Monday Excerpts!

Sorry this is so late. Let’s do blurbs or, if you don’t have one, a short excerpt. Add your buy links or social media links.

Here is mine from Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret, book #5 in The Marriage Game which releases on August 7th!!

 

Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret

Ella Quinn’s intriguing and irresistible bachelors are masters in the game of seduction. But nothing has the power to change a single man’s mind like a captivating woman… 

William, Viscount Wivenly, plans to remain the most eligible of bachelors. He refuses to surrender to the schemes of husband-hunting ladies and matchmaking mamas. Fleeing the pressure of the ton, he’s bent on finding refuge in the West Indies. What he finds instead is a fascinating stranger, a woman so unlike those of his society that he can’t resist such a beguiling distraction… 

Determined to let nothing complicate her mission to protect her family’s livelihood while covertly rescuing orphaned slave children, Miss Eugénie Villaret does her best to evade suitors. But when dashing William lures her down a path of forbidden adventure and delicious danger, she may be convinced that business can indeed be mixed with pleasure—and persuaded to add passion to her priorities…

Buy Links:

Amazon US ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon DE ~ Amazon FR ~ Amazon UK

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Sunday News!!

Happy Sunday!! Let’s start with winners.

Congratulations to Andrea Schiffner for winning Jennifer Bray-Weber’s book, Carol Cork for winning Miranda Neville’s book and Sue Gorman for winning a set of Keeper Kards and a pen!!

I’m giving away a set of Keeper Kards and a pen each week for the next month. All you have to do is tell me you want them.

The house reorganization is still underway. This week will be devoted to painting kitchen cabinets and touch-ups.

I did buy new chair cushions and a mooring ball.

I’ll leave you with an excerpt from Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret.

The morning following the disaster with his betrothed, Will sent his groom to the flower market. As he was tying his neckcloth, Griff returned empty-handed.

This was not good. “Where are the flowers?”

Griff fiddled with his hat. “Ain’t got a market hereabouts.”

Will almost rolled his eyes. His groom wasn’t usually so dense. “Why didn’t you go to the florist?”

“Ain’t got one of them either.”

They must have something. Will ran a hand through his hair. What the deuce was going on? He’d seen a flower arrangement at the Whitecliffs’. “I need to find a bouquet.”

“Sorry, my lord. I looked all over town and didn’t see any at all.”

Damn and blast. “Get your breakfast and meet me down at the warehouse. I’ll ask around.”

“Yes, my lord.” Griff bowed and left the bedchamber.

Will finished his cravat before strolling into the parlor, where he found Andrew already discussing a good portion of fruit. Will strolled to the sideboard and inspected the offerings. “There is apparently no flower market in town.”

Andrew glanced up with a smug expression. “That is what I was given to understand.”

Will paused in the process of selecting a baked egg. “Then where am I to find flowers for Miss Villaret?”

A grin split Andrew’s face. “You have to go to someone’s house and ask to be allowed to pick a bouquet from their garden.”

The egg slipped off the serving spoon Will held. “Ask a private person for flowers? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Andrew nodded. “There is a woman in the Queen’s Quarter who raises roses and lilies, among other plants. I have her direction. You may go immediately after breakfast. I was told it is better to pick the blooms in the morning.”

Will retrieved the egg and took a piece of Dum bread stuffed with cheese. “I’ll send Griff.”

“You’ll go yourself,” Andrew said, “or you won’t have them at all. The woman is particular about who she sells them to.”

“Give me the directions.” Will heaved an exasperated sigh. Was nothing easy when it came to Eugénie?

And a picture of the beach.

What have you all been up to?

Ella

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Spotlight on Historical Author Miranda Neville

I’m also so happy to have the fabulous Miranda Neville on the blog!! I know you’ll help me give her a huge welcome!

Miranda’s spotlighting her latest book, Coming June 24, 2014: Lady Windermere’s Lover  (Book 3 of The Wild Quartet)

She’ll also give away a copy to on of you who tells her you want the book! We haven’t done a giveaway for several weeks, so let’s make this a good one!

Don’t you think this cover is gorgeous!

Now for the blurb:

Blurb:

Damian, Earl of Windermere, rues the day he drunkenly gambled away his family’s estate and was forced into marriage to reclaim it. Now, after hiding out from his new bride for a year, Damian is finally called home, only to discover that his modest bride has become an alluring beauty—and rumor has it that she’s taken a lover. Damian vows to keep his wife from straying again, but to do so he must seduce her—and protect his heart from falling for the wife he never knew he wanted.

Cynthia never aspired to be the subject of scandal. But with her husband off gallivanting across Persia, what was a lady to do? Flirting shamelessly with his former best friend seemed like the perfect revenge . . . except no matter how little Damian deserves her loyalty, Cynthia can’t bring herself to be unfaithful. But now that the scoundrel has returned home, Cynthia isn’t about to forgive his absence so easily—even if his presence stirs something in her she’d long thought dead and buried. He might win her heart . . . if he can earn her forgiveness!

And finally an exclusive excerpt!

 The awkward first meeting between Lord and Lady Windermere, after he returns from abroad, is interrupted by the Duke of Denford. Damian believes him to be Cynthia’s lover; all Cynthia knows is that Denford and her husband have been on bad terms for years.

“Clearly I have much news to catch up with since I’ve been away,” Windermere said, for all the world as though he were on the best of terms with the friends of his youth. “Can I persuade you to join us for dinner one evening, Julian? I am engaged with Grenville tonight, but tomorrow perhaps. Unless you have another engagement, my lady.”

“If I did, my lord, I would cancel it. It would ill become me to amuse myself elsewhere when my husband has been restored to me after so long.”

“Excellent. Shall we say seven o’clock then? Unless you prefer to keep country hours.”

“I am no longer the country mouse I was when you left me at Beaulieu, my lord. I would not dream of sitting down to dine a minute earlier.”

“I can see that you are not. You have become quite worldly, my lady. Admirably so.”

If someone had told Cynthia back at the Birmingham Academy that one day she’d be sitting between an earl and a duke, she’d have called him a fantasist. Keeping up with the byplay between the two men tested her newly developed sophistication. One man had never wanted her, the other said he did. Too bad that the former was the husband to whom she owed loyalty, however undeserved.

She looked at Julian, who had been following the exchange with the wry twist of the mouth that both fascinated and exasperated her, then turned back to her husband. Windermere had a singularly beautiful smile, as she remembered to her cost. In her experience he deployed it seldom and almost never with genuine intent. What he directed at her now sent her heart thudding against her ribs, but it did not reach his eyes. She knew it was a meaningless curve of the lips.

She inclined her head with a graciousness that was wholly feigned. “Why thank you, my lord. Your praise overwhelms me. I live only to please you.”

“What do you say, Julian?”

“How could I possibly resist such an invitation.” He swept a bow of matchless urbane mockery. “A demain, Cynthia,” he said, and stalked out like the sleek black cat he resembled.

She didn’t miss the flash of emotion that crossed Windermere’s face when Julian used her given name, nor the thoughtful look that pursued him out of the room.

“You are very cordial with Denford,” she said. “I had heard you disliked him.”

“And knowing that, you pursued his acquaintance? Such a loyal wife.”

Her behavior did prick at her conscience, though logically Windermere’s had been worse. “I pay little attention to gossip. I am glad I did not allow rumor to keep me from a friendship that obviously you don’t object to. I am delighted to see you and Julian on such good terms.” Her sunny smile felt like a death grimace. “I have lived quietly in your absence without entrée to the ton. Caro, Denford, and their friends welcomed me. Now that you are home, I look forward to expanding my circle with your other acquaintances.”

“I suppose you are ambitious to be received in more fashionable circles,” he said with a sneer. She’d never heard Windermere speak so rudely, and it caused her fierce satisfaction that she’d rippled his glassy calm. She didn’t know why he was upset, but that was nothing new. Since the moment he’d slipped the ring on her finger, pleasing her husband had proved impossible.

“Only for your sake,” she said with a careless wave, intended to convince him—and herself—that his ill opinion meant nothing to her. “I haven’t forgotten you telling me a wife is important to a diplomat’s career.”

He walked over to her chair and extended one elegant finger to tilt her face upward. Her heart skipped a beat when, for an instant, she thought he was going to kiss her, as a man might be expected to do after a year apart from his wife. But those perfect lips came within a foot of hers and no closer. She made herself meet him eye to eye, wishing she could read his thoughts. They were engaged in an unspoken struggle she didn’t entirely understand.

“What?” she whispered finally.

“You have changed,” he said.

“Just as you requested. I tried to become the wife you wanted.”

Buy links:  Amazon     Kindle    Nook/Barnes& Noble    Kobo    iTunes  

 

About Miranda:

Miranda Neville grew up in England but as a long time resident of the United States she considers herself bilingual in American and British English. She has written eight historical romances for Avon, including the popular Burgundy Club series and the current Wild Quartet. Publisher’s Weekly has described her work as a “mix of hilarity, mystery, and passion.”  She can be reached on  Facebook, Twitter, or through her website.

 

 

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Spotlight on Jennifer Bray-Weber!!

Please welcome historical author, Jennifer Bray-Weber to the blog!! Jenn is here to spotlight her latest book, Mutiny of the Heart!! She’ll also be giving away one copy of the book to one of you who tells her you want it!!

With out further to do, let’s take a look at the cover!

 

Oh my! Where is my fan when I need it? On to the blurb!

Navigating the high seas as the female captain of a pirate ship means always being on your guard—especially when one takes a temptingly handsome slave on board.

Captain Joelle Quint believes the slave claiming to be a cartographer can help her decipher the map her father left her when she was a child. She’s spent years trying to unlock its truths, hoping that it holds the answers to a dark family secret.

Sloan Ricker has no intention of remaining captive. When the fiery, red-headed captain offers him his freedom in exchange for solving her map, what begins as an opportunity to escape becomes a struggle to make the beautiful, intriguing Joelle his mistress in more ways than one.

Amidst a battle with the Royal Navy and a first mate’s jealousy, Joelle also fights her growing lust. And as much as he’d like to deny it, Ricker’s desire for Joelle has overcome his initial disdain. To get the answers, independence and love that they both long for, Joelle and Ricker must relinquish control to each other…or die trying.

 Now for the excerpt!

Captain Quint was a dangerous woman—in more than just cunning. She had Valeryn. The first mate had been punishing Ricker for kissing her. Ricker had gotten a great deal of satisfaction knowing he burrowed deeply under Valeryn’s skin. He was an arsehole. All the extra work he forced upon Ricker, all the malicious sneers, amounted to Ricker’s stronger will to drub the bastard within an inch of his life. He would relish the moment he and Valeryn bled.

“We’ll likely need to careen her,” Joelle said, turning her attention back to the charts. “Making us vulnerable.”

“This part of the bay’s coastline is woodsy.” He pointed to a bend in the shore on the map. “You can hide well there. The problem might be the sand. The Black Cove River lets out there. The sand will be soft and hard to dislodge from, even in high tide.”

She was contemplating a decision. What, he wasn’t sure. Though he could hazard a guess. What to do, where to go should they need to escape…

“By the looks of the leak, Captain, your ship will not make it to a friendlier port.”

Rissa bucked again, delivering on his point. A saber clattered to the floor.

“Too many more jolts like that and the only place we’re going is the tomb of Davy Jones,” she groused.

They both bent for the sword. Ricker reached it first, his fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt. Their eyes locked. He had her weapon and she gauged his face for his next move. A burnished eyebrow slowly arched upward, a daring curve coiled her lips. No fool, he had little doubt she’d have a ball wedged in his brain from the pistol hung at her waist should he try something stupid.

Frankly, he was far too distracted. Bending low, she presented him with a crippling peek of the ravine between her breasts, swaying with the ship’s rocking movements. Holy Mother! He licked his bottom lip, smiled and slowly handed her the handle.

“You want to run me through,” she said, her tone forthright, her smile heated.

“Aye,” he answered. “To the hilt.” Over and over again.

“’Tis a pity, then. You won’t make it out alive.” She rose, too graceful for the lurching vessel, with a wicked arch to her back. The minx.

“The satisfaction and pleasure of the attempt would be worth it, I think.” He, too, rose without stepping back, being at the risk of injury to the proximity of the sword’s blade.

“Oh?”

She adoringly eyed the sword’s tip, testing its sharpness with her finger, before gliding her gaze back to him.

Damn all, the seduction fluttering under those coy, deadly lashes drove a hard spike below his belt.

“The taste.” He paused, picking his words carefully, and enjoying the titillation of her waiting, of her expectations. “The taste of freedom can be overwhelming. Even if the undertaking means certain death.”

“To conquer what holds your tethers at any cost still requires strategy.”

“Perhaps, but not if the opportunity suddenly arises without warning. ’Tis difficult to stay the course.”

“Has an opportunity arisen?” She ran a finger along the edge of the sword’s blade, light from the lantern catching on the smooth, polished metal. The suggestion was killing him.

“Several times over.”

She ever so slightly shook her head, her drying hair curling at the ends, bouncing. “What has kept you at bay?”

“The taste—” his gaze landed upon her mouth before delivering his bitter taunt, “—has been sour.”

Her coquettish smile faded, gone like the flash in a pan. She expelled a disgusted huff. Quint swiveled, securing the saber back onto the wall.

“Be forewarned, Mr. Ricker. I am quite skilled at survival. I shall, nevertheless, be careful not to allow further opportunity.”

Ricker suddenly wished he hadn’t gone head to head with the saucy captain. He underestimated her. If he didn’t ignore her overwhelming allure and what she did to him, how his body reacted around her, he’d never regain his freedom. Fire and brimstone! He may have won this battle, but he feared he would lose the war.

Buy links: 

Carina Press ~ Amazon ~ B&N

About Jenn:

Award-winning, multi-published author Jennifer Bray-Weber has always wished for real life to mimic adventuresome tales. As if being a mother of two wasn’t enough adventure, she writes pirate historical romances and dabbles in erotica fantasy romance. Her next two books in the Romancing the Pirate series are scheduled to release early in 2014. Connect with Jennifer and join her mailing list for sneak peeks, excerpts, and free giveaways.

www.jbrayweber.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Regency Family Disaster: Disinheritance

Fascinating Regency story by Angelyn!

Angelyn's Blog

By the time of the Regency, the family of Chichester had been deprived of the majority of its vast fortune by one generation of spendthrifts. But it convulsed over the dignity it valued most, its English title–the barony of Fisherwick. Although the house that bore this illustrious name and symbol of an Irish family’s entry into the highest society had long since been demolished, the baronial title Fisherwick remained the jewel in the crown, which could not be bought, sold or torn down.

The Countess of Charleville wrote to Lady Morgan in 1819 describing various bits of news to be had ’round London, gossip being the only enlivening thing when what one really wants is to get away from England entirely. She conveyed a variety of things to her ladyship, such as Lord and Lady Westmeath’s separation “for temper” and the outrage over Byron’s impious Don Juan. But the most intriguing of all was the following:

Lord Belfast, when he later become 3rd…

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Monday Excerpts!

Welcome to Monday Excerpts! I threw the metaphorical dart at a book this morning and it landed on chapter three. So, I invite you to post the first page of your chapter three from a new release, an upcoming release, or a WIP! Please keep it PG-13 and feel free to post buy links.

Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret

Here is mine from book #5 in The Marriage Game, Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret which releases in August.

An hour later, Eugénie and Cicely entered the large parlor on the lower level of Whitecliff House. Cicely’s apartment consisted of one large room, flanked on one side by her bedchamber and dressing room, and on the other by a small parlor with her piano and books.

Cicely called for coconut water. After her maid left, she motioned to a settee positioned against the back wall. “No one can hear us from here. Now, tell me what is wrong.”

With her flaxen curls and wide cornflower-blue eyes, Cicely gave every indication of being a silly widgeon, yet she had the sharpest mind of anyone Eugénie knew.

She chewed her lower lip. “I need to look at the business’s books, without Mr. Howden catching me.”

“Because?” Cicely asked, drawing the word out.

“He’s been telling Maman that it is losing money.”

Cicely heaved a loud sigh and made a “come on” motion with her hand. Eugénie told her about her previous attempt to view the ledgers and Mr. Howden’s threat to quit.

“Hmm.” Cicely pursed her lips in thought. “I know my father hasn’t heard your family’s company is in poor condition.”

“Mr. Howden said he was keeping it a secret.” Eugénie untied her hat and flung it down next to her. “It’s bad enough that Papa is . . . gone.” She fought the tears threatening to fall. “That is dreadful, but now Maman worries all the time about money as well. Nothing cheers her.”

Buy links: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon German ~ Amazon France ~ Amazon Canada ~ Barnes and Nobel ~ Kensington ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Now it’s your turn!!

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Sunday News!

Good morning and welcome to a very short Sunday News!

We’ll start with the winner of Jane Lark’s book! Congratulations to Linda!

It’s been a busy week organizing what will go to the boat. Yesterday it dawned on me that I only have a month to pull it all together before heading to the States. So yesterday I tore my kitchen apart and started cleaning, putting in shelf liner, and setting apart the stuff to go to consignment.

In the course of this madness, it actually looked worse yesterday, I discovered that I had two measuring cup sets and a scoop set that were in complete. I mentioned it to Hubby who arrived back in the States from Germany yesterday and sent me this.

Suffice it to say that he did indeed have the missing parts. They and we will be reunited soon.

I did get some beach time this week.

And got to enjoy this gorgeous sunset.

Tell me you’d like book cover postcards and a pen in your comment if you want a chance to win!

Please stop by tomorrow for Monday Excerpts. I also have treats planned for you on Thursday and Friday!!

Back to the salt mine, err, kitchen. Have a wonderful Sunday and a great week!

Ella

 

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