Spotlight on Sunday

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Spotlight on “Love by Moonlight” in Love’s Perilous Road

Love by Moonlight in Love’s Perilous Road

By Elizabeth Ellen Carter

By daylight, he’s a gentleman. By moonlight, justice is served.

 In the quiet village of Normanton in the autumn of 1817, Captain Robin Somerville returns from naval service to find peace elusive. By day, he’s a charming second son living at his brother’s estate. By night, he becomes the enigmatic Captain Moonlight—a highwayman with a code of honor, redressing wrongs in secret. When Rachel Pendleton, the curate’s daughter, begins to suspect his dual identity, her heart must weigh law against love. As romance blossoms amid secrets and schemes, a shared pursuit of justice could cost them everything.

Meet Rachel Pendleton

Daughter of the village curate, Rachel Pendleton is intelligent, empathetic, and deeply principled. She dedicates her days to caring for her community and guarding her heart, yet she harbors feelings for the dashing Robin Somerville that stretch back years. Suspicious of his connection to the noble but illicit Captain Moonlight, Rachel is torn between her admiration for his courage and her fear of scandal. With a sharp mind and quiet strength, she becomes an equal partner in both love and moral reckoning, proving that true bravery often blooms under moonlight.

Meet Captain Robin Somerville

A naval officer recently returned from war, Captain Robin Somerville is charming, clever, and quietly restless. As the second son of a baronet, he has little expectation placed on him, but great ambition to find purpose. Disguised as the mysterious “Captain Moonlight,” he secretly rights the wrongs of their Sussex village by humiliating cheats and helping the downtrodden. Beneath his easy smile lies a man yearning for justice and love. His affections for Rachel Pendleton, the curate’s daughter, challenge his carefully built disguise and force him to consider a life of hearth and heart, rather than duty and danger.

An excerpt from Love by Moonlight

“Have you time for a walk, Miss Pendelton?”

She paused a moment and regarded him intently.

“Have you come to ask me to purloin another key for you? If so, I shall have to decline. These things have a habit to ending up in the wrong hands.”

The corner of Robin’s mouth lifted in a cockeyed smile. “The wrong hands, you say? Heavens, that will never do. What is this good borough coming to if a man cannot come to church without his seeing his unmentionables flapping in the breeze.”

Rachel found her tongue planted in her cheek to prevent a smile. “Indeed.”

She searched his face looking for the truth and found herself taking in the shape of his jaw, the line of his lips and then into his soft blue eyes.

The look he offered her in return was no less intense.

Would he bring her into his confidence?

Rachel held her breath a moment.

His eyes never left hers and she felt the slight brush of his fingers run down her arm to her hand, caressing each finger before threading his fingers through hers.

Part of her mind clamoured danger. She should not entertain thoughts about his good looks or risk her heart to someone whose social standing was far above her own. Yet she did not object as they walked hand-in-hand around the church grounds.

A neatly tended cemetery with weathered headstones attested to the age of the village – named for the very Normans that stepped on the shore not so far from here. Her father personally oversaw the gardens. Pretty little flowers in white, pink and purple neatly tended amongst soft greens of the grass and the tall yew trees that bounded the graveyard.

Lengthening shadows were a testament to the lateness of the day.

That still, small warning voice that had tried to warn her was soon quieted by the conversation which flowed effortlessly between them. She spoke of her visits to families in the parish and Robin shared Penelope’s plans for the summer house party.

“In truth I was glad to get out from under foot,” he concluded.

Rachel squeezed his hand softly. Her heart went out to him. It mustn’t be easy for a man of action to return to a life of genteel civility.

“You miss your time at sea, don’t you?”

She received a shrug in reply.

“Would you go back into the navy?”

There was silence and Rachel wondered whether it would be another question that would remain unanswered. They stopped at a tree at the corner of the churchyard. Some yards away was a two-storey cottage; modest, but well kept. But here they were not overlooked by it.

“No, I think not,” Robin answered. “That part of my life is over.”

 

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Spotlight on “Charred Hope” in Love’s Perilous Road

 

Charred Hope, by Caroline Warfield

Major Titus Brannock believes the charred painting that he had tossed into his trunk might be valuable to its owner. With the wars over, he lives with his brother, the earl, and has little direction in his life. He decides to track the woman down and return her miniature.

Tessa Fleming’s late husband lost interest in her soon after the first fires of marriage faded. She followed the army across Spain anyway. Now she lives in a small cottage and supports her son with a widow’s pension. She is determined not to trust another man, certainly not a stranger that knocks on her door.

Will a stranger’s kindness rekindle hope? Perhaps Titus has found his lost purpose in the bargain.

The Hero

Titus Flavius Brannock is the younger son an earl. Like many younger sons, he took a military career, and much prefers Major Brannock as a form of address over “The Honorable Titus Brannock,” the former being rightly earned. With the wars over, he haunts the family home at loose ends and without purpose. He decides impulsively to seek out a war widow he barely remembers and return a damaged miniature that came into his possession during the war.

The Heroine

Tessa Reynolds Fleming grew up in a cold manor in Lincolnshire with stern parents and little joy. Her father, Baron Wolfecliff, disowned her when she ran off to marry a junior officer with nothing to his name. When her husband died, the old man informed her she wasn’t welcome home and could expect nothing. Left with only her widow’s pension, she manages somehow for herself and her son in a small cottage in the South Downs.

An Excerpt from Charred Hope

He knocked again. She ignored him again. The third knock was louder.

When she didn’t respond, a deep voice rumbled through the door, “Mrs. Fleming, I don’t know if you are in there or not, but I mean you no harm.”

So you say… “What do you want?” she demanded through the door.

“I— That is, I knew Lieutenant Fleming in Spain. I brought you something.”

After a moment she lifted the bar, unable to imagine who it could be. She’d heard from none of Rob’s colleagues in the years since she came here.

“Who are you?” she asked through a narrow crack.

“Titus Brannock,” he replied.

The name meant nothing to her, but something in the gentle voice that vibrated through her reassured her. She opened the door a bit wider. “I don’t know you. Again, what do you want?”

The tall stranger, hat in hand, gazed down at her with eyes the rusty brown color of oak leaves in winter. A shaft of sunlight splashed his brown hair with chestnut highlights. She held her breath.

“It is something of yours that came into my possession when you shipped home. It may be a trifle, but I think you might want it.” His voice wrapped around her like a warm quilt, a treasure she hadn’t had since her grandmother’s passing.

Don’t be a ninny Tessa, you know better than to go soft over a man. She held her ground.

“I’ve come a long way to bring it, and I have a long way home,” he went on. She thought he sounded hopeful.

She opened the door to face him, but if he thought she would invite him in, he was mistaken. She stepped out and pulled the door behind her. “I’m not in the habit of entertaining strangers, but you may leave this ‘trifle’ with me and be on your way,” she said.

He studied her long and hard as if she were a mystery to solve. It took strength but she met that piercing gaze. She peered back up at him experiencing a flicker of recognition, one that wouldn’t come into focus.

This one is a soldier for certain. It is in his bearing. In his confident determination. He wasn’t dressed like one; he wasn’t dressed like a poor man either.

At last, he nodded and tapped his hat back on his head. He reached into his fashionably tailored coat and pulled out an object wrapped in dark cloth and held it out to her.

When she took it, their hands touched briefly, and a jolt of feeling went up her arm to lodge somewhere in her center. She yanked her hand away.

At her gesture his lips quirked and he touched his hat. “I’ll leave you in peace. If you have questions for me, I’ll be at the inn in Normanton the rest of today. I’m leaving tomorrow.” He turned and left her murmuring belated thanks.

Tessa took the object to her kitchen table and unwrapped it. What she saw made her throat thicken. Tears, unanticipated and unwelcome, overtook her.

The miniature. The one I had made for Rob. The one he tossed aside so carelessly. As he did me.

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Spotlight on ‘Falling Into You’ in Love’s Perilous Road

Lord Milton Sutton, Earl of Langley has one regret in life… that he left behind a lady that owned his heart in order to take over his father’s businesses to prevent bankruptcy. One year later, he has a second chance to win her back but is he too late?

Lady Josephine Cranfield is determined to move on with her life after her heart was broken by the love of her life. But her feelings for Milton awaken upon his return and his eagerness to pick up where they left off only makes her resolved to forget him.

Can Milton and Josephine find a way back to one another or will someone else find his way into Josephine’s heart?

Buy Love’s Perilous Road. Preorder price 99c. Published October 31st

Meet Josephine

Lady Josephine Cranfield is determined to move on with her life after her heart was broken by the love of her life. But her feelings for Milton awaken upon his return and his eagerness to pick up where they left off only makes her resolved to forget him.

Meet Milton

Lord Milton Sutton, Earl of Langley has one regret in life… that he left behind a lady that owned his heart in order to take over his father’s businesses to prevent bankruptcy. One year later, he has a second chance to win her back but is he too late?

Excerpt from Falling Into You

“You’re very early, Philip. Is something wrong?” she declared before she came to a sudden halt. She took hold of the doorframe to steady herself, afraid that her knees might buckle when she witnessed the gentleman standing near the window.

He turned to face her with the sun streaming through the glass to make him appear almost angelic. She drank in the sight of him as though she was dying of thirst. The cut of his suit and waistcoat was immaculate. His dark brown hair streaked with lighter shades was neatly combed into place and touched the edges of his coat. His skin appeared tanned from time spent in the sun and he appeared far more muscular than she remembered. His linen shirt seemed to stretch across his muscled chest while his blue eyes seemingly danced in delight to see her. She just might swoon.

“Hello, Josephine” he said giving her a bow. The old memory of his husky baritone branded her heart with sorrow as all the old hurt came rushing back to the surface.

“Milton…” she began, attempting to find her voice. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know this is highly irregular but I had to see you,” he said stepping forward.

“Why?” she gasped out as her knees began to shake and she had the overwhelming need to sit down.

The sound of the tea trolley being rolled through the hallway gave her the moment she needed to clear her head and compose herself. She went into the room and sat in a chair near the hearth knowing to sit on the couch would allow him to be far too close. Once the servant put the trolley near at hand, she poured tea into two cups and offered him one as he took the opposite chair. He reached for the one she held out for him, and when their fingers touched, a zing of emotion overcame her. It wasn’t fair that he could still have such an effect on her after all this time. It wasn’t fair at all!

He continued to stare at her, searching her face for some sign of… what? That she was still in love with him? She couldn’t be certain but what did it matter if she still cared for this man? He was her past, and Philip was her future.

“You were one of the first people I wanted to see upon my return,” he confessed, setting down his tea without taking a sip.

“Oh? And who was the first?” she said in a snippy tone.

A slight chuckle left those lips she remembered all too well, having kissed them a dozen times or more. “Your brother,” he finally answered.

“I see. Considering your friendship all your lives, I can see how you might have missed him.”

“And you.”

She raised a brow at his admission. “I don’t see why you’d have missed me, Milton. After all, it was you who ended our association.”

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Spotlight on Jillian’s Wild Heart

When worlds collide, can love survive?

Lewis Bradford is the spare to the heir. Every aspect of his life has been a reminder that he is second best. Fortunately, being largely ignored by his baron father has given him a measure of freedom in choosing his wife. And who better to lift him from his bitter sense of neglect than a wild, golden-haired nymph who adores him?

Jillian Kinsey may be only a groundskeeper’s daughter, but she also happens to be best friends since childhood with Munro’s new viscountess. Protected by powerful friends, Jillian is able to always be her vivacious, rule-breaking self without fear of rejection. When Mr. Bradford begins to show an interest in her, she does not question whether or not such a match is realistic. She only knows he wants the same thing she does: a life of self-determination.

Ready to disregard all the pretentions of the ton and throw off the shackles of societal expectations, Lewis and Jillian seem destined to be the heroes of their own fairy tale. Until family tragedy strikes, and everything they have taken for granted is turned on its head.

Will they abandon the dreams they shared or can they weather the storm? Only time will tell.

Tropes you’ll love:

  • Different Worlds
  • Fish Out of Water
  • You’ve Changed
  • Emotional Scars
  • Opposites Attract
  • Unexpected Heir
  • Lively Heroine
  • Sensible Hero

Purchase link for book 4, Jillian’s Wild Heart: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNBVJ31Z

The Amazon link above includes three free chapters to sample Jillian’s Wild Heart

Read in Kindle Unlimited!

Note: This series is part of Dragonblade’s Sweet Dreams line, so this is a sweet, wholesome Historical Romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader’s imagination.

Ladies of Munro
Sophia’s Letter
Ellena’s Secret
Verity’s Choice
Jillian’s Wild Heart
Irene’s Fall (due for release in December)

 

Meet Elizabeth Donne

Elizabeth Donne writes award-winning sweet Regency romance, a natural outpouring of a lifelong love affair with English literature.

She has spent most of her life in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2015, Elizabeth moved to Iowa with her husband, their two children, two cats, and their African bush dog.

When she’s not writing, or discovering the secret wonders of the Midwest, she is enthusiastically introducing her visitors to the joys of drinking rooibos tea. With a biscuit, of course.

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Website: https://www.elizabethdonnebooks.com

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Spotlight on Sir Westcott Steals a Heart from Love’s Perilous Road

Alina K. Field with Sir Westcott Steals a Heart:

Sir Westcott Twisden didn’t know he wanted to marry until the tallest lady he’d ever met crossed his path. Curious when a local smuggler shows up to visit her, Wes follows her into trouble.

Sybil Dunsford lives to protect her brothers and their home. And so, one night she disguises herself as a boy to help shift contraband. But when the night goes array, Sir Westcott appears, and they’re locked in together. Will romance follow?

Love’s Perilous Road

(in Love’s Perilous Road)

Coming Autumn 2025

Travellers, a house party, smugglers, spies—and a mysterious highwayman. Who is the infamous Captain Moonlight? And how many lives will he change–for good or for ill?

Preorder now: https://books2read.com/u/mqx0W6

An extract from Sir Westcott Steals a Heart

She murmured an unladylike curse and continued to work.

It was shocking for a lady to curse, wasn’t it? He chuckled, thinking of his stepmother and grandmother. Once or twice when they thought he wasn’t around, he’d heard them swear.

Sybil must have removed the gloves she’d been wearing. The cold fingers touching his wrists unaccountably sent warmth up his arms and to other parts of his body.

She slid a finger under his cuff and his heart jolted. If she kept that up, he might find himself leg-shackled, and not unwillingly.

Perhaps before the night was over, he’d have a chance to warm her hands. And more. This godforsaken place was dark enough to have his thoughts embracing the notion of a tryst and a special license.

“Stop moving,” she said. “These knots are the devil.”

The scold shook him out of his lustful thoughts and brought to mind his stepmother’s treatment by a neighbor and friend of his father who’d followed her to York in the spring and tried to importune her one afternoon while Wes was out.

Stepmama had absolutely forbade him from challenging the fellow because he was, she said, no worse than other friends of Wes’s late father.

His father. The late Sir Twisden’s passions had all been for his hounds and his hunting, not his duties as the local squire, not his wife, nor even his son. It had been Wes’s stepmother raising Wes to be a gentleman.

The marriage had been a mismatch for her, an impoverished young lady who hadn’t known his father at all before marrying him.

What did Wes know about Sybil Dunsford? He’d do well to slow down and not rush his fences with her.

But… what did Crofton say… You won’t be so stiff-rumped about marrying me then.

Crofton wanted to marry her?

A stubborn determination rose in him. Crofton wouldn’t have Sybil.

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Spotlight on The Lady

The Lady, by Ava Bond

Lady Flora met Doctor Caton at seventeen. She fell in love with him. However his overheard comment about her youth and naivety has ruined her affection for him, and she vows revenge. Ten years later Doctor Philip Caton desires to wed and who better to ask that the beautiful, clever Lady Flora?

An excerpt: from The couples’ meet cute in the opening chapter:

“Excuse me, miss.” A low voice broke into Flora’s contented thoughts, unsettling her in her front row seat and causing her to look up. Her gaze fixed on the young man who had just walked down the aisle to come and stand before her.

And this new world which Flora was happily settling into, shifted entirely, and was sent utterly spinning.

A warm reddening blush started at the base of her neck, creeping higher as she stared up at him.

He was a god.

For a good, long moment she froze as she gazed wide eyed up at the man. He looked remarkably similar to one of the bridegrooms—to the rakish earl in fact. He might have been Langley’s twin with just a few subtle differences, and yet there was something more sincere and earnest about his expression, about the intensity of his gaze, around his chin, face, and build—a physical strength of purpose which marked him out as somewhat different from the earl.

The young man saw her quick glance and gave barely a nod of acknowledgement, but his face relaxed into something warmer when Flora shifted, so he could sit down next to her. Bravery flooded through her as the voices continued to flicker on behind them. It could not just be the ton’s interest in a duke and rake’s wedding—it had to be directed towards this new man. She had heard whispers about the earl’s baseborn brother, and here he was in the flesh. Sat next to her.

He was a matter of great interest to the beau monde. But Flora was fascinated to note this young man did not seem to mind, perhaps he was simply used to everyone watching him.

“I thought,” Flora whispered as the young man sank into his seat, “it is not normally acceptable to be late to a wedding.”

The man smiled as he looked sideways at Flora, “I was seeing a patient. My brother will forgive me, and hopefully, my future sister-in-law will as well.”

He was a doctor. Memories from when Elsie had been sick and had been treated by Langley’s doctor came rushing back to her. It had to be this young doctor. The man had been recommended by the earl. Flora, though, had been too busy, delighted with her recent arrival into Town. The Season was going on, and so she had not been remotely interested in meeting a doctor, who she assumed was probably portly, four times her age, with grey hair…

A swell of regret plummeted through her.

This man was better described as an angel. With gleaming, dark-gold hair bronzed light brown at the curled edges, it needed a slight trim to be truly fashionable, but Flora rather liked his bucking of these trends. Flora judged him to be around twenty-six or seven, but she was not certain. He was certainly older than her, but she rather liked this too.

His eyes were bright, a clear green colour that reminded her of lime, or something fresher, that made her stomach tighten. There was a depth and wisdom wrapped in them too. At least, that was what she told herself. He was a touch shorter than the earl but a little more muscular, which Flora suddenly decided she very much liked.

“I am called Philip Caton,” the doctor said, offering his hand to her with a formality that was again uncommon amongst the ton. Flora was used to bowing and kissed knuckles, but Caton did not look remotely interested in such gestures.

“Flora,” She found her voice as she took his hand. He was warm, and she wished to lean into the touch. “Lady Flora Fitzsimmons,” she corrected, forgetting for a moment her title.

“My lady.”

Meet Ava Bond

Ava has been a lover of regency romance novels since the age of ten, and she started writing whilst at university. She is the author of The Oxford Set and The Daughters of Dishonour series. In 2026 she will be publishing with Dragonblade, her next series The Lyme Ladies. She lives in Scotland, with her family and her cat, Gwen.
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Spotlight on The Secret Word

What does the tale of “Rumplestiltskin” look like set during the Regency, and written without magic?

My answer is The Secret Word, which – once I started writing it – took on a life of its own. This book is published on September 6th.

The Secret Word

(Book 10 in A Twist Upon a Regency Tale)

When Christopher Satterthwaite rescues Clementine Wright from would-be kidnappers, he is offered an opportunity he can’t refuse. Clemmie’s father, a wealthy coal magnate, has been looking for a husband for his only child. Someone with aristocratic bloodlines and no family—someone who can give him the blue-blooded heir he craves, without the interference of noble relatives.

Chris figures he and Clemmie can work together to keep Wright from controlling their every move. As their partnership develops, they fall in love. Wright doesn’t stand a chance against them. Or does he?

And what about the other men who are showing an interest in the child who is soon on the way? Chris’s reprobate grandfather is hanging around like a bad smell, and clearly has a scheme in mind. Chris’s more respectable relatives have not disowned him after all, and are eager to show the as yet unborn child with every advantage—because they regret not helping Chris as a child? Or for purposes of their own?

And then there is Ramping Billy O’Hara, the most sinister of them all, and Chris’s patron.

Some are villains. Some are on the side of the couple and their child. Only time will tell which is which.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FM8R25VP

 

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Spotlight on Dukes All Night Long

Welcome to Dukes All Night Long…
One of the sexiest Historical Romance collections ever!

Get ready to fall in love with a delicious lineup of never-before-published stories filled with passion, scandal, and irresistible dukes.

Whether it’s a marriage of convenience, a fake engagement, or a rake ready to reform, these dukes know exactly how to turn up the heat after dark…

From glittering ballrooms to scandalous house parties, this steamy anthology brings together some of historical romance’s biggest names in over 1,000 pages of heart-racing, sigh-worthy, late-night reading.

Because let’s face it, dukes do it better after dark.

The Duke’s Delayed Wedding Night by Chasity Bowlin

Amnesia and an evil twin? What could be better. The Duke of Rosemere is summoned to the Hellion Club, more officially known as the Darrow School for Girls. He does not expect to meet the wife who abandoned him after four months of a marriage in which she made life hell for him and all around him.

Forever with a Pirate Duke by Gina Conkle

Miss Susan Pryce has been sent by her father to with the assignment of preparing the newly minted rough-around-the-edges Duke of Hawkland for Society. Not to fall in love with him, and decidedly not for him to fall in love with her.

With a Valet in a Wardrobe at Midnight in Dukes All Night Long by Jude Knight

Gareth Lord Versey comes in disguise to Congleton Hall, home of the Earl of Congleton and his six daughters. Garry wants freedom to observe Lady Jenna, the second daughter, before he goes through with the marriage arranged by his grandfather, the Duke of Dellborough.
The Seducer Comes to Call by Edie Cay
After being driven out of medical school and Society by lying rumours, Sibyl has been hiding out on her brother’s estate, living in the hermit’s cave. Until her childhood friend Archie stumbles upon her. He is a rake, a scoundrel, a fortune hunter, her brother’s best friend–and the man whose kiss ruined her.
Trusting the Duke’s Son by Christiana Diane
Jenny met Fin, the second son of a hard-headed, jerk of a duke, in her first season out, and they shared a few tender moments. She believed he would offer for her, once he convinced his overbearing father to support that match.
But then a scandal erupted amongst the ton painting Fin as the monster. Can she ever trust him again?
Midnight Masquerade by Christine Donovan
Widow Lady Charlotte Beauchamp dances with a stranger she has just met at a masquerade ball held at the private Club Knight. After one night with her, the Duke of Tremont feels things he has never felt before. But he fears that she will reject him when she sees under his mask.
Duke by Dawn by Sheridan Jeane
Evan Eldridge never asked to be Duke of Westbridge. He’s lost his family, his purpose, and the only woman who ever truly saw him. Now Violet Heatherington is back, carrying secrets that could shake the Empire–and a mission that puts her directly in harm’s way.
The Duke of Covent Garden by Kesley Swanson
When Lady Kate Bell is delivered to Duke, proprietor of a gaming hell, as collateral for her brother’s debts, she expects humiliation, ruination, and worse. But Duke was once the stable boy Kate had comforted in the wake of her brother’s cruelty. Passion flares, and a forgotten love fights to rise from the ashes of vengeance.
The Wanton Maid by E.L. Johnson
She is the eldest daughter of a disgraced baronet, now stuck working for a rude mistress. He is the cheerful nephew of a duke, holding his first-ever party after his return from university. Together, sparks will fly at a masquerade ball, but a thief might be among the guests.
A Duke at the Opera by Peri Maxwell
When Zara Blake agrees to play opposite Silas Archer on stage as the Duke and Duchess of Adderley, the widowed star soprano has no idea that her vagabond tenor co-star has long been in love with her. In a run-down theatre full of quirky artists who are more like a found family, can she find true happiness?
Dawn’s Light by Tess Thompson
At an exclusive Twelfth Night party, Lady Arabella Kingsley is partnered with Lucian Rothmere, the Duke of Rothmere. The man she once loved. The man who abandoned her. Then the hostess locks them together in a room, with a series of clues designed to help them dig up the past.
A Deal with the Duke by Margaux Thorne
Jo, a widow, is told by a fortune-telling witch that it is time to move on, to marry again – and immediately after bumps into the Duke of Winchester, Oliver, the first man she ever loved. Jo and Oliver are two secondary characters from Margaux’s Cricket Club series. This isn’t their book. Not yet. But it is part of it.
Music in the Night by Caroline Warfield
Expect a musician visiting an almost empty ducal mansion, two loyal servants for company, the nightly strains of a Beethoven sonata in the music room, a pianist who repeatedly escapes into the night, a haughty opera singer long gone, an evil uncle, a complicated past, fraud and manipulation, past sorrows, dual identity, and second chances.
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Backlist Spotlight on Thrown to the Lyon

My latest release, The Lyon’s Dilemma, is the sequel to Thrown to the Lyon. The Duke of Kempbury, who is something of an antagonist in this story, is the hero in the next.

Thrown to the Lyon

When Dorcas Anderson saves Mrs. Dove-Lyon from being crushed by a passing dray it sets up a chain a series of events she could not have imagined. The grateful lady insists on presenting to her rescuer a tinder box containing three tokens. Each can be exchanged for a favor from The Black Widow of Whitehall herself.

She needs the first sooner than she expected, when her dead husband’s twin, brother to a powerful duke, has her and her four-year-old son arrested for theft.

When Mrs. Dove-Lyon asks him to help rescue a wrongfully arrested widow, Ben, the Earl of Somerford, is glad to aid Mrs. Anderson, whom he knew and respected when he was with the army in the Peninsula.

Dorcas uses the second token to enlist Mrs. Dove-Lyon in catching Ben’s attention, little knowing that Ben is already wondering if Dorcas is just the wife he needs.

Ben is too slow to declare his interest. Dorcas’s brothers-in-law threaten, and Mrs. Dove-Lyon may have the answer: Another marriage, this time to a man powerful enough to stand against a possibly malevolent duke.

The plan is set. A game of cards will decide the groom. Can Dorcas use the third token to change the odds? Anything can happen when a lady is thrown to a Lyon.

https://www.amazon.com/Thrown-Lyon-Lyons-Connected-World-ebook/dp/B0DGMYS3W9/

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Spotlight on Tempting a Lonely Lord

Book 6 in The Rakes of Mayhem

A determined viscount…

William Dudley never expected to inherit the title of Viscount—or the neglected estate in Kent that came with it. But duty is something he has never shied away from. Now responsible for his spirited young brother, William is juggling guardianship, estate matters, and his ongoing secret work for the Crown. Though he has officially resigned as an agent, he still deciphers coded messages and remains relentless in his pursuit of a criminal smuggling ring wreaking havoc along the coast. Marriage is the last thing on his mind—until fate quite literally drops into his arms.

A fateful fall…

Lady Bella Conolly’s search for her mischievous dog, Lacey, leads her to the newly inhabited neighboring estate. But when her chase ends with a misstep down an embankment, she finds herself swept into the arms of a stranger. A golden-haired Adonis with striking blue eyes, a devilish grin, and the kind of effortless charm that could make any woman weak in the knees.

Yet beneath his easy smile and godlike beauty, there’s something else—something elusive. A quiet intensity that speaks of secrets carefully guarded. Bella should know better than to be drawn in by mystery and charm alone, yet she cannot deny the pull of curiosity… or attraction.

A dangerous dilemma…

Yet Bella’s troubles are far from over. Her uncle is determined to marry her off to a ruthless earl with sinister motives and a chilling hold over her family. As danger tightens its grip, Bella must decide whether she can trust the debonair and dashing viscount who has unexpectedly entered her world. Together, they must navigate secrets, schemes, and the undeniable pull of a love neither of them expected.

Can William unravel the web of deceit before it’s too late? Or will Bella be lost to the shadows of a perilous plot?

The Rakes of Mayhem
The Earl of Excess
The Marquess of Mischief
The Duke of Disorder
The Baron’s Return
To Win a Viscount’s Heart
Tempting a Lonely Lord

Note: This series is part of Dragonblade’s Sweet Dreams line, so this is a sweet, wholesome Historical Romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader’s imagination.

Excerpt from Tempting a Lonely Lord

A few moments later she heard his voice from somewhere below her, which only confused her more. “I want you to trust me—what’s your name?”

“B-Bella.”

“Bella, I’m William. I’m standing below you and just to your right.”

“H-how can you be…?”

“There’s a ledge beneath you—about ten feet below your feet. I found a path to take me down here.”

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t see the ledge.”

“That’s all right, Bella. I’m going to catch you. But you must promise to do exactly as I say.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Good girl, Bella. When I say let go, I want you to let go and just let yourself drop.” He must have noticed her stiffen at his instruction because he added, “This ledge is wide enough and sturdy enough to hold us both.”

“Are you certain?”

“I’m certain, Bella,” he said in a deep, calm voice.

Lacey barked wildly as if she were telling Bella to trust him.

“I do, girl,” she said, her voice faint. “But I can’t hold on much longer.”

“You don’t need to. I’m here,” the soothing male voice said below her. “I’m going to catch you.”

Bella’s heart pounded as she clung to the ledge, too terrified to look down. “You promise to catch me?”

“Yes, I promise. Trust me. I’m right here. Just let go,” he murmured, voice steady and sure.

Her fingers ached, frozen stiff, and unresponsive, as if they no longer belonged to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, whispered a desperate prayer, and released her grip.

For an instant, she was weightless. The wind roared past her, pulling her downward. The jagged rocks below seemed to reach up, hungry and waiting. A scream tore from her throat, sharp and involuntary—

But then she stopped falling.

Strong arms wrapped around her, solid and unyielding.

“I’ve got you, Bella. I’ve got you,” he rasped, his voice rough with exertion.

The impact of her fall must have jolted him, and for a harrowing moment, his footing slipped. Her panic surged, and she let out a frantic yelp, flailing against him.

Then there was a thud—a hard, jolting stop.

Bella lay still, gasping for breath, her senses spinning. Was she alive? The air felt too rich, too vibrant to belong to Heaven. A warm, grounding presence surrounded her—sandalwood, citrus, and leather mingled with the sea’s salt.

She stirred, feeling the solid heat of his body beneath her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and the world came into focus: not the endless blue of sky or water, but the deepest, most mesmerizing blue she’d ever seen. Her rescuer’s eyes.

He lay beneath her, chest heaving, his arms still holding her securely.

“You’re safe,” he murmured, his breath brushing her cheek.

For the first time since the fall, she believed him.

Meet Anna St Claire

USA Bestselling Author, Anna St. Claire, is a big believer that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself. She sprinkles her stories with laughter, romance, mystery, and lots of possibilities, adhering to the belief that goodness and love will win the day.

Anna is both an avid reader and author of American and British historical romance. She and her husband live in Charlotte, North Carolina with their two dogs and often, their two beautiful granddaughters, who live nearby. Daughter, sister, wife, mother, and Mimi—all life roles that Anna St. Claire relishes and feels blessed to still enjoy. And she loves her pets – dogs and cats alike, and often weaves them into her books as secondary characters. And she loves chocolate and popcorn, a definite nod to her need for sweet followed by salty…but not together—a tasty weakness!

Anna relocated from New York to the Carolinas as a child. Her mother, a retired English and History teacher, encouraged Anna’s interest in writing after discovering short stories Anna would write in her spare time.

As a child, she loved mysteries and checked out every Encyclopedia Brown story that came into the school library. Before too long, her fascination with history and reading led her to her first historical romance—Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, now a treasured, but weathered book from being read multiple times. The day she discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss,’ books, Shanna and Ashes In The Wind, Anna became hooked.

Today, her focus is primarily the Regency and Civil War eras, although Anna enjoys any period in American and British history.

 

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