Torc of Moonlight Series

The Bull At The Gate – Book 2 in the 'Torc of Moonlight' trilogy of paranormal romantic thrillers set in northern England. "...a crafted blend of Crime, Thriller and Myth makes the reader question their grasp of reality..." Nick has moved to York, a walled mediaeval city of crooked half-timbered houses and tight cobbled streets where historical re-enactment groups of Viking longshipmen thrill the tourists. Yet deep in the crypt of York Minster sit the foundations of an earlier occupation, the Roman fortress of Eboracum that garrisoned both the infamous Ninth Legion and the Sixth Victrix. When one of Nick’s colleagues is reported missing and the police begin to ask awkward questions about Alice, an artefact from the Temple of Mithras appears on his desk. A clever reproduction, or a 1700 year old relic looking as new as if it had been made yesterday? Includes the Prologue to Book 3 of the trilogy.

‘Stay away from me. Don’t you understand? People close to me die.’ Nick believes Alice is overreacting. She’s been unlucky in her life, that’s all. Coincidences – they happen all the time. It had been coincidence that they’d caught each other’s eyes during the lecture, a trick of the light that had lifted her auburn hair. But is it coincidence that someone, some thing, is distancing him from his friends as the need to possess Alice builds? Drawn into her obsession with finding the shrine to a Celtic water goddess, and drowning in sensual pleasure, Nick is in denial... until he sees a jewelled sword fade in his hand and knows that he, or the thing that shadows him, has held it, and bloodied it, long ago. To tell Alice will make her flee. To stay silent could kill her. Review snippets for the paperback "Torc of Moonlight": “...in starkly elegant prose, builds a powerful novel of possession and psychological breakdown in 'Torc of Moonlight'. She writes the male point of view very well indeed...” 5 stars “...Acaster's narrative voice is punchy, crisp and authoritative, swinging the reader through a variety of colours and moods. Her descriptions of the world of nature are evocative and sympathetic. Her love scenes aren't half bad either...” 4 stars “...I could not put this book down and confidently recommend it to all who love well written novels with believable characters, intriguing stories and real settings...” 5 stars About the Author: Linda Acaster is an award-winning author of novels and 70+ short stories. She lives in the UK, a stone’s throw from an ancient spring.

Book 3 in the ‘Torc of Moonlight’ trilogy of contemporary time-spanning fantasies set in northern England. "History lies mere inches beneath our feet." Nick Blaketon leaves Durham to free Alice from the Celtic deity holding her prisoner at the Pool, echoing pilgrims who, 900 years before him, tread the route seeking a fabled spring where an angel-woman cures all ills. Alice is overjoyed to be reunited with Nick, but she is not the Alice he remembers. Like the land, she is transforming, and he feels caught between betrayals. When her presence at the Pool is jeopardised by a hydraulic fracturing operation and the conservationists opposing it, Nick cannot walk away. As Time intersects, has he faith enough to change events in a mediaeval past of hallowed saints and conjured demons, or has Alice’s power to heal initiated her own demise?