Genre: Paranormal/light romance/light historical/light mystery
Mystery, Suspense, Reincarnation
Blurb
Anne’s relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world–one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil’s vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve’s soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Excerpt
The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.
Genevieve moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener’s cottage and wait for Andrew’s arrival as planned. She closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.
She’d rather wait for Andrew here, outside.
Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?
Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him –losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. “I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary.”
A gust of wind swirled the dust on the path and dried the beads of sweat covering her temple. She shivered and pressed her cool hands to her cheeks. Had she misunderstood Andrew? No. She remembered vividly what he’d told her when they talked in Ryan’s cottage. Three days. The evening of the third day, she should wait at Ryan’s.
Her gaze strayed again to the impassive building of the abbey, her home for such a long time. She blamed the increasing wind for the sudden trail of dampness on her face, for the unmistakable tears blurring her vision. She blinked several times to clear her view. This was no time for tears.
Genevieve’s brow wrinkled, and her breath caught in her throat. Sister Francesca and Sister Benedicta smiled and waved at her from the abbey’s entrance.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. Impossible. Both were dead. Genevieve wiped her tears and gazed at the abbey again. The image of the two sisters, so dear to her, faded out.
Genevieve dared another peek along the path from the town.
Not a sound. Not a shadow.
Hopefully, Andrew hadn’t decided to follow the direct route through the forest. Danger lurked there. He should know all the dark legends people told about the cursed forest.
“Dear God, protect Andrew from the evil forest,” she prayed; Andrew’s face came to her as she’d last seen it three days before.
His kind loving eyes. His soft encouraging words. His tender touch.
She recalled the turmoil of emotions she’d experienced when she first met Andrew. Everything made sense now, in the light of the latest events. The warm waves coming from him and engulfing her, searing her body and soul, and the anxiety following those waves. It had been love at first sight. A feeling neither of them wanted to admit to until recently.
Love. Love and sin.
Author Bio
Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
High school teacher of English and German in her native country, and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world that of the books.
Several of her poems were successfully published in a collection of Contemporary English Poems, Muse Whispers vol.1 and Muse Whispers vol.2 by Midnight Edition Publication, in 2001 and 2002.
Her first novel, Shadows of the Past, was released in 2012 by Wild Child Publishing, USA. On 9th June 2016 she had a new release, Till Life Do Us Part, with Solstice Publishing.
Carmen joined the volunteer staff at Marketing For Romance Writers Author blog and is the coordinator of #Thursday13 posts.
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Buy links: Wild Child Publishing
http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=410
All Romance
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadowsofthepast-1013184-140.html
Buy Link: Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-the-past-carmen-stefanescu/1113910162?ean=2940015715026
You can stalk the author here:
http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/
https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books
http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu
https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts
http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
The Write Stuff 
So nice, as always, to have Carmen here with us today, participating in our extended #ExcerptWeek. Thanks, Carmen, for being such a solid supporter of our group, and always so willing to share with us. LOVELY excerpt! I’m very intrigued by this one!
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I thank you for hosting Shadows of the Past, my “first child”. I am sure you’d enjoy Genevieve’s story. It’s a cross over, in fact – part romance, part history, part suspense, part horror – ghosts.
As about sharing, I have the deep belief that there’s place and readers enough for all authors and I do my best to help fellow authors, the same as you do.
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As always, #ExcerptWeek is just about my favorite “event” here on TWS. I’m so happy you were able to take part, and I thoroughly enjoyed your excerpt, Carmen! I’m sure I’ll enjoy the book, too! I love ghosts!
You are very right with your thoughts on sharing. Why any writer would be jealous of other writers, I have no idea. (Thankfully, most are smart enough not to be.) It’s not like readers can only choose one book for the shelves, like a painting to hang over their sofa! Nope. In fact, the more good books you read, the more you WANT to read, so helping one writer helps us all. That’s MY story, an’ I’m stickin’ to it!! 😀
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Reblogged this on Judith Barrow.
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Gratitude, Judith!
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You’re very welcome, Carmen.jx
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Gripping Carmen. It looks like my TBR is once again going to expand. 🙂
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I am glad to hear it,DG!
I am sure you’ll enjoy Genevieve’s and Ann’s stories.
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I’ll be sure to review when I get there. 🙂
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