Title: Aden’s Chance
Author: Michael Roberts
Genre: Alternate History, Historical Time Travel Thriller, Historical Thriller
Book Blurb:
Jack Reacher meets The Patriot in this exhilarating time travel alternate history series! After rescuing the Americans from the clutches of the British by traveling back in time to save the American Revolution, Thomas Nelson believes he can rest and enjoy his new 18th century life with his wife, family, and new business. But history only can change so much. When an acquaintance from future comes to 1789 to tell him his best friend and the person who set the whole plan in motion, Aden, is lost in time and needs help, Thomas doesn't hesitate to grab his guns and black vest and take up the mantle as the Pale Rider once more. Only this time, he has to leave his wife Annie for the year 1814. Thomas becomes the Pale Rider and sets out to rescue Aden, while also meeting Andrew Jackson for his battle at New Orleans. Altering the outcome of the War of 1812 was, after all, the reason Aden tried to go back in time. But the rumors of the Pale Rider still find it way among the docks and inns, only, it is not Thomas of whom they speak. It seems a pirate has adopted the name for himself, riding on Thomas's reputation. And it seems that this pirate works with the infamous Lafitte brothers -- which makes Thomas's mission as the actual Pale Rider more difficult. Yet a larger question looms -- do these pirates have Aden and all of Aden's 21st century technology? And worse, if they do have Aden, can Thomas get him back? Because pirates do not like to give up any bounty they have found.
And with Aden, they have found a valuable bounty indeed. Then, if Thomas manages to pull off the impossible, save Aden, and change the course of America's history once more, can he live long enough to travel back to Annie and his family?
Excerpt:
An hour ago, an old friend of mine from the twenty-first century showed up, banging on my front door in the middle of the night. In the year 1782. How had that happened?
Jake Mendoza was not only a friend of mine, but also the pilot of the blue alien ship that brought me through time, back to this century from 2021. He was about fifty years old, a little overweight and reminded me of the actor Anthony Quinn when Anthony Quinn was in his fifties.
Despite my shock, I invited him inside. We sat in my eclectic home office, drinking strong black coffee that Annie had made for us out of her special-for-guests-only, white bone porcelain teacups. I had briefly introduced Annie to Jake, and she could tell that we were uncomfortable talking in front of her. With a polite smile, she had quickly excused herself to give us privacy. To Jake, it may have looked like a polite smile, but I had been married to this special woman for the last four years. I knew her irritated look, especially when she painted a smile over it. No matter how big or beautiful her smile was, when she grasped her apron in her strong fingers like she wanted instead to wring my neck, I always knew I’d pay dearly later for whatever unforgivable and unknowing act I had committed. The first opportunity she found to get me alone, she would question me like the Spanish inquisition, wanting to know every detail about Jake and what he wanted of me.
The fireplace in my office had burnt down to glowing red coals. I tossed a few small logs onto them to help warm up the room.
“God, it’s good to see you,” I said, my mind still reeling from seeing his face. “It’s been five years from my point of view. How long ago from yours?”
“About two years,” he answered slowly as he sat down across from me. He pointed to my facial hair. “I like the beard.”
“I hate it,” I said laughing, scratching my fingers through it. “Annie likes it, so I keep it for her.”
“That’s sweet,” Jake said. “But I didn’t come here to talk about your beard.”
“I didn’t think you had. Didn’t it work? Didn’t I change history?” I asked.
“Oh, it worked,” he said, taking a sip of coffee. “You did your job well.”
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Author Biography:
Michael Roberts is a Police Officer in Southern California. He also served seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he operated an Amphibious Assault Vehicle as a crew chief for four years and then served with the Marine Security Guard detachment, guarding American Embassies around the world. He lives with his wife Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple, a college professor and also an author, and their five children.
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