Hi and welcome to Page Turner Books
Tour of 'A Ranger's Tale'!
I am really happy to be hosting this
author and her book today, and might I say the book looks mighty
fine!! The cover, well the cover is gorgeous. The story sounds sweet,
I mean, a sexy ranger who rescues a beautiful woman, then agrees to
train her to become a great ranger herself? Sounds good right!! And,
they must escape before Caliphany is forced to marry someone she
doesn't love, well this obviously will be a great love story. And
with wonderful names like Caliphany and Galadin, I can only assume
this story will be full of magic :D
We can all dream of being saved by a
handsome stranger can't we, and A Rangers Tale sounds like just the
story to help us delve into a wonderful fantasy like this.
So keep on reading and find the blurb
and a great excerpt!
Title: A Ranger’s Tale
Series: Tallenmere
Author: Mysti Parker
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy,
Romance
Publisher: Melange
Books
Release Date: January, 2011
Blurb:
In the fantasy world of
Tallenmere, an elven noblewoman longed to leave her gilded cage. A
half-breed former pirate wanted nothing more than to escape his
guilty past. Easier said than done...
High elf Caliphany Aranea leads an enviable life as King Leopold's niece and daughter of Sirius, Leogard's most famous wizard. Yet, being forced to follow in her father's footsteps and being betrothed to a man she doesn't even like makes her want a taste of life outside the city walls.
As a young boy, half-elf Galadin Trudeaux witnessed his parents' death at the hands of pirates. After being raised by those same murderers and forced to do their bidding, he escaped and now lives an honest life as a sea merchant and ranger.
When two brutes at Leogard Harbor attempt to kidnap Caliphany while she dreams of faraway lands, Galadin comes to her rescue. Impressed by his skills, she asks him to train her as a ranger. Though he is hesitant at first to train a woman of her class, Caliphany's hefty sack of gold finally persuades him. Unfortunately, her father is not amused, and the two must escape before Caliphany faces a forced marriage and Galadin faces a noose.
From that moment on she and Galadin embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Only if they can survive the trials ahead, will they find a love that stands the test of time.
High elf Caliphany Aranea leads an enviable life as King Leopold's niece and daughter of Sirius, Leogard's most famous wizard. Yet, being forced to follow in her father's footsteps and being betrothed to a man she doesn't even like makes her want a taste of life outside the city walls.
As a young boy, half-elf Galadin Trudeaux witnessed his parents' death at the hands of pirates. After being raised by those same murderers and forced to do their bidding, he escaped and now lives an honest life as a sea merchant and ranger.
When two brutes at Leogard Harbor attempt to kidnap Caliphany while she dreams of faraway lands, Galadin comes to her rescue. Impressed by his skills, she asks him to train her as a ranger. Though he is hesitant at first to train a woman of her class, Caliphany's hefty sack of gold finally persuades him. Unfortunately, her father is not amused, and the two must escape before Caliphany faces a forced marriage and Galadin faces a noose.
From that moment on she and Galadin embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Only if they can survive the trials ahead, will they find a love that stands the test of time.
Excerpt:
Caliphany lowered her hood and smoothed
out her robes. She smiled. I admit I’d held a vague hope we would
cross each other’s paths again, but I’d also told myself a woman
of her class and a man of mine had no business being seen with one
another.
Even though I didn’t know who she was
exactly, the clothes she wore told me she didn’t mingle regularly
with us working classes.
She tucked some hair behind her ear and
blushed. “Captain Trudeaux.”
I bowed. “My lady.”
“Please don’t bow.” She avoided
my gaze and clenched her robe. “You weren’t at the docks this
morning. I thought you had gone.”
Razor had started tearing into the
rabbit, so I held up my finger. “One moment, please.” I knelt to
retrieve him and the carcass before it was gone.
Razor eyed Caliphany when I returned to
her side. “I sent my men on to Faewood. They’ll be back by the
week’s end. We had some Tilliyan coffee beans to deliver.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’ve read a
lot about Tilliya Island.” Her eyes focused somewhere in the
distance, and then rested on me again. “So, you’re a falconer?”
“I’m a ranger. Razor accompanies me
from time to time. We sell what we hunt and gather. Sometimes I help
thin out wildlife. It’s just my job.”
The words rolled off her tongue. “A
ranger.”
I nodded, a bit annoyed she found my
profession so curious. I killed things for a living. It was a hard,
dirty job, one I was sure she could never understand. I cleared my
throat. “I’m glad to see you’re in one piece, though still
unescorted. Would you like me to walk you back to Leogard?”
She held up a satchel. “I’m
gathering plant specimens.”
“As you wish. Well, good day then.
I’ve got work to do.” I began to walk away.
“Wait,” she said.
I turned, and Caliphany approached me,
opened her mouth, shut it again, and finally spoke. “I wanted to
thank you for rescuing me.”
If she was any other woman, from the
lower end of society, I might have thought she was flirting. “You
already did, I believe, and it’s not necessary. Good day.” I
tried to walk away again.
“Wait.”
Razor screeched and puffed his feathers
when I turned back around. “Easy, now. Look, Caliphany, it’s
really not necessary—”
“I want you to train me.”
I stepped closer. She blushed. I
wrinkled my brow and asked, “Pardon?”
The words tumbled from her mouth. “You
know how to handle yourself, handle weapons. I want to learn that as
well. Will you train me?”
I puffed out my cheeks and exhaled.
Should have known she wasn’t
interested in me, just in what I could do for her. “I’m not sure
what you think I am, my lady, but I’m no trainer. I’ve got work
to do. Forgive me, but I can’t waste precious hours teaching you to
handle a bow.”
She reached into her cloak and pulled
out a sack. From the jingle inside, I estimated a month’s wages in
gold. She got my attention.
“I’ll pay you. If this isn’t
enough, I’ll pay more.”
That definitely got my attention. “My
men will have to take up the slack. I’ve got orders to fill. But,
why would you want to do…” I pulled out a bloody, limp rabbit
carcass. “…this?”
“My reasons are personal. So, are you
willing to train me or not?”
I scratched my chin. “When can you
start?”
A smile flashed across her lips. “My
father leaves for Mirrochet citadel in two days. He’ll be gone for
a month. I can train with you every day for a few hours during that
time. After that…” She frowned and turned her head, then met my
eyes again. “After that, I don’t know. I can meet you at the
ranger outpost just east of here. My family should not know about
this.”
Desperation settled in her eyes, and I
had a strong urge to take her in my arms and kiss her until we both
had to come up for air. But she stood waiting for my reply.
“L-Look, I don’t know if I should
be skirting trouble. Being caught out here in the woods with you
wouldn’t look good for either of us.”
She stepped a little closer, reached
out as though she would touch me, but withdrew her hand. “Believe
me; they would know it was my idea. And with my father gone, they
don’t pay as much attention to my whereabouts. So, is it a deal?”
She held out her sack of coin with one
hand, and the other for me to shake. I took the gold and shook her
hand. Her skin was warm and soft. Damn shame it would be to mar those
pretty fingers.
About Mysti Parker:
Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time
wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger's Tale
was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in
the fantasy romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April
2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already
received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has
been likened to Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of
Truth' series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between
Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.
Mysti's other writings have appeared in
the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas
Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine
EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers
Village University's six week free course, F2K.
Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an
online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a
blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She
resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.
Tallenmere Series:
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Dee! ~Mysti
ReplyDeleteNo problem Mysti :)
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