This title is part of
The Legend of Blackbeard's Chalice Series.
Book#2

The Cult: The Legend of Blackbeard's Chalice
by Maddie James

Synopsis:

Book Two: The Legend of Blackbeard's Chalice continues..

Victoria Porter knows a good man is hard to find on Ocracoke Island in the year 1754. So curious of the ways of the flesh, she seeks out male affection in a drunken sailor's lap-but that sailor puts a bullet into her brother Jeremiah's back, killing him. Jeremiah's ghost, however, comforts and guides her on an uncertain task-to find their missing brother. Pitched from a ship during a violent storm, she washes up on a beach, soon to be rescued by a man on a strange mechanical beast who whisks her away into a world she could never have dreamed.

In 2007, Colt MacKenzie is tormented by demons of a troubled past and a failing writing career. He fears he has written his last bestselling horror novel until he discovers the The Cult of Teach and a tantalizing nymph wandering the shore on his way to Ocracoke Village . Fascinated by the history of The Cult that surrounds the Legend of Blackbeard's Chalice, he seeks to learn more about these modern-day pirates, and hopefully write a best-seller using the premise. He'd planned on riding this ride solo until the strange little waif on the back of his Harley touches him in ways his demons hadn't let anyone touch in a long, long time..

Reviews:

.another sensual, imaginative story from a clever storyteller and.it isn't the last of the series. This is a book that keeps you hanging on until the end and great fun to read.

~Five red roses, Red Roses for Authors Reviews

Ms. James intertwines historical data and legends of the pirates of the East Coast and specifically of Blackbeard in a fashion that renders these individuals lifelike and viable. I also particularly enjoyed the way in which she drew out the character of Colton , expressing his background as the source of his choice of writing genre. For Colt, writing horror is his salvation from mental instability or worse. He can only express the pain of his past through the demonic horrors he creates on his pages. This is a remarkably insightful glimpse into character.

~ 5 Pixies, Dark Angels Reviews

Excerpt:

The clap of thunder that woke her crashed across the night sky directly overhead. Followed immediately by a flash of lightning so bright she could see nearly every detail in the sun room, she jerked upright, trying to get her bearings. The second clap of thunder let loose with a torrent of rain and a gust of wind so fierce the slicing storm cut through the screens surrounding her with little protest.

Rain pelted her on the stiff wind.

Bolting from her tiny bed she ran to the screen door, willed the thing unlatched, and grasped the doorknob to the inner door. The cold knob was yanked out of her hand immediately as the man on the other side frantically pulled it away and snatched her up into his arms.

He kicked the door shut behind then, shutting out the rain, the storm. He stood for mere seconds holding her, looking down into her face.

Lightning flashed and she saw the worried look that crossed his.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

He pulled her closer and walked toward his large bed and in one motion, placed her in the middle of it and then gathered and tucked her nicely into him as he lay beside her.

No words. And that was fine with her. She didn't need words. As the storm raged outside their room, he softly stroked the side of her face and cradled her to him like she was something precious and adored.

It was the thing she had longed for all her life.

He was the most unlikely man she ever thought would give her that feeling.

He moved over her, covering her lips with his. Suddenly she remembered all the times of her life that she wanted to feel like a woman, this was far deeper a feeling than any she'd ever had in comparison. Ever dreamed it would be. His kiss was gentle but firm, running his lips over hers, nibbling at her face. She softened and felt all encompassed in him. So large, was he, compared to her small size, that it indeed felt like he'd taken her inside him and that his heady kisses had rendered her incapable of any reason or thought.

And she wasn't afraid. Never really afraid of him, just afraid of everything the past few days, the unknown, how he might make her feel, who he was..

His hand fiddled with the edge of her shirt and soon his palm was hot against her hip, then her belly. Swirls of emotion, of a growing urgency deep inside her, made her move toward his touch.

He stopped kissing and looked down at her.

"How old are you," he rasped.

Lightning flashed once more, reflecting on his face. The look of passion on it held her spellbound.

"I am twenty-three."

"You're sure."

"Positive."

"And you know what you are doing?"