Immortal
Billionaire
Jane
Godman
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
Harlequin Nocturne
Date
of Publication: November 1, 2016
ASIN:
B01EEZKX3K
Number
of pages: 304
Word
Count: 80 000
Cover
Artist: Harlequin
Book
Description:
Dark
secrets and unquenchable desire collide in this captivating
paranormal thriller…
Connie
Lacey lives a nomadic existence. Alone. Safe. She can't risk being
found by the stalker who haunts her waking nightmares. Until an
invitation from billionaire Sylvester de León—to spend thirty days
with him on his private island, Corazón—proves impossibly
tempting. But one look at the gorgeous host's deep blue eyes, and
Connie knows there is nothing safe about this paradise and the
aristocratic man who calls it home.
The
island is cursed…as is Sylvester himself. Yet something in him
calls to Connie, ignites a desire that's filled with raw, timeless
need. But Corazón has many secrets, each more dangerous than the
last. And in a place where everlasting love, the past and fate
intersect, even death is only a beginning…
Available
for Pre-Order
Excerpt:
It
is easy enough to list in advance, and with absolute certainty, those
things for which we are prepared to die. Family, country, religion,
the one we love, a valued way of life. Until we are faced with a
situation that puts our convictions to the test, we can never know
for sure which of these will hold true. There were many lessons to be
learned during those strange weeks on the island of Corazón, but,
for Connie Lacey, this would prove be the most important.
Four
years of running and hiding. Four years of looking over her shoulder.
Of viewing every man she met with suspicion. Of waking every morning,
wondering if today was the day he would finally catch up with her.
The
relief of being offered somewhere to hide was so huge it drove every
other thought out of her head. She had a brief mental image of
herself as a disaster survivor and the man opposite as the rescue
worker who had just draped an emergency blanket around her shoulders.
She resisted the temptation to cling to him, garbling out incoherent
thanks until he was forced to gently pry her hands away. They were
the wild thoughts spinning through Connie Lacey’s mind as she
listened to the clipped tones of the attorney.
With
hindsight, she probably should have paid more attention to the
strangeness of the offer he was making and the diffident manner with
which he made it. Gratitude will do that to you, she decided later.
At the time her attention was taken up with grabbing this
opportunity. Nod, smile, and sign on the dotted line. Don’t ask
questions that might make him withdraw this incredible invitation.
All she could focus on was the fact that—for thirty days, at
least—she would not have to sleep with a knife under her pillow.
“You
have one week.” She realized Mr. Reynolds had finished outlining
the details of the proposal. “My client will expect you to be in
Florida in exactly seven days’ time.”
Connie
swallowed hard. She might have known there would be a catch. The
logistics of getting to Florida posed a massive problem. Mentally,
she reviewed the contents of her wallet. She knew exactly how much
cash was in there. It wouldn’t get her across town let alone across
the country. Before she could speak, Mr. Reynolds reached into the
desk drawer and produced a hefty roll of banknotes. His expression
softened slightly as he passed them across the desk.
“Expenses.
For the journey and such sundry other items as may be necessary.”
He cleared his throat with a hint of something that might have been
embarrassment. “My client is a very exacting man. His guests will,
for example, be required to dress for dinner during their stay on
Corazón.”
Darn!
And there I was thinking I had successfully managed to hide the fact
that the sole is hanging off one of my sneakers and this sweater has
forgotten what color it used to be.
Connie
stuffed the wad of cash into her shoulder bag with a muttered word of
thanks. If an encounter with Sylvester’s attorney could reduce her
to the status of a gibbering wreck, how on earth was she going to
cope with the man himself?
As
she got to her feet, Mr. Reynolds rose and came around the desk. He
held out his hand. Surprised, Connie took it. Instead of the
handshake she had expected, he clasped her hand between both of his.
It was an oddly tactile gesture for such an aloof man.
“However
this venture may turn out…” He paused and Connie sensed he was
fighting an internal battle. As if the personal and professional were
at war within him. The result felt like his version of a truce. “I
wish you well, Miss Lacey.”
It
was only later, when she got back to her grim, one-room apartment and
counted—then, in disbelief, re-counted—the money, that she began
to truly appreciate the gulf between her world and that of Corazón.
What constituted “sundry other items” to Mr. Reynolds was almost
a year’s salary to Connie.
Laughing,
she tossed the notes into the air and briefly contemplated just
disappearing with them. To hell with “second cousin several
convoluted times removed” Sylvester and his mysteriously worded
proposition. This money could buy her the freedom from fear she had
been dreaming of. Temporarily, it was true, but even that was so much
more than she had wished for. No more moving from town to town and
job to job? No more looking over her shoulder? Yeah, I’ll take that
and deal with the future when it gets here.
A
pang of guilt tugged at her. Backing out wasn’t an option. She had
just accepted Mr. Reynolds’s wretched invitation and a promise was,
after all, a promise. Besides—despite its reputation—she was
intrigued enough by Corazón to want to see it and, even if she
admitted it only to herself, she wanted to meet the legendary
Sylvester.
The
ease with which Arthur Reynolds, senior partner in the firm of
Reynolds, Prudah and Taylor, had tracked her down was unsettling.
Even if she hadn’t been contemplating answering Sylvester’s
eccentric summons, it would have been time to move on. Goodbye—she
experienced a minor moment of panic as she tried to remember where
she was. It had to happen one day—Farmington, Missouri. The last
month has been okay, but it was never a long-term thing. We both knew
it. No hard feelings.
She
had a week to prepare for the journey. With a shrug, she tucked the
money away at the back of her closet and curled up on the bed with a
book. Connie could have her belongings packed in an hour. She’d
done it often enough.
About
the Author:
Jane
Godman writes in a variety of genre. Many of her stories are heavily
tinged with the supernatural and elements of horror, with haunted
characters tormented by dark secrets.
Jane
writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne. Her Otherworld
Series is set in a mystical land inhabited by many races, including
faeries, vampires, lycanthropes, phantoms and gods. Unfortunately,
the constant battles between these warring dynasties threaten to
spill over into the mortal realm.
Jane’s
series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Sons of Stillwater, will be
coming soon.
Jane
also writes steamy historical romance for Samhain Publishing and her
Georgian Rebel Series features compelling heroes who fight hard for
the cause they believe in and harder for the women they love.
In
2017, Jane has a new paranormal romance series coming from SMP
Swerve.
Watch
out for her hot Arctic werewolves!
Jane
lives in Cheshire, England, is married to a lovely man and is mum to
two grown up children.
Website:
http://www.janegodmanauthor.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JaneGodman
Facebook:
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