Timeless Desire

Genre

M/F Contemporary Erotic Romance

Blurb

Emily arrives at Westbury Hall with a job to do. She’s to clean and conserve all of the books in their impressive library, preserving them for future generations. Not long into her stay at the house, she bumps into the night guard, George. She’d expected an old, balding guy with a comb over, so the hunky chap she actually meets is a very pleasant surprise. The introductions complete, George leaves Emily in peace to get on with her job. But when a falling photograph sets off a chain reaction of ghostly events, Emily and George are thrown together in order to find out who—or what—is causing them. Their investigation uncovers a tragic past, a lost love, and a stunning secret.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a revised and extended version of a previously published title, Love Through Time.

Word count: 11,384

Available from:

eBook:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Eden Books
Apple Books UK
Apple Books US
Kobo
Everand (was Scribd)
Smashwords
24Symbols
PayHip

Audio:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Audible UK
Audible US
Apple Books UK
Apple Books US

Excerpt

Emily received some strange looks and frowns from the people she passed as she walked across the graveled drive towards the front entrance of Westbury Hall. She could appreciate their confusion. It was closing time for the stately home and the last of the visitors were being politely ushered out of the building, yet she was heading inside. What’s more, she’d been invited. She had a job to do.

An elderly lady stood in the porch smiling and nodding as she held the door open for those departing the property. Most of them seemed in no hurry to leave, stopping to make comments to the woman, thanking her for a lovely visit and so on. Emily waited patiently, allowing the patrons to leave before attempting to get in. When the staff member—most likely a volunteer, Emily thought—caught sight of her, she gave her a polite nod of acknowledgment.

Finally, the last of Westbury Hall’s visitors moved out, leaving Emily free to enter. Climbing the single stone step to the threshold of the front porch, she took the hand that had already been offered to her.

Shaking Emily’s hand with a surprising firmness, the woman said, “You must be Miss Stone.” Her smart appearance and the intelligence in her eyes indicated that despite her advancing age, she was far from past it, “I’m Mrs. Thompson, house supervisor.”

“I am,” replied Emily, dropping her hand back to her side, “but please, call me Emily. It’s lovely to meet you. So, house supervisor? Do you live on site?” Not a volunteer, then, but a paid member of staff.

Indicating Emily should step inside the entrance hall, Mrs. Thompson proceeded to close and lock the porch and front doors of the house, securing them in.

“I do,” the older woman said, turning back to face Emily, “I have rooms in a separate building just off the back of this one. So you needn’t worry about me disturbing you.”

“Oh no,” said Emily, worried she’d inadvertently rubbed Mrs.  Thompson up the wrong way, “I didn’t mean that. I was just curious, that’s all. You’re more than welcome to see me at work, Mrs. Thompson, although I’m afraid you won’t see anything terribly exciting.”

Mrs. Thompson smiled now, the warmth reaching her eyes. Emily almost sagged with relief. She’d yet to see the extent of the work she had to do, but she’d been told it was no easy task, so she could be here for some time. The last thing she needed was to upset any of the staff.

“Oh, you’d be surprised, my dear. This is a fascinating old place. Of course, all these old houses have history, but Westbury Hall’s is particularly rich.”

Emily smiled. The woman’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Well then,” she replied, “I can’t wait to learn more about it. I hope you’ll feed me some historical tidbits throughout the time I’m here?”

Mrs. Thompson gave an enigmatic smile. Then, startling Emily somewhat, she turned smartly on her heel and walked deeper into the house. “Come, my dear, I won’t hold you up any longer. I’ll show you to the library, where you’ll soon start uncovering Westbury’s illustrious history for yourself.”

Reviews

“This was a clever story, a good length and great characters. Westbury Manor was a wonderful setting for this supernatural tale and I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the location. A layered story that makes you feel as though you’ve been on both a spooky, haunted house weekend and a down-and-dirty, get-your-kit-off fun weekend. Highly recommended as a one-stop read.” Top Pick, Miz Love Loves Books

*****

“…a slow burn but this tale cackles with sexual energy throughout and you cannot help but feel for the great characters, the scene setting is fantastic and the passion will have you squirming this is one I’m sure I’ll be re-reading time and time again. One for the bookish babes who are tigers in the sack.” 5 out of 5, Erotic Whispers

*****

“This is a great quick read that has a touch of the paranormal and of course romance. Its the perfect length to fit in a busy scheduled without skimping on character development or story line. I like that even though this is a shorter story that each character is fully developed and that it doesn’t have that short story feel (like something is missing).” 5 out of 5, Belinda’s Bookshelf

*****

“I really enjoyed this short paranormal story. I was hoping that not only would Emily and George find the answers they were looking for as to why strange things were happening only to Emily, but also I found myself wishing that the attraction these two had for each other would possible blossom into something romantic for them. If you’re looking for a short story to fit into your busy schedule, look no further. This was well worth the read!” 4 out of 5, Night Owl Reviews

*****

“…a cute little love story, with the promise of an HEA ending at some point in the future… I read it at Halloween, which seemed appropriate, but it’s a good story any time.” 4 out of 5, Manic Readers

*****

“This was a fun and short read, filled with the perfect mix of history and star-crossed lovers trapped between worlds. I loved the concept of the story, the amount of history, and the gentle essence of dedicated love that flows from the pages. Ms. Felthouse has written a wonderful novella filled with suspense, undying love, and drama.” 4 out of 5, At Your Fingertips

*****

“Ms. Felthouse deftly and quickly sets up the tale and gets the reader into the heart of the story with some wonderful atmospheric detail and scene setting. What grabs my heart in … is the restless spirit and the poignant story behind the haunting.” 4 out of 5, Dark Haven Book Reviews

*****

“Emily is given a job at the great Westbury Hall little did she know that this job turns out to be more than she had planned… I think Emily and George have a promising future ahead of them brought on by the past… This book was a great quick read with a steamy end. I would recommend this book if you like ghost stories!” 4 out of 5, Judging the Book by its Pages

*****

“This was a fun story with interesting characters, and a delightful ghost story. I found the storyline to be realistic and the paranormal aspects well researched. The sex was sizzling and creative. Overall, this was a great story and if you enjoy reading about ghosts and the paranormal then you will like this story very much.” Coffee Time Romance