Other people’s books

by

Spotlight on Earl of Kendall

Congratulations to Madeline Martin on the publication of Earl of Kendal, a novel in the Wicked Earls Club series.

HE HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING A SCOUNDREL…
Adolphus Merrick, Earl of Kendal, has a past he isn’t proud of, one that could have seen him hanged. Now the gaming hell owner of Mercy’s Door has an even greater secret, one he is so determined to protect that he’ll even do the unthinkable: get married. For a man who doesn’t trust easily, his alluring intended has a way of breaking through his guard and edging into his heart.

SHE IS A BIT OF A HOYDEN…
Lady Sophia Stopford lives her life to the fullest. At least, she did until her father insists that she wed one of his colleagues. She’ll do anything to get out of marrying, including escaping for a thrilling new venture. However, the very man who gave her the idea is now insisting that she return to London as his wife. And while she wants to resist, her attraction to the enigmatic Earl of Kendal has her curiosity piqued and her desire aflame.

TOGETHER THEY WILL CAUSE QUITE THE SCANDAL…
From ballrooms to gaming hells and into the wilds of Scotland, two people who don’t want marriage but can’t seem to resist one another will tumble headlong into an adventure that will change everything. When danger lurks and realities become bleak, can the spark of passion light their way? Or will love and hope be eternally lost to them both?

Amazon – BN – Apple Books – Kobo

Excerpt

In addition to unfeeling, Kendal had been called many other things over the years. A rogue. A thief. An ingrate. Mostly by his mother.

But never had he been called “boring”.

A hint of a smile pulled at his lips.

If only Lady Sophia knew…

A bustle of movement caught his attention. Rich blue silk with a set of eyes to match, long red curls and an overly pleased smile. He took a step back from Lady Bursbury’s path, but his back touched the wall behind him. His stomach tugged a little lower with dread.

There was nowhere else to go.

Not with her fixing him with an unwavering focus.

Bloody hell.

“Lord Kendal,” she said with obvious delight. “What a joy to see you here.”

“Indeed,” he offered dryly.

A glance around the room revealed several opportunities for escape. There was the Duke of Stedton and Lord Hesterton chatting together. Lord Morrey was standing alone, which was as dangerous a situation as the one Kendal now found himself in. And Lord Oakhurst, who had long since removed his golden “W” pin after his marriage to Lady Bursbury’s eldest daughter and his voluntary resignation from the Wicked Earls’ Club, was with his wife and would offer no reprieve.

There was nothing for it, Kendal would have to allow Lady Bursbury to engage him in whatever scheme was afoot.

“There is no escape,” she said pleasantly.

“I’m well aware.”

She batted her eyes. “I’m sure you recall our previous conversations about Lady Sophia Stopford, my lovely young niece.”

How could he forget when she’d approached him regularly since Lady Sophia’s coming out?

“Indeed,” he replied coolly.

Nancy studied her fan. “As it were, she is currently in need of a suitor.”

His gaze wandered toward a small crowd of men surrounding Lady Sophia. “I believe she is hardly in need.”

“Well, ‘in need’ being that she hasn’t found the right one.”

“Please don’t tell me you still think I am.” He narrowed his eyes at her, assessing how much she knew of his involvement with Lord Gullsville. That would explain her persistence on this matter. But would the man truly have confessed his dire financial straits to Lady Bursbury? Though she was his sister-in-law through marriage, surely he wouldn’t—

“Yes, of course, you are the man I think would suit her.” Lady Bursbury snapped her wrist delicately, and a blue silk fan unfurled. “I’m so glad we’re of the same mind after all this time.” She waved it before her face, sending her red curls billowing backward.

“We aren’t.” He squared his shoulders so she would see, as well as hear, his determination. “I have no intention to wed.”

Lady Bursbury stopped mid-fan and blinked up at Kendal. “But you’re an earl.”

“With a reputation that I doubt you want your niece associated with.”

Lady Bursbury gave a playful roll of her eyes. “You’re a better man than all that. You don’t have me fooled, and you know as well as I do that marriage is inevitable for any titled noble.” Her fan snapped closed, and she tapped him lightly on the forearm with it. “Simply keep her in mind is all I ask. You can’t deny she’s beautiful.”

With that, she sailed away, leaving those last words in his mind as she no doubt was off to make some other chap miserable with her matchmaking schemes. Kendal nearly breathed a sigh of relief, except Lady Sophia made her way toward him with the same determined stride as her aunt.

Heaven help him.

Lady Bursbury had not been wrong when she’d said he couldn’t deny her niece’s beauty. With wide blue eyes and a ready smile revealing her straight, white teeth, Sophia was absolutely lovely.

Sophia stopped in front of him, tilted her head and gave a little laugh. “You look as though you fear I might hit you on the head and drag you off to a chapel.”

He offered a tight smile. “That’s how it works, isn’t it?”

She laughed again.

Evidently, he was not that boring if he could elicit not one laugh from her, but two. Not that he cared. Because he didn’t.

“I should like to apologize for my aunt.” Candlelight played off Lady Sophia’s honey-colored hair as she spoke. The style was not as elaborate as she usually wore it. Likewise, her gown appeared equally as simple. Absent such frippery, her own natural beauty was able to shine through.

“It’s hardly the first time she’s approached me.” He slid her an intentional stare. “You needn’t worry that you cause offense when it comes to men who are boring.”

Her cheeks colored with a pretty blush. “I’m terribly sorry. I only meant you don’t dance or flirt.” She grimaced somewhat, albeit in a delicate, ladylike fashion, looking as though she’d rather be anywhere but there at that moment. “You aren’t boring if one listens to gossip.”

He bit back a smile at her apparent discomfort. Because he did dance. And he did flirt. He just hadn’t cause to do either in some time.

“Gossip?” He lifted a brow. “Pray, tell me what do they say about me.”

Her gaze flitted to the gold “W” nestled in the center of his cream-colored cravat. She licked her lips, an innocent and unintentional slow tease of her tongue. “That you’re wicked.”

He leaned closer, hoping to intimidate her into leaving. “And how do you feel about wicked men?”

Sophia centered the focus of those large blue eyes on him. “Intrigued.”

Meet Madeline

Madeline Martin is a USA TODAY Bestselling author of Scottish set historical romance novels filled with twists and turns, adventure, steamy romance, empowered heroines and the men who are strong enough to love them.

She lives a glitter-filled life in Jacksonville, Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions) and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She loves Disney, Nutella, cat videos and goats dressed up in pajamas. She also loves to travel and attributes her love of history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany.

Sign up for her exclusive newsletter and receive your FREE download of The Highlander’s Challenge: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/ff96yjtq8c

https://www.madelinemartin.com/

newsletter: https://www.madelinemartin.com/newsletter-sign-up/

street team: https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/MadelineMMartin

@MadelineMMartin
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12062937.Madeline_Martin

Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/madeline-martin

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/MadelineMartin9/

by

Spotlight on The Debutante and The Duke

I’m delighted to welcome Collette Cameron to the blog today, with her new release The Debutante and the Duke.

All she wants is her freedom. All he wants is her…

Rayne Wellbrook shouldn’t be living in a luxurious London manor. She shouldn’t be the step-niece to a powerful duke, either. And she most certainly shouldn’t be sneaking into the neighbor’s gardens–even if the house is unoccupied. Or so she thinks until a rakishly handsome Scot startles her one morning. Though she’s wary of men and even leerier of nobles, this man with his too-long hair and piercing blue-green eyes sends her heart to frolicking. When he insists on an introduction, Rayne flees but can’t get the enigmatic new neighbor out of her thoughts.

Fletcher McQuinton, Duke of Kincade, is only in London long enough to put the finishing touches on his new business ventures, and then he intends to head straight back to Scotland. His meddling English mother has other plans, however–namely finding him an appropriate blue-blooded wife to become the next duchess. Fletcher has vowed to never take an English aristocrat as a wife, but when he comes upon a delightfully intriguing woman climbing his garden wall, he begins to reconsider his reluctance.

Can two polar opposites who are so perfectly wrong for each other overcome all that stands between them? Only one thing is certain. The road to happily ever after is about to get very bumpy…

Meet Rayne

Chapter One Excerpt

17 Bedford Square
London, England
2 June 1810

Singing softly, Rayne Wellbrook gently swung the heavy wicker basket she held. She skirted the fountain burbling in the center of the paved circle bordered by a quartet of stone benches in her aunt and uncle’s elaborate gardens.

Between each ornate bench, marble statues of Greek goddesses and gods stood as majestic, silent guardians. Ribbons of morning sunlight cast them in luminous golden hues and gave each an ethereal appearance.

“I sow’d the seeds of love,” Rayne sang a little louder.

“And I sow’d them in the spring,

“I gather’d them up in the morning so soon…”

Mama had been an opera singer until she married Papa and had instilled a love for singing in Rayne from the time she was able to speak. Mama and Grandmama had been gone for nine years now—Papa far longer. Rayne couldn’t even remember her soldier father.

Closing her eyes for a long blink, she filled her lungs with the sweet fragrances of jasmine, peonies, roses, and other vibrant summer blossoms festooning the zealously maintained pathways. Patches of lush green grass complemented the fastidious flower beds—each diligently attended by the cheerful gardeners the duke employed.

Mostly cheerful, that was.

All except for the fussy, meticulous head gardener.

Heaven forbid that Fitzroy—the surly curmudgeon—should find a single insolent weed or impertinent spent blossom amongst his beloved lower beds. The wizened, stoop-shouldered man even groused when the “damned impudent birds”—his words, not Rayne’s— used his fountains as birdbaths.

In point of fact, he objected when they used the birdbaths as birdbaths.

At present, a pair of bluish-black feathers floated in the middle layer of the fount’s rippling water. Those avian offenders bespoke an early morning dip by a cheeky crow or raven, as the otherwise pristine water was too deep for smaller birds.

Chuckling, Rayne imagined the forthcoming scene.

Assuredly, Fitzroy would get his feathers ruffled as soon as he spied the evidence the trespassing birds had left behind. A string of colorful expletives would fill the fragrant air. Especially when he noticed the disrespectful droppings currently marring Zeus’s noble head and impressive shoulders.

Fitzroy would gripe and scold while suggesting several inspired ways in which to dispose of the feathered interlopers. Then he’d promptly send a younger, more agile gardener up a ladder to restore Zeus’s tattered dignity.

Rayne plucked the feathers from the fountain—a small act of kindness. She’d dispose of them near the garden’s back border.

 

Meet Collette

USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author COLLETTE CAMERON® scribbles Scottish and Regency historical romance novels featuring dashing rogues, rakes, and scoundrels and the strong heroines who reform them. Blessed with an overactive and witty muse that won’t stop whispering new romantic romps in her ear, she’s lived in Oregon her entire life. Although she dreams of living in Scotland part-time. A confessed Cadbury chocoholic, you’ll always find a dash of inspiration and a pinch of humor in her sweet-to-spicy timeless romances®.

Website: http://collettecameron.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/collettecameronauthor

Book Bub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/collette-cameron

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/TheRegencyRoseGift

by

Spotlight on Music on the Waters

St Magnus Cathedral, and its organ, play a central part in Music on the Waters, the latest novel from Caroline Warfield. The video above gives the history of the cathedral.

I love stories about two people groping their ineffectual way towards an understanding, and this is a delightful one. The hero is a successful businessman, but hasn’t been quite as successful in understanding his now deceased wife. He needs help with his wild children, especially the daughter who seems increasingly distant. But he is certainly not interested in another meek conventional wife who won’t express an opinion of her own.

Ann appears on the surface to be such a woman, but Alec first sees her when she is playing the organ — can he coax her to be, with him, the vibrant passionate woman she becomes when she plays?

Ann is the daughter of a bullying father, well used to everyone telling her that her thoughts, feelings, tastes, and opinions are wrong. She has learned to hide her appreciation of, and talent for, the music of the great masters. Instead, she teaches and conducts saccharine ballads, while yearning for something more. She has no idea what Alec is up to, but she doesn’t trust it.

The outcome of this romance was never in any real doubt, but the steps and missteps in the developing relationship are wonderfully satisfying, and Warfield has also given us a delightful supporting cast, including a trio of engaging children.

You won’t regret buying this story (for a mere USD99c, or free on KU). Without the twists and the life and death situations of Warfield’s great Children of Empire series or her compelling Christmas Hope, it nonetheless left me with a smile and a warm heart. Perfect comfort reading.

Music on the Waters

Sir Alexander Bradshaw needs a wife, a sensible woman to manage his unruly sons and sullen daughter. No suitable candidates appear, however, and Alec resigns himself to spend another long, dark Orkney winter companionless. When an acquaintance suggests a music teacher might occupy his daughter, he embraces the idea.

Ann Dunwood travels to Orkney for the opportunity to play the Kirkwall organ. For the beauty of the instrument, Ann endures the conservative choir members who wish to perform the most banal of hymns; she’s done it before. She knows how to fade into the shadows and keep to her place.

When he happens upon Ann in the cathedral, Alec is enchanted by the woman at the keyboard, who fills the room with a Bach fugue. Yet, when the music ends, the object of his fascination turns into a demure mouse. Alec determines to reignite the passion he glimpsed in her and fill his home with music.

by

Spotlight on To Enchant a Highland Earl

Congratulations to Collette Cameron on her new release.

Sparks fly whenever they meet…not the sensual kind.

Pick up book 5 in the best selling Heart of a Scot Series today! Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

She knows precisely what she wants…
And it’s not the obstinate Highlander, Broden McGregor. Even if the handsome brute did recently inherit an earldom and a sizable fortune and now must wed to produce an heir. So why doesn’t Kendra object when the womanizing libertine boldly steals a kiss? And why does his promise of more sensual encounters thrill, rather than infuriate?

Fate turned his life upside down…
Not only did Broden inherit a title he never anticipated, someone wants him dead. At great peril to herself, Kendra saves his life, and the stunning lass he once regarded as his nemesis, becomes something more. But as his best friend’s adored sister, she’s off-limits. Besides, Kendra is prickly, opinionated, and holds him in contempt, though he has no idea why.

Antagonism transforms into sizzling desire…
Neither can deny nor resist the passion between them as secrets, temptations, and long-hidden love are revealed. But at what cost?

 

If you enjoy reading Highlander love stories brimming with mystery and suspense, a dash of humor, and gripping emotion, then you’ll adore Collette Cameron’s mesmerizing HEART OF A SCOT Series. Buy TO ENCHANT A HIGHLAND EARL and settle into your favorite reading nook for a rousing Highland adventure you can’t put down.

Though this book can easily be read as a stand-alone, most readers prefer to read the series in order.

HEART OF A SCOT:
To Love a Highland Laird
To Redeem a Highland Rake
To Seduce a Highland Scoundrel
To Woo a Highland Warrior
A Christmas Kiss for the Highlander
To Enchant a Highland Earl

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0859MCHYF

Goodreads – http://bit.ly/2TkeKva

BookBub – http://bit.ly/2PvuSZV

Excerpt

Now, as he guided Kendra down the passageway, her honeyed heat, mere inches away, beckoned him. As did her perfume, light and tempting with a promise of spring. Fully aware, he flirted with danger and perhaps risked a slap, as well, he bent his neck and inhaled deeply.

Her womanly scent tunneled through him, an intoxicating elixir of femininity and Kendra.

She glanced up, curiosity rather than censure in her amused gaze. A winsome smile played around the edges of her soft, plump lips. “Are ye sniffin’ me, Broden?”

He chuckled as they turned the corner leading to the top of the stairs. No sense in denying the obvious. “Aye, I am. Ye always smell amazin’.”

His superior height gave him a delicious view of the tantalizing hills and valleys her bodice revealed. He was a lecher for taking advantage of it but, damn his eyes, if he could haul his attention away from the lush display.

Desperate for a distraction, he said, “Yer fragrance contains lemon?”

Those winged eyebrows of hers that so often pulled together in annoyance and scorn when in his presence, shied skyward, as a smile just this side of teasing, curved her mouth.

“Are we truly havin’ a discussion about my perfume?” A giggle escaped her, and she clapped a palm over her mouth.

He adored her laugh but was rarely gifted the chance to hear it.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m no’ laughin’ at ye. It just seems so ludicrous when a week ago, I wouldna have believed ye even aware I wore perfume.”

Oh, he was aware.

Too damned aware of everything about Kendra MacKay. That was the root of the problem. He couldn’t rid his consciousness of her. Even when he wasn’t with her.

“Never mind. It isna important.” Broden felt a sheer fool. He, who had his choice of any number of women, couldn’t hold an intelligent conversation with the only woman that mattered.

Her fingers tightened on his arm minutely, and she said, “If ye must ken, there is lemon in it. And camellia, along with the merest bit of juniper. That gives the fragrance a wee hint of mystery.”

“A bit of adventure and sweetness and mystery. And zest,” Broden murmured low, finding the conversation oddly arousing.

Did she dab the scent behind those delicate ears? Between her superbly ripe breasts? Inside her shapely elbows? Elsewhere?

Lord, help him.

by

Sunday Spotlight on Christmas Hope

A compelling story of love in impossible circumstances

I loved this book.

Caroline Warfield invariably engages our hearts, and Christmas Hope is no exception. Harry has the heart of a poet; a heart that is sickened by life with the Canadian Forces in the trenches of WWI. Rosemarie is a widow struggling to feed herself and her son, Marcel, while withering under the contempt of small-minded locals. Harry’s hunt for his lost bible brings them together. For Harry, Rosemarie and Marcel come to represent all that is good and peaceful. For Rosemarie, Harry is a light in the darkness.

The book follows them through four years, each ending in a Christmas, as their relationship deepens in brief encounters stolen out of the ruinous war. Even the end of the war does not bring peace for this small would-be family — Rosemarie has been evacuated out of the path of the battles, and she and Harry have lost touch with one another.

Part 4 of the book is set in 1919, beginning as Harry faces repatriation from Wales to Canada, his father’s well-meant interference in his future, and the influenza that devastated the post-war world. Rosemarie leaves her son with his uncle to search for her beloved. Nothing is easy.

I enjoy Warfield’s decent men and courageous women. Harry might just be one of my favourites. I particularly cherished his scenes with Marcel. As for Rosemarie, watching her overcome obstacle after obstacle, including her own self doubt, broke my heart — but I trusted Warfield to mend it again, and she did. Right at the eleventh hour, which is the best time, in a novel.

I strongly recommend Christmas Hope.

Christmas Hope

When the Great War is over, will their love be enough?

A wartime romance in four parts, each ending on Christmas, 1916-1919.

After two years at the mercy of the Canadian Expeditionary force and the German war machine, Harry ran out of metaphors for death, synonyms for brown, and images of darkness. When he encounters color among the floating islands of Amiens and life in the form a widow and her little son, hope ensnares him. Through three more long years of war and its aftermath, the hope she brings keeps Harry alive.

Rosemarie Legrand’s husband left her a tiny son, no money, and a savaged reputation when he died. She struggles to simply feed the boy and has little to offer a lonely soldier, but Harry’s devotion lifts her up. The war demands all her strength and resilience, will the hope of peace and the promise of Harry’s love keep her going?

Buy links:
Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Apple 

Amazon: US * UK * CA * AU * IN

Excerpt

Harry woke with a stab of fear. He reared up, groping for his rifle, afraid he had fallen asleep on duty.

He sank back into the bed as awareness flooded in. No enemy lurked. He reposed in soft covers in an unfamiliar room, his clothes had gone missing, and he wasn’t alone. A small boy watched him steadily from the doorway. Memory flooded back—fleeing from Lens, frantic to get to Rosemarie. He hadn’t deserted; he’d gotten leave or rather had it thrust on him with orders from Captain Mitchell to come back whole. He remembered a frantic journey, reaching her cottage, falling against the door, and not much else.

“You are dirty,” the boy said, approaching the bed. Harry ran a hand across the stubble on his face. It came away filthy.

“Apparently so. And you are tall, much too tall to be Marcel.”

The boy stiffened in offense. “I am Marcel. I am three.” He held up three fingers.

Before Harry could think what to say next the boy ran to the stairs shouting, “Maman, ‘arry is awake!”

His soldier’s instinct took stock of his surroundings. The room spread out under peaked roof beams. He doubted he could stand upright anywhere but the center of the room; it had only one way out, the direction Marcel had taken. He had slept in an actual bed. Rosemarie’s bed, it has to be. Did we share it? He thought not. If we had, I would certainly remember.

The blankets he lay in were worn and mended, but warm enough and clean—at least they had been until he lay in them. Since whoever took his clothing left his drawers and nothing else, he thought it best to stay nested where he lay. A tiny window at the peak of the roof let in a beam of light. It appeared to be slanted low in the sky. Does that window face east or west? Did I awake at dawn or sleep round the clock?

He could hear the boy talking with his mother and the sounds of pots and pans. Sharp awareness told him one more thing. Somewhere in this haven, fresh bread baked, sweet dough, he thought. His mouth began to water. With that, came the realization of gnawing hunger.

He debated what to do, undressed and feeble as he was. He envisioned Rosemarie fussing over her baking, and an even greater hunger overcame him, one he might do well to tame before he got out from the covers.

Her appearance in the doorway, his own vision of heaven itself, carrying a basin of steaming water, saved him the decision.

She put it on the little three-drawer chest against the opposite wall, along with the towel and rag she had over her arm.

“You’ll want to wash up,” she said. “I’m sorry we have no bathing tub. I found Raoul’s robe in storage,” she added, pointing to a purple robe draped over a trunk. The trunk, Marcel’s pallet at the foot of the bed, and a chest of drawers furnished the tiny room. She looked oddly shy, as if having him tucked in her bed with her late husband’s things nearby made her awkward.

Raoul. He had forgotten the husband, long dead now. The acid of pointless jealousy ate at him, and he could think of nothing to say. He sat up, letting the blanket fall to his lap, and her eyes dropped to the floor, but not before he caught the heat when she spied his naked chest. The jealousy fell away.

For more about the book and a giveaway, go to Silver Dagger Tours. The stops are near the foot of their tour post, and the Rafflecopter is under that.

Meet Caroline Warfield

Caroline Warfield

Award winning author Caroline Warfield has been many things: traveler, librarian, poet, raiser of children, bird watcher, Internet and Web services manager, conference speaker, indexer, tech writer, genealogist—even a nun. She reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows where she lets her characters lead her to adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the British Empire. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart.

Visit Caroline’s Website and Blog                http://www.carolinewarfield.com/

Meet Caroline on Facebook                          https://www.facebook.com/carolinewarfield7

Follow Caroline on Twitter                            https://twitter.com/CaroWarfield

Email Caroline directly                                   warfieldcaro@gmail.com

Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter            http://www.carolinewarfield.com/newsletter/

Amazon Author                                                   http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Warfield/e/B00N9PZZZS/

Goodreads                     https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8523742.Caroline_Warfield

Bookbub                                             https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caroline-warfield

 

 

Caroline’s Other Books

Amazon                       https://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Warfield/e/B00N9PZZZS/

Bookshelf                      http://www.carolinewarfield.com/bookshelf

by

Tea with Rand Wheatley

Randolph Baldwin Wheatly—plain mister though he boasted an earl and a duke among his nearest family—prowled, ill at ease, in the anteroom of the Winshire Mansion waiting for the duchess’s favor. She was, he had been told, engaged in some sort of charity project, one of her innumerable works, but she would see him.

The more he paced the more foolish his errand seemed. He had been here on more vital errands before, and yes, he had been summoned for a chastising from Her Grace more than once in his life. His purpose today might puzzle or confuse the lady, although if you had asked him a year ago he would have said he doubted anything could do that.

“Mr. Wheatly, Her Grace will see you now,” the young lady who had greeted him announced.

Rand cleared his throat and tugged on his formal waistcoat. Even properly dressed with his hair trimmed by the earl’s valet he suspected he still looked more mountain man than proper English gentlemen, the result of too many years in a reclusive cabin in Upper Canada. What can’t be fixed must be endured. The duchess will have to take me as I am.

“Rand, this is a surprise.” A few graceful movements on the duchess’s part and he found a delicate porcelain cup in his hand, the aroma of tea tickling his nose. After a few months in England he’d become used to the stuff again.

“How can I help you?” Her Grace asked. “I thought your efforts in Bristol went well. Are congratulations in order?”

“No she’s— You mean the investigation? Yes. The entire operation has been shut down and the Duke of Sudbury is seeing to the conspirators.”

“But your personal endeavors…” the duchess peered at him sympathetically.

“Meggy is at Songbird Cottage, if that is what you wish to know. Charles is nearby watching over her while I keep my distance. I can’t guess the outcome.”

“Sadly, we often can’t. The future always includes surprises.”

“Actually,” he said, “The future is what I came about. You will think me fanciful, but my sister Catherine thought you might help.”

“What exactly does the Countess of Chadbourn think I can tell you about the future? I am not an oracle.” She seemed amused.

“Since returning from Bristol, I’ve had nightmares. Armies moving over a hellish landscape scraped clean of vegetation, trees with no branches or leaves on them, andmen lying in holes in the ground. The guns and the cannon are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, as if factories will begin to mechanize war beyond our understanding. I fear I’ve seen a Great War in our future.”

“Nightmares indeed!”

“Do you believe it is real?”

“If it is, don’t fear it is the entire future. Remember the past contains its share of death and destruction as well, and yet mankind lumbers on. Love, faith, and family see us through.

“That’s the other thing,” Rand said. “There’s one man in particular. I heard someone call him Canadian. He has courage, determination, and strength yet he battles despair in the midst of it all. There’s a woman who gives him hope to go on I think.”

A beatific smile came over the old woman’s face. “Love, faith, family,” she repeated.

“The thing is, he looks like me,” Rand said. “He’s a Wheatly. Could he be my son or grandson?”

“Or a great-great if your dreams are true, but yes, I think so,” she mused. “Do you see what that means?”

He had no idea what she tried to tell him. His face wrinkled in the attempt to puzzle it out.

She signed deeply. “Don’t be dense, Rand, you’re a bright boy. It means you will return to Canada, and you will have a family there.”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t want one of mine to endure that horror.”

“We can’t protect the ones we love, Rand. Besides, you didn’t see the end. You have to believe he comes through it. You have to have hope.”

Rand Wheatly’s story, including the doings in Bristol and the outcome of his love for Meggy is told in The Renegade Wife.

As to that great-great grandson, Harry Wheatly will face the Great War in 1914. Christmas Hope tells his story.

About Christmas Hope

After two years at the mercy of the Canadian Expeditionary force and the German war machine, Harry ran out of metaphors for death, synonyms for brown, and images of darkness. When he encounters color among the floating islands of Amiens and life in the form a widow and her little son, hope ensnares him. Through three more long years of war and its aftermath, the hope she brings keeps Harry alive.

Rosemarie Legrand’s husband left her a tiny son, no money, and a savaged reputation when he died. She struggles to simply feed the boy and has little to offer a lonely soldier, but Harry’s devotion lifts her up. The war demands all her strength and resilience will the hope of peace and the promise of Harry’s love keep her going?

When the Great War is over, will their love be enough?

There are links and an excerpt here:

Christmas Hope

About the Author

Award winning author of historical romance usually set in the Regency and Victorian eras, Caroline Warfield reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows where she lets her characters lead her to adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the world. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart, because love is worth the risk.

Carol Roddy – Author

 

by

Spotlight on To Love a Scottish Laird

Congratulations to Sherry Ewing on the release of To Love a Scottish Laird. I was a beta reader for this lovely medieval story, which is the prequel to her other Berwyk novels and links with the de Wolfe world.

Lady Catherine de Wolfe knows she must find a husband before her brother chooses one for her, but none of the knights and lords she knows have caught her eye. A tournament to celebrate the wedding of the Duke of Normandy might be her answer. She does not expect to fall for a man after just one touch.

Laird Douglas MacLaren of Berwyck is invited to the tournament by the Duke of Normandy. He goes to ensure Berwyck’s safety once Henry takes the throne. He does not expect to become entranced by a woman who bumps into him.

Before they can express their feelings, the Duke orders them wed to strengthen ties between his English supporters and the borderland, and then separates them by commanding Douglas’s escort to his home.

Yet, nothing is ever quite that simple. Not everyone is happy with the union of this English lady and a Scottish laird. From the shores of France, to Berwyck Castle on the border between their countries, Douglas and Catherine must find their way to protect their newfound love.

Buy Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2UbuMKB

AU: https://amzn.to/2OvonVg

BR: https://amzn.to/2OwN1Vs

CA: https://amzn.to/2uzkwNO

DE: https://amzn.to/2TFL8Xm

ES: https://amzn.to/2CFMxYi

FR: https://amzn.to/2JIYVwC

IN: https://amzn.to/2UXj7Mq

IT: https://amzn.to/2WtLG4u

JP: https://amzn.to/2FFNsJc

MX: https://amzn.to/2HLdQog

NL: https://amzn.to/2JIZCGe

UK: https://amzn.to/2uzR3TI

 

First kiss

Catherine fought against the urge to completely surrender to Douglas and his all-consuming kiss. She should not be allowing him such a liberty. She should be voicing her outrage at the close proximity of their bodies. But when his lips slid against hers, she was completely lost.

If only Douglas knew what he was doing to her. She was not experienced with the intimacies between a man and woman. Oh, she understood the fundamentals of the act of kissing but had only been given meaningless pecks on the cheek. But this…  A whole new world opened up to her, and she rejoiced in what Douglas brought out in her!

Her arms wound their way up his neck, and she played with the length of his hair. In turn, he all but crushed her to his body but ’twas not unpleasant. Nay! Her body begged for something she could not understand. Parts of her began tingling as if she was coming alive for the very first time, and she never wanted it to end.

When Douglas’s tongue skimmed across her closed mouth, she gasped. Apparently, ’twas just the opportunity he was looking for! His tongue began playing with her own. A low moan escaped her and only encouraged him to take her deeper into what could only be described as sheer bliss. Catherine felt as though she was soaring into the sky like one of her birds. But this was so much better!

His arm tightened around her waist, and she finally became aware of the unmistakable form of his manhood pressed intimately to her body. By the Blessed Virgin! What was she doing?

Catherine emerged from the abyss of pleasure, snapping back to a reality that would possibly become her worst nightmare; wed to a man who would probably control her every move. Douglas was a complete stranger, no matter how handsome. She was concerned about losing the freedom she had grown accustomed to.

He must have sensed some change in her, for his grip loosened as he broke the kiss. Catherine felt the loss immediately and almost stepped forward for them to continue. Her heart felt as though ’twould beat its way out of her chest, and she was pleasantly surprised when it appeared Douglas felt the same. Their kiss had revealed many things to Catherine. First, Douglas certainly knew what he was doing when it came to kissing. Second, she began to think mayhap ’twould not be so difficult to be this man’s wife.

Meet Sherry Ewing

Sherry Ewing picked up her first historical romance when she was a teenager and has been hooked ever since. A bestselling author, she writes historical and time travel romances to awaken the soul one heart at a time. When not writing, she can be found in the San Francisco area at her day job as an Information Technology Specialist.

 

Social Media:

 

Website & Books: www.SherryEwing.com

Bluestocking Belles: http://bluestockingbelles.net/

Hearts Through Time: http://heartsthroughtime.com

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TrWtoy

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherry-ewing

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/SherryEwingAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomsherry_ewing

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sherry.ewing

Pinterest: http://www.Pinterest.com/SherryLEwing

Tumblr: https://sherryewing.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/Sherry_Ewing

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SherryEwingauthor

 

Sign Me Up!

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2vGrqQM

Street Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/799623313455472/

by

Spotlight on Her Cadillac Cowboy

 

Congratulations to my friend Rue Allyn on the release of Her Cadillac Cowboy.

A rich cowboy with a classic Cadillac—sounds like the stuff of dreams for a small-town Texas girl, right?  Wrong!  Josh McKinley and his classic car have been Sara Carson’s nightmare since Josh left ten years ago.  Now the cowboy and his Caddy are back.  Sara must choose between loyalty to her family and love for the one man she shouldn’t want. 

Is the key to Sara Carson’s heart the Cadillac that their families have been feuding over for ten years?  Or will Josh McKinley have to give up the car he treasures in order to win the woman he loves?

A rich cowboy with a classic Cadillac—sounds like the stuff of dreams for a small-town Texas girl, right?  Wrong!  Josh McKinley and his classic car have been Sara Carson’s nightmare since Josh left ten years ago.  Now the cowboy and his Caddy are back.  Sara must choose between loyalty to her family and love for the one man she shouldn’t want.

Is the key to Sara Carson’s heart the Cadillac that their families have been feuding over for ten years?  Or will Josh McKinley have to give up the car he treasures in order to win the woman he loves?

Buy Link~exclusively at Amazon until mid-June

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.in/Her-Cadillac-Cowboy-Rue-Allyn-ebook/dp/B07MQ25ZLQ/

Excerpt

Sara wandered down the hall, turned the corner at the end of the corridor, and ran smack into a bare, sweaty, male chest. The impact was brief. Hard hands closed over her shoulders and steadied her before setting her away. Sara looked up. Her mouth opened and closed, then opened again.

“You!” echoed through the emptiness.

Sara jumped back farther. More memories squeezed her heart. Of all the voices that she might hear, she never expected to hear Josh McKinley’s deep baritone.

“So, you’re back.” His mouth twisted on the statement. His graveled voice and daredevil blue eyes challenged her.

She wasn’t ready for this. “What are you doing here? Gloating because my father’s bedridden and can’t throw you out?”

“Not gloating, working.”

What a surprising idea. “That’s ridiculous. It’s Sunday and Carson’s Cars is closed.”

“Always was, as I recall. Guess even an old devil like your daddy needs a day of rest.”

Her eyes widened. How dare Josh try to provoke her. He’d betrayed her, run off like a coward. Never mind that she’d done her own running a few years later. “My father would never hire a McKinley, and no McKinley would want to do an honest day’s work when he could shyster widows and orphans instead.”

Josh hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and leaned against the wall, his narrow hips cocked at an aggressive angle. “I don’t work for your father.”

He had no right to prop his broad shoulders against that wall. “Then you’re not working here, so get off Carson’s property.”

Damn him with his dark hair and bright eyes. He didn’t move. He gave a slow smile and looked her over, head to toe and back. “You’ve changed, Sara.”

Déjà vu skittered bumps over her skin. Time was when she would have danced naked in a cactus patch for that smile. No more. “Maybe it’s time you found out just how much I have changed.”

Meet Rue Allyn

Hi, I’m Rue Allyn, I write heart melting romance novels. Books about characters and adventures in which love triumphs at the darkest moment. The kind of hopeful, steal-your-breath romance that melts a reader’s heart. The type of book I like to read. Hope you will too.

Rue’s Website: https://RueAllyn.com

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rue-allyn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RueAllynFriends

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00AUBF3NI/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5031290.Rue_Allyn

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/RueAllyn/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RueAllyn

Google +: https://plus.google.com/+RueAllyn

by

Valentines from Bath in Spotlight on Sunday

It’s here. Valentines from Bath is published, and I love it.

In five original stories, Jessica Cale, Sherry Ewing, Jude Knight, Amy Quinton, and Caroline Warfield bring you Valentines From Bath

The Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath.

Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity.

Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.

But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.

Find buy links on the Belles’ project page on their website.

Here are my brief thoughts about each story.

Beauty and the Bounder, by Jessica Cale

He’s a liar and a fortune-hunter… and exactly what she needs.

As usual, Jess gives us a completely different slant on balls, dresses, and bounders. Her heroine is too smart, too wary, and too invested in the idea of true love to have fallen for any of the suitors who were prepared to overlook her sharp tongue and her Welshness in favour of her dowry. But this fortune hunter might just have something more to offer. I adored this story. Lady Emilia was the right mix of wryly aware and self-deprecating, and Seb was a hero to die for.

The Earl Takes a Wife, by Sherry Ewing

It began with a memory, etched in the heart.

Sherry has returned to the de Courtney family, who featured in her Holly and Hopeful Hearts story a couple of years ago. In that novella, the hero’s niece, barely out of the schoolroom, asked the heroine’s brother to wait for her to grow up. The Earl Takes a Wife follows Celia and Adrian as they try to forget one another, until Adrian’s other sister Miranda plots to bring them together and almost destroys them. Celia’s innocence and sincerity don’t make her a pushover. I loved her determination to win the love match she wants, despite everything. Adrian acted like a prat for much of the story, but he had reason. He figured it out in the end, for a signature Ewing happy ending.

The Beast Next Door, by Jude Knight

In all the assemblies and parties of Bath, no-one Charis met could ever match the beast next door. 

Obviously, I’m not going to review this one. Here are my characters.

The Umbrella Chronicles: John and Emma’s Story, by Amy Quinton

A serious-minded, scientific man of learning seeks a complex and chaotic practitioner of all things superstitious who will upend his well-ordered life.

Another fine addition to the Umbrella Chronicles. John is endearingly bumbling in matters of emotion, which he avoids like the plague. Emma is refreshingly honest. She wants him, but she wants him to her as she is; his complete opposite in almost all things. Can too such different characters find love? Let Amy show you how.

Candles in the Dark, by Caroline Warfield

Doug Marsh and his candles bring light to many, none more than Esther. They may light the Assembly Rooms even as his love lights her life.

My favourite in the set, and the only one that doesn’t involve people who are part of the Bath social set. Esther works in the Assembly Room. Doug owns the candle manufactory. These are two lovely people from different worlds brought together by her urgent need and his kind heart. With her usual light touch, Caroline gives us real world problems with serious potential consequences, and then practical solutions that lead to a happy ever after and a deep satisfied sigh from this reader. Love will find a way.

by

Spotlight on Lara’s Story

Lara’s Story 

Shattered by heartbreak…

“When a heart breaks, it does not break evenly, cleaving in half exactly down the middle.” 

Surrounded by her large, boisterous family in 1840s Ireland, Lara Flannigan has never known anything but love and belonging—until the day tragedy strikes, leaving her abandoned and forced into indentured servitude.

Remade in a new world.

Just when all hope seems lost, Lara is discovered by a childless American couple, visiting Ireland to aid in the famine-relief effort. With barely a chance to look back, she’s swept away to a bustling new continent—and a dizzying new reality. One of petticoats, opulent townhouses, and the cold reaches of Philadelphia high society. Desperate for a future, Lara works tirelessly to fit into her new life… while still haunted by a past that won’t let her go.

Set in a fascinating historical period, Lara’s Story is a gripping young adult novel that explores the strength of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness to heal a broken heart.

Lara’s Story Pre-Order on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Laras-Story-Diane-Merrill-Wigginton-ebook/dp/B07J31ZK55

Lara’s Story Pre-Order on Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/laras-story-diane-merrill-merrill-wigginton/1128939577?ean=9781946146908

Lara’s Story Readers’ Favorite Reviewhttps://readersfavorite.com/book-review/laras-story

IWIC Review of Lara’s Story-https://writersinspiringchange.wordpress.com/2018/07/03/book-review-laras-story-by-diane-merrill-wigginton/

Lara’s Story Review by Elaine Ouster, Author and Blogger of On Writing https://elaineoustonauthor.com/2018/10/13/laras-story/