Maggi Andersen's Blog, page 44

#REVIEW 5 Stars for A WHISPER OF DESIRE by Bronwen Evans

 AMAZON:A Whisper of Desire: A Disgraced Lords NovelSensual heat melts the ice in the new Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, as a marriage of convenience leads to delightful pleasure—and mortal danger.

Lady Marisa Hawkestone’s nightmare is just beginning when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, lying next to Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton—a man so aloof and rational he’s nicknamed “the Cold Duke.” A scandal ensues, in which Marisa’s beloved beau deserts her. As a compromised woman, Marisa agrees to marry Maitland. But on her wedding night, Marisa discovers the one place the duke shows emotion: in the bedroom, where the man positively scorches the sheets.

Taught from a young age to take duty seriously, Maitland cannot understand his new wife’s demands on his love and affection. Marisa’s hot-blooded spirit, however, does have its attractions—especially at night. In retrospect, it seems quite silly that he didn’t marry sooner. But being one of the Libertine Scholars requires constant vigilance, even more so when the enemy with a grudge against his closest friends targets Marisa. Now Maitland must save the woman who sets his heart aflame—or die trying.
 REVIEW: Not a light romance, this is the story of one of the  Libertine Scholars, Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton and Lady Marisa Hawkestone.  A remote man, Maitland's nature has been formed by a bitter childhood. He keeps himself on a tight rein, from which his lady wife is determined to free him. Marisa, an emotional, loving lady, seeks intimacy and struggles to understand the man she is forced to marry after being compromised. Tragedy strikes when the two join forces to counter a dangerous foe. The powerful story gives readers that HEA, but when it comes it is not what one might expect. There's a lot of heartbreak and action in this one. The well-drawn characters are flawed but are loyal friends who back each other up when need be, and work together to find the mysterious lady who is a blight to their lives.There are several riveting, love scenes that sizzle!I did question one small thing and that was Maitland permitting Marisa to take part in a dangerous escapade. It's merely a quibble though, and did not spoil my enjoyment of the book. Evans has a unique style and richly deserves all the accolades.

With Murderous Intent on Pre-order for 0.99

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She fled Ireland because her life was in danger, now her troubles are worse…

To escape a murderous stalker, Caitlin Fitzgerald flees her home in Ireland and takes a governess job in the top end of Australia, determined to guard her heart against further hurt. In her chosen safe haven, she has poisonous snakes, wild boar and crocodiles to contend with. She learns to deal with those. But there are two men at Tall Trees cattle station who test her resolve. The very handsome and moody station owner, Jake Monterey, who has issues of his own, and Harry Phillips, the big, easy-going station hand.
Jake has two adorable children, and Caitlin loves her job, but when danger follows, must she flee again?
Refreshed edition.

 Excerpt:After they’d put the children to bed and were gathering up their toys, Jake said, “You know that pile of wood and bricks out in the yard?”
Caitlin nodded. Covered in creeper, they had obviously been there a long time.
“I had planned to build the kids a playroom on the cooler side of the house. I think I’ll make a start on the foundations tomorrow.”
“Perhaps I can help load the bricks into the wheelbarrow?”
“A brickie’s laborer?” Jake laughed. “Every building site should have one like you.”
She grinned at him. “You think I can’t do heavy lifting?”
He grinned back. “You’ll get blisters, and you’ll quit when you break a nail.”
“Oh!” She punched him on the arm and hurt her knuckles on his rock hard muscle. “Just because I don’t have muscles on my muscles, like you.”
He raised a brow. “I’m not complaining about the way you’re put together.”
There was a loaded pause.
“I’ll be up and ready when you are,” she said to fill it.
He shook his head and chuckled. “You think?”
The next morning she rose to the sound of hammering. She looked out at Jake working, stripped to the waist. For a moment, she drank in the grace and beauty of the man. The rippling muscles on his chest and back, shiny with sweat. His trim waist and long, lean legs in his cut-off jeans. His dark head as he leaned forward with the hammer, pounding away with rhythmic strokes. There was something primal about it, which made her draw a very deep breath. But he wasn’t building it for her.

Enjoy a Regency Christmas with the Baxendales

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Lady Hope and the Duke of Darkness ~ Book Three The Baxendale Sisters


 
As today, Christmas was celebrated with family and friends. Mulled wine was served.
The Christmas meal would be either a roast goose, duck, pheasant, turkey, or roast beef  roast and vegetables.  
Christmas plum pudding, trifle, syllabub and mince pies followed by shortbread, sweetmeats, sugar plums, and march pane.





 
It was back in 1800, more than a decade before the Regency began, that I found the earliest reference to a yew tree being used in Christmas celebrations. The Christmas custom of taking a tree inside your house and decorating it was well-established throughout the German states, and Queen Charlotte, who came from the German duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, introduced this tradition to England.


John Watkins describes the royal family Christmas celebrations of 1800 in his biography of Queen Charlotte:

“At the beginning of October the royal family left the coast for Windsor, where Her Majesty kept the Christmas-day following in a very pleasing manner. Sixty poor families had a substantial dinner given them; and in the evening the children of the principal families in the neighbourhood were invited to an entertainment at the Lodge. Here, among other amusing objects for the gratification of the juvenile visitors, in the middle of the room stood an immense tub with a yew-tree placed in it, from the branches of which hung bunches of sweetmeats, almonds, and raisins, in papers, fruits, and toys, most tastefully arranged, and the whole illuminated by small wax candles. After the company had walked round and admired the tree, each child obtained a portion of the sweets which it bore, together with a toy, and then all returned home quite delighted.”

It is interesting to note that the tree stood in an “immense tub” in the middle of the room, presumably on the floor; all the other references that I found talk about table-top Christmas trees. 

But Christmas trees were not popular until the reign of Queen Victoria.

Enjoy an excerpt from LADY HOPE AND THE DUKE OF DARKNESS
 


Christmas, Highland Manor, Tunbridge Wells, 1822
Hope stood back to admire her efforts. Greenery festooned every available place in the parlor, and the scent of pine blended with coal smoke drifting from the hearth. With a heavy sigh, she took another ribbon from the box on the floor. Since touring the Continent with Aunt Amelia, she was more aware of the slow pace of life in the country. Especially now that the snowy weather kept everyone indoors. Consumed with impatience, she couldn’t wait for her life to begin, but the thought of her come-out made her stomach tighten. She banished her nerves with a brisk shake of her head and attached a gilt orange to the woven green arch of holly and pine standing on its wicker base.When the cat eyed the new addition, Hope reached down and stroked Sable’s soft grey fur. “You won’t touch any of my decorations, will you, pet?”Sable purred and rolled over, displaying her swollen belly. “We really must try and stop the stable cat, from visiting Sable. Two litters of kittens this year is quite enough,” she said to her sister Charity, who sat reading on the sofa.“It’s not entirely Old Tom’s fault. Sable is frightfully abandoned.” Charity studied a picture in her book. “I’m thinking of taking up sculpture.”“Oh?” Arranging a silver paper streamer that their younger sister had created brought her to mind. “Where is Mercy?” Hope asked.“At the home farm.”Hope frowned. “She’s always there these days.”“It’s where she makes her concoctions. Cook has banned her from the kitchen. Mercy has set up what she calls a laboratory.”“A what?”“A laboratory. For scientific endeavors.”“Good heavens! Isn’t she only making creams to treat skin ailments?”“No, she has gone onto more ambitious projects. Miss Foley gave Mercy a book about a Frenchman called de Lavoisier. He was, I think, involved in chemistry during the French Revolution.”Hope threaded red ribbon amongst the bright holly berries. She stepped back to study the effect. “I don’t like the sound of that. She may be accused of being a traitor and arrested like Guy Fawkes.”“I doubt she can achieve much with the little she has. But even the fact that de Lavoisier was guillotined hasn’t deterred her.”Sable fixed her smoky gaze on the trailing ribbon within reach and sprang. The cat batted at the trimming. The arch tottered on its stand, scattering decorations over the carpet. Hope rushed to steady it. “Naughty cat.”Their footman entered the room and added coal to the fire.“I hate the cold.” Hope rubbed her arms. “The French climate is warmer.”“So it seems are the men,” Charity said. “At least according to Miss Edgeworth’s Leonora.”“Well one or two, certainly,” Hope said with a slow smile. “They are so much more….”“More what?”“I’m not sure exactly, but whatever it is, they have more of it than English men.”

#Regency #Christmas #ChristmasTraditions 

Up for Pre-order: PASSIONATE PROMISES an Anthology from award-winning, bestselling authors.

PASSIONATE PROMISES: An Embracing Romance Anthology
Nine Promises to Stir Your Passions from award-winning, bestselling authors.  Enter the dazzling world of brawny Vikings, Regency rogues, and sexy scoundrels as they take you on one romantic journey after the other in these tantalizing historicals filled with betrayal, intrigue, and passion.

Stirring Passions by Maggi AndersenA Kiss for Miss Kingsley by Collette CameronTo Challenge the Earl of Cravenswood by Bronwen EvansSecond Chance Marquess by Jessica JeffersonA Highwayman's Honor by Michelle McLeanLord Quickthorn's Bargain by Barbara MonajemA Promise of Love by Ella QuinnWanted by the Warrior by Violetta RandA Pledge of Passion by Victoria Vane
PRE-ORDER LINKS:
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New Release: LADY HOPE AND THE DUKE OF DARKNESS - The Baxendale Sisters Book 3

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Enjoy a Regency Christmas short story! LORD BARTHOLOMEW'S CHRISTMAS BRIDE

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A stickler for correctness, Lord Bartholomew Winborne, second son of the Marquess of Brandreth, is about to take up his appointment as a vicar in India. Requiring a suitable wife by Christmas, he has made a list of the most desirable qualities she must possess. The annoying Miss Emily Isherwood appears to have none of them.
A short story
Meet the Brandreth family from the Spies of Mayfair Series, and The Baxendale Sisters Series.

NEW RELEASE! LADY HOPE AND THE DUKE OF DARKNESS - THE BAXENDALE SISTERS BOOK #3

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In her first Season, Hope Baxendale attracts the interest of a powerful English duke, the husband all debutantes wish for and some will fight dirty to get. If only the handsome Frenchman Daniel Brienne, Duc du Ténèbres wasn’t distracting her from her course. Daniel shows little interest in marrying again, and surely, it is only the sadness in his deep brown eyes that pulls her to him:
Daniel yearns for solitude. When his very existence is threatened, he wakes to the possibilities of a life passionately lived. He knows just whom he wants in his future, but the weary hawk, the Duke of Winslow, circles. And is it fair to ask Hope to leave her family and her country for him?
Excerpt: A heavyset man halted beside Hope. When his way forward was blocked, he lost his temper and pushed against her. His foot crashed down on her instep, unprotected in her thin evening slipper. Hope cried out in pain, but the man merely ground his shoe into hers to gain momentum and pushed on.With an angry scowl at the man’s back, the duke took her arm and pulled her sideways. He frowned down at her. “Did he hurt you?”She grimaced. “My foot is a little sore.”Hope limped as he drew her toward the open French doors.When they reached the doors where the curtains flapped in the breeze, they escaped out into the cool, welcoming fresh air. The terrace was deserted. A small party of guests, who had braved the weather, disappeared amongst the trees to admire the gardens lit by braziers.Hope had left her evening cloak when she’d entered the mansion. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Her foot throbbed horribly, and she’d begun to hobble.The duke put an arm around her and led her to a garden seat. He shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. “I’ll fetch your parents.”Hope clutched his coat, still warm from his body to her chest and breathed in his musky, masculine scent. “It will be difficult for you to locate them in that crush.” She looked toward the open door. “I expect they’ll soon find me.”“Then please allow me to see the extent of your injury.”Hope cautiously lifted her gown high enough to expose her foot and ankle as the duke knelt at her feet.She muffled a gasp as his gloved fingers took a gentle hold of her ankle and his dark head bent over her foot. Her skin tingled where he touched her. The only man who had ever paid attention to her ankle was the groom who’d taught her to ride. The duke removed her slipper, revealing an obvious swelling beneath her damaged stocking.“You’ll have a nasty bruise, but I don’t think you’ve broken a bone,” he said, lifting his head and pinning her with his deep, soulful dark brown eyes.She sucked in a breath and fought to compose herself. He didn’t look beguiled. In fact, he sounded like their doctor. She’d thought him quite sociable when they’d last danced, but tonight, there was more distance between them despite his proximity. It was impossible to know what he was thinking. She supposed she didn’t present well from this angle. She now had a big hole in her soiled stocking. “I was to ride in Hyde Park on Sunday. I suppose I shan’t be able to, now,” she said. “And I was looking forward to it.” She closed her mouth firmly, aware she was rambling.“I doubt this injury will prevent you. You like to ride?”“I do. Riding gives one a wonderful sense of freedom.”“Well put.”“Although Rotten Row is a little restricting. One cannot gallop there. My father disapproves of women galloping. He says sidesaddles are dangerous.” She pressed her lips together.“They have been proved so.”“I would love to ride astride, like men. I don’t see why women cannot.” Rambling and opinionated. She was so nervous she seemed unable to stop.“In the future perhaps, when you marry.” He straightened, but having him stand so close didn’t improve her breathing.“A husband would permit it?”“I don’t see why not in the privacy of his estate.”“Then you agree?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. “You would allow your wife to ride astride, I mean.”He paused to consider it. “It would be entirely my wife’s decision.” His smile softened the firm set of his jaw and turned his eyes to brown satin. “But I imagine you could persuade your husband without a great deal of difficulty, Lady Hope.”It wasn’t a criticism, for his tone was warm. He might even like her a little. In fact, his gaze was a soft caress, and oddly, it seemed to bring him closer, although he hadn’t moved an inch. A lurch of excitement shocked her and brought her back to the present. They were at a rout, surrounded by the beau monde. Her dress was rucked up, and he was holding her shoe!“We’d best replace your shoe before your foot swells.” The duke dropped down again and returned to his task.He was holding her ankle in his long fingers while slipping on her shoe when her father stormed out of the door with her mother following on his heels.For a moment, Hope held her breath as her father surveyed the scene. Thankfully, he did not rush to judgment. But neither was he pleased. His brows snapped together. “Thank you for rescuing my daughter from that infuriating melee, Your Grace.” He strode over to Hope. “We feared you’d been trampled underfoot, my dear.” He eyed her foot. “It seems you have.”Fortunately, she and the duke were not alone, for several guests had emerged from the gardens and approached the terrace steps.Having replaced her shoe, the duke straightened. “Your daughter has suffered a slight injury.”“I’m grateful for your assistance,” Father said, his tone brisk. He whipped the duke’s coat from Hope’s shoulders and held it out to him. “Most grateful.”The duke shrugged into his coat. “Lady Hope finds it painful to walk.”“Come, Hope.” Her father took hold of her arm and led her across the terrace.A sharp pain shot through her instep, and she staggered. “I can’t walk, Father.”“Dashed infernal entertainments, so called,” her father muttered. “How on earth are we going to get through that crowd?” He swung Hope up into his arms.Hope held on to her father’s shoulder and peered around at the duke, who nodded to her as she was carried inside. “Thank you,” Hope mouthed.Her father blustered his way through the throng, which was thankfully dispersing, her mother behind them. Reaching the front porch, he set Hope on her feet. “Never ask me to attend another of these ridiculous routs again,” he said to her mother through clenched teeth. “I’d rather brave Billingsgate fish wharf.”“Are you overset my dear?” her mother asked. “He actually had his hand on your ankle! The French do not have the same sense of proprieties that we English do.”“He wore gloves, Mama.”“Nevertheless. He might have seen more than was fitting.”“He did see my foot and my ankle. I believe he will recover from the experience.”“Don’t be impertinent,” her father said. “Your mother is quite correct.”At least her parents were now in agreement.As they were led to their vehicle, the duke strolled onto the porch. Footmen stood to attention while others scurried for the carriage. His fingers on her ankle had been gentle and impersonal, and he’d showed no sign that he found her irresistible. Why would he? It had been kind of him to bother with her. He was a puzzle, however, welcomed with respect in English ballrooms and sought by those in high office, but at the same time, there seemed a wall between him and the rest of the world.

WHAT A RAKE WANTS and LADY HONOR'S DEBT nominated for the Red Carpet Book Awards!

(http://btsemag.com/redcarpet/2016-awards

Exciting news! I have two books nominated for the Red Carpet Book Awards: WHAT A RAKE WANTS (Book #3 in my Regency spy trilogy The Spies of Mayfair)



LADY HONOR'S DEBT (Book #1 in my Regency series The Baxendale Sisters)

HOW TO TAME A RAKE Maggi Andersen 0.99!

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Due to the codicil in his father’s will, Blake Dangerfield, Earl of Hawkeswood, must marry the woman chosen for him, or lose part of his inheritance. Did his father hate him that much? Wilhelmina Corbet is a hoyden, not long out of the schoolroom, who hails from a farm in Northumberland. The last time Blake saw her she wore braids and climbed a tree to rescue a kitten.

Wilhelmina Corbet has dreamed of Blake since she was twelve. But the thought of marrying the handsome earl terrifies her. She comes to his estate, Hawkeswood, determined to measure up to his expectations for a wife. But after time spent with him in London, Mina begins to wonder if the rake is the man she wants to marry.

Can they find happiness when a handsome heir to a dukedom, unruly pets, and a young chimney sweep are thrown into the mix?

Breathless In the Bush: Miranda's October Musings Let's talk about NOVELL...

Breathless In the Bush: Miranda's October Musings
Let's talk about NOVELL...: Miranda's October Musings Let's talk about NOVELLAS! So PERFECT for your busy life! Spring has sprung here in Oz, darlings. B...