Angel Sefer's Blog, page 12

Helena's vision and her grandmother's diary

Book Excerpt
Hours later, Helena was lying in bed, thinking of the events of the day. Everything had been fine until Dimitris showed up.“Why does he have to ruin everything?” she wondered out loud. Then again, if she wanted to be honest with herself, she was thrilled to see him back. The moment she heard his voice at the beach, her heartbeat accelerated, and her mouth went dry. No matter how hard she tried to deny her feelings and the way her body responded to his mere presence, the fact remained that she yearned for him the whole evening. She wanted to see his smile, getlost in those captivating eyes of his, and feel his arms holding her close...Helena shivered and clenched her fists. What’s wrong with me? She’d never experienced anything like this before. And now, she had those feelings growing stronger every day. She felt as if she was losing control of her emotions… And all that over him—the person who’d stolen her family’s fortune.Anxiously, she got out of bed and walked out on the balcony. Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes wander over the vastbody of the sea. The dark color of the waters reflected the emotions tormenting her soul. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the soft caress of the night breeze on her face and body, and the coolness of the tiles on her bare feet. She hugged herself while enticing thoughts whirled around in her mind…images of him holding her in his arms, gluing her to his rock hard body, caressing her back and arms…Bewildered, she snapped out of it. Trying to shift her thoughts away from him, she thought about Alex. He seemed nice and so much easier to get along with than Dimitris. But even when she was alone with Alex, her intimate thoughts kept on going back to Dimitris. Why was he so upset with her? She knew that Greeks had a strong sense of honor,but Dimitris wasn’t her father or her husband. He had no reason to get so upset over finding her alone with Alex. There was nothing going on, but even if it was, it was none of his business. Or was it? A soft voice kept on whispering in the back of her head. What was going on? Why did she have this feeling she’d done something wrong? What was this overwhelming feeling that in some way she belonged to him? Enough with this nonsense, Helena thought. She was sick and tired of being carried away by her emotions and the strange premonitions she would have from time to time.Her mother used to tell her she’d inherited this giftfrom her grandmother, Eleana, who passed away only a few months after Erin married Angelos. In the short time her mother-in-law spent with them, Erin grew fond of the wise, old lady who helped her overcome her anxiety and fears and blend in with the people on the island. She seemed to know so much about so many things…about life itself, and Erin enjoyed every minute of their endless conversationswhenever Angelos was away on business.According to Erin, Eleana had premonitions about certain people and upcoming events. She seemed to have known about Erin meeting her son and getting married to him, years before it actually happened. And Erin had seen proof of it… Those events were all written down in the old lady’s diary. And there were a lot more things written down in that diary… Things her mother never wanted to talk about. But she would warn Helena from time to time to be careful. After they’d gone to England, she would keep on urging her never to go back to the island.

Helena shivered, thinking of her mother’s face—weak and pale—staring at her with eyes wide open from anxiety, and squeezing her arm desperately, asking her to promise to stay away from Mykonos. She remembered her fainting voice saying: “I made the grave mistake to ignore the warnings once…and paid for it dearly. I would never make that mistake again…”Even though it was summertime, all of a sudden, Helena was freezing. She hastily went back inside, closing the French doors behind her.Absentminded, she turned and glanced at the glass panel of the doors. Oh, my God! Bewildered, she saw her mother’s figure, standing behind her in a long, sparkling white dress…The hairs on the back of Helena’sneck stood up. Mom! She turned abruptly and looked behind her… Nobody was there. I need to grab hold of myself, Helena contemplated, feeling her mouth going dry. My vivid imagination is playing games with me, again. If I go on like this, I’ll end up going crazy…She sat on her bed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Please… she pleaded, not knowing if she was inwardly talking to her mother or anyone else in particular. I need some help…Her eyes flew open as she sensed a cold breeze sweeping rightthrough her. Mystified, she looked at the French doors. They were closed. Turning her head, she took a glimpse of a transparent, female figure dressed in white, standing—or rather floating—in front of the painting on the wall.

Helena blinked, and the vision disappeared into thin air. She tooka sharp intake of breath. What was that? She could swear she sawsomeone. Was that Mom? No, she thought and stared at the painting. Astonished, she realized the figure she’d seen resembled the angel in the painting. Now I know there’s something wrong with me,she thought, worryingly.Feeling all shaken inside, she stood up and hesitantly approached the painting. Standing in front of it, she examined it closely and froze… “How come I didn’t see that before?” she whispered, and bewildered stared at the angel in the painting. It was a portrait of her grandmother, Eleana. Helena was left speechless…Stepping back, she sat down on the bed and looked at the picture as if seeing it for the first time. It was unbelievable… Years before she was even born, her grandmother had painted Helena at the age of eight, with the sadness in her eyes from losing her father, and herself—as an angel—watching over Helena from Heaven.“Grandma…” she whispered and sensed a soft breeze like a caresson her cheek. She didn’t care if it was real or not. It felt real, and it made Helena feel wonderful. The bliss spreadinginside her was an unbelievableexperience.She smiled, and as if in a dream, she stood up, walked to the painting and took it off the wall. Going backto her bed, she placed the painting on the bed face down and stared at the brown paper covering the back. Without knowing why, she went to the secretarial desk and took out a letter opener. Then she carefully cut the brown paper on the back of the painting and slowly pulled it away… And there it was…

End of the excerpt

I hope you have enjoyed this excerpt of mystery romance bestseller Deadly Secrets. Keep in mind that Helena Sistakis returned to the Greek Island of Mykonos to delve into her family’s mysterious past. But what would be the price to pay for ignoring her late mother’s warnings and the prophecies hidden in her grandmother’s diary?

The novel is available as e-book and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and other fine booksellers everywhere:

Buy Now
  Click here to start reading the book on Amazon

The secret hidden beneath the Demiris Mansion on the Greek Island of Corfu...

Sparkling diamonds, scarlet rubies, dazzling emeralds, and breathtaking sapphires were only a few of the treasures hidden in the secret room beneath the Demiris Mansion on the Greek Island of Corfu. But there was far more than that...

Read the following excerpt from award-winning, mystery romance bestseller Spellbound in His Arms to find out what else was hidden in that enormous and elegant room with its protective steel walls covered with carved stones, probably to prevent it from looking like a vault:


Excerpt:
Knowing exactly what she needed to do, she took her sandwich and a glass of water and entered the studyin the back of the house. Walking inside, Jackie took a careful look around the beautifully furnished room. The French doors leading to the veranda were locked—she had checked them earlier—and the heavy curtains were drawn shut, giving her privacy from anyone who might be spying on the house. On both sides of the French doors, there were two arch-shaped, stained glass windows with a beautiful flower designed pattern.The study was furnished with a burgundy leather sofa, an oval-shaped table in front of it, and two cream color armchairs on the other side. An enormous desk was placed next to one of the stained glass windows, with a burgundy leather armchair behind it and two smaller ones in front of it.The walls were covered with bookcases filled with endless rows of books and beautiful silver, bronze, and porcelain artifacts. Between two of the bookcases, there was a showcase table made of cherry wood and glass, with a miniature of the mansion and the estate surrounding it sitting on the table. A portrait of an elegant old man dressed in a ship captain’s uniform was hanging on the wall behind the table.Between the sofa and the armchairs, a white marble fireplace dominated the room, with two bronze hounds standing guards on each side. A painting of a stunning teenage girl riding a black stallion was hanging above it. She had shining black hair pulled back in a ponytail, amazing blue eyes, and a breathtaking smile. Jackie noticed that the woods in the background seemed very similar to those surrounding the mansion. The painting was probably done here, and the girl was a member of the Demiris family.She placed the plate with her sandwich and the glass of water on the desk and stood there for a couple of minutes, totally enchanted by the beauty of the girl who seemed vaguely familiar. She looked at the painting troubled. Who is she and where is she now? Was the girl still alive or yet another victim of this family curse, or whatever it was that haunted the heirs of Greek tycoon, Andreas Demiris?The deafening sound of thunder brought her back to reality, and Jackie realized she had to get on with what she had come here for.Following Stephanos’ instructions, she walked over to the fireplace and turned clockwise the head of the hound on the right. The entire fireplace moved back inside the wall, revealing a small entrance to the left.Stepping inside, she felt along the left wall until she found a light switch and turned it on. Thank God! The lights here are working. She carefully descended the narrow steps, leading underneath the house. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a corridor to the right, leading to a steel door.Jackie noticed the touch screen monitor to the right of the door, and she punched in the first combination of numbers. She waited breathlessly until she heard a soft buzzing noise and then punched in the second combination. To her relief, the steel door opened, and bright lights came on, leaving Jackie breathless at the sight of the enormous secret room hidden beneath the mansion.She stepped inside and let her eyes wander around the impressive and elegant room with its protective steel walls covered with carved stones, probably to prevent it from looking like a vault.A mahogany showcase, with four rows of glassed-in shelves, covered the wall opposite to the door. Placed on the shelves, black velvet, display stands were filled with the most exquisite pieces of jewelry Jackie had ever seen… Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings of sparkling diamonds, scarlet rubies, dazzling emeralds, and breathtaking sapphires were dominating the surroundings with theirbrilliance. Jackie was so mesmerized by this impeccable beauty that everything else seemed to fade away.She took a few steps forward on the thick cream color carpet and absentmindedly sunk down on one of the two, semicircular sofas, placed in the middle of the room facing each other. Her eyes rested on an exquisite, crystal vase with gold designs, placed on a round table in the middle of the circle formed by the two sofas.This was almost unreal, far beyond her expectations. Jackie was sure that not even Stephanos knew exactly what was hidden in the secret room underneath the old mansion. He was precise, as always, giving her instructions how to get there and get in. But he had mentioned nothing about the contents of the room, except that she would find in there what she was looking for.Sitting on the sofa, she faced the wall on the left of the door. A desk, with a computer on it and a black leather armchair in front of it, was placed facing the wall. Above the desk, eight, wall-mounted, flat-screen monitors were placed in two rows. Even though the computer screen and the monitors on the wall were black, Jackie could hear a soft, humming noise and could see that the computer was operating. She guessed it was probably a security system, monitoring the mansion and its surroundings.Realizing that her entering the secret room might have been recorded, she shifted uncomfortably. What if the system was connected with a security company or even worse, the police? What if someone was watching her? Well, there is nothing I can do about it now. I might as well go ahead with my assignment and get out of here as soon as possible.She turned to look at the wall behind her. A bookcase was there, with shelves filled with crystal, porcelain, and gold artifacts. The bottom part of the bookcase had three closed cabinets, where Jackie was sure she would find what she had come for.She got up and walked over to the cabinets, opening them one by one and checking their contents. In the first one, she found stacks of black velvet jewelry cases. Opening a few of them, Jackie was dazzled by the exquisite pieces and realized that some of these, if not all of them, had to be priceless. She softly ran her fingers over the precious stones and closed her eyes, imagining beautiful women in evening gowns wearing them.She opened the second cabinet to find that it was filled with piles of stocks and bonds, as well as black velvet cases filled with gold and silver coins that seemed very old. Jackie swallowed hard, realizing that the secret room was hiding a treasure. This whole experience had thrown her off balance. In her entire life, she’d never seen such riches before and probably would never again. This was a once in a lifetime experience…an amazing, intoxicating thrill that made her smile.Finally, she opened the third cabinet... Here we are! 

End of the excerpt

I hope you have enjoyed this excerpt of Spellbound in His Arms. But keep in mind that investigative reporter Jackie Alexander did not fly six thousand miles away from home for any those treasures. It was something else—something far more important—that she was looking for in that vault. Read the book to find out what that priceless object was...
The novel is available as e-book and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and other fine booksellers everywhere:

Buy Now


Click here to start reading the book on Amazon

The mysterious young woman I met on Santorini

It was back in the summer of 2012 when my husband and I spent ten days on the awe-inspiring Greek Island of Santorini—a precious gem in the Aegean Sea that is still an active volcano with spectacular rock formations, impressive lunar landscapes, and breathtaking red and black sand beaches.

What can I say? It was one of the most thrilling experiences in my life—the luxurious resort with a view to the volcano, romantic sunsets to take your breath away, and a deep blue sea vista to make you want to stay there forever.
But there was something more on Santorini that intrigued the writer in me: the couple that stayed next to us, Mark and Alexandra. Of course, these are not their real names but the names I gave them in my mystery romance novel “The Heiress of Santorini”.
They were from the States and having spent ten years of my life in Atlanta, Georgia, we hit it off right away. Mark was an attorney and Alexandra an insurance agent in a big city on the west coast. In my book, however, I describe them as being from Atlanta since I lived there and loved that city.
Our two suites shared a private terrace and a swimming pool carved on the rocks. So we spent a lot of time with that couple, swimming or sunbathing by the pool, talking and enjoying candlelight dinners with an amazing view of the Aegean Sea.
But there was always something intriguing about them, especially about Alexandra. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but I could feel it in the air.


And then, on the last night we spent on the island, and while Mark and my husband were shooting pool at the hotel’s bar, Alexandra broke down in tears and talked to me about her life…

I was surprised to find out that Mark wasn’t her husband—there was so much chemistry between the two of them that I was sure they were a couple. When I told her that, she explained that Mark was the love of her life and leaving him was the biggest mistake she ever made. But the fact remained that she was married to someone else—someone who’s been cheating on her and lying about his past. Alexandra didn’t go into details about her husband’s past or how she ended up on Santorini with Mark, but she sure seemed afraid of her husband and reluctant to ask for a divorce.

I asked her if she had anyone else besides Mark to help her get through this difficult time and she said no. She came from a wealthy family but for some reason wanted nothing to do with them.

In the still of the night, Alexandra and I stayed on the terrace, drinking wine and talking for hours. She needed a shoulder to cry on, and I’m a good listener.

I didn’t get much sleep that night, thinking about our talk. A story was already forming in my mind…

I was up at six in the morning and started writing “The Heiress of Santorini”. And hours later, I was still typing away on my laptop during our entire trip from Santorini to Piraeus—the harbor of Athens. Alexandra gave me the inspiration, but “The Heiress of Santorini” is a product of my imagination and doesn’t include real facts of that intriguing young lady’s life.



If you would like to check out “The Heiress of Santorini”, the novel is available as an e-book or paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo and other fine booksellers everywhere.

Buy Now

Click here to start reading the book

Review of Trouble in Glamour Town by S.R. Mallery

5.0 out of 5 stars
What an intriguing ride that book was!ByAngelon July 11, 2018Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Trouble in Glamour Town grabbed me right from the start: a vivid and precise to the last detail description of an assassination. Why did someone want film producer Chester Harris dead?What an intriguing ride that book was! I followed step by step—page after page—detective Frank Lozano trying to solve the case while fighting his own demons and urges. I took a glimpse into the private lives of some key players in Hollywood’s glamorous life where fame and fortune intertwined with a darker side. But no matter how hard I tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together and guess who the killer was, the end was mind-blowing. Highly recommended!
Read my review on Amazon

Some of the best beaches in Greece!

Need a break?

Take a few minutes and indulge... This video will "transport" you to some of the best beaches in Greece...

"This one will ultimately warm your heart!" 5 stars for new release Rekindled Passion

This is the third novella in the Alluring Love Collection by Angel Sefer. Yes I have read the first 2 and most if not all the other full length novels Angel Sefer has written. The imagery of which ever Greek Island is portrayed is so vibrant you will think you are there!
This novella took me about an hour to read (I am a fast reader!). There is some high drama and yes, a rekindled love between Christina and Alexandros. Not before she allows him to tell her why he left her all those years ago, and shows her!! 
This one will ultimately warm your heart!
Read the Review on mikishope.com

Read the Review on Amazon

"This one will ultimately warm your heart!" 5 stars for new lease Rekindled Passion

This is the third novella in the Alluring Love Collection by Angel Sefer. Yes I have read the first 2 and most if not all the other full length novels Angel Sefer has written. The imagery of which ever Greek Island is portrayed is so vibrant you will think you are there!
This novella took me about an hour to read (I am a fast reader!). There is some high drama and yes, a rekindled love between Christina and Alexandros. Not before she allows him to tell her why he left her all those years ago, and shows her!! 
This one will ultimately warm your heart!
Read the Review on mikishope.com

Read the Review on Amazon

More Free Books!!!

Good morning, my lovely readers,
You know by now that I LOVE reading and writing novels brimming with mystery, secrets, and passion; reading and writing is as essential as breathing for me.
And I want to thank you from my heart for choosing to read my books out of the thousands that merit reading; I feel blessed for all your love and support.
I sincerely believe in the power of love and gratitude. When you receive so much from the universe, you can't help but want to give back as much as you can. And in my case, I can't help but offering FREE copies of my novels to YOU, my dear readers and friends.
Those of you, who have been following me for years, already know that I set up giveaways all the time and that I pick a subscriber from my FREE READERS GROUP  every week to receive a free copy of one of my novels.
And all of you, my new subscribers, will soon find out about all these benefits and will enjoy indulging in the magic of reading. Welcome to our happy family of mystery and suspense romance readers!
And don’t forget my most recent giveaway: a FREE copy of one of the following collections:
The Aegean Islands Collection Vol. 1  including Deadly Secrets taking place on Mykonos, Lethal Web of Passion taking place on Skopelos, and Whispers in the Wind taking place on Alonnisos.

or
The Aegean Islands Collection Vol. 2  including The Heiress of Santorini taking place on Santorini, Harbor in the Storm taking place on Skiathos, and Deadly Paradise taking place on Naxos.

Click here for Your Fantastic Gift 
I also wanted to remind you about my new romantic suspense release Rekindled Passion .
If you would like a FREE copy of Rekindled Passion for reading and reviewing, send me an email to angelsefer@ymail.com.
I wish you a fantastic day and happy reading!

The first review for new romantic suspense release Rekindled Passion, and it's five stars!

"I loved this short romantic read by Angel Sefer. As usual it brims over with erotic passion, alluring Greek island descriptions and tantalizing mystery. It kept me interested to the very last page where, as this masterful author always manages to do, it delivered an utterly satisfying HEA. I couldn't think of a better cover to match this riveting romantic read for the lovers of this genre (I was offered a free copy and chose voluntarily to review it)." - Effrosyni Moschoudi
Read the review on Amazon

Woo Hoo! Rekindled Passion is live!

My dear readers,
My new romantic suspense Rekindled Passion is released!
You can now find this new addition to The Alluring Love Collection  at all your favorite booksellers for only 99 cents:
Buy Now
I know you guys love mystery, romance, and suspense. So do I; and I also enjoy free reads from time to time.
As every new book, Rekindled Passion needs reviews.
Would you like a free copy of Rekindled Passion for reading and reviewing?
If you're interested in a FREE copy, send me an email to angelsefer@ymail.com.
Thank you!
I hope you all have a fantastic day!