Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 08/21/22 ~ Pride of Lyon’s ~ “Not a Bad Offer”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

This week I’m continuing with snippets from Pride of Lyon’s, which released in June.

BLURB:

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

No good deed goes unpunished…

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

I’m continuing with the meeting of Miss Honoria Quinn and Thomas, Lord Braeton in Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s office.

EXCERPT:

“Well, Miss Quinn?” Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s tone was soft, cajoling. “It’s not a bad offer, all things considered.”

Honoria turned to the woman, gazing at her astounded. Had she indeed lost her mind? Both Lord Longford and the one called Braeton had monstrous frowns on their faces, so maybe she wasn’t the only one outraged by Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s words. “It’s a scandalous offer, ma’am.” The brandy had somehow given her more backbone. “And not one I’m inclined to take.”

And a little more for good measure…

“You don’t have much of a choice, my dear.” Danford shrugged out of Braeton’s grip and straightened his shoulders. “Lady Danford won’t have you back once word of this reaches her ears. And I’ll make certain it reaches them post haste. You’ll be dismissed before the sun sets today. Then what will you do?”

Well, Honoria had already worked that out. “I’ve already considered myself no longer part of your household, my lord. I will make arrangements to travel to my parent’s home. No one will take notice of me there.”

“Except I’ll make certain they do, my dear.” Lord Danford had come to stand in front of her and she cringed, trying to make herself smaller. “Unless you accept my protection, I’ll make certain everyone knows why you left my household.” He smiled, almost kindly. “No decent person of the ton will ever speak to you or your family again.”

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

Pride of Lyon’s is available on Amazon and on KU for free.

I also wanted to let you know that my House of Pleasure series is now available for pre-order in a boxset format on Amazon. All five House of Pleasure novels in one volume! Grab your copy today!

 

 

The House of Pleasure series

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 08/14/22 ~ Pride of Lyon’s ~ “I Meant You No Harm”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

This week I’m continuing with snippets from Pride of Lyon’s, which released in June.

BLURB:

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

No good deed goes unpunished…

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

I’m continuing with the meeting of Miss Honoria Quinn and Thomas, Lord Braeton in Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s office.

EXCERPT:

“Lord Longford.” The imperious tone must have moved the gentleman, for presently he urged a small cut-glass tumbler with a healthy tot of spirits into her hand. Honoria wrinkled her nose at the sharp smell.

“Honoria.”

She cringed at the urgency of Lord Danford’s voice as he spoke her name.

“Honoria, you must believe me I meant you no harm. If you had heard me out in the carriage, heard my plan for us to be together, we would not be here.”

If she could have sunk through the floor Honoria would have gladly done so. All the way to Timbuktu. The glass of brandy trembled in her hand.

And a little more for good measure…

“Danford, my God, man. Have you no shame?” This new voice, sharp with censure and clearly outraged, brought Honoria’s head up. The blond gentleman’s face was twisted with disgust as he glared at Lord Danford.

The earl looked astounded at the man. “I would not play her false, Braeton. As I told you, I meant to set her up with a house, carriage, jewels.” He turned eager eyes on Honoria. “Anything you wish, my dear, I will give you and gladly. All you need do is agree to be mine.”

Without another thought, Honoria tossed the brandy down her throat, then choked as the sharp spirits hit their mark. She coughed and coughed until Mrs. Dove-Lyon pounded her on the back, bringing tears to her eyes. Might as well cry. Her life hung around her in ruins.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

Pride of Lyon’s is available on Amazon and on KU fpr free.

I also wanted to let you know that my House of Pleasure series is now available for pre-order in a boxset format on Amazon. All five House of Pleasure novels in one volume! Grab your copy today!

 

 

The House of Pleasure series

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 08/08/22 ~ Pride of Lyon’s ~ “What is He Doing Here?”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

This week I’m going back to snippets from Pride of Lyon’s, which released in June.

BLURB:

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

No good deed goes unpunished…

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

I’ve skipped ahead a few chapters, to the meeting of Miss Honoria Quinn and Thomas, Lord Braeton in Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s office.

EXCERPT:

“This way, Miss Quinn.”

Afraid to disobey, Honoria continued into the room, furnished with expensive chairs, a comfortable looking chaise longue, and an over large wooden desk, piles of papers neatly stacked all over it. Now what did Mrs.— Honoria stopped dead, all the air rushing out of her lungs at the sight of Lord Danford standing before the fireplace.

“Honoria!” The earl all but leaped toward her, prevented, thank God, by the efforts of a taller, blond-haired gentleman, who grabbed his arm and tugged him backward. A second gentleman, with dark hair and a huskier build, moved to Lord Danford’s other arm and grasped it in a strong grip. Once more able to breathe, Honoria turned to Mrs. Dove-Lyon, outrage bubbling up. “What is he doing here? He cannot be the opportunity you spoke of?”

“No, my dear, he is not,” she whispered.

And a little more for good measure…

The woman turned toward the earl and stretched out her arm, her finger pointing directly at him. “However, Lord Danford has made the unfortunate mistake of announcing to all my patrons within shouting distance, that he was searching for you. Worse, he called out for you by name, several times.”

The sinking sensation in the pit of Honoria’s stomach might have been due to the wine, but more likely to the horrible realization that now a great many people suspected Lord Danford was trying to debauch her. It didn’t matter that nothing had happened between her and the earl. In the eyes of the hearers, it was a fait accompli. Her knees buckled and she clutched the back of the brightly flowered chaise.

“Please have a seat, Miss Quinn. Lord Longford,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon shifted toward the dark-haired gentleman, “although you were not originally invited to this meeting, you may make yourself useful and pour Miss Quinn a brandy.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”  Honoria put her head in her hands. In her current state, more spirits might make an end to her.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

Pride of Lyon’s is available on Amazon and on KU fpr free.

I also wanted to let you know that my House of Pleasure series is now available for pre-order in a boxset format on Amazon. All five House of Pleasure novels in one volume! Grab your copy today!

Historical Hussies: Bathtubs in Regency England

I’m on Historical Hussies today, talking about Bathtubs in Regency England:

At the end of the 18^th century, attitudes toward bathing began to change. Beau Brummel, a Regency fashion plate, was an advocate of bathing often and he was a major Regency “influencer.” About that same time, in 1791, John Wesley gave a sermon “On Dress” in which he made the acclamation, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” People took these and other ideas on cleanliness into consideration, making the Regency period of transitioning into good bathing habits.

To read on, click this link:  http://historicalhussies.blogspot.com/2022/08/bathtubs-in-regency-england-by-jenna.html

Romance Writers of America National Convention 2022: My Retrospective

Having just returned from RWA’s 2022 National Convention, I thought a little overview/retrospection was in order. This was the first in-person RWA Conference since the pandemic and since the change in RWA leadership and I thought some thoughts from someone who had been to both pre- and now post- pandemic conventions might be helpful for current and former members.

First, I would like to say that I was encouraged to discover so many new members, new authors who are at the beginning of their careers coming to the RWA convention. That shows me, at least, that writers of romance still see the value of the organization as a whole. This is especailly encouraging given the turmoil of the past few years and the loss of more than half the membership.

RWA is, in my opinion, a valuable asset for writers of romance who, no matter what level of writing expertise they may have achieved. The education programs offered alone are invaluable and authors who can mentor newer authors are encouraged to do so.  And education, on all levels, was exemplary in the 2022 convention. There was a variety of workshops on all levels and in a range of categories that gave something to everyone who attended.

 

 

 

 

 

Back in February, I mentioned to my local chapter, Chesapeake Romance Writers, that the slate of workshops was still accepting proposals. I encouraged two of my board members to submit a proposal on Digital Marketing (which they ahd just given at our monthly meeting) because if we didn’t support RWA now, it might not be here in the future. They took my advice to heart and submitted their proposal and were accepted! Then I took my own advice to heart and submitted an entry level workshop on Publishing 101: What to Expect After You Sign. I remembered all the questions and all the things I didn’t know that I didn’t know when I first signed a contract for my writing, and thought this would be a great way to give back to the organization and give information to the members to hopefully make their writing lives easier. I am very happy to say that despite a large attack of nerves before my presentation, I managed to get through it with flying colors and many people came up to me afterwards and for the rest of the comference telling me they had enjoyed it and had gotten a lot of information from it.

There weren’t as many workshops as usual, but that wasn’t a problem as with the huge slate of workshops we’d had previously, I always missed a panel or workshop or two that I really wanted to see. This year I think there was only one or two times that happened.

One of the disappointing things both my friend Ella Quinn and I experienced was the lack of familiar faces. We both hope RWA will be able to woo back authors who have taken a hiatus and next year there will be additional friends for everyone to connect with.

I also must say that with one or two exceptions, the hotel, the Gaylord National Harbor, got the food right for those of us with food allergies. At the lunch buffet everything was labeled and there was a lot of gluten-free and dairy-free options, as well as vegan and vegetarian. I was pleased that the hotel provided a non-dairy alternative for coffee creamer, but was a bit disappointed that the Snack Buffet on the second day didn’t have an option that was gluten-free and dairy-free (the lunch buffet did). But overall the leadership did a good job of juggling all the possible food allergies of such a diverse group.

There was no awards ceremony this year, alas. Neither did they have a Literacy Signing nor pitch sessions with agents and editors. Whether these were concerns surrounding COVID or not, I don’t know. I only hope, as we built RWA back, that these wonderful events will return as well.

I hope, if anyone is interested in joining or renewing your RWA membership, you’ll check out the RWA website here: https://www.rwa.org/ There is always room for those who are passionate about writing romance.

 

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 07/31/22 ~ The Widow’s Christmas Surprise ~ A Freakish Accident

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

This is the last week for snippets from The Widow’s Christmas Surprise. Next week I’m switching back to Pride of Lyon’s.

BLURB:

The death of her husband has thrown Lady Maria Kersey’s future into doubt—and her heart into the arms of a man she cannot have. But Christmas with the Widows’ Club will bring choices—and surprises–that may change all her holidays to come . . .

Maria just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter—but the event is shrouded in sorrow.  A month earlier, Maria’s husband, Lord Kersey, was killed in a duel under compromising circumstances. Worse, Maria’s failure to provide a male heir has stripped her of any hope of an inheritance. Scorned by the ton, one of her few allies is her late husband’s steward, Hugh Granger. Hugh is everything her husband was not—warm, charming—and penniless. . . .

Hugh has fallen desperately in love with Maria, but has little to offer but comfort. As their attraction becomes impossible to resist, Maria flees to London to spend Christmas with her dearest friends, a group of widows who lost their own husbands in the Battle of Waterloo. Little does she know the holidays will reveal a twist of fate she never expected—proving that the greatest Christmas gift is the magic of true love . . .

I’m starting the snippets about a third of he way through the novel. Maria has been widowed a second time and is virtually penniless and living off the kindness of her dead husband’s distant relations. Maria is trying to make a good impression on the family, especially on their elder son–who will eventually inherit her late husband’s title. But when the family invites her to a greenery gathering party, things get a little out of hand… Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

He’d bent her backward over his arm, pressing her so far she could see the sky directly above them. In a flash of intuition, she lifted both her legs off the ground–he’d tipped them so far off balance that they crashed to the ground. His arms had released her as he struggled to regain his footing, so Maria managed to fling herself away from him as they hit the ground. Unfortunately, the fall knocked the wind out of her and she lay staring at the sky once more, struggling to draw breath back into her lungs. Groaning and cursing from close by told her Lord Wetherby had not suffered any grievous harm. An eternity passed as she lay hitching in little gulps of air, praying that she would recover before Lord Wetherby could rouse himself and attack her again.

With a huge effort, she rolled to her side and struggled to her feet. Lord Wetherby had landed face-first on the ground, his head apparently coming down on a rock. He bled, though not copiously, from a gash on his forehead.

“What the devil is going on here?”

And a little more for good measure…

Maria whirled around to find Mr. Granger, face darkened with rage, speeding toward them. Right behind him were Jane, Miss Granger, and James Garrett.

Jane darted forward and pulled Maria into her arms. “Are you all right, my dear?”

Although still shaken, Maria nodded. Best for them all if she said nothing about what had just occurred. At least not publicly. “I am fine. There was a . . . little accident. Lord Wetherby took the worst of it I believe.”

“Anthony.” James Garrett dashed forward to assist his brother to rise, the latter groaning and clutching his head.

“Lady Kersey, tell me what happened.” Mr. Granger had come to her side, although he still sent deadly glances at Lord Wetherby.

Sighing, Maria cut her gaze briefly to Jane. Her cousin would understand and forgive the lie she was about to tell. Hopefully convincing enough that Mr. Granger would accept her word, or want to believe her enough to do so. “One of those freakish accidents you read about in The Times, Mr. Granger. Rather stupid really.”

Lord Wetherby was on his feet now, glaring at her while pressing his handkerchief to his forehead. He’d likely agree with the tale she was about to tell, as it would not paint him as the villain he actually was.

His gaze darting suspiciously between her and Lord Wetherby, Mr. Granger nodded. “Go on.”

Keeping Jane’s admonition to keep to the truth as much as possible, Maria launched into her tale with what she hoped was believable excitement. “I was gathering holly boughs and one of the thorny leaves pricked my finger rather deeply. I took off my glove and looked at it, but it was bleeding more heavily than it should have done. Lord Wetherby came to look at it and produced his handkerchief to bind it. As we were standing there, very close together, a huge bird swooped down as if to attack us.”

“A bird?” Mr. Granger’s brows lowered. “What kind of bird?”

“A very large bird. With brown feathers is all I recall. I’m afraid I have no idea what kind of bird it was.”

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

Today is the final day to get The Widow’s Christmas Surprise on Amazon for .99.  So grab your copy ASAP!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY TITLES

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 07/24/22 ~ The Widow’s Christmas Surprise ~ “Let Me Go!”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

In keeping with my Christmas in July promo this month, I’m switching to The Widow’s Christmas Surprise for the next couple of weeks. This novel is book 5 of my Widows’ Club series.

BLURB:

The death of her husband has thrown Lady Maria Kersey’s future into doubt—and her heart into the arms of a man she cannot have. But Christmas with the Widows’ Club will bring choices—and surprises–that may change all her holidays to come . . .

Maria just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter—but the event is shrouded in sorrow.  A month earlier, Maria’s husband, Lord Kersey, was killed in a duel under compromising circumstances. Worse, Maria’s failure to provide a male heir has stripped her of any hope of an inheritance. Scorned by the ton, one of her few allies is her late husband’s steward, Hugh Granger. Hugh is everything her husband was not—warm, charming—and penniless. . . .

Hugh has fallen desperately in love with Maria, but has little to offer but comfort. As their attraction becomes impossible to resist, Maria flees to London to spend Christmas with her dearest friends, a group of widows who lost their own husbands in the Battle of Waterloo. Little does she know the holidays will reveal a twist of fate she never expected—proving that the greatest Christmas gift is the magic of true love . . .

I’m starting the snippets about a third of he way through the novel. Maria has been widowed a second time and is virtually penniless and living off the kindness of her dead husband’s distant relations. Maria is trying to make a good impression on the family, especially on their elder son–who will eventually inherit her late husband’s title. But when the family invites her to a greenery gathering party, things get a little out of hand… Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

Face hot as fire, both from mortification at his attentions and the heat he was generating in her nether regions, Maria tried to slip her hand out of his grasp. She must protest or else he would think she welcomed his advances. And despite her traitorous body’s reactions, she did not want this man’s addresses. “My lord, this is most unseemly. Do you not remember I am still in mourning for a husband not yet a year in his grave?”

He raised his head from where his lips had grazed her palm, his eyes coal black, his breath coming in hard pants. “So if you were no longer in mourning, you would not object, cousin? Perhaps we can find a way to have your bereavement cut short.” He snaked his arm around her waist and pushed her against his hard body. “So you may pay your respects to the living instead.”

And a little more for good measure…

Panic shot through her and she struggled in earnest against him, twisting to and fro. Her right hand he had immobilized, but her other was free. She slapped him on the back, though it was like hitting a wall, impervious to the blow. “Lord Wetherby, let me go!”

Ignoring her, he loosened her wounded hand and grabbed her around the waist. “I have been trying to catch you for weeks, sweet cousin. Why ever would I let you go now?”

“Stop this, my lord.” She pushed against him, but it was like trying to move a large boulder. The man was hard as granite. “Let me go!”

“Shhh, they’ll hear you.”

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

The Widow’s Christmas Surprise is available on Amazon for .99. I’m not sure when the price will change, so grab your copy ASAP!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY TITLES

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 07/17/22 ~ The Widow’s Christmas Surprise ~ Held Fast

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

In keeping with my Christmas in July promo this month, I’m switching to The Widow’s Christmas Surprise for the next couple of weeks. This novel is book 5 of my Widows’ Club series.

 

BLURB:

The death of her husband has thrown Lady Maria Kersey’s future into doubt—and her heart into the arms of a man she cannot have. But Christmas with the Widows’ Club will bring choices—and surprises–that may change all her holidays to come . . .

Maria just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter—but the event is shrouded in sorrow.  A month earlier, Maria’s husband, Lord Kersey, was killed in a duel under compromising circumstances. Worse, Maria’s failure to provide a male heir has stripped her of any hope of an inheritance. Scorned by the ton, one of her few allies is her late husband’s steward, Hugh Granger. Hugh is everything her husband was not—warm, charming—and penniless. . . .

Hugh has fallen desperately in love with Maria, but has little to offer but comfort. As their attraction becomes impossible to resist, Maria flees to London to spend Christmas with her dearest friends, a group of widows who lost their own husbands in the Battle of Waterloo. Little does she know the holidays will reveal a twist of fate she never expected—proving that the greatest Christmas gift is the magic of true love . . .

I’m starting the snippets about a third of he way through the novel. Maria has been widowed a second time and is virtually penniless and living off the kindness of her dead husband’s distant relations. Maria is trying to make a good impression on the family, especially on their elder son–who will eventually inherit her late husband’s title. But when the family invites her to a greenery gathering party, things get a little out of hand… Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

“What happened?” Lord Wetherby came trotting over, took one look at how she held her finger, and grabbed her hand.

“I just poked one of the holly leaves into my finger, but I’m certain it’s all right.”

“Nonsense.” He took his handkerchief from an inner pocket and gently rubbed the place where the blood had come, although most of it had been wiped away. Another gentle squeeze of her finger had produced nothing in the way of her life’s blood. Time to move on.

“Thank you, my lord, but the bleeding seems to have stopped now. It was less than a scratch so we can go on with our gathering.” Maria tried to pull her hand away from him, but he held her fast in his grip.

And a little more for good measure…

“Best let me make sure the cut’s not too deep.” He held her hand up close to his eyes. A sultry glance at her and he kissed her finger.

“My lord.” Desperately, Maria tried to pull her hand away from his lips, but to no avail. As she had noted during her first encounter with him in the corridor at Kersey Hall, the gentleman had strength much greater than hers. And she was here, all alone with him. “I tell you my hand is fine.”

“Indeed it is, Maria.” He kissed her finger once more before moving on to her open palm. “As is all of you. Exquisite as a porcelain figurine and just as cold.” The softness of his mouth caressed her flesh, sending a frisson of warmth to her core. “I suspect you are not always so icy.” His lips seared her palm again. “I’ll wager I can spread a warmth through you like nothing you have ever known before.”

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

The Widow’s Christmas Surprise is available on Amazon for .99. I’m not sure when the price will change, so grab your copy ASAP!

 

CHRISTMAS IN JULY TITLES

 

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 07/10/22 ~ The Widow’s Christmas Surprise ~ “We Have Gone Far Enough”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

In keeping with my Christmas in July promo this month, I’m switching to The Widow’s Christmas Surprise for the next couple of weeks. This novel is book 5 of my Widows’ Club series.

 

BLURB:

The death of her husband has thrown Lady Maria Kersey’s future into doubt—and her heart into the arms of a man she cannot have. But Christmas with the Widows’ Club will bring choices—and surprises–that may change all her holidays to come . . .

Maria just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter—but the event is shrouded in sorrow.  A month earlier, Maria’s husband, Lord Kersey, was killed in a duel under compromising circumstances. Worse, Maria’s failure to provide a male heir has stripped her of any hope of an inheritance. Scorned by the ton, one of her few allies is her late husband’s steward, Hugh Granger. Hugh is everything her husband was not—warm, charming—and penniless. . . .

Hugh has fallen desperately in love with Maria, but has little to offer but comfort. As their attraction becomes impossible to resist, Maria flees to London to spend Christmas with her dearest friends, a group of widows who lost their own husbands in the Battle of Waterloo. Little does she know the holidays will reveal a twist of fate she never expected—proving that the greatest Christmas gift is the magic of true love . . .

I’m starting the snippets about a third of he way through the novel. Maria has been widowed a second time and is virtually penniless and living off the kindness of her dead husband’s distant relations. Maria is trying to make a good impression on the family, especially on their elder son–who will eventually inherit her late husband’s title. But when the family invites her to a greenery gathering party, things get a little out of hand… Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

Abruptly, Lord Wetherby pulled her to him and they started off into the woods to the right of the brake, dodging around trees left and right, forcing her to run until her side ached.

Enough. She gave a mighty tug and her hand slipped free of his. Winded, she stood panting as Lord Wetherby continued on a few feet until he realized he no longer held her hand.

“My . . . lord!” Goodness, but she was out of breath. “I believe we have gone far enough. If we find sufficient quantities of the greenery we seek, we will be unable to carry it all back to the brake.”

“We can pile it up here and let the footmen carry it back for us.” He had walked back to her and now stood close, so close that his bergamot scent warred with the fresh smell of the firs all around them.

And a little more for good measure…

“Then we had best get to it, shall we?” With that Maria stalked off to the right, heading for a large stand of holly bushes that should be easy to collect, praying he would not follow her. The clean scent of the holly brushed the lingering traces of the spicy bergamot away, and she began tearing off small twigs with the bright red berries, avoiding the sharp points of the distinctive leaves.

Mentally bewailing the fact that they had brought no basket to collect the greenery in, Maria lay the torn branches carefully in her arm, going methodically from bush to bush, trying not to strip an entire plant, but leave something of it intact to grow and seed for next year.

A basket and scissors certainly would have been very useful to this endeavor. Maria’s hands became scratched, even through the protection of her gloves. Perhaps she should have gone after the fir branches instead. Gathering up an armful of small pieces, she judged she had enough and turned toward the growing pile of branches on the ground. As she tossed them on the heap, one of the holly leaves caught her index finger, jabbing deep through the material of her glove and into the tender flesh of the pad.

“Ouch!” Maria dropped the branches she carried and peeled off her glove. A red indentation showed the location of the wound and she squeezed the finger to see if it still seeped. As she grasped the finger a bright bead of blood welled up on the pad. “Drat.”

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.

The Widow’s Christmas Surprise is available on Amazon for .99. I’m not sure when the price will change, so grab your copy ASAP!

 

CHRISTMAS IN JULY TITLES

 

Winners for Release Day Celebration for Pride of Lyon’s

 

 

BLURB:

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

No good deed goes unpunished…

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Gina M. Griffin Johnson

Signed print copy of Pride of Lyons

BN

Choice of my backlisted books

Lorraine Ryan

$10 Gift Card

Congratulations t the winners and thank you to everyone who came by to help me celebrate my release! I will be in touch with the winners either later today or tomorrow to make arrangements for your prizes.

Pride of Lyon’s is available in E-book and print formats at Amazon.  It’s also available for free on Kindle Unlimited with a subscription.

And check out my short promo video for Pride of Lyon’s that I just uploaded to YouTube!