Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Charlene Roberts and “Festive Persuasion”

Oct24

Christmas Traditions is the theme of this year’s Ellora’s Cave Blush Cotillion Christmas series. Eight stories focusing on Christmas traditions during the Regency will be released digitally, and then in print version as two anthologies.

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

About Festive Persuasion

Blush sensuality level: This is a sweet romance (kisses only, no sexual content).

The terrible scandal overshadowing his family has left Lord Trevor devastated. Not only must he fight murder allegations alongside his father, but he must relinquish any hope of pursuing Lady Sophia for her hand in marriage.

Lady Sophia tolerates persistent visits from Lord Walter, yet she knows that her heart belongs to Lord Trevor, despite his stubborn honor to stay away.

During the Christmas season, it is revealed that Lord Trevor’s family is innocent and they are slowly re-accepted by the ton. Now it is up to Lady Sophia to show Lord Trevor—through gentle persuasion—that her feelings for him have not changed, and fight off Lord Walter, who will do anything to win her affections.

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Available

Ellora’s Cave • Amazon • Kobo • Barnes & Noble • Sony

About the Author

Charlene Roberts lives in Toronto, Canada. Her writing career started after helping a friend type her historical novel. When she became a member of her local writing group, she pursued her love of the written word until her first sale and hasn’t looked back since.

She has worked as a Script Supervisor, Book Reviewer for Romantic Times, modelled and now works as an Administrative Assistant at a consulting company. However her love of creating stories for others to read and enjoy still remains her first and foremost passion.

Website

Lady P Quizzes Jane Livingston, the Hero’s Sister From “A Twelfth Night Tale”

Oct21

Lady Pendleton (the eccentric aunt of Damian Ashby from the epilogue to Treasuring Theresa) is a time-traveling Regency lady who is currently enjoying the Little Season in 1813 London. She was introduced to Miss Jane Livingston at a ball, and being notoriously meddlesome, she corners Jane in the ladies’ retiring room and quizzes her unmercifully, as is her custom.

Lady P: I understand that your family resides in Oxfordshire, Miss Livingston. Are you related to the late Ruth Livingston, perhaps?

Jane [stiffly]: She was my mother, ma’am.

Lady P [with a nod]: Indeed, just as I thought. I knew her when she came out, as Ruth Marley, of course. I was newly married at the time, but I recall her being a most gracious young lady, and the match with young Livingston seemed unexceptional. [Cocking her head to the right] She wasn’t much in London over the years, was she?

Jane: She was more comfortable in country society. My father too. We did go to London occasionally, though. My brother and I loved to go to Astley’s Amphitheatre and the British Museum.

Lady P: Ah, you have a brother. Tell me about him.

Jane [swallowing back tears]: We’ve just received word that Andrew has been wounded at Roncesvalles, and will be returning home soon. We haven’t been notified as to the nature of his injury, but he is alive, and for that we are exceedingly grateful.

Lady P [taking Jane’s hands]: Oh my dear, I do apologize for distressing you. I had no idea. Here, take my handkerchief.

Jane [dabbing at her eyes]: Thank you, Lady Pendleton. You need not apologize; the news has only just reached us that Andrew is on his way back to us, accompanied by his comrade, a Mr. Bainbridge. We are anxious to see him, of course, but also quite worried about the nature and gravity of his injuries.

Lady P: Of course, my dear. Take comfort in the fact that his injuries will surely mend more quickly once he is in the bosom of his family.

Jane [looking doubtful]: Perhaps. But there is just Papa and me. [Frowning] And Cecilia, of course. [At Lady P’s blank look] Andrew’s betrothed.

Lady P [with a reassuring smile]: A young lady to fuss over him…just what the doctor ordered.

Jane: [wrinkling her nose]: Cecilia Ashburton? Fussing over him? Somehow I can’t imagine it.

Lady P [frowning]: I take it you don’t approve of Miss Ashburton?

Jane [sighing]: Well, she did seem to care for him at first, but when he left for the Peninsula she seemed to have forgotten all about us. Her lively social life makes all the society columns, and her behavior—well, she’s surrounded by beaux who don’t seem to know about Andrew at all! I’ve been in Town this year for my come-out and she hasn’t called even once!

Lady P [patting Jane’s hand]: Perhaps she has been fretting for him and is simply trying to fill the void of his absence. One never knows what another person is feeling, you know.

Jane: Perhaps, but I could wish that Andrew would marry a nice, down-to-earth girl like my good friend Lucy Barlow. She’d be perfect for him, and then we would be sisters! But he still treats her like a child—even though she’s all of eighteen now!

Lady P: Lucy Barlow? I don’t recall that name. Has she been presented at court?

Jane [sadly]. No. The Barlows haven’t the means for it, and there are five daughters. Not much hope that any of them will marry to advantage, stuck in Charlbury the way they are.

Lady P [clasping Jane’s hand]: Take heart, my dear. Things work out the way they were meant to be. For now, let us pray that your brother returns safely and makes a satisfactory recovery.

Jane [swallowing]: Indeed, my lady. Andrew must be our first concern. Thank you for your counsel. I shall endeavor not to meddle in my brother’s personal life.

Lady P [rising]: As to that, my dear, I believe I have quizzed you long enough. Let us return to the ball and set our minds on happier things. I believe young Lord Needham was seeking a dance with you before I whisked you away.

Jane [with a rueful smile]: A reminder that I have yet to find my own match, after a whole Season! It is much easier to find matches for others, do you not agree, Lady P?

Lady P [with a secret smile]: Sometimes it is, Miss Livingston. And sometimes it just comes naturally.

About A Twelfth Night Tale

A wounded soldier and the girl next door find peace and love amidst a backdrop of rural Christmas traditions.

Without dowries and the opportunity to meet eligible gentlemen, the five Barlow sisters stand little chance of making advantageous marriages. But when the eldest attracts the attention of a wealthy viscount, suddenly it seems as though Fate is smiling upon them.

Lucy knows that she owes it to her younger sisters to encourage Lord Bexley’s attentions, since marriage to a peer will secure their futures as well as hers. The man of her dreams has always looked like Andrew Livingston, her best friend’s brother. But he’s always treated her like a child, and, in any case, is betrothed to another. Perhaps the time has come to put away childhood dreams and accept reality…and Lord Bexley.

Andrew has returned from the Peninsula with more emotional scars to deal with than just the lame arm. Surprisingly, it’s his sister’s friend “Little Lucy” who shows him the way out of his melancholy. He can’t help noticing that Lucy’s grown up into a lovely young woman, but with an eligible viscount courting her, he’ll need a little Christmas magic to win her for himself.

Available

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Excerpt

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Chapter One

The Barlow Home

near Charlbury, Oxfordshire

23 December 1813

“It’s so kind of you to call, Lord Bexley. The flowers you sent are simply lovely, are they not, Lucy?”

Unable to miss the warning tone in her mother’s voice, Lucy sat up straight in her chair and smiled sweetly at their caller.

“Oh yes indeed. They are undoubtedly the most beautiful I’ve ever received, my lord.”

Of course, she did not mention that they were the first flowers she’d ever been sent by a gentleman. And considering that there were few opportunities to meet eligible gentlemen in the quiet little neck of the woods where the Barlows resided, the arrangement was quite likely to remain the only floral tribute to come her way.

Her caller beamed with pleasure. “They were the best I could find at the florist, but of course they cannot hold a candle to your beauty and sweetness, Miss Barlow.”

Lucy swallowed and forced herself to reply. “You embarrass me with your flattery, my lord.”

“Not at all,” he insisted. “You were quite the belle of the Christmas Ball last evening, Miss Barlow. I was much envied to be allowed the honor of two dances with you when so many gentlemen had to be turned away.”

The “Christmas Ball” was merely a small celebration at the local assembly rooms. Her mother had encouraged her to favor Lord Bexley, but in truth, Lucy herself had not found him objectionable. He was an accomplished dancer and quite distinguished-looking, in spite of the fact that he had at least twenty years over her.

At eighteen, she was of an age to be out in society, and Lord Bexley, a wealthy widower from Warwickshire, was undoubtedly the most eligible gentleman in the county. Recently out of mourning, he was seeking a new wife and a mother to his three children, and as Mrs. Barlow kept telling her, Lucy should be flattered that he seemed to be favoring her for the role.

Well, she was flattered. Wasn’t she? The number of young ladies far exceeded that of eligible gentlemen, and she didn’t wish to be left on the shelf. With her family in financial difficulties and four younger sisters to be married off, Lucy knew she owed it to them to marry well and do what she could to find her sisters suitable matches as well.

She was prepared to do her duty and make the best of it, but somehow, when she thought of marriage and children, it was not the kindly Lord Bexley who came to mind. It was the face of the strapping, dark-haired Adonis with laughing gray eyes who lived on an adjoining estate with his younger sister—her bosom friend Jane—who had teased her unmercifully from the time she learned to walk. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been in love with Andrew Livingston—she’d even asked him to marry her at the age of five when he’d been twelve and about to leave for Eton. He’d laughed and quipped that it would be like marrying his sister, and she’d nursed a broken heart ever since.

She sighed as she frequently did when she thought of Andrew and his affianced wife, and her mother glared at her. Fortunately, Phillips wheeled in the tea cart and Mrs. Barlow’s attention was mercifully diverted.

“Please do the honors, Lucy. An excellent opportunity to practice your housewifely skills.”

Lucy flushed. Could her mother’s intentions be more obvious? But Lord Bexley did not seem to notice. He smiled kindly at her somewhat shaky inquiry as to his preferences, and thanked her graciously when she brought him his tea and a plate of cherry tarts.

“Quite charming,” he commented as he regarded her with obvious approval. It was unclear whether he was speaking to her or to her mother, and Lucy wasn’t sure how to respond.

Fortunately, there was a shriek followed by the sound of fierce arguing from the back rooms of the house. Lucy turned instinctively to the door, which was promptly thrust open and filled by the figure of her sister Lydia, who was breathing hard and wringing her hands in agitation.

“Do come, Lucy! Lila and Louisa are having one of their rows again, in the kitchen of all places. Lila broke one of Cook’s mixing bowls, and Cook swears she’ll leave if someone doesn’t stop them and you know you’re the only one who can, Lucy!” She flushed when she saw Lord Bexley and her mother’s angry face. “Oh…pardon me, I didn’t realize we had a guest.” She backed out into the hall, shooting Lucy a pleading look as she did so.

Relieved for an excuse to terminate the social call, Lucy muttered her excuses and scrambled out of the room. But not before she heard her mother’s mortified apology and Lord Bexley’s soothing reply that he found it quite agreeable to discover a young lady so accomplished in the maternal skills.

Goodness, he really was intent on courting her! She should be flattered. She was a sensible girl, and it was pointless to set her cap at Andrew Livingston, in any case. Lord Bexley would be an excellent match for her. His three daughters could not possibly be as troublesome as her two youngest sisters, after all.

She gritted her teeth and hurried to the kitchen, the ineffectual Lydia as usual trailing behind her. The second eldest Barlow daughter was as helpless as their mother at controlling the two youngest children. When Lucy married and left the house, as she would in time, her bookish middle sister Laura was going to have to take up the reins.

About the Author

A former teacher, Susana is finally living her dream of being a full-time writer. She loves all genres of romance, but historical—Regency in particular—is her favorite. There’s just something about dashing heroes and spunky heroines waltzing in ballrooms and driving through Hyde Park that appeals to her imagination.

In real life, Susana is a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio, although she has lived in Ecuador and studied in Spain, France and Mexico. More recently, she was able to travel around the UK and visit many of the places she’s read about for years, and it was awesome! She is a member of the Maumee Valley and Beau Monde chapters of Romance Writers of America.

Contacts

Web site • Email • Facebook • Twitter • Linked In • Pinterest • Google+ • Goodreads

Susana’s Parlour (Regency Blog) • Susana’s Morning Room (Romance Blog)

Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson and “A Christmas Caroline”

Oct17

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

About A Christmas Caroline

Lady Caroline Selwyn’s world centers on her father, so when she receives dire news of his health—two days before Christmas, no less—her first thought is to weep. Her second is to make this Christmastide the best he’s ever known. To that end, she rummages in memory for festive traditions, plans charades, purchases bean cakes…and acquires an affianced husband. Oh, not a real one—what she does is convince Papa’s physician to pretend an engagement, for just a few weeks.

Doctor Samuel Avery can hardly credit his complicity in this madcap deception. Whatever was he thinking? But it does seem to improve the comfort of the earl, and his own sisters are in alt at the idea of his impending nuptials. And he has admired Caroline for so long the role of her betrothed is easy to play. In fact, the scheme seems in every way perfect. Except that it is not true.

Available

Amazon • Ellora’s Cave • Kobo • Sony • All Romance eBooks

About the Authors

Vivien Jackson – www.vivienjackson.com

Christa Paige — http://www.christapaige.com/blog/?page_id=2

On our own, we write paranormal and sci-fi and fantasy and hot cops. Together, it’s all about the cravats and Hessians. Polished, of course.

Shehanne Moore: His Judas Bride

Oct14

Shehanne will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Click the banner above to comment on each stop of the tour and increase your chances of winning.

About His Judas Bride

To love…….

To save her son, there is nothing she won’t do. To save his people, neither will he. Dire circumstances force Kara McGurkie to forget she’s a woman. Dire circumstances force her to swear to love and honor, to help destroy a clan in order to get back the life she lost. But when dire circumstances force her to seduce her fiancé’s brother on the eve of the wedding, will the dark secrets she holds and the things she wants most, be enough to save her and them, from his powerful allure, especially when she knows he may just be playing with her.

Honor….

Callm McDunnagh, the Black Wolf of Lochalpin, ruthlessly guards heart and glen from dangerous intruders. But from the moment he first sees Kara he knows he must possess her, even though he also knows that surrendering to his desire may prove the most dangerous risk of all.

And betray…;

Now no problem becomes big problem as passion and desire rage out of control. Kara must look into the soul she thought she sold to make a choice. But can she look deep enough? Only she can decide who and what passion can save, or destroy, how when and who will finally learn the truth of the words… Till death do us part.

Excerpt

Yes. This tone was more reasonable, but she’d a horrible feeling the damage was done. His guests gaped. The serving girls gaped. Even the Wolf turned his head, his sea-green eyes glinting silver beneath his lowered brows.

This wasn’t just a question of keeping her expression neutral. After his performance in this very hall the other day the last thing Kara wanted was the Wolf striding over here and taking further issue with her betrothed. Not when the notion he owed her the reprieve was one she only just clung to.

When it was clear Ewen wanted to make a show, she must swallow her annoyance that the offer would never have arisen in the first place had the Wolf not waltzed in here, stand up, and take the arm Ewen McDunnagh now extended. But the crippling thing was that her father’s dungeon wasn’t the place for jigs. She had not danced in years.

To stand out there on the floor was to expose that fact. A jug, she could not help feeling, would be so much better. At least a jug would not leave her looking like a damned fool when she was meant to have lived in Edinburgh for five years jigging nonstop. There must be something she could do that would prevent this.

“The music is not to your satisfaction, perhaps?”

Suppressing the desire to grit her teeth, she forced a smile. “Oh, no, not at all my lord, the music is lovely. Quite beautiful, in fact. And you do me very great honor. I could not help noticing though, the fine dancer you are, while I—I, how can I possibly say this—”

“Something slower for my bonnie bride. She has been learning in Edinburgh and will show us the latest steps.”

About the Author

Shehanne Moore is a Scottish author, who writes gritty, witty, as much risky as risqué, historical romance, set wherever takes her fancy. Stories that detail the best and worst of human behaviour, as opposed to pouts and flounces. For years she worked at various things, while pursuing her dream of becoming a published writer, so she was gobsmacked to sell her book, The Unraveling of Lady Fury, written in three months, to U.S. publishers, Etopia Press, six days after subbing it.

Shehanne still lives in Scotland, with her husband Mr Shey. She has two daughters. When not writing intriguing historical romance, where goals and desires of sassy, unconventional heroines and ruthless men, mean worlds do collide, she fantasizes about cleaning the house, plays the odd musical instrument and loves what in any other country, would not be defined, as hill-walking.

Contacts

Website • Pinterest • Twitter • Weebly • Facebook • Blog

Available

Amazon

Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Barbara Miller and “Twelve Days of Christmas”

Oct10

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

Interview with Barbara Miller

Susana: What comes first: the plot or characters?

Barbara: One character comes first and that hero or heroine has to invent their counterpart. I thought up Tamara first and she helped me create the perfect hero for her. She discovers Ash to be flawed but with self-doubt more than anything. It’s not her job to save him but he decides it’s his responsibility to save himself in order to be worthy of her. The plot must serve the characters and their relationship, not the reverse. Plot is easy to fix, but if you make a misstep with character creation you have to start over.

Susana: What is your writing method?

Barbara: I write via a bizarre and scary method I call active outlining. I write all the dialogue first with the connective tissue being bits of synopsis place holding the plot together. Once I get to the end of the patchwork of conversation, it know how it will end and I construct the action or plot. Then I fill in introspection and tagging. Finally I do description and transitions. It’s quick and crazy, but I have to be careful not to turn in too early a draft. Six iterations gets the book close to finished, but I still have places where the editor wants more introspection.

Susana: What author has most influenced your writing?

Barbara: Georgette Heyer was by biggest influence. I was amazed that she could get humor into even the gravest situation. My goal is to get humor into every book. It’s such a part of life it needs to be present in every story.

About Twelve Days of Christmas

Tamara Gifford gets herself invited to Oakley Hall for Christmas to rescue her brother from the reportedly depraved Lord Oakley. When she arrives she discovers that Ashford Steel is a former soldier trying to adjust to governing an estate. He is happy to have his mother and Tamara for company since his brother is supposed to be spending the holiday at Tamara’s house in London.

Though they are both angry at the deception of their brothers they enjoy banding together to find them while Ashford tries to remember the tradition of what Lord Oakley is supposed to do on the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Tamara gives him sound advice about how to go forward with his life rather than looking back. In return he helps her to see that she must make a life for herself and let her brother go. After they locate the young men and rescue them, Tamara agrees to marry Ashford, but what her brother wants to do with the rest of his life could tear apart their hard won love.

Available

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Ellora’s Cave • Kobo • Sony

About the Author

Barbara Miller teaches in the Writing Popular Fiction graduate program at Seton Hill University and is Reference Librarian at Mount Pleasant, PA Public Library. She has published historical romances, mysteries, and young adult books and has had two plays performed. You may email her at scribe@fallsbend.net or visit www.fallsbend.net.

Kathy L. Wheeler and “Lies That Bind”

Oct7

There is an interesting discussion going on in the Writer’s Café over on LinkedIn. I’m not even sure I found the discussion thread by John Reed: If you won the lottery, would you still keep writing?

I thought that was a fascinating question as I only began writing in November of 2006. In any event, I have ten (10) completed manuscripts. Seven of which are published. Not to mention the short anthologies I’ve participated in with other Oklahoma Romance Writers members, three (3) to date, with a Halloween story due out shortly.

Some of the answers on this intriguing topic are what you might expect.

Hazel Bennett: “Winning a million would not stop me writing”

William Butler: “Of course I’d keep writing because then I’d be able to live off investments and give more time to writing and promoting. . .”

Me: (wouldn’t we all!)

Michele Rice: “I would definitely keep writing. It’s in m blood.”

I especially like one from Barbara DeShong: “There’s a choice?”

John “The Cork” Corcoran responded with a question of his own: “What would STOP me from writing?”

My answer was less original because Dale Musser said it best for me: “Definitely! I would also self publish and make sure that every book store I could find would be well stocked with my books as well.

So, I pose the question to you—If you won the lottery, would you still keep writing?

Happy read—er. . .Writing!

Kathy L Wheeler

About Lies That Bind

Would a modern day woman marry for convenience to protect the identity of her daughter? Hell yes! But, Kelly Mancer didn’t want a man. Any man. Danger has a way of changing a woman’s mind.

Alex Gentry needs Kelly Mancer, but convincing her to help in his pursuit of a dangerous enemy who’s enamored his younger sister would not be easy. Soon the tables turn and Kelly becomes the prey. Alex may save his sister, but at what cost?

Excerpt

. . .She was doing her best to distract him, just like she’d managed that long ago Friday afternoon. Her sudden indifference when he’d returned from Chicago burned in his memory. A memory that still had the ability to infuriate him. All their teasing banter shared the weeks before, gone. Replaced with a quiet reticence. Nothing he said or did drew her from the steel shell she’d encased herself in.

Alex glanced to her left hand. Bare of any jewelry. With his relief came a surge of warmth that rippled through his entire body. He lifted his gaze and wondered how the dull lighting failed to dim the shine in her black hair. Made him wonder how he’d managed to contain his urge to consume her five years ago. And how . . . now he still craved her.

About the Author

Kathy L Wheeler has a BA degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Management Information Systems that includes over forty credit hours of vocal music. As a computer programmer the past fifteen years, she utilizes karaoke for her vocal music talents. Other passions include fantasy football, NBA and musical theatre. She is a long time member of several RWA Chapters, including DARA, and The Beau Monde, and currently serves as Programs Director for the OKRWA Chapter. As an avid reader of romance and patron of the theatre, her main sources of inspiration come mostly from an over-active imagination. She currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma with her musically talented, attorney husband, Al, and their bossy cat, Carly.

Website • Twitter • Facebook

Books by Kathy L. Wheeler

Ella Quinn and “The Seduction of Lady Phoebe”

Oct3

The Seduction of Lady Phoebe is the first of a series called The Marriage Game. The second in the series, The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh, was featured earlier on this blog.

About The Seduction of Lady Phoebe

Polite society has its rules for marriage. But for Ella Quinn’s eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the weak of heart…

Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady. As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially when she is driving her dashing phaeton with its perfectly matched horses. And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors. But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within his blue-eyed gaze…

For Lord Marcus, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years. Now that he’s returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant. He must work fast to gain the advantage—to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies—but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control…

“A passionate tale full of humor, romance, and poignancy. Quinn writes classic Regency romance at its best!” —Shana Galen, author of If You Give a Rake a Ruby

SUSANA SAYS: Two delightful characters who truly deserve their happy ending! 5/5 stars!

Marcus Finley “knows” Phoebe Stanhope is for him the first time he sees her. Unfortunately, his cockiness and inebriated state cause him to take far too many liberties with the innocent fifteen-year-old, and she runs away, traumatized. Marcus realizes he has burned his boats with her, and agrees to be sent to the Caribbean to manage the family holdings. But he doesn’t forget Phoebe; he names his ship after her and hopes against hope that when he returns she’ll still be available and willing to forgive him.

Unfortunately, the name Marcus Finley only holds contempt for Phoebe. She turns down suitors and hopes to be able to set up her own establishment, fearing to put herself into the power of a man like Marcus. But when they finally meet again, she doesn’t recognize him, and, in fact, finds herself drawn to him, and eventually allows him to “court her”, as long as she can be in charge of the courtship. Her brothers-in-law, who approve of Marcus, agree to help speed up the process, and before too long the pair is deeply in love.

But Marcus has a deadly enemy determined to get revenge on past events who decides that Phoebe would be an excellent target. Both Marcus and Phoebe have to fight to eliminate this threat before they can settle down to their life together.

I happen to love feisty heroines who know what they want and don’t bow down to outside pressure…and if they can fight with swords and pistols and knives, so much the better! I also love heroes who love deeply and truly and don’t give up hope even when their chances of success seem hopeless.

Ella Quinn is a bright new star in the Regency genre, and this, her debut novel, won’t disappoint.

Available

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Kobo

About the Author

Ella Quinn lived all over the United States, the Pacific, Canada, England and Europe before finally discovering the Caribbean. She lives in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with her wonderful husband, three bossy cats and a loveable great dane.

Ella loves when friends connect with her.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Blog

Georgie Lee and “Engagement of Convenience”

Sep30

When in Doubt, Burn It Down

Have you ever reached a point in your story where your characters stop talking to you, the plot stalls, and you’re banging your head against the keyboard trying to figure out how to fix the problem? You try and push through it by doing research, sketching out the plot points or letting your mind wander while you clean house, but nothing works. So, what do you do once your bathroom is sparkling and you still haven’t come to a solution?

Kill someone. Or, if that isn’t practical for your story, burn something important to the ground.

It sounds violent, and it is, but that’s the point. A dramatic event forces your characters to act and react, and that is what drives the story. The death of a character will create new tensions and conflicts with physical and emotional repercussions. How your hero and heroine react to these stressful situations will reveal who they are and how they have grown and changed. If your hero simply steps over the dead body and keeps walking, then you might have some work to do. A friend of mine who write paranormal romance likes this method, as does another author friends who writes romantic suspense.

If killing characters isn’t your thing, or appropriate for your book, then burn something down. Does your heroine have a favorite house, the one she can’t live without? Is she wandering around in your story, not sure where to go, or refusing to submit to your grand plot designs? If so, then burn her house down. That’ll get her story and your creativity moving.

Julia, the heroine of my October Harlequin Historical Engagement of Convenience has a family home that she loves. While I was writing the first draft of Julia and James’ story, they stopped talking to me and telling me where they wanted to go. I struggled for weeks, and then one day, I threatened to burn Julia’s beloved home to the ground. Thankfully, just the threat of torching her house seemed to jar her and me out of our rut and I didn’t have to set fire to her manor house. However, I did do something drastic in the story but I won’t tell you what. I don’t want to ruin it for you.

If these suggestions seem too violent, don’t worry, not every stalled story needs to ratchet up the body count or lay waste to beautiful manor houses. The idea is to do something powerful in order to spark character growth and, on another level, author development. Creating a dramatic event in the story might be just the thing to snap you out of your writer’s block, and get you successfully to “The End.”

About Engagement of Convenience

Julia Howard longs for the freedom her inheritance will bring her—but with her controlling brother holding the purse strings, she’s going to need a most convenient engagement… An encounter in the woods with a dashing stranger couldn’t be more timely.

Wounded, his life at sea at an end, Captain James Covington isn’t prepared for the dull ache of civilian life. He sees in Julia a fellow adventurous spirit—willing to risk all. Could agreeing to her outrageous proposal help him recapture a reason to live as they face the biggest adventure of all—marriage?

Available

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About the Author

A dedicated history and film buff, Georgie Lee loves combining her passion for Hollywood, history and storytelling through romantic fiction. She began writing professionally at a small TV station in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles to work in the interesting but strange world of the entertainment industry.

Her first novel, Lady’s Wager, and her contemporary novella, Rock ‘n’ Roll Reunion are both available from Ellora’s Cave Blush. Labor Relations, a contemporary romance of Hollywood, and Studio Relations, a love story set in 1935 Hollywood, are currently available from Montlake Romance. Hero’s Redemption, a Regency novella, is now available from Carina Press.

When not writing, Georgie enjoys reading non-fiction history and watching any movie with a costume and an accent. Please visit www.georgie-lee.com for more information about Georgie and her novels.

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Ashlyn Macnamara: A Most Devilish Rogue

Sep16

About A Most Devilish Rogue

Years ago, when Isabelle Mears was still a young miss too infatuated to know better, she surrendered her innocence to a dishonorable man. Though ruined and cast out from society, she has worked hard to shelter her illegitimate son, Jack. Having sworn off men in her quiet but dignified life, Isabelle is unprepared for the deep longing that rips through her when a handsome stranger rescues her rambunctious six-year-old from the pounding ocean surf.

George Upperton is a man in trouble with debts, women, and a meddling family. He is, by all accounts, the last gentleman on earth Isabelle should be drawn to. But loneliness is a hard mistress, and caution gives way to desire . . . even though Isabelle is convinced that happiness can’t be found in the arms of such a devilish rogue. Only when Jack is kidnapped does Isabelle discover the true depth of George’s devotion—and how far a good man will go to fight for the woman whose love is all that matters.

Excerpt

“Chin up, dear, we’ve almost arrived.”

George suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at his mother. Gads, how could the woman beam so after hours of jostling in a carriage through the Kentish countryside, crammed in with his sisters?

He exchanged a glance with Henrietta. “And not a moment too soon,” he said. “I can barely stand the excitement. We’ll go from being packed into this carriage to being packed into a house with entirely too many people.”

How he dreaded the thought of a house party, even if the host was his oldest friend. Worse than a ball, because the blasted things lasted days rather than mere hours. He could only escape to the card room in the evenings, while the rest of the day he’d have to find more creative means of avoiding his mother’s attempts at matchmaking.

Mama’s smile wavered not at all. “Sarcasm does not become you. How many times must I say it? You’d do better to put on a bright outlook. I imagine you’d attract a bride if you did that.”

His left eye twitched, as it always did when his mother brought up the topic of matrimony. “I’ll keep that in mind, should I wish to attract one. What do you recommend? Something like this?”

He pulled an exaggerated face that doubtless exposed his back teeth. God knew his cheeks would ache soon enough if he maintained the expression. It didn’t help matters that he’d tweaked a few bruises in the process.

“Stop this instant,” Mama scolded, but the woman, Lord help her, could never manage to sound stern. “Pity you had to turn up with your face all beaten. Why you men insist on pounding each other is beyond me.”

“It’s sport.” He’d explained the state of his face away with a minor lie about an incident at his boxing club. The truth would only give Mama the vapors.

“Be that as it may, I am certain you will meet your future wife at this party. See if you don’t.”

“Ah yes, and Henny”—he winked at his sister—“will announce her engagement to the head groom at the same time. Why, I think a double wedding at Christmas will be just the thing.”

Mama made a valiant attempt at creasing her brows, but an eruption of laughter quite ruined the effect. “You are completely incorrigible.”

“But endlessly diverting.”

“And if you turned that charm on a few young ladies . . .”

He held up a hand. “Madam, I believe I’m not the only incorrigible one in this conveyance.”

“Nonsense.” Mama tossed her head, and the feathers on her bonnet scrubbed across his sister Catherine’s face. “I’m simply determined. There’s a difference.”

Single-minded and obsessed were the terms that immediately leapt to George’s tongue, but he swallowed them back. Of course his mother wanted to see him wed. It was what mothers did once their children reached an appropriate age. Unfortunately, his idea of an appropriate age didn’t agree with hers by at least ten years. For God’s sake, he was only twenty-nine.

He caught Henrietta’s eye. Her mouth twitched into a smirk that spoke volumes. Better you than me. But Mama would turn her attention back to her oldest daughter soon enough. No doubt the moment they reached the ballroom where Revelstoke housed his pianoforte. Coupled with what Catherine passed off as singing . . .

In spite of himself, he winced. He prayed Revelstoke had laid in a good supply of brandy. He was going to need it in vast quantities if Mama insisted on her daughters being part of the entertainment.

The carriage rumbled to a halt at the head of a sweeping drive. The stone bulk of Shoreford House rose gray against a backdrop of blue sky. Shouts hailed from the yard, followed by a heavy thunk as the steps were let down. George leapt from his seat, ready to hand his mother and sisters out of the conveyance.

A gentle breeze bore the salt tang of the Channel, mingled with an earthy heaviness that wafted from the stables. The late August sun beat a gentle warmth on the back of his neck.

“I can’t believe you’ve actually come.”

George turned to find Benedict Revelstoke approaching from the main house, a grin across his cheeks. But as he neared the carriage, his gaze glanced over the bruises on George’s face, and he frowned. “I was about to ask how far your mother twisted your arm to convince you to come, but I see she’s resorted to more drastic means of persuasion.”

George clasped his old friend’s hand. “Do me a favor and don’t call attention to it. If I have to put up with any more cold compresses and female twittering, I may as well take to my bed permanently.”

“I don’t know how you’ll avoid it. Once Julia gets a good look at you . . .”

“I thought I heard my name.” Benedict’s wife appeared just beyond his shoulder, waddling from the house in the wake of a prominent belly. “Gossiping about me behind my back, are you?”

Revelstoke caught her hand and pulled her close. Their fingers entwined as if they couldn’t bear as much as an instant apart. For a moment, they stared into each other’s eyes, and in that brief expanse of time, they disappeared into their own realm where only the pair of them existed. It lasted less than two seconds, but an entire conversation seemed to pass between them.

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, George cleared his throat. God help him if he ever became that love-struck.

SUSANA SAYS: One of the best I’ve read in recent years: 5/5 stars!

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of rehabilitating a fallen woman in a Regency; in this case, Isabelle was a victim, but to the whole of society—including her parents—she was a fallen woman. Tossed into the streets pregnant with no means of support. Nice, huh? Most girls in that situation would have no recourse but to sell themselves. Fortunately, Isabelle finds a kind woman willing to share her humble home with an outcast and her illegitimate son.

Regency society is much more tolerant of male lapses, and George has made a lot of them. He never really thought much about it, though, until he met Isabelle and her son Jack. They are victims, while he—well—he deserves whatever consequences come from his careless actions. He’s drawn to Isabelle more than to any woman, but for the first time he considers the consequences before pursuing her. She doesn’t deserve the censure she’s suffered over the past seven years; nor does he wish to put her through the same thing again.

But something links the two of them together, and even though Isabelle knows there’s no future for them, she can’t stop herself from giving in to her passions. But there’s a lot about George Upperton that she doesn’t know; once she does, will she regret her recklessness?

This is a fascinating story that I didn’t want to put down. George does seem quite a devilish rogue in the beginning, but no worse than your average Regency rake. He’s arrived at a turning point in his life, and meeting Isabelle is just the impetus he needs to pull him back into reality. His rehabilitation into responsible manhood is both convincing and delightful. Somehow one knows that these changes are permanent, and not dependent on Isabelle at all.

And Isabelle…well, she too has some issues to resolve, even though she is essentially a victim here. Bitterness—who wouldn’t be bitter under the circumstances?—distrust, self-deprecation, fear—all of these things have to be dealt with before she can accept the happiness and love she deserves.

This is the second of the a series. I’ll be checking out the first one, A Most Scandalous Proposal, as soon as I’m finished writing this!

Available

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About the Author

They say that once you reach your forties, you undergo some sort of mid-life crisis. That must have been what happened to Ashlyn Macnamara when she finally made up her mind to set down some of the stories that had been accumulating dust in the dark recesses of her brain for years. As space becomes available, other plots and characters have developed the pesky habit of moving in to take their place.

Ashlyn lives in the wilds of suburbia outside Montreal with her husband, two teenage daughters, and one loudmouth cat. When not writing, she looks for other excuses to neglect the housework, among them knitting, reading and wasting time on the internet in the guise of doing research.

She is represented by Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary.

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Aileen Fish: A Pretense of Love

Sep12

Sham Marriage/Betrothal Tropes

by Aileen Fish

I have a confession: when I first began reading romance I absolutely hated the category tropes. I skipped that aisle in the bookstore and went for the big, thick historical romances with their complicated, twisting plots and subplots. I wanted unique stories, not the same old thing.

And then a few years ago I found re-releases of the classic Regency romances by Allison Lane, Maggie Cheever, Laura Matthews and others. I fell in love. Not only did they use the classic tropes such as fake betrothals and weddings that never were, they set them in a world where courtship rituals were precisely defined and enforced, and created a unique tale. I began to appreciate the work involved in taking the same old idea and making it new and different.

When I sat down to write A Pretense of Love, I challenged myself to use the sham betrothal trope. My editor at Ellora’s Cave created the Cotillion arm of the publishing house from her love for Georgette Heyer and the Regency world. I felt if I could earn her red pen’s approval, I could continue in the genre.

As always, I loved my story, my critique partner loved the story, so I sent it off and began The Wait. While I waited, I wrote more books and got lost in new character’s lives.

Then I received the acceptance letter. After appropriate celebration, it hit me—I wonder what that story was about! I read my blurb and thought I knew what I’d written. Then I read through the story. After the prologue I was sure I knew what happened next. And I turned the page and said, “Wait, what?” I read it like a reader, not a writer, and I fell in love all over again.

Ben was so romantic, and so determined! And Jean was so firm in her desire to be left alone. But how could she ignore the feelings his charm stirred up in her?

A Pretense of Love is officially my favorite story I’ve written. I hope the reader discovers like I did that the story has something that takes it from just another trope and puts in in the Keep folder on her Kindle.

About A Pretense of Love

Blush sensuality level: This is a sweet romance (kisses only, no sexual content).

Twenty-two-year-old Jean’s best chance of finding a husband is behind her. When her brother’s friend offers to pay for a Season in London in exchange for pretending to be his betrothed, she sees it as a miracle.

Ben needed a fiancée to convince his dying grandfather that he has settled down and is capable of inheriting and running his business and estate. But he didn’t consider how spending six weeks with Jane would make her necessary to his happiness. Now she’s in London and he’s in agony. A gentleman never reneges on an agreement…unless his heart is broken.

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

You can read an excerpt and find the buy links here http://www.ellorascave.com/a-pretense-of-love.html

About the Author

When Aileen Fish was eight or nine, she told the mom next door that she wanted to be a writer, but she hated writing her stories down. At twelve, she wrote her first novel after reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Well, she wrote most of it. That writing it down part got in the way again.

Aileen’s early works as an adult included a parallel-world Young Adult fantasy based on Native American mythology, which she wrote with the help of Ray Faraday Nelson in the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Workshop. Her short fiction at that time was primarily dark fantasy, and her first sale was “Saturday Night” in the Summer 1991 issue of After Hours Magazine.

Obviously, Aileen has trouble remaining in the real world. Even as she ventured into romance, there was always a paranormal twist. She has tamed the inner beasts and demons into short periods of submission, which allow traditional historical romances to escape onto the page. Oh, and she no longer has that problem with finishing a story. Now, it’s a matter of finishing fast enough for the next hero to get his turn.