February Featured Book: The Ultimate Passage by Jean Hackensmith & Kathe Birch

Today we'll highlight another romance novel from my never ending bookcases. The Ultimate Passage by Jean Hackensmith and Kathe Birch is like no other romance novel I've ever read.

It is a time travel romance, the fourth and last book in the "Passage" saga by these two talented ladies. The story begins in the year 2320, where President Darius Calhoun and the rest of the world live in domed cities where sex is illegal because it transmits disease.

But when Darius is transported back to 14th century Scotland, his life begins to change in ways he could never have expected. And he isn't the only one who has time traveled. Other characters who readers have met in the first three books of this saga also come together to provide a satisfying conclusion to the four-book journey readers have taken.

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book because time travel and magical amulets are not my usual interests when choosing reading material. But I am so glad that I took a chance on The Ultimate Passage. It remains one of my favorite romances.

Checkmate by Jean Hackensmith--Book Review

Gripping and suspenseful, Checkmate by Jean Hackensmith will have you on the edge of your seat and rooting for the good guys.

Eighteen years ago, Caryn Deaver's husband tied her up, along with their two children, locked them in the bathroom and set fire to their house. They survived and Dan went to prison for eighteen years. But now he's out and he's looking to finish the job...and this time he wants to include Zach, the new man in Caryn's life. Can police captain Brian Koski find Dan before his sadistic game ends up in Checkmate?

With Checkmate--the first book in the Brian Koski "Stalker" Series--Hackensmith has added another dimension to her writing career. I got totally caught up in the last book of hers I read, The Ultimate Passage--which I reviewed here. Typically a writer of time travel and historical romance, this is Hackensmith's first attempt at romantic suspense. Hopefully she'll continue.

In addition to the full slate of realistic and complex characters found within Checkmate, Hackensmith has written a novel that pulls you in from the first word to the last. The subplots compliment the main plot and all are pulled together at the end--which is superbly done.

The reader can both understand Caryn's hesitation to get too involved with Zach after trusting her ex-husband the way she did and sympathize with the frustration Zach feels over Caryn's lack of commitment to him. And Dan's game puts these two characters through the ringer. Hackensmith pushed these characters to every limit they had.

The high level of research Hackensmith performed is obvious in her realistic portrayal of Dan, who as an ex-cop manages to use his on the job training to keep eluding Brian and members of the Sixth Precinct. Hackensmith also performed thorough research on the training and usefulness of protection dogs, and made Mika (Zach and Caryn's protection dog) into a wonderful canine character who readers will also fall in love with.

Kudos go out to the designer of the cover. The burning house partially overlaid with a black square and two chess pieces truly captures the essence of the book.

What a powerful start to a series! I eagerly anticipate the next book.


Title: Checkmate
Author: Jean Hackensmith
Publisher: Port Town Publishing
ISBN-10: 1-59466-116-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-59466-116-7
U.S. Price: $14.95

Heroes and Heroines from Checkmate by Jean Hackensmith

I was thrilled when I heard romance author Jean Hackensmith was returning to Pump Up Your Book Promotion for another virtual book tour. After reading and loving The Ultimate Passage, the final book of the "Passage" saga that she co-wrote with Kathe Birch, I knew I wanted to bring Jean back to The Book Connection to talk about her latest novel, a romantic thriller.

Caryn Deaver survived a nightmare.

A victim of spousal abuse, Caryn’s ex-husband bound her and their children hand and foot, locked them in the bathroom, and set the house on fire. They managed to escape with their lives, and Dan Hamilton was sentenced to eighteen years in prison for the crime. He’s out now, though, and the rules in his sadistic game allow Caryn only twelve “moves” before she dies.

Zach Riker, Cheyenne’s Fire Chief, was the first paramedic on the scene eighteen years ago. He saved Caryn’s life. Now she is his life and he’ll stop at nothing to protect the woman he has come to love.



Here Jean talks about the hero and heroine from Checkmate and even a bit about the villian.

When Cheryl from Pump Up Your Book Promotion asked me to write this guest post telling about the hero and heroine in “Checkmate,” it was like…yes! This one will be easy. Caryn and Zach are like members of my family. I know them better than I sometimes know myself. Well, I was wrong. It wasn’t so easy. I know them both intimately, of course, but describing just who these two complex characters are—and doing them justice—is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But I’ll give it a shot.

Caryn is a second grade teacher. Zach is the Fire Chief in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They’re both in their forties. The initial review I received on “Checkmate” commented on that fact. The reviewer said it was “refreshing” to see an older couple as the main characters in a romance. While the actual “romance” may take a back seat to suspense in “Checkmate,” it in no way lessens Zach and Caryn’s commitment to one another. In fact, if anything, they are more committed than the average couple because they’ve both been “around the block.” In other words, they’ve both been married before. They both have grown children. Caryn even has two grandchildren. In some ways, though, their individual histories hamper their relationship. Caryn’s ex-husband was controlling, possessive and abusive. Consequently, she was single for sixteen years and, even now, is hesitant to commit herself legally to another man. In Caryn’s mind, it’s all about power. Dan Hamilton exerted his authority over her from the moment she signed the marriage certificate, and she’s not sure she wants to give another man that kind of control. Zach faces a different dilemma. His wife cheated on him repeatedly during the course of their marriage, leaving him distrustful and bitter. Though he did date other women in the interim, none were able to crack the protective shell he had encased himself in—until Caryn.

Caryn and Zach had been together for two years by the time Dan Hamilton was released from prison. He’s Caryn’s ex. He tried to kill her and their children eighteen years earlier. Now he’s stalking her, and the ensuing reign of terror will test their commitment to one another like nothing before ever has. Their children will be threatened, too—they each have two—and so will Brian Koski, Zach’s best friend. Brian’s a cop. It’s his job to get involved. When it soon becomes apparent that Dan’s sadistic game of cat and mouse could lead to murder, however, even Brian gets scared and goes above and beyond the call of duty to protect his friends.

The last “main character” in the book is Mika. She’s a protection dog. A black German Shepard. She will give her life to save her masters and is trained to attack on command. I worked extensively with Chris Byrne from Stone Hill Kennel in Connecticut to make sure Mika’s abilities were portrayed correctly. He even agreed to become a character in the book. Mika is a sweetheart. She can also be deadly. In Chris’ words, she’s “a good man’s best friend, and a bad man’s worst enemy.”

The characters in “Checkmate” are more down-to-earth than any I’ve ever created before. They have flaws. They’re vulnerable. They make mistakes. In short, they are real.

The CHECKMATE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month long. If you would like to follow Jean's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment at any of her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!


This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

The Ultimate Passage by Jean Hackensmith & Kathe Birch--Book Review

In the year 2320, Darius Calhoun is President of the United States. The men of his family have been appointed as presidents for generations; ever since Michael Calhoun solved the world's problems. Due to fatal diseases caused by pollution, in addition to, overpopulation and sexually transmitted diseases, the citizens of Earth now live in domed cities where sex has been outlawed and no one experiences emotion of any kind...except the rebels who live outside the domes who prefer to act more like humans than mind-numbed robots.

But the cost is high--they die at alarming rates from cancer and a new strain of AIDS that kills within months; not to mention that they have to grow their food in greenhouses because the soil is contaminated.

Darius is horrified when he is suddenly plucked out of his own time period and dropped into 14th century Scotland. Not only are the conditions unsanitary, he's expected to advise Robert the Bruce, the self-proclaimed King of Scotland, on war tactics, even though war hasn't existed in his time for over two hundred years.

Lara Macgregor, the oldest daughter of the lord of the castle, is a big help to Darius and they quickly become friends. But Lara wants more than friendship--she wants a mate. Darius knows that means having sex and he sure isn't about to do something that he's been brought up to believe is wrong. Funny thing is his body and mind have begun to change since Darius arrived and for the first time in his life he begins to feel and to want things he never did before.

When six other time travelers appear in 14th century Scotland they know it must be for a reason--especially when many of them knew each other at some period in time. As the war for independence in Scotland gains momentum, Darius and the other time travelers are thrust into the tumultous events that unfold and try to uncover why they are all there in the first place. When one of the lord's most trusted knights becomes an enemy, everyone at Castle Macgregor is put in grave danger...particularly Darius, who this knight sees as a rival for beautiful, spunky Lara's affections.

I can honestly say that I have never read a book like The Ultimate Passage ever before, but after reading it I am determined to read the rest of the books in this saga.

Since I hadn't read the first three books--Charmed Passage, Destined Passage and Doomed Passage--I couldn't possibly have known all that transpired between the six time travelers that dropped into 14th century Scotland. Hackensmith provided just enough detail so that I could piece together their pasts, but left out plenty that would keep readers of the past three books from getting bored learning what they already knew.

Each character is so well-developed that I swear in a different place and time I could have known him and her. To watch Darius put in a position where he was forced to call into question all that he had been taught made him a sympathetic character, but the reader also encourages him to reach out for Lara's love and all it entails.

A perfect mix of historical events and people tossed together with several lively fictional characters makes The Ultimate Passage a must read. A complex and riveting plot is expertly delivered by Hackensmith. And Birch must be commended for her thorough research that places the reader into 14th century Scotland and the time of knights and chivalry.

My only disappointment is in knowing that this is the end of The Passage Saga.

Action, adventure, and most of all romance make this a book you won't be able to put down. The Ultimate Passage by Jean Hackensmith and Kathe Birch is every romance lover's dream.


Title: The Ultimate Passage (Book 4 of The Passage Saga)
Authors: Jean Hackensmith and Kathe Birch
Publisher: Port Town Publishing
ISBN-10: 1-59466-101-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-59466-101-3
U.S Price: $22.95

Find out more about The Passage Saga here. And look for Jean Hackensmith's new romantic thriller Checkmate, which is due to be released in May 2008.

Jean Hackensmith & Kathe Birch's Passage Saga

To kick off December, we have a rare treat for you. Jean Hackensmith and Kathe Birch have recently released the fourth and final book in the Passage Saga (Port Town Publishing). The Book Connection is helping them celebrate by featuring a synopsis of each book in this time travel romance saga and some personal reflections by Jean.



CHARMED PASSAGE

Kristie Somers is happy in her life. She has a promising career ahead of her, grandparents who love her--and no time for a man. Or so she thought, until she was dropped in the year 1864 at the close of the Civil War.

The handsome Colonel Eric Langston was a man to be hated. Her grandparents told her so. Her family has despised him for generations. He commanded the Union regiment that invaded her ancestral home; he was responsible for Whispering Willows being burned to the ground. Why then, does her heart pound every time he enters a room? Why do his fiery kisses stir her like no man ever has before? And how can she just overlook the fact that she knows he is destined to die an alcoholic?

Charmed Passage is the first book in the "Passage Trilogy," which follows the life of an ancient amulet whose awesome powers include the ability to transcend even time itself. The reluctant Kristie Somers is the charm's first "rightful owner," but she will not be the last...

Author's reflections: Kathe and I began writing “Charmed Passage” back in 1986. Our first attempt at collaboration, it was a long process. It was also a very rewarding one. Until that point, I had been writing on my own, but having a “partner” to bounce ideas off of and to take on the brunt of the research was invaluable. Writing “Charmed Passage” was a labor of love. Time travel romance was in its infancy, so at the time, we were writing something unique. “Charmed” wasn’t meant to be the first in a trilogy, however. It was supposed to be a story in itself--a story about Kristie Somers, a modern day medical student, who ended up finding a pretty piece of jewelry in her grandparents’ attic--in truth, an amulet that could induce time travel. This amulet would then take her back to the time of the Civil War, where she would meet and fall in love with Eric Langston, a man her ancestors hated--a man who was destined to die of alcoholism. The last few paragraphs of “Charmed,” though, kind of wrote themselves and, lo and behold, it literally screamed for a sequel. Consequently, the idea for “Destined Passage” was born.



DESTINED PASSAGE

Brittany Cavanaugh, an oceanographer from the year 2001 and the second "rightful owner" of a mysterious Haitian amulet, travels through time; first to the doomed ocean liner, Titanic, and then to the post Civil War era, where she is mistaken for the leader of an elusive White Slavery Ring.

She meets the infamous Jacques Devereaux, a dashing and extremely sexy Civil War blockade runner turned White Slaver, but her heart is torn when she must choose between the pirate and Clay Gentry, a refined southern gentleman who is in the midst of a desperate search for his missing twin sisters -- and the President's daughter.

Author's reflections: When Kathe and I first began plotting “Destined Passage,” we knew that we needed a whole different story and a totally different type of hero and heroine. Since we wanted the new characters to eventually meet up with the old ones, though, we knew the time periods had to be virtually the same. Therefore, it was decided to put “Destined” in the post Civil War era…and to make white slavery the main plot. “Brittany Cavanaugh,” the heroine, they knew, had to make the spunky Kristie Somers from “Charmed” look like a baby in comparison. Likewise, the hero had to be a notch up from Eric Langston. Well, Jacques Devereaux ended up being a foot or two above Eric in character. He was a pirate, in every sense of the word…and he captained a white slavery ship that transported kidnapped women to a slave island off the coast of Florida. Add Clay Gentry, a southern gentleman, to the mix and that left poor Brittany torn--and more than a little miffed--when she ended up sleeping with both men…men she thought were the same person. This story was just plain fun to write. We knew that each successive story in the trilogy had be better than the last (and, yes, by this time we had decided on a trilogy) and the characters in “Destined Passage” made it easy. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the reader saw Eric and Kristie again by the end of the book.”



DOOMED PASSAGE

Ian Buchanan was separated from his fiancée, Brittany Cavanaugh, in the icy waters of the North Atlantic when the infamous ocean liner, Titanic, sank. Where she is, he has no idea, but the ancient Haitian amulet that transported the couple from the twentieth century has now chosen to drop him in the year 1692--at the time of the Salem Witch Hunts.

Ian meets young, innocent Ariana; a woman who, despite the fact that she is only sixteen years old, stirs Ian's blood. Even more disturbing to the twentieth century man--she is a self-proclaimed witch, who wears the same amulet that he last saw around his beloved Brittany's neck.

When the fanatical Puritans decide to hang Ian and Ariana as witches, too, the young woman screams a frantic plea to Aveena, the "mother of all high priestesses in Haiti." The couple is then transported through time again, to Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War.

The transport begins a tempestuous journey that spans ten years, leaving Ian to feel a sense of obligation to Ariana and her unborn child. Ian looks after them, supports them, and grows to care more than his conscience will allow. Finally, following a single night of unforgettable passion, Ariana admits her love. Ian though, admits to only an overwhelming lust that leaves him with a self-loathing he can no longer abide.

Can Ian forget his committment to Brittany? Will he ever see her again? Will fate determine their destinies once again and join the two time-travelers in the end? Or will they be forever left to find their own way and alienate even those who love them most?

“Doomed Passage” brings the story of the amulet full circle and, by the end, all of the "previous owners" will strive to drive the evil from a powerful talisman that, to this point, has worked only for the good.

Author's reflections: In all honesty, this book is a little “off the wall.” It deals with witchcraft and demon possession…but, again, it had to be a step “up” from “Destined.” The amulet also turns evil in “Doomed” (hence, the title) which added yet another twist to the plot. Add to that innocent little Ariana--only sixteen years old when she meets thirty-two year old Ian. She’s a witch. No, not a crabby heroine, but a bonafide, caldron-stirring witch. In fact, Ian met her in the year 1692 at the time of the Salem Witch Hunts. This book was one of the most fun to write. Ariana’s “talent” wasn’t quite perfected yet, so making her screw up periodically (at one point she set Ian’s shoes on fire) was enjoyable all in itself. And Ian wasn’t always the nicest guy--he just came out that way. Our characters always kind of invent themselves and, admittedly, there were a lot of readers who did not like Ian. Oh well, he’s probably more human than most heroes. But he does the right thing in the end. And the end is what it was supposed to be. The “Passage” saga was finished. We had moved on to “The Gitche Gumee Saga.” That’s when the letters and emails started. The readers wanted more…and “The Ultimate Passage” was born.



THE ULTIMATE PASSAGE

Darius Calhoun is President of the U.S.--in the year 2320. Citizens of earth now live in domed cities, because pollution has reached the point where the air is no longer fit to breathe. They no longer feel hatred, jealousy, envy or love. They don’t have sex either, and haven’t for nearly two hundred years. Why? Because it’s messy, unsanitary and can transmit disease. Imagine Darius’ horror then, when he suddenly finds himself displaced in time at the whim of the goddess Aveena--goddess of love.

His trek to 14th century Scotland is every man’s nightmare. He is forced to live in a cold, drafty castle, wear a kilt, and use the ghastly “privy” when it comes time to take care of nature’s call. Worst of all, he is expected to be an “advisor” to Robert the Bruce, the self-proclaimed King of Scotland. How is he to counsel the king on tactics of war when, where he came from, that barbaric institution, too, had been extinct for over two hundred years?

Only one thing in this godforsaken time period enables Darius to keep his sanity. Her name is Lara Macgregor. Her father is lord of the castle and its surrounding lands. Lara is beautiful, spunky--and looking for a mate. Of course, in this day and age, that means having sex and Darius wants no part of it. He feels nothing for Lara but friendship…at least he didn’t at first. Now though, strange things are happening to his mind and body and, with the war for independence in Scotland gaining momentum, so does Darius’ resolve that at some point in time, government leaders in his own world did something terribly wrong.

Author's reflections: Hmmm…where do we begin. I'm talking about writing both the book and this little blurb. In short, “The Ultimate Passage” was never supposed to be written. The amulet went back to the goddess Aveena in the end of “Doomed,” so where do we go from here?

Kathe and I spent countless hours hashing over ideas for this book…ideas that would allow us to override that little problem at the end of “Doomed.” It took a while--a long while, in fact--but we came up with what we think was an “ultimate” idea; again, hence the name of the book. I had played with the idea for a number of years of yanking a guy out of the future: a future where people live in domed cities, where war and disease are no more--and where sex had been outlawed because it’s messy, unsanitary and can spread sexually transmitted disease. Put this guy in the past then, where people are still very sexually active, and have him fall in love, and man have you got a love story! Of course, they still had to deal with that little problem of the amulet going back to Aveena at the end of “Doomed.” So, what could we do? Ah ha! Send this guy back to a time just after the amulet was created, before all the other stories in the saga took place. Hence, the location of “The Ultimate Passage”--14th century Scotland. Then, of course, to be consistent with the other books in the saga, they had to bring in all the heroes and heroines from the other books. So, how do you avoid telling the same old stories over again? Ah-ha! You pull each of those characters from different time periods--before they met each other. Or, in a couple of cases, where one character knows the other, but the other is clueless. Talk about romantic tension! Trust us, “The Ultimate Passage” has that and more.

A note to the reader: The “Passage” Saga books are long. So long, in fact, that all the books except for “Charmed” come in two-book sets. (For the simple reason that the small publisher who produces the books has a binder that will glue a maximum of only 250 double-sided pages.) So, be prepared for an extended and exiting journey that you will never forget.

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