An anthology of love in the moonlight…in the paranormal universe.
“Gypsy Ribbons” – A moonlight ride on the moors and meeting a notorious highwayman will forever change Lady Virginia Darby’s life.
“Star Angel” – Lucy was stuck in a rut and in an Idaho potato patch. She’d seen him in the corner of her eye—a fleeting glimpse of beauty—now he stood before her in the flesh.
“The Night Before Doomsday” – All his brothers had succumbed to lust, but Azazel resisted temptation until the wrong woman came along.
“The Gate Keeper’s Cottage” – Newlywed Meggie Richelieu’s mysterious, phantom lover may be more than anyone, except the plantation housekeeper, suspects.
About “Star Angel”
At its very basis, “Star Angel” is about soul mates coming together across a great distance for a universal purpose. Soul mates, are we thinking of them in the wrong way? There are three types of soul mates.
First, there is the romantic kind, and we’re not necessarily meant to be together forever, but these soul mates have powerful lessons to teach each other. They help you navigate from point-to-point, insuring that you learn your lessons on the way. They may not stay your life long
The second is the soul mate most people think of when you say the word. They are the ones who allow you to be your true self, feeling comfortable with yourself as you may not have done for many years.
The third is the platonic kind, the friend you are really connected to, you tell all your secrets, but there is no romance involved.
Not just anyone can fulfill you like your soul mate can. Your soul mate is your heart’s other half and a life partner. Your soul mate makes you feel entirely whole, healed and intact. On the other hand, a life partner may be a wonderful supporter and long-time companion, but his/her ability to enrich your spirit may be limited.
Lucy discovers, but her unnamed hero has always known, that they are split-aparts. He is the other half of her soul. She is the missing half of his. In Florida, I had a friend who was very into new age, and she led me into an exploration of soul mates.
Why does everyone not have his/her soul mate, or split-apart? Because we may give in to the innate fear of being alone and settle for a life partner relationship instead of waiting and hoping. Some relationships must last a certain time to complete a karmic chapter of life, while in others we’re meant to have children with our partner but not necessarily remain with them.
I’m quite certain that once I met my soul mate, but like Tory and Simon, the highwayman, in “Gypsy Ribbons,” it was too late. He was already married as Tory was in the short story.
Do you believe in soul mates?
BUY LINKS
EXCERPT from “Star Angel”:
“I’ve seen you before.” In astonishment, Lucy stared at the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, not brave enough to blink or draw breath for fear he’d disappear. “A flash in the corner of my eye.”
Each time she saw him, she was left sad, lonely, and longing for more than a glimpse. Her throat tightened on unshed tears. She could only gaze at him in mute admiration…and the pain of yearning for something she could never have. With his long, pale hair and chiseled face, he looked an angel. Why in the world would an angel bother with Lucy Spears, stuck here in the middle of an Idaho potato patch, stuck in a rut?
“Are you an angel?” Her hand flew to her mouth, but the thought had escaped in words, no longer recapturable.
God, she didn’t want to scare him away. Lucy, that’s assuming angels can be frightened.
He didn’t answer, but looked at her as if he thought she might fade from sight. In the dark of the moon, before he appeared, the room had been pitch-black. A suffused glow, a faint aura of light, outlined him. His eyes were colorless. No, their faceted depths refracted a myriad of colors, like those crystal wine glasses at Macy’s, the ones she’d wanted for a wedding present and didn’t get. His skin had the translucent quality of fine porcelain.
“You’re so beautiful.” She tensed, hadn’t meant to say that either. If she didn’t curb her tongue, he’d vanish.
“As are you to my eyes, Lucretia.” He halted between each word, his voice raspy as if he were just learning to speak.
When he bowed like a hero in the novels she devoured along with bars of chocolate, silky hair brushed the floor. Lucy’s romantic heart skittered, and feelings she’d thought dead stirred.
He straightened, shook back his hair, a faint smile teasing his lips. Like he doesn’t really know how to smile. Smiling or not, his sensual mouth begged for kisses. Excitement shivered over her. A delicious throbbing awoke deep inside. Desire had been a stranger for so long, the sensations shocked her. She sat straighter in bed, tugging the covers to her waist. The damned old flannel gown would cover the rest. Oh to be wearing a sexy negligee. Yeah right.
The next instant, Lucy’s heart soared. She felt light as the wind rustling the tree outside her window. Her body resonated to the new tune her soul was singing. Wanting to see him and memorize every detail, she rose and walked past him to flip on the lights. She sensed his steady regard, but simply could not meet his eyes…yet. She turned. At the sight of him, her heart clenched in wonder. What would he think of the washed out tan walls and the old wedding ring quilt on the bed? She was uncomfortable about the dust on the furniture and regretted not cleaning on Saturday.
Irresistibly drawn to him, Lucy slowly approached the stranger who seemed more like a friend. A foot away, she ran out of courage and coasted to a halt, took a deep breath, and gazed into his crystal eyes. At five-six, she was a head shorter than her mysterious visitor.
She didn’t see him move, but his long fingers cupped her chin. Only that small caress and she tingled as if he’d embraced her. His voice no longer hesitant, he whispered four strange words, as it should be, in her thoughts. Shocked and wary, her gaze darted to his crystalline eyes. Could he read her thoughts? That would be terrible. All of her feelings were tangled around sex and this magnificent stranger. She’d die of embarrassment. His fingers on her skin were warm, the touch feather soft. Tremors of anticipation rippled over her. His odd, but beautiful gaze shifted to her lips. She tensed, hoping for more…much more.
Linda Nightingale is a native-born South Carolinian who has lived in England and Canada, and now resides in Texas.
She is a winner of the 2013 Georgia Romance writers Magnolia Award, as well as Best Mainstream Novel from Preditors & Editors Readers Poll in 2015.
Four by Moonlight is her first novel for Class Act Books.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LINDA AT:
Twitter: @LNightingale
