by Karen Hulene Bartell
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GENRE: Paranormal Romance
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BLURB:
Maeve Jackson is starting over after a broken engagement—and mustering out of the Army. No
job and no prospects, she spins out on black ice and totals her car.
When struggling vintner Luke Kaylor stops to help, they discover they’re distantly related. On a
shoestring budget to convert his vineyard into a winery, he makes her a deal: prune grapevines
in exchange for room and board.
But forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin kickstart a five-generational mystery with ancestors
that have bones to pick. As carnal urges propel them into each other’s arms, they wonder: Is
their attraction physical…or metaphysical?
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EXCERPT:
“Mind if I camp out ’til the roads clear?”
“Under the circumstances?” The clerk shook his head. “Not a problem.”
“Thanks.” He started toward the sitting room and nearly bumped into Maeve, leaning against the
wall. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t.” She tossed her chin. “I was cat-napping.”
“Right.” He compared her guarded veneer to her sleeping-beauty persona. Which is closer to
her true self?
“Couldn’t help overhearing.” Gesturing toward the clerk with her chin, she grimaced. “I’m
responsible for you being out tonight--”
“No.” He shook his head. “This is just a freak storm.”
“You don’t have to sleep in a chair.” She took a deep breath and gave a quick, tight-lipped
smile. “My room has two queen beds, and you’re welcome to one of ’em.”
Unsure of the extent of her invitation, he did a double take.
“Just so we understand each other, this is a bunk, a place to sack out. Period. Amen.” She
spoke in a low-pitched, no-nonsense voice. “Nothing more, so don’t get any--”
“Got it.” He covered his disappointment with a laugh. “Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be
fine dozing by the fire.”
“Hey, I’ve bivouacked with soldiers in Afghanistan. We do what’s necessary under extenuating
circumstances.” Shrugging, she glanced at the door. “And this blizzard qualifies.” Her face
relaxed into a smile.
Her offer tempting, he compared sitting up all night to stretching out in a bed. Then he glimpsed
the clerk.
“If you’re worried about my reputation, don’t be.” She laughed, the sound like sleigh bells tinkling
on a crisp, wintry night.
What is it about her that conjures thoughts of other times--other eras?
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AUTHOR :
Author of the Trans-Pecos and Sacred Emblem series, Karen is a best-selling author, keynote
speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life, who writes multicultural, offbeat love stories. Born to
rolling-stone parents who moved often, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in
books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading
feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only
child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own
happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the
Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued
*Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Website
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