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Memories on WIP Wednesday

It’s almost my last chance to post a work-in-progress excerpt from The Lyon, the Lady, and a Fine Pair of Boots. This bit is told from the point of view of the hero, who is valet to a retired officer with bad memories. Click on the link for the blurb and buy links. The book is on preorder, and will be published on June 3rd.

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Jake Flynn eased his employer out of the hackney. Captain Harraway was rocky on his feet, but still more or less mobile, with Jake propping him on one side and guiding him. Jake fumbled in his pocket for money to pay the jarvey. He’d managed to sequester a few coins from the captain’s purse before the man could lose the lot, which he usually did.

Tonight was like almost every other night in the months since the captain had recovered from his injuries enough to stagger to the nearest gaming hell. He drank, he gambled, he lost.

Mind you, he normally didn’t drink quite so much. Tonight, he had been celebrating, and his friend Podger had been buying, for the envelope with Captain Podger’s name on it had been handed over, and Podger was endearingly grateful.

It was potentially a problem, because—though Podger had promised to keep the identity of his savior secret—the man was loquacious when in his cups. Jake was worried about what Waterford might do when he discovered Captain Harraway was the reason all his blackmail materials—and therefore his sources of income—had disappeared overnight.

Not that the captain was concerned. When Jake had suggested finding a way to return the envelopes anonymously, he had been told he was worrying about nothing. “What, after all, can he do, Jake? If he makes a fuss, he shall be outing himself as a blackmailer, and if he tries to have us arrested, we’ll just deny we were ever there.”

I doubt it will be that easy, Jake thought. Waterford will find a way to take revenge, I’m certain of it. The captain’s problem was that he thought like a decent man. Waterford didn’t, and neither did Jake, come to that. Which was just as well, because it would help him protect his employer.

“Come on, captain. Time for beddie-byes,” he encouraged, as Captain Harraway wobbled uncertainly on one step after the other, leaning heavily on Jake one minute and lurching against the wall the next.

At least the captain had not been losing tonight, and at least, however drunk he might be, he never forgot his promise to Jake, that he’d only lose what he had with him, and only cash. No wagering his possessions. No writing promissory notes. A decent man, that was Jake’s captain.

Thanks to that promise, they still had food in the pantry and the month’s rent, which was due at the end of the week. Though perhaps that was not a good thing. If they lost their place to live, the captain might finally consent to leave London. Jake had ridden out to Ealing to have a look at the place the captain had inherited. It was a fine mansion no more than two hours from London, and the nice bit of land with it made a tidy income.

Some pretty scenery, too. The captain had enjoyed painting at one time, to hear him tell it, and certainly some of the drawings he made when they were out on reconnaissance made their way into reports and from there into battle plans. There were even a couple French spies who owed their capture to sketches by the captain that had been circulated among the officers attached to arrest orders.

A pity he ignored all suggestions to take up painting again.

“We should move to your estate,” Jake said, and not for the first time. He’d not intended the captain to hear, but the man’s ears were sharp.

“Too many memories and not enough,” he said. “Leave it, Flynn.”

When his employer called him “Flynn”, Jake knew better than to argue.

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Guerilla warfare in the Peninsular War

My heroine in An Unpitied Sacrifice was part of the Spanish resistance to Napoleon’s invasion. This resistance was not only in the hands of regular forces. Ordinary Spanish people also fought against the invaders. These guerilleros, as they called themselves (from which we get the name guerrilla), constantly harassed the French army. One Prussian officer fighting for the French said: “Wherever we arrived, they disappeared, whenever we left, they arrived — they were everywhere and nowhere, they had no tangible center which could be attacked.”

For the most part, until the last stages of the war, the French were undefeated on the open battlefield, but their tactics and plans were less successful against irregular troops who could disappear into the population with ease and who knew the country like the back of their hand.

They were given official authorisation and support by the Spanish command, who in 1808 decreed the formation of guerrilla troops, and in 1809 gave them the right to keep any money, supplies and equipment they were able to take from the French.

In one notable case in 1811, a force of between 3000, and 4,500 men ambushed a French convoy, defeating 1,600 troops and taking 150 wagons of supplies and 1,050 Spanish and Portugese prisoners. The convoy was valued at 4 million reales.

In 1812, the reported number of guerilleros was 38, 520, divided into 22 bands. Counter measures proved largely ineffective, as they have against guerrilla warfare ever since.

It might have taken the allied armies to finally push the French out of Spain in 1813, but many historians argue that the Spanish irregular forces made it possible.

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Meet new Belle Elizabeth Donne

Today, I welcome new Belle Elizabeth Donne. Elizabeth’s writing is a natural outpouring of a lifelong love affair with English literature. Although she has spent most of her life in Cape Town, South Africa, she now lives in the American Midwest, where she enthusiastically introduces her visitors to the joys of drinking rooibos tea. With a biscuit, of course. See the Belle’s website for more about Elizabeth Donne, and to discover her books.

Ten things about Elizabeth (2 of which are false):

1) I am a distant cousin of the actress Charlize Theron.

2) I used to whittle, until I stabbed myself in the hand and almost lost the use of my thumb.

3) I have spent most of my life in West Africa.

4) I went to Europe as an exchange student.

5) I have swum with dolphins.

6) My ancestors were almost all school teachers, generation after generation, going back more than a hundred years.

7) I have done fencing as a sport.

8) I have visited 5 continents.

9) My grandmother was part of a group of spelunkers who discovered a new cave.

10) I love holding corn snakes.

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Highwaymen, smugglers and other dangers

The next Bluestocking Belles’ collection, Love’s Perilous Road, serves up a heaping helping of romance, with a side order of highwaymen, garnished with a few smugglers, a ghost, a gang of Fennians and more than one spy.

Were there highwaymen in Sussex in this period? Sure were, and smugglers, too, though the popularity of Brighton meant that they’d moved along the coast. Don’t miss it!

And meanwhile, here’s a video on the ins and out of being a highwayman.

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Backlist Spotlight on The Talons of a Lyon


With my next Lyon’s Den book, The Lyon’s Dilemma, out on July 30th, I thought it was time to remind you where it all began.
The death of Lady Frogmore’s neglectful and disloyal husband should have been a relief. But then her nasty brother-in-law seizes her three children and turns her out, telling the whole of Society that she is a crude, vulgar, loose woman. Without allies or friends, Serafina, Lady Frogmore, turns to Mrs. Dove Lyon, also known as the Black Widow of Whitehall for help, paying her with a promise to grant whatever favor Mrs Dove Lyon asks.

Lord Lancelot Versey has always tried to be a perfect gentleman, and a gentleman honors his debts, even when an unwise wager obliges him to escort a notorious widow into Society. But Lady Frogmore is not what he expects, and helping her becomes a quest worthy of the knight for whom he was named.

Except Mrs. Dove Lyon calls in Seraphina’s promise. The favor she asks might destroy all they have found together.

https://amzn.to/3YVLvPt

https://books2read.com/TToaL

This book is inspired by The Frog Prince. My Frog Princess needs someone to sponsor her into the ton.

Meet Lord Lancelot Versey

It was out of character for him to drink so much that he ended up wagering when he shouldn’t, but a night of celebration left him in debt to Mrs Dove Lyons. His forfeit? To do her a favour when she asked. And that favour was to help Serafina.

Meet Serafina, Lady Frogmore

She has lost her children to her deceased husband’s brother and faces a sea of rumours put about by that villain. She approaches Mrs Dove Lyons for help to put the rumours to rest so she can succeed in gaining access to her babies.

 

 

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Spotlight on A Twist Upon a Regency Tale

Given that the first Twist novel for 2025 came out last night, I think today’s a good time to do a recap on the series.

The concept of this series was to take inspiration from traditional fairy tales but reinterpret the elements into a Regency romance, with no magic, the fairy tale elements reinterpreted into natural happenstance, and the roles of hero and heroine reversed. As the series name says, A Twist Upon a Regency Tale.

The new book Jackie’s Climb is the 9th novel in the series, and I have 3 more planned this year. There’s also a novella, a short story in a collection and, in the Lyon’s Den series, another novella.

But first, 2023! The series started

Lady Beast’s Bridegroom (inspired by Beauty and the Beast)
Is the love of Beauty and his Lady Beast strong enough to overcome prejudice, hatred, and rejection?

One Perfect Dance (inspired by Cinderella)
For sixteen years, Ash has owed Regina a dance. His stepbrothers will do anything to keep him from the ball.

Snowy and the Seven Doves (inspired by Snow White and the Seven Doves)
The hero raised in a brothel. The heroine born to wealth and title. The villain who wants to destroy the first and own the second.

Perchance to Dream (Inspired by Sleeping Beauty)
Scarred by life, they have abandoned dreams of romance. Until love’s kiss awakens them.

And in 2024…

Weave Me a Rope (Inspired by Rapunzel)
He is imprisoned. She is cast out. But neither will give up on their love.

The Sincerest Flattery (Inspired by The Goose Girl)
Can an arranged marriage become a love match? Or will lies and misunderstandings tear Percy and Lia apart?

Inviting the Wild (Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood)
Is Ruadh the loving grandson? Or the wolf that prowls the streets of London? When Rose is in danger, he is glad he can call on the wild.

The Worth of an Earl (inspired by Aladin)
Frome falls in love with Jen. Just when he is ready to throw his reputation away for the sake of love, he uncovers a secret that changes everything.

Hold Me Fast (Inspired by the Ballad of Tam Lin)
Tamsyn has paid for her fame with her heart and her dreams. What must she pay for peace and love?

The Trials of Alaric (inspired by The Princess and the Pea)
To wed her he’ll do anything. Even lose his heart. But only the man who uncovers the Heart of Claddach can win Bea as his bride.

Plus my four Lyon’s Den stories have been A Twist Upon a Regency Tale stories

The Talons of a Lyon (inspired by the Frog Prince)
Lance promised Mrs Dove Lyon he would take Lady Frogmore from Pond Street into High Society. Her nasty relatives are determined he will fail.

Crossing the Lyon (in the collection Night of Lyons)
The golden tickets are a trap for two innocent maidens. But who will the trap catch?

Hook, Lyon, and Sinker (Part of the Lyon’s Den Connected World)
A desperate heiress. A lame fiddler. History must repeat itself and secrets be revealed before they can win their happy ending.

Thrown to the Lyon (Part of the Lyon’s Den Connected World)
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.

2025 in a Twist Upon a Regency Tale

So far this year, I’ve delivered three stories to Dragonblade Publishing—two novels and one Lyon’s Den novella. I have two more novels and a novella for a box set to go.

First, the novels:

  • Jackie’s Climb (inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk)
  • The Secret Word (inspired by Rumplestiltskin)
  • A Gift to the Heart (inspired by Tatterhood, a Scandinavian folk tale)
  • The Night Dancers (inspired by the Twelve Dancing Princesses)

The Lyon’s Den story is The Lyon’s Dilemma (inspired by The Dragon Prince and the Stepmother, and also other evil twin stories).
I haven’t decided on the box set story yet, though I’ll have to do so soon, since it is due by the middle of June.

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Spotlight on The Duke’s Price

As a governess, Ruth Henwood has always put her pupils first, sometimes sacrificing her own interest. The choice facing her now could become the highest sacrifice of them all.

Two men want her as their mistress. The Spanish war hero, the Duque de la Sombras, plans to wed the Princesa Isabella, Ruth’s fourteen-year-old pupil, but promises not consummate the marriage if Ruth will come willingly to his bed. The English rake, the Duke of Richport promises help her and Bella to escape Isabella’s tiny Pyrenean kingdom, but his price is the same.

Ruth’s decision must be guided by what is best for Bella. No matter that one man repels her, and one man is a risk to her heart.

Richport lost his heart to his wife when he was seventeen, and had it broken and trampled on. He has managed very well without a heart in the twenty-six years since, gaining the nickname Duke of Depravity. His offer to Ruth is a heartless joke—he always intended to help her and her charge. But if she takes him up on the offer, he will be happy to school the governess in the ways of the flesh.

Little does Richport realise that his heart is back on the line once more.

But love is not their worst risk. The duque is in hot pursuit, and is determined to take back what he believes to be his own.

Published on 1st April. https://books2read.com/u/4A0gGK

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Spotlight on A Most Excellent Adventure

Lorna Dashwood, spinster schoolteacher, chances upon adventure when she rides out to retrieve a run-away pupil. Adventure is nothing like she had dreamed. Before it is over, she has been shot at, knocked out, assigned a pretend husband, locked up, forced to marry at the point of a gun, and more

On the other hand, she cannot argue with the outcome. Perhaps adventures have something to be said for them, after all.

Paul Baldwin, Baron Baldwin of Ormswood, is no stranger to adventure. However, he is looking for investments, not adventure, and certainly not marriage, when he comes to the rescue of two damsels in distress, one a schoolteacher who is far too pretty for his peace of mind.

Peace of mind is overrated, and when danger towards her threatens again, he does not hesitate to ride, once more, to the rescue.

Published 18th June: https://books2read.com/u/4DrxLO

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Spotlight on Duke in All But Name

Duke in All But Name (Book 1 of The Entitled Gentlemen)

By Caroline Warfield

Secrets and lies threaten to pull them under, but a forced marriage may be their salvation.

Gideon Kendrick grew up as the despised bastard son of the Duke of Glenmoor. Exiled to the mines by his father, he has not only survived but thrived and prospered. He lives apart, wanting nothing to do with the duke, the estate—or anything in his past, except his younger brother Phillip, the new duke.

When Phillip disappears, leaving behind a letter asking his brother to care for his affairs, Gideon can’t refuse. Armed with authority making him the duke in all but name, he returns to the scene of his worst memories, facing vicious rumors and his family’s past. He also finds a grasping would-be heir, a steward with secrets, and a woman who stirs in him a desire he thought buried with his beloved wife.

Mia Selwyn lives in the shadows, an unwanted poor relation in the house of her viscount uncle. When her cousin’s hoydenish attempt to meet the supposed heir sees her drenched, ill, and in need of nursing, Mia is sent to care for her. Though warned to stay clear of the despised Kendrick, she is drawn into the dark undercurrents among the mismatched collection of residents and enthralled by the enigmatic Mr. Kendrick.

She quickly realizes he is not the monster he is rumored to be, twisted in body and mind. Instead, he is a resilient resourceful man with a deep love of family. As family, household servants, and villagers take sides on whether Gideon is the source of all the estate’s problems or its salvation, Mia and Gideon forge a partnership.

Together they struggle to unravel secrets and the tangle Phillip left behind, and in the process, find a future for themselves.

Buy now or read on KU: https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Name-Entitled-Gentlemen-Book-ebook/dp/B0BJS3GDN7/

My comment: Warfield goes from strength to strength. I loved Gideon in The Defiant Daughter, and I’m thrilled to see him with a heroine worthy of him. Every book that Warfield writes, I think she has created the best heroine yet, and now Mia! What can I say? Brilliant. Add Gideon’s gorgeous children–Warfield writes the best children in romance–and a couple of slimy villains. What more does one need for a happy afternoon inside a book? Buy and enjoy!

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Spotlight on Three Ships and The Beau of Christmas Past in Belles & Beaux

Three Ships: Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Laura Winter lives on a tidal island that is home to a lighthouse. On a late November day, a violent storm brings not only the handsome Lieutenant Michael Renten but also a clutch of pirates bent on wreaking mischief.

My comments: As always, Elizabeth has given us an adventure with heart-stopping danger and great rewards at the end. I love her wry humour, and very much enjoyed Whiskey the cat, but the stars of the show were our heroine Laura and the brave lieutenant. Bravo!

The Beau of Christmas Past: Cerise DeLand

Years ago, Alyssa and Gabriel were caught enjoying a Christmas kiss, which broke Alyssa’s betrothal to another man, and caused the pair to be exiled, far from their families and one another. Home for Christmas, will they find the past something to be overcome? Or fulfilled?

My comments: Cerise has a unique take on a common trope. He feels guilty for the kiss that ruined her life. She has quite a different take on what happens. I thoroughly enjoyed this story about two likeable people separated by interfering family.