26 April 2015

Sunday Snippet from Travis--Wild Heather Book 2

Buy Travis here
My snippet this week is taken from Travis—Wild Heather Book 2

Beth Anderson travels to Scotland to help her Australian friends, Liz and Andrew, renovate the dilapidated castle he inherited from his uncle. Beth shares Liz’s passion for all things Celtic and knows the ancient language well. Liz tells her an unbelievable story of how she and Andrew were swept back in time to 1050, to a hostile world, where Andrew saved the life of Travis, his ancestor, a lovable rogue.
Beth decides to explore the castle attics and unwittingly discovers their method of time-travel. But the Travis she meets is a changed man, now driven by revenge and set on annihilating all his enemies. He has too much violence and bloodshed to contend with and has no time in his life for another woman from the future. Despite this a great love grows, a love that must overcome many obstacles before reaching its conclusion. In Book 1, The Laird, we met Travis, his family, and his clansmen, in Book 2 Travis, we are reunited with them.

And here’s the snippet

She sat up, massaging her thighs. At least her legs felt normal now, although her muscles still ached as if she’d run a mile. The dizziness had subsided and the ringing in her ears was gone. Rubbing her face she glanced around. Everything seemed normal and the few cattle grazing about a hundred meters away added to that normalcy.

Beth tried to remember the lie of the land on their drive back from the airport but couldn’t recall seeing any cattle near the McAlistair’s castle. But that didn’t prove anything. She could have wandered aimlessly on the far side of the estate while in this stupor, or whatever ailed her. It certainly looked wild and rugged—but perhaps the countryside was like this over most of Scotland. In Australia you only traveled a short distance from some towns to find oneself in the outback.

She must have passed out. This was the only feasible answer to the feeling of flying helplessly through that vortex. Between the hurtling sensation and the blackness, all she could recall was the cold. And it had been freezing when that strange wind blew up.

“Come on, be practical.” She stood and slapped at her sides. She’d always been level-headed. Boring and unimaginative, that was Beth Anderson. She steered away from the answer that was emerging, crying out to be heard
.
“No. I’m still near Liz and Andrew’s estate. As soon as someone comes by I’ll prove it.”

With a definite nod of the head Beth looked about, trying to get her bearings from the position of the sun. What time could it be? It was just after ten when she left her room after donning the thick sweater. So, depending on how long she’d been in this strange state, it could be anywhere between ten thirty and eleven. The sun wasn’t quite at its height, which proved she was more or less right. It was streaming in her window this morning, which meant the castle had to be...

Beth turned about. This was so stupid. How on earth could she work out which direction to take? A city girl didn’t have to worry about such things. There were street signs in the city and always someone to ask for directions. Here she was surrounded by trees, the few cattle, and bracken. As she pondered which way to walk, the thundering of hooves disturbed the tranquility. Thank the lord. Beth breathed a sigh of relief—now she’d find out where she was.

A hand shielding her eyes, she faced the rider.

A giant of a man rode one of the biggest horses she’d ever seen. Black flowing hair streamed out behind him, and he rode as if all the devils from hell were on his heels.
As he neared Beth saw that he had a beard as black as his hair. He wore some sort of strange garment, like a philabeg, the old Gaelic version of a kilt. A claymore hung at his side, and leather strapping bound his calves.

It was Andrew.

Relief flooded her. Why hadn’t Liz told her he was taking part in a highland pageant? She laughed out loud as he saw her, and lifted her hand to wave.
  
He skidded the horse to a standstill. It was then, as the man controlled the wild, panting beast, Beth recalled something Liz told her last night. Andrew wasn’t a good rider. Her throat dried up, and she couldn’t swallow. The rider stared at her as if she was a ghost just risen from the earth. His mouth worked but no words came out
.
Some sixth sense told her exactly who this stranger was.

“Travis.” A hand covering her mouth, Beth whispered the name hoarsely. Dizziness swamped her, and vaguely she heard him use a Gaelic curse before she toppled into oblivion.

“This is a terrific story. Ms. McGill has created two dynamic characters whose stubborn passions cause them many problems. Throw in the fact that they come from two different time periods and you have a delightful read full of the violence of the time, intrigue, passion, and heartache. Beth is a quiet but feisty woman of the twenty-first century. Travis is the Laird of all he surveys and rules his people with a fair but firm hand, putting the protection of his people above all else, including himself. I really enjoyed this story. Beth and Travis are a team; forging a bond that even time cannot break. In a time of extreme violence and danger, they create their own oasis of peace in each other’s arms.  If you need an escape, travel to Scotland in the year 1051 with Beth and put reality aside for a while.    Patricia Oshier Bruening  TRS

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22 April 2015

Just released, Travis, Wild Heather Book 2.

 
Purchase Travis here at Amazon  



 Beth Anderson travels to Scotland to help her Australian friends, Liz and Andrew, renovate the dilapidated castle he inherited from his uncle. Beth shares Liz’s passion for all things Celtic and knows the ancient language well. Liz tells her an unbelievable story of how she and Andrew were swept back in time to 1050, to a hostile world, where Andrew saved the life of Travis, his ancestor, a lovable rogue.

Beth decides to explore the castle attics and unwittingly discovers their method of time-travel. But the Travis she meets is a changed man, now driven by revenge and set on annihilating all his enemies. He has too much violence and bloodshed to contend with and has no time in his life for another woman from the future. Despite this a great love grows, a love that must overcome many obstacles before reaching its conclusion. In Book 1, The Laird, we met Travis, his family, and his clansmen, in Book 2 Travis, we are reunited with them. 

Read excerpts and reviews on my web page: www.triciamcgill.com

Multi-published author Tricia McGill does it again! You can’t help but fall in love with her Highlander chief, Travis, the masterful clan leader in 1051 Scotland from her previous book.
Even without running water and central heating this time-travel novel will make you wish you could be transported back into Travis’ castle… for a good, old fashioned candle lit romance. If you’ve ever fallen in love with a man in a portrait painting, that’s what happened to Beth.
What she hadn’t expected was the intense feuding and fighting between the clans, and the harsh conditions found in 1051 Scotland. Still, Beth must make up her mind whether or not to return to the present... or brave it out and stay in the past with her Highland lover...
This is a fast paced action tale of the rough conditions of bygone days, and the man Beth couldn’t leave behind. JoEllen Congar

 

19 April 2015

Sunday Snippets is back



 My snip this week is from The Laird Wild Heather Book 1, currently available on Kindle HERE


Andrew, a wealthy Australian architect, takes life too seriously. Liz, his PA, is outgoing; a perfect foil for her boss. She is passionate about Celtic lore. Reluctantly Andrew answers a plea from his elderly aunts to travel to Scotland before his uncle dies. He has no desire to visit the land his father left under a cloud many years ago, but Liz persuades him to take her along. In the dilapidated castle, while exploring a disused attic, the pair set off a course of events that propel them back in time to 1050 where they meet Travis, coincidentally Andrew's double.

Travis, Book 2 in my Wild Heather series is coming soon from Books We Love 


If they ever got back to their own time—no, when they got back—he'd have a hell of a job convincing his friends this had really happened. But perhaps it wasn't really happening. But it had to be; everything felt so real. He thumped a fist into a palm. Certainly he was solid, the floor beneath his feet real.

And Liz felt as soft and womanly as ever. The heathen was attracted to her, for sure. The great oaf wouldn't have any qualms about doing away with him that was another certainty. Andrew knew he must keep his head, if only for Liz's sake. What in God's name were they doing here? He couldn't make any sense of it. People just didn't travel through time. It was too preposterous for words.

If only his frail old Uncle Lawrence hadn't wished to see his last remaining male heir, they might still be at home. If only he hadn't let Liz persuade him to let her accompany him to Scotland.

It was her inquisitiveness that got them into this bloody mess. Andrew's mind strayed back to when he'd picked her up at the flat she shared with a monster of a cat. The moggy leapt onto him with a growl as she opened the door. Andrew grinned. Despite her admonishments the animal curled itself about his shoulders. He'd threatened to kill it one day. She merely laughed and took it off to the neighbor who had the unenviable task of cat-sitting.

Liz sent him to her bedroom to collect her luggage. Although he'd picked her up on a few occasions when she'd accompanied him on business dinners, he'd never been into her personal domain. It mirrored her personality to a tee. A complete contrast to his own bland serviced apartment a short distance away, her décor was a mish-mash of colors. Bright orange and green cushions were scattered on her large bed, which sported a tasseled bedspread and gold-knobbed headboard. A stuffed tiger sat in majestic dignity in the middle of the pillows.

How many men had shared that bed with her? Had the man in the photo on the bedside cabinet been one of them? Taken on her graduation day the photo showed her smiling into the eyes of a handsome man in his early forties. A smiling woman in a wheelchair sat between them.

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