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The Color of Heaven - 09 - The Color of Time

Page 20

by Julianne MacLean


  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for taking the time to read my latest Color of Heaven novel which is book nine in the series. I hope you enjoyed reading Sylvie’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  If this is your first time with a book in this series, I hope you’ll go back to the beginning and start with the first novel—THE COLOR OF HEAVEN. Read on for more information about that book and all the others that come after it. You may be interested in book eight, THE COLOR OF JOY, where Sylvie is first introduced. That story revolves around her older sister, Jenn. I hope you’ll check it out.

  The thread that connects all the books is the theme of real life magic and how the most extraordinary and unexpected things can happen to us when we least expect it. There are many recurring characters whose stories are told from one book to the next.

  On that note, are you curious about the character of Katelyn in this novel? Are you wondering what might have become of her on a different path, having never gone out on that first date with Chris? Is it possible that different life circumstances might have turned her into a different sort of person?

  Her story, THE COLOR OF FOREVER, will be next. If you haven’t already signed up for my mailing list, please visit my website at www.juliannemaclean.com and subscribe to my newsletter so that I can let you know when the book will be available. I don’t have an exact release date yet, but I am aiming for early spring, 2016, and I wouldn’t want you to miss it.

  You can also like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter at @JulianneMacLean.

  Thank you again to all of you who have written to me about this series and shared your personal stories with me. It means so much to me and I love hearing from you.

  And if you enjoyed this novel, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review at your favorite online retailer to help others discover the series. If you do leave a review, please let me know so I can thank you personally. You can reach me through my website contact page.

  Best wishes always,

  Julianne

  Questions for Discussion

  1. In Chapter Twenty-two, Sylvie wakes in an alternate reality where she is living in the Foster mansion. She doesn’t seem to remember anything from her old life and this new world is normal to her. In Chapter Twenty-six, however, when she wakes in the hospital next to her grandmother’s bed, she is confused and disoriented. She remembers her old life, not the new one. Why do you think this is?

  2. From Chapter Thirty-two: “We held hands the rest of the way home, and I felt an unfamiliar, almost impossible calm inside myself—like water on a windless night, reflecting the stars so perfectly that it was impossible to tell where the world ended and the universe began. I don’t believe I ever felt anything quite so tranquil before….”

  What do you think is meant by this passage? Why is Sylvie feeling this way?

  3. How did you feel about Chris’s decision to return to his wife and care for her after her cycling accident? Do you feel Sylvie’s response was appropriate? How else could she have handled it?

  4. In the book, there are dreams and flashbacks where Sylvie remembers the past. There are also some alternate realities where she wakes up and everything in the present is different because of something she did differently in the past. Can you identify any signals in Chapters 21, 22, 26, and 48 that indicate that she might have traveled to or from another dimension?

  5. Discuss the author’s use of color in the novel.

  6. Some people believe the purpose of living is to learn lessons and grow, so that we are wiser the next time around. What lessons, big and small, did Sylvie learn throughout her journey?

  7. Do you believe Sylvie’s dreams were premonitions of what was to come, or do you think she experienced a form of astral projection where she actually left her body and traveled back in time to change the future? Discuss.

  8. In the Epilogue, Sylvie says: “The sailboat, however, did not end up on the lawn of the Fraser House Inn. I have no explanation for that.” How would you explain this?

  9. Have you ever had a dream that turned out to be a premonition of something? What was it about?

  The Color of Heaven Novels are also available as audiobooks.

  Other Books in the Color of Heaven Series

  THE COLOR OF HEAVEN

  A deeply emotional tale about Sophie Duncan, a successful columnist whose world falls apart after her daughter’s unexpected illness and her husband’s shocking affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold dark depths of the water, a profound and extraordinary experience unlocks the surprising secrets from Sophie’s past, and teaches her what it means to truly live…and love.

  Full of surprising twists and turns and a near-death experience that will leave you breathless, this story is not to be missed.

  “A gripping, emotional tale you’ll want to read in one sitting.”

  —New York Times bestselling author, Julia London

  “Brilliantly poignant mainstream tale.”

  —4 ½ starred review, Romantic Times

  Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

  Purchase THE COLOR OF HEAVEN

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  THE COLOR OF DESTINY

  Eighteen years ago a teenage pregnancy changed Kate Worthington’s life forever. Faced with many difficult decisions, she chose to follow her heart and embrace an uncertain future with the father of her baby—her devoted first love.

  At the same time, in another part of the world, sixteen-year-old Ryan Hamilton makes his own share of mistakes, but learns important lessons along the way. Twenty years later, Kate’s and Ryan’s paths cross in a way they could never expect, which makes them question the possibility of destiny. Even when all seems hopeless, could it be that everything happens for a reason, and we end up exactly where we are meant to be?

  Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

  Purchase THE COLOR OF DESTINY

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  THE COLOR OF HOPE

  Diana Moore has led a charmed life. She is the daughter of a wealthy senator and lives a glamorous city life, confident that her handsome live-in boyfriend Rick is about to propose. But everything is turned upside down when she learns of a mysterious woman who works nearby—a woman who is her identical mirror image.

  Diana is compelled to discover the truth about this woman’s identity, but the truth leads her down a path of secrets, betrayals, and shocking discoveries about her past. These discoveries follow her like a shadow.

  Then she meets Dr. Jacob Peterson—a brilliant cardiac surgeon with an uncanny ability to heal those who are broken. With his help, Diana embarks upon a journey to restore her belief in the human spirit, and recover a sense of hope—that happiness, and love, may still be within reach for those willing to believe in second chances.

  Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

  Purchase THE COLOR OF HOPE

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  THE COLOR OF A DREAM

  Nadia Carmichael has had a lifelong run of bad luck. It begins on the day she is born, when she is separated from her identical twin sister and put up for adoption. Twenty-seven years later, not long after she is finally reunited with her twin and is expecting her first child, Nadia falls victim to a mysterious virus and requires a heart transplant.

  Now recovering from the surgery with a new heart, Nadia is haunted by a recurring dream that sets her on a path to discover the identity of her donor. Her efforts are thwarted, however, when the father of her baby returns to sue for custody of their child. It’s not until Nadia learns of his estranged brother Jesse that she begins to explore the true nature of her dreams, and discover what her new heart truly needs and desires…

  Purchase THE COLOR OF A DREAM

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  THE COLOR OF A MEMORY

  Audrey Fitzgerald believed she was married to the perfect
man—a heroic firefighter who saved lives, even beyond his own death. But a year later she meets a mysterious woman who has some unexplained connection to her husband…

  Soon Audrey discovers that her husband was keeping secrets and she is compelled to dig into his past. Little does she know…this journey of self-discovery will lead her down a path to a new and different future—a future she never could have imagined.

  Purchase THE COLOR OF A MEMORY

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  THE COLOR OF LOVE

  Carla Matthews is a single mother struggling to make ends meet and give her daughter Kaleigh a decent upbringing. When Kaleigh’s absent father Seth—a famous alpine climber who never wanted to be tied down—begs for a second chance at fatherhood, Carla is hesitant because she doesn’t want to pin her hopes on a man who is always seeking another mountain to scale. A man who was never willing to stay put in one place and raise a family.

  But when Seth’s plane goes missing after a crash landing in the harsh Canadian wilderness, Carla must wait for news… Is he dead or alive? Will the wreckage ever be found?

  One year later, after having given up all hope, Carla receives a phone call that shocks her to her core. A man has been found, half-dead, floating on an iceberg in the North Atlantic, uttering her name. Is this Seth? And is it possible that he will come home to her and Kaleigh at last, and be the man she always dreamed he would be?

  Includes Bonus Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

  Purchase THE COLOR OF LOVE

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  THE COLOR OF THE SEASON

  From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes the next installment in her popular Color of Heaven series—a gripping, emotional tale about real life magic that touches us all during the holiday season…

  Boston cop, Josh Wallace, is having the worst day of his life. First, he’s dumped by the woman he was about to propose to, then everything goes downhill from there when he is shot in the line of duty. While recovering in the hospital, he can’t seem to forget the woman he wanted to marry, nor can he make sense of the vivid images that flashed before his eyes when he was wounded on the job. Soon, everything he once believed about his life begins to shift when he meets Leah James, an enigmatic resident doctor who somehow holds the key to both his past and his future…

  Purchase THE COLOR OF THE SEASON

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  View Video Book Trailer

  THE COLOR OF JOY

  After rushing to the hospital for the birth of their third child, Riley and Lois James anticipate one of the most joyful days of their lives. But things take a dark turn when their newborn daughter vanishes from the hospital. Is this payback for something in Riley’s troubled past? Or is it something even more mysterious?

  As the search intensifies and the police close in, strange and unbelievable clues about the whereabouts of the newborn begin to emerge, and Riley soon finds himself at the center of a surprising turn of events that will challenge everything he once believed about life, love, and the existence of miracles.

  Purchase THE COLOR OF JOY

  Add to Goodreads Shelf

  o0o

  Coming Spring 2016

  THE COLOR OF FOREVER

  (Katelyn’s Story)

  Praise for Julianne MacLean’s

  Historical Romances

  “MacLean’s compelling writing turns this simple, classic love story into a richly emotional romance, and by combining engaging characters with a unique, vividly detailed setting, she has created an exceptional tale for readers who hunger for something a bit different in their historical romances.”

  —BOOKLIST

  “You can always count on Julianne MacLean to deliver ravishing romance that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning.”

  —Teresa Medeiros

  “Julianne MacLean’s writing is smart, thrilling, and sizzles with sensuality.”

  —Elizabeth Hoyt

  “Scottish romance at its finest, with characters to cheer for, a lush love story, and rousing adventure. I was captivated from the very first page. When it comes to exciting Highland romance, Julianne MacLean delivers.”

  —Laura Lee Guhrke

  “She is just an all-around wonderful writer, and I look forward to reading everything she writes.”

  —Romance Junkies

  Other Books for Your Kindle by Julianne MacLean

  The American Heiress Series:

  To Marry the Duke

  An Affair Most Wicked

  My Own Private Hero

  Love According to Lily

  Portrait of a Lover

  Surrender to a Scoundrel

  The Pembroke Palace Series:

  In My Wildest Fantasies

  The Mistress Diaries

  When a Stranger Loves Me

  Married By Midnight

  A Kiss Before the Wedding – A Pembroke Palace Short Story

  Seduced at Sunset

  The Highlander Series:

  Captured by the Highlander

  Claimed by the Highlander

  Seduced by the Highlander

  The Rebel – A Highland Short Story

  Return of the Highlander

  Taken by the Highlander

  The Royal Trilogy:

  Be My Prince

  Princess in Love

  The Prince’s Bride

  Harlequin Historical Romances:

  Prairie Bride

  The Marshal and Mrs. O’Malley

  Adam’s Promise

  Time Travel Romance

  Taken by the Cowboy

  Contemporary Fiction:

  The Color of Heaven

  The Color of Destiny

  The Color of Hope

  The Color of a Dream

  The Color of a Memory

  The Color of Love

  The Color of the Season

  The Color of Joy

  The Color of Time

  About the Author

  Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of many historical romances, including The Highlander Series with St. Martin’s Press and her popular American Heiress Series with Avon/Harper Collins. She also writes contemporary mainstream fiction, and The Color of Heaven was a USA Today bestseller. She is a three-time RITA finalist, and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Book Buyer’s Best Award, and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times for Best Regency Historical of 2005. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and daughter, and is a dedicated member of Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada. Please visit Julianne’s website for more information and to subscribe to her mailing list to stay informed about upcoming releases.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

 

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