Honor Before Heart: Emerald Belles #1
by Heather McCorkle
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
Risking it all for love
and valor . . .
When Corporal Sean
MacBranian awakens after being injured in battle, he is sure the luck o’ the
Irish has run out on him. Or that he’s died and gone to Heaven. There can be no
other explanation for the blond-haired, blue-eyed angel standing before him.
But his “angel” is a truehearted lass named Ashlinn, and she wears a nurse’s
uniform. Her tender ministrations have brought him back from the brink of
death—and have given him a new reason for living.
Ashlinn knows their
parting is inevitable; her handsome hero must return to the 69th infantry of
the Union army, and there are no guarantees of his safe return. With most of
her family already destroyed by the war ravaging America, she is sure she
cannot survive another loss. Yet she feels powerless against the draw of Sean’s
strong and steady heart. Neither time nor distance nor the danger of battle
seems to lessen their bond. But when their secret letters are intercepted, the
devoted nurse’s love will face the ultimate test . . .
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Excerpt One:
Not even the threat of rain heavy upon the Virginia air
could banish the sickly sweet stench of death. The boom of cannons and rifle
fire slowly trickled to a stop. That, or Sean’s hearing was going. A quick
glance around revealed bodies of the dead and dying strewn across Malvern Hill,
turning its green grass a brilliant red. Relief churned with the ever-present
guilt of all he had done in the name of country and freedom this day. Turning
his head up to the cloud-choked evening sky, he said a silent prayer for the
fallen on both sides of the conflict.
Only soldiers in blue coats were left standing and not many
of them down near the river where Sean was. It made him wonder how many of the
69th regiment had perished this day. So many Irish brothers lost…no, American
brothers, he had to remind himself. They were more than just Irish now. They
were Americans, and had died as such.
The muzzle of his rifle drooped until the bayonet fixed upon
the end of it touched the muddy bank of the James River. With General Lee’s
soldiers on the retreat, it seemed they had won the day. But at such a horrible
cost. A rustling in the brush along the river pulled Sean from his dark
musings. In the fading light, he couldn’t quite make out what moved within the
tall brush. Whatever it was, it was close, no more than ten feet away. Though
his heart hammered like a galloping horse, his hands were steady as he tossed
his empty rifle aside and drew his saber.
“Damn beast!” a man cursed with a thick Southern drawl.
The voice came from much farther down the bank than the
rustling brush. Sliding into a fighting stance, Sean split his attention
between the direction of the voice and that of the rustling. From the brush
emerged a furry shape that at first glance seemed the size of a bear. Wouldn’t
that just be his luck? To survive such a battle only to be mauled by a bear.
Huge brown eyes gazed out of a gray face that was decidedly canine. While the
creature was over three feet at the shoulder, it was most certainly a dog. And
it was a breed Sean knew well: an Irish wolfhound.
He began to wonder if perhaps he had been struck on the
head. Such a dog didn’t exist in America. He hadn’t seen one since he’d left
Ireland over three years ago. Mesmerized by the creature’s curious eyes, he
took a step toward it. Pink tongue lolling from the side of its grinning mouth,
it moved toward him as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Heather
McCorkle is an award-winning author of paranormal, steampunk, and historical
fiction. When she is not writing, editing, or designing book covers and
websites, she can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or on horseback.
As a native Oregonian, she enjoy the outdoors nearly as much as the worlds she
creates on the pages. No need to travel to the Great Northwest though; connect
to her instead on her blog and her many social networking sites. You can also
find her the first Monday night of every month at 6:00 pm Pacific Time on the
#WritersRoad chat on Twitter, which she co-created and moderates. Entertaining
readers and uncovering stories and points of view that haven't been covered are
two of her greatest passions.
Author Links:
Website:
http://www.heathermccorkle.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HeatherMcCorkle
Buy the book:
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781516102860
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GIVEAWAY
Heather will be awarding a digital copy
of Honor Before Heart to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the
tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feature! <3
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