Five years past, Princess Aithne was taken from her father, Prince Jasper, by the forces of the Other World. On Samhain, the veil between the worlds is thin, and can be breeched more readily—especially if one walks amid the ceremonial bonfires.
When Princess Aithne disappears, her father vows every year to bring her back. He tempts many champions with a chest of gold, but only one man can succeed.
This year, Finn is determined to lay claim to that treasure, but to do so, he must tempt Fate. Will he survive his journey to the Other World to bring the princess back? Will he dare follow his heart? Or will greed determine what lies in store for him on this NIGHT OF MAGIC?
EXCERPT
"Darkness is coming."
Finn Breifne sat on the bed polishing his sword. Glancing up at his friend, Kellis, he winked. "I know it is."
Kellis walked to the window and drew back the drapes, gazing onto the open field. The sun dipped below the horizon casting deep orange, rust, and grey shadows over the land.
Finn continued with his task. He was the finest fighter this side of the isle, and he wasn't prepared to shy away from the prince's challenge.
Samhain marked the start of the darker half of the year. The people in this part of the country celebrated with a festival of the dead. Every night for a week there was drinking, whoring, and bonfires. Cows walked between roaring pyres of fire as part of a crazy cleansing ritual. The boundaries between this world and the dark, mystical world of spirits were considerably weaker on this eve, the high night of Samhain.
Finn didn't believe in magic or gods. He was here for one thing – to collect the nobleman's daughter. Upon her safe return, the prince would give him a chest full of gold and silver. He'd grown up poor, and was sick of living from town to town scraping by as a sellsword. Now, he was going to do something for himself. Was he greedy? Some might think so, but Finn was tired of wandering and he wanted a better life. He wanted to find a wife, raise a family, and not worry about finding work to support them.
Kellis turned away from the window. "The prince just arrived. They're goin’ to light the bonfire."
Finn stood. "Good." He sheathed his sword, forged out of the finest steel by one of the best blacksmiths in Dublin. He tightened the laces on his sheepskin boots and walked to the table before the mirror. Picking up his dagger, he tucked it into the holder on his belt.
Oh!! Sounds good!! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michelle R. Danger. Mystery. Magic. Other World.
ReplyDeleteMy kind of story.
Best of luck on this story. What a great time period and tale to go with it. Doris
ReplyDeleteSounds very intriguing and compelling.
ReplyDeleteOh this sounds so good. You've piqued my interest
ReplyDeleteGreat premise. Sounds like a perfect read!
ReplyDeleteJust an excellent story, Steph. You had me turning the pages, for sure! LOL
ReplyDeleteSounds like this will a very interesting story for sure. Lots happening and what a great time for its release. Wishing you much success.
ReplyDeleteHEY EVERYONE! Google is a gremlin for Stephanie right now, but she sent this message and asked me to post it for her. Got my fingers crossed that it'll work!
ReplyDeleteHello to all! I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to pop in sooner. I want to thank everyone for stopping by and wishing me well on my "new" release. I just want to thank Cheryl and Livia for giving "Night of Magic" a home. Livia's cover is phenomenal and it really struck as soon as I opened my email when she sent it to me.
I enjoy writing paranormal romance and this story seemed to flow off my fingertips when I was writing it. I wanted to go for that Halloween connection and drew on some historical Halloween roots, the Samhain, for inspiration for the story.
One of the things we like to do in my house is carve pumpkins for Halloween, though I generally leave the carving to my husband who truly enjoys it. This year, my 16 yr old son, Andrew, and I decorated the front lawn to look like a graveyard and had a blast doing it.
I hope you enjoy Finn and Aithne's story.
My question to you: What type of candy do you like to pass out on Halloween? This year I'm passing out 3 Musketeers. Last year, I passed out Jr. Mints. I prefer to pass out candy that doesn't have nuts as my son is allergic.
Thanks for stopping by!
Steph Burkhart
Romance Under the Moonlight
Stephanie, unfortunately I live on a seasonal road (on one of the Finger Lakes in NYS), and although there's hundreds of people during nice weather, there's only maybe 30 or so people this time of the year. Several years ago we did have a few trick or treaters but they graduated or moved. So I don't hand out any treats--darnit, because I loved doing it, and usually gave out apples, trix or milky ways mostly (I too avoid peanuts or nuts).I love decorating outside with a small hay bale, rats, lg. spiders, crows, skeleton bones with a chain close by and RIP head stone. Also have a 7-8'tall grim reaper (motion sensitive and his voice is deep and scary (had to stop the voice as it scared some dogs on their walks and I'm a dog lover), a scare crow, pumpins and mums, and another skeleton sitting under the arbor. I just love Halloween. Again, wishing you much success with Night of Magic, and yes the cover is wonderful. Happy Halloween.
ReplyDelete