Released Date: 10/2014
Summary from Goodreads:
This is the
complete Steampunk Fantasy novel - all four parts of the serial in one volume!
Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
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EXCERPT
EXCERPT
Two sets
of footsteps clipped across on the cobblestone. Before they rounded the bend to
the stable door, Raven’s fingers twitched over her knife. When she saw Gorman
and the younger baron, she relaxed and continued attaching her weapons.
“Can I
trust you?” Baron Darius’s voice rose hesitantly as he approached.
She
smiled. “I’ve saved your life once and promise to do it as many times as
necessary.”
“Why?”
“It’s the
reaper’s way. A life for a life.”
“How many
have you killed?”
Raven
clinched her jaw. “Too many.” Her gaze met the butler’s. “Will he have his own
horse?”
“No. The
young master’s condition makes him subject to untimely fits. He would be in
danger of falling.” His ice blue eyes held a fire unmatched by his frozen
features.
“Right. I
expected as much.” She placed her boot in the stirrup and mounted. “Hand him to
me then.
The butler
lifted him to the front of her saddle. She knew it would be an uncomfortable
place to ride for a long period of time, but he’d only have to make it to
Gregory’s house. On a horse, it should only be about four hours if they took it
slow, less than three if needed.
A horn
sounded, and the butler paled. “It’s him. The duke approaches.”
“Father is
early.” The boy sounded happy but tentative.
Gorman
gripped the horse’s rein and turned it toward the other stable exit. “We must
leave by the north gate. The duke approaches from the south. You may have as
much as an hour’s head start before he commands a pursuit.”
Raven
swallowed hard. “That’s not enough time.”
“Follow
me.” He released the rein and jogged forward.
The horse
trotted in response. Even in the jarring up and down motion of the trot, the
young baron remained silent. He gripped the chestnut mare’s mane with both
hands. His knuckles glowed white under the lamps. Raven pulled gently on the
reins to slow the horse to a more tolerable speed but followed the butler
closely.
“Guards!”
Gorman reached the gates, speaking in breathless tones. “Baron Solomon orders
passage for this woman and the young baron.”
Raven
recognized Grant’s red band before he turned around. He narrowed his eyes at
her and barked the order to open the gate. Before she could urge her horse
forward, Grant gripped the bridle by the cheek piece. He called back toward the
butler, “Will she need guard?”
“That will
not be necessary. She is capable of caring for the young baron on his errand.”
Even in
the half-light, Raven could see the guard’s jaw tighten and nostrils flare in
indecision. “Baron Solomon trusts this woman?”
The butler
frowned and stiffened in disapproval. Still he answered softly, “Yes, with his
brother’s life.”
About the Author
In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.
Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary is scheduled for release September 30, 2013, and has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.
One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.
Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.
Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary is scheduled for release September 30, 2013, and has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.
One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.
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