Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Giveaway and Review of Knight Blindness by Chris Karlson




BLURB:
BACK COVER BLURB FOR KNIGHT BLINDNESS
Ready for battle, Medieval English knight, Stephen Palmer, charges into the French enemy’s cavalry line. Heeding a warning given months before, he hesitates as he comes face-to-face with the knight in the warning. Struck down in the year 1356, he finds himself landing in the year 2013. Grievously wounded, he’s taken to a nearby hospital. Confused by the new world surrounding him, he attempts to convince the staff he’s from another time, only to find they think him mad. 
Rescued by friends, who, to his surprise, have also come through time, he must find a way to function in this odd modern England. He is quickly enchanted by the kind Esme Crippen, the young woman hired to tutor him. She too is enchanted by him. Tempted to deepen the relationship, she hesitates thinking him adorable, but mad. He must discover the means for getting her to believe the truth, all the while, unknown to him, he didn’t come forward in time alone. The enemy knight has also traveled to 2013.
French noble, Roger Marchand, doesn’t question why the English knight who charged him hesitated. That fraction of a pause gave him the advantage needed and he brought his sword down upon the Englishman’s helmet hard, unhorsing the knight. He moved to finish the Englishman off when the world changed in a rush of sensations as he is ripped through time. 
Seeking a reason for the terrible event, he enters a nearby chapel. There, thinking God has chosen him for a quest to turn French defeat that day in 1356 to victory, he sets out to find the English knight. The man he is convinced holds the key to time. If he returns to the day of the battle, he can warn his king of mistakes that snatched victory from them.     
BIO:
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.
My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa. 
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write two different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is, Dangerous Waters. 
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.  
ONLINE LINKS:
Website:    http://www.chriskarlsen.com/
blog:          http://chriskarlsenwriter.blogspot.com/2013/07/come-and-join-me-for-christmas-in.html#comment-form
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/chriskarlsenwriter
Twitter:      @chriskarlsen1
GR:           http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard
Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/
Trailer:      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvxVhx404L8
BUY NOW LINK:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Blindness-Knights-Time-ebook/dp/B00E2QS488/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374422719&sr=1-1&keywords=knight+Blindness
B & N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knight-blindness-chris-karlsen/1116277738?ean=9781491019122

Excerpt:

Stephen woke from the dreamless sleep groggy. Since the Frenchmen took him from the field, he’d lost all sense of time.  Bits and pieces of events faded in and out of memory. He recalled at one point he’d tried to fight and they’d stuck him with a small spiked weapon. It hadn’t hurt, no more than a prick from a lady’s sewing needle. Then, he was floating and had the sense of angels lifting him.
Not angels but his captors.
The delicious scent brought him awake. He might’ve slept hours or days, he didn’t know. All he knew was the food smelled like fine fare and his stomach felt stuck to his backbone, he was so hungry. Those last weeks before the battle the army had run short of provisions. The knights had foraged for food along with their horses. The night before the battle he’d dined on overripe berries and dandelion soup. Soup indeed. Nothing but a handful of dandelion greens thrown into a kettle of boiling water.
“Is the food for me?” he’d asked, stomach rumbling.
A new man, one whose voice he’d never heard answered, “Yes.”
He attempted to rise but tethers kept him prone. His wrists and ankles were tied to the bed with padded cuffs instead of chains. A small but curious kindness.
“How am I to eat it tethered as I am? Smell alone will not get it to my stomach.”
“I’ll release you, but first you must promise not to fight or to touch your eye wrap.”
“Yes, yes, I promise.” He’d agree to most anything for a full belly.
Stephen sat up as soon as he was free.
The man put the tray of food on his lap and set cloth wrapped utensils into his palm.  
“What is this?” Stephen poked the tined edge of a four-pronged eating tool to his fingertip.
“What is it? It’s a fork. You know—for sticking your food with and bringing pieces to your mouth.”
Seems silly. Why bother with cutting then sticking your food with the fork before bringing it to your mouth, an eating dagger is faster, more sensible? Stab and eat.
The aroma of meat and bread filled his nose and he put the fork aside. His head low to the tray, he shoveled the vegetables into his mouth with the spoon. A juicy, plump chicken breast nestled next to the vegetables. He tore the meat from the bone with his fingers, licking the buttery drippings from the tips as he devoured it. He last ate chicken in July and then it wasn’t a fat hen but a wiry, tough rooster. When the spoon no longer scooped vegetables, he used his bread to wipe up any remaining morsels on the plate. The captors brought two more plates and he finished those before he was finally full.
Stephen sensed someone enter the room as the man left with the last tray.
“Who is there?”
“I’m here to give you a sponge bath, if you like,” a female, young by the sound of her said.
“You wish to bathe me?”
The pass of his hand over his hair told him somebody had washed it. No dried blood was caked anywhere. He sniffed his forearms. They smelled of soap and had also been cleaned. He had no need of a bath. The woman offered something other than a wash.
He smiled with knowledge. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed the services of a bawd. Tempting as the harlot’s offer was, he suspected enemy devilry and declined.
“Would you like to listen to music?” she asked.
The bawd traveled with minstrels. He wasn’t in the mood for her other services, but he’d welcome a cheerful tune. “I would.”
“What station do you wish,” she asked.
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll turn it to a classical one.”
A tune different from any he ever heard came from across the room. “I’ll come back tomorrow,” the bawd said. Her light footfalls told him she left.
Classical station? Lovelier than any minstrel’s music, he dozed off still baffled by weird words and goings on of his captors. They’d woken him an unknown amount of time later and said it was the day and hour for his eye surgery. A man told him to make a fist. He said perfect when he found a vein and then stuck a needle into the crook of Stephen’s elbow. That was the last he remembered.
“Monsieur, monsieur,” a female voice said, patting his hand. “Wake up.”
Stephen yawned and propped himself up on an elbow. “Ugh.” His mouth tasted like sour milk and his tongue felt like it was wrapped in a mitten. “I’d like some water.”
“Here.” The woman slid a flexible spout between his lips. “Suck.”
He didn’t know what the spout was made of, nor did he care. The water tasted sweet to his parched mouth and he sucked the cup dry. “More.” When he’d sucked another cup dry, he asked. “What day is this?” 
“September 22,” the woman said, taking the empty cup.
Three days had passed since the battle. Why had they let him live? There could be no good reason for it.
“This is Dr. Berger. Do you remember me speaking to you two days ago about your eye surgery?”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Monette is here too. We want to talk to you about the day they found you. The more we know about you, the more we can help.”
“Who is the woman?” She didn’t sound like the first woman, the one who smelled like a garden. This one carried no scent of any flower. Nor did she sound young as the bawd. What was this one’s purpose? The first, he suspected, had created the potion that put him to sleep. He knew a bawd’s.
“She is Nurse Cloutier.”
Probably Witch Cloutier. “Ask what you will.”
“What is your name?”
“Stephen Palmer.”
“What’s the last thing you remember before receiving your injury?”
“I am a knight in service to the Baron Guiscard. He rode to the aid of his friend. I saw your men surround the baron. They were trying to pull him from his mount. I was about to ride to his aid when one of your knights, his heraldic symbol was of a panther on a field of orange, challenged me.” Stephen thought again how Guy’s warning had made him falter. “I...I hesitated and your man struck with his sword.”
“Monsieur Palmer, your eye injury is serious. If this answer is an attempt at humor, then it is a poor time to engage in such a jest.”
“You asked what I remembered. I told you. I’m not in the habit of making jests with my enemies.”
“Monsieur Palmer, we are not your enemy. We are not at war.” A long moment passed and then Berger asked, “What year do you believe it to be?”
“The year of our Lord, 1356.”
“Mon Dieu,” Cloutier said in the background.
“From what the paramedics told us you said when they arrived, and your answer today, I am convinced that you do believe this is 1356. Monsieur Palmer,” Berger covered Stephen’s hand with his own. “The year is 2013.”


This is book 3 in the series, and this is my first look at this book.  I really feel like I was missing a little bit, but still was able to follow along and enjoy the story.  What happens when 2 hunky knights are dropped into our time?  lol....Chaos and wonder!!   The author did a wonderful job portraying first time visitors into our time.   I laughed out loud a few times because of the descriptions.  The vividness of the writing was very real!!

Was it believable?  Could I get into it?  Absolutely!!  You feel like your journeying right along with the characters!!  The romance between Stephen and Esme is a delicious mixture of sweet and spicy.  

I would definitely recommend to all my time-traveler and Knight lovers.  You won't be disappointed!!

Tour wide Giveaway!!!  Just enter the rafflecopter to win!!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

29 comments:

Chris Karlsen said...

HI To All,
I want to thank Close Encounters for having me back. I also want to thank Nikki for taking the time to read Knight Blindness and for the lovely review.
I look forward to hearing from her followers. I love to talk books.
Chris Karlsen

LorettaLynn//Temprance said...

Great post and thank you for the chance to win:)
elliott2668[at]yahoo[dot]com

Unknown said...

Sounds yummilicious. I want my own knight!
Thanks for introducing me to a new author and for this fun giveaway.
laurathomas61@att.net

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Loretta Lynn,
Glad you liked the post. This book took me the longest to write. I wanted to bring both knights forward to show how each handled this modern world in his own way.
Knight Blindness will have a few free download days this month (if you have a Kindle). They're the 21st, the 28th and the 29th.

Chris

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Laura,
All three books in this series have knights for heroes. I have a special place in my heart for them too.

Knight Blindness, as I mentioned in another comment, will have three free download days this month for Kindle users. They are the 21st, the 28th, and the 29th.
Chris

Unknown said...

Hi. Thanks for the awesome giveaway. I would love to read this book. Sounds very good. Tore923@aol.com

erin said...

this series sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the new release!

wanda f said...

Hi hope you are having a great day.This series sounds great I look forward to diving into it .

Beautiful Disaster said...

Ooh...the excerpt is great! I am looking forward to reading it. I enjoy reading about knights.
Thanks :)
Lori

lorih824 at yahoo dot com

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Victoria,
Thank you for visiting with me again. There's three free download days coming up for Knight Blindness if you have a Kindle. They are Sept. 21, 28, & 29.
Chris K

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Erin,
Thank you for the kind words. Good luck with the giveaway.
Chris

Chris Karlsen said...

HI Wanda,

Thank you, I am having a good week. I wish you good luck with the giveaway and hope your week is going well also.
Chris

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Beautiful Disaster,
I'm so glad you liked the excerpt. I enjoyed writing this series. I too, have a soft spot for knights.
There will be three free download days for Knight Blindness this month, if you have a Kindle. They are Sept. 21, 28, & 29. If you don't have a Kindle, then the book will be available on the other platforms (Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, iBooks etc after Oct. 21.
Chris

Christine Merritt said...

I am excited to read these book sin order. They all sound fascinating.

I also live in the Pacific Northwest and have two rescue dogs.

Christine Merritt said...

I forgot my email... sorry...

cahm at aracnet dot com

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Christine,
I love hearing you have rescues too. We have 5. Suki is a greyhound from a track rescue. She's elderly now. We got her at 2.5 and she's 10.5 now. We also have a Lab/Golden Retriever mix, Kozi, two black Labs, Sammy & Sascha, and a chihuahua/doxie mix, Trooper. They're our dear babies.
Glad the series intrigues you.
Chris.

Unknown said...

This series sounds really cool! I have not read too many books with Knights in them, never really wanted to before, but these books sound really interesting and make me actually want to read about them! I am putting them on my amazon wish list!! I bet my fiance' would love to read them as well!
kbinmichATyahooDOTcom

Mary Preston said...

So much to love about KNIGHT BLINDNESS.

Chris Karlsen said...

HI Kimberly,

The series gave me the opportunity to weave in different interests of mine. I love England, so I set it there. I love history, especially medieval history, which I got to play with. And, there is a certain built in romance when we think of knights. I'm sure we modern ladies romanticize them far more than justified but that's the charm of fiction:)
If your fiance likes thrillers, I have two books from a different series that are romantic thrillers. Those the romance is the subplot. They're set in Turkey and involve nautical archaeology. They're called: Golden Chariot and Byzantine Gold.
Chris

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Mary,

How nice of you to stop and say hi again. I don't know if you read Knight Blindness yet, but it will have three free download days this month. They are Sept, 21, 28 & 29. If you recall the knight Stephen from Journey in Time, then you'll be familiar with this hero. It's that Stephen.
Chris

Natasha said...

Hi! Sounds like a great read!!
Thanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Natasha,
Thank you. Good luck with the contest.
Chris

Crystal Warnick said...

Hello would love too win. Thanks for the chance.
crystalwarnick83@yahoo.com

Pam said...

Sounds like a great series. Thanks for the giveaway.

pjmillion (at) comcast (dot) net

Amanda Ray said...

This sounds like a great series! The excerpt has me wanting to read more...

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com

Chris Karlsen said...

Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you and good luck.
Chris K

LadyVampire2u said...

Love the sound of this book. Thanks for the giveaway! LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com

Disqus for Close Encounters with the NIght Kind

AddThis

Copyright Text