"A ring and a pirate's curse in this fantasy"
Reviewed by Clare O'Beara
Posted September 22, 2014
Romance Time Travel
This complex fantasy features a ring which is passed down
through generations of women, to modern times when people
who think they are quite ordinary learn that they have
choices to make.
SOULS ENTWINED faces Sam Daggett with tragedy when the
chainsaw wielded by the road crew drops a tree on top of a
female jogger who hadn't kept going as expected. Sam leapt
to push her away, but got caught under the tree too. Now
he
seems to see a cat talking to him and the lady jogger,
Gretta, explaining that nobody else can hear and they are
linked by a cursed ring worn by Gretta. Their souls will
be
linked to those of people in the past; in 1829 in fact, as
they try to lift the tragic curse.
I didn't like the use of the word PIT by the soul
travellers; this stands for Purgatory-In-Tartarus where
doomed souls are sent. But would people really say the
PIT
or just refer to it as the Pit, or Purgatory? Using the
initials felt clumsy.
Sam's soul is entwined with an American sailor Lorenzo
Taylor aboard a ship in the Greek harbour at Mykonos.
Captured by pirates, he'll likely be sold into slavery. He
can't alter anything but can listen and learn. There's
pirate treasure to gain, and he needs to find Gretta,
whose
soul is now entwined with a girl named Anya. In this time,
maybe she will be the one to save his life.
The cast is varied as Greeks, Americans, Africans and
Ottomans battle it out for control of a pirate hoard and
ships on the high seas. Period detail is well described.
At
this period, slaves from many lands are auctioned in
Rhodes, a Greek-controlled island, and we experience the
slave auction environment as Lorenzo tries desperately to
find a pair of friends including Anya. Not only are they
in
danger of ending as whipped servants, but some of the
people here are buying slaves as sacrifices.
If you are looking for an unusual timeslip fantasy, or
just
for a rollicking pirate story with plenty of blood and
danger, Anne B Cole should please equally with this
crossover work SOULS ENTWINED, which manages to remain at
heart a romance. Just watch out for falling trees.
SUMMARY
When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in
time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly
finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their
souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek
island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries
behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty
pirate who is determined to seek revenge.
Gretta and Sam
must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives
from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own
lives—or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing
the
evil cycle of the ring’s curse.
ExcerptExcerpt from Chapter Two of Souls EntwinedNot a sound was heard as Sam’s eyes snapped open. Under
the branches of the
downed tree, Purple Shorts began to stir. “Sorry, are you okay?” Sam gently lifted his weight off
her. “I think so,” she replied faintly. Sam released his hold
on her shoulder,
amazed her face wasn’t scratched. He wondered how bad he
appeared. “Do you think you can stand?” She nodded. Together they rose to their feet, easily
stepping out from the
tangle of branches. Eyes growing wide, she began to sway. “Sit,” Sam commanded, steadying her. “No, look!” She pointed. Sam gazed over his shoulder. His mouth fell open. Beneath
the tree, their
bodies lay, motionless. “Are we . . .” Purple Shorts began, but Sam shook his head
slowly. Before she could say more, he interrupted, “I don’t know.
Do you feel—” “Dead?” He scanned the area for help. Everything around them was
still, as if they
were watching a movie and someone hit ‘pause.’ No wind, no
sound, no
movement. He flinched when cold fingers clutched his hand. Squeezing gently, he lifted her hand in front of their
faces. “Can you feel
this?” Purple Shorts nodded. “I don’t think we’re dead,” Sam whispered, gazing into her
blue eyes.
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