Lucky Charm
by Marie
Astor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her
college love, an aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal
wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous
book agent.

A few weeks later, Annabel meets a new love interest, and as the two
embark on a whirlwind romance, she starts to believe in the power of the talisman
the palm reader has given her. But what Annabel doesn’t know is that Lilly is
hiding a secret that could unravel her faith in her newly found luck in love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Within a matter of seconds, Annabel’s apprehension
evaporated as she became absorbed by the magnificence of the place: regal
paintings in gilded frames, ornate fireplaces, and antique furniture. It was
like walking through time, but unlike most museums, this place felt alive, as
though there were still people living there.
“Do you know that there is a legend about this
place?”
“No. I have no idea. I don’t think I ever even saw
the chateau mentioned in any of the guidebooks.”
“That is because it is still privately owned and is
not open to public tours.” Etienne halted.
“Tell me about the legend,” Annabel urged him.
“Well, the legend goes as follows: the nobleman who
originally built this castle was very rich. He was in love with one of the
queen’s ladies in waiting. The girl was of a noble family, but she was an
orphan and the queen had granted her protection, which really meant that the
queen completely controlled her fate. The nobleman wanted to marry the girl,
but the queen herself had an eye for the nobleman, and when he refused to be
the queen’s lover, she married the girl off to an old count. The count was so
old that he could barely walk, let alone consummate his marriage, but despite
being incredibly decrepit, he continued clinging to life. It was then that the
nobleman ordered a five-mile underground passage to be dug under the chateau so
that he could see his love in secret, and that was how they met for ten years,
until the old bugger died.”
“And then what happened?”
“The nobleman married his true love.”
“And the queen did not object?”
“She was impressed by the purity of love between the nobleman and the girl. You see, the story of the
underground passage only became known much later.” Etienne smiled. “Of course,
some say that this is nothing but a story and the secret passage was put in by
one of the later chateau owners to see his many lovers behind his wife’s back.
I guess people choose to believe the story they like the most.”
“I prefer the first story.”
“Me too.”
They walked through a succession of rooms, each
more opulent than the next, until they reached a dining room.
At first, Annabel proceeded to examine the room’s
interior as she did with all the other rooms until she noticed that the long,
rectangular dining table was set with food. She looked up questioningly at
Etienne.
“I thought you’d never notice.” He grinned. “Shall
we?” He motioned for her to take a seat at the table.
“You mean to tell me that this is for us?” she
exclaimed in half disbelief.
“Guilty as charged.” Mischievous sparks danced in
Etienne’s eyes. He was clearly enjoying the effect of his surprise.
“But is this even allowed? There are historical
artifacts all over this place. What if food gets spilled or something?”
“Then we’ll just have to be very careful.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Marie Astor
is the author of contemporary romance novels This Tangled Thing Called Love,
Lucky Charm, On the Rim of Love, romantic suspense, To Catch a Bad Guy, and a
short story collection, A Dress in a
Window. Marie is also the author of young adult fantasy adventure novel, Over
the Mountain and Back.

Books by
Marie Astor:
This Tangled
Thing Called Love – a contemporary romance about overcoming one’s inhibitions,
learning to tango, and finding one’s true love match.
Lucky Charm –
a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.
On the Rim of
Love – a contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.
A Dress in a
Window – a collection of short stories about love, coincidences, and fate.
Over the
Mountain and Back – young adult fantasy adventure novel about a boy who takes
his snowboard for a ride and finds himself in a magical, hidden world he never
knew existed.
Social Media
Links:
Website:
http://www.marieastor.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection
GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4665230.Marie_Astor
Twitter:
@marieastor
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteSounds great thanks
ReplyDeleteMarie...That's what I love about your contemporary romances. They're light and fun and the heroines are so very real. I'd be like Annabel...worried about knocking something over or breaking something...LOL.
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Thank you for featuring Lucky Charm today!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your wonderful comments!
This tour has been so much fun!
I'm sad it's over, but the good news is that my next tour starts on March 18th. Here's the schedule:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/12/virtual-excerpt-tour-to-catch-bad-guy.html
Hope to see you there!
Regards,
Marie
Nice premise
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com