Moonlit Desire (ISBN: 978-1-60381-872-8, $14.95, 280 pp.), an historical romance by Carolann Camillo, takes place during the U.S. Colonial period and culminates in the Battle of Quebec
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** Order the eBook version on Kindle **
5 Cups of Coffee: “Positively a heart-warming gem with all the makings of a great book. Indeed a journey worth traveling in every page.” Read more …
–Cherokee, Coffeetime Romance & More
[Coffeetown Romance awarded Moonlit Desire this additional addition of actually deserving more than 5 cups of Coffee (their highest rating)]
“Moonlit Desire captures the reader from the moment of the initial kidnap and does not let up for a minute. Carolann Camillo provides tightly woven narration with just enough period detail to make the setting and circumstances come alive for the reader. She describes the forest surroundings of rural New York in a way reminiscent of James Fenimore Cooper. The dialogue is true to the time period, yet it has a freshness we can all relate to today. Very captivating.” Read more ….
–Liz Allenby, Historical Novel Society
“A riveting historical romance, not to be overlooked …” Read more …
–Midwest Book Review/Small Press Bookwatch
“This is an exciting late Colonial Romance starring an intrepid hero and a woman with plenty of mettle as she adjusts to a life far different than what she had in London or expected with Jeremy. Fast-paced from the moment of the kidnapping and never slowing down, sub-genre fans will appreciate this engaging tale.” Read more ….
—Harriet Klausner
“Moonlit Desire contains everything a reader could ask for: strong characters, a page-turner plot, and a heart-warming romance. A highly entertaining read from first page to last.”
—Shirley Kennedy, author of Heartbreak Trail, The London Belle, and The Last of Lady Lansdown
“Camillo’s historical romance has it all: action, adventure, suspense, and, of course, a great love story. The author makes you feel as if you’re there in time and place. Unputdownable!”
—Phyllis Humphrey, author of Cold April
“I loved how the story had so many different turns of events.”
—The Pen and Muse
In 1759 Catherine Bradshaw travels from London to the colony of New York to join her future husband, Jeremy Flint, a man she barely knows but already fears. Immediately after the wedding ceremony, their coach is waylaid by Rive St. Clair, a French Army captain who has sworn vengeance against Flint. Rive abducts Catherine and heads north, confident that Flint will pursue. Sixteen years earlier, Flint instigated a massacre at an Indian village, and now Rive intends to lure him back to that same village and see justice done. As Rive forges a path through the wilderness, Catherine’s indomitable spirit and resilience are put to the test. She is frightened of her surroundings and the man who holds her fate in his hands. Rive makes no secret of his desire for her, and she is determined to resist her own growing attraction. Their journey will take them to Quebec City, the French stronghold where Rive must make a final stand against the British. Will Rive lose his life just as Catherine realizes her true feelings for him?
Says Camillo, “Ever since I read The Last of the Mohicans, I wanted to write a novel that takes place during the period of the French and Indian War. James Fenimore Cooper’s classic totally captured my imagination. My goal with this book was to make that conflict come alive for a new generation.”
Carolann Camillo is the co-author of a contemporary romance novel as well as a woman-in-jeopardy type mystery. She was a past winner of the Foster City International Writing Contest and a finalist in the Windy City Writers Four Seasons Contest. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her college professor husband. Click here to visit her website.
Moonlit Desire is currently available on Amazon.com in 5×8 trade paperback and Kindle eBook editions. It can also be purchased at select Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores as well as Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, and Amazon Japan. Bookstores and libraries can order through Ingram or by contacting info@camelpress.com. Libraries can also order through Follett Library Resources or Midwest Library Services.
Read on for an excerpt:
He had moved very close to her. Too close. His restless gaze shifted over her body as if, mentally, he were stripping away her few garments. Although modestly clothed, she was gripped by the feeling of standing naked before him. Her pulse quickened and an odd sensation of heat settled deep inside. A sensation she had never before experienced, but whose meaning even a woman of sheltered upbringing could fathom. The knowledge that he could bring this about horrified her.
“Catherine?”
She took a moment to collect her senses. “The kindling …” Then she turned and hurried away.
“Don’t wander from my sight. Make certain the wood is dry and a decent size. I have a most fearsome appetite this morning.”
His last words sent her off with even quicker steps.
Seconds later, she skirted the edge of the meadow. The forest loomed thick with towering fir and pine trees, along with a smattering of maples. She yearned to run, but a glance over her shoulder confirmed that he was keeping a watchful eye. She did feel almost faint from hunger. The thought of rabbit roasting on a spit had her almost licking her lips. Common sense dictated she would not venture far before he tracked her down. She must first regain her strength and then wait for him to become careless.
The freshness of the air mingled with the woody scent of bark and foliage. She noted that they were in a hilly, even mountainous region and tucked that bit of information away. In the future, it might prove useful.
She tried not to torture herself with worries about the future: the peril to her family if a disaster were to befall Jeremy Flint. Perhaps he had already decided he valued his life far more than his desire to possess her. What past involvement with Rive had induced him to abduct her? By now, her husband might have sent word to his agent to cease subsequent deposits to her father’s account.
What if she confessed everything right now—the circumstances that had led her to marry Flint and how the man had endeavored to win her hand?
They had met at a piano recital given by Catherine’s only pupil. Flint, passing the Season in London, had introduced himself and thereafter never strayed from her side. Although polite, there was something disquieting in his demeanor. It went beyond his braggadocio and all too familiar manner. When the hour grew late, he insisted on escorting her home in his carriage.
Social invitations followed, each met with polite, but cool, refusals. Shortly thereafter, she began to encounter him in the street with alarming frequency.
He would show up at her home, uninvited, each time bearing gifts of wine and sweet cakes, cheese or fresh fruit—luxuries her parents could no longer afford since her father’s failing eyesight had forced him to abandon his surgeon’s practice. For their sake, Catherine tolerated it.
The night before he sailed for New York, he paid his final call. The moment her parents retired, he made clear his intentions.
His inquiries had confirmed her family’s financial distress. He could alleviate it, should she consent to become his wife. The thought of being bound to Flint was repugnant, but she was left with no other recourse. She agreed to the marriage; however, when she refused to set sail with him the next day, he made one concession: she would follow on his ship, West Wind, due to leave for New York in a month.
Would Rive set her free if she were to confide in him? Would he even care? He hated Flint. No, he would never free her.
Pine needles covered the ground and muffled her footsteps as she went about the task of collecting the kindling. Other than a darting squirrel, she neither saw nor heard another creature. City-bred and used to throngs of people, bustling markets, street performers and vendors, she was frightened by the isolation almost as much as the man who held her prisoner.
Her supposition about a stream proved true. Clear water gushed over rocks worn smooth by its flow. Fierce sunlight glinted off the surface. Was it possible the stream led to a not too distant town? She stepped closer, listened, but heard only the softly burbling water.