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Promo: Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney

Today, I'm particularly delighted to share a book promo for a historical mystery that promises to be a great read: Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney. I'm looking forward to reading it, and will post my review in due course. Meanwhile, you'll find an intriguing excerpt below. 

I'm currently reading another novel by Amy, The Girl from Oto, and it's a beautifully written and well researched tale. 

Sea of Shadows is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Make sure to visit all the other fabulous stops!




Sea of Shadows

Sea and Stone Chronicles, Book 2

Amy Maroney

Historical suspense/romance


Excerpt:

Summer, 1459
Rhodes Town

With their three wards in tow, Drummond and Sir Peter navigated the busy waterfront. Servants of the Order were everywhere, scurrying from the quays to the warehouses by the dockyard. 

Peering at the sea, Drummond caught sight of a vessel heading toward the Mandraki, the top third of its mainsail mast leaning drunkenly to one side. “Praise the Virgin. They made it.”

Sir Peter patted him on the back. “You can rest easy now, my friend.”

Several knights of the Order approached from the direction of the Provencal merchant ship, followed by servants hauling carts full of luggage. They all fell silent at the approach of Drummond and his small group.

“What’s this?” one of them called out to Sir Peter. “Keeping company with Arabs now, are you?”

Sir Peter shook his head. “Long story. These are Christian fellows.” Under his breath, he added to their young companions, “If tongues start wagging about your return before he claps eyes on you, the grand master will be displeased. Keep your adventures to yourselves.”

A young man whose black velvet doublet bore the eight-pointed cross of the Order stepped forward. “Is this how Christians dress in Rhodes, then?” he asked in French. “I’m woefully unprepared, it seems. Where did you procure those interesting robes?”

One of Drummond’s charges waved a hand dismissively. “We’re not at liberty to say. We’ve been muzzled by our guides. And you are . . . ?” 

“Émile de Chambonac, knight of Auvergne.” The young man bowed, one hand on the tooled leather hilt of his sword. His boots glowed with a sheen of oil. “And cousin to Jacques de Milly.”

Drummond barely suppressed an eye-roll. This young fop was the worst type of knight—not only rich and spoiled, but related to the grand master himself. No wonder the Order relied so heavily on mercenaries. These days, they were often the only soldiers guaranteed to have seen action in battle.

“Were you aboard that merchant vessel, sir?” asked one of Drummond’s wards, eyeing the wealthy newcomer eagerly. 

“I was.”

“Is it returning to Narbonne soon or heading farther east?”

“How am I to know? Such details bore me.” The man signaled to his valet, who stood near a mule cart loaded with a teetering mountain of wooden crates. “Let’s away to the palace so I can give my family’s greetings to the grand master.”

Another man spoke up. “Cyprus after Rhodes, that’s the usual itinerary for merchant vessels. The captain said he’s continuing east, at any rate.”

Drummond glanced at the crestfallen face of the young knight at his side. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “There’ll be a Hospitaller ship heading to Narbonne soon enough. Your message will get home quicker than you think. Come, follow me.”

But the way was blocked now. The knight from Auvergne and his entourage had stopped, engaged in conversation with a group of townsfolk just ahead. Drummond sighed in impatience. It seemed all of Rhodes Town had turned out to watch the merchants unload their wares.

His annoyance vanished when he clapped eyes on a woman in the cluster of townspeople. Her hair was hidden by a colorful headpiece of the style favored by Greek women. He studied her large dark eyes and slanting cheekbones, admiring the fullness of her lips. By God, she was lovely. As the thought lodged in his brain, the woman lifted her eyes to his, returning his stare with unabashed curiosity. For a long moment, he forgot to breathe.

“So what else have you got in your hold?” Sir Peter said in Drummond’s ear as they edged around the group. “It’s rare you enter this harbor without some treasure or a hold full of captives.”

“It’s not all raids,” he replied. They were passing within an arm’s length of the woman. “All I wanted was to get my cargo back here safely. Whenever I transport valuable passengers, plunder is the farthest thing from my mind, believe me. In addition to those knights, I had a Syrian doctor on board whose knowledge is worth a dozen chests of gold.”

Sir Peter gave him a sidelong glance. “Truly?”

In the next instant, the woman smiled. Drummond filled his lungs and expelled the air with a whoosh, barely registering his friend’s question. 

Good Lord in heaven.

He wanted more than anything in the world to stop and bask in the light of her smile. It was as if he’d just drunk a cup of strong wine. A burning sensation forged a path down his throat, through his chest, settling just under his belly. When she looked away, it felt like a blow to the gut.

“Aye,” Drummond said, forcing his attention back to Sir Peter. As they hastened toward the city walls, he fought a powerful urge to glance over his shoulder, catch one more glimpse of that smile. “The Order gave him safe passage and a home here not long ago, and he’s been back and forth to Damascus and Alexandria a few times since then.” 

“I shall have to keep the fellow in mind next time I come down with a fever,” Sir Peter remarked.

Drummond burst out laughing. “The day the grand master lets his prized physician tend to an English knight is the day I sprout wings and fly.”

~~~


Blurb:

1459. A gifted woman artist. A ruthless Scottish privateer. And an audacious plan that throws them together—with dangerous consequences. 

No one on the Greek island of Rhodes suspects Anica is responsible for her Venetian father’s exquisite portraits, least of all her wealthy fiancé. But her father’s vision is failing, and with every passing day it’s more difficult to conceal the truth. 

When their secret is discovered by a powerful knight of the Order of St. John, Anica must act quickly to salvage her father’s honor and her own future. Desperate, she enlists the help of a fierce Scottish privateer named Drummond. Together, they craft a daring plan to restore her father’s sight. 

There’s only one problem—she never imagined falling in love with her accomplice.

Before their plan can unfold, a shocking scandal involving the knights puts Anica’s entire family at risk. Her only hope is to turn to Drummond once again, defying her parents, her betrothed, even the Grand Master of the Knights himself. But can she survive the consequences? 

With this captivating tale of passion, courage, and loyalty, Amy Maroney brings a lost, dazzling world to vivid life.

Sea of Shadows is Book 2 in a series of stand-alone historical novels packed with adventure and romance.

Buy Links:

This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited



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About the Author:

Amy Maroney

Amy Maroney studied English Literature at Boston University and worked for many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction. She lives in Oregon, U.S.A. with her family. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. 



Amy is the author of The Miramonde Series, an award-winning historical fiction trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Her new historical suspense/romance series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, is set in medieval Rhodes and Cyprus.


Connect with Amy:

Amazon Author Page: author.to/AmyMaroneyAmazonPage





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Comments

  1. Mary Anne YardeApril 20, 2022 at 11:03 AM

    Thank you so much for hosting the blog tour for Sea of Shadows.

    All the best,
    Mary Anne
    The Coffee Pot Book Club

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy in PDXApril 20, 2022 at 5:17 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting Sea of Shadows today! Glad to hear you're enjoying The Girl from Oto, too.
    All my best,
    Amy Maroney

    ReplyDelete

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