.99 Sale #Ghostly #Christmas #Romance Somewhere the Bells Ring

About Somewhere the Bells Ring: The old Virginia homeplace where my father was born and raised, and I grew up visiting over the holidays, has inspired more than one story I’ve written. I spent some wonderfully memorable Christmas’s in that beautiful home (circa 1816) but the ones I’m most sentimental about were in the late 1960’s. Drawn to that era, I set my Christmas romance, Somewhere the Bells Ring, in 1968 during the tumultuous age of hippies, Vietnam, and some of the best darn rock music ever written.  

Not only did that nostalgic time period beckon to me but also an earlier one, 1918 and the end of World War One. Not in the way of battle scenes, but in the form of a wounded soldier recently returned from war-weary France who lives in the house. Having a Marine Corps Captain grandfather who distinguished himself during the thick of the fighting in France during The Great War, and then tragically died when my father was only three, definitely influenced this story-dedicated to the grandfather I never knew, but grieved all the same. 

But the biggest influence was the poignant dream I had years ago about a young woman visiting this house during the Christmas holidays and the mysterious gentleman she met. That dream nagged at me every Christmas until I finally wrote their story.  If you enjoy an intriguing mystery with Gothic overtones and heart-tugging romance set in vintage America then Somewhere the Bells Ring is for you.

Blurb:

Caught with pot in her dorm room, Bailey Randolph is exiled to a relative’s ancestral home in Virginia to straighten herself out. Banishment to Maple Hill is dismal, until a ghost appears requesting her help. Bailey is frightened but intrigued. Then her girlhood crush, Eric Burke, arrives and suddenly Maple Hill isn’t so bad.

To Eric, wounded in Vietnam, his military career shattered, this homecoming feels no less like exile. But when he finds Bailey at Maple Hill, her fairy-like beauty gives him reason to hope–until she tells him about the ghost haunting the house. Then he wonders if her one experiment with pot has made her crazy.

As Bailey and Eric draw closer, he agrees to help her find a long-forgotten Christmas gift the ghost wants. But will the magic of Christmas be enough to make Eric believe–in Bailey and the ghost–before the Christmas bells ring?

***Available in Kindle and Nook for .99 thru 8-05-2017

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006530S2Q

Historical Fantasy Romance, The Bearwalker’s Daughter, Only .99 Thru May 18th

Normally 2.99, The Bearwalker’s Daughter is on sale for .99 in KINDLE!

A Handsome frontiersman, Mysterious Scots-Irish Woman, Bearwalking Shawnee Warrior, Dark Secret, Pulsing Romance…The Bearwalker’s Daughter 

The strange awareness inside Karin grew, like a summons urging her to an untamed place. His gaze drew her almost against her will. She leaned toward him.

“Someone seeks you, Shequenor’s dahnaithah.”

The message rippled through her. And she knew—his was the inviting summons in the wind.~

Karin McNeal hasn’t grasped who she really is or her fierce birthright. A tragic secret from the past haunts the young Scots-Irish woman longing to learn more of her mother’s death and the mysterious father no one will name. The elusive voices she hears in the wind hint at the dramatic changes soon to unfold in the mist-shrouded Alleghenies in Autumn, 1784.

Jack McCray, the wounded stranger who staggers through the door on the eve of her twentieth birthday and anniversary of her mother’s death, holds the key to unlock the past. Will Karin let this handsome frontiersman lead her to the truth and into his arms, or seek the shelter of her fiercely possessive kinsmen? Is it only her imagination or does someone, or something, wait beyond the brooding ridges—for her?

***The Bearwalker’s Daughter is Book I in my Native American Warrior Series. The novel has 69 customer reviews and 4.4 stars at Amazon. 

“Ms. Trissel’s alluring style of writing invites the reader into a world of fantasy and makes it so believable it is spellbinding.” ~Long and Short Reviews

***Cover by my talented daughter Elise

New Release–Time Travel Romance Somewhere in the Highlands!

After a lot of scheming, dreaming, writing, and revising, the long-awaited sequel to my time travel romance, Somewhere My Lass, is out. Yes, there will be another story to continue this saga. Don’t ask me when, but plotting is underway.

About Somewhere in the Highlands: Will the brilliant geek Fergus and lovely but devious Beezus thwart a power mad time traveler wielding a supernatural relic before he kills Fergus’s Highland ancestor?

Blurb:  The MacDonalds are coming! When Elizabeth MacDonald (a.k.a Beezus Mac) thrusts a sealed gold box at Angus Fergus amid panicked requests for him to hide the stolen artifact, she has no idea the ancient cloth it contains bestows unearthly powers.

Red MacDonald knows and he’s hell-bent on traveling 400 years into the future to claim the charmed relic, even kill for it. Protecting Beezus from his old nemesis is only one of Fergus’s problems.

Before they can stop him, Morley MacDonald, descendant of Red MacDonald, snatches the prize and leaps through the time portal to head the MacDonald clan and kill Fergus’s MacKenzie ancestor. If he succeeds, Fergus will cease to exist. Danger grows in the feud between the MacDonalds and the MacKenzies as the pair, along with an ingenious friend and high tech inventions, returns to 1604 Scotland to face these brawny Highlanders and reunite with kin. Will Fergus overcome his mistrust of Beezus and fan the growing spark between them before they battle Morley? If he waits, it may be too late.~

Story Excerpt

Fergus turned to dive after Hal’s hazy form.

No time to glance at his watch. It had been a mad scramble since they first charged through the portal, but five minutes must’ve passed by now. That truck needed to blow!

A loud boom and bright light answered his prayer.

“Fire in the hole!” Fergus shot down to the hard-packed earth and stone below.

Hal grabbed him, breaking his fall. “Always wanted to shout that, didn’t you?”

“Yep.” Fergus swept his gaze over the faces faintly illuminated by the glow from above. “You guys OK?”

“A relative term,” Hal grunted. “But tolerable.”

Beezus gave a short nod.

“This place is just as charming as I remember. No wider,” Fergus noted.

“Real cozy,” Hal said under his breath.

“Dug by dwarves, I expect. You may need to crouch down as we go along.”

“Counting on it.” Hal again. Beezus was sucking in deep gulps of air.

Fergus fished in a pocket for the LED flashlight and flipped it to green. That hue made everyone appear garish, but would show up less in the gloom. Beezus looked scared spitless, and with good reason. Morley might as well have painted a big red X on her. She was ‘it.’ But Fergus would die before he’d let Morley take her. The problem was, he might not still be here to stop him.

No room to ponder that challenge now. The clicking that emanated from Hal told Fergus his quick-witted friend had retrieved his ultrasonic device to better navigate their way. He’d better think fast too.

“Here, Beezus.” Fergus pressed the flashlight into her trembling fingers. “We can’t risk you bringing up the rear in case we’re pursued and you’re snatched again. Shine this ahead and follow the tunnel. Hal will go next and me last. And don’t look too closely at your surroundings.” He remembered his last trek through this tunnel with rats scattering across their feet, not to mention spiders and pushing through cobwebs. Wishing he could take her into his arms, Fergus laid a hand on her shoulder. “We’re right behind you. And if all goes as planned, Niall waits ahead.”

She lifted a quivering chin, resolve in her eyes. “Watch your back.” Snatching up trailing skirts with one hand, she directed the light with the other.

Angry voices sounded overhead.

Fergus snapped, “For God’s sake, don’t they ever give up?”

“That would be a negative, Captain,” Hal said gruffly.

He tailed Beezus and Fergus brought up the rear. At least the really big men couldn’t get through this narrow pass. That still left a considerable foe. Of course, Fergus had smoke bombs inside his coat to toss over his shoulder. And he did. Luckily the breeze was in his favor.

Coughs and curses carried from behind, then a man with a strong Scottish burr roared, “After them, lads!”

 The Somewhere in Time Series; where the past meets the present. ***Somewhere in the Highlands is available in kindle at Amazon.

Sweet Saturday Snippet from Historical Romance Novel The Bearwalker’s Daughter–Beth Trissel

Autumn, 1784, the Allegheny Mountains of Western Virginia

From Chapter Five

A dark weight from the past overshadowed the present. What did Jack know that he wasn’t saying? The mutterings in the wind were more insistent than ever, summoning Karin, though she didn’t know where.

Oh, let the voices scream away. They told her nothing more than anyone else had.

Knees sore, dispirited, she reached the other side of the room, no further ahead than before. Jack still stood at the wall, running his hands along the logs, probing each chink. “I’ve crawled over every inch,” she said. Straightening wearily, she sank down onto the bedstead. The straw ticking in the thin mattress supported her as she flopped onto her back and stared up at the darkened beams overhead. “The secrets of the past are well guarded.”

“Or hidden beneath you.”

She glanced around. He’d turned toward her, his partly shadowed features seeming perfectly sincere. “How so?”

“Your mother spent her final hours where you lie now.”

“And hid the necklace in the ticking? Impossible. Neeley replaced the straw. She would have seen it.”

“Not if it were hidden below that.”

“A lattice of hemp rope supports the mattress. You think it’s tucked inside?”

‘“Maybe.”

Skeptical, she pushed up on her elbows to watch him stride across the room and kneel by the bedstead. She rolled onto her side on the musty blue coverlet as he bent over and looked under the bed. Flattened onto his stomach, he scooted partway beneath the frame.

Curious despite herself, she asked, “See anything?”

“Not yet.” He disappeared further beneath the bed. “Nothing up in the crisscross of hemp.”

As she thought.  Her spirits dipped.

“Wait.” A note of excitement rose in his voice. “There’s something in the wall.”

A thrill darted through her. “What?”

“The light’s poor, but I spy a knothole. I’ll see if it’s loose.” A scrabbling sound ensued, likely him trying to work the knot from the wood. She strained to hear.

“I’ve got it out, but my hand’s too large to reach inside. There’s an opening there, though.” He scooted back out, his hair draped with cobwebs. “Your hand’s smaller.  See what you can do.” He brushed at his hair.

Heart in her throat, she slid off the bed and squatted beside him on bruised knees. Bending over, she poked her head under the mattress and stared at the wall. The circular hole was just discernible in the logs, and the knot he’d loosened lay on the floor beside it. With a rush of anticipation and just as much trepidation, she crawled under the bed. Squirming closer, she blew a dusty web from her nose.

How a woman swollen with child had managed this was beyond Karin. Maybe in her determination not to be robbed of the treasure, Mary McNeal had found a way. Hoping not to encounter nesting mice inside, or worse, Karin pushed her hand into the black space. Unbelievably, she closed her fingers around a smooth object, prickly in places, and ice cold.

Gulping, she glanced back at Jack. “I’ve found something.”~

***The Bearwalker’s Daughter is available in Amazon Kindle for .99

***To visit more authors participating in Sweet Saturday Samples Click HERE!

*Royalty free images

Historical Romance Into the Lion’s Heart On Super S*A*L*E–Beth Trissel

I’m best known for my Native American themed historicals and time travels, but am even more versatile than that. My often overlooked historical romance Into the Lion’s Heart is set in Georgian England (1789) at the explosion of the French Revolution.

This  novella took as much research as a full novel and I labored long and hard over it. The story kicked off the historical romance line by The Wild Rose Press called Love Letters. The idea behind the line is that a letter is responsible for bringing the hero and heroine together. Amazing how many ways this can happen. And, of course, I’m rather taken with my particular twist.

The connection I feel to the past and those who’ve gone before me, especially after doing a lot of research into family genealogy, are the ongoing inspiration behind my work. I come from a lot of well documented English, Scots, and Scots-Irish people, with a smidgen of French in the meld–a Norman knight who sailed with William the Conqueror on the Rowland side. One line of the family goes directly back to Geoffrey Chaucer, all fascinating and compelling to me. In my first English historical, I more deeply explored my British ancestry.

Story Blurb:

Will the English captain save a woman the French Revolution would devour when he knows the truth?

As the French Revolution rages, the English nobility offer sanctuary to many a refugee. Captain Dalton Evans arrives in Dover to meet a distant cousin, expecting to see a spoiled aristocrat. Instead, he’s conquered by the simplicity of his new charge. And his best friend Thomas Archer isn’t immune to her artless charm, either.

Cecile Beaumont didn’t choose to travel across the Channel. And she certainly didn’t expect that impersonating her own mistress would introduce her to a most mesmerizing man. Now she must play out the masquerade, or risk life, freedom – and her heart.

2012 Reader’s Favorite Finalist
“This is a brilliant historical romance by Beth Trissel. You can feel her passion in the story, very well written and characters that you can feel. Into the Lion’s Heart will take you through a journey of love, and enough surprises to keep you hanging on. If you love a beautiful historical romance you will enjoy this story!” Rating: 5 out of 5 stars  Reviewer: Wanda for Romance Writers Reviews

“Into The Lions Heart is a historical romance novelette that is sure to delight the fancy of those who read this genre… If you have never read any of Beth Trissel’s books, this will be a great start and make you want to read more. I have always liked her style of writing and hope she does not change.” Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Lynn F. for Readers Favorite

“I simply adored INTO THE LION’S HEART by Beth Trissel. I’m not an avid reader of historical romances or even the simply sweet romances, but this tale kissed a delicate smile on my face and I have to admit, my heart melted. Not only was the writing superb and in context with the time and place, but the plot itself was very well done.” Five out of five stars and a Top Pick from The Romance Reviews, Reviewed by Erinne 

***For a limited time, Into the Lion’s Heart is reduced to .99 in Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nookbook, The Wild Rose Press, and other online booksellers.

Sweet Saturday Snippet from Historical Romance Novel The Bearwalker’s Daughter–Beth Trissel

Excerpt From Chapter Five:

Autumn, 1784, the Allegheny Mountains of Western Virginia, the former McNeal homestead, a log cabin

Jack slowly withdrew his palm from Karin’s lips. Why did his light touch feel so right, his low voice stirring to her shivery center?  She was as heady as if she’d finished off that flask he’d pocketed. Maybe the fiery brew had affected her more than she realized?

No. These sensations went far beyond a few swallows of whiskey. Tumultuous cannons fired inside, tumbling her into an uncertain world of red moons and shooting stars, her universe exploding. And there was no one to hold onto, except him. She almost grabbed his hand, and thought better of it.

What, then? What should she do?

In stillness, she kept her eyes fastened on his, colored the hue of the woods in summer. She couldn’t look away. Then a quavery sigh escaped her. “Oh, Jack.”

Tenderness washed over his face. “Let me guide you.”

“I suppose I must.”

A smile lifted the corners of his masculine, deeply sensual, mouth. “Let’s begin with your mother. What else have you been told of her that might be of use? Let your mind journey back and the past flow through you.”

Rain drummed on the roof and wood sizzled in the hearth as Karin ferreted out every scrap she’d ever heard, weighing some, discarding others. Then a memory returned like the whiff of a nosegay long since forgotten. It might mean something.

“Neeley once said Mama sat curled by the fire much of the time in those last days, staring into the flames as if she saw something.”

Jack eyed the glowing hearth. “Not something. Someone.”

His insight took Karin aback. “You mean him?”

“Probably.”

She gestured at the bed built against the wall, its high back lovingly carved by her grandfather. “Neeley only just told me Mama died there where I was born.”

“That’s why the bed was left behind when they moved,” he said quietly.

She bit her lower lip. “I didn’t realize.”

“You were a child then. How could you?”

A red haze flashed through Karin like sparks set to dry leaves. “Someone might have told me sooner.”

He looked bemused. “What good would that have done?”

“I would know. And knowing matters.”

Jack held up his hands. “So, now you do.”

Crossing both arms over her chest, she said, “Of this I’m certain, Mama was kind and beautiful. Whatever she died of, ’twas a broken heart. Papa should have come to her, whoever he was. I would tell him so to his face if I could.”

“Whew.” Jack drew back as if at a sudden wind. “You’re not such a milksop after all.”

His exaggeration lessened Karin’s ire only slightly. “Well, it makes my blood boil. Why did he leave her to grieve herself to death?”

“If you want answers, begin by finding that necklace.”

She blew out her breath in frustration. “Neeley says she cleaned this cabin from top to bottom and never found anything out of the ordinary.”

“Maybe she wasn’t meant to.”

Karin sat up straight. “You think maybe I am?”~

***The Bearwalker’s Daughter is available in Amazon Kindle for .99

***To visit more authors participating in Sweet Saturday Samples Click HERE!

*Royalty free images

For a Limited Time, Historical Romance Novel Kira, Daughter of the Moon is Reduced–Beth Trissel

Normally $5.99, for the next week, Historical Romance Novel Kira, Daughter of the Moon is on sale for .99 In Amazon Kindle  And Nookbook.

Can a beautiful Scots-Irish healer suspected of witchcraft and a renegade white warrior find love together and avoid the hangman’s noose in the colonial frontier?  If you read and enjoyed Through the Fire and want to know what happened next, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is the sequel.

“This is one page turner you might read in record speed. Except when you get near the end. If it’s read slower the story will last longer. That’s when it’s time to savor the story for a while and when the story is really good it almost seems a shame to begin another book with the memory of the current book still fresh in your mind.” ~Martha Decker for Examiner.com

Story Description:

With the terror of the French and Indian War fresh in her mind, can Kira love a white warrior?

Logan McCutcheon returns to colonial Virginia after seven years in the hands of Shawnee Indians. But was he really a captive, as everybody thinks? He looks and fights like a warrior, and seems eager to return to those he calls friends and family.

Kira McClure has waited for Logan all those years, passing herself off as odd to keep suitors at bay–and anyone else from getting too close. Now that he’s back, he seems to be the only person capable of protecting her from the advances of Josiah Campbell and accusations of witchcraft. And to defend the settlers against a well-organized band of murderous thieves.~

Set among the superstitious Scots in the rugged Alleghenies, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is an adventurous romance with a blend of Celtic and Native American flavors, and is Book Four in my Native American Warrior series.

The series loosely ties together based more on time and place and strong Native American characters than as a traditional series that follows the storyline, except for Kira, Daughter of the Moon and Through the Fire. In addition to Native Americans, hardy Scots-Irish frontiersmen and women, colonial Englishmen and ladies, and even a few Frenchmen also play an important role in this series. So far, it spans the gamut from the dramatic era of the French and Indian War, through Pontiac’s War, The American Revolution and shortly thereafter. But that time period may broaden as more stories are added to this line, and there will be more sequels.

Lovely Review for Ghostly Christmas Romance Somewhere the Bells Ring at the Wordsmith Journal–Beth Trissel

“I really enjoyed this, because it was an eclectic mix between family angst, history and a century long haunting.  It may seem implausible to some, but Beth Trissel is very adept at weaving all of these elements into a tale that will tug on your heartstrings.  I was able to release a very satisfied sigh when I reached the end of the story, and found myself longing for the fulfillment of some of my own dreams!

This is a very good story, and one I am happy to recommend!”

~Reviewed by Kim Ford

For the complete review visit: The Wordsmith Journal

***Somewhere the Bells Ring is only .99 in Kindle for December!

Historical/Paranormal Romance Novel, The Bearwalker’s Daughter–Beth Trissel

A Handsome frontiersman, Mysterious Scots-Irish Woman, Bearwalking Shawnee Warrior, Dark Secret, Pulsing Romance…The Bearwalker’s Daughter 

The strange awareness inside Karin grew, like a summons urging her to an untamed place. His gaze drew her almost against her will. She leaned toward him.

“Someone seeks you, Shequenor’s dahnaithah.”

The message rippled through her. And she knew—his was the inviting summons in the wind.~

Karin McNeal hasn’t grasped who she really is or her fierce birthright. A tragic secret from the past haunts the young Scots-Irish woman longing to learn more of her mother’s death and the mysterious father no one will name. The elusive voices she hears in the wind hint at the dramatic changes soon to unfold in the mist-shrouded Alleghenies in Autumn, 1784.

Jack McCray, the wounded stranger who staggers through the door on the eve of her twentieth birthday and anniversary of her mother’s death, holds the key to unlock the past. Will Karin let this handsome frontiersman lead her to the truth and into his arms, or seek the shelter of her fiercely possessive kinsmen? Is it only her imagination or does someone, or something, wait beyond the brooding ridges—for her?

***The Bearwalker’s Daughter is Book I in my Native American Warrior Series

Only .99 in KINDLE!

Cover by my talented daughter Elise!

Sweet Saturday Snippet from Ghostly Romance Somewhere My Love–Beth Trissel

Ghostly Time Travel Mystery Romance Novel –Cover by Elise Trissel

Lord, give him air. Julia had engulfed him in an irresistible tide. Her mouth…he must stop eyeing her enticing mouth. “Let’s see the gardens now.”

Like a soldier on drill, Will turned and walked swiftly out of the hall and into the passage that led to the front of the house. Julia practically had to sprint to keep pace with his ground-covering stride. The gentleman in him took over on autopilot and he stopped in the worn flagstone foyer before the paneled entrance.

He pushed open the white door embellished by the carving of colonial craftsmen and beckoned to her. “After you.”

“Thank you.”  She walked across the threshold and onto the circular brick porch ringed with an iron railing.

The breeze had picked up with the approach of evening and lifted lengths of her long hair. Her already short skirt danced in the wind. The green-gold light spilled through the trees overhead and down across her blowing mane. His artist’s eye took in the glossy sheen of red, copper, and ginger reflecting the rays. As if this weren’t torment enough, Will glimpsed even more of her shapely legs, almost to her thighs with one gust.

Julia pushed the fabric back down, seemingly too absorbed in her surroundings even to notice.  “Just smell that,” she sighed, inhaling deeply.

The warm scent from an avenue of ancient hedges filled the mild air. “Yes.  I love the scent of Old English boxwood,” he said.

She flung her arms wide at the green expanse, knotted with herb gardens, and stretching down to the gently lapping river. “Magnificent!”

Will felt weak and emboldened in one, as if he wanted to lunge with a sword and stagger from a punishing blow.

An inner voice whispered, Julia’s back.

What did that have to do with him, he argued.

Everything.~

Fated lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it’s too late?

***Paranormal Time Travel  Romance Novel Somewhere My Love is available in Kindle for .99

***To visit more authors participating in Sweet Saturday Samples Click HERE!