Guest Author Eileen Richards!

Please welcome debut Regency author Eileen Richards to the blog!! Eileen is here today to tell you about her release, An Unexpected Wish, and she’ll be giving away a copy to one of you who leaves a comment telling her you want it!

First the lovely cover.

 

Now the blurb.

Anne Townsend doesn’t ask for much. Plain and poor, she’d settle for the funds to put food on the table. Making a wish on the fabled Fairy Steps is hardly a solid solution, but to see her two sisters taken care of, Anne’s willing to try anything. Yet when she finds herself suddenly surrounded with suitors, romance is now a possibility for the spinster everyone always ignored except with the one man who will never want her…

Nathaniel Matthews has no time for courting. As the eldest, he has his family’s lost fortune to rebuild, and his reckless brother to manage before he gambles his future away. Odd that Nathaniel can think of little but kissing bright-eyed Anne, who seems to be fighting off admirers from all sides. Is it the country air, or is Nathaniel ready to discover that love has a magic all its own?

And an excerpt.

“I hereby decree the word spinster be stricken from all manner of speech.” Anne Townsend waved her makeshift wand from her perch at the top of the Fairy Steps. She cleared her voice in her most royal manner. “Furthermore, the word shall be stricken from every document in my fair kingdom!” The small village of Beetham shimmered in the gold cast of the late autumn sun, completely unaffected by her pronouncement.

Typical. She threw the stick down the uneven stones she’d just climbed.

Plain, practical, boring Anne

Was too plain to catch a man.

If she caught the eye of one,

To her sister he would run.

The truth of the stupid childhood taunt stared back at her every blasted day. She was plain. She’d never attracted any man she deemed suitable. It wasn’t as if she was being picky. He just had to be reasonably wealthy, reasonably handsome, reasonably witty, and not stupid.

Therein lay the difficulty. No man had met all the requirements. If he was handsome, he was either poor or witless. If he wasn’t handsome, he had funds and was as old as the Fairy Steps.

It was of little matter. A modern woman made the best of things. Modern women didn’t settle for some old shriveled-up man. And she would be a modern woman if it killed her.

Five years ago, the lure of magic in the Fairy Steps had stirred her romantic heart. A wish could fix anything: poverty, loneliness, and love. God, what a ninny she’d been.

The only thing that fixed poverty and loneliness was money.

Daily her sisters, Sophia and Juliet, whined about their lack of funds. They argued over stupid ribbons. They complained about their old, unfashionable dresses. Her sisters had no inkling of the trouble they were in.

They needed fuel for the approaching winter, food for larder, and coins to pay the two servants Anne couldn’t do without. It took blunt. Blunt was what she needed more than anything.

If the confounded fairy showed up today, Anne wouldn’t hesitate. She’d wish for the ready. Pots of it.

Anne closed her eyes and embraced the rare moment of peace. No arguing, whining, bickering, nagging, tormenting, or complaining. Just beautiful, glorious silence.

A cold gust of wind blew the tendrils of hair from her face and chased a shiver up her spine. Dried leaves rattled behind her as they skated across the rock. A twig snapped behind her.

Her eyes flew open. She wasn’t alone.

Buy links. Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

 

About Eileen.

Eileen Richards has been writing for most of her life. Poetry, totally inappropriate answers to essay questions in school, and interesting error codes during her 30 year IT career has prepared her for the manic world of publishing.

She writes sassy regency romps set in the small villages of England where the rules are bent a bit and gossip rules the day.

Eileen resides with her husband and their diva of a greyhound in North Carolina.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.eileenrichardsauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoreileenrichards

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/EileenRAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EileenRAuthor

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Monday Excerpts!

It’s time to strut your stuff!! Let’s do secondary characters.

I’m about two weeks out from my next release, so mine is from Miss Featherton’s Christmas Prince.

After spending over four hours at her mother’s modiste, Amanda rushed through the door of her home, still trying to decide how she going to convince Meg to end her pursuit of Viscount Throughgood. Meg was beautiful and vivacious and everything Amanda was not. If Meg set her cap at his lordship, she would surely catch him. It was not that Amanda did not wish her friend happiness; she wanted nothing more. Yet despite what her friend had said about giving up on love, she still believed Meg would find the right gentleman for her, and Amanda did not believe it would be Lord Throughgood. He had been so kind to her last evening, even going so far as to request a dance at the next entertainment, and he had made an appointment to take her riding in the Park to-day. For which she must change immediately if she was not to be late. She smiled as she remembered how easily they had conversed, as if they had known each other forever and not merely a few hours.

As she entered the hall and almost ran into the round hall table. A large bouquet of hot-house roses stood in a vase in the center. “Where did these come from?”

“They are for you, miss.” The butler directed her attention to the smallish piece of white paper. “The card is next to them.”

Amanda donned her glasses and read the words, hardly able to believe them.

<LET>My dear Miss Hiller,

Please accept this small token of my regard. I saw them this morning and their loveliness reminded me of you.

Yr servant,

C, Viscount Throughgood

From the moment she first saw him, he had struck her as the most handsome gentleman at the ball. His lovely brown hair curled softly. His blue eyes, with just a hint of gray, had smiled at her. He was not very tall, but more than tall enough for her. The fact that he was a little plump appealed as well. After all, she was no sylph. When they had danced together there had been no awkwardness at all. They just seemed to fit together.

She clutched the note to her bosom and buried her nose in the blooms. She could happily remain there for a life-time. There must be some way to preserve the roses. “Oh my,” she mumbled into the flowers. “No one has ever called me lovely!”

“I’m quite sure that is not true,” her mother said prosaically. “Just the other day your father said you were a beautiful girl and one day some gentleman would recognize it.” Amanda lifted her head. Mama had stopped and glanced at the flowers as if seeing them for the first time. “Who are those from?”

“Lord Throughgood.” Amanda reverently breathed the words. She felt as if she had died and gone to heaven. No one had ever sent her flowers before. “I hope you do not mind that I already opened the card. It is perfectly unexceptionable.”

“Well.” Her mother was still staring at the bouquet as if it might disappear at any moment. “What a nice young man. We must invite him to dinner.”

Still clutching the card, she threw her arms around her mother. “Oh, could we?”

Mama patted Amanda’s back. “Now, do not be such a goose. Naturally, I shall send him an invitation.”

Mama held out her hand, and Amanda dutifully gave the missive to her mother. After a few moments, Mama said, “Very unexceptionable. I shall look forward to meeting his lordship. Now you must change, or have you forgot he is taking you for a ride today?”

The moment she had read the missive, she had forgot. “No, I’m on my way to my room now.” Amanda practically floated to her chamber, then fell on her bed. “Oh, Jubie, I think I am falling in love.”

Her maid had received the flowers from a footman who had brought them up, and placed them on Amanda’s dressing table. “There, you see. There was nothing to worry about. How many times have I told you that the right gentleman would come along? Stand up and let me get you out of your gown.”

Amanda stood, allowing her maid to take charge. She was the happiest lady in the world, except for one small problem. What was she going to say to Meg? She had just recovered from Lord Swindon when Lord Tarlington broke her heart. If Amanda was truly the good friend she thought she was, she would step aside for Meg to have Lord Throughgood. Then again, gentlemen regularly fell in love with Meg. This might be Amanda’s only chance at love and happiness. She re-read the note and sighed.

Buy Links.

Amazon http://amzn.to/1FbRDE1

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1ZQy5BF

Apple http://apple.co/1LFhzg2

B&N http://bit.ly/1KWU6nE

Google http://bit.ly/1EsPLvs

Kobo http://bit.ly/1FbSi8l

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Sunday News!!

I’m finally back, but only for another week. After that, I’ll be off on a ten to fourteen day passage to the Caribbean.

Let’s begin with the weekend’s book winners! Congratulations to Gaelicark who won Nicola Davidson’s book, One Forbidden Knight!

Congratulations also goes to Jeanne Miro for winning Louisa Cornell’s book Christmas Revels!

 

 

 

As for my book news. Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret is on a BookBub sale today for $.99!!

Here is the blurb.

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…

And buy links. Amazon ~ B&N ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

Fun stuff has been going on with my November release, Miss Featherton’s Christmas Prince. She received a 4-star review from Romantic Times.

The Marriage Games series winds down in this last entry that is full of surprises. Victims of a matchmaking godmother and a dowager duchess, Meg and Damon slowly realize they are meant for each other in Quinn’s entertaining novel. Poignant at times, it’s a story to savor by a crackling fire.

And a 4.5 star Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews!

Ella Quinn gifts readers with a lovely historical, holiday romance.

Meg Featherton aims to have a fiancée before the holiday season ends, however she’s convinced after two separate heartbreak that love is not in the cards for her and settles on an amiable man she believes will make a suitable husband. The Marquis of Hawksworth has other plans he wants Meg for himself and he’s determined she’ll fall in love with him. With the help of some allies can Damon win her over?

Buy links can be found here.

Hubby and I have been doing a great deal of traveling in the past few weeks. After the Annapolis Sailboat show, I went to the NJ RWA conference, and got to hang out with reader and author friends. Then we started heading south staying in Rhode River, Solomons, Ingram Bay, Deltavilla, and Poquoson until we reached Hampton, VA earlier today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From here I’ll be dividing my time between getting the next book done and preparing the boat for going off-shore.

How have you been doing?

Ella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Guest Author Louisa Cornell!

It is my great pleasure to welcome my friend and fabulous Regency author Louisa Cornell to the blog! Louisa is here to tell you about the Christmas box set she and three other talented authors have put together. And she is giving away a copy to one of you. All you have to do is tell her you want it!

We begin with the cover.

 

Next the blurbs.

Let the Revels begin—again! Four new stories with four distinctive voices:

The Vicar’s Christmas – Margaret Trent never needs anything or anyone, but when two London solicitors show up on her doorstep, she needs a hero. Enter Henry Ogden, mild-mannered village vicar. Hardly the stuff of heroes . . . until adversity brings out unexpected talents.

A Christmas Equation – A chance meeting between a reluctant viscount and a self-effacing companion revives memories of their shared past—a time when they were very different people. With secrets to keep, Sarah Clendenin wishes Benjamin Radcliff gone . . . but he’s making calculations of his own.

Crimson Snow – A trail of blood drops leads Jane Merrywether to a wounded stranger—the only person standing in the way of her wicked guardian becoming an earl. John Rexford, long-thought dead, has returned to claim his inheritance and his promised bride . . . if he can survive a murderous Christmas.

A Perfectly Unregimented Christmas – After years at war, Viscount Pennyworth returns to his ancestral home to find some peace and quiet and to avoid the holiday he loathes. But four naughty boys, a bonnet-wearing goat, a one-eyed cat, a family secret, and one Annabelle Winters, governess, make this a Christmas he’ll never forget.

 

And an excerpt.

A PERFECTLY UNREGIMENTED CHRISTMAS

“Belle.” His voice a hoarse whisper, he traced her face with kisses—her closed eyes, her cheeks, her nose, her jaw, and the tender spot at the side of her neck. Like the hawk soaring from an ash tree into an endless sky, her heart flew. “My Annabelle.”

His?

Oh no. What had she done?

Belle pushed against his chest.

He did not release her but rested his forehead, eyes closed, on hers. “I won’t apologize. Not for a single moment of it.”

“There is no need, my lord. I am equally to blame.” She gulped a breath. Her body shook, and she prayed he would believe it was the cold. One by one, she tucked every sensation he’d stirred into the secret recesses of her mind. Every woman had a place she kept the few precious memories life had afforded her. Belle’s place was now filled with the last few moments.

He opened his eyes. Then opened his hands, still fisted against her back. Belle backed away. She shook out her cloak and patted her disheveled hair. She took a step down the path toward the house. Lord Pennyworth—Ben grabbed her arm.

“We should return to the Hall. They will wonder—”

“To hell with what they will wonder. What is it, Mrs. Winters? What secrets are you keeping from me? Who are you, Annabelle?”

For the first time, she read every unspoken word in those stark features. She’d allowed herself to grow weary. Comfort and a place to let someone else be strong was a powerful lure. To not take what he offered broke her heart.

“I am a woman who knows the price of kisses, my lord. And it is a price I cannot afford.” She walked toward the terrace she saw dimly through the snow and whatever else blurred her vision. “Stop questioning the boys,” she said without turning around. “It is unfair and beneath you, Lord Pennyworth.”

In that moment, so was she.

Buy links. Amazon ~ B&N ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

About Louisa.

Louisa Cornell read her first historical romance novel, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, at the age of nine. This inspired her to spend the next three years of her young life writing the most horrible historical romance novel ever written. Fortunately it has yet to see the light of day. As Louisa spent those three years living in a little English village in Suffolk (Thanks to her father’s Air Force career.) it is no surprise she developed a lifelong love of all things British, especially British history and Regency-set romance novels. (And Earl Grey tea!)

During those same three years, Louisa’s vocal talent was discovered. Her study of music began at the London College of Music and continued once she returned to the States. After four music degrees and a year of study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, Louisa was fortunate enough to embark on a singing career in opera houses in Germany, Austria, and most of Eastern Europe.

Now retired from an active career in opera, Louisa has returned to her first love – writing Regency-set historical romance. Her publication debut, A PERFECTLY DREADFUL CHRISTMAS (from the anthology Christmas Revels,) won the 2015 Holt Medallion for Best Romance Novella.

Two time Golden Heart finalist, three time Daphne du Maurier winner, and three time Royal Ascot winner, Louisa is a member of RWA, SMRWA and the Beau Monde Chapter of RWA. She lives in LA (Lower Alabama) with a Chihuahua so grouchy he has been banned from six veterinary clinics, several perfectly amiable small dogs, and a cat who terminates vermin with extreme prejudice.

You can learn more about Louisa and her future publication plans at :   www.louisacornell.com and https://www.facebook.com/RegencyWriterLouisaCornell or follow her on Twitter @LouisaCornell.

 

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Guest Author Nicola Davidson!!

Please welcome our guest today, Nicola Davidson. She is here with her latest book, One Forbidden Knight. And she’s giving away a copy to one of you!! All you have to do is leave a comment telling her you want it.

We begin with the cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next the blurb.

Catherine Linwood is amongst the favored of Tudor Queen Mary–until her physician father dies mysteriously. She’s distraught, shunned and desperate for answers. Catherine’s only ally is Sir Brandon FitzAlan…who is willing to risk his life to protect hers. While the handsome stranger’s courage and wit soon capture her heart, his true allegiance and purpose is uncertain.

Brand is well used to the lies and shadows of court. Yet nothing prepares him for his sizzling attraction to innocent Catherine, or the deadly plot she is tangled in, for her father took a secret to his grave that could tear Catholic England apart. With one chance at salvation, Brand and Catherine begin a cross-country journey that reveals the shocking truth…and a burning passion that could save or destroy them both.

And now an excerpt.

Taking a shaky breath, forgetting every one of the edicts Papa had ever taught about ladylike behavior, Catherine turned, shoving and

elbowing her way through the rapidly gathering crowd to run in the direction of the Grand Duke Inn. Brand was there, waiting for her. He would know what to do, how to make sense of the words she’d heard, the sickening scene she’d just witnessed.

Blindly, she stumbled along the street, pushing past washerwomen, children splashing in puddles and a group of men huddled around a crate with cards and coins piled on top.

“Mistress Linwood!”

Even as she desperately wanted to ignore the call, her head twisted to see the guards attempting to barrel their way through the throngs of people behind her. Forcing her aching legs to continue forward, she sent another prayer heavenward when she finally saw the familiar high wooden sign of the Grand Duke dangling from a wrought iron hook in the distance.

“MISTRESS LINWOOD! STOP!”

Terror nearly robbed her of breath at the furious roar, but this time she didn’t pause to see how far behind the guards were. The inn was near. So near. Thirty feet at most. If she could just make it inside without causing a stir, Brand would find and protect her.

Some instinct compelled her to slow to a brisk walk—no lady burst into an inn scarlet-faced and panting—and she swiftly reached up to check her elegant velvet hood was still in place. There and secure. Thank heavens. If she looked like a criminal, she would be thrown straight back out on the street—

The thought vanished in a surge of icy panic as two steel-like arms closed around her body. One crossed her breasts, clamping both elbows to her sides and leaving her hands dangling helplessly, the other sliding up so a large palm could seal her mouth, rendering an instinctive cry for help into nothing more than a muffled squeak. Finally she was spun around like she weighed no more than a feather, away from the relative safety of the open street and into a dark, fetid alley.

Sweet blessed virgin.

They’d caught her.

Buy links. Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo

About Nicola.

New Zealander Nicola Davidson always adored words, romance and history, so writing historical romance was a logical career progression…er, eventually. After completing a communications degree and journalism diploma she left to teach English in Taiwan and travel through Asia before returning home to work in television. Jobs in tertiary education, local government communications and print media followed, but the lords and ladies in her head wouldn’t hold their peace a moment longer and so began the years of professional daydreaming. When not chained to a computer writing wickedly sexy, witty and twisty turny stories, Nicola can be found ambling along a beach, cheering on the champion All Blacks rugby team or driving her nearest and dearest batty with her history geekisms, chocolate hoarding and complete lack of domestic skills.
Keep up with Nicola’s news on Twitter (@NicolaMDavidson) Facebook (Nicola Davidson – Author) or her website http://www.nicola-davidson.com

 

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Monday Excerpts

I just got back from the NJ RWA conference, and today were starting to sail south. So, let’s post blurbs and buy links.

Here’s mine from Miss Featherton’s Christmas Prince, that has received a 4.5 star Top Choice from Night Owl and a 4 star from RT!!

Ella Quinn’s wealthy, titled bachelors think they’re immune to romantic notions. Yet no matter how they try to evade it, love somehow finds a way…

In the two seasons since her triumphant debut, Meg Featherton’s heart has been tested to its limits. Her first suitor: a criminal. The second, a cur. For her third act, Meg vows to leave love completely out of the marriage equation. She has set her sights on a newly made viscount whom she could take or leave. However, now she must avoid his handsome, roguish, irresistible best friend like the plague. It’s no easy feat, as they are all attending the same house party…

Damon, Marquis of Hawksworth, cannot imagine why Miss Featherton seems so damn disinterested—or why he cares so terribly much. Certainly Meg is a fine wifely prospect for a man in his position, but more than that, he finds he longs for her as he has never done for another woman. She may be determined to protect her heart, but Damon is equally set on winning her over, one delicious kiss at a time…

Amazon http://amzn.to/1FbRDE1

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1ZQy5BF

Apple http://apple.co/1LFhzg2

B&N http://bit.ly/1KWU6nE

Google http://bit.ly/1EsPLvs

Kobo http://bit.ly/1FbSi8l

Now it’s your turn!!

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Guest Author Ally Broadfield!

Please join me in welcoming Ally Broadfield back to the blog. Ally is here today with her latest book Say You’ll Love Me, and she’ll be giving away a copy! All you have to do is tell her you want the book!

We begin with the lovely cover!

Now the blurb.

She may be his favorite mystery…

All of Lady Abigail Hurst’s dreams seem to be coming true when at long last her childhood sweetheart asks for her hand. But when a maid is found dead, and her betrothed is the chief suspect, Abigail begins to wonder just what manner of man she’s marrying…

The Marquess of Longcroft, Edmund Townsend, has always preferred complex mathematical equations to the trappings of society. And love? Love is a non-quantifiable concept. Still, Lady Abigail is his sister’s friend, and he finds himself drawn into the mystery of her affianced… even as he begins to anticipate Lady Abigail’s company with unfathomable pleasure.

Investigating the murder may reveal more than the sordid truth. It may just reveal the love Abigail always wanted… a little too late.

And an excerpt

Edmund helped the ladies exit the carriage and they entered a dress shop where Abigail thought they might have a fichu made for his mother. Discomfort overtook him the moment they entered. Though it was quite fancy for a shop, the air was close and he appeared to be the only male in the building. There were far too many things crammed into the space.

Abigail led them up to the counter and inspected several lengths of silk. “What colors does Lady Longcroft favor?”

Edmund frowned. “She only recently switched from black to grey, so it is difficult to say.”

“She has also been wearing lavender recently,” Henrietta said.

“Lavender? Like the flower? Isn’t that just purple?” Women had so confounded many names for colors.

Abigail raised a brow at him. “Lavender is used for half-mourning and is generally much lighter than purple, which is seldom worn by ladies unless they are attempting to attract attention to themselves.”

“Aren’t women always attempting to attract attention to themselves?”

“Of course not,” Georgiana said. “Henrietta tries never to draw attention to herself, and Abigail could certainly do with less attention right now.”

Suitably chastised, he said, “Of course. My apologies.”

“To get back to the matter at hand, Mama used to enjoy wearing shades of green and gold before Papa died,” Henrietta said.

“Let us hope we can convince her to go back to wearing those colors, then, in which case we shall need to choose a fabric that will coordinate with many colors.” Abigail turned to him and stared into his eyes, sending his heart pounding.

“Are her eyes the same shade of brown as yours?

He nodded, unable to look away from her intense scrutiny.

“Then gold, or perhaps bronze would suit her well. It shall be up to you and your sisters to convince her that it is time for her to shed her mourning and wear color again.”

He must have looked terrified by the prospect because Abigail nearly choked attempting to hold back her laughter.

“What type of fabrics does she favor?”

He shrugged. “The types of fabrics ladies use for gowns, I guess.” He pulled at his cravat and shot a panicked look at his sisters. “Henrietta? Georgiana?”

Henrietta spoke first, having spent the most time with their mother at social events. “She used to favor silk, though she may prefer something simpler now that she’s a widow.”

Abigail’s eyes narrowed in consideration. “Still, if she prefers lighter fabrics, she may find she is cold at some of the functions. Perhaps a shawl would be better than a fichu, and easier to remove when the ballroom becomes hot, as it always does.”

Edmund nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a practical idea.” He understood practical a lot better than he understood fashionable.

She cast him a sideways glance. “No lady ever wants to hear that a gift was chosen for her for practical reasons.”

His comfort was short lived. “So ladies prefer impractical gifts?”

Abigail grinned. “Not necessarily, but we don’t want to be told that you chose a gift because it was practical. Do you see the difference?”

“Not in the least.”

Georgiana exchanged a glance with Abigail and shrugged as if saying, he’s all yours.

Abigail returned her gaze to him. “You’re supposed to choose a gift because it’s pretty or because it made you think of the lady you are purchasing it for. If it’s practical that’s fine, but for heaven’s sake, don’t point it out to her.”

Edmund momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath, recalling the relaxation techniques his fencing master had taught him. “Now I remember why I hate shopping.”

Buy links: Amazon ~ B&N ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

 

About Ally.

Ally has worked as a horse trainer, director of marketing and development, freelance proofreader, and a children’s librarian, among other things. None of them were as awesome as writing romance novels (though the librarian gig came closest). She lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, four dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and assorted reptiles. Oh, and her husband.

Ally likes to curse in Russian because very few people know what she’s saying, and spends most of what would be her spare time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She has many stories in her head looking for an opportunity to escape onto paper. She writes historical romance set in Regency England and Imperial Russia.

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Adelaide – A Regency Marriage

For your reading pleasure!!

Angelyn's Blog

“Other men might envy Sir Nugent; they could not despise him, for his pedigree was impeccable, his fortune exceeded sixty thousand pounds a year.”

In Maria’s estimation, marriage served only to increase Adelaide’s extravagance.

“..(Adelaide) has wedded a man so wealthy, that Mexico and Peru seem to be at his command; so much the worse, perhaps, for her, for she is naturally extravagant, and will think his riches inexhaustible.”

— “Letter from a Young Married Lady to her Sister in the Country,” La Belle Assemblée, August, 1818

Surely Heyer’s Ianthe was based on Adelaide, and the preposterous Sir Nugent Fotherby on the man who could bail out entire nations–the Honorable Frederic Cleveland.

Nine years older than his teenage bride, Cleveland owned over thirty “blood” horses, possessed an extensive country estate and funds enough to support the staggeringly expensive habits of a sporting Corinthian:

“..he is fond as ever of his dogs and horses; he is a…

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Happy Columbus Day!!

For many, Columbus Day is traditionally the day when we celebrate Christopher Columbus’s discover of America. For me it’s Annapolis Sailboat Show weekend. I had a lot of stuff to get for the boat, and still have a few more things to do. So I’ll leave you with images of sailboats old and new. Happy Columbus Day!!

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Guest Author Lauren Smith!

Please welcome Lauren Smith back to the blog! Lauren is here today with her latest release, Tempted by a Rogue! And she’ll be giving away a copy to one of you who tells her you want it.

We begin with the beautiful cover.

Now the blub.

The rogue’s temptation would be her undoing…

Gemma Haverford knows exactly who she will marry: James Randolph, the man she’s had a secret understanding with for the last eleven years. With every letter written between them while he’s been off at sea, their love has grown. Now they will be reunited with his return to England.

There’s just one problem. The man whose words she’d fallen in love with isn’t James at all…

Jasper Holland, a gentleman rogue of the first order, is trapped. Talked into a scheme by his best friend, he pretended to be James for eleven years as he wrote to Gemma, even though he’d promised James he’d break it off. But now with his return to England, his secret will come out – and he’ll lose the one woman he can’t live without.

What began as a game of words, now becomes a game of hearts, and Jasper will pay any price to call Gemma his.

 And an excerpt.

“What can I do for you, Lady Greenley?” Gemma asked.

“Can I depend upon you to rescue me from these unruly young bucks? Take them about the garden, and see that they don’t scandalize my party, won’t you?” Lady Greenley demanded of Gemma, a wicked glint in the older lady’s gray eyes. With her crafty mannerisms and being rather boisterous for her age, no one dared to cross her.

“Of course, Lady Greenley,” Gemma answered politely.

Both men grinned at her. The direct attention from both James and Jasper heated her skin with an embarrassing blush. There was nothing decent in either of their gazes. She could understand a look like that from James, after what they had shared, but Jasper? He should not be eyeing her form with such a bold look of appreciation like he did at that exact moment.

Lady Greenley watched this odd triangle of looks with an arched brow of interest, and Gemma thought she saw the old woman hide the beginnings of a smile beneath her ridiculously foppish bonnet. Where James’s gaze seemed to outline every curve of her body with speculation, Jasper’s gaze had the deep sensual sweep of such force that she almost felt his hands stroking her rather than his eyes…it was a knowing gaze, like he knew just how the flesh of her breasts would tighten, her legs tremble and her breath quicken beneath his touch…

“Why, is that really you, Miss Haverford?” James exclaimed with a broad smile and a deep bow. It did little to dispel the ensnaring enchantment of Jasper’s heated gaze which distracted her from James.

Gemma forced a soft laugh, letting James take her hand and kiss it, but the tingling rush of contact she expected did not come. His voice did not seem quite the same as the night before, perhaps because it was disguised by his whispering tone…

“Mr. Randolph, Mr. Holland, I’m so glad to see you both returned to Midhurst in good health.” Her gaze was strangely drawn back to Jasper, who watched her in deep concentration and she didn’t know what to make of his scrutiny. She nibbled her bottom lip, studying Jasper intensely. His shoulders were wide…a little wider than James’s now that she compared them so diligently.

James dropped her hand and glanced between her and Jasper, one brow raised.

“Er…we’re quite glad to be home, Miss Haverford,” James added, trying to draw her attention again. “I see Midhurst has treated you well over the years, Gemma.” His voice deepened, but still Gemma didn’t tear her gaze away from Jasper.

Was it possible to have a battle between a man and woman based on eye contact alone? She did feel as though she were battling this man, what she couldn’t understand was why. His lips twitched, her eyes narrowed and her heart gave a strange little flip in her chest when his gaze lowered, inch by inch to focus on her lips.

We’re strangers, after all these years. I should not be fascinated by him.

When he spoke to her, however, her body responded with a terrifying thrill of recognition.

“You are looking well, Gemma.” The way he caressed her name…she went suddenly pale. That voice! Jasper’s voice was the voice in the garden, the voice that belonged to the body which had…

No, no! He could not be the man I… Gemma wavered on her feet when a cloud seemed to cover her mind and she couldn’t quite control her legs enough to stay standing.

“Now you’ve done it you rogues! Gone and frightened the girl. Shame!” Lady Greenley struck Jasper in the chest with the pointed end of her parasol.

Jasper grunted with the impact of the parasol’s blow to his navy waistcoat and doubled over as though in pain. James ducked when Lady Greenley’s parasol whirled through the air where his head had been moments before.

“Have at you, you devils!” Lady Greenley cried, waving the parasol aloft like a saber as she started forward to continue the attack.

Both men got control of themselves and flashed smiles in Gemma’s direction and looks of amused fright at the crazy, old battle-axe before turning tail and running toward the garden like any sensible rogues would do when threatened by the likes of such a woman aiming a parasol at their jugulars.

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About Lauren.

Lauren Smith is an attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat and dapper little schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including being an Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award.

Check her out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LaurenDianaSmith, her blog http://theleagueofrogues.blogspot.com/ or follow her on twitter at @LSmithAuthor.

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