Altered Destiny

290 Pages·2011·1.33 MB·English

by  Thomas Shawna

Altered Destiny
By Shawna Thomas Selia has run her family’s tavern since she was fifteen and
can hunt and fight the equal of any man. When she rescues a badly wounded
man and nurses him back to health, she has no idea she’s about to change not
only her life, but also the destinies of two peoples…
The battered warrior is Svistra—a race of bloodthirsty savages determined to
destroy her homeland. Or so the stories claim. Jaden reveals a different truth:
how his ancestors were driven into the barren northern mountains. Now they are
strong and war parties are pushing south wanting their land back.
The son of a Svistra Commander, Jaden is looking for a way to bring peace to
both humans and Svistrans. He tries to ignore his growing passion for Selia, but
when she is captured he has to decide what he would be willing to sacrifice to
save the woman he loves…
105,000 words
Dear Reader,
What do you get when you cross summer with lots of beach time, and long hours
of traveling? An executive editor who’s too busy to write the Dear Reader letter,
but has time for reading. I find both the beach and the plane are excellent places
to read, and thanks to plenty of time spent on both this summer (I went to
Australia! And New Zealand!) I’m able to tell you with confidence: our fall
lineup of books is outstanding.
We kick off the fall season with seven romantic suspense titles, during our
Romantic Suspense celebration the first week of September. We’re pleased to
offer novella Fatal Destiny by Marie Force as a free download to get you started
with the romantic suspense offerings. Also in September, fans of Eleri Stone’s
sexy, hot paranormal romance debut novel, Mercy, can look forward to her
follow-up story, Redemption, set in the same world of the Lost City Shifters.
Looking to dive into a new erotic romance? We have a sizzling trilogy for you.
In October, look for Christine D’Abo’s Long Shot trilogy featuring three siblings
who share ownership of a coffee shop, and each of whom discover steamy
passion within the walls of a local sex club. Christine’s trilogy kicks off with
Double Shot.
In addition to a variety of frontlist titles in historical, paranormal, contemporary,
steampunk and erotic romance, we’re also pleased to present two authors
releasing backlist titles with us. In October, we’ll re-release four science fiction
romance titles from the backlist of CJ Barry, and in November four Western
romance titles from the backlist of Susan Edwards.
Also in November, we’re thrilled to offer our first two chick lit titles from three
debut authors, Liar’s Guide to True Love by Wendy Chen and Unscripted by
Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz. I hope you’ll check out these fun, sometimes
laugh-out-loud novels.
Whether you’re on the beach, on a plane, or sitting in your favorite recliner at
home, Carina Press can offer you a diverting read to take you away on your next
great adventure this fall!
We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments
and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with
Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan
Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan
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Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press www.carinapress.com
www.twitter.com/CarinaPress www.facebook.com/CarinaPress
Dedication
To my love, my life, my husband, C. Guzman.
Acknowledgments
No author ever writes a book alone. We rely on friends, critique partners, and
readers to act as a sounding board for ideas, give honest feedback, necessary
criticism and hopefully praise. I have been blessed with a circle of such people.
I’d like to thank Crystal for being an awesome friend, reader, and for her
unfailing support and love. Thanks also goes to Michelle, Heather, Nichelle,
Jason, and everyone else who took the time to read and critique this manuscript
in its infant stages. You’re all awesome and I couldn’t have done it without you.
Thank you to Carina, for believing in Selia and Jaden’s story. Last but not least,
thank you, Rhonda. This book would not be what it is without you!
Contents
Copyright
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Part Two
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Part Three
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Part Four
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
About the Author
PART ONE
Flushed with the glow of sunset earth seems like a ripe fruit ready to be
harvested by night.
Fireflies, Rabindranath Tagore