Prophecies and Promises by Alana Lorens is a Historical Fiction/Romance Event pick #historicalromance #mustread #giveaway
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  • N. N. Light
    • Mar 26
    • 5 min read

Prophecies and Promises by Alana Lorens is a Historical Fiction/Romance Event pick #historicalromance #mustread #giveaway



Title: Prophecies and Promises

 

Author:  Alana Lorens

 

Genre:  Historical romance

 

Book Blurb:  

 

Tamsyn McKiernan thinks her dreams have come true. She’s engaged to a dashing Key West bachelor and finally in her widowed father’s good graces. But in her heart, she knows something’s wrong. She loves the ocean and the quiet pleasures of nature—so what does the aristocratic life she’ll lead truly hold for her? 

 

Mercenary captain Drake Ashton is neck deep in preparations for the Spanish-American War, running guns and other supplies to Cuban natives who want out from under their Spanish masters. He and his brother Freddie risk their lives daily, focused on saving his friends on the island. Nothing else matters but his mission.

 

A chance encounter with a spiny sea urchin brings the two together, and neither of their lives will ever be the same again.

 

Excerpt:

 

As she surveyed the scene before her, the night wind and the moon sparkling on the water, Tamsyn thought she’d never been anywhere more beautiful. She walked forward to the bowsprit, until she felt like she herself was leading the ship on its journey. The wind dragged at her coiffure, so she reached up and began pulling pins out, throwing them over the side, releasing her curls to fall down around her shoulders. Once they were all out, she shook her head, combing her fingers through her hair until it hung loose. Thank you, Mrs. Winslow, but this is much more the hairstyle I prefer. The simple thought set her laughing, as heady freedom filled her being. 

 

“I like that sound.” Drake waited a few steps behind her.

 

“What sound?”

 

“Your laughter. I haven’t had much opportunity to hear it.”

 

She grinned at him. “I haven’t felt much like laughing, except when you—”

 

She fell silent, afraid to say too much. As impulsive and exciting as this adventure was, she couldn’t put from her mind the reality that she must return to the island and her life there. Her father would suffer, both financially and emotionally, if she simply disappeared. She expected as well that Thatcher would know exactly who was responsible, and he would have Drake hunted down and jailed or even executed for his “crime.” Better that she return and distract him from vengeance.

 

But for now, in this dazzling place, she could exist for the moment. Time enough to deal with consequences in a few minutes or a few hours…

 

He moved close behind her as she looked out over the water. Tentatively, he slid his arms around her in a way that felt completely natural and protective. She leaned back against his broad chest and placed her arms on top of his. They stayed like that for a time which seemed endless, breathing in the salt air and looking at the stars. It seemed like heaven.

 

This was how it should be. Not vicious pawing and coerced kisses, not threats and blandishments, but two people relaxed and comfortable with each other. She recalled her fantasy wedding and smiled at the thought of walking up the aisle to find Drake waiting there for her.

 

“Señor?” asked a young voice from behind them.

 

Drake reluctantly released her, and they found the cabin boy waiting with glasses of red wine on a tray. She took one, thanking the boy, and Drake took the other. The boy smiled at her, and she recognized the voice as her companion in the wild buggy ride to the dock. He wasn’t very old, in his teens at most. He bit his lip with embarrassment under her gaze. “Dinner?” his captain asked.

 

“It shall be prepared shortly, señor. Where shall you dine?”

 

“In my cabin, I think—”

 

Tamsyn interrupted him. “I hate to leave this sky, this moon. Could we stay right here?” She looked up at the celestial lights, trying to fix all these new sensations in her memory forever.

 

“Very well, Mateo.” Drake sent the boy on his way. To Tamsyn, he said, “I realized I kept you from your supper at the Winslows’, so I felt obligated to provide.”

 

“The least you could do.” The wine would go straight to her head soon, she knew from previous, infrequent consumption, so she must sip it slowly. One of them had to keep their wits.

 

She felt the curious eyes of the crew, some shy, others bolder in their observation. Tamsyn smiled at them all. One broad, bullish man came forward with a blanket, which he spread on the deck. Drake clapped the man on the shoulder.

 

“Good thinking, Chaney. A picnic it will be!” He gestured to Tamsyn that she should seat herself, which she did without hesitation.

 

Within a few minutes, trays of food came up from belowdecks, chicken spit broiled with crispy skins, fruits and cheeses, Bahamian bread with a thick slab of butter. The men vied for the opportunity to serve her until Drake finally dismissed them with a laugh.

 

“Cook has enough for all below. Go take your supper. We may have some business awaiting us yet tonight.”

 

The men cheered and noisily went down to eat. The skinny cabin boy remained to serve his captain. Drake saw that the boy got a plate of food, then sent him away. “A few moments alone,” he whispered conspiratorially.

 

“Just a few,” she said with a sad smile. “Then I must—”

 

Drake held up a finger, silencing her. “Not a word of that now.”

 

Tamsyn started to argue, then realized he would just cut her off again. It was right. What might happen in a minute, in an hour, would not be changed if she took the time to immerse herself in the joy and comfort of this time with Drake.

 

The food smelled so good in the fresh night air, and Drake urged her to taste everything, from sweet melons to spicy chicken. It was simple fare, but it satisfied her more than any of the expensive delicacies that had been served at the Pickhams’ buffet. Surely it is the company which has improved my appetite. Drake’s dark eyes danced in the moonlight, and he often turned to her with a smile, perhaps wanting to say something but reluctant to break the spell they seemed to be under.

 

But not yet, Mamma, not yet…Can you see me, Mamma? Tamsyn wondered silently. Can you see how happy I am?

 

Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


What makes your featured book a must-read?

 

Well, pirates. Of course.

 

But this historical is set in Key West at the turn of the 20th century, when the Spanish-American War flared, and the tiny city of Key West became a flash point dud to the proximity of Cuba, a Spanish territory. It’s not a common setting, and this author knows the Florida Keys well.  Tamsyn is a young lady of breeding, if not of wealth, so the story is definitely PG-rated. The focus is on this one young lady learning what love really means, and choosing whether to follow her duty or her heart.

 

Giveaway –

 

Enter to win a $40 Amazon gift card:

 

 

Open Internationally.

 

Runs March 21 – April 2, 2024.

 

Winner will be drawn on April 3, 2024.

 


Author Biography:

 

Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years, after working as a pizza maker, a floral designer, a journalist and a family law attorney. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. She writes romance and suspense as Alana Lorens, and sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal mystery as Lyndi Alexander. One of her novellas, THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by three crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages.

 

Social Media Links:

 

Website      http://Alana-lorens.com

Amazon Author Page

 

 

Twitter:  @AlexanderLyndi

 

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