I’m so pleased to be welcoming Christina Courtenay back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Ripples Through Time.

A love that will change them forever

A treasure that will bring them home

West Mercia, AD 873 – Merewen’s settlement is on guard against the outside threat of the ‘Heathen’ Norsemen. But for Merewen, the real threats come from within, as her future is cruelly snatched away from her.

Eirik, a Norseman, finds himself abandoned and injured after his uncle’s plunder of Mercian land goes wrong. He thinks his fate is sealed – until Merewen saves his life.

Hereford, Present Day – Left reeling after a huge betrayal, Alix moves to her grandfather’s farm in Hereford to heal her broken heart. There, after being given a family heirloom, she soon finds herself haunted by memories of a life she never lived, a relationship she never had, and a time in which she never existed.

Local farmer Noah is being hounded by the police to find the Viking hoard that his sister and her criminal boyfriend stole from his farm. Noah must prove his own innocence while struggling to decipher the curious connection he has to newcomer Alix – a bond that seems to transcend their own reality.

As they search for the lost treasure, Alix and Noah start to feel the whispers of a love they never expected, one powerful enough to echo through history.

Christina has shared an extract from Ripples Through Time with us today. We hope you enjoy.

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

Chapter One (abridged) – heroine is given bad news – Mercia AD 873

As she entered the hall, Merewen halted momentarily, taken aback by the sight of her betrothed, Oslac, sitting next to her father Beorthric. She hadn’t realised he was due to visit today or she would have made more of an effort with her appearance. She frowned as she registered that her sister Burghild was sitting next to him looking smug. Never a good sign. In contrast, Oslac kept his gaze fixed on the floor. That was strange. Normally he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Merewen. What on earth was going on?

‘Father? Is there something amiss?’

‘Not as such.’ Beorthric cleared his throat before launching into speech. ‘I merely wished to inform you that I have decided your sister will make a better match for Oslac than you. As you know, her betrothed was recently killed by the heathens. She is my eldest child, and whomsoever she marries will inherit this settlement since I have not been blessed with any sons. Oslac will take over his own father’s domains in due course, and as Burghild’s husband he can eventually merge the two properties into a larger one. That will create a very rich holding and increase our families’ standing in the area. So from this moment on, I declare your betrothal to Oslac at an end.’

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