Bøger af Lena Goldfinch

NEW EDITION: INCLUDES NEW EPILOGUE WITH MORE OF SOLENA AND RUNDAN'S STORY!A captivating fantasy romance that will leave you breathless.Solena trespasses into hostile territory to search for a rare herb to cure the grandfather she loves. When a young enemy soldier captures her and she's accused of being a spy, she discovers just how much she's risked.As a soldier, Rundan struggles to please his father, a ruthless army commander. When his father orders him to take the beautiful trespasser to the royal courts, where she'll surely be tried and executed, Rundan is plagued by an inconvenient desire to protect her.The handsome young soldier confuses Solena. First, he cruelly captures her, and then treats her with uncommon kindness. When he risks his life to save hers, she fears she may have risked more than her life on her journey...she may have lost her heart."The perfect tiny romantic escape." (Tales of Whimsy)The Language of Souls is light fantasy romance for teens and young adults.From the author: On updating The Language of Souls... Don't tell, but this is one of my favorite stories. It was one I hated letting go of because I just loved the story world and the characters. Since it's publication I've had this dream of revisiting Solena and Rundan's tale. With this new edition, I had the opportunity to add a brand new epilogue, continuing their story one year later. I hope you enjoy this new addition as much as I enjoyed writing it!

A soft, sliding kind of sigh wakes me up. It's hardly a noise at all. I blink to clear my sticky, early-morning vision. I know I heard a sound, an almost human-sounding sigh, coming from the corner of my room. As I slide my gaze that way, a chill slithers over me. My room feels creepy and strange. I peer into the corner and the white dress is no longer heaped in a haphazard pile on my armchair. It's laid out nice and neat, with the straps up over the back cushion and the skirt spread over the seat. The flip-flops are sitting side by side in front of the chair, toes pointed toward me. Like there's an empty girl, in an empty dress, looking right at me. The ghost of Beth sweeps seventeen-year-old Joy into an extraordinary journey to complete some unfinished business...and challenges her to make some dangerous choices. Like calling Joy's high-school crush, Nick, for help. "A sweet and charming ghost story that completely won me over." Lena Coakley, Witchlanders The Haunting Joy Series Haunting Joy: Book 1 Haunting Joy: Book 2 Chain Reaction: A Short Story (Prequel to Haunting Joy)

What's a man to do when his father orders him a bride? Rebecca Sullivan has been "Becky" all her life, a real hoyden. Her childhood sweetheart taught her to ride bareback and shoot a rifle, but then he chose a "perfect lady" for a wife-a real Southern belle, who's now expecting a baby. Heartbroken, Becky signs up to be a mail-order bride to a Seattle man, sight unseen. She resolves to squelch her hoydenish ways and become a "perfect lady" for her future husband. If logging-operation owner Isaac Jessup had wanted a bride, he'd have chosen a sturdy frontier woman, not some fragile lady from back East. Ready to explain the mistake, honorable Isaac takes one look into Rebecca's vulnerable eyes...and knows he'll marry her, even though this delicate waif is obviously unsuited for wild Seattle. Could an unexpected marriage be a match made in heaven? Book One in The Brides Series Sweet Historical Western Romance / A Mail-Order Bride Novel Excerpt The lean-to was chilly and not for the first time, Isaac considered boarding it up proper and calling it a barn. He sat on the stool and began milking the goat, all the while mentally preparing for the worship service they planned to go to later that morning. The Scriptures he'd read first thing that morning were fresh in his mind, and his prayers kept returning to the problem of Rebecca. One inner voice urged him to send her back home, but another voice spoke of commitment. He'd said vows before God to love and keep her till death do them part. Those weren't words he was willing to dismiss lightly. "What's her name?" His wife's voice was suddenly in his ear, quite close. Isaac jumped. The goat bleated at him. "Sorry, girl." He patted her side and resumed milking her with slow, careful hands. He glanced over his shoulder toward the subject of his thoughts. Rebecca stood watching him, leaning over the rail and peering in at them with curious eyes. He was surprised to see her out this early. She usually left him to his morning chores, and most times he'd get back inside the cabin and find her already up preparing breakfast. "What's her name?" she repeated. "Name? The goat?" He looked at the goat dumbly. It was a goat. He'd never gotten much further than that. She gave them a daily supply of milk, but other than that she was generally a nuisance. She liked to butt down the stall door. And whenever she got loose, she'd eat what few vegetables he was able to grow in the summer. She also liked to nip at his shirts and underthings when he hung them out on the line-if he was lucky. Most times she'd tug the whole line down and drag it through the mud. "Yes, the goat," Rebecca said, a pleasant-sounding smile in her voice. "Don't tell me she hasn't got a name?" There was something nice about hearing a woman's voice in the morning. It reminded him a little of when he was young, and his mother had chatted with him in soft tones while they ate breakfast. As if speaking too loud would jar them too quickly out of whatever dreams they'd had the night before. Rebecca's soft voice put him much in mind of those times. "All right. I won't." Isaac focused on his milking. "She doesn't have a name?" Rebecca pressed. "How can you have an animal that doesn't have a name?" "Never gave it much thought. She's good for milk, but other than that she's nothing but trouble, always munching on the laundry." "Well, then I think your choice is clear. Either you call her Milky or you call her Trouble." Her teasing tone brought a reluctant smile to his lips. "Well, then, if I have to choose, then I guess she's Trouble." The real Trouble was standing behind him, her elbow propped against the top of the rail, her chin cupped in one dainty hand. ***

"...an original fantasy world inhabited by superstitious tribal nations and intriguingly developed characters." -- SERENA CHASE, USA Today HEA Kita can meld song into stone. In a world with no written word, storytelling--the ability to meld (or magically impress) song into stone--is greatly honored. The village honors her master as their medicine man, but Kita knows he's secretly a sorcerer who practices black magic using drops of her blood. She fears he'll use her beautiful gift for a killing spell, so she conceals it from him. Each day, his magic tightens around her neck like a rope. His spells blind the villagers, so they can't see him for what he really is. Not that anyone would want to help her. She was found in the forest as a baby and would have died if a village girl hadn't brought her home. But the villagers saw Kita's unusual coloring and decided she belonged to the mysterious tribe who lives in the forests of the volcano, a people feared for their mystical powers. So they fear her too. Now seventeen, she can barely admit her deepest longing: to know who she really is and where she belongs. Then Pono, a young journeyman, arrives from the other side of the island. He's come to fulfill a pact between their villages: to escort a storyteller back to his village--a storyteller who'll be chosen at the great assembly. Finally, in Pono, Kita sees her one slim chance at freedom and she'll risk her life to take it. A dark, twisty tale of sorcery, tummy-tingling romance, and adventure, inspired by the folklore of New Zealand's Maori people. For teens 12+ and young adults (YA) who enjoy romantic fantasy books with elements of mystery, escape, and suspense. This coming-of-age story is set on a fictional remote Pacific island, exploring issues of adoption and identity. Young Adult Fantasy / clean books for teen girls

I step out of the shower into my steamy bathroom. Then I see it. I whip a towel around me so fast I almost wipe out on the tile floor. Because apparently I'm being haunted again... By a boy who scrawled KYLE across my bathroom mirror with his ghostly finger. Joy's new ghost, Kyle, crashes into her life, disrupting her senior year...and complicating her relationship with her new boyfriend, Nick. Which is already complicated enough. The Haunting Joy Series Haunting Joy: Book 1 Haunting Joy: Book 2 Chain Reaction: A Short Story (Prequel to Haunting Joy)

COLORADO 1880 What's a man to do when a "bartered bride" needs a rescue? Jem Wheeler has always been a survivor. He just wants to make a fresh start in Colorado Springs after the loss of his wife. But then he happens upon a young mute woman being sold off to the highest bidder. He wasn't looking for a mail-order bride. He wasn't looking to rescue anyone either. But desperate circumstances can drive a good man to do things he hadn't planned on doing... When Jem steps into Annie's life, she's not expecting anyone to save her. Mute from birth, she's just using all her wits to survive. All she's ever really wanted is a family of her own. For someone to see her. To look at her long enough to hear the things she can't say. Could this bride be just what a grieving widower needs to make a happy home? The Brides Series #3 Sweet Historical Western Romance / Inspirational Romance Each book in The Brides series can be read as a stand-alone novel, but reading in order will provide a more complete reading experience.

Cross Creek, Colorado 1885 Mandy MacKenna ("Too Tall Mandy MacKenna") is secretly the voice behind "Ask Mack" an advice column for men, addressing all matters ranching-related. And she's secretly in love with "Banks," one of her most devoted correspondents. But whenever she's around him, she can barely bring herself to make eye-contact with the man. Adam Booker is a banker-turned-rancher, who's struggling to make his way after he inherits his uncle's place. If not for "Ask Mack" he would have surely floundered by now. But the ranch is only one of his problems, because the woman he has a romantic interest in - a natural beauty by the name of Mandy MacKenna, daughter of the region's wealthiest rancher - seems less than interested in him. A sweet romance of secrets and revelations ensues... Only the Heart Knows is a standalone companion novel to The Brides Series. THE BRIDES SERIES The Unexpected Bride Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe The Bartered Bride Only the Heart Knows

COLORADO 1880Rose was once a barefoot dreamer, carving whimsical creatures from the driftwood she found on the beach. However, after the death of her father, Rose finds herself cut adrift. So she answers an advertisement to become the bride of a blacksmith in Sweet Briar, Colorado, bravely leaving behind the coast of Maine and her beloved sandy beaches. Living in the shadow of the Rockies, Emmett Southerland is a bit of a hopeless romantic. He's been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the dark-haired beauty in the photograph he keeps over his heart. However, soon he and Rose find themselves snowed-in during the worst storm Colorado has seen in twenty-five years. This sweet mail-order bride romance very loosely reimagines the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, complete with a satisfying happily-ever-after. A short novel of approximately 42,000 words. Historical RomanceWestern Romance Contains no graphic content or swearing. EXCERPTIt was eerily quiet now in Emmett's kitchen alone, with just the snapping of the fire. Rose strained to hear the sounds of Emmett and his burly dog, Boston, as they left to go downstairs and outside through the front entrance to Emmett's shop. She heard the creak of the door to the stairwell opening and closing again, and the sounds of them climbing down the stairs. And then nothing. She pictured Emmett lacing his boots and putting on his coat. She pictured Boston too, standing beside him, the long brown plume of his tail swaying, awaiting his own morning ritual. It was impossible to sit still, simply waiting, a sense of foreboding gathering around her. If anything happened to them, she'd well and truly be alone. And then she heard it, a crash like a thousand pounds falling. She didn't know what it was, but leapt to her feet and scrambled down the stairs after them. On the final step, she stopped. Emmett and Boston stood before the open door. Snow had spilled in around their feet. Thin swirls drifted across the floor and settled. More snow was piled high in the doorway, all the way to the top. Not only snow, a wall of ice. "What happened?" She stood on the last stair, gripping the handrail. Emmett turned his head toward her, as if startled by the sound of her voice. He brushed snow from his coat and quickly shut the door against the cold. His leather hat lay on the floor at his feet. It too was covered in snow. "What happened?" she repeated, frightened by the look on his face. He looked so grim. Had he been hurt? She tucked her robe more tightly about her. It felt too thin, not nearly enough to keep her warm. Her teeth began to chatter. "A sheet of ice. Up on the roof. It must have formed overnight. All that icy snow... I just opened the door and it broke free." He said it so matter-of-factly. Despite his grim expression, it didn't seem as if he was nearly as concerned as he should have been. "And it fell in the doorway?" she pressed. At his calm nod, she blurted out, "You could have been crushed--you and Boston." Did he not see that they could have been severely injured, that they could have died? She swallowed and asked, "Are you hurt?" "No, I'm not hurt. And thankfully Boston didn't push out ahead of me, like he usually does." For one brief instant, a sickly expression crossed Emmett's face. He did realize they could have been crushed. That Boston might've been killed if he'd rushed out the door first. Emmett reached down to ruffle the dog's neck fur. Boston simply sat there with his eye on the door, perhaps waiting for his master to open it again, not understanding they were quite literally snowed in.***