Straight
to Heaven
by Christine Young
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GENRE: Historical/Time Travel Romance
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BLURB:
Running from
demons, Alexandra McMurdie stumbles into Forbidden Ground where up is down and
elements of nature are contested. Though a strong independent woman in the
twenty-first century' she is unprepared for life in the 1800s. Her first sight of
the formidable James Lawrence makes her heart skip a beat, giving her cause to
reconsider her desperate need to find a way home.
Born with a silver spoon, James’ life was torn apart during the War Between the States. Moving west he vows to put the life he once knew in the past. When he discovers a half-frozen woman near Gold Hill, his heart begins to thaw. His love for Alexandra and his need to keep her from a man who has pursued her through time might cost him his life as well as hers.
Born with a silver spoon, James’ life was torn apart during the War Between the States. Moving west he vows to put the life he once knew in the past. When he discovers a half-frozen woman near Gold Hill, his heart begins to thaw. His love for Alexandra and his need to keep her from a man who has pursued her through time might cost him his life as well as hers.
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EXCERPT:
Jacksonville,
Oregon 1868
Midnight...the
witching hour, a time to ease one's conscience and look to the next world for
answers. Wild tales of a vortex told by the Native Americans where up was down
and large was small, intrigued the valley settlers. One had only to expect the
unexpected and it would occur. A ball could roll up hill but not down. No one
ventured through the vortex unchanged, simply because the site defied the human
mind. Here there were no limits set and no boundaries defined.
Mysterious
tales ran rampant among the Native Americans. Fantastical stories portrayed
visitors from other ages, other worlds, and even other dimensions passing
through time and stopping here for a moment of rest before continuing their
journey. Difficult to comprehend, impossible to believe unless one met his fate
head on at the appropriate hour. Midnight. When spirits roamed the earth,
anything could occur and anyone could vanish.
Midnight...an
hour to be wary of, to remain at home and hope it passed by without illusions
floating on the stairway, of distinctive flickering in the candlelight, or a
hesitant knock on the door from some invisible apparition. No one would wander
out at this hour or challenge another, unless faced with no other choice.
Captain
James Lawrence had sworn to uphold the law. Tonight, he might have to venture
into the unknown; meet any challenge. He might stumble upon an innocent
unsuspecting traveler, perhaps encounter a miracle and find a path straight to
heaven.
The
deserted countryside lay as a freshly painted picture bathed in the moonlight,
and the crystal ice that coated the laurel trees shimmered, sending prisms of
light toward the heavens. Even February's freezing rains paused as if paying
homage to the hour.
Midnight.
James
watched the moisture hover in a mindless drizzle of mist; low lying clouds
floated and swirled in gossamer veils near the earth, entwining themselves in
the manzanita and laurel, around the blackberry bushes, and the fields of
grasses and weeds that dotted the hillside.
"Not
tonight. Not again..." He pounded his fist against the railing, hoping he
heard wrong.
From
the west, James Lawrence could hear the low baying of hounds and the steady
beat of horses as he stood on the porch of his home surveying his land. Charles
Majors would bring his hounds, six of them, merciless in their intent, and
trained to hunt man. They did not give up and he'd never known them to fail.
"Son
of a bitch!" he said fiercely, "not tonight!" His fist landed
squarely on the wooden beam holding up the roof. He stared into the night,
cursing the situation. Duty and honor in the forefront of his mind, he knew he
would join the posse.
Soon
the men would stand at his porch expecting him to mount and ride with them.
They were law-abiding men from town. A couple of them owned stores, some panned
for gold. One was the saloon owner and another owned the town newspaper. He
owed the community, knew he couldn't avoid this responsibility. If they would
only come without the dogs, the nightmares might stop.
He
rubbed his temples and wished the hammering within would vanish, but the
pounding hooves grew louder, the hammering worse. His muscles flexed and as a
brittle tension radiated through him, he held his breath, purposely waiting.
Staring
into the cold night, he reflected on another time. A time during the war when
the dogs had hunted him and they had come so perilously close to his heels.
Now, on this moonlit night, even his home offered him no protection, no safe
retreat. They came to him for his help—for his expertise. James shivered, yet
the sensation wasn't caused by the cold.
He
had hoped they wouldn't call on him again, but now it seemed as if the trail
lay fresh and in his direction. He hated the look in a man's eye when cornered
with nowhere to go; loathed the utter despair that accompanied it.
And
the fear.
"Poor
wretched soul," he said. "He'll know what hell feels like before the
morning sun rises."
My Review:
Straight to Heaven is an historical time travel romance. I'm fond of time travel romances so I was glad to review the book. It's fun to see how people from different times cope with a new reality where customs and traditions are different from their own. I did find one thing that surprised me. In this book, time travel was something to be feared, something associated with demons and darkness. In most books I've read that wasn't the case. I do think it gave a sense of fear to the story because of that evil.
I also liked the hero. He was what I'd call an alpha male, yet he wasn't over the top dreadful. He had heart and emotion, and even though he didn't want to, he finally decided that the heroine must make the choice about how their story ended.
The heroine had a lot to consider before deciding on her future, but I think she made the right decision.
One thing I thought needed to be developed a little more. There was another woman who wanted the hero. I expected her to be around a little more than she was. There was a greater threat in the story, and she became a part of that, but I still thought she'd show up on every page. This did not detract from the story. This is just an observation on my part.
If you love time travel, I think you'd like this book. I can recommend that you grab a copy and check it out.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born in Medford, Oregon,
novelist Christine Young has lived in Oregon all of her life. After graduating
from Oregon State University with a BS in science, she spent another year at
Southern Oregon State University working on her teaching certificate, and a few
years later received her Master's degree in secondary education and counseling.
Now the long, hot days of summer provide the perfect setting for creating
romance. She sold her first book, Dakota's Bride, the summer of 1998 and her
second book, My Angel to Kensington. Her teaching and writing careers have
intertwined with raising three children. Christine's newest
venture is the creation of Rogue Phoenix Press. Christine is the
founder, editor and co-owner with her husband. They live in Salem,
Oregon.
Links:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Christine
Young will be awarding one winner for Highland Surprise, one winner for Storm's
Passion, and one winner for their name in the next book to a randomly drawn
winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely review and hosting Straight to Heaven.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of research did you do for this book?
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, the research was extensive. I did grow up in the area where the book was set so a lot of things I knew. My grandfather was a gold miner in the area and my father used to play in the house that is featured on the cover. I've been to the Oregon Vortex in Gold Hill, Oregon. That location inspired the time travel. The vortex is an eerie, hair standing on the neck place. The Native Americans called it "The Forbidden Ground."
ReplyDeleteWhat, in your mind, distinguishes this book from other books out there in the same genre?
ReplyDeleteChristine, I really enjoyed the book. Well done.
ReplyDelete