Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the
participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
I’m sharing another snippet from Mission to Mahjundar today (still on sale for $.99). I decided to share a bit more from it because the new book is being formatted. But the new book should release at the end of next week – WHEE! So you will have a snippet from Two Against the Stars next week.
So this week continuing on with the scene between Shalira and Mike (the hero), right after the explosion and his rescuing her from the crowd:
He had no way of knowing if the empress had just been the target of an assassination attempt or whether the bombers had hoped some members of the royal household would be unlucky enough to be caught in the blast so close to the parade. If it was the latter case, his job was to keep the terrorists from stumbling over his companion. Time to reassure the woman I rescued.
Half-turning to check how she was doing, he said, “Sorry for the rough handling, miss. Someone apparently has it in for the royal family today.”
One hand was clenched around a small red purse tied to her belt. She was staring slightly over his shoulder with beautiful caramel-brown eyes, golden highlights sparkling in their depths. Reaching to touch his shoulder with her free hand, she let her manicured nails drift ever so slowly to his face.
She’s blind? He allowed her to run her hand over his features for a moment.
The story:
An attempted assassination left Princess Shalira blind as a child and, now that she’s of marriageable age, her prospects are not good because of her disability. She’s resigned herself to an arranged marriage rather than face life under the thumb of her cold stepmother. But then she meets Mike Varone, a Sectors Special Forces officer sent to Mahjundar by the intergalactic government to retrieve a ship lost in her planet’s mountains. After Mike saves Shalira from another assassination attempt, she arranges for him to escort her across the planet to her future husband. She’s already falling hard for the deadly offworlder and knows she should deny herself the temptation he represents, but taking Mike along to protect her is the only way she’ll live long enough to escape her ruthless stepmother.
Mike, for his part, resists his growing attraction to the princess; he has a mission on this planet and rescuing the vulnerable but brave princess isn’t it. No matter how much he wishes it could be.
But what should have been an easy trek through Mahjundar’s peaceful lands swiftly turns into an ambush with danger around every turn. Shalira’s marriage begins to seem less like an arranged union and more like yet another planned assassination. The more they work together to survive, the harder it becomes to stop themselves from falling in love. Caught in a race against time, can they escape the hostile forces hunting them and make it off the planet?
A 2015 SFR Galaxy Award Winner
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This was a great tale. I enjoyed it. Great snippet, Veronica. 🙂
Nice moment of realization. (I’m curious about whether or not the red purse on her belt has any special significance.)
I’m wondering the same thing! Great excerpt as always – although I shouldn’t really be reading them as I still have to read the book when I wade through my tbr pilen – at this rate I may need to push it up the pile! 🙂
Oops, I meant ‘pile’ not sure what a pilen is! 🙂
Thanks as always for the comments! Yes, there’s a scene much later in the book where we see what’s in her purse LOL.
This was a big realization for Mike, but I love how it never stopped his attraction to her, and this disability didn’t make her completely helpless. I absolutely loved listening to this story! 🙂
Her blindness complicates his attempted rescue, I’m sure.
Nice last line.
‘He allowed her to run her hand over his features for a moment.’ “allowed” heh. I’m sure it was such a sacrifice. 😉 Great snippet.
So tender and gentle, I got the shivers. Thank you, dear friend and Hugs.
In spite of the chaos, he understands how she needs to be reassured. – Great quality in a man.
Sounds frightening.
Great snippet. I’m wondering about her purse too.
A tender moment. Love the description of her eye colour.
I can’t imagine being blind and then being in an explosion. She’s holding up remarkably well. I bet she likes his face. Great snippet!
Oooo I like that twist! It will make for some thrilling adventures (and possibly steamy romance?) in the near future!
Oooh! An intriguing complication.
I loved how you introduced him to the fact she was blind.
Beautifully written. I have to move this up my TBR pilen too. 😉
I”m liking this guy more and more. Lovely snippet.
I guess this came as a big surprise to Mike.
That was a surprise to him. I love how you came about revealing it.
I’m not sure the second part of his statement was very reassuring, but at least he tried. I like that he lets her “see” him.
This is such a good moment–the light coming on for him, and then his reaction. Nice!