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Amazing news! For the first time ever, Pirate’s Paradox is on SALE for only .99!
This book was so much fun to write! Not only do we get a sexy nerdy immortal pirate, and a smart, headstrong psychic heroine, but this book will take you all the way to Atlantis! Ahhhh!!!
Don’t miss this one! Grab your copy now!
BLURB – Pirate Caleb Graves may be an immortal, but he’s also a navigator and a man of science. And yet he can’t explain the erratic tides threatening Savannah. Nor the terrible dreams of sailing through a vicious, supernatural storm that he keeps having. But when fascinating, petite dynamo Diana Williams marches up to his ship and demands to speak to the captain, Caleb is caught up in a wave of unexpected fear…and an electric frisson of longing for this captivating woman.
Diana wouldn’t be a true psychic if she didn’t listen to her spirit guide. So when dream after dream compels her to visit specific coordinates in the Atlantic, she can’t ignore it. Now, she just needs a ship. Good thing she knows about a particular pirate ship that’s in tip-top shape. Complete with a surly, albeit hot, navigator who doesn’t immediately believe in her visions. But no matter how much Caleb objects, she’ll risk sending the entire crew—including herself—to the uncharted ocean.
But both their dreams could be the key to saving Savannah and may even be a clue about the fabled lost city of Atlantis. Or it could damn them all to an unforgiving, watery grave.
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K66XRX9/
B&N – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pirates-paradox-lisa-kessler/1140405838?ean=9781649372833
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Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58503368-pirate-s-paradox
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/ldydisney/scenes-from-pirates-paradox/
Excerpt –
“He’s hot, Di,” Michelle murmured, watching the door where he vanished. “Why’d you bring me along to be a third wheel?”
“Because he’s hot.” Diana rolled her eyes. “I need to talk to him about the dreams I keep having, but it’s hard for me to concentrate around him. And now I’ve seen him without a shirt on. That makes it worse.”
“You’re a grown ass woman, and you haven’t been on a date since you split from Darius in college.” Michelle crossed her arms, giving Diana a healthy dose of side eye. “Trust me, Di, a chaperone isn’t what you need.” She pointed toward the door where Caleb had disappeared. “You need some of that.”
Diana smirked and wandered around the cluttered library.
She’d expected to see books, but not this many. Judging by all the science textbooks, he’d obviously been keeping up with the changing technologies and new discoveries happening during the past two hundred fifty years.
It was the kooky gadgets that surprised her though.
There had been a Roomba charging in the parlor, and the shelves of this library contained more than just books. He could’ve opened his own “As Seen on TV” store. There were boxed sets of 80s power ballads, a Gopher Grab-it extension pole, a package of ShamWow rags sat on the edge of the antique walnut desk, and a ceiling fan duster with microfiber covered tips that Mr. Popeil-like barkers sold at the state fair, leaned against the wall behind his chair.
“I hope you like iced tea.” His deep voice had her spinning around.
His bright blue eyes were locked on her, catching her in his spell. She almost didn’t notice his shirt was wide open, exposing his chiseled torso.
On anyone else, she might’ve thought it was a lame attempt at seduction, some gym rat trying to show off how his protein shakes were paying off, but it wasn’t like that with Caleb.
He’d taken the time to roll up his sleeves but likely forgotten to finish buttoning the front.
“I’d love some.” She swallowed, discovering her mouth had gone dry. “Thanks.”
Michelle got up from her chair, standing behind him as she pointed and fanned herself with a grin. Diana shot her a look and took one of the glasses off the silver tray.
Next to the glasses was a round plastic container with a sugar spoon lying beside it. She looked up at him. “What’s that?”
His smile disarmed her completely, and wonder lit up his eyes. “It’s a brilliant invention.” He set the tray on his desk and picked up the spoon. He tapped it on the top of the plastic container and the top slid open with the whine of an AA battery-powered engine. “It automatically opens and closes. No mess, and it keeps the bugs out.”
She smiled and added a scoop of sugar from the container to her tea. “Three easy payments of $9.99?”
He raised a brow. “You’ve seen these on the television.”
“Well not this exact one, but you seem to have a lot of gadgets from late-night infomercials around here.” She took a sip of the tea and smiled. “You must watch plenty of television after midnight.”
He shrugged a broad shoulder and raised the glass for a sip. His tongue brushed his lower lip as he lowered the glass and heat pooled low in her belly. Michelle was right. It had been way too long since Diana had been with a man.
Michelle came over and took a glass from the tray before stopping at Diana’s side. “I thought we’re here to talk about the cruise you two are taking tomorrow.”
Diana blinked, tearing her attention off Caleb’s mouth. “Right.” She lifted her gaze again. “I wanted to find out why you’re so against this trip? You were the only crew member to vote no.”
His lips curved into a lopsided smile. “I don’t recall you being at the official vote.”
She shook her head. “Drake told me. But I want to know, from you, why you are hesitant to sail to the coordinates. You’re the navigator. I need to be sure you’re going to get me out there.”
Michelle cleared her throat. “And as her best friend, I need to be sure you’re going to bring her back to me in one piece.”
His eyes moved between them before he finally spoke. “I feel my time would be best spent in Savannah until I can find a scientific explanation for the erratic tides. Sailing to your coordinates will take time that Savannah might not have.”
Michelle’s smile faded. “Wait, what?”
Diana had told Michelle about her dreams, but she’d left out that Caleb was also tracking very real changes in the tides that could make her dream a reality.
He glanced at Michelle. “There appears to be a tidal surge headed our way. If we cannot find the source and stop it, Savannah will have to be evacuated.” He turned his attention back to Diana, his eyes clearly full of questions, most likely about how much she’d told Michelle.
Diana sipped her tea, grateful for the cold drink. “Michelle knows about my dreams.” She hoped he understood that meant she hadn’t mentioned anything about immortal pirates.
Michelle set her tea on his desk. “Shouldn’t we be telling someone? The mayor or the governor?”
Diana shrugged. “I don’t think they’d believe us.”
“She’s right.” Caleb nodded, looking over at Michelle.
Something about hearing him finally agreeing with her on something warmed Diana’s heart. She liked being on the same team with him, even if it would be short-lived.
“I still haven’t been able to pinpoint a cause for the erratic tidal pattern,” Caleb said. “Without any science to back up Diana’s hypothesis, we’re left with a dream and some rising tides we can’t predict, and no one is going to take action based on that alone.”
“So why are you and the Sea Dog crew taking this so seriously?” Michelle crossed her arms. “I’m missing a big piece here, aren’t I?”
Diana chuckled. “Don’t act so surprised. You know how weird things get in my world.”
“Oh, I’m well aware, but they don’t usually overflow into mine.” She gestured to the door. “If this is real, I should be packing my apartment and moving inland.”
“You’re fine. We’re going to figure this out.” Diana hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. She met Caleb’s eyes. “Can I talk to you alone for a second?”
He nodded and set his glass down before walking to the door.
Michelle mouthed, “What the hell?”
Diana squeezed her friend’s arm as she passed by and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
It was shitty to ditch Michelle, especially since Diana had been the one who’d dragged her here, but she also didn’t want to out Caleb and the crew’s immortality if possible. Michelle was used to Diana’s metaphysical gifts and practices occasionally being a bridge too far when it came to what Michelle believed, but immortal pirates would push her friend off the bridge completely, and Diana wanted to avoid that.
She followed Caleb into his kitchen and almost giggled when she noticed all the infomercial microwave cookware on the counter. There was the microwave omelet maker, a quesadilla maker, a smokeless grill, and sitting on the other side of the stove was a Vitamix machine, a dehydrator, and a set of genuine Ginsu knives.
He turned around to face her, his shirt still open. His unruly hair was mussed even though he’d tied back the top to keep it out of his face. He crossed his arms, giving her a nice showing of his forearms. His expression made it clear that he had no idea how sexy he was.
Maybe getting him alone was a huge mistake.
She pressed her lips together, gathering her thoughts, then whispered, “Is there something I should know about that you can’t discuss in front of my friend? I don’t get it. If we sail all that way and there’s nothing there, that’s on me, not you. What are you afraid of?”
He leaned in closer, keeping his voice down. She tried not to notice the way he smelled like leather and brandy. Too late.
“I’m not afraid. I’m fucking exhausted.” He straightened, putting more distance between them. “I don’t know how much you know about sailing a Spanish galleon, but it’s physically taxing and the last time we took the Sea Dog out, she almost didn’t make it back home. Forgive me for wanting to avoid another damned disaster.”
She frowned, her brows pinching together. “You think we’re going to hit a storm.” Over the years as she’d opened her third eye and developed her psychic gifts, she’d grown to recognize the “knowing” and trust it. And suddenly the image from her dream of a city built of concentric circles surrounded by water filled her mind’s eye. “You’re worried we might actually find Atlantis.”
He shook his head, his brow furrowing. “Impossible. It’s fiction.”
So he said.
She’d seen that spark in his eyes before he could bury it. She was on to something. “You’re trying so hard to cling to that belief, aren’t you?” Her crown chakra was wide open, her connection to spirit giving her the extra insight she needed as the pieces came together. “That last trip you took with your crew really has you shaken up.”
Suddenly she saw a tarot card in her mind. The nine of swords. And then it all made sense. He was so burdened with his worries…
“You can’t sleep.” She gestured to the gadgets on the counter. “That’s why you’re buying all this stuff off TV. You’re running from something.”
He blinked, staring at her like she’d grown an extra head. “How could you…”
Diana shrugged and crossed her arms, her hip jutting to the side. “I could tell you I’m intuitive and psychic, but you can’t test that with science, so…”
He came closer, and she took a step back until her ass bumped into the counter. He searched her eyes and his raw whisper tugged at her heart. “It’s not that I can’t sleep. I won’t.”
She raised a brow. “Everyone has to sleep.”
“I can’t die.” He shook his head. “That makes sleeping optional. I just need to keep busy.” He broke eye contact, focusing on the kitchen floor. “Why are you really here? The crew already voted to take the journey.”
She reached up to touch his cheek and he froze as if time itself had stopped. She couldn’t breathe, but it had been an instinctive ache to soothe his pain.
His skin was still warm from his earlier work out as she waited for his eyes to meet hers. The moment his gaze lifted to her face, her heart stuttered. She swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered, “I’m counting on you to get me to the coordinates. Can you do that?”
He studied her face and finally nodded. “Aye.”
She started to lower her hand and turned to leave, but he caught it in his, the touch sending a jolt of awareness through her bloodstream.
His voice was deep and solid in spite of his exhaustion. “Don’t go.”
She raised a brow. “Give me a reason to stay.”
A muscle clenched in his cheek. “I had a dream too.”