Ceci Giltenan, Author

I am visiting Miss Ivy’s Book Nook today! http://seawitchreviewsfromthebookshelf.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/empowerment-highland-courage-giveaway-w-ceci-giltenan/

❤ Ceci

I write medieval romance. I am not naive, I know that I write romance and I intentionally avoid much of the ugliness that was ever-present then.

Why? Because the world we live in is full of ugliness and I don’t need more in my life. I want the fairy tale. I want good to triumph. So when it does in my novels, and I am criticized for that, I find it painful.

In my life, I try to be kind and compassionate, to show love and to be forgiving. Frequently I fail miserably, but I keep trying because I think it is important. Often people only learn love and forgiveness by seeing it practiced. My belief system is certainly woven into my novels.

Forgiveness is one of the single hardest virtues to practice. When hurt or insulted, it is hard to “turn the other cheek” without seeking revenge. However, true forgiveness calls us to do that. In a loving relationship, setting aside hurt and offering unconditional love, instead of exacting some punishment is the key to happiness. I swear this to you.

Perhaps I am tired today but a new review on Amazon of Highland Solution has me absolutely disillusioned. Katherine is a lovely, kind, young woman who, like many medieval women, has no control over her own life. Zero. Zip. Nada. This is one of the ugly facts of medieval life. What she has control over, what we all have control over, is our response to what happens in our lives. Very early in Highland Solution, Father James, has this to say to Katherine:

“My sweet girl, this world is full of people whose first concern is usually their own needs or desires. You are one of the few who always considers the needs of others before your own. You have learned the surest way to open yourself to hurt is to love and yet you love anyway.”

Katherine chooses to love and forgive. Niall doesn’t. At least not right away. Like Katherine he has had some terrible experiences in his life. At the age of six, his father married a woman who was cruel and self-centered. He was forced to accept and respect her, in spite of her horrid behavior. In the absence of a loving mother, he longed for the affection of a woman. As an adult he gave his heart completely to a woman who betrayed his love. Twice burned, Niall is more than cautious. He doesn’t easily let go of his old pain and negative opinions and has never encountered a woman like Katherine. Clearly lots of people haven’t because as critical as some are of Niall’s mistrust, they are equally critical of Katherine’s loving forgiveness.

Please tell me, how on earth does a man like Niall learn that all women are not self-centered and cruel if the one woman in his life who chooses to love him, needs to punish him before she forgives him?

If you cannot be happy without seeing vengeance done, please don’t read my books.

…How do you manage everything?

Clearly I don’t. Over the last couple weeks, I have blogged very little. Real work and other commitments have pulled me away.

Today, however, you can find me at Manic Readers http://manicreaders.com/blog/index.php/2014/03/highland-courage-and-giveaway-with-ceci-giltenan/. I touch briefly on the topic of being adored. Sigh.

Stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Highland Courage.

❤ Ceci

I’m sharing some thoughts about Highland Courage at Author M.S. Spencer’s blog http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com/2014/03/please-welcome-ceci-giltenan-and.html.

I am also enjoying the Highland Mist at author Kate Robbin’s blog, where I am discussing the concept of empowerment. http://katerobbinsauthor.com/new-release-highland-courage-ceci-giltenan/

Ceci

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If you follow me, then of course you know Highland Courage was released this week! I do hope you will give it a read, you can purchase it on Amazon at this link: Highland Courage (Highland Brides).

Links to other sites that sell Highland Courage can be found under my Highland Courage tab.

Today I would like to share another new release with you, Dark Hope by H.D. Smith. I have mentioned it before, but it bears repeating, it is one of the best novels that I have read in years!

Loving a demon isn’t the end of the world—losing him is.
Claire, the Devil’s assistant, knows very little about the world she was dropped into five years ago, when she inherited her mother’s unpaid debt to the Demon King. She certainly didn’t expect to be a contender for the Fallen Queen’s throne, a target for the Druid King’s mafia, or a suspect in the murder of Junior, the Devil’s oldest hell spawn.

In a last ditch effort to save her life and get out of her deal with the Devil, she sets out to solve Junior’s murder only to be taken prisoner by the four most dangerous immortal hell spawn alive.

Not to be out done, the Pagan Queen Mab, claims Claire for entering her realm uninvited. She has an old debt to settle with her brother the Devil. Taking Claire from him after losing her years ago is just icing on the cake.

Will Claire win her freedom, and save herself from the Devil? Or be trapped by Mab forever?

This is my review on Amazon:

Amazing to the last word
Dark Hope was an incredible read! I didn’t want it to end and I simply couldn’t put it down. I was instantly sucked into the world H.D. Smith created and became so invested in Claire that I had to keep reading. Claire is both smart and strong but she has been dealt a raw deal. I love the way she kept her head and solved problems, learning to use her emerging powers. I felt her hurt and betrayal; my heart ached for her each time she learned a new truth. The action never slows or stops. I think it would be a spectacular movie! The ending was fantastic–everything was tied up perfectly. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Purchase on Amazon: Dark Hope (The Devil’s Assistant)

Find buy links to other vendors and learn more about H.D. Smith and Dark Hope on her website: http://www.hdsmithauthor.com/

The party last night was a total blast and I am thrilled to announce that Highland Courage is now available as an e-book.

Get your copy at:

Amazon: Highland Courage (Highland Brides)

Champagne Books: http://champagnebooks.com/

Barnes & Noble: Highland Courage

I celebrated the release of Highland Solution with Sue-Ellen Welfonder on her blog Tartan Ink and it is my absolute joy to be there again for the release of Highland Courage. Please join me there: http://tartaninkblog.wordpress.com/

Ceci

First, I would like to thank all of my guest authors who helped make this month of courage a success. I would also like to thank my readers who commented. The thoughts and stories of courage that you shared were priceless. It surely takes courage to voice one’s opinion and share a personal story.

I think the final message is that courage is very personal and can be defined in many ways. In Highland Courage Mairead must overcome an old fear. Her story is one that I believe will resonate with many women and I truly hope you enjoy reading it. I have included an excerpt from the first chapter below to whet your appetite.

Please be sure to join me Sunday evening from 4:00 to Midnight on Facebook for my big release party. There are 13 other authors from several different genres joining me for this party. The other Highland romance authors are: Tarah Scott, Kate Robbins, Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Suzan Tisdale, Lily Baldwin, Kathryn Lynn Davis, April Holthaus, Eliza Knight, and Ria Cantrell. Additionally Stephanie Cole and Jude Johnson who both write contemporary romance and Jeanne Arnold who writes young adult romance will attend. Finally H.D. Smith, whose spectacular urban fantasy, Dark Hope will be released on Monday will also be attending.

There will be lots of book prizes (at least one from each author) given away throughout the evening. I am offering a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift certificate. The winner will be selected shortly after 11:00 pm on Sunday night. Anyone can enter to win this prize via Rafflecopter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the event page on Facebook for more details as they develop! Highland Courage Release Party

Now, without further ado, the opening chapter of Highland Courage

Carraigile, The Western Highlands, Mid-September 1360

Her father looked bewildered. “Mairead, don’t ye want to be married? Look at how happy your sisters are. Ye love your nieces
and nephews. Don’t ye want to be a mother?”

Cathal MacKenzie had tried for years to make a match his youngest daughter would accept. Now she suspected his patience was at an end, and he would no longer wait for her approval. Her father had arranged strategically sound marriages for his six oldest children, and they all seemed to be very happy. “Da, I do love the children, but with eight living here and three more when Annag and Hogan visit, why does anything need to change? I’m happy with
things the way they are.”

Her mother, Brigid, tried reasoning with her. “Mairead, my sweet lass, things can’t stay as they are forever. I know ye don’t want to live the religious life. Ye would miss your family too much, and I couldn’t bear to think of ye locked up in a cloister. Please, dear one, it is time ye were married.”

“Why, Mama? Why can’t I just stay here?”

Mairead desperately wanted to avoid the discussion of marriage, but the look of pity in her mother’s eyes spoke volumes. Mairead fought to hold back her tears. She hadn’t cried in seven years, and she wouldn’t start now. Mairead pleaded silently for her mother to intervene, to tell her she never had to marry or leave home if she chose not to.

Perhaps sensing his wife’s resolve waver, her father answered, “I’m sorry, Mairead, but that is not an option. Ye are well past the age when most lasses marry.” Mairead started to argue, but her father put up his hand to stop her. “Nay, lass. No more. We will arrange a betrothal for ye when we attend the Michaelmas Festival at the end of this month.”

“Nay, Da, please…” Terrified, her voice broke, and she couldn’t say more.

Her father’s countenance softened. “Come with us, sweetling. Ye haven’t been for years, and ye used to love it so. We will find ye a new instrument to conquer and ye can meet the young men we are considering. We’ll take your wishes into account if we can, love.”

“I don’t want to go, Da, and I don’t want to get married yet!” Again, she blinked rapidly to keep the tears from slipping freely down her cheeks.

“What are ye afraid of?” demanded her father.

“I’m not—afraid,” she snapped, her voice catching with a sob.

Now her father’s eyes mirrored the pity she had seen in her mother’s. “The choice to go to the festival or not is yours, Mairead, but we will arrange a betrothal for ye and ye will be married. Soon.”

“Aye, Da,” she whispered and left her parents’ solar. Mairead wanted to retreat unseen to her chamber, but escaping unnoticed was nearly impossible at Carraigile. All of her siblings and their families lived in the MacKenzie stronghold except her sister Annag, who was married to the laird of Clan MacBain and her little brother Flan, who had just begun his training as squire for Laird Matheson. After leaving the solar, in order to reach the stairs leading
to her chamber, she had to cross the great hall, and her siblings managed to corner her there.

Both Cathal and Brigid had lost their first spouses, and each had brought children to their marriage. Mairead was their first child together. She had been the baby of the family for years, until Flan was born, and in a way was the person who had firmly united both sets of children. They could all claim her as a sister. She grew up loved and adored by her siblings, but they could also overwhelm her.

“Mairead, go with us,” Rowan said. “We are all going. It’ll be fun.”

“Ye aren’t all going,” countered Mairead. “Cullen and Marjean aren’t going.”

“That’s because of our new baby,” answered Cullen, “but everyone else is.”

Mairead crossed her arms and did her best to look defiant. “Lily and Rose aren’t going.” She looked pointedly at their twin
sisters, Lilias and Rhoswen.

“I want to,” said Rhoswen, “but it is awfully hard to travel that far with a baby.” Her youngest was only a year-old and quite a
handful.

“I’m only staying to keep Rose company, both of our husbands are going,” said Lilias.

Cullen rolled his eyes. Lily had given her an opening and Mairead seized it. “Then I will stay and keep ye both company.”

Peadar’s wife, Rhona, jumped to the rescue, “But then who will keep me company? I’ll be the only woman going if ye stay here.”

“That’s not true. Naveen is going.”

Gannon’s wife, Naveen, shook her head, “I am only going as far as my parents’ holding.”

“Well, Mother is going, and your mother will be joining ye as well, Rhona,” countered Mairead.

Rhona pouted prettily. “That’s not the same as a sister.”

Mairead simply arched an eyebrow at her. Rhona had to know how weak that argument was; at least a score of other Chisholm clanswomen were going. Mairead loved her family, but now they smothered her. She slowly edged away from them saying, “Really. I’m sure it will be fun, but I want to stay here.”

Gannon tried. “Laird Matheson is going, so Flan will be there, too. Ye were just saying how much ye miss him.”

“Nay, Gannon. I can’t go.” She edged past him and rushed from the hall.

Peadar said, “Well that went well,” just before she left.

By the time she reached her chamber, her emotions were a jumble, and once again, she had to fight back the tears. This was awful. Clearly, her family didn’t understand why this scared her so much. They couldn’t possibly understand it. She had never given them the opportunity to understand because she had never been able to tell them why. Perhaps she should have, but she hadn’t found the courage to tell them before and she wasn’t about to tell them tonight. She had to take hold of herself and find the strength to face this.

She sat by the hearth in her chamber with her head in her hands when a knock sounded at the door. Completely exasperated with her siblings, she yelled through the door, “Go away.”

Her brother Quinn ignored her and entered her bedchamber. “I can’t, Mairead. We need to talk about this.”

“Quinn, I know ye all mean well, but please leave me alone. I don’t want to go to the fair.”

“I know ye don’t want to go.” He leaned his back against the door, but his casual stance belied the serious expression on his face. “I want to know why.”

“I just don’t. Why can’t ye all accept that?”

He ignored her question. “Mairead, I’ve never talked with ye about it and maybe I should have, but I know something happened the last time ye went.”

She waved her hands in irritation. “Everyone knows something happened, Quinn. To quote Peadar, I was colossally stupid and wandered off with Flan.”

“Yes, everyone knows that. What I want to know is what happened when ye wandered off?”

“Ye know that already too. I lost Flan, then I found him, and that priest walked us back to camp.”

“Mairead, ye’re lying to me. I knew it then, and I know it now.”

Mairead couldn’t meet his gaze. “Go away, Quinn.”

“Ye changed seven years ago. Tell me what happened.” The urgent note in his voice was unmistakable as he crossed the room and crouched in front of her.

“I don’t know what ye are talking about. I didn’t change.” She slammed her fists against the arm of her chair in frustration.

“Ye did. I’m sure there are cloistered nuns who are more outgoing than ye are, Mairead.”

“And ye know a lot of cloistered nuns?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Nay, but it’s all nonsense anyway. I have always been…timid. MacKenzie’s Mouse, remember? I just like being at home.”

She hated the nickname “MacKenzie’s Mouse” and no one within the family used it. However, many people outside the family and clan did, although it was her appearance and not her temperament that initially gave rise to the name. Da’s children by his first wife were tall and blonde with crystal blue eyes. Although her mother was petite, all Mama’s children from her first marriage were also tall—frankly, Peadar and Rowan were huge—and they all had Mother’s dark hair and dark brown eyes. Remarkably attractive, all eight of her older siblings turned heads. Even at four and ten, Flan was a head taller than most lads his age and already showed signs of having the dark good looks of Mama’s family but with Da’s bright blue eyes. More like her mother, Mairead was smaller than her siblings, with light brown hair and pale grey eyes. She felt mousey in comparison. However, Quinn was right. She would never admit it to
him, but something had changed seven years ago.

Quinn looked directly into her eyes. “Mairead, I know ye better than anyone. I know something bad happened to ye then, and ye have been hiding ever since. Da is getting ready to marry ye off, and I am worried for ye. For the love of God, lass, tell me what happened. No one can help ye if ye keep this locked away.”

“Go away, Quinn,” she whispered.

He sighed and shook his head in frustration. He rose and kissed the top of her head. “Ye can talk to me, Mairead. Ye can tell me when ye’re ready.” Then he turned and left her room.

She would never be ready. She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t tell anyone. She wanted to keep it locked away.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek at Highland Courage. If you did, be sure to look for it on Amazon on Monday. You can pre-order it on Barnes and Noble (Highland Solution for Nook) or Kobo (Highland Solution for Kobo) now!

My “Month of Courage” posts are nearing an end. Highland Courage will be released on Monday and tomorrow I will give you a peek at the first chapter.

However, there is another absolutely incredible book being released on Monday by Champagne Books, Dark Hope, an urban fantasy written by H.D. Smith.

Although I read a variety of genres, I haven’t read much urban fantasy. I had the opportunity to read and advance copy of Dark Hope and it is honestly one of the best books I have read in years. I will publish my full review next week, but I strongly urge you to pick up a copy on Monday.

H.D. Smith grew up in Central, SC, but has lived in Florida since 1997. She currently lives and works in Celebration, Florida, writing software by day, and Urban Fantasy at night. I met H.D. at a Florida Writer’s association conference last October

In the Urban Fantasy genre, there are many fierce heroines that must fight for their lives. They must overcome great obstacles and have courage to do what must be done. Claire is one of these characters. She’s feisty with the courage to risk it all to save her soul.

Loving a demon isn’t the end of the world—losing him is.

Claire, the Devil’s assistant, knows very little about the world she was dropped into five years ago, when she inherited her mother’s unpaid debt to the Demon King. She certainly didn’t expect to be a contender for the Fallen Queen’s throne, a target for the Druid King’s mafia, or a suspect in the murder of Junior, the Devil’s oldest hell spawn.

In a last ditch effort to save her life and get out of her deal with the Devil, she sets out to solve Junior’s murder only to be taken prisoner by the four most dangerous immortal hell spawn alive.

Not to be out done, the Pagan Queen Mab, claims Claire for entering her realm uninvited. She has an old debt to settle with her brother the Devil. Taking Claire from him after losing her years ago is just icing on the cake.

Will Claire win her freedom, and save herself from the Devil? Or be trapped by Mab forever?

Dark Hope will be available on Amazon and Champagne Books on Monday. You can pre-order it now on:
Barnes and Noble: Dark Hope, and
Kobo: Dark Hope

Follow the Author:
http://www.hdsmithauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hdsmithauthorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/floridaHeather

It is my pleasure to welcome Hannah Lokos to my blog today. Hannah Lokos is a sleep-deprived (pre-med) biology college student/author who drinks far more coffee than she ought. Her debut novel, Labyrinth of Lies, was released December 2013 and is currently available on Amazon. She wrote her first novel at fourteen, interned as a ghost writer at seventeen, won Scholastic’s Art and Writing Award at eighteen, and received her very first book contract at nineteen. Hannah also enjoys all things artsy and wishes there were far more than 24 hours in a day.

In my novel, Labyrinth of Lies, Theseus faces a problem. About twenty years before, the island nation of Crete had gone to war with the city-state of Athens, Prince Theseus’s future domain. The cruel king of Crete, King Minos, utterly crushed Athens and instituted a treaty demanding that King Aegeus of Athens send 14 youths annually to Crete. Once in Crete, these 14 Athenians were locked inside a maze and then slain by the Minotaur, a hideous half-man half-bull beast. Then, one day, Theseus decides that this terrible tradition needs to end. His father explicitly orders him not to go. However, when Theseus’s own love is taken, things reach a more personal level. Theseus is faced with the decision to either go after her and risk war with Crete or to obey his father’s orders and let her die. Ultimately, when he gets there and enters the maze, he discovers that the Minotaur isn’t exactly what he had expected it to be, it is more terrible by far—but that is another story, and precisely why you should read my book 😉

Most of us will never be faced with this particular challenge. Fortunately, we will probably never have to choose between risking inciting a war and saving someone we love. Still, we face challenges just the same. Just like Theseus, there are many times when we must choose to be brave. Even in just one day, we often encounter multiple opportunities to rise to the occasion.

I’m a rule-follower. In class, the professor gives the assignment, I do it exactly as he/she stipulates, I (usually) get a good grade, and nobody gets hurt. Rules are necessary and they are usually helpful. So there is a time to follow the rules, but there’s also a time to break out and break those rules. The same is very true of writing. You need to know the rules. You need to study grammar, because without a familiar standard to abide by, people will have a difficult time understanding what you are trying to say. Yet, sometimes, as a writer, you may choose to avoid the familiar. Instead, you may aim for startling, unusual, fresh, or even just something that makes your readers think hard. Protocol is important. For the most part, rules have been put there for a reason. We need to respect regulations, and our superiors who make them, but sometimes we also need to think outside of the box. Every competition I’ve ever won has been won by taking a step back and thinking of ways I could go against the grain, weed out the cliché and the overdone, and give the judges far more than they were expecting. There is a time for rules, but there comes a time when you need to branch out, be bold, be a little different, and aim for a little bit more. There comes a time to break the status quo and be brave.

There is a second aspect, however, to Theseus’s bravery. Not only does he rise to his own occasion, but he also rises for someone else. Theseus decides to go and rescue the fourteen Athenians (including his love), despite that he has never met many of them, despite that many of them are peasants, despite that the decision to save them comes with great risk to himself. Still, Theseus decides that every life is worth saving. Sometimes, courage isn’t so much about standing up for yourself as it is standing up for others. It’s easy to fight for our own rights and desires, but it’s another case entirely when it comes to stepping up for someone else, surrendering our own preferences and plans, and laying it all on the line to love someone else. For most of us, that won’t look like braving a Minotaur’s maze, but it might very well look like cutting time out of our busy lives to be a friend to someone who’s lonely, choosing to forgive an offense, or even to let someone in on the freeway. None of these things are natural for us to do and they all take work. We’re all busy. We all have places to be and things to do, but so did Theseus. Yet, despite the costs and the risks and his own busy life, he chose to sail on a rescue mission to Crete anyway. Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is to love someone in spite of ourselves.

Life is full of struggles and problems, so we will all have ample opportunities to be brave. Bravery can take different forms. From choosing to go against the grain and try something new to choosing to lay aside our own agenda love somebody else, there are many ways we can choose to be brave. The question is, when our chance comes, will we take it?

To connect with Hannah, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, or you can check out her website at http://www.hannahlokos.com.
Links:

Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinth-Lies-Hannah-Lokos-ebook/dp/B00H1ZC0NW/ref=la_B00HDRU9IQ_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388450515&sr=1-1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HannahLokos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hannah-Lokos/358739397569904

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110488086288456380245

It is my pleasure to welcome fellow Champagne author, Jude Johnson to my blog today.

Thank you, Ceci, for inviting me to guest post about courage. Your month of discussions on the subject have has provided some thought provoking reading. Also, congratulations on your new release and the entire Highland series. I’ve always had a soft spot for men in kilts.

What is courage, really? Most would define it as the Encarta Dictionary does: “the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.” But for the characters in my novels, that definition doesn’t cover everything. Especially for the heroine of my Save the Last Dance series, Maggie Pearce.

In the initial novella, A Dangerous Dance, Maggie has made a miserable marriage to a man who does not appreciate her. In fact, he ignores her, belittles her, and essentially emotionally abuses her. Yet Maggie does not leave when presented with an opportunity, a chance to be with a man who instantly recognizes in her the very qualities she represses to remain with the man she married.

Why the hell not, you may ask? Why doesn’t she just walk out on the bastard?

Because Maggie is a woman of her word. She grew up an Arizona cowgirl, a woman raised with the ideals of the West, where honesty is expected and a vow, especially a solemn vow made before witnesses, was to be kept at all costs. She can’t walk out, even on a cold-hearted bastard, until she has exhausted every effort to keep her word.

This is where courage comes into play. Her heart tells her she’s made a mistake. The English actor standing before her on a rooftop in New York is a wonderful man who would cherish her like no other, but that vow she made at the altar weighs heavy on her mind. Has she truly done absolutely everything she could to save her marriage? Has she given it all possible effort? She isn’t sure, she can’t be certain… and therefore, she can not break her vows. She gave her WORD.

To go back home to a man she knows in her heart doesn’t truly love her takes major intestinal fortitude. Yet, how could she live with herself if she didn’t? When every fiber of her being is screaming for her to leave the bastard or at least give in to a night of pleasure with another man, Maggie summons the courage to do what she knows in her mind is right. Call it old fashioned, but she is no quitter. Heaven knows, walking away from a gorgeous Englishman who obviously cares for her is the most difficult thing she has done in her life.

We see more of Maggie’s courage in the rest of the series, A Wicked Waltz and A Torrid Tango. She’s a tough bird, brave in ways many people can’t understand.

Save the Last dance consists of A Dangerous Dance, A Wicked Waltz, and A Torrid Tango. Here is an excerpt from A Dangerous Dance:

She picked up her spoon and stirred her coffee. “I know most women think Lancelot is more romantic, but I always thought Lancelot was a cad to steal his best friend’s wife. Don’t get me wrong, Guinevere was also very much at fault, but Lancelot could have removed himself from the situation before succumbing to temptation.”

“Ah, so the moral thorn of the love triangle bothers you?”

Maggie thought for a moment, searching for the right words. “I hadn’t really thought so, but maybe it does. There are different versions, of course, but Arthur is always more complicated and noble, torn between his loves, what is right, and what he must do for the good of his people. Lancelot comes riding in, Guinevere lusts after him, they give in to their passion after only a few ‘oh we shouldn’ts’ and damn everyone else to hell. That seems pretty darn selfish to me.”

He nodded. “I see your point. And I see you’re a not only a romantic, you’re a woman of principle.”

She felt her face flush again, but dipped her head in acknowledgement. “I try to be.”

John leaned forward, his forearms on the table, his hands clasped. “But how should they resolve the moral dilemma? What if soul mates meet when they’re already married or committed to other people? Should they deny themselves the possibility of a lifetime of blissful connection simply because they made poor choices earlier?”

The tunnel closed in around her again, obliterating all sound but the rush of blood in her ears, erasing all vision but his dark, soulful eyes.
He’s asking me the questions I’ve been avoiding for years. But is he asking me–or himself?

“What of obligation, of doing what’s right?” she replied, unsure of her voice. “If a promise isn’t binding, what is?”

Jude’s Page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/judejohnson
Champagne Books: http://champagnebooks.com/store/index.php?id_manufacturer=38&controller=manufacturer
And other retailers of e-books.
Follow the Author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeJohnsonAZ
Twitter: @JudeJohnsonAZ
Website: http://jude-johnson.com

A note from Ceci
I have read the first novella in the series and loved it. This is the 5-star review I posted on Amazon:

A Fresh Take on Living Out A Fantasy
Who hasn’t fantasized about meeting a celebrity on whom they have a crush? Maggie, a beautiful woman with strong values gets that chance. She has the evening of a lifetime with the gorgeous actor she admires. In the process she rediscovers who she is and learns to appreciate her inherent value. There is an almost metaphysical connection between Maggie and John that makes this brief brush with temptation electrifying. The writing is beautiful with brilliant foreshadowing and the characters are vivid. Altogether a great quick read!