All Xavier & Vic books are Free with Amazon Unlimited

Liza O’Connor was raised badly by feral cats, left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast. There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell in love with her new life where people behaved nicely. But all those bad behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous books. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels instead. They will likely traumatize you.
You have been warned.

Mostly humorous books by Liza:
Ghost Lover—Two British brothers fall in love with the same young woman. Ancestral ghost is called in to fix the situation. And there’s a ghost cat that roams about the book as well. (Humorous Contemporary Romance)
Saving Casey— Cass wakes up in the body of a troubled teen who has burned every bridge imaginable. Her only choice is to turn this life around, but that’s much harder than she ever imagined.
Untamed & Unabashed—The youngest of the Bennet sisters, Lydia, tells her story. A faithful spinoff from Pride & Prejudice.
A Long Road to Love Series: (Humorous Contemporary odd Romance)
Worst Week Ever — Laugh out loud week of disasters of Epic proportions.
Oh Stupid Heart — The heart wants what it wants, even if it’s impossible.
Coming to Reason — There is a breaking point when even a saint comes to reason.
Climbing out of Hell — The reconstruction of a terrible man into a great one.
The Hardest Love — Is to love oneself. Sam’s story.
The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Sleuth series: (Late Victorian/Mystery/Romance)
The Troublesome Apprentice — The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man who turns out to be a young woman.
The Missing Partner — Opps! The greatest sleuth in Victorian England goes missing, leaving Vic to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100 servants. Not to mention an eviscerating cat. Yes, let’s not mention the cat.
A Right to Love — A romantic detour for Jacko. Want to see how amply rewarded Jacko was when he & Vic save an old woman from Bedlam?
The Mesmerist — The Mesmerist can control people from afar and make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.
Well Kept Secrets — The problems with secrets is that they always come to light, no matter how you wish to silence them.
Pack of Trouble — Changes are a part of life, but these changes almost kill Vic.
The Darkest Days — Muddled cases make Vic very grumpy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
LIZA O’CONNOR
Investigate these sites:
Liza’s Blog and Website Facebook Twitter

Tuesday Treat. A snippet from Christmas Carols.

Welcome to Tuesday Treat.

I haven’t offered you a treat for a couple of weeks as there have been other things going on here. But with the Christmas holiday approaching fast and as I’m beginning to feel a bit seasonal I thought you might like a snippet from Christmas Carols.

Click the cover to buy.

Enjoy.

The door creaked as Alice pushed it.
“Oh my!”
“What?” But he didn’t need her answer as an icy flake hit his face. “Snow.”
“Yes, and so heavy. I do think you should make your way home, Stephen, rather than accompany me. The road is covered already and can only get worse.” The wind whipped her words to him.
“No, I’ll walk with you, Alice. I would hate for you to take a tumble.” A rustle and loud click, followed by the sudden absence of the freezing assault on his face told him she had put up her umbrella. She set her hand back on his arm and they took the two steps down to the churchyard path.
“The paving is dreadfully slippery.”
“We’ll go slowly.” The pathway, as she said, proved treacherous and he almost lost his footing. She grabbed at him so they both lurched. He laughed as they steadied. “Forgive me, but we must look a pair.”
“I doubt there is anyone to see, Stephen. The last of the choristers have gone. I can scarce see anything as the snow is falling so fast.”
“Hmm. We might take a little longer than usual to get to your house.”
She tightened her grip on his arm. “One bit at a time. We need to get to the churchyard gate and then the street.”
The snowflakes blasted his cheeks each time her umbrella moved with her steps, and already his ears tingled with the raw wind.
Blue walked on in the inclement weather but the dog had slowed his pace for them.
They stepped down into the road and trod slowly across, and then stepped up the other side to an equally icy pavement. Chill damp spread in his boots and his toes prickled.
They paused and Alice turned him around to face the other way against the snow for a few moments respite. “I am sorry, Stephen, I’m unsure of the direction. I can scarce see at all. The snow is swirling under the umbrella and the wind is so ferocious.”
“Exhilarating isn’t it,” he said. “I can’t recall ever being in snow like this.”
“I think it rather frightening. We need to turn back again. I know the road is right
because there is another lamppost. It is just a little way on. Are you ready?”
“Yes, come, Blue.”
He turned back into the fierce wind and Alice altered his direction a little before clinging tight to his arm. Her umbrella provided moments of fractional protection against some of the wild flurries. Their path now became more perilous as they tried to make their way up the hill. He placed each footstep with care but still slid in places. Alice gave a little gasp each time her footing slipped.
“Let me put my arm around your waist, Alice, I can steady you better that way, and don’t complain of anyone noticing us, please. I’d rather shock the town populace than let you get a twisted ankle or worse.”
She sniffed. “Yes, please.”
He moved her arm from his and found her waist. He slid his arm around her, astonished she should be this slender. “Now you put your arm around me and then we set off again. Does Blue look all right?”
“Yes. Poor Blue, he looks as cold and miserable as we must.”
Strangely, with her in his embrace, and with the pressure of her arm around his waist, Stephen could think of very many other times when he had been far more miserable than tonight.

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

 

Daisy Banks is the author of:
Serving the Serpent
Christmas Carols
Marked for Magic
To Eternity
A Perfect Match
Timeless
Valentine Wishes
A Gentleman’s Folly
Your Heart My Soul
Fiona’s Wish
A Matter of Some Scandal
Daisy Banks writes a regular monthly story in the Sexy to Go compilations.

 

A little bit of a tidy up.

I am in the process of adding more pages and having a bit of a tidy up here in the next few days.

Tomorrow you’ll find Sexy Snippets here as usual and I’ll let you know about more additions as they are finished and available.

Monday will be my last dragon post for a while but there are other things to look forward to in December.

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

Happy Thanksgiving to all across the pond.

A wish from me that all those travelling to be with friends and family have a safe journey. I hope you all enjoy a a peaceful and happy thanksgiving with those you love.

 

Tomorrow is Paranormal Romance Thursday here and my guest will be

Carmen Stefanescu.

 

Serving the Serpent. Day 16. Sir Eglamour. A Knight and his dragon tale.

Welcome to Here be Dragons Day 16.

Serving the Serpent is now available. Click the cover to buy.

My post today is one of the dragon tales that was originally told in Middle English.
The Tale of Sir Eglamour of Artois.
Here is part of the introduction to this knight’s tale.

I woll you tell of a knyght
That was both hardy and wyght,
And stronge in ylke a stowre;
Of dedys of armys that he myght here
He wan degré with jurnay clere,
And in felde the floure

I was going to translate but I reckon it is fairly clear. The worthy knight has won renown and is the flower of the field amongst his peers.

Sir Eglamour falls in love with Christabel, an Earl’s daughter, and though she knows she shouldn’t she falls in love right back. Emboldened by love Sir Eglamour, a poor but worthy knight approaches his beloved Christabel’s father.
The Earl is furious and sets the knight two nigh impossible tasks to complete to win the fair maiden’s hand.
The first two trials take him far from home but he achieves his goals and after many adventures returns with the proof of his victories.
Angered that Sir Eglamour still lives the wicked Earl insists on a third task. This is the most deadly of all, for Eglamour must defeat a dragon.
The brave knight agrees but asks for time to recover his strength before he makes this new journey. The Earl’s noblemen and household support the Knight’s request and he is granted twelve weeks to recuperate from the first two tasks.
During this time, Eglamour and the Earl’s daughter meet secretly and sweetly.

Before he leaves the Earl’s castle, Christabel informs Eglamour she is with child. On his knees Eglamour offers her a magic ring, gained in the earlier adventures. He swears to her he will return triumphant and as soon as he can, for she is his woman and his love, and all he does is for her.
Sir Eglamour makes the journey to find the dragon and soon, due to his skill at arms the beast lays dead at his feet. But the knight is wounded and worn down by the conflict. He will take months to recover.
Back in England Christabel bears a child she cannot hide. Her father is so enraged he sets her and the infant adrift in a small boat. No water, no food, and at the mercy of the current Christabel prays for her knight. The tiny craft carries her safe to a distant shore. Below is the passage from the story and my translation of the Middle English.

The lady syked with herte sare,
The wynd rose and to a roche here bare
And thereon gon sche lende.
Sche was full fayn, I undurstonde,
Sche wend hyt had be byggyd londe
And there up gan sche wende.
Nothyng ellys sygh sche dere
Butt see fowles that wylde were
That fast flew here hende.
A grype come in all hyr care,
The yong chyld away he bare
To a countré unkende.

The lady sighed with heart sore
The wind rose and on a rock her bore
And there on she landed
She was full glad, I understood
She wondered at such a big land
And then up she got to look about
Nothing else she saw there
But fowls that lived wild
That fast flew from her hand
A Griffin came in all her dispair
The child away he bare
To a country unkind

So poor Christabel stands alone and grieving for her infant that the wicked Griffin stole.
Now at this point if I had been critiquing for the author I would have said, slow down, as the story goes into over drive. The child is saved by a King and brought up as a royal prince. Christabel, who heads out in the boat again finds her way to a kingdom where the King recognises her as his niece and she is given a beautiful home.
Sir Eglamour returns to England once he recovers from his wounds after his battle with the dragon, and is told the cruel fate of Christabel and son. He usurps the Earl with the help of the household and goes in search of his love.
Fifteen years pass before Sir Eglamour is reunited with his beloved Christabel and his son.
The family travel back to England where the wicked Earl falls from his tower room at the sight of them approaching the castle. Thus, Sir Egramour takes the lands of his wife’s father.

If you want to read the whole of Sir Egramour’s story you can find it here.
http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/hudson-sir-eglamour-of-artois

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

 

Here be Dragons Day 13. The dragon slayers.

Welcome to Here be Dragons Day 13.

Today my thoughts are on the dragon slayers who achieved fame, fortune, and heroic status for generations.

The triumph of good over evil, of the pure in heart over the corrupt and wicked, and the acceptance of the fate the gods have set. All these elements feature in the stories of the dragon slayers.

I like to think of them as the bardic star feature, the poet’s gut grabbing tale, or the musician’s ballad to silence the halls.

Courage, tragedy, and love haunt these tales.

The dragon slayer is part of many cultures over many centuries. I have chosen two to consider.

The first dragon slayer I have chosen is the only female one I could find. Margaret of Antioch also known as Saint Marina.
This legend is about two thousand years old. The story takes place in Antioch, at the time part of the Roman Empire. The heroine Margaret, born to a wealthy family, was nursed and tutored by a pious Christian woman. Margaret became Christian and dedicated her virginity to God.
Her infuriated father renounced her as she had ruined any hopes of a good marriage.
To survive Margaret lived with her nurse and kept a flock of sheep. She lived humbly and simply but didn’t stay safe for long. Her beauty caught the eye of the Roman Governor who asked for her hand in marriage on the condition she would renounce her faith.
Margaret refused. She was taken captive and tortured in an effort to make her give up her beliefs. Legend says she was swallowed whole by Satan in the guise of a mighty serpent, but Margaret’s heavy cross around her neck gave him indigestion and she appeared whole and healthy as he spewed her forth, and in great agony the serpent died.

Margaret is not a typical dragon slayer, the event seems almost accidental but her courage shines forth. Sadly, it did not win her a long and happy life. She was executed in AD304 and elevated to the status of Saint. I think this medieval image of Margaret and the dragon is exquisite, even if someone has loped off one of her arms.

My next dragon slayer is Sigurd, son of Sigmund and this is a story of courage and revenge. This little story is part of a much longer Nordic saga involving a lot of treasure and a magic ring. I don’t have time to address all of it here so take it from me Sigurd had good grounds to agree to destroy the evil dragon form of Fafnir. BTW, don’t read this one with your morning toast or mid morning snack, it’s bloody.

The hero visited the smith Regin and instructs him to make a sword. This is done and Sigurd tests the blade by striking the smith’s anvil. The sword shatters. Three blades are made one after the other and each breaks when tested. Finally, Sigurd asks Regin to forge a blade from all the shards of the others that broke. The smith does so and the sword he makes, called Gram slices through the anvil when Sigurd tests it. This is a true blade for a dragon slayer.

Regin advises Sigurd to dig a pit and disguise it. Sigurd must wait down in hiding for the dragon to cross the pit trap. Then, unseen by the beast, he will be able to stab the dragon. The smith also asks for the dragon’s heart for himself.

Odin, in disguise as an old man warns Sigurd to dig trenches to drain the dragon’s blood so he will not drown in the bottom of a bloody pit. Father Odin also instructs the hero to bathe in the blood, too, as it will give invulnerability.

Sigurd follows all the instructions and despite the dangers kills his dragon. He bathes in the blood and even drinks some, which gives him both invulnerability and the blessing of being able to understand the language of birds. True to his promise to take the heart to the smith he cuts it from the dragon’s chest.

The birds tweet to Sigurd the smith, Regin, will betray him and is plotting his death due to the same magic that created the dragon. Sigurd kills the smith, roasts the dragon’s heart and eats some, and this gives him the gift of prophecy.

This dragon slayer attained great gifts for killing the mighty beast

Tomorrow it is Paranormal Romance Thursday and my guest will be Lyndi Lamont and I will be visiting with Flossie Benton Rogers.

 

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

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Green dragon
Image ID : 11298164 
Image Type : Stock Photo 
Copyright : Sattapapan Tratong

Copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_tratong'>tratong / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

"Saint Margaret sculpture" by Postdlf from w. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Margaret_sculpture.jpg#/media/File:Saint_Margaret_sculpture.jpg

"1512 Meister des Döbelner Hochaltars Hl. Georg zu Pferde anagoria" by Meister des Döbelner Hochaltars - anagoria. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1512_Meister_des_D%C3%B6belner_Hochaltars_Hl._Georg_zu_Pferde_anagoria.JPG#/media/File:1512_Meister_des_D

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dacian_Gold_Bracelet_at_the_National_Museum_of_Romanian_History_2011_-_5.jpg#/media/File:Dacian_Gold_Bracelet_at_the_National_Museum_of_Romanian_History_2011_-_5.jpg

"Dragonslayervermithraxp" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dragonslayervermithraxp.jpg#/media/File:Dragonslayervermithraxp.jpg

 

Here be Dragons. Day 9. A romantic kind of dragon tale.

Welcome to Day 9 of Here be Dragons.

Today a dragon tale of magic, courage, and love.

Many years ago in Sweden, a queen who longed to bear children but had not been able to conceive met with a wise woman and begged her advice. The wise woman told her to go home and eat two fresh onions as soon as she got to the palace. If the queen did so she would give birth to two fine sons.

Overjoyed things might be this simple the queen raced away from her seat at the hearth, and ignoring the calls from the wise woman, she jumped on her horse. Her retinue following the frantic gallop, the queen headed back to the castle, where as soon as she arrived she called for whole onions from the kitchen and devoured two in indecent haste. She ate the first without even peeling it, the taste proved disgusting, so she took the time to peel the second onion and though she wept at the strong smell she ate every tiny piece.

A short time after eating the onions the queen found herself with child. The pregnancy went well and at last her labour began. Even in the pain of childbirth the queen retained her joy in her expectation of two beautiful bonny boys.
The whole court waited for news of the birth. The king and his advisors listened out eagerly for the wails of newborn infants. But instead of the expected cries a screech filled with horror echoed off the castle walls.

In the birth chamber the royal midwife held a child, but it wasn’t human. The first of the boys was a lindworm; an ugly snakelike dragon that the midwife set down as soon as she could.

The queen struggled up from where she lay, labouring to birth the next of the infants. She hauled the lindworm up in her hands, staggered across the room, and threw it through the window into the forest that surrounded the castle.
When the queen lay back down on the bed her next child arrived and both the queen and midwife said prayers of thanks for the well made and beautiful golden haired boy.

The years passed and the prince grew into a handsome and spirited youth. The time came when his thoughts turned to marriage. While he debated the merits of several princesses who had been offered as his bride he rode out into the forest where he met a hideous creature.

Tall as an oak the beast rose before him, green scaled with eyes like amber fire the lindworm stared into the prince’s eyes. Though it made no sound the prince heard the worms words clear in his mind. “You will never marry until I, your elder brother, sleep with a willing and loving bride at my side.”
All the young prince’s hopes for a future wife were crushed by the evil words. Distraught the prince watched the creature slither away. He returned to the palace with the wretched news of the dragon, and his parents and counsellors made plans.

A succession of pretty village wenches were selected and offered to the lindworm, but all to no avail. None of the girls were willing and not one disguised their reluctance to be given to such a creature as the worm. He sent each one of them away.

Another maiden was sought and fetched from a distant village. On her journey to the castle she met with a wise woman in the forest; the very woman who had advised the queen so long ago. In a whispered conversation the wise woman explained to the girl if she had courage when she faced the dragon great happiness would be hers. She must meet the worm dressed in as many shifts and gowns as she could bear and show no fear. The lindworm would accept her and the girl must get his solemn vow that for every gown she took off it would shed a layer of its skin.
Full of hope the girl journeyed on to the palace where her demand for more clothes was met. Dressed in as many gowns as she could fasten, the resolute maiden allowed herself to be taken out and left in a forest glade.

The sun set and even in the cool of night the maiden sweated under the weight of so much fabric. But she held in her worst fears as gleaming in the starlight the worm slithered across the forest clearing and rose up before her. She concentrated only on the creature’s amber eyes as the lindworm instructed her to take off her gown.

“Willingly I will do so, but when I do I must have your word you will cast off away a layer of your skin.”

The worm nodded and watched intently as the girl unlaced the first gown. When her dress lay at her feet she stared back at the worm and true to his word a fine web of his skin slid from him.

Again and again the girl stripped off a gown and the worm peeled off another layer of skin, until the girl had but one thin shift left. Her fingers trembled as she undid the ties at her neck and pulled off the garment so she stood naked before her monstrous dragon mate. His eyes shining golden bright, the worm approached. The maiden stood steady, tensed fearful, but also desiring what was to come, for the wise woman had promised there would be great happiness and love.

Slowly, more gentle than her imaginings the worm took her into his scaly coils. They weren’t cold or slimy as the girl had thought they would be. He curled warm and soft against her. He embraced and caressed her as he pulled her down to the ground. He stroked over her with skin so fragile it appeared transparent in the moonlight. The last layer of his scales peeled in patches. A thick green mist blocked her vision and all she knew was the tender caresses of the dragon. She relaxed at his touch.

The first sunrays of a new day lit up the forest glade as the mist dissolved. The girl peered about her and discovered she lay not in the coils of the dragon but in the arms of the most handsome man she’d ever seen. The wise woman was proved right. The maiden’s courage and trust broke the evil spell holding the elder prince in the form of the lindworm. The girl kissed him, and when he asked for all she could give she promised she was more than willing to be his bride. Their marriage took place within days.

As the old queen walked back to her apartment after the elaborate ceremony, still thanking God she had lived to see her eldest son alive and wedded, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. The wise woman who’d helped her so long ago stood smiling. “Your majesty, if only you’d stayed to hear me out and not rushed away that day, you could have been spared much. I would have told you to make sure to peel both onions before eating them.”

I fell in love with this version of the story of the Lindworm Prince when I discovered it. I hope you enjoy it too.

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

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Paranromal Romance Thursday. Kim Kasch and The Viking Princess.

Welcome to Paranormal Romance Thursday and my guest today is Kim Kasch with her her historical story The Viking Princess.

Welcome Kim.

Click the cover to buy.

FOREWARD

Most everyone who searches for tales of the middle ages and seeks out stories of Knights and battles, castles and magical swords only hears the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table but there is an entire world full of rich stories and other countries who hold their legendary heroes in just such high regard. This is one such story.
And, if you could read English, French and Danish, you would be able to see that this story is merely one slice from the rich tapestry of tales that have been woven together throughout history.
The Viking Princess is the story of the legendary romance between King Arthur’s half-sister, Morgaine Le Fay, and her epic lover, the heroic Viking Holger Danske, the Prince of Denmark and heir to King Geoffrey’s throne.
Morgaine Le Fey is worthy of her own stand-alone stories for she was the most powerful sorceress in all of history, having tutored under the guidance of Merlin the Magician, it is said she quickly surpassed his abilities. But it is her tragic love story with the Danish Prince that forms this first story in the Viking Series: The Viking Princess.
Holger was the Norse leader and legendary warrior who is immortalized in stone in the dungeons of Hamlet’s Castle on the shore that sits between the sound of Denmark and Sweden.
But there is more to this tale than a simple love story.
King Arthur received his magical sword, Excalibur, from the Norse Goddess, also known as The Lady of the Lake but Excalibur was not the only magical sword she ever relinquished to mortal hands. She gave just such a magical sword to the Danish Prince, Holger, and one to the French King, Charlemagne. And together the three men joined forces fighting side by side, Britain, France and Scandinavia, battled the invading Saxons. And it was only with the help of these European forces that the famous King Arthur was able to defeat the Saxons.
Had it not been for the aid given by Holger and Charlemagne we may never have heard the heroic tales of King Arthur and Excalibur.
And though I am married to a Dane who was born and raised in Denmark, and have visited the Castle of Kronborg in Helsingor, Denmark and viewed the statue in the casemates, I have also visited both England and France and tried to stay true to the three legends, which are woven together in history, I have taken some artistic license in interweaving the languages and the individual tales, as this is the story from my personal perspective.

EXCERPT OF THE VIKING PRINCESS

He laughed at her, making her senses bristle.
She was not amused. “Am I humorous?”
“I have heard you are many things,” he replied, “but humor has never been cited as one of your virtues.”
“First you laugh at me, and then you belittle me. Is this the way you treat all women?”
He pulled back on the reins. His horse slid to an immediate standstill. Then, burying his face into her hair, he whispered in her ear, “I have shown enormous restraint. Would you like me to show you how I treat all women?”
The burning ember inside her flared to a flame. The muscles low in her belly tightened, as she clenched her legs tighter, wrapping them around his steed. Sucking air into her lungs, she felt the immediate pulse of desire race through the core of her body. She wanted to reach back over her head and wrap her arms around his neck, to pull him even closer.
It was all she could do to hold her tongue and keep from begging him, when all she wanted to say was, “Yes, yes, please show me.”
Her body motionless, she could feel the warmth of him as his hands grew bold, slipping beneath the soft linens covering her, his fingers gently gliding up over her stomach, traveling beneath her breasts and edging up…
A voice whispered inside her head. What are you doing? This man is your enemy. He intends to kill you, your brother, everyone you love…
She grabbed his wrists, holding him still and steady. “You have caught me, kidnapped me, and dragged me here. I may be your prisoner, but do not think that I am interested in your advances.”
His body tensed and he pulled back his hands, gripping her firmly about the waist. “I, Holger, the prince over all the Norse lands, have never had a woman decline the privilege of being my lover.”
“Prince or pauper, it matters not to me what rank you hold, for I, too, am highborn and accustomed to many privileges,” she snapped back, unwilling to let him bask in his own conceit. “And being your lover is not a privilege I would prize.”
“Perhaps,” he said, softening his touch. Slowly he ran his finger down the length of her neck, taunting her. “But are you accustomed to this?” He swung her around to face him; his mouth moved to her neck, gently caressing her throat with his lips and tongue.
The warrior with the devil’s horns was surprisingly gentle and tender with his affections. Morgaine could not contain her pleasure. A small sigh moved up from her throat, over her lips, unexpectedly escaping into the night air. “This is nothing,” he whispered against her flesh, his hand moving down over her navel. Traveling to the valley between her thighs, he pressed his fingers into her apex and she gasped at his touch.
He pulled his hand back. “After your shrill tongue and insults, the next time you will have to beg for my attentions.”
His tone shocked her back into the present. No man had ever spoken to her in this manner. He had no idea of her power. She was not some peasant he could toy with. Morgaine Le Fey was a princess, the sister of King Arthur. It was her turn to laugh…and it came out of her loud and hard. He must not know of her talents. She was the most powerful sorceress in Camelot and perhaps a dozen other kingdoms.
“Me? Beg? To think you will ever witness such an act from me,” she started to say but then shook her head and continued, “You must be more than foolish.”
We will see,” he said, sounding more arrogant and insolent than ever.
“Yes, we shall see,” she replied, as he gave his horse a nudge and they continued riding.

Connect with Kim:
Website   Blog    Twitter  

Buy The Viking Princess:
Amazon            Barnes & Noble 

Othe authors in the Paranormal Romance tour are:

Carmen Stefanescu – http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/
Cassandra Ulrich – http://cassandraulrich.blogspot.com/
Kimbra Kasch – http://www.kimbrakasch.com
Lyndi Lamont – http://lindalyndi.com/

Adrienne Woods – https://woodsadrienne.wordpress.com/
Julie A. D’Arcy – http://juliedarcystoryweaver.blogspot.com.au/
N. N. Light – http://princessofthelight.wordpress.com
Flossie Benton Rogers – http://flossiebentonrogers.com/blog/

M S Kaye – http://booksbymsk.com/
Penny Estelle – www.pennyestelle.blogspot.com
Margo Bond Collins – http://www.MargoBondCollins.com

Tomorrow will be Day 9 of Here be Dragons.

Do stop by.

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

Here be Dragons Day 8. The Cavern of the Dragon.

Welcome to Here be Dragons Day 8.

I couldn’t let Armistice Day pass without a mention of the

the famous

Caverne du Dragon.

This site in France has a spectacular museum that takes visitors into the heart of what during World War I became known as the Dragon’s Cavern.

The caves were made from the workings of a quarry and the Germany army took them and fortified them heavily in early 1915. The cave system had seven different entrances, each with deadly machine gun posts guarding the way. Inside the elaborate system of tunnels dormitories were built, a Chapel, and a first aid unit, all powered with electricity.

It took two years of attacks by the French army and the loss of many men on both sides before the French recaptured a part of the cave system. From June 1917 a deadly game of cat and mouse began inside the tunnels, as both sides set up their lines beneath the ground with border posts and listening posts. Many men died in the skirmishes that took place.

There is far more information about the fighting and the developments of the war at the Cavern du Dragon than I can cover in a single post. If you are interested you will find more information here.

http://www.chemindesdames.fr/default.asp?lang=ang

As early as 1920 the caves became a war memorial and tourist site. Eventually, in 1969 a museum was created and since has been developed so visitors today can discover for themselves what life was like in the Dragon’s Cavern.

Both sides of my family lost young men in the Great War. When the silence falls at the eleventh hour each year I think of them. I wonder what they were like and what were their hopes and dreams.

There are many dragon titles and images associated with war, from standards to helms and sword hilts from the long past, and legends too, but this one touches me in a way the others don’t. Perhaps it’s because this makes me think the recognition of the power of the dragon is something in us all.

Thanks for reading.

Daisy Banks

Tomorrow is Paranormal Romance Thursday and my guest will be Kimbra Kash.

Image attributions.

Dragon
Image ID : 23104292 
Image Type : Stock Vector 
Copyright : dvarg 

La caverne du Dragon, Chemin des Dames, commune d'Oulches-la-Vallée-Foulon, Aisnes, France
31 August 2013
Own work
Poudou99