Celtic Love Knots volume 8
'Sands of Time' & 'Turning Back Time'
  

The Celtic Love Knots short stories series continues with two new tales of erotic romance and fantasy in the Highlands of Scotland from author Michelle Houston.

Sands of Time: After being diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Nicole can feel what time she has slipping away.  Like many, she has told herself she would do the things she has always dreamed of "later".  Pressed for time, later has come: she's going to see the world.

She planned to start with Scotland, and go on from there, but once she arrives she meets a man she can't resist.  Ciarnan offers her a hope for the future she had given up on having, but it comes with a price.  For Ciarnan is not what he appears to be, and his race can't risk anyone finding out they exist.

Turning Back Time: Devastated at the news of her friend's supposed death, Julie rushes to Scotland to find some answers.  What she finds instead is Roarke.  Unwilling to let go of her search, Julie winds up finding what happened to Nicole, and finding her own chance at happiness, if she can accept that Roarke isn't human. 

Available from Whiskey Creek Press - Torrid

Excerpt     Reviews     Banners

ISBN: 9781603130264

Buy from Whisky Creek Press Torrid

Buy from Fictionwise

Buy from All Romance Ebooks

Buy from Amazon Kindle Store

Extras - Folklore Research, Culzean Castle

Try your hand at puzzles made with the cover.

Excerpt:

Sands of Time

Turning Back Time

Sands of Time

Excerpt:  Unedited

        Looking away from his steady gaze, Nicole took a deep breath, and simply enjoyed the quiet company Ciaran seemed willing to provide.  As she sat there, her hand lightly clasped in his, she found a feeling of peace gliding over her.  This country, its inhabitants, and the way she felt since she arrived, was indeed strange, but welcome.

        Beneath her, waves crashed against the cliff, trying to pound the stones into submitting to nature's cycle.  All throughout the castle, that cycle was at work, slowly chinking away at the stones, turning them to tiny grains to be blown away on the night breeze.

        For a moment, she couldn't breathe.  She was like the stones, slowly being stripped apart for her return to the Earth.

        Ciaran's grip tightened on hers, almost as if he sensed the direction of her thoughts, and she struggled to push away the knowledge that her time was slipping away from her, and simply enjoy the moment.

        "Do you believe in things beyond yourself Nicole?"  So softly spoken were his words, she at first doubted that he had said anything at all, until he turned to face her, a question hovering in his gaze.

        "If you're asking if I believe in God, I don't know."  She was curious at his topic, but willing--at least for the moment--to see where he went with it.

        A smile curved his lips, softening his rugged features and sending a dart of warmth from her breast to her core.  "I wasn't talking about a higher power, just things beyond what most take to be all there is.  This land is ripe with things beyond our understanding.  Our history is filled with tales of the Sith and other such otherworldly creatures."

        "I stopped believing in fairy tales and knights in shining armor a long time ago, Ciaran."  The oddity of their conversation should have worried her, but sitting there in the dark, in a country filled with folktales and stories of a monster in Lake Loch, it just seemed almost expected.  "But sitting here, where time seemed to have almost stopped several hundred years ago, I could almost believe in fairies playing in the forest."

        Just then a strange glint fluttered amongst the trees, then flickered out.

        "Will-o-the-wisps lass, what you're seeing there."  Nicole turned to look into his eyes, struck for the first time at the odd shape of his pupils.  They were slightly more elongated that normal.  A cool chill rushed down her spine, and a curious flitting at the back of her mind warned that things were never going to be the same again.  Shrugging it off, she reminded herself that she was dying; nothing could ever be the same again.

Turning Back Time

Excerpt:  Unedited

Julie trembled as his arms wrapped around her, holding her safe as they climbed the remaining stairs together.  The scent of sandalwood from his aftershave wafted from his skin, enveloping her in the masculine scent.

As they reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the firm soil, Julie turned in his arms, wishing to thank him.  She ended up brushing her lips against his chest as he continued forward.  Stepping back, she allowed herself to remain in the circle of his arms.

"Thank you," she whispered.  Uncertainty whirled inside her.

"You're welcome, luv."

"Julie.  My name's Julie."

"Ah.  Ceud failte, Julie.  I'm Roarke."

"Cud fault?"

"Thousand welcomes."

Looking into his blue eyes, Julie almost felt like she was drowning.  His head tipped down, and she knew before he did it that he was going to kiss her, and she couldn't summon the urge to resist.  As his lips brushed against hers, she almost swooned.

Her heart picked up its beat, her body awakened from its cocoon.  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she arched into his embrace, her body undulating against his as she struggled to get closer.  There was something almost otherworldly about him, some spark that resonated within him that proclaimed him to be of this land of wonders.

Her breasts heavy, she pressed them against his chest, her nipples pebbling against the soft material of her shirt.  His hands shifted to her ass, cupping her against him.

Instant flames raced over her skin, breeding lust within her veins.  A moan escaped, but Julie wasn't certain which one of them had made the sound.  As it resonated in the night, her eyes flared open.

She came to Scotland to find her friend, or at least to bring her friend's body home.  But instead she found a man she felt an instant connection to.  She knew Nicole would want her to pursue the spark between them, but deep inside Julie felt like she was betraying her friend by being there with him so soon after her death.

Jerking back like he had scalded her with hot water, she almost relented as his warm hands clasped her upper arms, pained surprise in his eyes. 

"I have to go.  I'm sorry Roarke." Stepping back, she held out her hand to hold him still.  "Please, I can't do this."

Pressing her hand against her lips, she turned and fled.  As she walked away, she could feel him watching her, his light eyes locked on her until she disappeared around the bend.

_____________________________________________________________

Extras:

Research

Cait Sith/Cat Sidhe/Kellas Cat

Cait Sith: A supernatural cat from the Highland region, the creature was as big as a dog and completely black apart from one white spot on its breast. Perhaps the belief is related to some of the mystery black cats that have been caught in the region. http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore/scottishfolkapp.html

Cat Sidhe or Cait Sith (pronounced caught shee) is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its breast. It was said to haunt the Scottish Highlands.  Some common folklore suggested that the Cait Sidhe was not a fairy, but a transformed witch.  The myths surrounding this creature are more common in Scottish Folklore, but a few myths originate in Irish folklore as well. This comes from the root words "Cait", which meant "Cat" in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and Sidhe, which is the word for faery folk or other otherworldly beings. It is possible that the legends of the Cait Sidhe were inspired by sightings of a rare breed of cat, known in modern times as the  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Sidhe

The Kellas Cat, referred to in Celtic mythology as Cait Sidhe, is a black feline larger than a common house cat, but much smaller than a big cat. It is named after the village in Morayshire where it was first found in 1984, when a gamekeeper named Ronnie D ouglas shot and killed one. Before then they were usually thought of as mythological, the few sightings dismissed as hoaxes. The Kellas cat is described as being over 25 inches long, with powerful and long hind legs and a 12-inch tail, though some claim the tail is shorter.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellas_Cat

Selkies

Selkies: Seal spirits who could take human form on land. They often intermarried with mortals.  http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore/scottishfolkapp.html

Selkies (also known as silkies or selchies) are mythological creatures in Irish, Icelandic, and Scottish mythology that can transform themselves from seals to humans, where "selkie" is simply the Orcadian word for "seal". The legend apparently originated on the Orkney IslandsSelkies are able to transform to human form by shedding their seal skins and can revert to seal form by putting their selkie skin back on.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkies

Culzean Castle

Culzean Castle : Like a storybook castle, this fantastic example of Robert Adam's genius stands dramatically on a cliff with superb views across the sea to the mountains of the Island of Arran .
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/culzean/index.html

http://www.celticcastles.com/find_scottish.asp

_____________________________________________________________

Celtic Love Knots 8 contains two separate but related stories about two women friends that find their fated mates in Scotland. In Sands of Time, Nicole discovers she is dying of cancer and decides to travel to exotic locales for the time she has left, starting in Scotland. Turning Back Time is the story of Nicole’s best friend, Julie, who follows her to Scotland and embarks on her own journey.

I enjoyed the way Ms. Houston illustrated Nicole’s feelings of liberation. She had a little apprehension, but when presented with a really hot guy and an opportunity, she went for it — she’s dying, right, so why not? It’s difficult to develop rich characters in a short story, but the friendship between the women was heartwarming.

In both stories, the interaction within the male/female relationships could have been deeper, but the paranormal aspects of the storyline supported the quick connections between them so it didn’t distract from enjoying the adventures.

Other than removing their clothing, which was a little uncomfortable, the sex scenes were pretty steamy. Both stories were well written and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys paranormals.

CELTIC LOVE KNOTS VOL 8: 
SANDS OF TIME & TURNING BACK TIME
MICHELLE HOUSTON
Torrid Romance Paranormal
Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
Sensuality Rating - Sensual
ISBN# 978-1-60313-026-4
76 Pages
$3.99
eBook - Available Now  
Rating: 5 Enchantments

This website is Copyright 1998 - 2008 and maintained by Michelle Houston and protected by Infiniti Studios.           All rights reserved.       For technical problems, email Michelle.