New Release by Ava James

By: Ava James | Other books by Ava James
Categories: Historical Mainstream ROMANCE
Word Count: 63,277
Heat Level: SENSUAL
Published By: Siren-Bookstrand, Inc.

For One Dark Knight Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket Price: $5.50

AVAILABLE: Tuesday, September 29th

Past the suitable age for marriage, Lady Isobel longs for her life to begin. When the chance to flee the clutches of her misery arises, she sets out on a journey to her dower lands and childhood home. But no road is without its perils, and she soon finds she needs someone by her side.

Sir Robert de Gever's duties become vastly more complicated when Lady Isobel stumbles into his life in need of rescue. Questions arise and secrets run deep, leaving desire and suspicion to war within him.

Intrigue awaits the pair, and conspirators abound. Is the bond of one dark night spent together strong enough to save them from their fears?

Excerpt:

He wished he could keep her locked away—far, far away. The woman looked as though she were arming herself for battle. Her sweet smiles changed the instant the last of the men quit the room.

“What is the matter?” Isobel asked with a clipped tone.

What is the matter?” Robert began his counterattack in falsetto.

“Where should I start? My men have all left their posts, and training, to come to the beck and call of the devilish temptress besieging Durham .” He watched her eyes grow wide as he spoke. How was it that even now, he could think of nothing but her lips?

“Devilish temptress? If I tempted any man, it was in no way intentional, and in every way a result of the man’s baser interests.” Isobel took a challenging step toward him. She accused him with her eyes and her words. "Furthermore, if it weren't for yer noble act of imprisonment, I would not be here!"

Robert stepped closer to her. Her feminine scent wafted into his nostrils. She easily broke his train of thought. The aroma that lingered about her intoxicated his senses. Beyond doubt, she was a foul temptress! With every attempt to ignore her, he failed miserably. Each time he was in her presence she distracted him. If it was not her beauty that caught his attention, it was her voice and words. The woman drew him in and he did not care to be so affected by her. He needed to reign in his thoughts and focus.

Focus, focus.

In a much calmer voice he said, “Would ye rather I left ye to be ravished by those Saxon mercenaries?” He took another step closer to her as he spoke. He watched her gaze fall to his lips. Her pink tongue crossed her own bottom lip, and a blush came to her soft cheeks. God’s wounds, he felt too much for this lady.

She drew away. “Ravished by those Saxons is not what I want.” Her voice weak, and unusually breathy, he wondered just who she’d like to be ravished by.

His own errant mind conjured up dangerous visions of her naked body slick against his own. He couldn’t help himself, so he asked just what he’d been wondering. “What do ye want?"

http://www.bookstrand.com/product-foronedarkknight-14960-330.html


For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.

Access my 2009 reviews

All of my reviews at Alternative-Read.com




All of my reviews on The Deepening Horror Blog

My Novel Reviews o The Deepening World Of Fiction



For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.

Latest writing activities and offers

Buy one of my print books at http://www.claytonbye.com, and I'll include a second for free: no additional shipping charges, and shipping is already cheap. Limited time offer.


http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/2009/09/touch-of-scarlet-by-jessica-mchugh.html


http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/2009/08/high-life-by-terry-sanville.html


http://reviews.thedeepening.com/2009/09/08/night-angel-by-renee-reeves/


http://reviews.thedeepening.com/2009/09/01/ember-a-dark-retelling-of-cinderella/


http://www.thedeepening.com/horror/2009/09/08/a-rhapsody-for-the-eternal-by-darren-speegle/


http://www.thedeepening.com/horror/2009/09/01/real-life-horror-our-leaders-failures-in-leadership/


For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

1. The illness I live with is: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Bipolar Disorder.
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2005.
3. But I had symptoms since: 1999.
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: not being able to work.
5. Most people assume: I can do more than I can.
6. The hardest part about mornings are: the side effects of my meds.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: House.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: my laptop computer.
9. The hardest part about nights are: constant pain.
10. Each day I take 27 pills & vitamins. (No comments, please)
11. Regarding alternative treatments I: find the benefits are too slight matter.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: neither.
13. Regarding working and career: I still manage to write a little (in 10-15 minute sessions).
14. People would be surprised to know: I must fight pain and depression on a constant basis.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: a major loss of mental abilities (concentration and memory).
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: accept that it was permanent.
17. The commercials about my illness: are too understated to impact people who do not have the diseases.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: memorizing and physical activities.
19. It was really hard to have to give up: long walks, fishing and hunting.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: internet networking.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: spend it walking in the wilderness.
22. My illness has taught me: self control.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: I told you about this already.
24. But I love it when people: respond to my honesty by letting me know about their own struggles.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: "Courage is the capacity to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." --Winston Churchill
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: it's a good thing, because now you know what you're dealing with.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: you can still enjoy life.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: the brethren of my lodge have been driving me to bimonthly specialist appointments (2.5 hours of driving, wait and then return) for the past 3 years.
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: healthy people will never understand chronic illness if we who are ill do not speak about our experiences.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: like the effort is not wasted.

Find out more about National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and the 5-day free virtual conference with 20 speakers Sept 14-18, 2009 at www.invisibleillness.com

For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.

My reading and reviews for last week:

Cursed by Jeremy C. Shipp. If you want to experience a different kind of horror fiction, something fresh and interesting, this excellent novel would be a fine choice. I highly recommend it.
http://www.thedeepening.com/horror/2009/08/19/cursed-by-jeremy-c-shipp/


Twins of Darkness by Lisa Lane. I would caution this author to make sure editing of her next book is stringent, but to otherwise keep doing what she’s doing. She has a definite voice and a wonderful imagination. Twins of Darkness stands out from the crowd.
http://reviews.thedeepening.com/2009/08/19/twins-of-darkness-by-lisa-lane/


Her Last by Valerie J. Patterson. Patterson has talent, and Her Last is a respectable writing effort. I hope to see stronger performances from her in the future.
http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/2009/08/her-last-by-valerie-j-patterson.html


In The Arms Of A Sociopath by S.K. Covey. The writing was not up to professional standards, so I didn't do a review. However, the message is important enough that I recommend you visit her website: http://www.skcovey.com/.


For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.

My latest reviews

Water Witch by Deborah Leblanc: A solid and entertaining horror story.

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Dead and Alive: Dead and Alive has its merits. As the conclusion of a trilogy? I say shame on you, Mr. Koontz.

Dax Rigby, War Correspondent by John B. Rosenman: Want to experience what science fiction used to be and why it is sorely missed? Read Dax Rigby, War Correspondent.

The Enemy Stalks by Betty Sullivan La Pierre: Was an enjoyable lunch that somehow left me wanting more than I received.

The Revelations of Minister Skyddz by E. J. Vance: “Revelations” is wicked good!

Guardians of Desire by Sahara Berns: The story is readable in one sitting, it entertains and is a solid piece of debut writing.



For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.

A snapshot of serious, chronic illness

August 3, 2009

I’ve been unavailable for the bulk of my personal blogs for a little over a month. The reason for this absence is a combination of flare ups of my Rheumatoid Arthritis (an autoimmune disease where the blood attacks joints and connective tissue) and my Bipolar Disorder (chemical imbalances in my brain that cause episodes of mania and depression). While the problems are not unbearable, they have reduced my effectiveness and my stamina.

This snapshot is for those of you who haven’t been exposed to these serious illnesses. It’s my belief people like me need to talk about what we deal with on a daily basis as therapy and as a form of education for the general population. Even though there is still stigma attached to mental disease, we, as a family, do not hide my problems...

Overview

I am considered permanently disabled (for many years now) and unable to effectively perform any kind of work. I’ve been trained in behaviour modification techniques, and I am undergoing psychotherapy. Drugs are absolutely required at this time.

Current meds

Rhuematoid Arthritis:
Methotrexate (an immunosuppressant cancer drug developed for leukemia), Sulfasalazine (an anti-inflammatory), Leflunomide (an immunoblocker), Depo-medrol: an emergency injection 3 months ago (An extremely strong cortico-steroid), Celebrex (COX-2 inhibitor nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)) and Tylenol-3 (This combination product contains three medications: acetaminophen, codeine, and caffeine. Acetaminophen belongs to the group of medications called analgesics (pain relievers) and antipyretics (fever reducers). Codeine belongs to the group of medications called narcotic analgesics. Caffeine belongs to a group of medications called stimulants.)

Bipolar Disorder:
Cymbalta (anti-depressant with some pain inhibiting properties: serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor), Clonazepam (family of benzodiazepines. It affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause seizures or symptoms of panic disorder.) And Quetiapine (an atypical antipsychotic often used in BPD)

Discussion:

I won’t share all of my symptoms with you. Suffice it to say they are varied and affect every aspect of my life.

What I’ve been experiencing this past month, on a positive level, is an increase in clarity and more short term stamina. I’ve also been able to better interact with and care about people. And my enjoyment of food and activities is returning.

In the months prior to this I regained my ability to read and write, anger virtually disappeared, my depression lessened, and I had only one manic episode.

But recently... my short term memory is slipping again; my long-term physical and mental stamina is deteriorating; body pain, especially knees, hands, shoulders and back, is at a 4 out of 10 with constant flare-ups to about 8; I can’t sit, stand or walk for more than five or ten minutes at a time without extreme pain; my afternoons and evenings include periods of melancholy and tears; and sleep usually ends between 3 and 4 am due to pain.

I’m always concerned about downturns because the repercussions can be severe. For example, in January of this year I was forced to commit myself to a psychiatric hospital. The eventual diagnosis was a bad reaction to a drug that had been recently added to my cocktail. I spent two weeks detoxing before being released and beginning a new drug regime. My mental condition is not considered to be situational (except, maybe, a bit of depression due to my physical losses and when my pain plays into existing emotional disturbances) but, rather, is believed to be caused by a chemical imbalance in my brain.

The two scariest things about my health situation is that both diseases are incurable and may be hereditary... The diseases already exist in other family members. Worse than this, my children will have to learn to watch for symptoms in themselves.

As a family, we work hard to cope with the daily challenges I face in ways which allow us all to create as much joy as possible in our lives. We must also be ever vigilant for signs indicating the onset of dangerous symptoms.

Determination to pursue an enjoyable lifestyle and a robust sense of humour are my most effective tools.


Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009


For more of Clayton Bye's writing, visit his website or become a fan.