Released Date: 10/2014
Summary from Goodreads:
This is the
complete Steampunk Fantasy novel - all four parts of the serial in one volume!
Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
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Two
sets of footsteps clipped across on the cobblestone. Before they
rounded the bend to the stable door, Raven’s fingers twitched over
her knife. When she saw Gorman and the younger baron, she relaxed and
continued attaching her weapons.
“Can
I trust you?” Baron Darius’s voice rose hesitantly as he
approached.
She
smiled. “I’ve saved your life once and promise to do it as many
times as necessary.”
“Why?”
“It’s
the reaper’s way. A life for a life.”
“How
many have you killed?”
Raven
clinched her jaw. “Too many.” Her gaze met the butler’s. “Will
he have his own horse?”
“No.
The young master’s condition makes him subject to untimely fits. He
would be in danger of falling.” His ice blue eyes held a fire
unmatched by his frozen features.
“Right.
I expected as much.” She placed her boot in the stirrup and
mounted. “Hand him to me then.
The
butler lifted him to the front of her saddle. She knew it would be an
uncomfortable place to ride for a long period of time, but he’d
only have to make it to Gregory’s house. On a horse, it should only
be about four hours if they took it slow, less than three if needed.
A
horn sounded, and the butler paled. “It’s him. The duke
approaches.”
“Father
is early.” The boy sounded happy but tentative.
Gorman
gripped the horse’s rein and turned it toward the other stable
exit. “We must leave by the north gate. The duke approaches from
the south. You may have as much as an hour’s head start before he
commands a pursuit.”
Raven
swallowed hard. “That’s not enough time.”
“Follow
me.” He released the rein and jogged forward.
The
horse trotted in response. Even in the jarring up and down motion of
the trot, the young baron remained silent. He gripped the chestnut
mare’s mane with both hands. His knuckles glowed white under the
lamps. Raven pulled gently on the reins to slow the horse to a more
tolerable speed but followed the butler closely.
“Guards!”
Gorman reached the gates, speaking in breathless tones. “Baron
Solomon orders passage for this woman and the young baron.”
Raven
recognized Grant’s red band before he turned around. He narrowed
his eyes at her and barked the order to open the gate. Before she
could urge her horse forward, Grant gripped the bridle by the cheek
piece. He called back toward the butler, “Will she need guard?”
“That
will not be necessary. She is capable of caring for the young baron
on his errand.”
Even
in the half-light, Raven could see the guard’s jaw tighten and
nostrils flare in indecision. “Baron Solomon trusts this woman?”
The
butler frowned and stiffened in disapproval. Still he answered
softly, “Yes, with his brother’s life.”
About the Author
In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.
Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary is scheduled for release September 30, 2013, and has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.
One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.
Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary is scheduled for release September 30, 2013, and has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.
One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.
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I enjoyed the excerpt. Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeletethx u for hosting ^^
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