When two strangers have nothing left but their dreams, they must forge a relationship in Nantahala, North Carolina, a small town known as Land of the Noonday Sun.
Just a few of the reviews:
"Wow! Carmen DeSousa has written another emotional and suspenseful story about family, friendship, love and betrayal that captured my attention from the very beginning."
"What I really have to say about this book is WOW! It has it all! Romance, suspense, mystery, tragedy, faith."
"I loved this one. I think it has a lot to do with the characters. Carmen DeSousa may be incapable of writing a hero that doesn't make me melt."
"Passionate characters, beautiful North Carolina setting, true love, and a bang-up mystery to tie it all together. Need I say more? "Land of the Noonday Sun" is a must-read!"
(Georgia)
“Walter,” his mother whispered as she
opened his door. She hadn’t entered his bedroom in years. He cringed as he
awaited more of her wrath. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, sitting down gracefully
on the edge of his bed. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry I hit you."
He puckered his lips and sniffed as
he attempted to retain the tears. “It’s okay, Mom. It was my fault. Everything
was my fault.”
She sighed. She couldn’t deny the
legitimacy of his words. “I love you, Walter, and I’m sorry for everything.
Sorry I haven’t been a better mother, a better person. But I wanted to wish you
goodnight.”
She kissed him on the forehead and
then left without another word, pulling the door closed behind her. She never
apologized. Why would she start now? Especially when she wasn’t responsible.
Walter rolled over, drew his legs in
tightly and repositioned himself into a ball. He wished he could change the
past, wished he’d never returned, wished they’d locked him away forever. It was
his fault; everything was his fault. He wished he’d never been born. Only
fifteen and he’d already ruined his life.
Hours later he heard his father creep
into his bedroom, no doubt checking that he'd remained home as instructed.
How could his father have worked
after everything that had happened? His way of retreating from reality, Walter
imagined. His father had been a physician for years; he didn’t have to take
after-hours emergency calls. He could have allowed one of his interns to take
the midnight-calls. He owned the practice for God’s sake!
As he thought about his father, anger
replaced his tears. “Typical,” he muttered in disgust, exhaling in the dark
room. Maybe his father was the reason their family was so deplorable. No. He
needed to stop blaming others and accept responsibility for his actions.
“Priscilla,” he heard his father’s
peal of agony. “Priscilla, my God, No! Please don’t do this to me!”
Walter bolted out of bed and sprinted
down the hall toward his parents’ room. His heart pounded fiercely in his
chest. His legs felt heavy and sluggish as if he was in a nightmare. “Dear
God,” he prayed. “Please…”
Rounding the corner of his parents’
doorway, he saw his father administering CPR on his mother.
“Dad?” he choked out, his voice
trembling. “Is Mom—” He couldn’t frame the word.
“Call 911!” his father shrieked.
Walter couldn’t move. His mother lay
lifeless on their king-sized mattress, a bottle of whiskey on the nightstand
alongside an empty bottle of prescription medication.
“Walter, call 911!” his father belted
again.
He did as instructed but knew it
wouldn’t make any difference. If his father couldn’t save her, nobody could.
And so you know my
new novel really is a romantic-suspense and not just tragic laden, below I will
post a few excerpts.
Let’s meet one of the main characters through
our protagonist's eyes:
She
had to stick to the plan. She was twenty-five, in the middle of the country,
drooling over a whitewater guide, not exactly the person she’d envisioned
herself falling for. Of course, she knew the feelings barraging her senses were
nothing but lust, something completely unfamiliar.
If
she compiled a list, he would fill it…right up until the chosen career line,
which would probably be foremost. He was exactly the correct height, about six
feet she guessed. He had dark hair with a small amount of curl that went
whichever way it pleased but worked for him. His skin was dark from all the
hours in the sun, she assumed, which caused his brilliant blue eyes to stand out.
And his build…she sighed...his arms and shoulders were incredible. He looked as
though he’d just stepped out of a Hollister advertisement.
She
shook her head to escape the ridiculous thoughts racing through her head.
Remember the plan, Cassandra. This is merely a six-month detour, and then she
was back on the plan. It wasn’t like her to get her head turned so easily; she
was forever sensible.
Last week our female protagonist
met the male protagonist, or in this case, maybe one of them is the antagonist.
Anyway, there must have been some flirting going on.
“You
thought what?” she jumped in. “That I was one of your bimbo college girls,
looking for a weekend fling? Do you flirt with all the female patrons as you
did with me?”
He
shook his head as if trying to clear it. “No…I mean…No, I don’t usually flirt
with customers. It’s against our policy. Besides, I wasn’t the only one doing
the flirting,” he rejoined.
“I—no
I wasn’t,” she huffed. “Don’t delude yourself. As if I would be interested in a
whitewater guide. I’m a law graduate for Pete’s sakes!” As soon as the words
escaped her mouth, she was disgusted with herself.
She
saw his face drop and immediately wanted to apologize for her ill-mannered
remark. She wasn’t a snob; she didn’t care what people did for a living. She
respected everyone’s choices in life and their careers.
He
scooped his keys and files off the desk. “You don’t know anything about me,
Cassandra,” he spewed, his tone reproachful. Abruptly, he turned and exited the
office, leaving her standing in the doorway. Unwillingly, she followed him out
of the office. Why had she uttered such an atrocity? She was flustered, was the
reason. She didn’t want to admit she had been flirting.
After he
storms off, she's left standing there, wondering what she should do next.
Without
warning, the memory of him taking her hand yesterday assaulted her. She
remembered the warmth that had rushed through her. She had never felt even
remotely attracted to any man the way she’d felt toward him. She really should
leave this state immediately, but for some reason she couldn’t. She couldn’t
find the courage to struggle for anything right now. The last few years had
been so stressful. This could be an opportunity for her to stop and take a hard
look at her life and, of course, there would be a handsome payday at the end.
So that was it then. This would just be a six-month job opportunity, like
interning.
“Are
you coming?” Chad’s voice rang out, startling her. “Follow me if you want to.”
Follow
him…if she wanted to. They
were the identical words he’d used yesterday—right before she found herself
dumped in the frigid waters of the Nantahala.
Last week,
Cassandra had been left standing on the sidewalk, wondering what she should do
about the predicament she was in with this handsome stranger. Well, maybe they
might get along…maybe.
The
evening was beautiful she had to admit. The sun, having just set behind the
trees, cast streaks of orange and red across the nighttime sky. The surrounding
wood, previously quiet only moments earlier, suddenly filled with chirping.
Millions of insects of some sort belted out an unfamiliar melody. She was
familiar with crickets and frogs after sunset in Florida, but this was neither.
She
must have looked confused, because he smiled and motioned his hand to the
surrounding trees. “Cicadas, the chirping you’re hearing. They emerge between
May and September. Interesting fact, the insects lay dormant for seventeen
years before surfacing to mate, only to die afterward—tragic.” He grinned
seductively.
She
couldn’t resist smiling, but ignored his flirting. “Really…I’ve never heard of
them.”
“There
are many things I can teach you, Cassandra,” he drawled, serious again.
Okay, one
more romantic scene, and then we really must get on with more tragedy and
mystery; it’s what I do.
As
soon as he set her on the ground, she heard the waterfall. She gazed at the
pounding waters as they fell over the rock and hit the stream below. “Wow, this
is…so beautiful and so close, right off the road, near our house…amazing.”
He
smiled. “This is nothing, Cassie, hardly anyone even comes here. I’ll show you
some waterfalls and trails over the next few weeks that will take your breath
away.”
Cassandra
couldn’t contain her smile or the feelings rushing through her veins. He wanted
to show her his state. It was
beautiful she realized, and the thought of discovering it with him made it even
more exciting. She was certain he was correct about taking her breath away, but
she was also sure it wouldn’t just be the waterfalls.
This is it!
Last excerpt for Land of the Noonday Sun, and yes, I’m going to leave you
guessing, I hope.
The
woman looked at her calendar. “She had an appointment for three forty-five. No,
I’ve not received a cancellation and that really messes up our day. Is she still
coming?”
He
turned away from the woman in disgust, charging out of the building. He made a
call to the house. Again, no answer. He called her mobile again, nothing. Now
what? What else was there to do?
He
ran his hands through his hair frantically. If he left…she could show up. Or,
she could be in a ditch somewhere. Decision made, he jumped in his truck. He’d
keep a lookout the entire way, hoping she’d pass him. He watched the entire
trip back to the store…there was only one way to go; she would have had to pass
him if she’d been on the road.
He
stormed through the parking lot, but her car wasn’t out front. He parked his
truck sideways in a no-parking zone and jumped out of the truck, charging into
the building.
Want more? Land of the Noonday Sun, my bestseller in romantic-suspense, is available
in print and eBook formats.
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