Unless A Love Be Free

By Jerilyn Willin

Shock and sorrow filled that first day. The sun was relentless. It burned through McKenzie's clothes; its reflection on the water blinded her.By the second day, thirst replaced all but prayer. McKenzie's skin felt stretched, tight. Her lips were swollen and cracked. Her thoughts grew confused. Faces appeared. Who were they? Each time she tried to sort it out, her thirst or the pounding heat distracted her. At those times, she would softly call Bishop's name or touch his hand. His faint squeeze of her fingers reassured her. As the sun set on the third day, Bishop no longer responded. I will die alone. Despair brought her up, frantically searching the sea. It stretched silent and empty before her. The faces returned, this time with fleeting memories: her daughter's first steps, her mother's laugh, a man's blue eyes. "McKenzie." She heard his voice as if his lips brushed her ear. Longing welled inside her. For years, she had denied her heart full memory of him. Could she remember now? She must. She would will back every moment and be with him again. McKenzie followed her heart back to George Island, losing herself in eyes the color of the sea, eyes telling her of his love. Whispering his name, she felt strong arms come around her. She was no longer alone.Unless A Love Be Free is not your usual set-in-England-man-of-noble-birth-meets-spunky-rags-to-riches-heroine story. It is the tale of two people, prisoners of their pasts, who share a dream of freedom. When they meet, each believes freedom is to be found elsewhere, somewhere other than where they are. McKenzie Campbell has vowed never to love again. Widowed from an abusive husband, she tries not to remember what she once believed about love, the warmth of a man's arms around her or the passion in his kiss. Garrick Stuart has a reputation of cunning and ruthless disregard for the law. Arriving on George Island a shackled prisoner, Garrick believes all is lost. George Island has a reputation as well. No one has ever escaped. It is here he will live out the consequences of a reputation that far outweighs his crimes. A momentary encounter with McKenzie shakes the darkness from his soul. He cannot, will not, give up his freedom without a fight. When the moment presents itself, he risks it all to make one last bid for escape.As their stories unwind and combine, as curiosity leads to a fragile bond of trust, both begin to understand that what they seek is within them, built on a foundation of self-acceptance, nurtured by love. Their odyssey begins in the confines of an island prison and climaxes on the vast reaches of the open sea, a metaphor for the journey of their hearts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1479121398
• ISBN13: 9781479121397
• Release Date: August 2012
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"