Title: The Woodsman’s Rose
Author: Gifford MacShane
Genre: Historical Romance
Book Blurb:
When a friendship is shattered, can a fragile young woman with the gift of insight heal the rift?
1880s Arizona Territory. Daniel Donovan wants two things: to get married and to restore his friendship with Alec Twelve Trees. It’s just not that easy.
Alec is raging about his mother's murderer, whose identity Daniel knows but will not reveal, as the killer is dead and all proof died with him. Alec can’t recognize any needs but his own, so the conflict deepens every day.
Daniel's fiancée is a delicate girl—her health frail, her future uncertain. Prone to vicious headaches that can rock her to her knees, Annie accepted Daniel’s ring but hesitates to name a wedding date, as a possible pregnancy might exacerbate her physical problems.
Annie inherited the gift of insight from her Welsh mother and digs into the past, searching for a way to help the men heal their relationship. She quickly realizes that Daniel is protecting the killer’s surviving family—part of the Donovan inner circle. And when she discovers the secret behind the murder, it’s more horrifying than anything she could have imagined.
Though she may be fragile, Annie is fierce in spirit, but it may take more than her small strength and skill to bring the friends together again.
That’s before a new enemy shows his face.
Excerpt:
The two brothers sat quietly around their campfire for a while, then Jake spoke up hesitantly. “You gettin’ married, Daniel?”
Daniel looked over at the youth, whose wild red hair looked like some extravagant halo glinting in the firelight. He couldn’t help but smile. “I sure am,” he answered. “As soon as Annie’s ready.”
“What’s she waiting for?”
Daniel’s pipe had gone out and he tapped the ashes into the fire before answering. “Gran told me once that a woman’s like a little bird―she’ll know when she’s ready to build her nest. I can’t tell you more than that. Annie’s not ready, and I’m just going to wait until she is.”
Another silence enveloped them, and again it was Jake who broke it. “Do you miss her?”
“Sure, but it’s only for a little while.”
“I meant Gran,” Jake murmured.
“Oh, I sure do. Especially when I need advice. Though I’ll tell you something...” Daniel let out a short chuckle. “I think some of those ‘old Irish proverbs’ were stuff she just made up.”
“Sometimes I dream about her.”
“I know. I think we all do.” Daniel lit his pipe and gave his brother a nudge with his foot. “Speaking of dreams, you better get to bed. Mornin’ comes early these days. And remember―tomorrow night, you make the biscuits!”
* * *
As Jake snored softly, Daniel lay awake listening to the familiar sounds of the nighthawk and owl, the coyote in the distance. A small animal, probably a grasshopper mouse, was ferreting through Jake’s belongings, but the food he wanted had been bound in a blanket and tied in a tree.
Bats swooshed overhead. There must be a cave nearby, in the walls of the canyons. This complex network of canyons and mesas was the only part of the Arizona Territory he hadn’t fully explored.
He was at home with nature, felt a serenity of spirit in the remote recesses where few men ventured. The occasional crackling of the fire, the scent of the pines, the eternal brightness of the stars―all were balm to his soul. He breathed the night air deeply, content in the knowledge that he was at peace with the earth, and believing in his Navajo friends’ prayer that ended “All is well.”
After a while, he set his mind on the days to come. The most important thing he’d have to teach Jake was patience. A smile crept under his mustache―his brother was full of life, full of energy, and it was going to be difficult for him to even stand still, let alone accept the time it would take to catch and break these mustangs. But I have learned patience, and Jake will, too. There are just some things worth waiting for.
Like Annie.
He cast his mind back to the previous spring and the day of Adam and Jesse’s wedding supper. Annie’s heart had been broken by the realization that Brian would never love her. Daniel had begun to woo her then—gently, tenderly, unwaveringly. Until she confessed that the affection she’d felt for Brian was dwarfed by these new emotions—feelings that ran so deep, she could hardly name them.
Her face floated before him now, with her elfin smile and hair the color of a wheat field in the sun. So soft, so fine in its long braid. And her eyes...
It had taken him years to find the words to describe her eyes―green and blue and gray at once, ringed around with deep navy―the color of the wild sea. Her eyes made him believe that she was fey.
Her eyes could see into his heart, into all their hearts. And a gift, inherited from her mother, allowed her to see glimpses of the future.
He wished her good-night and the vision faded, but not before he caught a little wink. He’d be patient. Yet sometimes his patience warred with his heart. How much time would they have together? How much before Annie succumbed to the tortuous headaches she suffered more and more frequently? He watched the stars on their slow journey and offered a prayer to the ancient gods.
Let her accept me. Let us live together and be happy. Even for a little while. And all will be well.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Grab your e-copy for only 99 cents!
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/TheWoodsmansRose
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56659425-the-woodsman-s-rose
What’s your favorite part about being a romance author?
Short answer: It’s fun!
Long answer: I dream often and in vivid technicolor. Writing romance is the best way to make those imaginary people come alive.
Once a book is started, I love to see how the main characters will overcome their obstacles and earn their HEA. Most often, when I’m deep in the clutches of a story, a secondary character will shoot up their hand and say “Hey, I want a romance, too!” And so begins another book in the series.
Here’s my tip to add romance to your love life:
Start by listening and you’ll discover your partner's thoughts, dreams, and needs, which will deepen your relationship organically.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card.
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs February 1 – 28, 2023.
Drawing will be held on March 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
Gifford MacShane is the author of historical fiction that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. Her novels feature a family of Irish immigrants who settle in the Arizona Territory. With an accessible literary style, MacShane draws out her characters' hidden flaws and strengths as they grapple with physical and emotional conflicts.
Singing almost before she could talk, MacShane always loved folk music, whether Irish, Appalachian, or the songs of cowboys. Her love of the Old West goes back to childhood, when her father introduced her to Zane Grey. She became interested in Irish history after realizing her father’s family had lived through the Great Potato Famine.
Writing has allow Giff to combine her three great interests into a series of family stories, each including romance, traditional song lyrics, and a dash of Celtic mysticism. Having grown up in a large & often boisterous Irish-American family, she is intimately acquainted with the workings of such a clan and uses those experiences to good purpose (though no names will be named!)
The Donovan Family Saga includes WHISPERS IN THE CANYON (Book 1), THE WOODSMAN’S ROSE (Book 2), and RAINBOW MAN (Book 3), as well as THE WINDS OF MORNING, a prequel novella requested by her fans.
MacShane is a member of the Historical Novel Society and an #OwnVoices writer. She loves to sing, though her cats don’t always an approve. An avid gardener, Giff cultivates pollinator plants and grows tomatoes (not enough) and zucchini (too much). A self-professed grammar nerd, Giff currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Richard, the Pied Piper of stray cats.
Social Media Links:
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Website: https://giffordmacshane.com