I’m pleased to introduce the third author in the Treasure the Knight boxed set. Please help me welcome Anna Markland with Knightly Dreams
Knightly Dreams is one of four brand new stories featured in the Templar anthology Treasure the Knight. For ten years, Anna has been thrilling readers with her page-turning, adventure-filled medieval romances. Fans of the genre have taken her Montbryce family to their hearts. However, Knightly Dreams is a somewhat different take on the fascinating history of the Templars. She refers to the story as a “contemporary medieval.” Many of Anna’s books are set in the 11th and 12th centuries, so delving into the 14th century was another first, and the hero and heroine are modern-day university students.
Blurb:
Peter Bateson is an accomplished graduate student whose doctoral thesis proves conclusively that the Templar treasure no longer exists. (Sorry Dan Brown). His well-researched theories and his comfortable lifestyle are challenged when he meets Susie, a university drop out who insists the treasure still exists because the Templar Knight who visits her dreams told her so.
Excerpt:
Susie fiddled with the fringe on her jacket, inexplicably nervous for Peter as he stared at the audience.
“Looks like a Templar preparing to face the hordes attacking Jerusalem,” her neighbor quipped, making no attempt to speak softly.
A retort was on the tip of her tongue, but she thought better of it when Peter seemed to collect himself and began his dissertation. He flipped through the introductory slides and his nervousness disappeared. It was evident he knew his topic inside out. She liked the sound of his voice. Deep, but not too deep. Confident.
She thought he’d noticed her before and been none too pleased to see her, but as his presentation went on she began to think she’d been mistaken.
He gave a succinct account of the founding of the Order of the Templars after the establishment of the first Crusader states in the Holy Land. “From humble beginnings as a small group tasked with protecting pilgrims, within twenty years they’d become the most powerful bankers in Christendom. Thousands of wealthy pilgrims entrusted their money, lands and titles to them for safekeeping. New recruits donated all their possessions.”
She yawned, enjoying listening to him but thinking perhaps she’d be better off finding a quiet park bench somewhere. A nap would do her good before the shift at the pub. Even she knew the Templars had amassed their enormous treasure acting as bankers—most Crusaders never returned home to reclaim their valuables.
Startled when Peter unexpectedly removed his suit jacket and undid his tie, she sat up straight. He seemed self-conscious about it, but, holy smokes, fit didn’t begin to describe him. He was built! The conservative suit hadn’t done justice to the powerful shoulders and broad chest that tapered to a lean waist. He patiently rolled up his shirtsleeves to reveal corded forearms dusted with light brown hair. Susie tried to swallow, but without saliva it was impossible. The nerd had transformed into a jock who’d set her heart pounding. Which was strange. Muscle-bound men didn’t turn her on, but Peter Bateson had made her panties alarmingly damp.
In her agitated state, she was completely unprepared for what happened next. He shrugged a tunic over his head, thrust his arms through the armholes, and explained, “I thought a visual aid might help us better identify with the thousands of knights faced with the annihilation of the Templar Order by King Philip of France in the fourteenth century.”
Susie gaped at the knight who’d haunted her dreams for weeks, incapable of coherent thought, until Peter said, “The big question is, what happened to the Templars’ account books when the surviving knights supposedly fled La Rochelle by sea? The logs have never been found and my thesis proves neither they nor the so-called treasure still exist.”
Of course. The logs! Now she was awake, it was so stupidly obvious what the knight had meant. She vaulted to her feet and gripped the pew in front of her. “No,” she shouted, “De Norrels has the logs.”
Links:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/treasure-the-knight
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1321206596
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/treasure-the-knight-laurel-odonnell/1127585737?ean=2940155045847
Available for preorder at 99 cents. Releasing Jan 22nd.
Bio:
Anna’s interest in genealogy blossomed into the creation of juicy romances about family honor, roots and ancestry. She is a firm believer in love at first sight. Her heroes and heroines may initially deny the attraction between them, but eventually the alchemy wins out. Her novels are intimate stories filled with passion, intrigue, adventure and suspense.
She has a website and a Facebook page, Anna Markland Novels.
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Author Alicia Dean 