Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Spirit of the Knight by Debbie Peterson

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Spirit of the Knight by Debbie Peterson.  Please leave a comment or question to let Debbie know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway, where Debbie will be awarding one Art print, inspired by the novel, and signed by the artist and an ebook copy of Van Locken's Witch and Shadow of the Witte Wieven (books one and two in the Wieven series) to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You must comment to enter the giveaway.  You can also follow the rest of Debbie’s tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.

14th Century Romance and Its Appeal to Modern Women…by Debbie Peterson

I am an avid reader of historical romance. Stories penned by authors such as Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, Johanna Lindsey and Kathleen Woodiness have always ranked high on by TBR list.  Now, before we go any further, I need you to keep in mind that we are talking FICTION, which in no way resembles real life as set forth by competent historians.

Yes, I am well aware that during the medieval era, marriages were, more often than not, arranged by parents looking for the best deal...never mind the best deal might be old, overweight, and a winebibber with questionable habits and hygiene.  If you were a peasant, food and shelter were difficult to come by and a person had to scrape together a living any way that presented itself.  Most likely, romance was secondary to all of that. If you happened to be born a noble, you were married off to someone that could enhance family holdings or forge a bond between kingdoms and countries, and it didn't matter a whit if you even liked (much less loved) said future spouse. What about that hideous plague, which lurked in shadows just waiting for an opportunity to pounce upon a vast array of victims? Not at all good for the teeth, complexion, and general well-being...

Be that as it may, I am here to tell you that fictional books are not required to address any of those things.  I mean, why on earth would we focus on the negative and depressing anyway? No, instead, we focus our gaze on the beauty found in medieval settings. Pristine landscapes, grand castles, idyllic court life, and pampered ladies dressed to kill in silk, satin and lace.  We allow our imagination to soar when we envision a daring, brave, stalwart knight in armor that does not shine. Indeed, the armor of our hero would be worn, tarnished, and all banged up from the countless, up-close-and-personal battles in which he prevailed against each and every adversary.  Those battles gave him his strength and audacity.

The very strength and audacity, in fact, he uses to win the one and only woman (with beauty, strength, and virtues of her own) that could ever possibly capture our hero's heart, though many women have tried and failed. 

These are the things that have captured my attention as these medieval stories unfold, be they woven from a love-at-first-sight-just-have-to-have-him-or-her, or that incredibly-difficult-almost-impossible-to find happily-ever-after in which love prevails despite the obstacles and leaves me with a most contented sigh.

How about you? What it is that draws you to historical romance?

Spirit of the Knight

By Debbie Peterson

Publisher:  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Release date: March 25, 2014

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Historical Romance

Length: 299 Pages

ISBN:  9781628302769

ASIN:  B00J9OAMZQ

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON | B&N | iTUNES | KOBO | ARe | The Wild Rose Press

About the book:  

She fell deeply in love with him in the early days of her childhood. And in return, she captured his heart the moment he first cast his gaze upon her...

Renowned artist, Mariah Jennings hired to paint a thirteenth-century Scottish castle, gets the shock of her life when she encounters the handsome knight who has dominated a lifetime of portraits and sketchbooks.

But Sir Cailen Braithnoch is no ordinary ghost, nor did he suffer an ordinary death. Magic of the blackest kind cast a pall over the knights centuries ago. As the ghost and his lady seek to unravel the paradox surrounding his death, black arts, otherworldly forces, and a jealous rival conspire against them.

Will those forces tear them apart, or is their love destined to last throughout the ages?

Excerpt

Did he find her “bonny” then? A blush stole across her cheeks as she shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the creatures.”

“Kelpie are water horses that are uncommonly strong. Their shiny coat comes in colors of both black and white. They have a mane and tail that never dries. No matter how long they remain on dry ground, th’ hair will drip water constantly from th’ ends. Although their

skin shines like silk in th’ sun, it feels cold as stone when ye touch it no matter how warm th’ day. These ghostly horses use trickery to keep themselves hidden from your eyes or they simply transform into any normal creature, includin’ th’ shape of a comely man or woman. ’Tis in this way they lure ye to them. And, ’tis also said that once they take ye captive, they might never let ye go back to the surface.”

“That’s a very interesting story. Have you ever seen a kelpie yourself?” she asked.

Cailen chuckled as he shook his head. “Nay, I cannae, in all honesty, tell ye that I have.”

“So then you don’t really know if these ghostly creatures carry women off or not,” she challenged.

The look he gave her quite literally stole away her breath. He turned his body fully toward her then and moved closer still. His eyes bore into hers. “Nay, but th’ danger still exists of other ghostly creatures that might."

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. Stories of love and make believe filled her head for as long as she can remember. However, it was her beloved husband who encouraged, cajoled and inspired her to take up a pen and write some of them down. Her journey to published author could fill quite a few pages. However, in June of 2010, she submitted her debut novel “Spirit of the Rebellion” to her wonderful, patient, editor at The Wild Rose Press and the rest is history. She now has five published novels to her credit.

When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, Debbie spends time with the members of her very large family, within the lovely, arid deserts of southern Nevada. She also pursues her interests in family history, mythology, and all things ancient and historic.

Connect with Debbie:

Website: http://dk-peterson.com/

Blog: http://debbie-peterson.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebbiePeterson1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Debbie-Peterson-Author/214882805206529?ref=tn_tnmn

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/debpeterson1/

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