Title: Time and Again
Author: Nancy Fraser
Genre: Paranormal/Time Travel/Contemporary
Book Blurb:
When reporter, Kate Brogan, and her ex-husband vice cop, Matthew Kelly, both end up investigating local psychic Olga Limas, Kate realizes the fluff piece of journalism she'd anticipated might just turn into something more.
Out to debunk the woman's claim of being able to guide seance participants into the future, both hers and Matt's skepticism is put to the test when they find themselves transported to 2065.
Certain the only one they can truly trust is each other, they form an alliance that quickly stirs more intimate and loving memories. Just as they are about to be shown the way home, a presidential assassination puts their lives, and their chances for a "happily ever after," in jeopardy.
Excerpt:
PROLOGUE
Manhattan, Three Years Earlier
The sterile white walls of Lenox Hill hospital closed in on Matt; the antiseptic odor of the ICU filled his head, unsettling his stomach. Suspended somewhere between wishful thinking and reality, he watched through tear-clouded eyes while Kate fought tenaciously for her life. For the past thirty-six hours he’d stood at the foot of her bed, helpless to do anything but pray.
He blamed himself. If he’d been with Kate, if he’d kept their lunch date, she wouldn’t be here now, tethered to enough damned machines to power the entire Upper East Side. He wouldn’t be here, like this, praying for Kate’s life and mourning all they’d already lost.
But no, not him. He’d called her at the last minute with an excuse: an extra shift…a chance to possibly catch the bad guys in the act. For the sake of making the city a little safer, he’d nearly sacrificed the one person he loved most. When he’d called, he’d expected her to rant and rave, to remind him of all the other lunches they’d missed, of the burnt roasts and canceled plans. Yet, she hadn’t. She’d not argued at all. She’d just accepted.
Matt closed his eyes and silently recited the promises he’d made over and over again in the last day and a half; asked for the umpteenth time for the chance to make things better between him and Kate. For a chance—
“Hey, bro, how you holding up?”
The sound of Jim’s voice wrapped around Matt like a welcome security blanket.
“Just like Kate, I’m hanging on.” His gaze fell to the chart in his brother’s hands. “You’ve got the lab reports?”
“Not yet. They should be coming up any minute.”
“What can you tell me now?”
“Not much, other than what we already know. No sign of outward trauma. No indication of prior illness.” Methodically, Jim tapped his finger against her chart, emphasizing each point. “For all intents and purposes,” he continued, “Kate’s as healthy as a horse.”
“Then why is she lying there just two breaths short of death?”
Jim laid a hand on Matt’s shoulder and squeezed, offering without words his love and strength. “She’s making progress and her condition’s been upgraded from critical to serious. You know Kate, she’s not—”
“Excuse me, Dr. Kelly,” the nurse interrupted. “I’ve got the lab results.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking the papers from the nurse’s hand.
“Well?” Matt demanded, barely giving him time to scan the results.
With a dismissive wave of his hand and a faint lifting of his eyebrows, Jim flipped over the first page and went on to the second. Rushing him, Matt realized, would be futile. Thorough to the bone, Jim analyzed everything to the extreme.
“Well?” He repeated, silently hating the very traits that made Jim an excellent physician.
In a habitual gesture, Jim removed his glasses and tucked them into the breast pocket of his lab coat. “According to the blood tests, Kate has ingested a large quantity of a drug similar to UG-32.”
“UG-32?”
“It’s a drug given to rape victims within the first twenty-four hours to abort a possible pregnancy.”
“That can’t be,” Matt denied. “You said ‘similar to’, but not exactly, right? I mean, it could be some other drug.”
“It has all the properties of UG-32, plus some additional chemical makeup with which I’m unfamiliar. The secondary compounds in this drug don’t exist, at least not to the collective knowledge of anyone here at Lenox Hill.”
“So, what you’re saying is, there’s a crackpot out there somewhere making designer drugs with untried chemicals.”
Jim nodded, and Matt asked, “But why? If this UG-32 does the same thing, why would there be a need for a black market substitute?”
“Availability most likely. UG-32 is a controlled substance and requires a prescription.”
“How’d Kate get it?”
“You sound as if you think she took it on purpose.”
Matt shook his head. Vehemently, he said, “No, not Kate. Someone gave it to her. They slipped it into her food or, maybe, into her water.”
“But who?” Jim asked. “Who’s she ticked off lately—other than you, that is?”
“Knowing Kate, it must have been someone important. Damnedest thing is, she promised to slow down. Maybe even quit entirely within the next month. Now, it’s too late.”
“Kate’ll never quit,” Jim told him. “She’s too competitive. Without a story to chase, Kate wouldn’t be the same woman you fell in love with and married.”
Matt sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger in an effort to dispel his headache. “Do me a favor, Jimbo, and keep an eye on her. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“No problem, bro. Where are you going?” Before he could answer, Jim added, “Hopefully home to get some much needed rest.”
“Down to the station. Something’s not right here. I can feel it. Smell it. I want names and dates. I’ve been standing here for the past two days making myself a mental list of Kate’s last few investigations and of anyone who’d have a reason to do this.”
“And, what’ve you come up with?”
“Nothing, unfortunately. That’s why I want to check in with the department.”
“Stay calm, Matt,” Jim reminded him. “This one’s personal.”
“You’re damned right it is. Someone out there drugged my wife.” Pausing only a moment, he added bitterly, “and murdered our baby.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Nancy_Fraser_Time_And_Again?id=lnyMCwAAQBAJ
The Wild Rose Press: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/books/time-and-again
November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?
I’m thankful for family, for friends, for my health and for my ability to entertain readers with my books. Like my family and friends, I hold my characters close to my heart. I form attachments to what they are and what they can become.
Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?
Time and Again is a great mix of suspense, fantasy, and rebirth of a lost love. I gives the reader faith that anything is possible and even mistakes can be overcome when love is at stake.
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Author Biography:
Award-winning author Nancy Fraser has been writing since the early 1990s. Published since 1996, she writes in multiple romance genres. From sweet 1960’s vintage romance, to paranormal/time travel, to sizzling erotic romance, she never knows where her muse will take her.
When she’s not writing (which is almost never), Nancy loves to travel with Las Vegas being her favored destination. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.nancyfraser.ca
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor @nfraserauthor
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