The Out of Time series began with my #1 bestseller The Girl Who Knew da Vinci and introduced my heroine Angela Renatus and her “easy to fall in love with hero” Alex Caine to readers. I followed up with my, thank you again readers, #1 bestseller The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio and I’ve found myself on this miraculous journey of writing a series I personally love to write.
My next book The Girl Who Adored Rembrandt, is up for pre-order on Amazon. I’m over the moon with excitement to continue Angela and Alex’s journey through time and history. In the meantime, you can catch up with my romantic thrilling Out of Time series from the beginning, The Girl Who Knew da Vinci (Book 1 in the Out of Time Thriller Series) and The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio (Book 2 in the Out of Time Thriller Series) are multi-award winning books that transport readers to the Renaissance era.
ABOUT THE BOOK: In a vision, art historian and time-traveling psychic detective Angela Renatus, witnesses the theft of a Rembrandt painting from the home of a powerful San Francisco couple—before the heist takes place. Powerless to stop it, all Angela can do is warn the owners of the possible danger. When the break-in takes place a month later, Angela is shocked when she learns the heist also involved a murder. Now, a suspect in the double crime, Angela must clear her name with the help of her fiancé, art detective Alex Caine, by her side. Together, they risk life and limb to search for the masterpiece stolen by a Mexican drug cartel. Disturbing visions and dreams plague Angela dragging her back into the past. What is she missing among the clues that would explain her trepidations—about Rembrandt, his art, and his family? Does the truth dwell in the shadows of the past? And can Angela survive the journey?
EXCERPT
Tiburon, California
Present day
January 12, 2:20 a.m.
Angela Renatus thrashed and moaned, caught in a violent nightmare, her sweating body soaking the sheets. Her fingers clenched and tore at the satiny cotton beneath her.
“No!”
She bolted upright, choking.
Can’t breathe…
The room spun around her, and she fell back on the pillow.
“Angela?” Alex’s groggy voice penetrated the fog in her brain. “Baby, I’m here.” He gathered her into his strong arms—she opened her eyes to the face of the man she loved. She stared up into his uniquely different-colored eyes of hazel and pale blue. The same eyes that had loved her throughout multiple lifetimes. The sleep was gone from his voice, and his face was etched with concern.
She dug her nails into his muscled arms as she struggled to drag air into her lungs. It was always this way.
“Breathe…That’s it…Again…Good. I’ve got you.”
“Alex…”
“It’s a dream. You had a bad dream.”
“No—more than a dream.” Her arrhythmic heartbeat began to slow. The calming effect of Alex.
“Okay. Tell me what happened.”
She realized her nails had broken his skin and drawn blood. She released her death grip on him. “I saw it again. Just like the last time at the Argyles, but this time it was clearer. I saw the beginning and the end.”
The dream was a repeat of a waking vision she’d experienced a few months at the home of a wealthy investment banker and his lawyer wife. Just like the Caravaggio in Palermo, she’d witnessed the heist of a priceless masterpiece.
“Are you talking about the vision of the Rembrandt being stolen?”
She nodded. It was too terrible to repeat.
“Did you see the thieves? Their faces?”
“Not all of them. I saw the leader. I recognized him, but I don’t know from where… And he could see me.”
“What do you mean he could see you?”
“For maybe ten seconds we stared at each other. The thief was as shocked as I was. He must have thought I was a ghost.”
“Do you think it was a premonition of something that’s going to happen? Or could he be someone you knew in a past life?”
“I don’t know. It seemed so real. So immediate. There were no clues as to how I might have known him, just this strange sense of familiarity.”
Alex glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly three in the morning. We’re both wasted from the flight. Do you want to talk about it now? If you do, we’re going to need some caffeine.”
She caressed his face, smoothing the lines of fatigue. “It seems I have a habit of stealing your sleep.” She forced a smile. “It can wait until tomorrow. If you hold me, I think I might be able to fall back asleep.”
“Holding you is what keeps my demons at bay and what most of my dreams are made of.” His lips brushed her forehead, and a sense of peace washed over her. She didn’t need to see it written in the stars—Alex Caine was her soulmate. He was her past, present, and future—her destiny. They’d loved and lost each other over multiple lifetimes…multiple reincarnations. She suspected there were many more yet to be revealed.
“Seeing the past is one thing—I’ve begun to accept it. But, seeing the future, events that haven’t happened yet…” She shook her head. “I don’t want to know about the future.”
“Neither do I. But I don’t think our future will be revealed to you. Maybe what you see only relates to dead painters and art heists,” he joked.
“Then you do think the painting is going to be stolen.”
“I don’t know. I’ll call the Argyles in the morning. We’ll see if they listen to reason and heed your warning. As I recall, they weren’t too keen on your prophecy last time.”
Angela rolled her eyes. “You mean the fact that Peter Argyle escorted us out of the house as if we were criminals? As I recall, your mother also questioned my sanity.”
“Peter and my mother are wrong. You don’t fit into their belief system, so they question everything about you. They can’t begin to see your gifts…but I do, Angela. You have what few people possess—you’ve been given the ability to break the rules and see beyond the dimensionality of one lifetime. The way you brave whatever is thrown at you is amazing. Your purpose is to seek the truth, and mine is to protect you from whatever danger lies ahead. I may not have your vision, baby, but I have your back.”
What have I done to deserve this man?
The truth was, she knew. They’d paid dearly in lifetime after lifetime to earn the right to be together. A part of her wished she could walk away from the visions and the dreams and convince Alex to give up being an art detective. The dangerous situations they were continuously thrown into, threatened their lives. She sometimes wondered if she should convince Alex to take up the reins of Crawford Oil, his family’s oil company. It would make his mother the happiest woman on Earth. There was nothing wrong with wanting a normal life, was there? A life safe from visions, nightmares, and criminals. It was something to consider for the future and for their children’s future. She snuggled against him, her fingers toying with his silky chest hair. “I think I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“Because the man I love, the man I’m going to marry, is brave, devoted, and believes in me.”
Alex’s eyes flashed mischievously. “You want something, don’t you?”
“Moi? What could I possibly want?” Doesn’t he have any idea what his arms around me and the heat of his body do to me? He must know he’s the only thing I want, the only thing I need.“Yeah, you do. You want me to make mad passionate love to you.”
“And how do you know that?” She lowered her lashes so he couldn’t see the truth of his words.
He pulled her deeper into his embrace. “Because you’re biting your lower lip, and it turns me on, and you know it. I can’t tear my eyes away from your mouth when you do that.”
“Are you accusing me of purposefully manipulating you into copulation?” She giggled at the word that couldn’t begin to describe what making love with Alex Caine was like.
“Sorta. You’re doing it now.” His gaze was pinned on her mouth.
Her lips quivered. “Now you’re making me self-conscious.” She loved it when they flirted. It turned her on when he slow-danced her to ecstasy. The truth was, after a nightmare, she wanted—no needed—to feel her physical body. And nothing made her feel it more than Alex making love to her.
“We can’t have that. We need to relax those lips. In fact, what we need to do is relax your whole body.” He rolled on top of her. “Hmm, how’s that?” His lips lingered on her ear. His breath wet and warm, kindled her desire, making her pulse race. She ran her hands over the muscles in his back, arching against him, feeding his fire. “This is what happens when you wake me in the middle of the night. It’s your just dessert,” he murmured, his warm breath tickling her ear.
“I think you’d better capitalize on this moment before your dessert melts.” She knew it was an invitation her big, bad, Navy SEAL, couldn’t refuse.
“Nothing better than melted Angela.”
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Adored-Rembrandt-Time-Thriller-ebook/dp/B08CH747ZY
#1 Amazon Bestselling author Belle Ami writes intriguing romantic/suspense/thrillers with a touch of sensual heat. A self-confessed news junky, she loves to create cutting-edge stories about politics, espionage, and redemptive love. Her multi award winning Out of Time Series includes:
The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci (Out of Time series book 1)- 2019 RAVEN Award Winner Romance/Suspense and 1st Runner up RONE Award Audiobook).
The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio is the second book in Belle’s highly acclaimed Out of Time series thriller series with a supernatural twist. Book Excellence Award Winner Mystery, and 2020 RONE finalist, and 2020 RAVEN Award Finalist.
Belle is the author of The Only One Series, a dark erotic suspense series, which includes The One, The One and More and One More Time is Not Enough.
She is also the author of The Tip of the Spear Series, a compelling romantic suspense espionage series which includes the highly rated Escape and Vengeance (2019 Readers’ Favorite Award Gold Medal Winner in Thriller/Espionage. The third book is Ransom & the fourth book Exposed will be published 2020.
Belle is a Kathryn McBride scholar of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Her passions include hiking, boxing, skiing, spinning, cooking and of course, writing.
She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, a horse named Cindy Crawford, and her brilliant Chihuahua, Giorgio Armani.
Belle loves to hear from readers.
If you are interested in writing an honest review in exchange for a free book, contact her at: belle@belleamiauthor.com
Connect with Belle online:
Twitter: @BelleAmi5
Instagram belleamiauthor.com
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