Title: ETERNAL SEAS
Author: N. Christine Samuelson
Genre: Contemporary Romance – with mystical elements
Book Blurb:
Ella Rowe’s lifelong fear of the sea and related tragedies with loved ones cause her soul-deep fear of love and relationships—until the sea brings the perfect man for her—Navy fighter pilot Daniel Ellsworth.
A powerful attraction draws them together in Key West, but sabotaging it is Ella feeling cursed and haunted by deaths, family secrets, lies, spirits, and vivid memories of living in other times with similar fates—all caused by the sea. She believes loving Daniel will make him the next victim, while Daniel questions pursuing her, knowing death could be a consequence.
They begin an odyssey spanning generations of time filled with mystery, otherworldly events, and peril leading back to Ella’s ancestral home in Maine. Will their destiny be fulfilled, or will tragedy be repeated as they endure heartbreak to find love, and face death to find life?
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
Soaring through a world of infinite blue, of sky and sea with no horizons, no beginning or end, was like flying off the earth into the arms of God. It was as close to heaven as Daniel Ellsworth imagined it to be. There was no greater thrill than catapulting off a carrier flight deck in a Navy fighter jet with engines roaring, cutting through the air at insane speeds. He entered the zone, as he called it—defying nature, commanding the space above the Atlantic Ocean and loving every minute with his senses tuned in razor-sharp to every sight and sound in the cockpit.
But today there was something wrong. An odd sensation tugged in his gut. Approaching cruising altitude, he did another flight check: no problems; the sea was calm, the sky was clear and welcoming in this routine flight. His rational mind knew there was no basis for concern, but Daniel’s trusted inner voice said, Something is coming, and this is fair warning. He knew he’d have no control over whatever it was, like going in for a landing into destiny.
* * *
With a death grip on the steering wheel after an hour’s drive from the tip of south Florida heading toward Key West, Ella Rowe saw a bridge in the distance. It was seven miles long and suspended over open water with not a speck of land in sight. It was Ella’s idea of hell—driving over ocean and sky through an endless blue nightmare, trapped in a car with no way to get off but over the side. Even worse was an hour and a half more of driving through the Florida Keys mostly over water, over forty-two islands connected by forty-two bridges. As much as she had tried to suppress it, the war inside her between the fear, love, and hate of the sea raged. The longer she drove, the stronger it got, and the fear was taking over. But there was no place to escape as she approached the Seven Mile Bridge with no exits, just road and sea. An accident here would send you to a watery death, she thought. I’ve heard Key West is a paradise, like heaven on earth, but driving through hell to get there doesn’t seem worth the trip.
* * *
Arriving in the small, tropical island of Key West, the southernmost point in the United States, they made their way to a beach-front rental cottage. Pulling into the sandy driveway, the cottage looked even better than the website photos. Tall coconut palm trees framed the front door, and Bahama shutters tilted away from the bottom of the windows to let in light and air. Ella felt she’d stepped back in time to a more rustic era where simplicity, vibrant colors, and ocean breezes welcomed them. Large flowering bushes and palm trees grew between the cottages, giving privacy and filling the air with fragrance.
The cottage was decorated with casual furniture and plenty of Key West beach charm, and had a light and airy feel, an extension of the beach outside. Ella loved that the beach was just out the back door. She could walk onto it without having to drive. With opening the patio doors wide, warm ocean breezes and salt air floated in, and every night the sound of the waves would lull her to sleep.
Janie was determined to get Ella out to meet men on this trip, to change her attitude so she’d be more positive about relationships, about her life. Ella decided to pretend to go along with Janie’s plan and keep the vacation status quo. But with opening the door to this cottage, she opened the door to a new start in life.
Ella never shared her belief of not staying attached to any one place, job, and especially a man and a relationship for long, meant she couldn’t be hurt. She wouldn’t be abandoned and would never feel that pain and loss again. The truth she never shared with Janie was that the men she’d loved most didn’t leave her; they were taken by the sea in one way or another. And here she was surrounded by the sea in Key West and by a friend determined to find her a man.
PRAISE FOR ETERNAL SEAS:
“Beautiful story of love, passion and mystery. …N. Christine Samuelson has a wonderful talent of connecting you to the characters, their emotions and the settings so you feel you are part of the story. I couldn't wait to open this book each night to get carried away to a different world. …did not want it to end.” – Amazon review
“…Wow, what a beautiful story …emotional women’s fiction with lyrical narration set in Key West. …The characters…drive this story. …The spiritual element…kept me turning the pages. …Mystery and romance added depth of the plot. The ending: WOW! I didn’t see that coming…” – N.N. Light’s Book Heaven
“…Dreams, the distant past of a hundred years ago, and fate interweave in this compelling novel. … premonitions and flashbacks for Ella … Fate, History, and the Eternal Seas.” – Booksprout Review
“I loved this book. I am a spiritual person and the ending gave me chills. Loved the dialogue, so well written. …This was amazing. Would recommend to anyone.” – Amazon review
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
$2.99 Half Price Sale
Apple Books (itunes): https://books.apple.com/us/book/eternal-seas/id1352849048
Barnes/Noble (Nook): http://www.barnsandnoble.com/w/1127905884
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/N_Christine_Samuelson_Eternal_Seas?id=hERPDwAAQBAJ
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Eternal Seas delves into the power of love and the mystery of the sea. The story is played out through the main characters’ lives – Daniel Ellsworth, a Navy fighter pilot who loves the sea and flying, who is adventurous, bold and daring; and Ella Rowe who fears the sea, love relationships and whose life is haunted by mystery, deaths and secrets.
Readers will find Eternal Seas an unusual love story and will be swept away through to beautiful seaside settings, exotic places, and the perils of war. They’ll be swept through time as well, as the mysteries of both characters’ lives unfold.
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Author Biography:
Christine writes contemporary novels of love, life and relationships involving the eternal bonds that transform lives and transcend time and place. Her characters are realistic, fresh, and relevant with stories that include mystery and some mysticism. They are written in a unique voice and influenced by life experience which inspires the diverse settings, characters, and authentic storylines of her novels. She explores the joys and triumphs, the tragic and magic of life and love that readers relate to.
Living in coastal South Carolina, Christine finds the land and sea are constant sources of inspiration. She hopes readers will be inspired to look at life and love through a different lens and realize that no matter their circumstances, we all share similar stories in our lives and hearts.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.NChristineSamuelson.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/nchristinesamuelsonauthor/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/N.-Christine-Samuelson/e/B07B8VT9BB
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ncsamuelson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nchristine7711/