Panther's Prey

by Doreen Owens Malek

  “You look very healthy for someone who is suffocating,” Amy replied, walking over to him and kissing his cheek.

  “Can you believe this day has come?” he asked, holding her at arm’s length and looking down into her face.

  “There were times when I thought it never would,” she admitted. “Now we will have everything.”

  “I already have everything. A free country, and you for the rest of my life.”

  The door opened again and Sarah said, “James and Beatrice are here.”

  Amy glanced at her in amazement, and Sarah grinned.

  “What happened?” Amy asked.

  “James talked her into it,” Sarah said impishly.

  “Or dragged her out of the house and tied her to the seat of the carriage,” Malik said dryly. He had not forgotten Bea’s preference for Martin Fitzwater.

  “Come on, you two lovebirds, everyone is out here waiting,” Sarah said.

  Malik lifted Amy’s hand to his lips and said, “Are you ready to become my wife?”

  “If you’re ready to become my husband,” Amy replied.

  Sarah stepped aside and the two young people walked past her to embrace their future.

  – THE END –

  I am Doreen Owens Malek, author of over forty books and lifelong fan of romantic fiction. I live in PA with my husband and college student daughter, a mini dachshund and a sun conyer parrot. I would like to tell you a little about myself.

  I came to writing by a circuitous route, starting out as an avid reader of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and Gone With the Wind and Rebecca, and any other similarly themed books I could find. I first worked as a teacher and then graduated from law school when I desired a more lucrative and independent career. I had always been discouraged from pursuing a writing career by the volatile nature of the business and the relatively poor chance for success. But the realization that I needed a focus for the future encouraged me to do what I had always wanted to do. I sold my fledgling novel to the first editor who read it, and I have been writing ever since. I have written all types of books for all types of people, but my favorite literary pursuit is and always has been romance. Nothing is as rewarding as hearing from my readers, so please use my website to communicate your thoughts and criticisms, as I am always eager to learn from you.

  A romance novel rarely disappoints me: in an uncertain world filled with tragedy and sadness, reading about an appealing woman finding a strong man to love her and share her life is the perfect escape. I like to read and write stories in which the main characters overcome obstacles to get together, and then stay together because their mutual devotion cannot be denied no matter what else is happening around them. They always HELP each other and reinforce the quaint but enduring notion that love conquers all—at least in the fictional universe of my imagination. So pull up a chair and take down a book—or pick up a Kindle—and join me in a world where the heroes are tough and headstrong but never boorish and the heroines are feminine and sympathetic but never helpless.

  Happy reading! — Doreen Owens Malek

  See all of

  Doreen Owens Malek’s

  Kindle eBooks on Amazon.com

  NOW ENJOY

  The Panther and the

  Pearl, the prequel to

  Panther’s Prey,

  an Amazon Best Selling Historical

  Romance in the United States and

  the United Kingdom.

  “In the Ottoman Empire of 1885,

  the Pasha of Bursa could have

  anything he wanted…except her”

  The American Beauty: When an innocent excursion to Constantinople took an unexpected twist, Sarah Woolcott found herself a prisoner in the harem of young and virile Kalid Shah. Headstrong and courageous, Sarah was determined to resist the handsome foreigner whose arrogance outraged her—even as his tantalizing touch promised exotic nights of fiery sensuality.

  The Turkish Prince: Never had he encountered a woman who inflamed his desire like the blonde Westerner with the independent spirit. Although she spurned his passionate overtures, Kalid vowed to tempt her with his masterful skills until she became a willing companion on their journey of exquisite ecstasy!

  OTHER HISTORICAL ROMANCES

  BY DOREEN OWENS MALEK

  The Highwayman

  A tempestuous story of

  love and betrayal in

  Elizabethan Ireland

  It was a bold and perilous plan – disguising herself as a boy and stealing aboard a ship bound for the far-off shores of Ireland. But from the moment orphaned Lady Alexandra Cummings arrived at besieged Inverary Castle, her life and heart were no longer her own. Captured by rugged Irish rebel Kevin Burke, the daring English noblewoman became a pawn in a dangerous game of treachery and betrayal.

  For she lost her heart to the one man she dared not trust, and her passion could not be swayed by reason. But cruel fate tragically plunged Kevin into exile and Alexandra into a loveless marriage. Enemies and lovers, their forbidden desires swept them across a divided realm. A man and a woman bound together pledged their lives toward liberty and love.

  The Lion and the Lark

  A Roman officer and his Celtic captive

  transcend the barriers of war

  to find an undying passion

  The Year is 44 B. C. Julius Caesar is dead. And as rebellion divides Italy and Britain, a Roman centurion and a Celtic princess forge a bond no woman or man can rend asunder…

  To ensure peace between her tribe and their savage conquerors, the exquisite Bronwen has been promised in wedlock to a high-born Roman tribune. But the British beauty is also a secret spy ready to risk her life to free her people.

  Dispatched to Britain by Mark Antony, Claudius is irresistibly drawn to the flaxen-haired, cobalt-eyed Bronwen. Yet he knows he dare not trust the woman who is bound to him by law––not love.

  The Raven and the Rose

  A Roman centurion and a Vestal Virgin

  forge a forbidden liaison, while a noblewoman

  falls in love with her Celtic slave

  Set against the tempestuous backdrop of Ancient Rome in the final days of Caesar...comes the stunning love story of a man and a woman who defy destiny to follow their hearts—only to be swept up in a forbidden and all-consuming passion.

  She is Julia Casca, a young noblewoman pledged against her will to the sacred order of Vestal Virgins...dedicated to a life of eternal chastity. He is Marcus Demeter, the powerful centurion and war hero sworn to protect Julius Caesar...betrayed by his own desperate desires.

  As a land seething with intrigue and treachery erupts in murder—turning honorable allies into deadly enemies—Julia and Marcus become lovers in an explosive liaison that rocks Rome and could destroy them both...

  Torchlight

  A mine owner’s daughter

  in post Civil War Pennsylvania

  is irresistibly drawn to the union organizer

  working to destroy her father’s company

  One look into the fires of Sean Jameson’s rebel eyes and Elizabeth Langdon knew she would forsake everything for the shattering pleasures of his forbidden embrace. Sean was bent on the destruction of all her family stood for, but Elizabeth vowed her love would triumph over the society that tore them apart.

  Sean tried to keep away from the woman who represented all he could never have–but one illicit moment with Elizabeth, and his hunger for her rivaled his commitment to the rebellion he led. How could he resist the daughter of his sworn enemy, when her heart spoke the language of his soul?

  RECENT CONTEMPORARY

  ROMANCE RELEASES

  BY DOREEN OWENS MALEK

  www.doreenowensmalek.com

  Brand new, never before published

  Contemporary Romance

  Amanda’s Blue Marine

  Available for digital download

  at Amazon.com, and in print at

  www.doreenowensmalek.com

  Amanda’s Blue Marine marks the r
eturn of Doreen Owens Malek to publishing after a 12 year absence. It is with great pleasure that Doreen presents her new, never before published contemporary romance, Amanda’s Blue Marine.

  When Amanda Redfield, an assistant district attorney from a wealthy and prominent Philadelphia family, is being harassed by a mysterious stalker, she meets Brendan Kelly, the police detective assigned to her case. Smart and capable but deeply troubled, Kelly protects Amanda while he works to find her tormentor, but his disturbing presence and rogue behavior disrupt Amanda’s settled life. She is helplessly drawn to the sexy and charming but barely controlled cop, and as their passion grows she must choose between her prosperous and settled past and an uncertain future with a man whose own life is spiraling out of control. How she draws on her wits and resources to eventually rescue Kelly emotionally in the same way that he rescues her physically makes for a powerful and satisfying love story.

  Look for the reissue of the enormously popular

  A Marriage of Convenience (1989),

  available for digital download at Amazon.com

  Taylor Braddock. His name brought back memories of a man so handsome that a young girl had fallen in love–and made a fool of herself. A man so unique he’d spoiled Sharon Philips for any other love.

  But now her father’s will had joined their lives once again. In a final attempt at matchmaking, Dad left half his California horse ranch to Sharon, the other half to Braddock - provided they were husband and wife.

  A quick wedding. A quick divorce. A quick sale of the ranch. It seemed simple. But time had only fueled their passion. Could Taylor erase ten years of pain and show Sharon that loving him was her destiny?

  Marriage in Name Only

  Best seller from 1995

  Years ago Ann Talbot had been forced to leave Heath Bodine without a goodbye. Now she was back, and though Heath still had the power to make her insides quiver with longing, he had changed. Yes, he was proposing marriage. But not out of love—out of revenge. And Ann knew she had no choice but to say yes.

  Heath intended to make Ann pay for running out on him. But no matter how much he tried to deny it, living under the same roof and sharing the same bed with her was going to prove his undoing. Because he didn’t just want her body, he wanted her heart as well...

  NEW DIGITAL RELEASES

  MAY 2012

  Danger Zone

  (Contemporary Romance)

  He was a loner with no loyalties…

  until her love transformed his life

  Danger Zone has a tough, cavalier loner for a hero in Steve Colter, and the fun in this story is watching Karen Walsh worm her way gradually into his mercenary’s heart and break down his defenses. He tries hard to resist her and maintain his independent existence but the reader can tell from word one that he will eventually surrender. The story takes them around the globe but never far from each other’s thoughts, and when at the conclusion Colter transforms his life to keep Karen with him it is gratifying and fulfilling but not a surprise. The story also features a wise and witty best friend for Karen in Linda Folsom, a savvy Brit with a wicked sense of humor who keeps the saga humming along on the rare occasions when Colter is offstage. All in all it’s a fast moving and absorbing tale.

  Clash by Night

  (World War II Romance)

  Scheduled Release Date May 31, 2012

  As the German war machine claims Europe, tanks roll into the peaceful French village of Fains les Sources, and the brave French Resistance fighters wage their desperate struggle for freedom. But for three proud, passionate women, the same fierce conflict that rages throughout France burns in their own hearts ... and will forever change their lives.

  From the sun-drenched beauty of the French countryside to the bloody beaches of Normandy, from the dark and terrible days of the Occupation to the glory of liberation, this is the magnificent story of the men and women, lovers and enemies, whose passionate dreams and undying patriotism shape the destiny of their land and their lives.

  APRIL 2012

  Montega’s Mistress

  (Contemporary Romance)

  The fires of revolution

  fanned the fire of their love…

  Helen Demarest’s peaceful, orderly existence was shattered forever the night Matteo Montega burst into her life. Armed and wounded, Montega was a man on the run with a secret mission to complete. At first frightened, then fascinated, Helen had chosen to help her midnight intruder and thus was drawn into the web of danger and intrigue that surrounded him.

  From the Florida beach where they first met to his Central American homeland, Montega showed Helen a new world filled with passion, risk and the commitment to dare everything for a goal she came to share. But when the adventure was over and he had his victory–would she have won or lost?

  Winter Affair

  (Contemporary Romance)

  Can the passion of unlikely lovers

  overcome a tragedy from the past?

  A twilit hush had settled over the cemetery, and the sighing of the wind in the trees and the hiss of falling snow combined to enclose two strangers in a still world.

  Leda Bradshaw was visiting the grave of her beloved father. Kyle Reardon was paying his last respects to a man everyone believed he had wronged.

  Leda knew Reardon was accused of destroying both her father’s business and his life. She knew the townspeople scorned him as an outcast. She knew he was the one man she should avoid at all costs. But one glimpse of the pain and determination in his bleak gray eyes told her he was also the one man she could never turn away from.

  An Indecent Marriage

  (Contemporary Romance)

  Revenge is a dish

  best served…HOT

  The town of Bright River held too many sad memories for Jessica Portman. She’d returned for one reason– to oversee the takeover of her ailing father’s mill by a rival company. She intended to finalize the deal and go back to Italy.

  Then she met the owner of J.C. Enterprises, Jack Chabrol– the boy she’d left behind. Only Jack was no longer a boy; he was a man– a man bent on revenge. He had never forgiven Jessica for leaving him to marry someone else, nor had he forgotten the love they’d once shared. Jack was determined to possess Jessica, and she had only one defense against his anger: her love.

  MARCH 2012

  DIGITAL RELEASES

  Men of Intrigue: A Trilogy

  750 Pages of Romance Reading Entertainment!

  Men of Intrigue: A Trilogy is a three book anthology of my bestselling romances from the nineteen-eighties assembled in one volume. I have combined them because the stories share the common theme of adventurous heroes who get involved through fate and circumstances with ordinary (not!) women. All three heroines rise to the occasion when the men they love must follow through with their destinies despite the passion and commitment they’ve found with their partners. I absolutely love these books and had a great time with them. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

  – Doreen Owens Malek

  Montega’s Mistress (1986) tells the story of a Central American revolutionary who discovers love with a sheltered American heiress when, badly injured, he stumbles into her family’s isolated resort home in Florida. Matteo Montega relies on Helen Demarest for his very survival as she nurses him back to health, but then must leave her to pursue overthrowing the corrupt government in his native country. How their lives reconnect and take them to the jungles of fictional Puerta Linda to share an unlikely but compelling passion is a timeless tale of devotion with an unexpected and delightful conclusion. Matteo and Helen are an irresistibly appealing couple, and you’ll root for them to overcome the odds and get together in the end. BTW, love the title.

  Danger Zone (1987) has a tough, cavalier loner for a hero in Steve Colter, and the fun in this story is watching Karen Walsh worm her way gradually into his mercenary’s heart and break down his defenses. He tries hard to resist her and maintain his independent existence bu
t the reader can tell from word one that he will eventually surrender. The story takes them around the globe but never far from each other’s thoughts, and when at the conclusion Colter transforms his life to keep Karen with him it is gratifying and fulfilling but not a surprise. The story also features a wise and witty best friend for Karen in Linda Folsom, a savvy Brit with a wicked sense of humor who keeps the saga humming along on the rare occasions when Colter is offstage. All in all it’s a fast moving and absorbing tale.

  Devil’s Deception (1985) has a mafia princess for a heroine and an FBI Bureau Chief for a hero, so the story gives new meaning to the notion of “opposites attract.” Brett Devlin is a fed planted in the home of Angela Patria in the guise of her bodyguard to get the goods on her drug smuggling uncle. When Devlin finds himself instantly attracted to the lonely, withdrawn beauty who is Patria’s innocent niece, his life becomes complicated very quickly. It is Devlin’s job to be with Angela at all times since he is supposed to be protecting her, and this task makes it impossible for him to conceal his growing feelings for the woman he is deceiving on a daily basis. How this dilemma is resolved and the embattled couple wind up together makes for a satisfying read, and watching straight arrow Devlin unbend enough to fall for the gangster’s ward is touching as well as amusing.