Christmas. . . A time for happiness. . .a time for joy. A time to wish. . .a time to dream. A time to remember. . .a time to love. A time to hope for the love of your life…your soulmate. The holidays makes love shine its brightest – Like flames of Gold.
Excerpt
Grace McKenzie stared into the steel blue eyes of her past. A past she had buried deep in her heart, locking it away, locking herself away—until now. As if a flood gate had been opened, memories of that one single horrific night came bursting to the surface, flooding her heart with pain so intense an agonizing moan slipped past her lips.
The owner of those eyes reached out, then quickly drew his hand back. He started to speak, then stopped. What could he say? There were no words. Nothing could change what had happened almost three years ago. Nothing could bring back her baby and the only man she’d ever loved…or ever would love.
She knew he had done everything he could to save her family from the flames of death that Christmas Eve. A picture of his black-streaked face formed in her mind—his tattered fireman’s uniform covered in soot and grime, the sadness in his expression as he told her it was too late. No, he wasn’t to blame. She was all too aware of where the fault lay. The knife in her heart and the emptiness in her soul were constant reminders. And nothing in the world would change that fact.
She had killed her family.
And God had stood by and watched it happen.
As if by some cruel trick from a higher power, the hauntingly familiar Silent Night poured from the mall’s speakers amidst shoppers pushing through the garland- decorated shops in search of that elusive, perfect gift. The only gift Grace had truly ever valued had been brutally torn from her grasp because of her stupidity.
The unmerciful night replayed in the memory bank she was unable to erase.
“Ready for bed?” Her husband had bent to turn off the tree lights.
“Wait! I want to leave the lights on. It’s Christmas Eve and they are so pretty. The tree can be seen from outside by everyone. And it’s the first thing I’ll see when I come down in the morning,” she’d countered.
He’d shaken his head. “It’s not a good idea, Grace. You know the tree’s very dry, and you have so many lights it’s an accident waiting to happen.”
“Oh, John, you’re being paranoid.”
She’d turned out all the other lights and stood gazing at the tree.
“If you say so. I still don’t think it’s safe.” He’d taken her hand and led her up the stairs to their bedroom.
And the lights stayed on. She followed behind with one last look at the tree and smiled to herself. Another argument won. Like she always had to do.
She shook the memory away.
No accusation or blame radiated from the man standing before her, the man she never even knew by name, only pity, which was worse. So much worse. Unable to stand it a moment longer, she broke eye contact with him and hurried out the nearest exit, forgetting whatever it was that had lured her out of her tiny apartment in the first place, leaving behind the tacky Christmas decorations she’d grown to hate.
Once she reached her car, she plopped into the seat and slammed the door shut against the outside world.
Only then did she allow the tears to fall.
Her next awareness was pulling into the apartment parking garage. She had no memory of the drive as if she’d been in a complete trance. She didn’t recall making any turns or stops. Nothing.
She opened the car door and for the first time since leaving the mall, she felt the cold bite into her exposed skin. Remembering she had a jacket on when she left the apartment, she glanced at the passenger seat. What had happened to it? She must have dropped it during her hasty retreat. No matter. She rarely left the apartment anyway, preferring the quiet seclusion of her self-appointed prison.
The roar of the chilling wind echoed through the hollow garage, moaning a sad lament. Its pitiful cries reached into her bosom and squeezed the dead beating heart resting within her chest.
An overwhelming sense of grief strangled the breath from her lungs, causing her to gasp for air. The desperate inhalation of chilly air burned her throat and she coughed.
She clutched her thin purse and, without looking back, ran straight for her door. The gold number 9 hung askew. The key shook in her hand as she inserted it into the lock.
Safely inside her beige walled cell with her one beige couch and her tiny table with a single chair, she fell upon the beige comforter draping her bed and curled into a fetal position, rocking herself into a numbing sleep.
Professional Reviews
Crystal's Book Reviews
Flames of Gold: Romance Anthology by Leanne Burroughs, Amy Blizzard, Patty Howell, Judith Leigh and Amber Dawn Bell
Flames of Gold, is an amazing, heart-warming romance anthology that should be stuffed in every woman's stocking this year! It was perfect, kind of like the way hot chocolate feels when you come in from the cold. Every author brings something warm and inviting to the story you're reading at the time. There may have been hardships in the character's pasts, but with a little hope, love, and faith, anything can happen. Hearts that have been hardened against love, will blossom and accept true happiness.
A New Tradition by Leanne Burroughs is a historical Christmas tale, with a love at first sight romance. Abigail at one time loved Morgan, then was infuriated that he just left her in Saratoga Springs without so much as a goodbye, loved him again when he saved her life from a wayward carriage, hated him again when she thought he had a mistress.... And then she loved him again. Oh and don't forget the peppermint pig! I loved Ms. Burroughs ideas of how life used to be; she paints the perfect picture of simple times and honest to goodness true love.
The Snowflake Ball by Amy Blizzard is a real tear jerker! This is the story of Chloe and Woody, an ER Doctor without any Christmas spirit and a Fireman that lives to celebrate and spread Christmas cheer. Chloe sees Christmas as the day of her brothers death, and does not really acknowledge the holiday. It is not until she meets Woody in the ER, turns him down for a date, then sees how wonderful of a man he is, that she realizes that the world does not have to stop, and she can still enjoy the magic of Christmas. Ms. Blizzard had me from the get-go with her lively characters and I enjoyed every moment!
Entertaining Angels by Patty Howell made me fall in love with her writing style, she writes with her emotions and I love that! Ms. Howell makes you cry, but in a good way. In this short story, Gwen finds out that the man she is currently seeing is in the witness protection program, but he does have a very handsome brother that comes to her rescue on that snowy winter night. Branson knew there was something special about Gwen from the moment she laid into him about why he was picking her up from work and not Danson. In the mix, they come across a child that is alone and much to young to be on the streets by herself, this little girl brings joy, love, and hope to Gwen and Branson. She is also taught there is a God, and if she believed with all her heart, good things would happen and her daddy would get well from the accident. While in Gwen and Branson's care, the little girl Nicky, brings their feelings to light.
Chance for a Merry Christmas by Judith Leigh is a story about loss and love that hits close to home. I think Ms. Leigh has done an impeccable job with this story because with love sometimes comes the fear of the unknown. Sue had just lost her mother, and was not ready to lose someone else she loved so soon. Chance said that being out of the Air Force was not an option so now what could these two do to be together? Let me tell you, distance can make the heart grow fonder, and would it really be so bad to be a military wife? Sue has to make that jump, is her love for the man she has only known a short time, enough to make her throw caution to the wind? Ms. Leigh is just begging you gals to find a military man that is sensitive and caring with this one!
A Christmas Flame by Amber Dawn Bell is a story you'll have to have a box of tissues nearby for. Angel blamed herself for the death of her husband and baby daughter 3 years ago because she had to be stubborn and leave the tree lights on, on Christmas Eve. Jacob was the fireman on duty that night, and he couldn't save them. He lived with that guilt every day, and he had finally had enough, he had to deal with the pain. After running into Angel, there was no turning back. He had to tell her everything, how he felt, how badly he wished he could save her family, and he also had to get off his chest the horrors of his past. He should have been the one to die when he was 12 years old, not his sister and his family made sure he knew that. Time and a little girl, healed his wounds and now he was off to hopefully fill the void and pain within Angel. Ms. Bell pours passion into each and every word of this short story, it made a perfect ending to an amazing anthology!
5 Hearts Without a Doubt!!
Crystal Reviews
Within every heart lies a flame of hope, a dream of true love, a glimmering thought that the goodness of life is far, far larger than the challenges and adversities arriving in every life. In Flames of Gold lie five short stories wrapping credible characters into that mysterious, poignant mixture of pain and pleasure, sorrow and joy, stony apathy and resurrected hope.
In "A New Tradition, " Leanne Burroughs introduces us to feisty Abigail Sommers, a woman filling in as a waitress for her ill friend. While Abigail is a staunch believer in women's suffrage, she's also wise enough in 1853 Saratoga Springs to disguise herself as a male in this job considered suitable only for men. All Abigail's certainty disappears with the arrival of Morgan Leighton, whose very look and touch make her heart leap around her chest. A wonderful yet challenging dance, a near catastrophic accident and more force Abigail and Morgan to make a pivotal choice commemorated with a sweet, little known tradition promising a wondrous future.
Then in "The Snowflake Ball," Amy Blizzard offers up a female Scrooge, the formidable Dr. Chloe Miller, a woman who can't wait for the holiday hoopla to disappear as it presents its horrors in a hospital emergency room of illness stemming from crazy accidental and self-induced holiday mishaps. So why would anyone ask her to be Mrs. Santa for the pediatric ward's Christmas party and what's with this stalking patient, Woody Larson, whom Chloe treats but who returns to help her with her Mrs. Santa role and much, much more? Tough but tender characters like Chloe, Woody, and other patients in Indianapolis Medical Center touch unexpected areas of readers' hearts and minds, leaving behind a memorable story for sure.
Next we meet Branson Adams and Gwendolyn Margate, two characters whose lives are about to be upturned with each other and a very special little girl in "Entertaining Angels" by Patty Howell. Gwen and this little girl, Nicky, are plagued by the need to trust and love again. It is Branson and other optimistic characters who help Gwen and Nicky realize that those casual, thoughtless prayers uttered in a single breath really might be answered, changing one's life and outlook on life forever!
Now enter the world of a very contemporary reality in the world of a little town called Mistletoe in "Chance for a Merry Christmas" by Judith Leigh. All the Mistletoe residents create a warm, accepting, enveloping atmosphere for those who are wounded physically and emotionally. Sue Johnson, whose mother passed away, and Chance, a wounded soldier home on leave from Iraq, meet and face the instantaneous reaction to each other which they only partially admit. For both have memories that cling so hard and the future in that environment looms with uncertainty. Will they let go and, like so many couples, allow love to heal the past, present and future?
Finally, Amber Dawn Bell in "A Christmas Flame" introduces us to Angel McKenzie and Jacob Campbell, two strangers whose lives are engulfed in the flame of failure, a world guaranteed to preserve their memories but shut out any possibility of warmth from the flames of love both so dearly need. One intense rescue on the part of Jacob and a little girl's faith-filled words will alter his inner world while a singular sermon will challenge Angel's world, creating a world of love for the future and wisdom for those who find it so very difficult to let go and let God!
Deftly plotted, paced precisely to hold interest and delightfully unfolding, Flames of Gold deserves to be enjoyed in any season, guaranteeing that real holiday spirit endures within the gifts of faith, hope and love personified in these engaging, spirited stories by these obviously terrific writers!
Welcome to Hell on Earth, boys.
Andersonville POW camp...
Russell's battle-worn body looked defeated. He was a Union soldier; she was a Confederate nurse. But when Rosa looked into his eyes, she saw pure determination. He looked fo
