Aurrora St. James's Blog, page 2

Cover Reveal! Tempting the Reclusive Earl

I'm so excited to share the gorgeous cover for Tempting the Reclusive Earl with you!

If you read The Earl's Timely Wallflower, then you've met Christian Albury, the Earl of Huntington. Shy and reserved, especially around women, Christian would much rather tinker in his workshop than go to a ball or talk to a beautiful woman. So interacting with the confident, sexy, and forward Bellamy is a recipe for all sorts of uncomfortable feelings.

When he discovers someone is stealing from him, putting the people under his protection at risk, and an old enemy has returned, he's forced out of his comfort zone. But when Bellamy is caught up in his problems, Christian will have to keep her safe - no matter the cost.

A reclusive Earl fighting to save his estate. An amiable fashion model searching for her sister. And a magical timepiece meddling in destiny.

Christian Albury, the Earl of Huntington, prefers his inventions to people. When he discovers that someone is stealing from him, he is forced to leave the comfort of his workshop to investigate the matter. Being highly intelligent has its advantages, but not in the shark-infested waters of a London Season where his social awkwardness makes him an outcast. When he meets a beautiful woman who claims that one of his inventions brought her from the future, Christian ignores her request for help and avoids her. A decision he fears left a bad impression with her.

Bellamy Bennett just became the new face for a famous perfume company’s ad campaigns. Even though modeling isn’t as fulfilling as it once was, she’s hoping the work will provide the means for the next chapter of her life. But when her sister goes missing, Bellamy rushes to find her, only to end up two hundred years in the past—and in the arms of a handsome but exasperating Earl. He may be the only person who can get her home. He’s also avoiding her. But Bellamy is persistent and the more time she spends with Christian, the deeper her feelings grow for the brilliant but shy man.

When Christian’s time travel clock is stolen, he discovers a depth to the theft that threatens his entire estate and could keep Bellamy in the nineteenth century forever. And when an old enemy resurfaces to threaten all he holds dear, Christian will discover how much Bellamy means to him and just how far he will go to protect her.

Look for Tempting the Reclusive Earl at the end of May or June 2023!

Now Available!

The Earl's Timely Wallflower is out now! I'm so excited to share Gabriel and Lily's book with you. It's first in the Taken by Destiny trilogy, which follows three siblings as they venture into the past.

What can you expect in this story? A heroine who doesn't have it all together and isn't model thin. She's happy with her body but a little insecure when standing next to her supermodel sister or Gabriel's gorgeous ex-lover. A hero who loves his sister and is a little unwilling to let her go when it comes to finding her own happiness, and who is more than a little intrigued by the strangely dressed woman that his sister almost runs over with a carriage.

You'll get a sexy romance, a hot hero, some entertaining side characters who pick on each other as a sign of affection, a peek at the hero of book 2: Christian, and of course, a happily ever after!

Read Chapter 1 Here: https://www.aurrorastjames.com/the-earls-timely-wallflower-excerpt

Buy Here: https://amzn.to/3lYSzNm

New Contest!

To celebrate the release of The Earl's Timely Wallflower, I'm running a contest for some fun Regency items, plus a hand-made Jane Austen mini junk journal.

Click the giveaway graphic to enter!

I handmade the Jane Austen mini junk journal with tea-stained paper and hand-sewed the pages. It has a total of 24 pages (which is why it's mini) and measures 8" high x 5.25" wide. Here's some of the interior pages:

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The Jane Austen art prints are reproductions of sketches from the 1909 editions of Emma and Persuasion by Jane Austen. Some of the prints are 5" x 7" and others are 3.5" x 5". Here are a few of the sketches you could win:

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The giveaway runs from March 24 - April 7. Winners will be drawn and notified approximately April 10th. There is no purchase necessary to win, although I do hope you will check out my new Time Travel Regency Romance, The Earl's Timely Wallflower which releases March 28th!

Never let destiny meddle in your romantic affairs…

Gabriel Hawthorne needs a week’s respite before the start of the Season, not a strangely dressed woman claiming to be from the future who seems intent on turning his world upside down. He'd turn Lily over to the doctors if she weren’t so damned intriguing. But when his ex-mistress attempts to drive a wedge between their fragile bond, Gabriel realizes that he’s not ready to let Lily go. If she finds a way back to her time, he may have to follow her.

Because the Earl of Rothden always gets what he wants—even when it’s a wallflower from the future.

Cover Reveal!

Are you ready to travel back to Regency England? No? Neither is Lily Bennett. Unfortunately for her, fate didn't ask first.

The Earl's Timely Wallflower is the first book in a a time travel Regency romance trilogy, starring three siblings who are unexpectedly propelled back in time, and end up finding the love of their lives. I can't wait to share this first book with you. I think you will love Lily, her earl Gabriel, and a cast of unruly wastrels that he calls friends.

The Earl of Rothden needs a week’s respite before the start of the Season, not a wallflower from the future who turns his world upside down.

When Lily Bennett became the caretaker of her teenage sister, it came at the expense of her hopes, dreams, and the home she grew up in. Now that her sister is grown and on her own, Lily struggles to find a place to call home. She wants to feel part of a family again and intends to mend the broken relationships with her siblings. That is, until she discovers an unusual timepiece that lands her in Regency England. And at the feet of one of the most eligible men in society. Unfortunately, he believes that she’s crazy. Any attraction Lily feels for the stubborn man is clearly one-sided. Too bad she’s stuck with him until she can figure out how to get home.

Gabriel Hawthorne, Earl of Rothden, has decided to host one last house party before returning to London for the dreaded season where every simpering chit and money-hungry mother will hover around him like flies. Add to that his sister’s hunt for a husband and Gabriel would rather shoot himself than a grouse. Still, it’s his duty to find his sister a suitable match, which he’ll do after one last bit of respite to shore up his defenses. A respite interrupted when a pretty little wallflower in scandalous clothes lands at his feet claiming to be from the future. He'd turn her over to doctors if she weren’t so damn intriguing. Suddenly, all thoughts of London, responsibilities, and simpering debutantes don’t seem half as hard as getting Lily to stay with him.

But when his ex-mistress arrives unannounced at the house party, she makes every effort to drive a wedge between the fragile bond Gabriel and Lily have forged. If she succeeds, he could lose Lily forever. And if Lily finds a way back to her time, he may have to follow her. Because the Earl of Rothden always gets what he wants. Even when it’s a wallflower from the future.

Expected release date: April 2023

The best news? You won't have to wait too long for books 2 and 3 of the trilogy. All 3 books will be published by September 2023.

For release news, contests, covers, and bonus content, sign up for my newsletter.

So what do you think? Time travel to 1813 England is a bit of a departure from what I've been writing. Is it a subgenre of romance that you would read? What would you like to see me write next? Leave a comment below!

Taken by Destiny - A Trilogy

I'm very excited to announce that I will have a new trilogy out in 2023! This series follows two sisters and a brother who unexpectedly find themselves time traveling to 1813 England and find love when they least expected it. They will be short novels with a couple more steamy scenes than in my other books.

In book 1, The Earl's Untimely Wallflower, Lily Bennett is struggling to find her place in the world and reconnect with her siblings after the death of their parents took a toll on their relationship. But when she tries to do something nice for her boss, she finds herself back in the Regency period of England, taken in by the most handsome man she's ever seen, who thinks she's completely crazy. As Lily tries to adapt to the customs of the time, she's also looking for a way home. She's definitely not looking to fall in love with an Earl, or find unexpected family with him and his sister.

Book 2- Tempting the Reclusive Earl, follows the youngest sister Bellamy who is frantic to find her missing sister. When she finds her, it's neither where nor when she expected to. Even if Lily decides to stay in the past, Bellamy has a multi-million dollar contract on the line that will make her career. She has to return home, and the only person who can help her is a reclusive earl that is avoiding her.

Book 3- Touching the Hero's Heart, follows their older brother, Archer. He was already in the military and overseas when their parents died. He thought that years in special forces prepared him for everything... except how to reintegrate with society after a severe injury ended his military career. Or how to survive the ballrooms of London in 1814. Archer might not know how to fit in back in his old life, but he sure doesn't fit in here - no matter what his sisters or the beautiful Lady Violet have to say. He's already uncomfortable walking with a cane and if Violet has her way, she'd drag him out on to the dance floor, which is not happening. Even if he weren't injured, he's seen too much and Violet is way too young for him. Something he'll remind himself of every time she laughs with a hint of mischief or looks at him with those gorgeous eyes and full lips. She's bright, funny, and full of life, and Archer knows he has no business sharing the same space with a woman like that.

Check out my inspiration pics on Pinterest on the Taken by Destiny board.

All three books will be out between March and July 2023. This is a different time period for me and I'm having a wonderful time writing in it. I hope you will give these books a shot when they come out.

As soon as I finish writing Archer's book, I'll start back on Lucius of Vidara - book 4 of the Lords of Magic series. My current plan is to publish his book by the end of 2023 and start on book 5. If all goes well with this trilogy, I hope to write more for Dragonblade Publishing in the future.

Lots of great things happening in 2023! After coming down with Covid earlier this month, believe me when I say that I'm ready. Bring on the new year!

New Covers!

The first three books on the Lords of Magic series are getting new covers. Check them out:

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Why new covers? I know a lot of you really liked the old ones. I did too. But Fun Fact about the publishing industry- cover trends change. A LOT. And when they do, if an author doesn't change with them, then their books stop selling. This is a universal truth. It doesn't matter how good a book is, if it doesn't look like what new readers expect to see when they look at that genre, they probably will not even click on it.

This is something that happened with the Lords of Magic series. Particularly with the Gavril of Aquina cover. Readers were simply not willing to even click on it to read more and give it a chance. So here we are. These new covers are more in line with what is currently trending in... well Medieval Romance. Technically, these are Medieval Fantasy/Paranormal romance books. But one look at the Fantasy Romance top 100 books on Amazon and all you see are Object covers. Covers like Sarah J. Maas A Court of Thorn and Roses. Nothing against her or her books, but the cover tells you nothing about the book. You don't know what kind of book it is. Fiction? Non-fiction? Chinese History of an Empire? It doesn't do the one thing a book cover is supposed to do- Tell you in one look what genre the book is and give you an idea of what you can expect. This is the fault of her publisher, not the author.

Long story made longer, I wasn't willing to go with the Fantasy Romance cover trend of Object covers which left me with the Medieval Romance cover look mixed with paranormal. We'll see if new readers respond to this. Fingers crossed!

Also, BIG shout out to my amazing cover designer: Kim Killion of The Killion Group. She is amazing to work with and I couldn't be happier. If you're looking for any kind of book services, seriously... you need to talk with her. Also, she made that rockin' book trailer on my Home page.

So what do you think of the new covers? Leave me a comment!

Win the Yuletide Kisses Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Yuletide Kisses, we're offering a Scottish Yuletide giveaway! October 17 - 31st, you can enter to win a grand prize worth $250 or the first prize of a $25 Amazon gift card. Plus, the more you share, the more entries you get. Open to anywhere in the world that the US lets us ship. Winner will be drawn around Nov. 3rd. See full contest terms and conditions.

Click here to enter: https://www.aurrorastjames.com/contests

Now Available for Preorder! Out Nov. 1st

Do you love Scottish historicals? Yuletide Kisses is 4 all-new stories celebrating Christmas in Scotland. As a BONUS, all pre-orders get a discounted price AND 4 epilogues not available anywhere else.

Learn More: https://www.aurrorastjames.com/yuletide-kisses

Buy Your Copy Today: https://amzn.to/3LYszuk

Coming This November!

Four celebrated authors have joined together to bring you four all new novellas set in Medieval Scotland. You'll find braw warriors and fiery lasses looking for something new this season - a special Christmas wish!

Sign up for the special newsletter for updates on the release, contests, purchase bonuses and more!

SCBL Book Signing

Just returned from the Space Coast Book Lovers conference in Cape Canaveral, FL. We had such a great time. Several hundred readers gathered together over 3 full days of author panels, luncheons, games, adventures, a book signing, and a Mad Hatter After Party!

My signing table at the Book Fair.

The Mad Hatter After Party:

We had SO much fun at the events but the after party really closed out the weekend. Great food, music, dancing, and of course - amazing costumes! Even a costume contest.

I hope you can join me next year. The readers I talked to were over the moon with how much time they got to spend with authors in small settings, the fun adventures like line dancing, making viking shields, and a stripping santa claus, and all of the giveaways. This event is really geared towards readers and the authors work hard to make for a memorable experience. Plus, I think the event is VERY reasonable in pricing.

Find out more here and keep an eye out for next year's signup! https://www.spacecoastbooklovers.com/