Featured Books

Memoir of an Unlikely Savior

A life changing book by Peter VanDenBeemt

Memoir of an Unlikely Savior by Peter VanDenBeemt

 

 ” The success of our journey in the wilderness of the world depends on whether our heart walks forward – towards people – instead of backward, away from them ”

        ~Anasazi Foundation – The Seven Paths ~

       Peter VanDenBeemt brings a touching story, engaging and inspirational, exploring the motivations for the choices we make, a book which in a way may helps all of us to recalibrate our thinking.

      A book about personal development, full of emotional and spiritual matters. The book is filled with wisdom and teaches us to seek more out of life, to pursuit a meaningful life.

     From an autistic child with impaired vision to a young adult who tries to make sense of his relationships and overcomes his fears and complexes. Frank embarks on a self discovery journey and finds his answers through his writing, dreaming to become one day a published author.

    Along the way he discovers how to develop his relationships while he helps others to face their obstacles as well.

Frank would like to be successful with women and with writing, but his autistic childhood, visual impairment, dismissive parents, and narcissistic brother are too much to overcome. Then on vacation in Hawaii, Frank has what feels like a paranormal experience on the Arizona Memorial that starts him down a path of psychological and spiritual self-discovery. In making the transitions from weird to respected, awkward to insightful, brainy to wise, his relationships with women shift from fearful to erotic, and through them doors open to unexpected opportunities with his writing. Lifting himself from the purgatory to which his past had banished him, he inadvertently helps free those he connects with from their own shadowed depths, making his story the Memoir of an Unlikely Savior.

About Memoir of an Unlikely Savior – The author’s words

In a 2003 writing class I wrote a “word portrait” of Rene Magritte’s The Mysteries of the Horizon, an interpretation of the person and setting of the painting. Then as a later exercise I wrote a “wrapper” story about the writer of the word portrait and how it reflected his life.

I liked what I’d done and wrote more. I began to connect them into a set of linked short stories. Then I decided that the word portraits themselves were bogging down the read and removed them. The protagonist still wrote word portraits but the content was now only intimated.

Then I read an issue of Time Magazine about autism and realized the autistic nature fit my protagonist. I read books that taught me more about the attributes of an autistic childhood and about how some were able to overcome their limitations.

By then the collection was becoming a unified piece, finding its own life probing the boundaries of social, psychological, and spiritual understanding and how they fit together. My goal became the expansion of these boundaries for the protagonist, the author, and hopefully the reader.

Then I took a job that kept me from home twelve hours a day. All writing stopped until I retired and moved to Thailand. Once here I reworked what I had and now want to try it out. It’s still set in Los Angeles circa 2003. Too many references put it in that timeframe. My hope is that the story is timeless enough to endure.

The protagonist’s name is Frank McCoy, first and last name chosen to represent honesty and truth.

   

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One More Chance

Who am I, where have I been, where am I going?

                  New Book by Brian E Miller

      “It is necessary… for a man to go away by himself…to sit on a rock…and ask, Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?”

             ~Carl Sandburg~

On a snowy Christmas Eve, successful business executive John Meyers makes his way back to his homestead on Long Island from his office in Manhattan. Upon arrival, his family is all out shopping and being merry. This particular Christmas Eve will be one that changes the perspective of John’s life forever. Entering his house and putting on some Christmas music, he grabs his chest and falls to the floor as a heart attack flashes his life before his eyes: all of his successes, all his accomplishments. But what was it all for? he thinks as his heart stops, his conscious mind drifting away.

John embarks on a fantastic journey through his past, where he is brought back to events and circumstances that led him to where he is today. When he meets a strange old man who guides him through this dreamlike world of yesterday, he is able to witness and partake in all of the choices he had made in his life, from his innocent and nostalgic childhood up to his current adult life. Not knowing if he is dead or dreaming, he wonders if he will be able to change the circumstances of his life or just remain a hostage witness to all he has created. We follow John along a journey of joy and sorrow, forgiveness and regret, as he tries to make sense of it all.

One More Chance is far more than a good book, it’s a book of introspection to fall in love with.Drawing from Carl Sandburg quote, Brian Millers races to find answers for John Meyers and decide where his character’s life goes, helps him to discover who was he and who he became.

Small Steps to Giant Leaps

Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs that Impede you on Your Path to a Fulfilling Life.
Often when we look at our lives we feel unfulfilled. We feel stuck in external situations and ways of being or thinking and feel we cannot change. So instead of creating the life we wish to experience we settle for the life we feel we have. The reality is that we can create the joyful and abundant life we wish to experience by learning to become the conscious creators of our lives right now. Each one of us holds the power to manifest our reality if we just understand the basic components of how reality is created.
Although we often feel fixed and limited, the truth is that we are constantly changing and creating. The problem is that most of our manifesting is happening on an unconscious level, and very often from insecure fear and worry-based thoughts that sabotage and limit us from what we wish to create. Fortunately we can turn this seeming problem into an opportunity by learning the inner workings of the mind and consciously implement these workings for our benefit and the benefit of all.
Joining ancient wisdom with modern science and psychology, we will explore and implement simple yet very powerful creation tools that will give you the power to manifest the life you wish to experience. We will learn how to overcome self-limiting beliefs and habits that often sabotage our relationships, opportunities for abundance, joy, and so much more. Are you ready to become the conscious creator of your life? Are you ready to be the master of your destiny?

Shambhala

What if you woke up in the middle of an Indian jungle wearing only your boxer shorts, to find that you had complete amnesia? This is exactly what happens to Paul, the free spirited traveler and student of yoga.
While on retreat from their hectic New York City lifestyles, Paul and his friend head into the jungles of India to escape the touristy streets and hike to a nearby waterfall. Deep in the jungle they stop for a swim. Afterward, Paul goes running off alone, finally hopping up on a felled tree to see how far he had gone. Suddenly he slips, smacking his head on a rock below lying unconscious in thick brush, rendering him invisible to any search attempts. The next morning he wakes up with a massive headache and complete amnesia. He is discovered by a couple of small tan monkeys, and realizes that although he doesn’t remember who he is or where he belongs in the world, he has the uncanny ability to speak to animals. Mystical monkeys, magical Babas, a hilarious-egotistical tiger, a beautiful butterfly and lone wolf, are just a few of the many allies that help guide him through this magnificent and dangerous world toward Shambhala-a place where he is told that all of his questions can be answered, including that of the immense suffering he encounters at every turn. Great wisdom brings him deep into his heart and high up into the cold mountains, where alone he risks certain death, to find answers at a place he is not even sure exists.

 

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Donald Michael Platt’s Books

FANTASY

A GATHERING OF VULTURES – MURDER, MUTILATION, AND CARRION…

IN PARADISE? 

“There shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.” -ISAIAH 34:15 

Professional ballroom dancers Terri and Rick Hamilton aspire to be world champions.

Unfortunately, Terri’s recurring back and health problems place that goal well out of reach. They travel to Terri’s birthplace, Florianópolis, on the scenic island of Santa Catarina off the coast of Brazil to vacation and visit their best friends and mentors.

Along the picturesque beaches, dead penguins and eviscerated bodies wash up on the shores of paradise, and Antarctic blasts play counterpoint to the tropical storms that rock the island. The scenic wonder is home not only to urubús, a unique sub-species of the black vulture, but also to a clique of mysterious women who offer Terri perfect health and the promise of fame-at a terrible price.

Rick fears Terri is being drawn into a cult and that his own life may be in danger. Will it be too late when he discovers something even more terrifying lives beneath the tranquil, tropical veneer of the island?

Idyllic one moment and nightmarish the next, you never know what you’ll encounter in the city of Florianópolis—murder, mutilations, carrion, or the lure of eternal youth.

 

HISTORY

 

Rocamora 

 ,,No man is closer to a woman than her confessor, not her father, not her brother, not her husband.”

                      -Spanish saying –

Poet, swordsman, and master of disguise, Vicente de Rocamora, the epitome of a young renaissance man in 17th century Spain, questions the goals of the Inquisition and the brutal means used by King Philip IV and the Roman Church to achieve them. Spain vows to eliminate the heretical influences attributed to Jews, Moors, and others who would taint the limpieza de sangre, purity of Spanish blood. At the insistence of his family, the handsome and charismatic Vicente enters the Dominican Order and is soon thrust into the scheming political hierarchy that rules Spain. As confessor to the king’s sister, the Infanta Doña María, and assistant to Philip’s chief minister, Olivares, Vicente ascends through the ranks and before long finds himself poised to attain not only the ambitious dreams of the Rocamora family but also—if named Spain’s Inquisitor General—to bring about an end to the atrocities committed in the name of the blood purity laws. First, the resourceful young man must survive assassination attempts from a growing list of ruthless foes in both Church and court, solve a centuries-old riddle to quell rumors of his own impurity of blood, and above all, suppress his love for the seemingly unattainable Doña María.

House Of Rocamora

A new life and a new name … House of Rocamora, a novel of the 17th century, continues the exceptional life of roguish Vicente de Rocamora, a former Dominican friar, confessor to the Infanta of Spain, and almost Inquisitor General. After Rocamora arrives in Amsterdam at age forty-two, asserts he is a Jew, and takes the name, “Isaac,” he revels in the freedom to become whatever he chooses for the first time in his life. Rocamora makes new friends, both Christian and Jew, including scholars, men of power and, typically, the disreputable. He also acquires enemies in the Sephardic community who believe he is a spy for the Inquisition or resent him for having been a Dominican. As Isaac Israel de Rocamora, he studies Medicine at Leyden and, at age forty-six, receives a license to practice. That same year Rocamora weds twenty-five year old Abigail Touro, and together they raise a large family. During his time in Amsterdam, Rocamora has a bizarre encounter with Rembrandt, serves the House of Orange as physician, and advises Spinoza before the philosopher’s excommunication. He survives a murder attempt, learns from the great English physician Harvey, and a surprise visit from a childhood friend leads to an unusual business venture. Life is never routine or dull for Rocamora. The intrigues start with his arrival in Amsterdam and do not end until he takes his last breath. Praise for Rocamora, 2012 Finalist International Book Awards: “Rocamora is the best historical novel I have read, a fascinating story, well written with vividly portrayed unforgettable characters.” —Christiane Engel, MD, PhD, concert pianist, and member Board of Directors of her grandfather Albert Schweitzer’s Hospital in Lambarene, Gabon “You have a fine historical novel.” —Barnaby Conrad, author of Matador, Manolete, and The Second Life of John Wilkes Booth.

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Judas Goat – The Kennet Narrow Boat Mystery by Patrick Brigham   

 

,,A rich man’s war in poor man’s blood

Silent their cries, the lost and loved

Led to the slaughter, led by false hope

Follow behind the Judas Goat”

Hosannas from The Basements of Hell Album Lyrics

As a journalist for many years and having come in contact with all sorts of people from politicians to criminals, Patrick Brigham has published his most recent and complex murder mystery, involving a murder on the Kennet and Avon Canal in England, a stolen identity, a major arms deal which has gone horribly wrong, and a clever and thoughtful Detective Chief Inspector from Thames Valley Police Authority, who is assigned to untangle and solve this murder mystery.

Patrick Brigham takes his readers on a trip from Reading in the UK to Bulgaria, South Africa to Belorussia and from Taiwan to Peru. A trip which begins with the discovery of a small mobile phone and a dead man on an EnglishCanal and it ends with the murder of a Chinese shipping magnate, in the streets of London.  Will anyone’s life be the same again and how will our provincial policeman cope with these different layers of intrigue?

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Herodotus – The Gnome of Sofia by Patrick Brigham

 

A good conspiracy theory in an ex communist country or how a career can be destroyed by duplicity, stupidity and a good measure of gossip!

,,Oh what a tangled web we weave,

   When first we practice to deceive.”

~ Sir Walter Scott ~   Marmion -Canto VI Stanza 17

With his pen Patrick Brigham reveals the diplomatic lifestyle of the British Ambassador in Sofia – Sir Arthur Cumberpot – and spins an elaborate web, involving both the intelligence services of Bulgaria and UK. Together they successfully destroy the diplomatic career of the British Ambassador – end it up with the murder of his wife Lady Annabel – who was accused of  espionage.

Lady Annabel Cumberpot is guilty of nothing, other than being the biological daughter of Jim Kilbey, Britain’s most famous spy. She is the victim of serendipity, but also of cover ups, thin evidence and total exaggeration.

What gives the book some heft is the author’s sense of humor when he describes the elitist lifestyle and dissect some of the most profound conspiracies theory you can  imagine.  As with all conspiracy theory he makes you wonder how much of the story may be actually true, or is he just putting together enough or rather too many evidences to suggest how a life can be destroyed for no reason at all.

,,Let’s hope the current generation of spooks has learnt from past mistakes”

 Con Coughlin –  about MI6 in ‘The Daily Telegraph.’

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Two decades after Israeli and Palestinian leaders met,

Murder Over The Border – a book by Richard Steinitz 

The story is set in Israel, during the period of the Oslo Peace Negotiations. The plot revolves around participants in the Peace Process. Set a few years ago,the story is exceptionally timely in the context of current events.

Despite its name,Murder Over The Border is a pro peace and cooperation story.

A murder mystery set in the context of the Middle East Peace Process. The hero, Yossi Abulafia, is an Israeli policeman on army reserve duty near the Jordanian border. Instead of watching the border, he is taking photographs of antelope when the observation post he is sitting in collapses and he is seriously injured. During the accident, he unwittingly takes a photograph of what appears to be a murder — on the other side of the border with Jordan.

As a result of his accident, he is transferred to a boring desk job. He uses his connections to try and investigate what happened on the other side of the river. In the course of his new job, he travels to Amsterdam for a conference where he meets Aziz — a Jordanian police officer. During the few days they are together, the two men become friends, but are attacked twice by an unknown assailant – the ‘shooter’. The first attack passes without any damage, but the second is far more serious. Both men are shot, Yossi loses consciousness and is returned to Israel.

Abulafia is discharged from the police force against his will. He is semi-crippled, walks with difficulty and the aid of a cane. His close friend Yehiel, a lawyer and now special advisor to the Prime Minister, offers Yossi a job. Yehiel is in charge of the secret negotiations being conducted with the Palestinians in Oslo. Yossi, who is not enthusiastic about the idea of talking to the PLO, becomes his general factotum and police liaison.

 http://murder-over-the-border.bookpreview.info/

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Roy Dimond presents the story of a Tibetan monk who has the daunting task of finding a lost book in order to bring a way of life back from the brink. Armed with only courage and an ancient artifact, the sacred Singing Bowl, the young monk embarks on a spiritual odyssey filled with harrowing dangers and mysteries.
As the story unfolds, the universe provides clues to the monk’s final destination, and he soon discovers that nothing is coincidence. On a trek that takes him around the globe, the intrepid book-hunter meets the love of his life in Kathmandu, forges a unique friendship in Egypt, encounters a student of Gandhi, experiences the wonders of Machu Picchu, and discovers Native American secrets. This journey teaches him–and all of us–that the true meaning of any quest is wrapped within the experience itself.

In the Land encircled by snow white mountains,
The source of all happiness and benefit.
Flows in your person, Chenresig, Tenzin Gyatso
Remain until Samsara ends.

Om Mani Padme Hum!
http://roydimond.wordpress.com

The life with its tumultuous events is just the trip to the final destination.
Never has this been clearer than in Roy’s book,The Singing Bowl,which introduces the readers in the world of serenity,meditation and self inner peace.
It can be everyone journey to the Wild Divine.
Treasure for The Spirit
There is more to be discovered from an author’s words than what he puts on paper.

A Born Victim by R P Rochford

         A Born Victim is the story of Gill Brogan, a young single mother who is pushed deep into despair by workplace bullying. Just when she thinks nothing could get any worse she finds herself narrowly escaping an attempt on her life.

Set against this troubled life is the story of Lucy Taylor, an ambitious young detective who has dedicated herself to investigating violent crimes against women which all too often go unsolved. As she investigates case after case, each one more disturbing than the last, Taylor begins to see common threads which she hopes she can unravel to find the villains and bring them to justice.

The book reaches a climax as a determined, well organised criminal group emerges from the shadowy world of cyber-space to carry out one last crime in the real world. Lucy Taylor and her geeky side-kick, Mike Watson, are all that stand between the criminals and their victims.

Throughout the book, psychological themes are analysed lending a deeper, more serious note to the fast paced thriller as the author explores the factors which have formed our attitudes toward women and the acceptability of violence against them.

For me, writing about violence against women is best summarised by the words I put in the mouth of one of my characters: “It would be like smashing a priceless porcelain vase just to hear the noise it made.” While I hope readers enjoy the detective aspects of the story and get caught up in the thrill of the case I also hope they go away from this book with the very clear idea that women should be treasured, protected and never, ever subjected to violence.

About the author:

     R P Rochford was born in Essex (UK) to Australian parents and lived for some years in Wales before returning to England. He has a first degree in design, a Masters in Computing and now teaches and lectures in both subjects.

He has been writing academic material for some time but really started with fiction in early 2010 initially writing short stories then beginning work on A Born Victim.

When not working, R P Rochford likes to spend time with his family and dog. He likes to travel and has been privileged to spend time in many European countries where he enjoys observing people and using his observations to build characters for fictional stories.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37vTLXwjW-k

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“A deadly secret in a suitcase full of stolen gold leads to a series of unexplainable murders while the FBI hunts for a top foreign killer spy.

During the final days of the Second World War, Ben Kalninsh would search an abandoned coal mine tunnel for stolen guns the soldiers hid inside. Unfortunately for him, by entering the tunnel he sets into motion events which will follow him into his adult life.

In 1945, Ben travels to America with his veterinarian father, Edwards, and beautiful Latvian mother, Agnes, along with his two younger brothers, where they settle in the Nordic-friendly town of Forks, Minnesota.

Five or six years later, his father is gunned down. And no one knows why. FBI agents approach him with news of the murder of his father. Special Agent Miriam Dokes and Agent Book are assigned to the case which includes the torture and murder of Edwards’ Doctor turned farmer friend, Karlis Goulbis.

Allegedly, around the end of the war, in 1945, a Latvian/Russian bank was robbed of an impressive amount of gold — gold they want back and aren’t too fastidious as to how they get it. FBI manager, Bob Sawyer, has a hunch there’s something much more valuable than gold stolen as well. Due to so many secret projects and so many years gone by, it’s become the proverbial “needle in a haystack”. In order to find it, Ben, the principal character, needs to go back to where it all started in Riga. And, from there on, Death stalks Ben and all other participants in the gold heist.”

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Two decades have passed since the second World War, and the mass murderer Anton and his family are still on the run. Even while skipping and jumping across southern Europe, Anton knows that the distant shores of a faraway land, America, are a perfect hideaway.
Like millions of others, two priests living in San Francisco, Father Dominic and Father Joe, had never heard of Anton. They don’t know that the mass murderer disguised in monk’s clothing was crossing the ocean to find a haven only three or four hundred miles from them. And they would not hear of him until twenty years later, when he was already facing charges in a Federal Court.
Mick and Lynnie are also living in San Francisco. Mick is the maitre d’ at the Westin St. Francis’ Michael Mina Restaurant and—unknown to his wife Lynnie—a highly sought after hit man, codenamed ‘Clerk.’
Three Interpol agents are hunting for Anton when their employer suddenly and unexplainably stops them. They aren’t aware of the presence of an enigmatic world power (EWP). They are also unaware that one of them, agent Damon, is leading a double life and operating clandestinely as a high priced hitman ‘Raven.’ Upon his resignation from Interpol, Damon is hired by a wealthy Californian to look for Anton. But by then Anton is already being investigated by the Los Angeles Federal Courts. Soon after, Anton is found guilty of numerous attrocities and extradited back to Europe.
Years later, Max Weber, a wealthy industrialist involved in rebuilding the Third Reich organization in the U.S. and the rest of the world, is engaged by the EWP which is also intent on controlling the United States. Unfortunately for Weber, his interests soon come in conflict with the interests of the EWP. When Hanna Lange, an EWP-hired hitman, eliminates the U.S. President, Weber’s ambitions become too inconvenient for the EWP, and Hanna Lange is asked to eliminate him and his infamous operative, Clerk. But when Lange fails to take out Clerk, the EWP executive arm, Troika, intent on removing Weber permanently, engages Raven.
Raven succeeds in taking out Weber and, in search of a haven, he flees to Hong Kong. And Lange, who would have eliminated Weber had Raven failed, flees to Rio de Janeiro to start a new life.

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A hero’s journey into the world of dreams and fears…

 “Elias and the Legend of Sirok”

 Edward G. Kardos presents an inspiring tale of a young artist, who is at odds with his life on his father’s farm, and is forced to make a decision about his future. His grandmother prepares him for a journey of discovery that takes him from his Hungarian village into a supernatural world. Here he faces powers and mystical beings—some that he strives to understand, while others he is forced to battle. With help from a wise man, he finally confronts his fears as they are personified by a dragon that changes shape at whim and will. Will Elias triumph over the dark powers around him? If he survives, what will he learn—about life and himself?

“Ed Kardos is a soul searcher. He writes from the head and heart, finding true meaning in the vagaries of life,” said Dean King, bestselling author of Skeletons on the Zahara about Kardos and his book.

“An excellent novel for your pre-teen reader!” said Naomi Blackburn in her Amazon post. Blackburn is a book reviewer currently on Goodreads as the number 15 top reviewer in the U.S. and 20^th globally. www.abookandareview.blogspot.com

“This story for the young and the young at heart, after all, I’m fifty-three and love these kinds of stories,” said Kardos when asked about who would enjoy the story.As the story unfolds, Elias confronts conformity, guilt and fear and learns to believe in himself and to follow his heart.”

“This story is hero’s journey similar to the classics but written for our time,” said publisher, Jason Reilly. “Kardos takes us on an inward journey and we, along with Elias, begin to believe in ourselves and feel good about who we are.”

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What happens when we cross the Rubicon, and there is no going back to the way things used to be? How do you
solve problems with no solutions? These are the questions Roy Dimond dares to ask in his new thriller, The Rubicon Effect.

The US Presidential election opens doors to a horrifc plan to contain global climate change. However, two unrelated events, a newly ordained Pope, raised on the mean streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina and the death of the Venezuelan President, may change the world in ways unseen. Sam Albright, an environmental scientist, may have a solution, but must first answer this: Is humanity driven by hope or fear?

The Rubicon Effect takes the reader on a wild ride into backroom meetings, Papal enclaves, and safe houses where top secret political strategy sessions take place. Everyone is trying to answer the question of how do we save the world, and change it for the better.
Unfortunately, the time to act is running out. Mother Nature may have crossed the Rubicon and there is no turning back.The Apocalypse,The End of Days,has arrived and humanity is to be judged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a40lUFTkgjg

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Amulet of Darkness

In his heart she was his woman. 
In reality she could never be.

In a land where creatures shape-shift, a blind man sees, and where believing in your gut instinct can save a life, a Herculean hero matches wits with a beautiful huntress.

Cyrenne’s life is pledged in servitude to the deity of the forest. She believes in obeying the deities, remaining chaste and that her abilities, as a warrior, are better than any man. When she catches the attention of the Storm Deity, and refuses his offer of immortality, he punishes her by besetting fear upon her. Her comrades die when she is unable to fight. She swears she shall not return home until she proves herself worthy and she sets out on a journey of redemption.

Gareth has always hated the Upland deities. He has no use for a woman dedicated to them, and who looks better in armor than most men. He believes his gut instinct is always right, the deities are always wrong and a woman’s place is in the home, any home but his. When the spirited woman with the iron resolve saves his life, they set out on a journey that takes them through uncharted territories where love teeters on the edge of danger.

What they have to go through to realize how much they want and love each other?Do they  have the power to fight for what they want?Unfortunately it looks like she will never get her wish of having this man she love so much.

Cyrenne thought that the impossible is possible, she thought that forbidden and impossible love will come alive.In the end she understood that ,,In his heart she was his woman, in reality she could never be.