Book Extract: Hidden in the Mists by Christina Courtenay

I am pleased to be welcoming Christina Courtenay to Novel Kicks today. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Hidden In The Mists.

A love forged in fire lives on through the ages.

She stared at the man again. Was he real? Her mind returned to the ghostly figure by the shore and to her strange dream. No, he was not a figment of her imagination.

Skye Logan has been struggling to run her remote farm on Scotland’s west coast alone ever since her marriage fell apart. When a handsome stranger turns up looking for work, it seems that her wish for help has been granted.

Rafe Carlisle is searching for peace and somewhere he can forget about the last few years. But echoes of the distant past won’t leave Skye and Rafe alone, and they begin to experience vivid dreams which appear to be linked to the Viking jewellery they each wear.

It seems that the ghosts of the past have secrets . . . and they have something that they want Skye and Rafe to know.

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Christina has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy! 

*****beginning of extract*****

Skye Logan gripped her mug of tea tightly with both hands, trying to draw the warmth into her very bones, but it wasn’t working. She stared out towards the island of Jura, which could be glimpsed in the distance across the sea, a beautiful sight she’d never tire of looking at. The water between there and the mainland was calm today, below a layer of morning mist that also swathed most of the island. It crept up towards the cottage, its soft swirls stirring restlessly on an unseen breeze. Indoors, here in her cosy kitchen, she was safe and warm, but the chill was lodged deep inside her and not even the wood-burning Rayburn could thaw her out. She was starting to wonder if anything ever would.

It was barely light, but she’d been unable to sleep. She had always been an early riser, yet waking up pre-dawn was taking things a step too far. No point tossing and turning, though, not when she had so many chores always waiting for her attention. If she could just force down a bowl of porridge, she could get a head start.

She was about to turn away from the window when something caught her eye. A shadow came gliding into the little bay that belonged to her property, a rowing boat of some sort, although she couldn’t quite make it out. A shiver of unease slithered down her spine, making the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.

‘Who on earth . . . ?’

Perhaps someone from up or down the coast, out on an early morning fishing trip? But as she watched, the vessel headed straight towards the sliver of beach where she kept her own boat during the summer. At high tide, like now, the water came halfway up the rocky outcroppings that framed the bay, and made it possible to row all the way in. At any other time, the boat would have got stuck in the mud and tangles of seaweed further out. There was a hazy figure, all alone, and she saw him or her put the oars away and stand up, jumping on to the shore. A her, definitely – it had to be a female, as Skye could see now that she was small, with a long plait falling forward as she pulled the boat on to the sand and tied it to a nearby rock. When she straightened up, a flash of metal glinted off what looked like two large pieces of jewellery, one either side of her chest above her bosom. Her clothing was long and blew slightly in the breeze; some sort of layered maxi dress. She kneeled on the beach for a while. Then she picked up a sack and headed for the line of trees, where the forest abutted Skye’s garden and fields.

‘Hey!’ Skye knocked on the window and tried to wave at the intruder to gain her attention, but it had no effect. She ought to go outside and confront her, but instinct made her stay where she was. The woman could be dangerous; deranged even. Why else was she sneaking around on someone else’s property? Skye was suddenly glad her front door was still locked. There was something eerie about the individual; the way her shape seemed so insubstantial at times, Skye wasn’t entirely convinced she was real.

‘Perhaps I’m dreaming,’ she murmured. Had she fallen asleep at last, only to imagine herself having breakfast? But when she placed her fingers on the glass of the window, it felt cool to the touch and not in the least dreamlike.

‘I’m going mad,’ she muttered.

She was painfully aware of how isolated she was here, far from any other habitation. Since her soon-to-be-ex-husband Craig had left her, she’d been living on her own with only her two Border collies for company. Wait, the dogs! She glanced at them and was surprised to see them sleeping peacefully in their squishy beds next to the Rayburn. Pepsi and Cola were excellent guard dogs and ought to have been barking furiously right now. The woman outside hadn’t exactly been stealthy, but they appeared oblivious. What on earth was going on?

As she turned back to the window, the shadowy figure was disappearing into the forest. Skye waited a few minutes, but the woman didn’t come back, and when she glanced towards the beach, the boat was gone too.

‘How is that possible?’ she whispered, thoroughly spooked now. ‘Who took it?’ It had been there only moments before, she’d swear to it.

There was no reasonable explanation that she could come up with, and the whole episode left her feeling shaken and unsettled. What had just happened?

*****end of extract*****

About Christina Courtenay:

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK.

Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. 

Hidden in the Mists (timeslip/dual time romance published by Headline Review 18th August 2022) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

Say hello to Christina via her website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Click to buy Hidden in the Mists on Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US. 

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Would you like to win a signed copy of Hidden in the Mists, a Viking tea-towel and Viking carved butter knife? 

All you have to do is click here to enter. It’s open internationally. 

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.