Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 09/15/19 Heart of Decadence ~ “Ogre No, Outcast, Yes”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!

I have a new book (it was published in a set this past spring, but I’m putting it on pre-order TODAY, with the release to be September 30) called Heart of Decadence, the latest of the Handful of Hearts novella series. Here’s the cover–another stunning winner from Danielle Fine!

 

BLURB:  

Miss Amelia Burrowes was the scandal of the ton in her first Season, when her fiancée died and she was declared a ruined woman by Society. Ten years later, she’s back in London to make an arranged marriage that will hopefully allow her sisters to be received by the ton. But when Nathan, Lord Ainsley, the man she’d really had a tendre for all those years ago, renews their acquaintance, the flame between them rekindles and Amelia must convince him that a woman with a past deserves a future.

I started earlier this month with a scene at the end of the first chapter. Amelia has been discovered by Mr. Burke, her intended, although she’s not very keen on marrying him. He’s trying to become “better acquainted” with her, very much against her will, when a stranger interrupts their kiss. Mr. Burke then introduces Amelia and she and the stranger, Lord Ainsley, discover that they had met ten years before. He thought she had married, but she tells him no, she did not. Later, Ainsley asks his friend, Lord Haversham, what he knows about the lady. But when he gives him her name, he has an unexpected reaction.

The snippet  has been slightly altered to accommodate the WWW format.

SNIPPET:

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Haversham sat bolt upright, spewing whisky over himself and Nathan’s best Italian leather chair.

“What the devil’s the matter with you?” Nathan asked, grabbing his handkerchief from his pocket to save his favorite seat.

Haversham mopped his face and clothing with his own linen, asking, “You did say Miss Burrowes, didn’t you?”

“I did, although you say her name as though the lady was an ogre of some sort; I can assure you she is not.”

“Ogre, no, outcast, yes–I am amazed she’s back in Society, even after all this time.”

“We cannot be talking about the same lady,” Nathan said as he finished scrubbing the leather cushion and stood “for this is Miss Amelia Burrowes, a sweet but rather spirited lady even when I first met her.”

“I was acquainted with her when she first came out–you had made such startling remarks about her beauty I wanted to see her for myself and scraped an introduction.” He peered down at his cravat, baptized with dark stains and exclaimed,“Gads, Ainsley, I shall have to hurry home and change my linen before heading to the club; I’m not fit to be seen.”

“Tidy yourself later; what about Miss Burrowes?”

“Well, you were, of course, right about her beauty, so it’s no surprise that, not long after you left, she was snapped up by Lord Carrington—they became the most fashionable couple of the Season and seemed very happy together…and very affectionate, until Carrington suddenly fell gravely ill.”

 

Heart of Decadence is now available for pre-order here and will release on September 30, 2019.

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

 

Handful of Hearts series by Jenna Jaxon