Samvida and the Purse of Gold by Paterson Loarn

Today I’m on tour with Love Book Tours for Samvida and the Purse of Gold. I hope you enjoy reading about this book and the excerpt I have to share with you.

About the Book:

She married for love. Now it’s all about the money. After the mysterious death of the founder of a family finance firm, his naive widowed bride is caught up in a web of corruption spanning two continents and three decades. Will Samvida discover the truth about her husband in time to save her own life?

Newly married VIDA is branded a gold-digger in the media, although she genuinely loves and trusts her wealthy older husband URBAN EDELDI. After Urban's unexplained death, his firm EDELDICO is thrown into confusion and its corrupt deals risk exposure. Urban's nephew and business partner LUCAN employs a sex film made without Vida's knowledge to try to blackmail her into giving up her inheritance. Fearing for her life, she flees from a luxurious penthouse to an impoverished district undergoing regeneration. Reinventing herself as homeless SAM, she takes shelter in a hostel and finds work at a community hub. She thinks she has found a haven, but she is surrounded by dark forces from her late husband’s past. Who is watching her? Can she trust her entrepreneurial new friends? Before she can take control of her own life and rescue the family firm, SAMVIDA must herself be enslaved and walk in the shadow of death.

The novel highlights the need to empower young women to defeat sexual bullying and fulfil their potential. It also explores the effects on urban and natural environments of money-laundering, and the resulting seduction of young men into criminal activities.The action unfolds in Portugal and continues in London UK. Key encounters take place in neglected corners of the cityscape. Locations include Edeldico's headquarters in the city, a seaside town near Lisbon, a back street café, a community garden and an abandoned graveyard. Events climax at an illegal waste disposal site in the English Midlands. The violent resolution takes place at an abandoned ranch in Brazil.

Excerpt:

‘Will Urban be joining us?’

‘He had to dash back to London to complete a deal. He should be back in time to say goodbye to you and Em. When are you going back to Brazil?’

‘Friday. Ana’s arranged a protest rally for the weekend. I want to be there.’

‘Don’t go,’ said Frankie. ‘Stay with us. There are so many trees in Brazil, I’m sure nobody will miss a few. And Urban says protesting is dangerous. Apparently people have been killed.’

Em ran on to the deck in his pyjamas. Teddy caught up with him just in time to stop him opening the catch on the aviary door. Frankie pulled Em on to her knee.

‘Come to auntie, darling. You like the birdies, don’t you?’

When Em replied in Portuguese Teddy looked nervously at Frankie.

‘Teddy, are you and Ana living in a hut in the forest?’

‘Not all of the time. We’re often at our apartment in the city.’

‘Then why did your son just tell me that birds like these live in the trees near his house?’

‘Hush,’ said Teddy. ‘Here’s Maria.’

The maid was carrying Nina and a bottle. Frankie put Em down and took the baby. Em climbed on to Teddy’s knee. While Nina sucked contentedly they played at wrestling.

‘We’ll miss you two when you’re gone,’ said Frankie.

‘Sis, doesn’t it bother you that Urban’s away so much?