Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Blog Tour: Timeless Keepsakes ~ Mistletoe and Magick ~ Ruth A. Casie

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE for more tour information.
Welcome to The Wormhole and The Timeless Keepsakes Tour.
Today I am pleased to feature Mistletoe and Magick by Ruth A. Casie.

Mistletoe and Magick
Ruth A. Casie
She would give her last breath for him. He would give up everything to guard her well and love her more.
Excerpt Mistletoe and Magic:
Chapter One
Dead. Maximilian glared at the wilted mistletoe in disbelief. He poked and prodded the plant. It lay there tired and limp. He had cared for the sacred plant for a year. The Ancestors had trusted him to follow their orders. Find a wife—a soul mate. How difficult could it be? All he needed to do was visit the eligible women and choose one. He slammed his fist onto the rough oak table and bellowed his anger to the empty room. Dishes skidded and crashed to the floor. The lifeless shrub didn’t move. It didn’t change. It sat where he’d put it—robust and healthy—the night before. Now the crumpled brown leaves and withered white berries silently screamed his failure...
...

Doward regarded him thoroughly. After a few seconds he squeezed Max’s shoulder. “We will get through this.” His mentor took his leave.
He glanced again at the shriveled plant. It had the power to heal everything but itself, it seemed. Doward was right, of course. He would get through this. But would he still be the Grand Master, or reduced to a druid councilman, a priest, or, worse—exiled? He had delayed in order to search his vast library to prepare himself for the consequences and realized he would have the distinction of being the only Grand Master to fail when tasked by the Ancestors. He shuddered inwardly at the idea of failure. It was something he had no practice in.
“Well.” He slapped his hands on his knees and rose. He must see this through. He doused the fire, grabbed his half-full pack, and filled it with provisions.
He picked up his warding stones. Perhaps the Ancestors would allow him to train his successor. His chest tightened at the thought. He held the warding stones over the opening of the pouch. But what if the Ancestors had been wrong? He threw the small bundle into his kit and stared at the plant. Somewhere deep inside, a different answer sought light. He turned the problem over in his mind until the solution finally burst through the haze. He smiled at its simplicity and truth. He would go to the Otherworld. Give the Ancestors the withered mistletoe. And tell them he passed their test. There was no soul mate for him.

About Ruth A. Casie:

Ruth started reading romance books while traveling the world for business. Traveling alone can be daunting but she found a book in hand could see her through long waits at the airport as well as being good company at dinner for one. For some of her longer treks, she pared down what she packed to make room for books. Her favorite genres are romance and adventure.
A seasoned professional with more than twenty-five years of writing experience in communications and marketing for a large financial institution, she gave way to her inner muse and began writing a series of historical fantasy romance novels. Ruth is published by Carina Press and Harlequin Books.

When not writing you can find her home in Teaneck, New Jersey, reading, cooking, doing Sudoku and counted cross-stitch. Together with her husband, Paul, they enjoy ballroom dancing and going to the theater. Ruth and Paul have three grown children and two grandchildren. They all thrive on spending time together. It’s certainly a lively dinner table and they wouldn’t change it for the world.

You can read more about Ruth online at www.RuthACasie.com , on Twitter at twitter.com/RuthACasie, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RuthACasie  

My thoughts:
I have a weakness for Christmas stories so I was excited to participate in this tour.  The first story of the collection I read was Mistletoe and Magick.  I liked Max immediately.  It was the same with Ellyn.  They are both strong willed and courageous, the kind of characters I love to read about.  The story itself is steeped in lore, tradition and strong beliefs.  As Max and Ellyn struggle in the Otherworld, where they have unwittingly traveled together, they form a bond that grows rapid and solid.  I was enthralled by their journey in the Otherworld.  The story is well written and touching.  The emotions ran wild while I worried about the outcome of the path they embarked on.  I was thrilled with the ending and found myself wishing that there were more pages to turn.  I will be looking for more from Ruth A. Casie.