A Match Made at Christmas Releases!

Happy Holidays!

My newest Christmas novella is releasing today!

A Match Made at Christmas is a spirited Christmas romance in which, for once, two wrongs do make a right.

BLURB:

A promise is a promise…

Unable to find a husband to her liking in three years, Lady Sophia Constantine is appalled to discover she’s promised to allow her grandmother to choose the gentleman. Balking every step of the way, Sophia is compelled to attend a family Christmas party where the man she’s expected to marry will be revealed. But when Grandmamma is delayed in London, Sophia decides to take matters into her own hands to find a husband of her choosing.

Leonardo, Lord Ashurst, has returned to England after five years of mourning. Ready to begin the search for a new wife, he accepts an invitation to a neighbor’s Christmas party and is introduced to Lady Sophia, for whom he experiences an immediate attraction. With the lady’s betrothal on the brink of being announced, can Leo win her heart by posing as her betrothed or will his deception ruin any chance they have of a happily ever after?

EXCERPT:

“Lady Sophia, I believe the first set is making. You did promise that one to me, did you not?” His eagerness was gratifying, but as she’d seen it in many gentlemen in the past three years, she could only muster a wan smile and take his arm.

“Yes, it is your set, my lord. I can scarcely wait to see what Mrs. Carson will favor us with.” At least it assuredly was not a waltz.

The music began for “Lady Mary Ramsay,” a lively reel at which Ormonde acquitted himself well. The sets of couples wove in and out as the lead couple became the second couple. During this set, she brushed Lord Ashurst’s arm several times as she and her partner turned, a thrill streaking up her arm each time she did so.

As the country dance wound to a close, Sophia curtsied to her partner and took his arm. “Quite an enjoyable dance, my lord.” She smiled up at him, genuinely pleased with him. “If you would be so kind as to take—”

“I believe I am engaged to you for this next, Lady Sophia.” Ashurst’s silky voice stopped Sophia before she could finish her thought. She turned to find his hand already held out to receive hers, a dangerous look in his eyes that Ormonde would do well to heed.

“Of course, my lord. Lady Sophia.” Ormonde bowed and retreated so quickly Sophia and her new partner were left quite alone on the dance floor.

“Is that how you procure all your dance partners, Lord Ashurst? Intimidation?” She laughed softly into his face. “If so, it seems quite an effective way to deal with unwanted rivals.”

“Only when I’m not using force, my lady.” He grinned, and his green eyes darkened. “I daresay I can manage that tonight as well if you wish some excitement for your amusement.”

Throwing her hand up in mock fear, Sophia matched his level of gaiety. “I believe the evening will prove exciting enough without further theatrics, my lord.” This man was a charming rogue. Such a pity he’d been away the past three Seasons. He would’ve enlivened Almack’s and the endless stream of parties and balls immeasurably.

“Just remember, I am at your service, my lady.” His grin was infectious. It deepened the lines beside his mouth, which gave him the wicked look of a pirate.

“Then dance with me, my lord.” Although striving for a light tone, the voice she managed to summon fell low and husky on her ears.

“My pleasure.” The last word lingered in her ears as Lord Ashurst took her hand and put his other one on her waist and drew her close.

Sophia gasped as her face hovered mere inches from his, their bodies closer than would be proper even for a married couple. “I believe you mean to make this dance scandalous once more, Lord Ashurst. You do recall that I am all but betrothed?”

“I do. Does that make a difference to you?” The green-eyed gaze searched for an answer.

On the tip of her tongue to say “yes,” she surprised herself when a commanding, “No,” emerged instead. This man had her behaving in ways she’d never imagined she would.

“I thought not.” He squeezed her hands together, and they commenced to waltz.

To celebrate this new release, I’m giving away  prizes today to people who comment on this blog post. Copies of A Match Made at Christmas, a Cardinal Christmas ornament, and a $10.00 Amazon gift card will be awarded by random drawing.

A Match Made at Christmas is currently available at Amazon and Smashwords.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 12/09/18 What A Widow Wants– “Come with me!”

 

I’m still sharing snippets from my upcoming Regency What a Widow Wants, Book 3 of The Widows’ Club series that will release in just 10 days on December 18!

 

At the beginning of the book, Fanny, Lady Stephen Tarkington, has emerged from her widow’s weeds to attend a masquerade ball dressed as the goddess Aphrodite. She’s spreading her wings, happy to be out in society again and free to flirt and frolic with gentlemen.  She meets two gentlemen dressed as Roman gods, Castor and Pollux, who ask her to dance. She flirts with them, asking how they are to pass the time until the next dance begins. This snippet begins where the previous one ends, with Pollux’s answer.

(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules and snippet may therefore be slightly different from published version.)

His sharp intake of breath made her hold her own; even more amazing, his eyes changed from deep blue to black in an instant. The wave of his desire hit her like a tangible thing–her mouth dried, her heart raced, her whole head heated as though it had caught fire. Who was this man that he could affect her so?

“Come with me,” he said, pulling her toward the double doors behind them that led to the other part of the house.

Heart pounding, Fanny ran on tiptoes in an effort to keep up with him. This was madness. Wherever was he taking her? And what on earth did he have in mind? Oh, but she knew what that was; that deep desire in his eyes told her exactly where his intentions lay. Would she allow him to have his way with her?

 

BLURB:

Widowed by the Battle of Waterloo, the ladies of Lyttlefield Park are returning to London society—with their futures in their own hands . . .
 
The widowed Lady Stephen Tarkington, Fanny to her friends, has finished mourning her cad of a husband and is ready to enjoy her freedom. The kind of freedom neither a gently bred miss nor a close-watched wife is permitted: dressing up as Aphrodite for a masquerade, drawing gentlemen away from the party, and hinting at late-night assignations with her dance partners. All is going pleasurably according to plan—until the Roman god Fanny kisses during a masquerade turns out to be Matthew, Lord Lathbury, whose proposal she refused years ago . . .

Lathbury is charming, passionate, inventive, everything Fanny wants in a lover—but unfortunately, he’s on the hunt for a wife. He’s more than willing to use all his wicked skills to persuade her back to the altar, but he can’t wait forever. And now Fanny’s position is more precarious than she once thought. If the tongues of the ton set to wagging, it’s possible no offer in the world will save her from ruin. But does she want to be saved? . .

What a Widow Wants is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

The Widows’ Club series by Jenna Jaxon

 

 

 

 

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 11/25/18 What A Widow Wants– How Shall We Pass the Time?

 

For the next several weeks I’ll be sharing snippets from my upcoming Regency What a Widow Wants, Book 3 of The Widows’ Club series that will release on December 18.

 

At the beginning of the book, Lady Fanny Tarkington has emerged from her widow’s weeds to attend a masquerade ball dressed as the goddess Aphrodite. She’d spreading her wings, happy to be out in society again and free to flirt and frolic with gentlemen.  She meets two gentlemen dressed as Roman gods who ask her to dance. This snippet begins where the previous one ends.

(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules and snippet may therefore be slightly different from published version.)

“I am Pollux, Aphrodite,” the gentleman holding her hand said, giving it a squeeze that sent sudden tingles all along her arm. “My brother is Castor”—the other man bowed—“though friend, rather than brother, in earnest.”

His rich baritone voice tugged at her memory, as did the deep blue eyes behind the mask; the warmth of his hand, however, addled her brain, turning it to mush. Grasping the obvious, she managed to ask, “How . . . how do you propose to both dance with me in a single set, unless one of you secures another partner?”

“An apt question, from an astute goddess; I have already captured such a lady for my dancing delight so we four shall make up a set.”

“Who is your partner?”

“That very pretty shepherdess over there in pink,” he said and pointed to a young girl in a modest costume, laughing with a group of other young ladies. Well, she’d not have much competition in keeping the twins’ attention.

“I should be delighted to make up your set, however”—she turned her attention back to Pollux—“the second set has not yet begun.” Fluttering her eyelashes up at the handsome man, she squeezed his hand and said, “How are we to pass the time until our dance?”

 

BLURB:

Widowed by the Battle of Waterloo, the ladies of Lyttlefield Park are returning to London society—with their futures in their own hands . . .
 
The widowed Lady Stephen Tarkington, Fanny to her friends, has finished mourning her cad of a husband and is ready to enjoy her freedom. The kind of freedom neither a gently bred miss nor a close-watched wife is permitted: dressing up as Aphrodite for a masquerade, drawing gentlemen away from the party, and hinting at late-night assignations with her dance partners. All is going pleasurably according to plan—until the Roman god Fanny kisses during a masquerade turns out to be Matthew, Lord Lathbury, whose proposal she refused years ago . . .

Lathbury is charming, passionate, inventive, everything Fanny wants in a lover—but unfortunately, he’s on the hunt for a wife. He’s more than willing to use all his wicked skills to persuade her back to the altar, but he can’t wait forever. And now Fanny’s position is more precarious than she once thought. If the tongues of the ton set to wagging, it’s possible no offer in the world will save her from ruin. But does she want to be saved? . .

What a Widow Wants is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

The Widows’ Club series by Jenna Jaxon

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rich colors of a fall harvest at sunset

Every year I usually display the song that epitomizes Thanksgiving for me, “We Gather Together.” Always, when I was growing up, Thanksgiving was the one day in all the year when I knew that my father and mother and I would sit down together to eat, using the rose dishes and iced tea glasses, and special serving dishes that were ONLY used on that one special day. So “We Gather Together” has always held a special place in my heart as “THE” Thanksgiving song.

This year, however, I was reminded just recently about another song, not particularly a Thanksgiving song, although it is absolutely a song of thanksgiving. It’s called “The Promise of Living” from Aaron Copeland’s one opera, The Tender Land, perhaps my favorite work of his. The song is not his; it’s an revivalist hymn called “Zion’s Walls,” music and lyrics attributed to John G. McCurry to which Copeland gave new lyrics that are truly inspirational, especially in these times when division is rife between us all.

So here’s my Thanksgiving song for 2018, Aaron Copeland’s “The Promise of Living,” arranged by John Williams. It’s truly a song about giving thanks.

 

May you all have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving.

 

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 11/18/18 What A Widow Wants– At the Masquerade

 

For the next several weeks I’ll be sharing snippets from my upcoming Regency What a Widow Wants, Book 3 of The Widows’ Club series that will release on December 18.

 

At the beginning of the book, Lady Fanny Tarkington has emerged from her widow’s weeds to attend a masquerade ball dressed as the goddess Aphrodite. She’d spreading her wings, happy to be out in society again and free to flirt and frolic with gentlemen.  Let’s go see who she meets.

(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules and snippet may therefore be slightly different from published version.)

Fanny as Aphrodite

About to head for the dazzling sultan, Fanny glanced about one more time, just to make sure no one else interesting had entered the ballroom, when she caught sight of two identically dressed men bearing down on her. Dark-haired, tall, and broad-shouldered—with shoulders and arms almost bared beneath a thin cape trimmed in gold braid—their slim hips covered in a skirt resembling a pleated kilt of white linen, showing off shapely legs in white stockings and sandals, the duo was breathtaking. Before she could blink they stood beside her, true Greek gods in beauty and stature. Her evening had just taken a most satisfactory turn. A pity their faces were obscured with identical silver half-masks, embossed with a cantering horse across the forehead. She’d wager they were equally handsome underneath.

“Goddess Aphrodite, we greet you in the name of our father, Zeus.” The twin closest to her bowed and grasped her hand.

Suddenly unnerved by his very large, looming presence, she stepped back, trying to pull away but to no avail–the rogue held tight to her hand and raised it to his lips. “Do not be alarmed, my dear; we come to honor you with a request for the next set.”

BLURB:

Widowed by the Battle of Waterloo, the ladies of Lyttlefield Park are returning to London society—with their futures in their own hands . . .
 
The widowed Lady Stephen Tarkington, Fanny to her friends, has finished mourning her cad of a husband and is ready to enjoy her freedom. The kind of freedom neither a gently bred miss nor a close-watched wife is permitted: dressing up as Aphrodite for a masquerade, drawing gentlemen away from the party, and hinting at late-night assignations with her dance partners. All is going pleasurably according to plan—until the Roman god Fanny kisses during a masquerade turns out to be Matthew, Lord Lathbury, whose proposal she refused years ago . . .

Lathbury is charming, passionate, inventive, everything Fanny wants in a lover—but unfortunately, he’s on the hunt for a wife. He’s more than willing to use all his wicked skills to persuade her back to the altar, but he can’t wait forever. And now Fanny’s position is more precarious than she once thought. If the tongues of the ton set to wagging, it’s possible no offer in the world will save her from ruin. But does she want to be saved? . .

What a Widow Wants is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

The Widows’ Club series by Jenna Jaxon

 

 

 

 

We Have A Winner! A Lord for Christmas Ornament Giveaway for Jenna Jaxon

Congratulations to

KATRINA THOM

WINNER OF MY 1ST CARDINAL CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT!

I’ll be giving away two more of these ornaments, one in December and one in January, so if you didn’t win this one, you’ve got more chances coming. 🙂

This week’s ornament giveaway started yesterday and is from Ella Quinn. It’s a peacock ornament that I want oh so badly!

Ella’s Rafflecopter giveaway runs through 11:59 pm on Thanksgiving Day (November 22) and you can enter by clicking this link.

Good luck! Come back next week for the next Giveaway Winner. And while you’re at it, grab a copy of A Lord for Christmas! Only .99 on Amazon and other e-book retailers. 🙂

 

Win A Christmas Ornament from Jenna Jaxon!

As part of  the promotion for A Lord for Christmas, one of the promotions the other authors and I are running is a Christmas ornament giveaway.

Each author is giving away an ornament three times during the Christmas season. This past week has been my first week (I will have another week in December and one in January as well) and I thought you all might like to enter the Rafflecopter to win my Cardinal Christmas Ornament.

All you need to do is click the link to the Rafflecopter giveaway here, then follow the instructions to get up to 10 entries for the giveaway. This giveaway will close in just 40 hours (Thursday at midnight) so please enter now!

The drawing will take place on Friday, when the next author in our set, Ella Quinn, will start her giveaway week. I’ll post the results and the link to Ella’s giveaway on Friday and will continue to do so every Friday throughout the holiday season.

I hope you all come by and enter to win these fabulous ornaments each week!  And grab a copy of A Lord for Christmas! It contains four fantastic Regency Christmas tales from four bestselling and award winning authors: Collette Cameron, Ella Quinn,  Lauren Smith, and myself.

My story, A Match Made at Christmas, is a fun Regency holiday romp:

A promise is a promise…

Unable to find a husband to her liking in three years, Lady Sophia Constantine is appalled to discover she’s promised to allow her grandmother to choose the gentleman. Balking every step of the way, Sophia is compelled to attend a family Christmas party where the man she’s expected to marry will be revealed. But when Grandmamma is delayed in London, Sophia decides to take matters into her own hands to find a husband of her choosing.

Leonardo, Lord Ashurst, has returned to England after five years of mourning. Ready to begin the search for a new wife, he accepts an invitation to a neighbor’s Christmas party and is introduced to Lady Sophia, for whom he experiences an immediate attraction. With the lady’s betrothal on the brink of being announced, can Leo win her heart by posing as her betrothed or will his deception ruin any chance they have of a happily ever after?

A Lord for Christmas is available for just .99 at Amazon and all other e-book retailers.

Happy Holidays!