Please post the excerpt where your hero realizes he’s fallen in love, or if you’re not a writer, or don’t have an excerpt ready, post one from somewhere else.
Here is mine from Lord Beaumont’s Bride.
Serena pulled a face. “I choose the rectory. I am not looking forward to our discussion with Mr. Foster.”
“Nor I,” Robert agreed. “Race?”
She laughed. “You know I always win.”
“Give me a five minute head start?” he asked hopefully.
“Not a chance, my lord.” Serena spurred Shamir and was quickly across the field.
“You’re a miserable witch, and I love you,” he shouted after her.
She was already too far away to hear him, but his heart buoyed. He’d said it and he’d meant it. He loved her. His shoulders felt lighter, lighter than he could remember.
.
Ella Quinn ~ Author 
Oh I love that, Ella! A man in love is such a wonderful thing to behold. It’s so different for them than for women, I think.
Here is mine from The Implanting, my upcoming release from Crescent Moon Press. Avant doesn’t voice his affection yet, but this is the place where he first admits to himself something is there.
Avant sank in a chair and rubbed his brow. He’d spent the night thinking of Abigail. So used to having her near, he couldn’t sleep without her and though he lay in his own bed he’d found no rest there.
A heavy sigh blew from his lips. His fractious exchange with Petra had given him much to consider. Petra was right. He had no justification for his jealousy, but he could not control it. For years, he placed his body and emotions under submission. He lived in complete self-control, but at the thought of this young woman, he unraveled.
Kary,
That is very nice. I agree, it is much different with men, and most of them can’t tell you why it happened. Thanks for posting.
Ah, the moment when he’s still not ready to face the truth, but at the point where he can’t ignore it. Love it!
Sometimes with Robert, you just have to roll your eyes.
VG!
So how far in to the story did this take place?
Neecy
Towards the end. The book has multiple plot lines.
That’s absolutely one of the funniest moments of the story, and also disarmingly sweet too!! LOVE IT!
Here’s from my book where Godric my heroine discovers he’s in love with Emily.
A vision burst before him, splitting the dark memories with its ray of light, the room lit by oil lamps. A lovely lady with auburn hair peeked over the edge of the crib and cooed softly. She turned to face him, her violet eyes wide with wonder at the miracle of the babe before her. A miracle they’d brought to life together.
The vision faded, leaving a soft, warm desire in his heart. Emily. Emily’s child. Two dreams he might yet find a way to make real. Could he? Could he find a way to make it happen? He’d never wanted anything more in his life. He fingered the soft cotton of the baby blanket, hungry for the reality of the child he dreamed about. He would love it, whether boy or girl, cherish it and raise it to be perfect, just like its mother. The woman he loved. Loved.
He was in love with Emily.
The realization didn’t strike him, didn’t shock him as he’d expected revelation would. Rather, his love grew the way seeds do, slowly, first planted the night he stole his enchanted kiss. Emily’s laugh, her smiles, her dreams and soft touches, nurtured the seed, until love covered his heart like a wealth of rich ivy on the gates of his gardens. His love for her was steadfast, entwining about his heart and netting him inside a safe, sheltered cocoon. All these years he’d been convinced loving someone would leave him vulnerable. What a fool he’d been.
Love strengthened a person. It fortified their heart until they could defeat any enemy, survive any hardship, achieve any dream.
Godric tucked the baby blanket back into place and left the nursery, a smile of pure joy on his face. He’d tell Emily right now. Confess his love and demand she stay and marry him, no matter the scandal. He had to have her, had to spend the rest of his life at the altar of her love, worshipping the woman who’d taught him to trust in himself and his heart.
Lauren, That has really changed from the first few times I read it. It is really lovely. Thanks for sharing it.
Had to think about this one – then I came up with a snippet from Black Dorn
Malack slipped out, lay down beside her, pulled up the blankets and closed his eyes.He had found what he was looking for–love. Tomorrow, Branwyn’s former master would be dealt with.
Daryl,
Thank you. That was so sweet. I love when men fall in love. Thank you for commenting.
What a fun blog, topic. I love how your hero drops the L word.
My story, TIES THAT BIND, is a second-chance story, so the hero and heroine already have a history, but he was forced to leave her behind when the king pressed him into service as the court minstrel. In this scene, he sees her again for the first time in five years.
Tension arced through him, settling in his gut where it gnawed a warning. He looked left. Right. Saw her.
“Tess?”
Shock dizzied him. For a wild moment he thought her a vision born of road-weariness and regret. Then her energy skimmed his skin and everything else—the castle, the guards, even Daz’ excited observations—fell into nothingness. Words, thoughts, emotions crisscrossed his brain, colliding and exploding into incoherency. His fingers itched. She was almost close enough to touch, definitely close enough to sense. She was as vibrant and fresh as winter air⎯and just as cold.
Involuntarily he glanced at William, then back at her. Aedan had long ago stopped believing in coincidence. “Why are you here?”
She raised her brows. “I grew up in Carlisle. You are the one in an unexpected place.”
Her voice was huskier than he remembered, and more aloof. The summer-washed color he remembered was gone from her cheeks, along with the buoyant charm that had made her as welcoming as an open window in a sweltering room. She now felt distant, her beauty as bright and forbidding as the edge of a glacier, her skin snow pale from lack of sun and wind.
She stepped forward. “Is that all? No word of greeting? No blessing for my health? Just a rude question?”
“Well met, Tess.”
“’Tis Lady Bridswell now.”
Thank you. Your excerpt is so poignent. I feel sorry for him.
These have been wonderful. Men don’t have a clue–until they do. Here’s mine from Only Scandal Will Do and Duncan is in denial up to the very last moment:
Restless with the realization he was much to blame for his cold marriage bed, Duncan paced the room. The problem seemed to revolve around her lack of choice in the matter of their marriage. Then, he must find a way to make her want to be married to him. How could he make her see he was not the callous rake he had been that night? Show her he wanted to care for her and protect her, cherish her magnificent spirit. Love her with body and soul.
Love her? The thought took him by surprise. That was absurd. He didn’t know the girl.
He winced as the truth in his heart became clear. Everything about her–her spirit, wit, her protective nature–made him love her. Even her skill with a sword endeared her to him because it attested to her strength of character to have mastered such a weapon. She was not just a beautiful face on a voluptuous body; she was Katarina, who had touched his soul.
That she abhorred him, in the face of his love for her, devastated him.
Jenna,
I love that part. Thanks so much for commenting. You’re right, men don’t have a clue until it hits them in the head.
What a beautiful sample, Ella. And what a great idea for a blog post.
Here’s mine from Love’s Prophecy.
She loved him? Did he hear correct?
Mel searched Breeana’s face and saw it was true. She loved him.
Joy, love, sadness, and God help him, hope pumped through him, adding to the chaos of emotions he already felt.
He tilted her face up with a hand cupping her chin and kissed her hard. A kiss brimming with love, despair, and frustration over a situation that held no other solution than heartbreak. And he sensed she experienced the same whirlpool of feelings. He felt it in her kiss, in the desperate way she gripped his shirt, and he tasted it in her tears.
He pulled back and stared into her eyes. “I love you, Breeana. The short time we’ve known one another, you have become my everything. My heart. My breath…My life. I was dead inside before you.”
Brenda, Wow. That was beautiful. Thanks for posting.
I love these exercises–I think I’ve fallen in love with Ella’s hero, too.
Here’s one from my NOTORIOUS VOW:
“I come to you as Diana’s friend,” she answered softly. “And I shall remain so as long as she, and you, will have me.”
God, he would have her, but not as a friend.
Although he thirsted for Vivien’s embrace, he released her. She let her hand touch his as it fell. The feel of that caress was stronger than the bold clasp of his last mistress and he allowed himself to think of slaking his thirst then and there.
His mouth was on hers before he knew how it happened, and this time she allowed him to tease her mouth with his, opening and welcoming his love.
It was not the first time she caused him to reconsider everything he had known. Northam Park, the earldom, his duty—all seemed far away as Vivien yielded in that quiet, intent way of hers to his barely controlled desire, his crushing need to join her with his body that went far beyond the coupling he might enjoy with a mistress.
Now, more than ever, he regretted she did not allow him the impulse to propose marriage. That was the only way he could have her in his bed, in his box at the opera, the coronet of his domain upon her head.
But marriage for him was impossible.
Angelyn, That was so sweet. I really want it to work out for him. Thanks so much for posting.
These are all fantastic! Kind of on a time crunch today, but loved them!
D’Ann, Thanks for coming by.
I’m dashing by, but had to put on the skids to read through these wonderful excerpts!! What an awesomesauce idea, Ella!
Okay, I’m dashing again . . .
Sheri,
Thanks for coming by.
These were all fun to read, and that was one of my favorite passages from Lord Beaumont’s Bride.
Hi Ally,
I agree, all the excerpts are wonderful. Robert thanks you.
Wonderful scene, Ella! And thanks for the opportunity.
Here’s an excerpt from my April 2012 release, Civil War romance, Cole’s Promise.
Excerpt: A rustle of skirts farther back in the barn stopped him. Golden hair, pulled back into a coil, looked familiar. The woman bent over one of the wounded men, then straightened, revealing the side of her face.
Claire! How had she gotten here?
Cole took a step forward, longing to speak to her, take her in his arms. But before he could move any further, another man stepped to her side. A very handsome man.
Hesitating, he watched as the man’s head bent toward Claire’s. They stood only a breath apart. Unable to hear what they said, Cole watched their lips. Claire’s tilted into a smile at something the man said. He reached out and touched her arm in an intimate way.
Cole drew in a breath and stepped outside into the clear air. For a long moment, he stood outside the door, unwilling to look into the barn again. Flashes of the letter Hannah had sent him churned inside. Women could not be trusted. He should have gone with his gut instinct regarding Claire. Once he was gone, she’d moved on to the next man. Just like Hannah.
He patted his coat in the spot where the inner pocket still contained his goodbye note to Claire. He should burn it. Would burn it next chance he got.
“Lieutenant.” Cole glanced up to see who’d spoken. A steward gestured for him to follow. After seeing Claire, Cole had forgotten he’d been on his way to retrieve another wounded man.
He swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t come face to face with Claire.
But as he hefted the stretcher containing a wounded private from the wagon, heat burned through his chest. He wasn’t going to just buckle and allow another man to steal the woman he cared for. Not this time. If he had to, he’d put up a fight for Claire.
Susan, What a nice excerpt. Thank you for posting.
These are all so fantastic. You know, today was a bit blah for me, but I feel all warm and happy on the inside now. Thanks for sharing all your lovely passages, ladies. Excellent idea, Ella. 🙂
Melissa, I’m glad we could help. Thanks for coming by and have a better day tomorrow.
This is a great idea, Ella ! And these excerpts are FABULOUS. Of course you know how much I LOVE Lord Beaumont, but all of these excerpts are such good examples of men conquered and sometimes shocked by the idea they have fallen in love!
Here is an excerpt from THE PRICE OF A GENTLEMAN, which is the book I am pitching at Nationals.
“It does matter. Don’t you see?” His chest hurt. He felt as if he’d run a long way and all he wanted was to rest. Rest stood before him in a simple yellow dress – sweet, gentle rest as he’d never known before and still the demons he’d lived with all his life drove him to run once more. He tossed the journal onto the little fireside table. “I’ve been obsessed with you since the moment we met. You offered me comfort the night Millicent died and I took it. I took it with greed and desire and I reveled in it because I’d wanted you from that first moment. And when those men looked at you, when I thought they might hurt you I wanted to kill them.”
“But you didn’t!”
“Then you lied to me and it felt like death.” He choked on the pain of that memory. “It nearly destroyed me. I left you alone because of it and it nearly cost you your life. Don’t you see? I love you, Sarafina. I love you so much I think it may drive me mad.”
Suddenly she was there. Her hands, soft and cool, caressed his face. One came to rest on the side of his neck. The other cupped his cheek. He couldn’t breathe. Her scent surrounded him. The green forest of her eyes invited and soothed him.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully, Lord Ashworth.” She pressed her lips to his in a brief tender kiss and he drew in a long, shaky breath. “You took nothing that I didn’t want with all my heart to give. I have loved you from the moment you first said my name. I lied to you because I was a coward. I did it to spare you pain, but more important to spare myself the pain of ever having you think ill of me. I thought you would leave me and I couldn’t bear it.” Her voice broke. Tears shone in her eyes and then began a slow rain down her face.
“Sarafina, please.” He wrapped his arms around her and touched his lips to those tears. “Please don’t.”
“There is a difference between love and obsession. The obsessed lover takes pleasure in the pain and the joy of the beloved, so long as they are the reason for it. You could never be like that. I saw how you suffered when I was ill. I see your guilt over something that was never your fault. Are you happy now, to see me cry?”
How could he tell her how those tears tore at him with razor sharp claws and made him want to roar in outrage at whatever inattentive angels let such anguish visit her? Cain had not the words. His heart felt cracked open, a dark cavern suddenly lit with a thousand candles. He pulled her closer with one hand while the other traced every track to dry her tears. “Never,” he murmured. “Never.”
She lifted her face for his kiss. He covered her mouth with his, a gentle brush at first and then an all consuming plunder. Her tiny half sobbed gasp thrilled him. Cain wanted to devour her, to take her into him and never let her out save in tiny bursts of light and joy. Sarafina whimpered softly and caressed his marauding tongue with hers. Her hands rose to sift through his hair and draw him closer still. He lifted her against his chest. Her feet no longer touched the floor. Yet, she felt light. He felt light. Something moved and shifted in his body as he felt her pour every ounce of her love for him into her kiss.
When he finally set her back down, she drew back only enough to gaze into his face and smile. “I know we will be quite the scandal. You are redeemed now in the eyes of the world. You don’t need to saddle yourself with a notorious woman with no rank, no birthright and nothing to recommend her but love. And a rather large bank account.”
“You are not my wife, Sally-girl. You have no right to tell me what I need.”
“And if I were your wife?” she asked softly and touched her fingers to his lips.
“I would have all I need and much, much more than I could ever hope to deserve.” He took her hand. His eyes never left hers as he kissed it and pressed her palm to his cheek. “Marry me, Sally-girl. I’ve been a scandal too long to reform now.”
“If you are looking for reformation, my lord, you’ve come to the wrong girl.”
Louisa, That was wonderful. You’ll do great at Nationals.
I’m coming late to the party as I’ve been out of town all week. To my surprise, it was harder than I thought to pinpoint the exact moment the hero realizes he’s in love – which, in my case, is probably a good thing, since True Surrender is focused on the wounded veteran hero’s journey (and as others have mentioned already, it’s different for the man!). So here is the scene when he first speaks it (www.TrueSurrenderBook.com)…
She set the console on the kitchen table amidst a modest clutter. She turned to find Aaron studying her intently. “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said. “Not just for last night, but for today. You and Nick…you give me hope.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she gave him a hug.
When they parted, he didn’t let her go. She could see it in his eyes, and yet she was still startled when he kissed her, so much so that she nearly took a step back. But he held her there, staring into her eyes. His right hand came up and brushed against the edge of her face, tracing a line from her chin to her ear. She could not move, could not breathe, and found that she wanted him to kiss her again.
This time his kiss was more sure of itself, more possessing, and she couldn’t help responding. Their tongues met in the open space of their kiss, lightly circling, teasing, entwining. Instinctively he pulled her closer, his kisses becoming deeper and more searching.
His hot, wet mouth moved to her ear. “Holly,” he breathed, “You must know this already, but I need to say it anyway.”
He kissed her neck. “I’m falling in love with you all over again.”
She didn’t respond, and he pulled back to look into her eyes. “Or maybe I’ve been in love with you all this time.” He stroked her cheek. “I never should have let you go.”
“Probably not,” she tried to joke.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, so tenderly it made her want to cry, though she didn’t know why. That is ancient history.
“Aaron, I…” She pulled away from his embrace, confusion and hesitation swirling in her head. “Nick is in the car…I…I have to go.”
Tracey, That was so sweet. Thank you for posting.