Cerise DeLand's Blog, page 10

Today's bon bon: A peek inside Lord Bellamy's London townhouse!

    Using the architectural  plans of a house for a  novel is one of my joys!
 

   Here (with my giggle!) are a few pictures of Miles St. John Armstrong, Viscount Bellamy's marvelous home!

The foyer   Yes, it does exist today. I could not paint a picture of what it is like if I did not have a firm idea in my own mind as to what it actually is.

The library with globes and marble fireplace!




The back parlor

As many of you who gaze upon these rooms can surmise, Bellamy's "house" is really my interpretation of a few fine London homes I have had the honor to tour!

Today's bon bon and a few tidbits about Empress Josephine! With my pictures, too!

Josephine in her later years at Malmaison
She was a woman who loved fashion and spent money like water. She was married to a man suspected of being more royalist than was prudent. She almost went to prison, too. But used her charms to persuade a few French men to keep her and her two children safe. But there is more!

Empress Josephine was a setter of style, the love of her husband Napoleon's life—and his torment. We know much of her legend, but there is much about her that was kept discreetly secret.

She had terrible teeth. Black, in fact. And you never see her in portraits smiling.

She took three hours each day to bathe and dress. Her boudoir in Malmaison was the place she took her breakfast and often, her luncheon too.

She never visited a military hospital as she claimed the humours would kill her.

Portrait of Josephine that hangs at Malmaison

She died of a throat infection on the very day Napoleon set foot in Cannes as he escaped from Elba and marched north.

Here I am outside at Malmaison!

The bee is the emblem (or logo) of Napoleon and Josephine! This emblem is cemented in the walkways leading to Malmaison!

One picture of Josephine's enormous boudoir.

Her gardens, lovingly tended by gardeners of the French National Heritage.

She loved animals and kept a menagerie at Malmaison.

She loved flowers, especially roses and Napoloen even had cuttings from England imported to her during wartime!

She had no children by Napoleon but by her first husband, she had two. Today, many of the royal houses of Europe are descended from those two children.

She died at Malmaison and is buried close by in the Ruiel. Next to her is buried her daughter, Hortense.

Need a wife? A husband? In a hurry? Have no candidates? Never worry! Apply here...

During the Regency period and well into today, placing an advertisement to find a spouse was a regular practice. It was affordable to place the ad and allowed for all kinds of "disclosure" of one's desires for traits in a mate–as well as a bit of embellishment of one's own characteristics!

In my new series, MATRIMONY!, each of my characters uses the services of a particular newspaper, which I dub the Fleet-of Heart Chronicle! The paper, owned by a widow, was once an ordinary sheet reporting the news. But times have changed and the competition among newspapers is becoming wild. The publisher of this Fleet Street Chronicle decides to change her focus and attract readers who wish to place adverts in her paper.

Those whom she attracts come from all walks of life. They bring with them the problems of their past and their hopes for their future. They also bring along others whom they cannot rid themselves of.

IF I LOVED YOU debuts April 20, 2023. A charming tale of strangers who find love is also the tale of one woman who has a unique problem. She has one man she'd like to rid herself of. A stalker.

BECAUSE OF YOU debuts in July. When a lady answers an advert for a husband she hopes he will give her the one thing she requires in a husband. She wants him to take her to France to reclaim her family's house and land. But there is more in store for them in France than simply regaining her inheritance. The hero must track down who is ruining his business and who might set him up for treason!

YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU is what I write currently. This romantic adventure debuts in November 2023.

I hope you will join me in this unique series filled with steamy romance, intrigue, mystery, and action adventure!
 

Need a wife? A husband? in a hurry? Have no candidates? Never worry! Apply here...

During the Regency period and well into today, placing an advertisement to find a spouse was a regular practice. It was affordable to place the ad and allowed for all kinds of "disclosure" of one's desires for traits in a mate–as well as a bit of embellishment of one's own characteristics!

In my new series, MATRIMONY!, each of my characters uses the services of a particular newspaper, which I dub the Fleet-of Heart Chronicle! The paper, owned by a widow, was once an ordinary sheet reporting the news. But times have changed and the competition among newspapers is becoming wild. The publisher of this Fleet Street Chronicle decides to change her focus and attract readers who wish to place adverts in her paper.

Those whom she attracts come from all walks of life. They bring with them the problems of their past and their hopes for their future. They also bring along others whom they cannot rid themselves of.

IF I LOVED YOU debuts April 20, 2023. A charming tale of strangers who find love is also the tale of one woman who has a unique problem. She has one man she'd like to rid herself of. A stalker.

BECAUSE OF YOU debuts in July. When a lady answers an advert for a husband she hopes he will give her the one thing she requires in a husband. She wants him to take her to France to reclaim her family's house and land. But there is more in store for them in France than simply regaining her inheritance. The hero must track down who is ruining his business and who might set him up for treason!

YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU is what I write currently. This romantic adventure debuts in November 2023.

I hope you will join me in this unique series filled with steamy romance, intrigue, mystery, and action adventure!
 

A Shocking Marriage and More Shocking Honeymoon by the Sea! Out now! 2 Novellas for price of 1!

 
BUY LINK: www.amazon.com/Ravens-Last-Bet-Cerise...
 

THE RAVEN'S LAST BET also includes LORD STANTON'S SEASIDE HONEYMOON!

When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.

Lord Stanton’s Shocking Seaside Honeymoon by Cerise DeLand

Lord Stanton is about to marry for the second time. But his bride is so different from his first wife, now deceased. Josephine Meadows is her father’s heir to his far-flung merchant marine trading company. She’s smart, savvy and beautiful. What’s more, she’s in love with Stanton. Madly. And she has been for lo, these past six years. But now, just as they marry and go off to their first night together, and just as each is ready to prove to the other, their love, an agent of Josephine’s goes missing on the high seas. And both of them, though eager to consummate their vows, must go off to discover if the agent is dead…or alive.Know the Hero of Lord Stanton’s Shocking Seaside Honeymoon

It’s late, he’s bored. What does he do?

Stanton, of late, likes poetry. Love sonnets to be exact! He’s eager to claim his new bride in all ways and reading erotic words is not what he should be doing!

What kind of food would he impulse buy if hungry?

“I have simple tastes. But I do enjoy a finely done roast of beef.”

Describe the kind of clothes he prefers to wear.

“I wore a uniform whilst in the Hussars and now I prefer my black superfine. My tailor is a marvel and I need not appear in his shop to be fitted. This is a blessing as I am a busy man working in Whitehall to defeat that scoundrel Napoleon.”

Valet or takes care of himself?

“I do employ a valet. A fine fellow who knows how precisely I wish to dress. More than that, he is astute and knows when to appear and when to vanish!”

Necktie/cravat or open shirt?

“I do appreciate a cravat tied in such a manner as to remain tied!”

Carriage or horseback?

“Both means of conveyance have their uses. A horse is a proper beast for quick travel. Also, sadly, for the battlefield. Of carriages, I demand comfort and the best springs. No use breaking one’s bones in order to arrive at a tea party, eh?”

 BUY LINK: www.amazon.com/Ravens-Last-Bet-Cerise-DeLand-ebook/dp/B0BSSD9LQ6

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Cerise DeLand has written since she was eight years old and had a piece published in The Baltimore Sun newspaper! With more than 60 novels published, she is known for writing works with historical accuracy, humor and eloquence.
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Today's bon bon: A lady who won't let Papa sell her into marriage...even if the groom-to-be is ever so luscious!

 🍒THE RAVEN'S LAST BET out Thursday for 99 cents! 2 Books for price of 1! 

Includes LORD STANTON'S SHOCKING SEASIDE HONEYMOON!

She won’t be sold into marriage.
He won’t wed her for any amount of money. Only love.
If he just can figure out a way!
Harry Seymour arrives home from years of fighting abroad to learn he must clean up the family mess. His father demands Harry honor a deal he made with his best friend for Harry to marry the man’s daughter…for money.
Harry, who’s loved Sara Fleming since she was four, has no problem marrying her. He never did, even when she was denied him because she was the Whiskey King’s daughter.
But he won’t wed her for money.
Sara cannot accept the bargain her father made. She’s already left two men at the altar because she didn’t love either one. And if she can’t wed Harry for love, she’ll marry no one. But she wagers she’ll walk away a spinster…and happy if Harry will do her the favor of ruining her.
It’s a bet Harry can’t refuse.
Can he?
Excerpt, All rights reserved. Copyright Cerise DeLand 2022 .
“Listen to me, Sara. I have a plan. It won’t be one either of our fathers likes but it might work.”
She pulled away. Peering into his magnificent eyes clouded her judgement. His green-brown orbs reflected a sadness in the faint lights that matched her own. “Tell me.”
“We announce that we intend to marry others.”
“I’ve already left two men alone before the vicar. Now there’s this gossip in the Gazette—?”
“Forget those other two men. And hang them at the Gazette.”
She put a hand to her hip. “We’ll send them new stories. Marvelous. I dislike your thinking, Harry. Totally. Marry another? Ba! Precisely who did you have in mind?”
He gave her a look that said he had the right answer. “A man who makes you tingle.”
“Of whom there is no one.” Which is a lie.
“For each woman, there is a man. A perfect match.”
“I’ve not found him in four years. Why now?”
“You will lure him.”
By some folly, to be sure. “How?”
A wicked gleam lit those iridescent eyes. “With kisses.”
“You expect me to kiss men?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “How else will you discover the right fellow?”
“How else will I go down as a scarlet woman? I’ve climbed enough fences barring me because I am of the dreaded merchant class. Papa’s money might continue to buy me entry, but if I degrade myself further, no one will touch me!”
He tipped up his chin. “You will be discreet. I will help.”
“You’ll bar doors?”
“And divert traffic.”
She scowled at him. “You’ve been away much too long, sir. You think me so brave. I am different from that child who tagged along behind you and tucked frogs in your pants.”
He scoffed. “Remind me. Who came to me night before last in her nightrail?”
”Dressing gown.”
He waved that away. “Exactly my point.”
Exasperated, she huffed. “The fault, dear Harry, is not in our stars, but in myself.”
“I agree.”
Oh, he infuriated her! “I do not know how to kiss.”
“And so you will learn.”
Only one way. She could barely say it. “By doing.”
“Indeed.” He winked. “With me.”
That way lay disaster and hopeless ruin. She’d should return to this party, because this was hopeless. She’d given up wanting him so long ago. Or thought she had. She threw up her hands. “Absurd.”
“Is it?” He took a step toward her, so near she inhaled his scent, imbibed his familiar allure that she could not allow to thrill her. “You said my kiss left you with no…what is the word?”
“You know perfectly well the word.”
“Tickle?”
If only. “Tingle.”
“Well then, my darling.” With one hand he caught her wrist while he swept his other hand around her waist. “Let’s see if this fits the bill.”
“No, stop!” Wonderful. Now she sounded like the village crier.
“There, there. Don’t be shy. An experiment, eh?” He lifted her hand toward his mouth. “Or shall we call it…” he murmured, as he put her index finger, fully gloved, against the neat cleft in his chin, “…a demonstration? Visible to the naked eye.”
He smiled. Or was that the show of teeth of a predator? A creature who…gloated?
He caught the point of her glove between his long white incisors. The act of a male bent on taking a bite of her, he tugged. The fabric slid along her finger, silk on silk, a glissade of shivering delight. Her glove glided from her elbow in a silent skim of her nerves. She shivered.
He halted. Glanced up at her, those long dark lashes of his rising to reveal the facets of a Harry she’d never known. A ravenous devil appeared there, one who pulled at another fingertip, starving for more of her until her hand was bare. Nipping her third finger and the next, he sent tremors up her spine. Her mouth fell open as he took her smallest finger, fabric and all, and bathed the whole of it in his hot moist mouth. His tongue served as succor—and as torture.
She panted as if she’d run a mile. Her gaze glued to his voracious teeth, she dare not look away or lose a second. What he gave, she took. If it was instruction, it was also a revelation. Though she knew not how to interpret his lips to her fingers as lips to lips, she reveled in whatever he’d choose next.
With a yank of his teeth, he pulled and her glove slid slowly down her arm and fell to the floor. She was bare to the night air, chilled and burning, as he caught her fingers and pressed them to his open mouth. He cupped her elbow, and her wrist was once more his. Bare skin gave him no pause, but encouragement to lift her hand once more.
He groaned and crushed her torso fully against him. His possession, from her breasts to her hips, left her pulsing.
He put her palm to his lips and licked the hollow of her hand. She moaned at his luscious homage and her knees gave way. As he caught her up, he bit the heal of her hand. She yelped. He gave a grunt, nigh unto laughter or triumph, she knew not which, then wrapped her arm around his waist. As he sweetly backed her to the wall, his hair fell loose over his brow and he focused on her lips.
Then he took them.
BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Last-Be...

Shopping in Napoleon's Empire meant you were treated to shop signs of great beauty!

Napoleonic era shop signs were not only colorful but told stories of their offerings for the illiterate. 

Here at top: THE GREAT VICTOR’S TOBACCONIST shop was posted outside a shop selling, of course, tobacco. Taking notice of Napoleon's recent victories in Italian city-states, the owner added reference to him. We wonder how well his sales did!

Here below: The shop called THE EVE OF AUSTERLITZ tries a different tactic in that it is a a wine shop in celebration of Napoleon’s victory. 

This sign is for a food merchant whose customer is clearly enjoying his meal. This shop was for the shop CORCELLET, located in 104 Palais-Royal!

Today's bon bon and a trip to the Loire Valley in my own pix and video!

Among the many fabulous chateaux along the River Loire south of Paris is the medieval fortress and palace of Amboise.  Built in stages by various French kings and expanded by Francis I, this walled castle sits above the river in glorious pink/peach stone.

(A more thorough view of the town, the fortress palace and the home of Leonardo da Vinci is on my YOU TUBE channel. Link Below.)

The palace as you will see in my video shows you the throne room with fleur de lis velvet throw, a dining room and many bedrooms. You also see salons furnished in a later period when Louis Phillippe took the throne in mid-1800s. Pictures of him, his wife and children, the piano they played are charming.

You also have glimpses of Leonardo Da Vinci's house which Francis I gave him when he persuaded him to come to France to live. The house was a lovely three-story home with living quarters, good size kitchen and a huge workroom or atelier. It was within five-minutes walking distance from the palace of Amboise. Da Vinci lived the last three years of his life here.

For more of my videos, long and short, do visit my YOU TUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCba82P_Q1kUrJUVVW0CwJmw/featured

Today's bon bon: Emily in Paris and Those Notorious Americans, now and then!

Buy Link to series: https://amzn.to/3yOzLll

Emily in Paris is my newest rage on Netflix! And she is SUPERB! I adore the scenery, most of it in Paris. (You learn French by watching!) The views of Montmartre are yummy!In every book in my family saga, THOSE NOTORIOUS AMERICANS, we see Paris as it was in the age of Monet and Renoir, the dancers of the cancan, and the glorious fashions. In RAVISHING CAMILLE, we go to a joint exhibition of Duc de Remy, my Rodin-like sculptor hero, and Claude Monet. Rodin and Monet did really have a joint exhibit in 1889! In RAVISHING CAMILLE, I changed it to be a few months earlier!
https://books2read.com/u/bMRvzG

Today's bon bon: A young wealthy widow never needs a new husband. Does she?

Lady William Downs revels in her reputation as a Society dragon, a Diamond (still!) at her age, too—and a widow of independent means.
Colonel Lord Magnus Augustus Welles is home from the savagery of the wars. Heir to his ailing father the Duke of Ruscombe, Magnus wants a wife—and he knows just who that will be. But the lady doth protest too much.
To woo her is easy.
To win her he’ll persuade her with the best gifts of all—a new phaeton, horses—and, yes, himself. In all the racy ways she’s never enjoyed!
BUY LINK:
https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Youre-Mine-Naughty-Ladies-ebook/dp/B0BQ8TJBT9Remember that famous song by the Beach Boys?
Here is my version!  99 cents now!
Well, she got her papa’s phaeton. 
And she crashed the village vegetable stand, now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man, now
And with the villagers yelling
She goes cruising just as fast as she can now
Til her papa takes her phaeton away.

The younger ladies can’t stand her
Cause she drives like an ace now
She makes the drive thru town look like a chariot race now.
A lot of men try to catch her
But she leads them on a wild goose chase now.
She vows she’ll have fun fun fun, but no husband’ll ever take her phaeton away!

Years later, she knew all along
That her marquess was getting wise to her, now
And when he eyed her set of horses
She’s been thinking that her fun was all through now
But he’s caught her and his kisses say
They’ve got alot of loving to do now
They’ll have fun, fun fun as her husband drives her and her phaeton away!
***
The Preorder is LIVE! 99 cents now!