Price of a Tattooed Soul
Lydia Nicholls lives an ordinary life. She works, she has the occasional date, she struggles with her weight. Only one thing sets her life apart from others--the anonymous music boxes she receives every year on her birthday.
When she turns thirty, everything changes. This box comes with a name. As soon as Lydia utters it out aloud, she disappears from her ordinary LA life and wakes up in the care of the man responsible for the annual gifts. The only catch is...she's in Montana. In 1894. With a man who has magic at his fingertips.
It takes little time for her to grow comfortable with her temporary host, but in spite of his gentle nature, Del Wessner is a man with a past he's determined to shield Lydia from. Together, they'll weather mysterious attacks on his home, not-so-mysterious attacks on his Kootenai friends, and the fact that in less than a month, Lydia will return to Los Angeles and her own time. Alone.
GENRE: Het, paranormal, time travel, erotic romance
From Raine, Joyfully Reviewed:...Del represents darkness and light alike. While he has a heart the size of Montana and would do anything for his friends, he has also dealt out some less than pure punishments in his time. Lydia, who is loyal and true, comes to love Del taking the good with the bad; something Del has a hard time comprehending. Del and Lydia are exceptionally detailed characters penned into an intricate storyline that entwines hardship, magic and love together into one spectacular story. Price of a Tattooed Soul is a have-to-read tale for all the fantasy readers out there.
4 lips from Claire, Two Lips Reviews:...Sinking into Vivien Dean’s latest novel is like sipping a cup of hot chocolate: rich, absolutely mouthwatering, and meant to be savored...
4 hearts from Anita, The Romance Studio:... Price of a Tattooed Soul is a fantastical journey back in time through the creative words of Vivien Dean. It is a fast paced adventure that flows smoothly as it tells a story filled with action and intrigue. Readers will wonder throughout about the mysterious character of Del and his powers and what they mean to the relationship of the couple. From gun fights to magical battles the action never stops and as the action takes place answers to questions are revealed.
EXCERPT
She saw his eyes first. In spite of the lack of light, they seemed to gleam as they honed in on where she rested. The moment they saw her, however, they softened with what looked like relief, and the rest of his features came into view at the same time a grateful smile ghosted over his mouth. He had taken the time to put his coat on before coming after her, and the afghan he’d tucked around her legs dangled from his fingers.
Keeping his pace slow and measured, Del approached as if she were some kind of wild animal he was trying to catch, and Lydia had to stifle the hysterical giggle that rose in her throat at the irony of her situation. She was the city girl, dropped into the middle of rural America. She was the furthest thing from wild that could possibly exist.
Yet…here she was. Still fighting the desire to run.
He stopped a foot away, able to touch her but, for whatever reason, choosing not to. “If you stay out here…” His voice was low and measured. Gentle. It soothed some of her nerves even though logic told her it shouldn’t. “You will not survive the night. I’m not the only one who calls this forest home.”
She hadn’t seen nor heard any other animals, but she didn’t doubt his assertions. It didn’t change her mind, though. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why I’m here. And no more stalling or excuses to wait until we get back to your house.” She swallowed. “Are you going to kill me?”
Del jerked back at her question, a look of horror on his face. She almost felt guilty for asking. Almost.
“I didn’t even think you were real until you arrived at the offering,” he said. “Why would I want to hurt you? Have I done anything that would make you think I mean you harm?”
“Well…no, but…”
“Did you ever consider my gifts as anything but that? There was never ill intent, Lydia. I’ve done everything I could to protect you. From…everything. But if you choose, I can take you into town in the morning, and you never have to see me again until it’s time for you to leave. I won’t keep you against your will.”
Her head ached. It felt like she’d been dropped into the middle of a movie without knowing what the hell had happened in the first half. Questions too many to number fought to make themselves heard, about what he’d been doing at the fire, about how he could protect her—and from what—if they’d never met before, but all she could manage to say was, “You chased after me. If you mean what you say, you’ll take me to town tonight.”
“And if that were possible, I would. But town is a five-mile trek by foot. It’s too dangerous to do at night, and you’re not strong enough to walk that distance yet.” His lashes ducked, as if in embarrassment. “The offering always saps my strength, otherwise I would submit that. But five miles is too far for me to give you what you would need.”
Considering how he’d carried her from the fire to his cabin, Lydia didn’t doubt Del was capable of doing the same with the journey into town. What was more frightening than that realization, though, was feeling her worries crumble. Everything about him seemed so genuine, and he had a point. He hadn’t done a single thing since she’d woken up that could be construed as malevolent.
And he had yet to touch her now.
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