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CL Gaber’s Before the Holidays Giveaway Hop

Dec1

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Hosted by Teaser Addicts Book Blog

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We have 20 stops giving you a great chance to win AMAZING PRIZES from some Amazing ‪#‎Authors‬ and ‪#‎Bloggers‬.

Each stop is a NEW chance to WIN something great.

Susana’s Giveaway

A print copy of A Twelfth Night Tale and two lovely ornaments from the UK.

Every stop is different and have different instructions to follow, BE SURE TO READ CAREFULLY SO THAT YOU ARE ENTERED CORRECTLY TO WIN.

✔Read the post below about the Bluestocking Belles’ Holiday Anthology, Holly and Hopeful Hearts and comment on the post. A random commenter will be chosen on December 13th to win the above prize. International participants welcome.

The next stop on the hop is Teaser’s Book Blog.

To enter their prize, jump to the next stop here – Teaser’s Book Blog.

8 novellas – 578 pages – ~~$2.99~~

$0.99 through December!

Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon Australia • Amazon Canada

Smashwords • Kobo • Barnes & Noble • iBooks

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?

Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

About the Belles

The Bluestocking Belles, the “BellesInBlue”, are seven very different writers united by a love of history and a history of writing about love. From sweet to steamy, from light-hearted fun to dark tortured tales full of angst, from London ballrooms to country cottages to the sultan’s seraglio, one or more of us will have a tale to suit your tastes and mood. Come visit us at http://bluestockingbelles.net and kick up your bluestockinged heels!

Website & Blog (The Teatime Tattler)

Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Amazon Author Page

The Bluestocking Belles proudly support the Malala Fund charity. You can find out more on our website: http://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/the-bellesinblue-support-the-malala-fund/

About Amy Rose Bennett

Amy Rose Bennett has always wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. An avid reader with a particular love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her favorite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed—and sometimes a little racy—stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.

Website and Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

About Jessica Cale

Jessica Cale is the award-winning author of the historical romance series, The Southwark Saga. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She kidnapped (“married”) her very own British prince (close enough) and is enjoying her happily ever after with him in North Carolina. Visit her history blog at www.dirtysexyhistory.com.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

About Susana Ellis

Susana has always had stories in her head waiting to come out, especially when she learned to read and her imagination began to soar.

A former teacher, Susana lives in Toledo, Ohio in the summer and Florida in the winter. She is a member of the Central Florida Romance Writers and the Beau Monde chapters of RWA and Maumee Valley Romance Inc.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

About Sherry Ewing

Sherry Ewing picked up her first historical romance when she was a teenager and has been hooked ever since. A bestselling author, she writes historical and time travel romances to awaken the soul one heart at a time.

Website and Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

About Jude Knight

Jude Knight writes stories to transport you to another time, another place, where you can enjoy adventure and romance, thrill to trials and challenges, uncover secrets and solve mysteries, and delight in a happy ending.

A late starter, she now has the wind in her sails and a head full of strong determined heroines, heroes with the sense to appreciate them, and villains you’ll love to loathe.

Website and Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

About Caroline Warfield

Traveler, poet, librarian, technology manager—award winning author Caroline Warfield has been many things (even a nun), but above all she is a romantic. Having retired to the urban wilds of eastern Pennsylvania, she reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows while she lets her characters lead her to adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the British Empire. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart.

Website and Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

About Nicole Zoltack

Nicole Zoltack loves to write romances. When she’s not writing about gentlemen and their ladies, knights, or superheroes, she spends time with her growing family. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and visiting the PA Renaissance Faire. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on.

Website and Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest

Mary’s Merry Christmas and Birthday Giveaway Hop

Dec20

Happy Birthday, Mary!

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Click on the above banner to follow the tour and increase your chances of winning one of the fabulous prizes! Click here for the Rafflecopter!

Christmas in Regency Times

Celebrated since medieval times, the Twelve Days of Christmas was a time of celebration, feasting and dancing that began on December 26 and ended on January 6 (which much later become known as Epiphany). (Christmas Day is not part of the Twelve Days because it is considered a holy day and meant for solemn reflection instead of wild partying.)

Where did the Twelve Days come from? Apparently it took the Three Kings twelve days to find the Christ Child…and the twelfth day—January 6th—is when they gave Him their gifts. In Hispanic countries, January 6—el Día de los Reyes Magos—is when people exchange gifts, not on December 25^th.

During the Twelve Days, neighbors would visit each other and share traditional holiday foods such as mince pie and wassail, and entertain themselves with games and songs. Other than caring for livestock, farm laborers and peasants took this time off as well to celebrate with their families and friends.

Many Christmas traditions were pagan in origin, however. Wassail, which was an ale-based drink with spices and honey, was used in a ceremony to sprinkle on the roots of apple trees to ensure a good crop. People would shoot off guns and make a lot of noise to scare away the demons and wake up the tree spirit. A pretty girl was selected to place cider-soaked pieces of toast in the tree branches. Then everyone would chant and sing traditional wassail songs. Although this is still practiced today in some areas, wassailing in the Regency had evolved into more of a “caroling”-type event, which you will see in my novella, A Twelfth Night Tale.

Regency Christmases tended to be more laid-back and relationship-oriented than our Christmases today. Decorations of holly and greenery, candles, roaring fires, the smells of Christmas goose and pudding, games of hoodman blind and charades, singing carols around the pianoforte, King Cake, helping others less fortunate, and engaging in lots of interaction with family and friends were the heart of Regency Christmas traditions.

No frenzied shopping, constant pressure to outdo everyone else, wearing oneself out so as to be too exhausted to enjoy the actual event. Also no Christmas trees or stockings (German traditions that came to England much later) or Christmas cards.

Wouldn’t it be great if Christmas were to return to the relaxed, people-oriented celebration it once was instead of the commercial hustle-bustle that causes stress and, eventually, credit-card shock? Or do you think it’s too late for that?

A random commenter on this post will win a Twelfth Night Tale Christmas charm bracelet.

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

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

Susana Welcomes the Lucky in Love Blog Hop!

Mar15

We have TWO grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

But wait…there’s more!

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card and/or a Treasuring Theresa coffee mug!

Susana’s Parlour is celebrating the Lucky in Love Blog Hop with the Treasuring Theresa Lucky In Love Giveaway. To enter the contest, click the graphic at right or the Treasuring Theresa graphic in the side bar.

Before you go, leave a comment on today’s guest post for five contest entries. Be sure to include your email address in your comment so that you are eligible for Carrie Ann’s Grand Prizes!

Lucky Like Lizzie or Lucky Like Jane?

Like just about anything else, finding love is just as much as matter of choice as luck. Let’s take Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice. She was fortunate to be born into a genteel family, but since she had no brothers, and her father’s estate was entailed to the nearest male heir, her prospects of making a good marriage were minuscule. There were other problems too, such as her mother’s lack of breeding and connections to the merchant class, but Lizzie, out of all her sisters, was determined to marry someone she could love and respect or else become a maiden aunt to all of her sisters’ children.

Considering her prospects, most would have agreed with her mother that she was fortunate indeed to have won the admiration of Mr. Collins. After all, he would one day own Longbourn and if she were his wife, her mother and sisters would still have a home after her father’s death. It was no more than the truth when Mr. Collins told her that she might never get another proposal of marriage.

But as much as she loved her family, Lizzie was intelligent enough to know that it would be a mistake to marry a man she despised just to secure a home for her family. Had things not worked out with Mr. Darcy, no doubt there were relatives who would have provided for them to prevent them from being cast into the street. But they would have been reduced to living in straitened circumstances, making it even less likely that they would find suitable matches, and they would be beholden to their relatives for the rest of their lives.

So Mr. Darcy’s appearance was a lucky stroke for Lizzie. And yet…if she’d been the sort of woman who was on the lookout for a meal ticket, he wouldn’t have looked twice at her. Because it was her character that attracted him as much as her appearance.

Now Jane Bennet is another story. I get the feeling that Jane would have married Mr. Collins if she’d been given the chance (and it’s not just Lost in Austen that makes me think so). Because of her astonishing good looks, she’d been brought up to believe that she owed it to her family to marry well, no matter what. For her, yes, it was an amazing stroke of luck that she managed to win the affection of the man she loved, and that he was wealthy as well.

I don’t know about you, but I have to respect Lizzie for her strength of character more than Jane for her willingness to sacrifice herself for her family. It might have something to do with the fact that the heroine of my current project, Cherishing Charlotte, faces a similar dilemma. But I can’t help thinking that in general, luck is a fickle friend. What if you marry a Mr. Collins for security and then meet the love of your life? What you considered good luck has now turned into a dreadful mistake. And in the Regency era, marriage was pretty much forever. And in spite of what is implied in so many historical romances (and in Lost in Austen), it wasn’t at all simple to get an annulment or a divorce. For most people it was impossible.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that the romantic side of me likes leprechauns and pots of gold and love at first sight, but the practical side reminds me that what many consider “luck” is at least partly the result of a sense of self-worth and determination to be true to oneself, no matter what the consequences.

If you were a Bennet daughter, would you be more like Lizzie or Jane in your attitude toward marriage? Why do you think so?

Click here to continue your journey through the Lucky in Love Blog Hop.

A Treatise On Lady Theresa

Jan25

One might expect an earl’s daughter to have been raised with every conceivable luxury—with the finest wardrobe and jewels money can buy, along with her own personal lady’s maid and a host of servants to do her bidding. Young ladies of the nobility would naturally be expected to attend balls and routs and a host of society events in order to attract a suitable parti for marriage. A charmed life indeed, by the standards of the day.

Not, however, by Lady Theresa’s.

Oh, Lady Theresa had her come-out, made her curtsy to the Queen, danced with eligible gentlemen, swallowed dry cakes at Almack’s, like every other aristocratic young lady. Unlike the majority, however, she did not enjoy it. In fact, she disliked it excessively.

Because Lady Theresa, despite her lofty title, despised the superficiality of the London ton. The dandified gentlemen with their pretentious manners and outrageous clothing who would stare through their quizzing glasses at unfortunate young ladies judged to be defective in some way or another. Lady Theresa herself ran afoul of them on more than one occasion, but only because she went out of her way to “rescue” the victims of these tormenters, these useless fribbles, who seemingly had everyone in the ton kowtowing to them. They disgusted her.

She preferred living in the real world. The country—specifically the Granville estate and the village where she had grown up all her life. Where people worked for a living, producing food for themselves and the rest of the country, yes, even for the indolent upper crust of society who scorned them. Where people lived—really lived—their lives and cared for their neighbors in times of need. These people—the tenants, the villagers, the families of the neighboring estates—were her family every bit as much as her father was, social status notwithstanding.

So Lady Theresa was one young lady who did not wish for a brilliant marriage and the whirl of London society. She’d rather stay in the country and marry the boy next door who also happened to be her best friend, and bring her children up among those she cared about. Was that really too much to ask?

She didn’t mind that much that someday her father’s estate would go to his distant cousin and heir, Damian Ashby. Titles and entailed property passed to the closest male heir. It wasn’t fair, of course. But that was the way of things. She’d be long married to Reese Bromfield, her childhood sweetheart, by then. By all accounts, Ashby was a London swell who would probably never spend more than a week at Granville Manor, so she’d probably see him only on rare occasions. So much the better.

But Lady Theresa’s life was about to take an unexpected turn. Not even an earl’s daughter can stop the hand of fate as it weaves its way through people’s lives. Will she have the courage to endure the afflictions heading her way and find an alternate route to happiness? Or is she doomed to a life of bitterness and misery?

Treasuring Theresa, a sweet Regency short story, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AllRomance eBooks, Ellora’s Cave, Sony, Kobo and Bookstrand.

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card

To celebrate the release of Treasuring Theresa, I am offering contests each week of January. Winners will be chosen on January 9, 16, 23, and 31. You can’t win if you don’t enter, so enter now, by clicking below or the Treasuring Theresa cover at right.

To return to the TRR Romance Madness Blog Hop, click here.

New Year’s and Twelfth Day Traditions

Jan1

It’s only been since 1752 when England adopted the Gregorian calendar that January 1st was considered the first day the year. Until then, Lady Day (March 25) had that honor. In Regency times, New Year’s was considered rather a minor holiday between two major holidays—Christmas and Twelfth Night.

New Year’s was associated with superstition. The family would sit around in a circle before midnight, and when the clock struck, the head of the family would go to the door and open it and usher in the New Year. People would clear their homes of old scraps and perishable food so as not to carry it over into the new year and court bad luck.

The singing of Aulde Lang Syne, which is loosely translated as “days gone by,” began as a Scottish celebration which traveled to England when Robert Burns published the lyrics in 1796.

Twelfth Day was the twelfth day of Christmas, or Epiphany, when the three wise men and shepherds came to honor the Christ child. In many parts of the world, January 6 is the day presents are exchanged, since that was the day the young Christ child received his gifts. Twelfth Night is considered by some to be the night before Twelfth Day, thus January 5.

On Twelfth Night, a special “king” cake is baked containing a bean and a pea. The person who finds the bean in his/her piece is the king of the evening’s festivities and whoever finds the pea is the queen. Check out this king cake recipe by Emeril Lagasse. The king cake started out as an English/French tradition, but has spread to Spain and other countries. In New Orleans, Twelfth Night or Epiphany is considered to be the beginning of Carnival, which culminates at Mardi Gras, where the king cake remains an important tradition today. During the Carnival season, people hold weekly king cake parties, and whoever finds the small baby token (representing the Christ child) has to hold next week’s party.

Off With the Old, On With the New

The old year, with its struggles and heartaches, is gone, and the new year, with all of its hopes and possibilities, is in front of us. No doubt that is why many of us tend to use this time to reflect on the past year and plan some “course corrections” for the future. When you look back on 2013 a year from now, what would you like to have accomplished?

Because once the year is over, you won’t be getting it back to do over. Keep that goal in front of you at all times and whatever happens, enjoy the journey as well as the destination.

A toast to a prosperous 2013 to each and every one of you!

Carrie Ann’s New Year’s Blog Hop & Contest

One lucky commenter—chosen at random—will win a $20 Amazon gift card at the end of the blog hop. Be sure to include your email address in the comment so that I can contact you (and to be eligible for Carrie Ann’s Grand Prizes, which include a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, a $300 Amazon or B & N gift card, and a swag pack of books and all kinds of goodies (the swag pack is US only; the others are international).

January 7, 2013: Congrats to latishajean, who is the winner of the $20 Amazon gift from Susana’s Parlour. Happy reading!

Susana’s Treasuring Theresa Weekly Giveaways Begin January 3

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

To celebrate the release of Treasuring Theresa, Susana is hosting a series of contests on her web site (http://www.susanaellis.com) for the month of January. All you have to do is answer a question about the Regency period and your name will be entered for the next drawing. Winners will be chosen on January 9, 16, 23, and 31.

To continue on your journey through Carrie Ann’s New Year’s Blog Hop, click below.