My Books by Black Opal Books

Monday, November 26th, 2012

And here're the purchase links to Treasured Chest. Please click on the preferred logo to be taken to the retailer's site.










Monday, October 15th, 2012

The cover for "Treasured Chest" is done and approved. The design is done by talented Jennifer Gibson (http://www.jennifergibson.ca). The book is now going through the last round of proofreading and the release date is November 24th. So without the further ado, here's the full wrap around.



Thursday, September 6th, 2012

"Treasured Chest" ~ a pirate's romance has passed the second round of edits about two weeks ago. I took a long break from writing during my trip to Croatia, but it was just way too hot and my laptop heated up very quickly. (No air-conditioning in our old house on the island or in the apartment in the city). And just like my first round editor, Reyana, my second round editor, Faith, loves the story. And I also have a scheduled release date. End of November, so just in time for your Christmas shopping.

What else is in works?

I'm working on two titles at the moment. One is the prequel to Bonded by Crimson.under the working title Rose of Crimson. In this story, I'm taking the readers back some six year when Matthias under the guise of Miles influenced Kate to write about his d turbulent love life that ended tragically for him and Dobrila. This the the re-telling of an old Croatian legend.

My second project, and the one I'm concentrating on to have it completed by the end of this year or the beginning of the next, is titled Love Remains. It's a paranormal romance about a corporate oriented, single woman who secretly longs for a family of her own, but projects an image of who-needs-a-husband-and-kids. When she returns from a business trip, she is shocked to find exactly what she secretly wanted (a husband and two kids) at home.

Friday, June 1st, 2012

"Treasured Chest" ~ my second novel to be released later in the year ~ has gone its first round of edits and my editor said she really enjoyed reading it. That, coming from an editor who no doubt read many books and submissions, is a praise in its self.

Sunday, March 11th, 2012.

My second novel, a pirate's romance titled "Treasured Chest" has been accepted by Black Opal Books and is now undergoing through editorial process. I'll keep you all up to date. Excitement is building. 

Satruday, January 28th, 2012

 Bonded by Crimson available now as an eBook or in paperback format at:

http://bookstore.blackopalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=23


 Love isn’t in the cards for her…

After her short failed marriage, Kate tries to rebuild her life and takes a position as a nanny to three small boys. She quickly grows to love them, but their father, terrifies her, while igniting a passion she didn’t know she possessed. Disturbed by his distant manner with his sons, Kate struggles to make him more involved in the boys’ daily lives. Her efforts are mysteriously supported by an entity that cannot really exist. Or can she? And if she does exist, is she really trying to help Kate, or just take over her body?

But when he deals the hand, all bets are off…

Six years after his beloved wife passed away, Matthias is still trying to become the father she wanted him to be. Not an easy task for a three-centuries-old immortal. His search for the ultimate nanny ends when Kate Rokov stumbles to his home and into his arms. The immediate attraction he feels for her seems like a betrayal of his dead wife, a love he’s harboured for over three hundred years. But when Kate is stalked by a deadly stranger, life he clung to in the past begins to crumble and break down. Can Matthias learn to trust and to love again in time to save his family from disaster, or will his stubborn pride destroy everything worth living for?


Heat level: spicy

My favorite line: "He may not come with fangs, but one big sweet tooth more than made up for two sharp cuspids."




Excerpt


He claimed to be immortal, but that was ridiculous...wasn’t it?

Kate’s heart hammered. The experience seemed so real. A low moan escaped her and she bit her lip. Soon warmth surged through her, causing her body to go limp. Her legs gave way underneath her, but Matthias—or whoever this man claimed to be now—wrapped his arm around her waist. His sweet, musky scent clung to her. Ecstasy filled her and she felt as if she hovered in the air. If he intended to kill her like this, she could imagine no better way to die. A voice echoed through her mind, speaking of undying love in centuries old Croatian.
“Wake up,” he whispered close to her ear, his strong arms still locked around her.
“I don’t want to.” Her head wobbled, exuberant with sheer happiness, a kind she had never experienced before.
“You must.” He stroked her hair with tender fingers. “Wake up now.”
“No. I want to stay like this. Forever.” She focused on his handsome face staring at her through her haze.
His smooth cheek brushed against hers. “Me too, but you must wake.”
The fog lifted and his image appeared, clearly now. She blinked once. Twice. What had happened? She pushed away from him and flattened her back against the wall.
“You, you—”
“You,” he said, pointing at her, “asked for proof.”


The early Byzantine church of Saint Donatus built on the remains of Roman Forum. where the above excerpt takes place.










Book trailer





Reviews of Bonded by Crimson

TAYLOR JONES SAYS: With some interesting twists and turns to the plot, Bonded by Crimson by Zrinka Jelic captured my attention from page one and refused to let go right through the last page. The story was packed with characters I cheered for, laughed with, and even shed a couple of tears over.
Our heroine, Kate Rokov, is charming, sweet, determined, and just naive enough to have you groaning, "No, don't do that!" even though you know she will. The hero, Matthias Zrin, is hot, sexy, immortal, and jaded enough to make you shake your head at his stubbornness. Together, these two blunder their way through ghost-busting, parenting three adorable boys, and falling in love across two continents—from Canada to Croatia. Which totally worked for me. I mean, if you are going to blunder into love, you may as well see the world while you do it.
I liked that Jelic's characters were human enough to make mistakes, that they weren't perfect. I also like the paranormal aspect of the dead wife's spirit helping to bring the two together, though at times I wasn't sure if she wanted to help Kate or just trade places with her by taking over her body.
It's a well-crafted story with some steamy sex scenes—the very best kind—so I'm giving Bonded by Crimson 4.1 stars.

REGAN MURPHY SAYS: Bonded by Crimson by Zrinka Jelic caught me by surprise. For a first effort by a new author, it is quite enjoyable. I liked the depth of characterization as well as the vivid settings. Having never been to Europe, I truly enjoy books that describe foreign place so well I feel as if I have been there. This book was one of those.
The plot is strong and the storyline intriguing: the spirit of a dead wife helping her husband to find a new wife. And while I usually prefer more action and suspense, Bonded by Crimson caught my interest and held it all the way through. Jelic took a basic second-time-around romance, gave it a new twist, added a touch of suspense, and came up with something quite good.
Kate is spunky, determined, and wounded from her disastrous first marriage to a jerk. Matthias is hot, immortal, and devastated by the death of his first wife, the love of his life, a relationship that lasted 300 years. Needless to say, Kate finds the competition stiff. The three little boys are charming and when you add a superstitious old housekeeper and a wonderfully sleazy villain, you get a delightful, well rounded cast of secondary characters. I agree with my counterpart that Bonded by Crimson is a well-crafted story. I'm giving it a healthy 4 stars.

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