[center]Secrets of the Dead
Romance
Author: Shiela Stewart www.shielasbooks.ca
Publisher: Linden Bay Romance www.lindenbayromance.com
Available in EBook and in Print
Blurb:
Jessica Coltrane is a die-hard skeptic who believes that ghosts and paranormal activity are nothing more than a figment of some poor fool’s over active imagination—until she finds herself locked inside a house with the enigmatic paranormal investigator C.J. Dowling, that is.
C.J., born with the ability to see and speak to the dead, thought this would be a job like many others. Calm and self-assured, he knows his business. After all, he’s been listening to the Secrets of the Dead since he was three. He’s prepared for anything—except the smart and sexy Jessica.
Working together in close quarters, C.J. and Jessica find it’s all too easy to get under one another’s skin during the day. As darkness falls and the tension between them mounts, a spark is ignited. Fueled by passion they give into their desires…only C.J. and Jessica aren’t alone.
As the light dawns the couple discovers they’re trapped. Trapped with the ghost of a child long forgotten, an amorous entity that is threatening Jessica, and a powder keg of a spine-tingling mystery that might just be better left buried.
Excerpt
“Wake up.”
“I’m awake. Ouch.” He turned his head to her, the frown on his lips turning to a smile. “Morning.” The disarray of the room caught his attention. “Holy hell.” He bolted upright and jumped to his feet. “Oh my God.”
“What?” Had that been a smile on his lips? Carefully she sat up; minding the spinning room, and turned in the direction he was looking. “What the hell?”
Before them, the room was a complete mess. The sofa stood on its end, both chairs slammed up right against it, all pushed against the window. The coffee and end tables stood one on top of the other, in front of the fireplace..
C.J. could only stare in wonder at the display before him.
Carefully, Jessie stood up, waiting out the dizziness and had a better look. She had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. “How…”
“I need to check my equipment.” He flew off, still nude and not realizing it. This was incredible, he had never, never, in all the years since he had started recording paranormal activity, seen anything like this before in his life.
Searching for her clothes, Jessie finally found them off in the corner by the fireplace. Grabbing her shirt, seeing the straps torn and split down the middle, she opted for C.J.’s shirt instead.
“This is incredible. The meters went off the scale. The temperature recorded several degrees below freezing at one point. It didn’t last long though as it rose exponentially. And we slept through it all.”
“You’re naked you know?”
“What?” His face was glued to the readouts. It had actually all been recorded; he had proof that ghosts did exist and he would be in all the books. It was phenomenal.
“You’re naked.” She tossed his jeans at him, hitting him square in the face.
Unaffected by it, he grabbed the jeans and slipped into them, his eyes never leaving the data before him. “The cameras.” He rushed to the video equipment as he did up his pants. “Do you know what this means?”
“That you were a busy boy last night.”
His eyes lifted to her, confused. “Beg pardon?”
“I don’t know how you managed it all alone, but I give you credit for a job well done.”
Straightening his back, C.J. angled his head at her. “You think I did all of this?”
“No, I know you did all of this. Boy, you’ll do anything to make me a believer.”
Angry now, C.J. let his calm demeanor slide as the darker side of him slipped out. “You think I did all of this just to make you believe there are other forces around us aside from ourselves?”
His voice sounded incredibly deep and just more than a little dangerous. “Well…yeah.”
“Fine.” Walking to her, he grabbed her arm and led her to the camera.
“Let go of me.”
“Not until you see this.” Taking her by the shoulders, he turned her to face the monitor attached to one of the cameras. “Watch.” He pressed play.
Annoyed, Jessie folded her arms across her chest and glared at the screen. There, at the bottom of the screen to the left they lay on the floor, naked and cuddling. It was a sweet picture and made her heart ache. “Great, you captured us sleeping on tape.”
“Oh darling, I captured more than us sleeping on these babies, but that’s not it. Watch.”
“What do you mean…Oh my God, you taped us making out? How could you?”
“I have my cameras set on timers that begin taping on their own. I didn’t know we were going to go at it like rabbits last night. Watch.”
“You will erase those tapes.” She insisted, then grunted when he turned her face back to the monitor. “What the hell?”
“Keep watching.”
She couldn’t pry her eyes away if she tried. There before her, the furniture moved on its own, sliding into the position they now rested and at the bottom of the screen they slept like babies. “Oh my God.”
Two Lips Reviews
Secrets of the Dead is an exciting and mystifying paranormal with plots upon subplots, capturing the reader's attention with its numerous twists and upheavals. Subtly delineating the historical and emotional backgrounds at the same time as exploring the emotions and growing romantic attraction between C. J. and Jessie, the story maintains high levels of suspense throughout. Well worth first read and subsequent rereads, Secrets of the Dead is a winner, and Shiela Stewart an author for whom to watch.
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