…I speak of a love that happens betwixt a man and a woman but once in a lifetime…
More than two centuries had passed since the great Earl of Ravensmoor had whispered the phrase on his deathbed. The heirs of Ravensmoor, intent on honoring a dying man’s request, endure a lifelong quest to seek the soul of the love lost of their ancestor. The tale of ill-fated love taunted every one of his ancestors, and Dante Burroughs was the last of the great line. If he didn’t succeed in bringing the heart and soul of Kaitlyn home, the Ravensmoors would vanish into obscurity, lost in time.
He was unaware of the hidden promises whispered in the ancient deathbed phrase, or of the dreams that would torment him when he came of age.
The images of a woman and a life he did not know haunted him. She taunted him, drawing him into a gossamer web that left him unfulfilled and lost in a corrupt and modern world. He knew he had to find her, the woman capable of redeeming his cursed soul and granting him the love he sought.
Across an ocean, Kathleen Bennett knew the torment. Restless and responsible, her dreams are filled with the image of blue-eyed man who whispers seductive promises to her willing heart.
A time would come, when the souls of the past would collide….
Excerpt
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Professional Reviews
Romance at Heart Review
Genre: Contemporary
ISBN: N/A
In England, 1840, time was not on Nathan Burroughs side in this affaire, for death was already sinking his claws deep. There was little time left to him, but Lord Nathan Archimedes Christophe Dante Burroughs, the illustrious Fifteenth Earl of Ravensmoor was determined. What he knew was in question, what he hoped was not. As his life ended, he bequeathed a task to his grandson, his namesake and an honourable lad. A task that followed, cursed, and haunted the Earls of Ravensmoor to the present, and culminated in the current problem faced by Leslie Dante Jonathan Burroughs, Twenty first Earl of Ravensmoor, Dante to most of his friends.
Haunted by fantastic dreams since an early age, Dante never knew of the woman in the picture except from legend. Her face haunted his dreams, becoming disturbingly real in the past twenty-five years. Plagued with these nightly visions, he was driven to work harder, live life larger, and as a final result, sequester himself in Colinwood Manor. It was there where he faced the nights by prowling the halls, spending long hours in his study working or compiling the historical records his family guarded so assiduously. The pressure of the family curse hung over his head, he was the last of the Ravensmoor lineage, the last Earl. The entailed lands would pass to his daughter, the title and all it meant would be gone forever. That did not bother him much as he had made a rather successful life for himself and his daughter Anne in spite of everything. He took the family estates, turning some into hotels and museums, and letting them pay for their upkeep and taxes as he diligently brought the family’s ignored, languishing and faltering automobile factory into the modern age, increasing and expanding it at the same time.
The current Ravensmoor was such a success. Driven, certainly, cautious, surely, plagued and haunted beyond his tolerance, almost. Problems at a plant or a company-owned supplier were the only things that truly dragged Dante away from his home and home offices. The supplier in Phoenix was such a circumstance, and with a heavy heart, Dante undertook the trip. He was not prepared for the happenings, the explicit dreams which occurred when he reached the hotel. Wrenched from his bed, the dream tore into his psyche causing his heart to pound, his breaths to come in shattered gasps and pants. For some odd reason, he knew the woman was near, his destiny was at hand. Her name was Kate…Kathleen, and her face had been imprinted on his very soul. She was the exact replica of image in the formerly despised portrait, and he was going to meet her. He had finally reached her, touched his lady. He did not know where, but he knew the when was now. Fate had caught up to Ravensmoor, the destiny was here, the final meeting that would determine the fate of Ravensmoor, its Earls, and history itself was truly at hand…
Kathleen Bennett tucked her purse away as she listened to the office gossip telling her of the visit of the boss. Not totally understanding what Grace Sanchez, the inveterate office gossip, truly meant until told in no uncertain terms. None other than the owner of the company, Burton Automotive Industries, Limited was going to appear at the offices today, and she had not had a glimmer of notice. She knew that recalls had played havoc with the company, and she well knew her manager’s involvement in the reasons for the substandard parts sent out. IF the owner was coming, and if he knew about this problem with the company, she had no doubts it would be a reason for him to show up personally. It would be a day of reckoning far past due, yet it was not within her rights to blow any whistles. She had only been with the company for five years, and had neither the seniority nor the right to presume to be totally in the know about these things. She only knew what she observed, and she was not impressed with the way Moring ran his end of the operation, or the way he treated his staff and employees. Heavens knew she had born the brunt of his foul temper and bad humour these many years.
There were things she would have loved to tell the “Big Boss,” but his name was a mere scrawl beneath the company logo, a figment of everyone’s imagination as far as Kate could tell. The closest she had come to dealing directly with him was through his personal secretary, one Barbara McMillian, and she had given Kate no hint or idea as to his presence or what the man would be doing here, or going to say, so Grace’s news was relegated to the back of her mind. She soundly yet silently cursed her boss for his inattention, then again as he bellowed for her from his office. Last minute or not, she should have been given some warning by her erstwhile manager, Charles Moring. The past six months of reports were demanded, and Kate was going to do her best to see Moring got what the man undoubtedly requested. When she asked about why Charles Moring was upset, she learned that Grace was indeed telling her the truth. Dante Burroughs, the heretofore unknown and unseen money, power, and owner of and behind Burton Automotive was truly in town and coming to visit this factory/warehouse. Kate was totally unaware and totally unprepared for the man himself, and the repercussions he would have in her life…
Tamela Quijas gives us a story that is more than the run-of-the-mill contemporary romance. Touched with a hint of the supernatural, Dante’s Lady is a gripping tale of love spanning the centuries. Drawing Dante Burroughs and Kathleen Bennett together is not a smooth road to follow, but if the Fates are to have their way, and the Earldom is to continue, bringing them together is a must. Kathleen’s dreams have plagued her since she can remember. There is loneliness there, and a familiarity that she has passed off due to the time spent with these particular dreams. In a way they are familiar friends, yet in another way, they can turn heated and mysterious. She is not prepared for the change in the dream, the man who finally appears, and even more upset when her dreams give that man a face, only to be fulfilled in person. She is no more prepared for the reality of Dante Burroughs than she is for the firing of her boss right in front of her. Both events leave her shaking with uncertainty as emotions she was unaware she possessed so strongly surge to the fore. For Dante, meeting his Kate in such circumstances was somewhat of a shock, however, he had a lot longer to deal with the eventuality, having been prepared for this his whole life.
Dante’s Lady was only a legend, a dream, but two centuries of Ravensmoor Earls had awaited the return of Nathan’s love, and the time was now. There was only one recourse for the Earl of Ravensmoor, and that was to bring “Kaitlyn” home, in this incarnation, her name was Kate, and she was Dante’s to woo, to love, and to cherish. By hook or crook, he was going to return her to Colinwood, back to the home she loved, and into the arms of the man she was meant to have to begin with, himself. It was with great planning and careful execution he laid his loving trap, only to be foiled by her very nature. So now the fate of the Earl of Ravensmoor is held in her hands, and it is up to Kate. Can she forgive, and love, and fulfill her destiny, or will she run away, and not face what fate and love have to show her, the blessings they have to bestow upon her in both heart and mind? If you want to take a wonderful journey with a cast of enchanting characters, then Dante’s Lady is a must buy for you. It is available now from Hearts on Fire Books, and I know Dante’s Lady will not disappoint you.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Coffee Time Romance Review
Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 Cups
It is the year 1840 when the Earl of Ravensmoor's death becomes imminent. Many regrets flash through his mind, but the foremost one is regarding his dear sweet Kaitlyn. He had fallen in love with a maid in his youth, but due to his station in life, was unable to follow his heart. Vowing to find her soul, he extracts a promise from his grandson. Somewhere, somehow, in some time, his Kaitlyn's soul will be found. With the promise agreed upon, the earl finally takes his last breath.
Over a century later in the present, Leslie Dante Jonathan Burroughs,Earl of Ravensmoor and owner of BAI, LTD, continues his ancestor's search. One trusted relative from each descendant was given the task of finding Kaitlyn's soul. He is the last Earl of Ravensmoor and the search must be completed, or her soul may never be found. Aided only with the story passed down by word of mouth and a beautiful portrait, Dante continues his search for Kaitlyn's soul.
When Dante travels from England to Phoenix, Arizona, he is in for the shock of his life. Working in one of his warehouses is the spitting image of Kaitlyn. From her beautiful green eyes to her luscious lips, Dante knows he must find some way to get her to England. For he knows as he stares into her eyes that he is looking into Kaitlyn's soul. Now he struggles with the knowledge that he is deeply attracted to a woman who was meant for his grandfather over a century ago.
“I speak of a love which happens betwixt two souls but once in an eternity.” Ms. Quijas has taken the concept of eternal soul mates and wrapped it into a sensual story of love throughout time. Witty, charming, and funny, Dante's Lady will hold you suspended throughout the book, waiting for the final scene to unfold. Seeing how many pages this book had made me feel intimidated. However, once I started, I found the flow of the wording and the storytelling to be quite smooth and easy to imagine. If you are a collector of books, Dante's Lady is a definite keeper!
Caution: This title contains steamy sex, graphic language and red-hot romance.
Danielle
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
Night Owl Romance Review
In 1840 Nathan Burroughs, Duke of Ravensmoor faces his imminent death. He reflects upon his life and loves. And charges his grandson Nathan, and all his descendents, with looking for the love he lost 50+ years ago, Kaitlyn Burnett, until she returns to Colinswood, the family manor.
200 years after Kaitlyn leaves Nathans life, and 160 years after his death, the descendents have continually looked for Kaitlyn to return. Dante Burroughs is the current Duke of Ravensmoor, and CEO and owner of Burton Automotive Industries, INC. and has been dreaming of a woman who looks very much like Kaitlyn Burnett. Her name is Kathleen “Kate” Bennett and she’s a secretary at the Phoenix plant of Burton Automotive Industries, INC. When these two meet the family “curse” that Dante has been living with becomes something he thinks he can finally break. Not to mention he finally has someone he can truly love. Are these two the reincarnated souls of Kaitlyn and Nathan?
This is a wonderful work by Ms. Quijas and was well worth the read. I felt for Dante and Kate and the journey’s they both had to take to get to where they could be fully honest with each other. All the characters are full of faults and foibles and good points and bad points, and are easy to identify with. The plot will keep you guessing and trying to figure everything out till the end when all is revealed. You’ll be thrilled with the happily ever after these two get in spite of all the obstacles in their way.
When Sophie Bayles inadvertently ruins a young man’s chance for employment, she sets out to find him a new position. Even though he doesn’t want her to.
When Sophie Bayles inadvertently ruins a young man’s chance for employment, she sets out to find him a new position. Even though he doesn’t want her to.
