EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Gold Rush Deluge
(The California Argonauts Book 2)
(The California Argonauts Book 2)
by Suzanne Lilly
Gold Rush Deluge is the second book in The California Argonauts series. Also available: Gold Rush Girl.
Description
When Lucinda Martin York and George Arnold leave Diggers Flat during a rainstorm, the Sacramento and American rivers crest, causing a deluge of epic proportions that engulfs the town of Sacramento. While Lucinda uses her medical skills to help save the citizens, George proposes a plan to stop the floodwaters and save the town.
Lucinda holds fast to her dream of becoming a doctor and apprentices to Dr. Mitchell Kersey. She falls under his spell, and too late she realizes Kersey has a dark and murderous past that has followed him to California. The danger she finds herself enmeshed in may end her dreams before they have even begun.
Based on historical events of 1850 Sacramento, Gold Rush Deluge is riveting and romantic.
Excerpt
“Pinch your cheeks,” Nurse Maggie whispered.
“Right.” Lucinda pinched her cheeks to make them rosy and walked out to greet George. He stood just inside the doorway, holding his hat in his hand in front of him. His hair was combed, and she smelled the cologne from his fresh shave. Lucinda admired his strong jaw and broad shoulders. He chatted with a man sitting on the bench and even coerced a laugh out of the ailing miner.
“Good morning, George.” He turned to her, she saw his face light up, and he smiled that glorious smile she had fallen in love with the night she met him. She stepped forward.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?”
He took a deep bow and handed a bouquet he’d been holding behind his back to Lucinda. “I was out picking weeds and thought you might fancy a bunch for your hospital.”
She pressed her face to the flowers and inhaled deeply of the lavender scent. It was one of her favorite flowers. Golden poppies surrounded the purple blooms. “It’s not every day a man honors me with weeds.”
She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass jar off the shelf. She dipped it in the water barrel and held the jar up to the light, inspecting the water. It looked clear. She placed the flowers in the jar of water and set them on the table near the entrance door.
“Did you come to butter me up and ask me if you can help me in the hospital today, Mr. Arnold? If so, the answer is an unequivocal yes.”
George pretended to consider her offer. “Hmm . . .” He tapped his chin. “No. That’s not the reason for my visit.” He took her elbow and turned her toward the open front doors. He pointed outside where a horse grazed on the new, tender shoots of greenery pushing up from the ground. “I came to invite you on a picnic to enjoy this glorious day. I have the horse ready, and as you can see, she’s already started her own picnic.”
Featured Review
Gold Rush Deluge is a fascinating look at an exciting - yet dangerous - time in American history. Sparkling and compelling characters bring the story to life.
Set against the backdrop of the flooding of the Sacramento and American Rivers in 1850, Lucinda York, an aspiring doctor, leaves Diggers Flats and sets out for Sacramento with George Arnold, a miner with an entrepreneurial spirit. Their journey is hampered greatly by the flooding, which causes tremendous disaster, dismay, and desperation among the people of Sacramento.
George Arnold is a man with vision and compassion, and with his resources, he helps restore the city and make it safe for the citizens. Meanwhile, Lucinda believes her good fortune has found her when Dr. Mitchell agrees to take Lucinda on as an apprentice. As foreshadowed in the prologue, Dr. Kersey's sinister greed eventually becomes known, and what seems at first to be Lucinda's ticket to becoming a doctor soon turns dangerous.
Based on historical facts and events from Sacramento, California in 1850, Gold Rush Deluge is a journey readers will not forget. Suzanne Lilly's research and historical accuracy is tremendous, and her writing draws readers in and keeps them hooked for the entire exciting ride!
About the Author
Suzanne Lilly is a teacher and a writer who occasionally takes time off to zipline in Alaska, teach in China, and traipse around Rome. She writes sweet stories with a splash of suspense, a flash of the unexplained, a dash of romance, and always a happy ending.
Giveaway
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