Showing posts with label nun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nun. Show all posts

April 3, 2016

Guest Promo (CXLII) Cover Reveal Once



                                   Once


Book One, by M.S. Kaye
Her first and also her once.

Jonathan and Rebecca’s paths cross at exactly the right moment, when each most needs to hear what the other has to say.

But Jonathan is three days from entering the priesthood, and Rebecca leaves him to his peace. But he is unable to find peace.

Without each other’s comfort and strength, they must each struggle to forge a new path, with only memories of the one day that changed everything.

But are they able to forget and let go?
Will be released July 2, 2016 from Inkspell Publishing.

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Author Bio


M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com

To receive news on upcoming releases, sign up for email updates on her website.
Once & Again, book two
Will be released September 4, 2016 from Inkspell Publishing.

She was once his secret desire…will she be again?

Father Aiden, an ex-marine and new priest, falls in love with Maylynn, but he struggles to stay away from her. He’s successful for many years, though he can’t keep her out of his dreams.

Then one day she shows up for a pre-marital counselling session with her fiancĂ©, Davis. Aiden soon realizes Davis isn’t who he says he is, but what does that mean for Maylynn, and for himself?
Once & Forever, book three
Will be released December 2016 from Inkspell Publishing.

Eden, a nun, is constantly struggling against her dark past of living on the streets, and her attraction to Trace, an ex-convict farm worker. After a twelve-year separation, Eden is finally reunited with her brother, Thomas, but why hadn’t she reached out to him in all those years? As Eden and Trace grow closer, confessing their pasts to each other, will they be able to resist getting too close?
Excerpt fromOnce
“What’s the answer?”

He paused. “A switchblade.”

With my fingertips, I reached out and traced the scar across his cheek. “Did you win?”

He removed my hand and closed his eyes. “Yes.”

I slid his Book back to him. “This says we can find forgiveness.”

His eyes still closed, his jaw clenched. He bowed his head. “It also says ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”

I took his hand in both of mine, petted his rough skin, and then brought it to my lips. He had a talent for guiding invisibly, but I didn’t know how to do that.

He watched me again. His eyes were intense, like the black of the night sky, and his forehead was furrowed, as if his emotions were scattered, as if he was shocked at my reaction, as if he had been sure his answer would drive me away. But I knew him. Already, I knew him.

“You’re still a good person,” I said.

His jaw clenched. “I’ve been trying to believe that.”

“I have faith in you.”

He continued to watch me. His forehead never smoothed, as if he was fighting for strength, but his eyes softened. He slid around the booth, closer to me.

I didn’t move, not sure what to do, what was right, what he wanted.

He leaned closer.

I only watched him.

He touched his lips to my cheek, the faintest pressure. I struggled to sit still, to keep my hands in my lap, not to grab hold of him. And then his lips were gone, such brief contact that I couldn’t be sure if he had actually kissed my cheek or if I wanted his contact so much that I’d imagined it.

He spoke in my ear. “You must be some kind of final test.”

My heart pounded into my ribs, against the point of the blade. “Are you going to pass?”

His lips brushed against my jaw. “I don’t know.”

He trailed to my neck, his mouth softly pressing. My hand curled into his hair, the other on his shoulder, holding, clutching. His mouth found mine, barely touching. His warmth invaded my head.

“God give me strength,” he murmured.

The door slid open, and the compartment filled with laughter.

He closed his eyes. Then he slid away from me.


January 17, 2014

Reviews (XXIII)


rated it 5 of 5 stars 
 
Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu brings together two very different lives of two women. Both are our heroines - one from the 15th Century and one from our modern day. Their lives are intermingled around tragedy, boundless love and the power of good magic.

The story tells the tale of a young nun's difficult life and the contentment she finds living under the protection of a convent. Genevieve decided to join the convent because there were so little choices for young women on their own. Her life there was blissful to begin with but things don't go well when the kind hearted Abbess who has sheltered and nurtured Genevieve is replaced by a wicked, soulless creature whose jealousy and persecution of the young nun is relentless. Things are further antagonized when the beautiful Genevieve falls in love with a man who the evil Abbess has intentions of seducing herself. The man is himself a man of God and this adds to the drama of the tale.

Anne is our modern hero. She's a successful business woman who is trying to repair a damaged relationship. She heads her family's business and is intelligent and articulate. Although worlds apart, the lives of the two women are intrinsically woven together in this charming book.

Meanwhile, Anne is trying to reconnect with a past lover on a hiking holiday. Unbeknown to her she finds herself in the same mysterious forest that has haunted Genevieve. Ghosts and spirits haunt her sleep and visions worry her waking hours. They are her 'Shadows of the Past'.

Ms Stefanescu is able to bring her readers two different stories and lace them together to produce an intriguing and interesting tale. I was able to appreciate the both worlds represented here and I easy became entranced with the suspense and mystery evoked in this absorbing tale.

I am giving this five stars and I am looking forward to reading more from Carmen Stefanescu.



December 16, 2013

Reviews (XXII)

 rated it 5 of 5 stars

            I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

            Genevieve is a young girl who lived in the 14th century and was dealt a very hard life. She reminded me of the little girl that Shirley Temple played in that movie The Little Princess or her life did. Genevieve lived with this couple who had an inn type place that they ran. She had to get up early in the morning and help in the kitchen and then she had to help make the beds. She was working from daylight till dark. But then she got lucky when a couple of nuns stopped at the inn one night and decided to take her back with them to live at the abbey. With everything she had been through Genevieve decide that she was never going to have anything to do with men ever and the nuns at the abbey had been so good to her over the years that she wanted to be a nun herself. 
 
She was very happy as nun for a very long time until a new priest came to town. Genevieve and the priest fell in love with each other but they were not allowed to show or let anyone know how they felt about each because they had made their vows. But after a while and with all the bad things that was going on at the abbey they decided that the best thing for them to do was leave, sneak off in the middle of the night.



            Anne a young woman who lived in the present day and time had broken up with the man that she loved a while back. But then one day he shows up on her door step sort of speaking. Anne still being in love with him no matter what had happened between them realized that she couldn't be without him and let him talk her into giving him another chance. So Anne and Neil go on a vacation. They get lost on the way to their hotel and spend the night in the mountains. They find an old abbey that has all but fell completely down. While they are at this old abbey Anne starts having these vision or dreams about this young girl. Anne feels or just knows somehow that vision was real. Anne wants to help this girl/ghost to move on so that she can be happy. Anne finds some old bones in an old oak tree and sets out to find out whose bones they are.

            Shadows of the Past tells of two young girls' lives in two different time periods whose lives eventually end up joining. I like to read stories where you get more than one person's point of view especially with the past and the future collide with each other in some way or another. If you have not read Shadows of the Past and you enjoy reading historical romance with a little suspense thrown in then you are going to love Shadows of the Past. If you like Shirley Temple then you will love Genevieve as well. Hey give it a try who knows you just might like it I did. But of course I love Shirley Temple too. (Published at Goodreads on 21 November 2013)


December 11, 2013

Reviews (XXI)



5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting! September 29, 2013
by Skelly


            "Shadows of the Past" by Carmen Stefanescu is a riveting story about souls reborn in a plight to overcome evil. Genevieve, a nun living at an abbey in the 1400s, did the one thing she promised would never happen. She fell in love. What's worse, the man, Andrew, was a priest. Even more surprising is that he had also fallen in love with her. He promised he would return for her so they could renounce their vows and marry. Fear gripped her heart when he didn't show up on time, especially after finding the resident gardener dead in a small house on the premises. She had to get away from Sister Clementa, the Abbess who only meant her ill and the cursed forest that brought death to anyone who entered.

            By itself, this plot spiked my interest, but the next chapter introduced another couple, Anne and Neil, with their own drama in the present time. Anne separated from Neil for two years after she caught him with her best friend, Gillian. In an effort to reconcile, Anne agreed to join Neil on a special trip to the country where they could rekindle their love. Wandering around the side of a mountain, unable to find the hotel where Neil had made reservations, they set up camp for the night. That was when Anne experienced her first dream of a mournful Genevieve. Soon after Anne attempted to help this sad nun from the past, the mean Sister Clementa arrived in spirit form to destroy anyone who dared connect to the man she could never have - in this case, Neil the reincarnate Andrew.

            With each chapter, the story revealed more secrets which kept me turning each page. I enjoyed that each era had its own chapter, helping me connect how the past events affected the present day relationships and supernatural occurrences.


            I recommend "Shadows of the Past" to anyone interested in a meaty story with twists and shocking turns. Genevieve's story does not leave one's heart untouched. The cast of characters are definitely memorable.   

5 stars posted on Amazon 29th SeptemberAmazon
Buy link
Wild Child Publishing 

November 24, 2013

Reviews (XX)

Star's review posted on http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/2013/11/book-review-shadows-of-past-by-carmen.html and rated 4 of 5 stars


Review:

‘Shadows of the Past’ brings us Anne and Neil, a couple looking for reconciliation, and Genevieve, a centuries-dead nun looking for her eternal rest. Ms. Stefanescu’s writing is sublime – the descriptions are vivid and the characters are well-developed. The path to Anne and Neil’s happiness lies in solving the centuries-old mystery of Genevieve, but no one said it would be easy. 

I fell into ‘Shadows of the Past’ quickly and as the present was interspersed with the past, the story blossomed into one of star-crossed lovers, a great evil, and reincarnation. Beautifully written and decadently dark, ‘Shadows of the Past’ will capture your attention, keep you guessing, and surprise you with a interesting twist at the end.

Buy links
Amazon
                                                     Wildchildpublishing

October 25, 2013

Reviews (XVIII)


Terri Talley Venters's review Posted on Goodreads and rated 5 of 5 stars 
This review is from: Shadows of the Past (Kindle Edition)
Read from September 22 to 24, 2013



In the prologue of Shadows of the Past, we meet the young, medieval nun named Genevieve who lives in an Abbey in rural England. The remote Abbey is only accessible via the cursed forest. We also meet a young visiting priest named Andrew and catch a glimpse of their dire circumstances. 


In a parallel love story, we fast forward to modern day England and meet Anne and Neil. They’re attempting to rekindle their love affair after suffering a brutal, two-year hiatus. After getting lost in the woods, actually the cursed forest, they battle the elements, starvation, and ghosts of the past.

Carmen takes us on a journey of the young nun, Genevieve. Starting from her childhood, we follow Genevieve’s path to the Abbey. We experience her hardships in her childhood, and then again at the Abbey where the corrupt convent leader, is out to get her with her abusive power and evil worships.

In the modern day setting, we follow Anne and Neil’s journey through the cursed forest. Led by ghosts haunting Anne’s dreams, she discovers an old skeleton wearing a bejeweled cross. Anne senses the skeleton and the tormented ghost are one in the same. The modern day and medieval stories weave together to rekindle love and triumph over evil.

Carmen’s fantastic writing paints vivid pictures, transporting you to the medieval Abbey and the cursed forest. I felt like I was right there with the wonderful characters she created.

I loved reading two stories at once. The modern day characters, Anne and Neil, and the star-crossed lovers of the past, Genevieve and Andrew. I couldn’t put this book down because I needed to know how the two stories truly connect over five-hundred years later.

I loved her creativity with the wood anemone, bejeweled cross, and past lives. I highly recommend this fast-paced, page turning tale and can’t wait to read more of Carmen’s stories.
Buy links
 Wildchildpublishing
Amazon

October 21, 2013

Reviews (XVII)

's review   
Posted on Goodreads and rated 5 stars
This review is from:
Shadows of the Past (Kindle Edition)


“Shadows of the Past” by Carmen Stefanescu is a riveting story about souls reborn in a plight to overcome evil. Genevieve, a nun living at an abbey in the 1400s, did the one thing she promised would never happen. She fell in love. What’s worse, the man, Andrew, was a priest. Even more surprising is that he had also fallen in love with her. He promised he would return for her so they could renounce their vows and marry. Fear gripped her heart when he didn’t show up on time, especially after finding the resident gardener dead in a small house on the premises. She had to get away from Sister Clementa, the Abbess who only meant her ill and the cursed forest that brought death to anyone who entered.

By itself, this plot spiked my interest, but the next chapter introduced another couple, Anne and Neil, with their own drama in the present time. Anne separated from Neil for two years after she caught him with her best friend, Gillian. In an effort to reconcile, Anne agreed to join Neil on a special trip to the country where they could rekindle their love. Wandering around the side of a mountain, unable to find the hotel where Neil had made reservations, they set up camp for the night. That was when Anne experienced her first dream of a mournful Genevieve. Soon after Anne attempted to help this sad nun from the past, the mean Sister Clementa arrived in spirit form to destroy anyone who dared connect to the man she could never have – in this case, Neil the reincarnate Andrew.

With each chapter, the story revealed more secrets which kept me turning each page. I enjoyed that each era had its own chapter, helping me connect how the past events affected the present day relationships and supernatural occurrences.

I recommend “Shadows of the Past” to anyone interested in a meaty story with twists and shocking turns. Genevieve’s story does not leave one’s heart untouched. The cast of characters are definitely memorable.
Buy links
Amazon 
wildchildpublishing