The Christmas Eve Letter: A Time Travel Romance
By Elyse Douglas
Publisher: Broadback
Release Date: September
12, 2016
Genre: Holiday/Time Travel
Romance
Length: 420 Pages
ISBN: 978-1537483382
ASIN: B01KJF0CWG
ASIN: B01KJF0CWG
About the book:
30-year-old
Eve Sharland is browsing a Pennsylvania antiques store when she discovers an
old brass lantern tucked away on a shelf. It attracts her.
She picks it up and sees something behind one of the sooty glass panes.
She gently lifts it and, to her surprise, she finds an unopened letter stuck
inside. The letter
is postmarked December 24, 1885, and it is addressed to Evelyn Sharland in New
York City. Eve gasps and drops the letter. That’s her name!
The letter is addressed to someone with the same name in 1885: Evelyn
Sharland.
Eve promptly
purchases the lantern and the letter, and returns to her New York City
apartment. Later that evening, she carefully opens the letter and reads
it, astounded by its contents. She stares at the lantern in wonder and
alarm, deeply moved by the story of a tragic romance.
A few days
later, following a request in the letter, Eve cautiously lights the
lantern. To her utter shock, she finds herself in the past—in 1885 New
York City. Eve is thrown into a life far beyond what she could have ever
imagined, as she gets involved with one of the richest families in New York
City, and meets the handsome Patrick Gantly. She must struggle to survive
and return to her own time, even as her destiny is changed forever.
EXCERPTAt 20th Street, Eve glanced over her shoulder and she saw him! Yes, there he was. He swiftly ducked away toward a parked carriage, where a horse was drinking from a quaint-looking water trough near the curb. Her follower snapped out a newspaper and began to read, or at least he pretended to read.Eve looked about at the trees and the lovely brownstones. Nearby was the open campus of the Theological Seminary and a home for retired nuns. In this neighborhood, she felt safe enough to approach him. She lowered her chin, fortified herself with breath, pivoted and started toward the man in the dark suit, black overcoat and bowler hat.When she was ten feet away, he lifted the newspaper higher to cover his face and shoulders. Eve advanced, nerves beating away at her.“Excuse me, sir.”He didn’t stir.“Sir, excuse me.”The paper slid down slowly, and he straightened to his full height. Eve was startled by him. He was taller than she’d expected, clearly five inches taller than she. He had vivid, intelligent blue eyes, a fine handsome face with a heavy shadow of a beard, a prominent nose, a solid, determined jaw and full lips—fantastic lips—that she had difficulty pulling her eyes away from. He had a broad chest, a muscular neck and good athletic shoulders.He stared at her as though he were about to smile, and that made him appear affable, cocky and sexy.“Are you addressing me, madam?” he asked.Eve detected an accent. Irish? He did look Irish, with his dark, curly hair sticking out from beneath his hat.Eve swallowed, stepping back a little. “Yes, I am addressing you.”He shrugged and looked resigned. “Okay, then, what can I do for you? Are you lost? Looking for a place of business or a shop?”She liked his voice. It had a sing-song baritone quality to it. It was a confident voice, a resonant, masculine voice.Eve stood there, confused now. Was this the same guy she’d seen from the back in Helen Price’s parlor?She stammered. “Well, I… Well I just thought that maybe you…” She stopped, hearing her shaky voice and suddenly feeling foolish.“Yes, madam? You thought?”Eve lifted her chin and decided to go for it. “Have you been following me?”The left corner of his mouth lifted. Was that a grin or a sneer? Eve couldn’t tell.“You are a bold woman,” he said.“Bold or not, that doesn’t answer my question.”“And a direct one. My grandfather used to say, ‘It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead the rest of your life.’”“And what does that mean?”“It means you’re not a coward, but maybe you should be sometimes. Walking up to a stranger on a public street to ask him whether he’s following you may not be the best course of action.”Eve looked deeply into his eyes. She didn’t see a threat. She saw playfulness and she saw attraction.“Is that a threat?” she asked.He met her eyes and held them. When Eve felt the power of his gaze, she was seized by a sudden and remarkable attraction. It flamed in her like a lit torch. She blinked and looked away across the street at a Coffee House with the name Zarcone’s Tea & Coffee House printed in gilded letters on the plate glass window. Beneath that was written Dealer in Coffee, Teas and Spices.“My grandmother used to say, ‘What fills the eye fills the heart,’” he said lightly.Eve put on a hard face, her eyes avoiding his. “Well, it sounds like your grandparents spent a lot of time sitting in the parlor working hard at being clever.”He laughed out loud and it surprised her. He was amused by her. Was he mocking her?“So are you following me?” she repeated, with force.His laughter faded and he folded his newspaper, leveling his eyes on her. “I should have been following you a long time ago, I think.”Eve felt the rise of heat again. It was unnerving how her impulsive attraction to this guy threw her off-balance. “Well okay, then, whoever you are,” Eve said, hearing her voice tremble, “I just want to tell you that…”He cut her off in mid-sentence. “My name is Detective Sergeant Patrick Gantly and you have friends in high places. Aren’t you the fortunate one, madam?”Eve didn’t speak. She wasn’t sure what he meant.“You’re a policeman?”“I’m a Detective Sergeant, but you don’t have to call me that. But then, why not call me that since that is what I am.”He stood watching her, completely at ease. His face was half in shadow and half in sun.“Then you are following me?”
He offered a little bow and tipped his hat. “Observing, madam. Merely observing and making sure you do not get into any harm.”
About the Author:
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the husband
and wife writing team of Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse's
mother was a painter and her father a textile consultant. Elyse began writing
poems and short stories at an early age, and graduated with a degree in English
Literature. Douglas grew up in a family of musicians, astrologers and avid
readers. His great grandfather lived to be a 134 years old, and was the oldest
man in the world when he died in 1922.
Some
of Elyse Douglas' novels include: "The Other Side of Summer,"
"The Christmas Bridge," "Wanting Rita,"
"The Christmas Diary" and "The Summer Diary."
They live in New York City.
Contact Links
Website: www.elysedouglas.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/douglaselyse
The plot is pretty interesting.
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