Wednesday Wonders: A HEART ON HOLD

 This week's Wednesday Wonders features

A Heart on Hold

by Sara Barnard

Book Description:

Charlotte Adamsland is separated from her husband, Sanderson Redding, the day after their marriage. A captain in the Confederate Army, Sanderson must return to his unit, leaving Charlotte alone on their Arkansas homestead to fend for herself. Yankees camp around the town of Altrose, bringing their own kind of lawless danger. And then, one dark day, a Southern soldier arrives with terrible news…Sanderson has been killed trying to escape a Yankee prison.

Sanderson has found salvation and hell in a single turn of events he could never have imagined—his much-younger brother, Jackson, is his Yankee guard. When Jackson’s cruel commanding officer learns of the brothers’ family ties, he devises a wicked plan to see them both dead. Jackson is determined to get his brother to safety—but a last-minute betrayal by another prisoner could be the death of both brothers.

Charlotte can’t accept the news of Sanderson’s death—he promised to come back to her. She heads north armed with only her faith in God and her beloved horse to bring her love home—one way or the other. Will she be able to rescue him? Or will her love remained locked forever in A HEART ON HOLD…

Excerpt:

“I have a bad feeling about the gaje who have come,” Minerva confessed to her younger brother as they watched the sun sink into the waves of the paanii. A nasal-toned voice cut into their conversation. “I’m Todd Davenport,” the haughty Englishman informed Esmeralda after she’d finished dancing with her tambourine on the makeshift stage. “I’m fifty-fourth in line for the crown. You tell my fortune and see if I’ll see the inside of the palace in my lifetime.”

“Si, you come in the vardo,” Esmeralda instructed. Minerva thought she caught her mother flicker an infinitesimal look at her father. Tamas nodded a near imperceptible nod. This served only to stoke her feelings of unease. 

“You wait out here, Millicent,” Mr. Davenport barked at the plump woman browsing through the charms and potions. Millicent paid no mind to her husband or his order as he followed Esmeralda into the vardo. Minerva watched as her father kept glancing at the vardo door then down to his pocket watch. She knew that her mother had given her father the signal she reserved for when she had a sour perception about a customer. After a few minutes, Tamas was to go in and check on her. 

Florica toddled over and held her chubby arms up to Minerva. “Come here, ves’tacha,” she said as she scooped the toddler into her arms, still watching the vardo door. Just as Tamas started toward the door, a horrendous screaming and crashing sounded from within the family’s traveling wagon. 

A hush rippled through the growing crowd of gaje. 

“Daj?” Minerva called. Dropping what he’d been carrying, Tamas broke into a run. Before he could reach the vardo, a shrieking Todd Davenport tore from the door, cupping his shriveled genitals in one hand. Eyes wide, Tamas bellowed, “ESMERALDA!” Minerva stood helplessly holding her baby sister as her beautiful mother, with tears and blood streaming down her face, flew from behind Mr. Davenport and into her father’s waiting arms. Esmeralda was speaking Romani so quickly that Minerva struggled to keep up. “Smashed my face into the crystals as I tried to locate the heart line on his palm,” she explained, her voice wavering on the edge of hysteria. “Then tried to force himself upon me. I hit him with the bottle of moon fire.” 

Minerva shuddered. Moon fire was reserved for the most serious of injuries, for the liquid burned like hot water on a sun burn when applied. What Todd must be feeling on his genitals had to be anguishing. And deserved, she thought. The laughter and pointing of fingers from the crowd of passersby served only to anger the thwarted rapist of royal descent as Tamas produced his lace trimmed hanky and began to dab at Esmeralda’s gashed forehead and bloody nose. 

“You will LEAVE now,” he commanded to Mr. Davenport.

 “By God, I will not!” Todd squealed. “Millicent! Woman, where are you?” he bellowed as his wife backed into the sea of onlookers. “I’m bewitched! That green-eyed Gypsy is a witch and she’s bewitched me!” 

The raucous laughter coming from the throng of patrons squelched at the mention of the word witch. A wave of uneasiness swirled through the gaje as Todd continued to hop about and spew forth allegations of black magic. Minerva sucked in her breath hard, in an attempt to stop the tears before they could start. “Tatiyana Chechykov was drowned in Russia after being called a witch,” she whispered to her grandmother, whose eyes no longer sparkled. “And Baba Leeskha was branded a sorceress and hanged in Hungary!” Minerva dashed, sobbing, to her mother’s side. I’ve learned one absolute truth that rings true through all the countries of the world. To be called a witch by the gaje is a death sentence.  

 

You may purchase this book on Amazon by CLICKING HERE.

About the Author:

Sara Barnard is mother to four beautiful children, daughter to a pair of awesome parents who have become two of her best friends over the years, wife to a handsome Texan, student to her Master's of Arts in European History classes, and friend to many. Oh, she writes some, too.

Sara began writing in the third grade, but became serious about becoming published after watching Eclipse with her friend, Rochelle. Rochelle mentioned that Ms. Meyer was a housewife with many children, so Sara decided that since she was back home while her husband was deployed, she would put pen to paper and see what happened. Wow. She started writing in 2009 and hasn't stopped since! This has led to her finding her publisher, 5 Prince Publishing, and her awesome Warrior Princess editor!

Her debut novel, A Heart on Hold, was published in 2012 and quickly became a series. Books 2 and 3, A Heart Broken and A Heart at Home, were published in January 2013 and June 2013 respectively, with book 4, A Heart Forever Wild, forthcoming! Book 1, A Heart on Hold, made it to the top three finalists for the best of 2012 American Historical RONE award and became an Amazon bestseller! Book 2, A Heart Broken, appears to be following in the same path. On a different note, set to release in November is Sara's debut Amish romance novella, Rebekah's Quilt.

Author Links:

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