The Thornless Rose
An Elizabethan Time Travel Novel
Book One
by Morgan O'Neill
Publisher: Entangled/Macmillan Select
Historical
Publication Date: December 29, 2014
Genre: Historical/Time Travel Fiction
About the Book:
No one ever knew what really happened to Dr. Jonathan
Brandon back in 1945. He simply disappeared from a London pub, leaving behind
an unsolved mystery and his fiancée—Anne Howard's grandmother. Seventy years
later, Anne herself is haunted by the strange tale, along with inexplicable
hallucinations straight out of Elizabethan England. Including a scarred,
handsome man whose deep blue eyes seem to touch her very soul....
Anne wonders if there isn't something more to the story.
Is it even possible that Jonathan disappeared into England's dark past? And why
does Anne keep hearing him whisper her name? Because now she too feels the
inexorable pull of the past, not to mention an undeniable attraction for a man
she doesn't even know.
It's just a matter of time before Anne will step back
into history, and face a destiny―and a love―beyond imagining...
Excerpt:
In
this scene, time travelers Anne Howard and Dr. Jonathan Brandon are thrown
together for the first time. Prior to this, Anne has only
seen Brandon in an old photograph.
The lights suddenly dimmed, the atmosphere in
Westminster Abbey hushed, expectant. She halted in her tracks. Flickering
candlelight and deep shadows, no tourists.
What the hell
is going on?
“Anne! Anne!”
Stunned, she turned. A man in costume ran toward her.
“Go back,” he shouted, “back where it’s safe!”
She stood transfixed. As he came closer, she
recognized him—his eyes, the scar.
He halted and pulled her tight against him. “I love
you, Anne,” he whispered into her hair, “but you have to go with him. Save
yourself.”
“But––”
He stilled her confusion with a tender brush of his
lips, and she responded instinctively, their kiss deepening as her body arched
against his, her blood ablaze with sudden desire, until the rest of the world
seemed very far away.
When he finally drew back, he stared into her eyes,
and Anne’s heart seized when she saw his pain, the sheer desperation in his
gaze.
The feeling was apparently mutual, because he pulled
her close and swore under his breath, “Bloody hell, the bastard will pay for
this.”
I don’t
understand.
He opened his eyes and stared at something in the
distance. “Anne, go now,” his voice cracked, “because I can face anything if I
know you’re safe.”
His fingers gently cupped her chin, his touch
unleashing more heat. He lifted her face for another kiss, and then—nothing. He
was gone. She fought for control, her breathing erratic, her legs threatening
to crumble. She touched her lips, still feeling his caress, his soft breath on
her skin, but he was gone.
About the Authors:
A chance meeting at a writers' conference brought Cary Morgan Frates and
Deborah O'Neill Cordes together, two award-winning authors who connected
because of a mutual love of time travel fiction. Collaboration ensued, the
search for a pen name the first step in their working relationship. Their
maiden names provided the solution - and "Morgan O'Neill" was born.
Cary and Deborah's backgrounds are uniquely
suited to writing stories steeped in atmosphere and history: Deborah has a
Master's Degree in history and is a dedicated genealogist; Cary is a talented
linguist in French and is currently a student of Latin. They've traveled to
Europe's ancient and medieval sites many times, with Cary living on the
Continent for five years.
The Morgan O'Neill time travel novels have
received a number of literary awards, including two finalist wins in the
Booksellers' Best Awards, two semifinalist wins in the William Faulkner-William
Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, first, second, and third place wins for
the Mainstream Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category of the Golden Rose
Contest, a top ten finalist award in the Pacific Northwest Writers' Conference
Zola Awards Literary Contest, and a top ten finalist win in the Orange Rose
Contest.
Author Links:
