About
the book
Title:
Captain’s Mercy
Author:
Kate Hill
Genre:
Historical Romance
Mercy Brown's life
changes when she accepts a position as companion to the disabled
sister of wealthy shipyard owner Jonah Barnes. She is instantly
attracted to the rugged former sea captain, even if his brusque
manner offends her. Mercy soon finds herself entangled in the quirky
family's secrets.
From the first,
Mercy is troubled by prowlers, disturbances from the attic, and
unearthly howls on the property. After meeting several unusual
household members, including a groundskeeper who works by night and
the mischievous Maxwell Barnes, Mercy realizes she should flee while
she can.
Pages from Mercy's
first novel go missing and Jonah's domineering personality causes
tension in the house. Only Mercy's fondness for her young companion,
Faith Barnes, as well as her fascination with Jonah prevent her from
leaving, but will her desire for him endanger her life?
Author
Bio
Always a fan of
romance and the paranormal, Kate Hill started writing over twenty
years ago for pleasure. Her first story, an erotic vampire tale, was
accepted for publication in 1996. Since then she has sold over one
hundred short stories, novellas and novels. When she's not working on
her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out and watching horror
movies.
Links
Buy the Book:
http://www.bookstrand.com/book/captains-mercy
Book
Excerpts
Excerpt 1
A particularly loud
clap of thunder sent Mercy jumping to her feet. She quickly put her
book away and left the room, hoping to find Michaels or Augusta still
awake. Maybe she could talk to them until the storm passed.
The empty hallways
seemed eerier than usual. When she reached the parlor, she heard
something even more frightening than thunder--a long howl that
mingled with the wind. Perhaps it was the wind...
Another clap of
thunder was followed by a crash from upstairs.
Goodness, lightning
might have struck the house.
She hurried to the
foot of the stairs and called, "Michaels? Augusta? Mr. Barnes?"
No reply.
Her stomach tight
and her heart pounding, she ascended. The storm was directly overhead
now. Wind beat against the house and roared through the trees.
Recalling how it
felt to be lost outside, she hoped Max and Faith weren't caught in
the storm.
Reaching the top of
the stairs, she glanced around. Lightning flashed through the tall,
rectangular windows, illuminating the hallway.
She walked toward
the dark, windowless corridor leading to the attic.
"Mr. Barnes?"
she called again.
She glanced over her
shoulder, back toward the stairs. When she turned around, she cried
out, startled to find herself facing Jonah who now stood outside the
attic door, holding a lamp.
"Miss Brown,
what are you doing up here?" he demanded, wearing his usual
scowl.
"I heard noise
from up here. A crash. I thought perhaps lightning had struck the
house and someone might be hurt." She couldn't keep the tremors
from her voice. "I'm also worried about your siblings. You don't
suppose they're caught in the storm?"
Jonah's brow
furrowed and he stepped closer to her. He held up the lamp and
studied her face.
"I'm sure
they're fine," he said in a gentler tone. "Max is quite
capable and I doubt they'd venture out until after this passes. Are
you all right, Miss Brown?"
"Yes. Fine."
Another clap of
thunder made her jump.
"You don't look
fine," he said. "Are you afraid of the storm?"
She chuckled
nervously. "Silly isn't it? A grown person afraid of a
thunderstorm."
"Why don't we
wait it out in the library?"
"There's no
need for you to keep me company."
Again she jumped at
the thunder and lightning.
"Keeping you
company is far more pleasant than the paperwork I've been looking
over." He offered her his arm in a gallant gesture that took her
aback. She rested her hand on it lightly. Goodness, she shouldn't
enjoy how solid and warm he felt, yet she was unable to ignore it.
His arms were rock hard from years at sea and working in the
shipyard.
On their way
downstairs, she asked, "What were you doing in the attic? I
thought I heard howling up there a short time ago and then a crash."
"The wind, I'm
sure. No doubt the crash you heard was Michaels. He tripped over an
old trunk. He's up there now, making repairs on a window that was
blown open by the storm. He's also trying to get rid of more unwanted
guests of the flying rodent variety, so I remind you to stay away
from the attic."
No comments:
Post a Comment