Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!
Thank you to everyone who came by to visit last week! I’m continuing with another snippet from my Regency Christmas novella, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, that released earlier this month. This will be my last post from Kiss. So enjoy!
This scene is even further along in the novella. Jenny is at her aunt’s Christmas house party out in the woods to find a Christmas tree and a mistletoe ball. Before they gather in the mistletoe, they play an old family game called “Running the Mistletoe.” The ladies run underneath the ball of mistletoe and designated gentlemen try to catch them. If the man succeeds, he gets to kiss her. Now it’s Jenny’s turn to run–or not.
She slowed her pace and turned to face him.
The grin that lit Somersby’s handsome face spread so wide the lines alongside his cheeks deepened. His eyes flashed with a triumphant gleam and he stopped several paces in front of her then crooked his finger, beckoning her back to him.
She stood panting, suddenly unsure as her body trembled.
Somersby raised an eyebrow and stalked toward her. “You should have made it more of a challenge, Miss Crowley,” he said as he drew near, “although I’m flattered you’re that eager for another kiss from me.”
Entranced, as though she were a mouse confronted by a snake, Jenny could only stand there, heart pounding with an insistent beat, watching him close the distance between them.
A sharp movement to her side drew her attention to Alec, standing beside Celinda. He’d crossed his arms over his chest, his face puckered into a frown that somehow bespoke not only anger but sadness.
Somersby’s arms came up to snare her.
Blurb for A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe:
Is one kiss ever enough?
Jenny Crowley has been duped! At her eighteenth birthday celebration her parents announce that instead of having the London Season she’s dreamed of for years, Jenny has been betrothed from birth to Alexander Isley, son of family friends and heir to a title. A distraught Jenny refuses point-blank to marry Alec, and when her aunt offers to whisk her away to a Christmas house party, complete with many eligible young bachelors, Jenny jumps at the chance to enjoy a variety of entertainments, be courted, and perhaps fall in love.
Alec Isley is between a rock and a hard place. He desires a marriage with Jenny no more than she does, but when his family’s dire financial status is revealed, he follows Jenny to the house party in hopes of convincing her to marry him after all. When he discovers who else is courting her there, Alec is frantic to keep her from making a dreadful mistake. Struggling with new-found feelings for his childhood friend, can Alec convince her of his love in time to save her from being ruined under the mistletoe?
A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe is available at Amazon and Smashwords for just .99! Today is the last day of the sale!
And the short story that was the inspiration for the novella, ‘Tis the Season, is currently FREE in my short story collection All Wrapped Up on Amazon!
That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed it!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
Oh, how fun! I like the idea of this game. Whether letting him catch her under the mistletoe winds up helping in the long run or throwing a wrench in the works, one wonders! Nice snippet for the holiday week. 🙂
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Thank you, J Rose! I thought it was a fun way to end the year. 🙂
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Sounds like the lady has two admirers … but only one of them will be under the mistletoe with her.
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That is exactly right, Ed. The question is, which one? 🙂
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I love Regency holiday stories! Enjoyed the moment from this one very much, never knew about running the mistletoe….and as Cara said, your description certainly shows the emotional effects on the characters. Terrific snippet.
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The running the mistletoe is a game that I thought I invented. I couldn’t find it in any of my research, but my CP asked a friend of hers who is German if she’d heard of it and she had! Nothing new under the sun, is there? LOL Thanks so much for visiting, Veronica!
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I love the mouse and snake analogy. In both the wild and captivity, some mice fight back, but I don’t think Jenny will be one of those mice!
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Well, maybe not exactly…but she does surprise Lord Somersby, I’ll tell you that! 🙂
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Fabulous – so many details but neatly tucked into the story – panting – raised eyebrow – pounding heart.
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Thank you, Victoria. I love putting those details in, to suck the reader deeper into the story.
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Fabulous – the mouse/snake visual give a good impression of how she’s feeling.
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Thank you, Daryl! Somersby can be pretty intimidating. 🙂
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So he likes a challenge, does he? I wonder how far he intends to pursue her–he comes across as predatory!
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Oh, yes, he is quite the predator. 🙂
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You used all the senses in this snippet. Hot and heavy under the mistletoe. Just perfect!
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Thank you, Charmaine! It does get rather heated under than mistletoe in a very short while. 🙂
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I’ll say it again. I must make time to read this! Wonderful writing, Jenna–as always. 🙂
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Thank you, Teresa! I do hope you enjoy it when you get the chance. 🙂
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I loved the mistletoe scene. She really gets an eye opening!
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Thank you, Melissa. Yes, she does, in several ways. 🙂
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There’s a lot of emotion conveyed in this snippet through the movement of body parts: cheeks deepening, eyes flashing, fingers crooking, eyebrows raising, hearts pounding, arms crossing, faces puckering, bodies trembling.
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That’s a great observation, Cara. There is a lot going on, both emotionally and physically at this point.
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