Immortal Vows: Clans Isken and Utbek a Time Travel Historical Romance by Katherine Prince ➱ Promotional Tour with Giveaway

 

Lyla

Immortal Vows: Clans Isken and Utbek Book 1

by Katherine Prince

Genre: Time Travel Historical Romance

If they are to have a future together, they must return to the past…

A not-so-ordinary woman…

Lyla has the nearly-perfect life in England, but deep within, she struggles with her identity. Sometimes, she feels as if she doesn’t belong in the society around her. An orphan, raised by her aunt, Lyla has no pictures or memories of her parents except the beautiful sapphire necklace she’s worn all her life. Then shortly after her aunt’s mysterious death, unexplainable climate catastrophes begin occurring, coinciding with the nightmares that have begun tormenting her. Are the answers to be found in her aunt’s secret diaries? And who is the strange man who seems to be following her?

Shadows of the past…

Watcher. Protector. The Shadow Man understands his duty to his tribe. Find the girl, retrieve the stone, and return to his own time eight hundred years into the past to save his people. And Lyla certainly bears watching. The alabaster-skinned beauty has no idea of the danger she’s in. No idea of the supernatural and magical powers she possesses. How can he protect her when his duty is to persuade her to step through a portal into a past she doesn’t remember, to fulfil a destiny that may end her life? How can he do that to someone who has captured his heart?

Two worlds, one chance…

Now Lyla is being hunted by enemies she doesn’t even know she has. The only chance they have for a future is to escape into the past. Can Lyla and the Shadow Man learn to trust one another with their lives, and their hearts?

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Ricolda

Immortal Vows: Clans Isken and Utbek Book 2

The invisible superstar…

When Rhea Adams sings, the whole world stops to listen. A deeply private person, who prefers solitude to stardom, Rhea slips in and out of the spotlight, singing, then disappearing. Growing up, her difference had attracted bullies. On stage, the unique power of her voice attracts screaming audiences. But her voice has also attracted another kind of attention. Trapped for centuries in an abyss of darkness, the ruthless queen of the Isken tribe, Ricolda, has been unable to return to her own time in the 13th century. But through a glowing blue orb, she can watch Rhea. Is the beautiful singer Ricolda’s ticket to her own time, to her army of giants, and her quest to rule all of Scotland?

A simpler time…

There’s magic—true magic—in Rhea’s voice. It’s the key that unlocks Ricolda’s prison, freeing her to once again pursue her evil plans. When Ricolda appears to Rhea, then steps through a mystical portal, Rhea is compelled to follow her, into the past, into a place where there are no screaming fans, a place where Rhea might find the peace she craves. But nothing could prepare Rhea for Dahniell, a man who enraptures Rhea at first sight. And Dahniell is equally entranced by her. But can Dahniell and his village trust this beautiful stranger who consorts with the likes of the dark magician, Ricolda?

No time for love…

Ricolda believes love is for the weak, and she is not weak. She plans to be immortal. To conquer the world. That having power is greater than having love. Can the beauty of Rhea’s singing, the power of its magic, transform evil? Can Ricolda in fact be the saviour of the village, or will the past and future collide, condemning them all to eternal darkness?

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Excerpt 1:

The screams were so loud, as some gave catcalls, and screamed her name. Rhea Adams was accomplished, and the whole world could attest to that fact. She was a living, breathing enigma. She was seen by all yet known by none. She raised one of her hands, and silence enveloped the whole crowd like a tidal wave. It was absolute silence. Then, she started to sing.

The days are darker this time,

The nights swallow up the light, Yet the darkness reigns free. But you my love,

Have withstood the darkness, Stronger than anything else.

I'm proud to call you,

Mi Amor.

She sang from her soul, the sound of the piano was tinged with sadness, and hope. Along with her voice and the message it conveyed, the delivery was seamlessly done, flawlessly in fact. After she was done singing, the sound of the piano lingered in the air, and the beauty she just delivered was heart wrenching, soul grabbing, mind breaking, a toe curling kind of beautiful. The silence lingered on for a few seconds, as the crowd tried to get ahold of themselves. Then as soon as they got themselves, the screams were even more deafening than before even though it didn't seem possible for it to be. The whole arena was visibly shaken, as some people were in tears, and others wiped unshed tears, beyond moved by Rhea's voice. She not only sang, she sang with a kind of lackadaisical grace, as though singing wasn't as hard as it was said to be. She did it effortlessly, even hitting high notes that were said to be a suicide mission.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the music sensation, our very own talent box, RHEA!!" The presenter was back on stage, with a smile so wide, it couldn't have been faked. Rhea was gone by then; the spotlight was on the presenter as he addressed the crowd. Rhea knew she couldn't stay anymore, and she left. It wasn't her first time of disappearing immediately after the show, so nobody was perturbed. They were just glad she graced them with her presence, and of course, her voice.

She went backstage, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her song affected her too, but it wasn't for the same reason it affected the others, it was for a very different reason. She felt like a fraud, singing those types of love songs even though she didn't relate to them in the least.

She got out of the auditorium to see her driver waiting, a lot of people milling around the place. She knew that if she was going to be able to go back to her home, she had to be in a disguise of sorts. She wore the hoodie she took from backstage, covering her face fairly well. Then, she walked straight to the car and nobody stopped her. It wasn't the first time she had done that, and she never felt bad or apologised for it. She hated the attention that came with showbiz business, but she had to do it to let her voice be heard.

Her driver was waiting as usually, and a few people milling around covered her as she got into the car. It was her contingency plan in case the mob was hard to pass through. She set up a few people in strategic places to cover her entrance and of course, her exit. One could never be too careful with things like that, and a few slip ups on her part sometimes made her learn a valuable lesson about keeping her identity from the masses. Rhea Adams was known in the world, but was she really?

She rode in the backseat of the car, truly grateful for the tinted glass. At least she couldn't be seen, and other artists could take the spotlight as she wasn't one to crave it.

Excerpt 2: 

Rhea asked as soon as she got over his looks and started to notice her surroundings. Where she was looked alien to her and try as she did, she had no idea where she was or where she was going to from there. It was then it hit her with resounding force, Ricolda and her appearance into Rhea's life, the talk they had and the swirling vortex she found herself drawn to. Ricolda was nowhere to be found, and Rhea started to worry. That was the main reason she was where she was in the first place, and that was also why she got to meet this beautiful but annoying man that stood in front of her.

"You don't know where you are? So, are you lost by any chance?" Dahniell asked, his eyes urging her to answer. He saw the sincerity and the earnest confusion in her eyes. She truly didn't know where she was or how she had got there. It was either she was very sincere, or a very good actress. He hoped it was the former because he'd already started to take a liking to her and he would hate her to be the spy he was warned against. In fact, it'd really mess up his day in ways he didn't want to think about.

"I don't know how to explain it actually. It all happened so fast and before I knew it, I was here. Actually, I remember most of it. It was a woman who came to thank me for freeing her from some prison she'd been trapped in for so long. Actually, I don't know which way to put it, but she looked much like you, different in a way..." As Rhea trailed off, Dahniell could only look at her in unmasked horror and prayed to all the deities, that he knew, that he was wrong about what he was thinking. He really did hope he was wrong.

"Did you by any chance, get her name? I'm asking mainly out of curiosity." Dahniell spoke in a low tone, with underlying danger. He knew what it would mean if what he was thinking was true. He just hoped against hope that it wasn't.

"Oh, sure I did. She said her name was Ricolda. That's what she said, Ricolda. It's a pretty weird name though." Rhea looked deep in thought as Dahniell schooled his face to one of nonchalance. If she had no idea about the true meaning of Ricolda's existence, he wasn't going to enlighten her to it. At least not while they were standing. Ricolda was a menace and her journey in and out of time was a little bit tiring. She was known as the Darkest Magician ever which made Dahniell wonder why she hadn't been killed earlier. It would have saved a lot of anguish.

"Oh well. By the way, since you're lost, do you think you can come with me to find a place to stay? I promise I won't bite. In fact, I swear to it. In fact, I'd give you as much space as you want. I just don't like to think that you'd be roaming these parts unattended. Who knows what or who might come along if I leave you here?" Dahniell, always the voice of reason spoke, and she could understand where he was coming from. She was bone tired and needed a place to lay her head at least.

"Okay, I think I'll take your offer for today. You don't look like a kidnapper or anything of that sort of people. So, I'll be trusting you for today. So, can you lead the way?" Rhea flashed her best smile at him, and he returned it. At least he was going to have company while he walked home.

“Certainly miss, anything for the damsel in distress." Dahniell spoke, executing a mock bow which Rhea reciprocated with a courtesy of her own.

"Lead the way, my knight in shining armour." Rhea spoke and Dahniell concurred. They were well on their way to building a beautiful friendship or something even more.

Time would tell.

Excerpt 3: 

Her best friends of all were Lyla and Meira, who were the two women like her. They took her under their wing, caring unlike anyone else she'd ever been with. It was like they had a bond that held them together, something she couldn't explain.

They all felt modern yet not. It was as though she was in the 21st century again, whenever the three of them were together. Actually, the day she found out she was in the 13th century, she visibly flipped. She assumed that the weird style of dress every‐body was wearing was more like masquerading. But to find out that it wasn't was a huge blow to her. In fact, she had a full melt‐down and only the presence of the ladies in the group seemed to calm her down.

The men looked absolutely clueless, the two she'd come to know as Milonis and Nicholai were even more confused. It would have been even funnier if they at least tried to act like they understood what was going on. They looked absolutely clueless, and let the women handle it. After Rhea's absolute meltdown, when she'd calmed down, she discovered that life in the Scottish Highlands wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was beyond amazing, and she felt like she finally belonged somewhere. She had this sense of belonging that she couldn't explain even if she tried. It was a wholesome feeling, one she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

After over a month of being with Dahniell and his family, she'd totally forgotten the life she led as a superstar before, the simple country life was more than what she could have expected. It was what she craved, what she was actually made for. There was no other way she could describe the kind of euphoria she felt just by being with people who genuinely cared about her.

Her attraction to Dahniell grew daily, and she talked about it with Lyla and Meira who felt it was perfectly normal to feel that way. In fact, they encouraged it. They encouraged Rhea to go encourage it, and she could actually see their point. The other men she saw around them were beautiful too, but none of them came close to Dahniell. He had an unnatural kind of grace, something she still couldn't get over.

Day after day she tried to pinpoint exactly what attracted him to her, but she came up short. Aside from the fact that he was absolutely the most beautiful person she'd ever met or seen, he had this carefree way he carried himself, so relaxed she was envious of it. It was just so alluring; she couldn't help but wonder if she was the first girl, he made feel that way. In fact, she knew that she wasn't the only one, and she could spot at least ten girls who were willing to do anything for him. It was the main reason why she avoided going to meet him directly and telling him how she felt about him. She really didn't want to be added to his list of admirers, not if she could help it.

She wondered about Ricolda on most days, and the way she had totally disappeared from sight. It was like she never existed at all.

Excerpt 4:

Ricolda watched with bated breath through her orbs as Rhea rolled from side to side on the bed, as restless as restless could be. She was obviously troubled, her body posture suggested it. She sat upright on the bed and in a few seconds after, she began to sing. Ricolda watched in stunned silence, because even after she had heard Rhea's voice more than once, she didn't seem to be able to get over how it flowed seamlessly, and how it affected her at the same time. She knew that the voice Rhea had was the only thing that would be able to free her from the abyss she was trapped in. Her voice was magic, and she didn't even know. When Rhea was born, Ricolda watched still. Rhea had fasci‐nated her since she was born, her cries even had a singing tone to them. It was as though her voice was specially made to sing and to heal. Ricolda didn't understand at first, but she kept watching Rhea. She watched Rhea grow, wondering if she made a mistake like she did before with Meira. But then, she didn't watch Meira grow, it was just a few months of watching her. But Rhea on the other hand, Ricolda had watched her grow, every step of the way. It was safe to say that she was a little bit attached to the girl who sang whenever she was sad, sang when‐ever she was happy too. Whenever she felt choked up with everything and felt let down by life, she sang too. Ricolda watched her daily and got to know the girl with the voice of an angel.

But Ricolda was weary of being trapped, being unable to see anything except from when she was banished into the abyss. So, she couldn't tell what they were doing, and that irked her no end. She needed to know the next plan of action, but she was barred from that whole century. She could only see beyond that. It was very irksome to be in one place for over fifty years with nothing to do at all. Even her orb refused to come on during those years in the 13th century. She was usually in pitch black darkness and would literally prefer to die instead of the torture

she was put through. Since she could not die in the abyss, she bided her time and waited patiently. After all, if she waited for all those hundreds of years, she would definitely be able to wait a few decades. It wasn't as hard as she thought it'd be anyway.

But Rhea was definitely an interesting girl, what with the way she acted, the things she did and how she reacted to every‐thing that came her way. She was indeed one type of person to model after. It was safe to say that Ricolda was a little bit too attached to Rhea, as she was her only source of entertainment in the abyss where she resided. Rhea gave Ricolda something to look forward to in the darkness of the abyss. It was an inter‐esting phenomenon when a magician of Ricolda's caliber took afirm interest in a human girl. Actually, it wasn't just a weird phenomenon as it did happen every now and then.

Ricolda was going to get out of the abyss by any means necessary and Rhea was going to be just the way she was going to do it .The game was on; Rhea vs Ricolda.

Who would win in this game of wits and wills? Ricolda knew about Rhea right from the moment she was born but Rhea was painfully unaware of Ricolda's existence. Could the odds be evened? Or would Rhea live in perpetual ignorance of Ricolda all her life?

Time was ticking, and the rainstorm sent by Ricolda ravaged and tore through the little town like it was made out of paper. The anger, the resentment, the pent-up frustration of being in an abyss with nowhere to go to fuel her very agenda. It was time to get to work, and Rhea must learn of her existence. It was the only way, for Ricolda to be freed.

Time was ticking, it always was.

Excerpt 5 longer: 

Rhea was a lady of few words, having been subjected to

bullying when she was younger. Her songs didn't only sing out her pain, it sang out her triumphs too. She was lost in the thoughts of her past, when her phone rang. She turned towards the sound and grabbed her phone from the armrest of the chair where she kept it before she went to take her bath. She checked the name of the caller to see Paul, the guy she canceled her date with. Knowing that he was not going to stop calling due to how annoyingly persistent he was, she waited till the call ended and barred his number from calling her. It was all so exhausting to keep turning down one man after another, every single time. They always pushed for more and she knew she couldn't give them what they wanted, what they actually craved. They wanted her, and she was never going to be available to them.

She was a believer in love at first sight, but almost everyone she saw had something off about them. She was not perfect by any means, but she was true to herself at the very least. She knew what she wanted, and what she was being offered was a long shot from it. In fact, it wasn't even worth being mentioned at all.

She gave an audible sigh as she sipped from the cup of tea she was holding, the past rearing its ugly head once more. She hated dwelling on the past, as that changed nothing, not even one thing. She was a staunch believer in holding on to the good things in life, and leaving the past where it belonged, behind her. But then, some things refused to change and try as she might, she couldn't force them to. She turned to look outside the window to see the sky darkening to black, signs of an impending rainstorm. She wasn't worried about the weather though; she could stay in her house and watch Netflix all day. It didn't disturb her at all.

She drank the remainder of her tea that was now cold, drop‐ping the cup gingerly on the table. She'd already gotten to an interesting part in the movie she was watching and didn't want

to miss it for anything. Just then, all lights went off at once, and the emergency generator kicked in. But then, Rhea realised she was in no mood to continue the movie she was watching. In fact, she realised that the rainstorm might have been way worse than she first thought. It was weird even for her, but she took it as a sign for her to turn in early. She had had a pretty eventful day, what with hiding from the media and the mob and other annoying shenanigans. She was tired and needed to get some rest, at least to preserve her sanity for the coming days. If there was one thing to know about the showbiz world, it was a complete madhouse. A madhouse she was unfortunately roped into.

She went to her room and tried to sleep. Well, at least she did. The sound of the thunderstorm shook her whole house like rolling thunder. It was even louder than she anticipated, and it shook her to her very core. This one was of those times she hated being alone, as she had literally nobody to cuddle up to. The problem wasn't that she couldn't find someone, it was that she couldn't find someone worth her time and effort. She couldn't find a person willing to scale the fence for her in an effortless way. They all stood to gain something, be it her wealth, fame or something else. They all claimed to like her, but did they really? Back in her school days, nobody gave her the time of the day. She was virtually an outcast, by no fault of hers. But when the fame came, the gold diggers followed soon after. It was exhausting trying to explain her stance in some certain issues like love and what it takes to not only be in a relationship but keep one, every single time. The guys never really heard her, content on pointing out her features instead. It was disgusting to her, but she couldn't call them out publicly for it. So, she became a recluse and slunk into her shell completely, not coming out for any reason whatsoever.

The sound of the rolling thunder jarred her from her

thoughts again, but this time she was prepared for it. She closed her eyes and hugged her pillow as tight as she could. If she didn't have a companion, she could as well create one. She could only imagine what the newspapers and blogs would say if they caught wind of the fact that their famous superstar was actually a lonely girl at heart. They'd probably have a field day with that information, which was why Rhea went beyond herself to keep her private life a secret from the media at all costs. Maybe it was her deep-seated paranoia, but they didn't deserve to know anything about her. She wanted herself and her affairs to be kept a secret at all costs.

The thunder rumbled again and this time, Rhea knew that she might as well give up on her quest for sleep. Sleep wasn't coming, eluded her at every turn. It was as though it was making a mockery of her and her thoughts were cheering it on. Her mind was a little bit like the madness in Alice in Wonderland, she sometimes wondered if sanity was even a plausible thing to wish for. Since she was young, she'd decided that if she ever found a genie in a magic lamp somewhere, her first wish would be restoration of her sanity as it is.

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I have always been a bit of a book worm and have read voraciously for most of my life. I always loved Historical, Romantic, Scottish and Fantastical fiction, even as a girl. I visited many ancient and historical places living in Scotland, which helped to cultivate my love of the ancient, the fiction I love and things like archaeology. The excitement and romantic nature of a lot of the books I love quickly inspired me to want to do this for myself. I remember the first “novel”I wrote, as a youngster, it was in a ring bound note pad - and was hardly coherent and jammed full with way too many ideas and I only got maybe 7000 words in, but you have to start somewhere right? Anyway for a few weeks I really enjoyed it, but then decided upon something I fancied better. I just kept going and practicing from there. I have heard it said that in order to write you must read. I am a massive subscriber to this maxim. It is so true, scary true as I like to say. One of my favourite things to do in my youth was to ask for a batch of books in these genres for my Christmas’s and Birthdays. Sometimes my mother and grand mother would surprise me with books I didn’t know I was getting but they thought I would like. William Boyd was among them once or twice.

So how did I become an author, the short answer is out of reading and love of books. It may sound cliched but there it is.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

I like Artisan Coffee and connoisseur food and drink. Traditional food, of it’s place and beautifully presented. I will love anything like this and I usually love the sorts of places (usually rustic places I have found) who do this kind of food. A good example would be what I guess you could call UK Chic in Matthew McConaughey’s character Michael Pearson’s pub in the recent film “The Gentleman” or Scottish celebrity Chef Tom Kitchin’s restaurants The Kitchin! Such treats!

Tell us something interesting that has happened to you!

I have a son and I met author William Boyd.

What are some of your pet peeves?

Lack of humour! And when people confuse illusion with reality ,accusing fiction of ALWAYS having to reflect reality. It can of course, but much does not, hence the words ”Escapism” and “Fiction”. Also when they scold fiction for not being fair to characters or not being true to life etc. One is imagination and one is reality, I think I can’t explain it more simply than that.

Where were you born/grew up ?

Edinburgh, Scotland. With frequent contact with St. Andrews Scotland

If you knew you would die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

Oh my goodness, a question of too many answers. But if I had to venture one of the many, it may be writing a story in Tom Kitchin’s The Kitchin with a fine fresh traditional Scottish lunch and a rich hand roasted coffee to follow! Or writing in The Elephant House which I also love, where Ms. Rowling penned a good deal of Harry Potter. Or going to the fair with my son.

Who is your hero and why?

Lydia Kendall, William Boyd and a few others. They write such real and compelling women and men. But I just click with their women. And I keep wanting to re-read them, as I do! A little like the films of Stanley Kubrick, even when you have seen them 10 times, you still feel like you don’t know what is going to happen and it is always surprising when what happens happens! An amazing sort of phenomenon it really is. Eyes Wide Shut is an excellent example!

What kind of world ruler would you be?

I fear a bad one but I hope a good one. I would let everyone achieve their potential in any way they desired and not pin them back for any reason or let the egos and jealously of others affect them.

What are you passionate about these days?

My son,  I want him to him to be the best person he can be.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

It may sound a cliche but I write,  I find the process soothing. I also love spending time with my son of course. He is really into skate boarding so we spend a lot of time at the skate park. He likes films too so we watch films together. I love artisanal cafe’s and sitting in them. I do like fashion. I walk a lot too.

How to find time to write as a parent?

He’s (my son) at school a lot, so I write then. But I am quite a night owl too so I write after his bed time.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Oh my goodness! Okay let me try, literary, hopeful, adventurous, good natured.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Probably when I left high school. I felt a certain freedom I hadn’t had before and I felt I could express myself in my writing

Do you have a favorite movie?

Probably too many to say, but let me venture a few, Brave! Haha:), has to be up there and I am sure this will not come as a surprise. Trainspotting (The first one). This may come as a surprise! The new IT films based on the Stephen King novel, the Toy story films, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, A Clockwork Orange. The Falling, I loved the latest Little Women film and The Two Popes. I love the Colin firth 1995 Pride and Prejudice and of course Downton Abbey. The Haunting of Hill House series was AWESOME too! Some of my tastes are somewhat contradictory I grant you! I love most anything by Hitchcock too. I think the realness and compelling nature of the women in Hitchcock films are grossly underrated. I love films about close relationships between intimate groups of people whether successful, dysfunctional or both at times.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

I hope it’s okay to say but all if I may. As I really see them in my head as sort of little movies and this helps me write them and makes them very clear in my head to write.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

Well a frequent one to The Elephant Room I suppose. I saw the Wordsworth House too.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

PUSSY CAT!!!

Edinburgh born and bred Katherine Prince is the author of steamy Scottish Historical Sci-Fi romance with dashes of the fantastical. Passionate about Scottish folklore, storytelling, culture and history, Ms. Prince is also inspired by the amazing festivals, writers, events, castles and places in her homeland of Scotland. Writing from her converted loft with views of the city, her studies of Archaeology and Scottish literature contribute to her books' immersive sense of place and authenticity. She loves stories with sweet characters and ultimately happy endings, but not until they've had a bit of adversity and challenges!

In the morning, Ms. Prince may be slightly incoherent until her first cup of Artisanal coffee or tea has rejuvenated her. It may or may not be accompanied by another of her loves, traditional South American chocolate. When she's not writing, her beautiful spunky son and little diva of a cat keep her busy and entertained, along with games of noughts and crosses, and a quirky and delightfully unexpected taste in music and films!

Ms. Prince enjoys hearing from readers and looks forward to connecting with them on any of her social media sites:

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