Babs Hightower's Blog, page 75
January 7, 2016
Allison Leigh’s book, Fortune’s Secret Heir
Bon Appétit and a Book: A delicious holiday recipe of your choice to enjoy alongside the book with an image.
My favorite cookie, year-round, is pictured on one of my holiday cookie trays—Glazed Fudge Drops. (The little round frosted chocolate cookies in the very front.) I even used the recipe in a prior book. It’s a frequent request from my family. The combination of chocolate with a hint of almond…love it!
Cookie Recipe:
1 ¾ C sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ C sifted unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs
2/3 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
1 C granulated sugar
Sift all the dry ingredients together and set aside. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in oil, extracts and sugar until thoroughly combined. Mix in dry ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Drop by rounded teaspoonful, 2” apart, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes, remove to wire rack and cool partially before glazing. (recipe follows)
Glaze:
2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar
2-3 TBSP milk
¼ C unsweetened cocoa
pinch salt
few drops almond extract
Mix all glaze ingredients until desired consistency. Spread on slightly warm cookies.
List two books you’ve read more than three times.
The entire Harry Potter series.
Is anything in Fortune’s Secret Heir based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
Purely imagination. Well, no. Actually, there is a scene where my heroine takes a city bus; I’ve done that. Ha!
What are some of your favorite words and why?
Possibilities. Why? Because of all the possibilities!
You get a brilliant phrase/idea/thought at an inappropriate time (while driving, drifting off to sleep/in the shower). What do you do?
My brilliant mind (ha) tells me that I’ll remember that brilliant notion. Of course, I promptly forget the details. If I’m really feeling ambitious, I’ll stop what I’m doing and write it down, or (hard to believe I’ll admit this) I will phone myself and leave a voice mail message.
What do you do when you are not writing?
Think about writing. I also have a full-time job outside of writing at a local non-profit working in the Finance department. Very non-creative. That ought to mean my mind is balanced between writing and that, shouldn’t it? Hmmm….
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before?
New York City!
Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?
Love scenes can be a challenge, but not always. Emotionally wrenching scenes can be exhausting, but not always. The scenes that are the hardest to write are those where nothing important is going on. Thus, the difficulty, and in all likelihood it means I need to go back and rework something so something important is happening. When I’m at a dead end for some reason, it always means I’ve gone off course when I shouldn’t have.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Names are important to me, and sometimes you end up with a character’s name you never intended. A secondary character, for instance, who later unexpectedly becomes a hero or heroine. Names help me form that vision in my head of my character. Sometimes I go hunting for that ‘perfect’ name, flipping through my various name resources. Sometimes it just hits me. I wake up one morning, and think, “Aha! Well, of course, that’s the name.”
What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Write it out here, then answer it.
Frankly, I’m always surprised when someone has a question about one of my books. My mind is a blank on this one!
What are you working on now? What is your next project?
Presently, I’m working on a synopsis for my next Men of the Double-C Ranch-related stories. That, and trying to get my Christmas gifts wrapped on time…
The post Allison Leigh’s book, Fortune’s Secret Heir appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 6, 2016
B.J. Daniels – Reunion at Cardwell Ranch.
Bon Appetit and a Book:
One of my favorite recipe is some warm comfort food this time of year. This enchilada casserole does the trick alongside a book like REUNIOIN AT CARDWELL RANCH that hopefully keeps you turning the pages so fast, you won’t eat too much.
ENCHILADA CASSEROLE:
2 cups chicken, turkey (or browned burger would work great too) (I used diced turkey)
3 cups grated cheese (I used both cheddar and jack)
1 4-5 oz green chiles (I used 4 fresh ones from the garden after taking the peel off under the broiler)
1 pkg corn tortillas (12)
1 16 oz can refried beans
1 19oz can of enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35-45 minutes in a 13×9 inch dish
Mix meat with 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese and all of the chiles.
Put a few spoonfuls of sauce in bottom of baking dish. Layer 4 tortillas on top of the sauce. (You can cut them to make them fit. I overlapped them to fit in the bottom)
Spread beans over tortillas (I didn’t, but I think they would spread easier if heated)
Add half of the meat mixture and half of the remaining enchilada sauce
Put four tortillas on top.
Spread on remaining beans and meat mixture.
Put remaining tortillas on top
Add rest of enchilada sauce
Sprinkle on 1 1/2 cups of cheese.
Cover with foil. Bake. Garnish with green onions and serve.
Q&A with BJ Daniels – Reunion at Cardwell Ranch
What’s your favorite love story? Fiction or non-fiction.
My husband and I had a lot of obstacles when we started out. But love really does conquer all. It’s an amazing love story that just keeps getting better.
You have to wear a t-shirt with one word on it for the rest of your life. Which word do you choose?
I love this question. Cowgirl-Up. If that isn’t considered one word, then I would choose Persist.
What punctuation mark best describes your personality? Why?
Yep, it would be ! My life has been amazing. I wake up excited to see what the day will bring.
What was your favorite scene to write in Reunion at Cardwell Ranch? Why?
I loved the first scene where he sees the cat burglar running across the roofline. It was a pivotal point for Laramie. Once he decided to get involved, he was hooked – even before the kiss.
What was the hardest scene to write? Why?
After you’ve written more than 80 fight scenes…it is really hard to come up with something new and different. That was the hardest for me. I just want the bad guy caught and my hero and heroine to get together.
What is your favorite part of the day?
Mornings. I love waking up to sunshine. It just inspires me.
How did you choose to start writing in the Romance genre?
Actually it chose me. I wanted to write mysteries. But my first fiction sale was to Woman’s World magazine. I had to add romance and I realized I liked the relationship in my stories. About then Harlequin had just begun its Intrigue line. I figured they started it just for me.
Is anything in Reunion at Cardwell Ranch based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
All my books are pure fiction. However, we used to have a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon some miles from Big Sky (long before Big Sky). So it is easy to write about a place where I used to dress up like Davy Crockett and play cowboy and Indians.
What did you find most useful in learning to write? What was least useful or most destructive?
Writing a lot. I went to work for a newspaper so I had a lot of writing experience on deadlines. I learned to write tight and get to the point. I learned so much by writing and being edited and learning to edit myself.
The hardest part for most aspiring writers is finding the time to write. It took me a while because I didn’t treat it like a job at first. Once I did, everything fell into place.
Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Summarize your writing process.
My process is all intuition. I swear it comes from outer space and I just type in the stories. I have no idea where it comes from since I am a true seat of the pants writer. But I love the process since I get to know my characters and the story as I write, so it is always a surprise for me too.
The post B.J. Daniels – Reunion at Cardwell Ranch. appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
Miami Series by Marie York- Cover Reveal
The Miami Series
Beaten (Book 1), Scarred (Book 2), Vindicated (Book 3)
Marie York
Beaten (Book 1) Release Date: January 20th
Synopsis
Mackenzie Greene was running. Running away from her sister, her old life, and everything she left behind in Vegas. She needs a do-over and
Miami is her place to start. But how long can she keep her secret? And
what will happen when Mila finds out?
Bronx Boston was on top of the world. The youngest undefeated UFC fighter, and with one punch, he lost all the glory. He’s moved to Miami to lick his wounds and plot his revenge. Can he ever get back on top? Or will his own demons keep him down?
Two really broken people who meet up by chance. Can they make it work together? Or will their personal issues tear them apart?
About the Author
Marie York is an American writer who works the corporate circuit by day but come nightfall transforms into a steamy writer. She loves the city life and a good cocktail.
~*~SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS~*~
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
http://www.amazon.com/Marie-York/e/B0...
The post Miami Series by Marie York- Cover Reveal appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 5, 2016
MURDER MOST MALICIOUS by Alyssa Maxwell, review & giveaway
Murder Most Malicious
by Alyssa Maxwell
Murder Most Malicious
(A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery Book 1)
New Series
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1617738302
E-Book ASIN: B00VQFKHPQ
Synopsis
In post–World War I England, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, step outside of their social roles and put their lives at risk to apprehend a vicious killer…
December 1918: As a difficult year draws to a close, there is much to celebrate for nineteen-year-old Phoebe Renshaw and her three siblings at their beloved family estate of Foxwood Hall. The dreadful war is finally over; eldest daughter Julia’s engagement to their houseguest, the Marquis of Allerton, appears imminent; and all have gathered to enjoy peace on earth, good will toward men.
But the peace of Foxwood Hall is shattered on the morning of Boxing Day, when the Marquis goes missing. Not entirely missing, however, as macabre evidence of foul play turns up in gift boxes given to lady’s maid Eva Huntford and a handful of others. Having overheard her sister and the Marquis in a heated exchange the night before, Lady Phoebe takes a personal interest in solving the mystery.
As the local constable suspects a footman at Foxwood Hall, Phoebe and Eva follow the clues to a different conclusion. But both young women will need to think outside the box to wrap up this case—before a cornered killer lashes out with ill will toward them…
About The Author
Alyssa Maxwell has worked in publishing as an assistant editor and a ghost writer, but knew from an early age that being a novelist was what she wanted most. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles of all kinds drew her to the mystery genre. She lives in South Florida in the current year, but confesses to spending most of her time in the Victorian, Edwardian, and post WWI eras. In addition to fantasizing about wearing Worth gowns while strolling manor house gardens, she loves to watch BBC and other period productions and sip tea in the afternoons.
Author Links
Webpage – www.alyssamaxwell.com
Twitter – @Alyssa__Maxwell
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163135.Alyssa_Maxwell
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaMaxwellauthor/
Purchase Links
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25387762-murder-most-malicious
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-most-malicious-alyssa-maxwell/1121697428?ean=9781617738302
IndieBound – http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781617738302
The post MURDER MOST MALICIOUS by Alyssa Maxwell, review & giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
SKIING IS MURDER by Carolyn Arnold spotlight tour
Skiing is Murder
by Carolyn Arnold
Skiing is Murder
(McKinley Mysteries Series)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Print Length: 116 pages
Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc. (January 28, 2016)
ASIN: B017UIZQAS
Synopsis
They’re ready to hit the slopes when things go downhill…
Sean and Sara were supposed to have a relaxing vacation in Vail, but it all goes up in a puff of powder when there’s a suspicious death on the mountain. And the deceased is not just anyone; it’s Adrian Blackwell, a two-time Olympic skiing gold medalist.
Rumor has it that Adrian died in a skiing accident, but he was too skilled for Sara to accept it as fact. Though she’s convinced Adrian was murdered and she’s itching to find the killer, she doesn’t want to disappoint Sean by ruining his ski trip.
Sean has never had the ability to say no to Sara before, but this time he comes close. It takes a call from their PI firm back in Albany to change his mind. A job’s come in to investigate Adrian’s death, and his agent is the one footing the bill, leaving Sean with more questions than answers.
Yet one major problem remains: their New York State PI licenses hold no legal authority in Colorado. But they still can’t help but look into Adrian’s death on the sly. This case will definitely involve some underhanded tactics, all while trying to dodge the local police during the course of the investigation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
CAROLYN ARNOLD is the international bestselling and award-winning author of the Madison Knight
, Brandon Fisher
, and McKinley Mystery
series. She is the only author with POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town, but that never kept her from dreaming big. On par with her large dreams is her overactive imagination that conjures up killers and cases to solve. She currently lives outside Toronto with her husband and two beagles, Max and Chelsea. She is also a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
Author Links:
Purchase Links:
Amazon US Amazon UK Barnes & Noble Apple iBooks Kobo
Tour Participants
January 4 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – Review
January 5 – Babs Book Bistro – Spotlight
January 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review
January 7 – Laura’s Interests – Review
January 8 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review
January 9 – Christa Reads and Writes – Spotlight
January 10 – Back Porchervations – Review
January 11 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too ! – Spotlight
January 12 – Brooke Blogs – Review
January 13 – Community Bookstop – Spotlight
January 14 – Queen of All She Reads – Review
January 15 – deal sharing aunt – Spotlight
January 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight
January 17 – A Blue Million Books – Spotlight
January 18 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews – Review
January 19 – Island Confidential – Spotlight
The post SKIING IS MURDER by Carolyn Arnold spotlight tour appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 4, 2016
Release Blast: HOLD ME UNTIL FOREVER by Christina Phillips & Giveaway
Enter to Win a
$20.00 Amazon eGift Card
HOLD ME UNTIL FOREVER
Grayson Brothers #3
Christina Phillips
Releasing Jan 4th, 2016
Entangled Brazen
She’s
the only one he wants…and the one he can never have…
Ella Clark has been in love with
Alex Grayson forever. She’s tired of being invisible—or worse, being treated
like his kid sister. If she can just get him to drop his iron-fisted control
for two seconds, she’ll prove she knows exactly how to blow his mind.
Alex has been fighting his
attraction to Ella since her should-have-been-innocent sweet sixteen kiss
burned down his world. He’s damaged, and there’s no way he’ll ever drag her
into his screwed up life. Until she offers him something he’s always
craved—steamy, no-strings sex inside his exclusive BDSM club. Where she’ll be
safe from the darkness that haunts him.
Except there’s nothing safe about
being with Ella, and the more she gives, the harder it is to let her go. If he
stays, he risks everything, but how can he walk away from the only woman he’s
ever needed?
BUY NOW
iBooks | Amazon | Amazon
UK | Kobo | B&N
Christina Phillips is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny
Western Australia with her high school sweetheart and their family. She enjoys
writing paranormal, historical and contemporary romance where the stories
sizzle and the heroine brings her hero to his knees.
She’s addicted to good coffee, expensive chocolate and bad boy
heroes. Christina is also owned by three gorgeous cats who are convinced the
universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
Don’t Miss the other Grayson Brothers Romances
The post Release Blast: HOLD ME UNTIL FOREVER by Christina Phillips & Giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
Cover Reveal: BROKEN BEAT by April Brookshire & Giveaway
BROKEN BEAT
Broken Beat #1
April Brookshire
Releasing Jan 27th, 2016
You’ve
heard the story before. A young woman moves to the big city, catches the eye of
a rich and powerful man, and they live happily ever after.
Unless
they don’t.
Vanessa
has learned to live without her happily ever after. In fact, she no
longer needs or wants it. Her heart may have been shattered by the loss of true
love, but it’s made her a stronger person. Her fairytale dreams faded, making
way for more practical aspirations.
Keenan
made a mistake when he brutally discarded Vanessa from his life. Ever since,
he’s been in a hell of his own making. The life he’s led for the past several
years isn’t one to be proud of and he doesn’t deserve to win Vanessa’s heart once
again.
Not
that he’ll let anything stop him.
“Keenan wants to see you,” Darius said.
My hand tightened around the glass, at the same time it began to
shake. Adding my other hand into the mix, I gripped it until the shaking
lessened. “You’re not serious.”
Staring at where some of the water had sloshed out onto my hand,
I tried to ignore the rising panic.
“He’s found out the truth,” Darius explained.
My eyes rose to meet is all-too-serious ones. “How?” The word
left my numb lips barely above a whisper.
His head dropped to look down at his shoes, but I could still
see his hesitant expression from where I sat several yards away. He rubbed a
hand through his thick hair. “He asked me to leave any explanations to him.”
My dread morphed into irritation. “That sounds like him. Always
needing to have the final word.”
The strain left his features at my comment. “So, what do you
want me to tell him?”
I stood, setting my glass down on the coffee table. The view of
Manhattan outside became larger as I walked to the large penthouse windows. I
stared down below at the tiny people walking on sidewalks and the toy cars
moving down the street. Inside here, it seemed as if everything had come to a
standstill.
It was impossible to pinpoint any one feeling about the
possibility of seeing Keenan again. A combination of anxiety, sadness and
defiance mingled with something I refused to identify as anticipation.
I imagined an awkward conversation between Keenan and myself.
Rehashing our history wasn’t an event I’d enjoy. So he finally knew the truth
and in his arrogance had decided it was time for closure.
He’d always made all the decisions.
Well, this time I’d be the one deciding the outcome. Seeing
Keenan would benefit me in no way. It had taken time, but I’d moved on from the
heartbreak of our disastrous ending. All evidence proved Keenan had also moved
on. Any conversation between us would come too late.
Not turning from the view, I told Darius, “Tell him it was
another lifetime.”
April Brookshire is the author of the
Beware of Bad Boy and Young Assassins series. She also co-authors the Dead
Chaos series. She writes in the New Adult & Young Adult Romance and
Apocalyptic Urban Fantasy genres.
April lives in a suburb of Denver,
Colorado, where she raises her young son. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually
reading, but also enjoys attending concerts and plays in the numerous venues of
the city.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
The post Cover Reveal: BROKEN BEAT by April Brookshire & Giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
January 1, 2016
Virtual Tour, RUSHING TO DIE by Lindsay Emory, Review & Giveaway
Enter to Win a copy of
SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY
RUSHING TO DIE
A Sorority Sisters Mystery #2
Lindsay Emory
Releasing Dec 29th, 2015
Witness Impulse
“We’ll be sisters ’til we die…”
In the second
installment of Lindsay Emory’s Sorority Sisters Mystery series, chapter advisor
Margot Blythe must expose a sorority row assassin … before she becomes the
killer’s next target.
Three months into her
tenure as the Sutton College Delta Beta chapter advisor, Margot Blythe has the
sorority in tip-top shape, just in time for sorority rush. Snapping and
stomping in perfect synchronization, everyone is hopeful that after this rush,
Delta Beta’s reputation as “the murder house” will be forgotten.Until a body is found in the Delta Beta backyard. Again. The woman is found
wearing a Delta Beta shirt, which is troublesome enough; even more distressing,
no one in the chapter recognizes her. Unwilling to let a minor inconvenience
like potential murder spoil the social calendar, Margot gladly hands off the
investigation to local police cutie Ty Hatfield, while the Delta Beta girls
throw themselves into rush preparations.
But when another body
is found, with the terrifying possibility of more to come, Margot does the only
thing a responsible advisor can do and demands that rush be canceled, making
enemies in every house on sorority row. When the resulting furor starts to get
dirty, it’s up to Margot to uncover some nasty messes tucked away in the
sorority closets—to save her sisters’ reputations, and their lives.
A
witty, engrossing mystery for fans of Susan McBride.
My thoughts:
BUY NOW
Amazon | B
& N | Google
Play | iTunes | Kobo
Lindsay Emory is a native Texan and
recovering sorority girl. She is also the author of the contemporary romance
KNOW WHEN TO HOLD HIM.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
For a Limited Time get
SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY
for ONLY $0.99
AMAZON
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December 31, 2015
Jane Ashford HEIR TO THE DUKE Blog Feature & Giveaway
Title: Heir to the Duke
Author: Jane Ashford
Series: the Duke’s Sons, #1
Pubdate: January 5th, 2016
ISBN: 9781492621560
Book 1 of The Duke’s Sons series
From bestselling author Jane Ashford comes a brand new series of sparkling Regency Romance
Life is predictable for a Duke’s first son
As eldest son of the Duke of Langford, Nathaniel Gresham sees his arranged marriage to Lady Violet Devere as just another obligation to fulfill—highly suitable, if unexciting. But as Violet sets out to transform herself from dowdy wallflower to dazzling young duchess-to-be, proper Nathaniel sets out to prove he’s a match for his new bride’s vivacity and daring.
Or so he once thought…
Oppressed by her family all her life, Lady Violet can’t wait to enjoy the freedom of being a married woman. But then Violet learns her family’s sordid secret, and she’s faced with an impossible choice—does she tell Nathaniel and risk losing him, or does she hide it and live a lie?
Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight led her to study English literature and travel widely in Britain and Europe. Her historical and contemporary romances have been published in Sweden, Italy, England, Denmark, France, Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, and Spain, as well as the U.S. Twenty-six of her new and backlist Regency romances are being published by Sourcebooks. Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. She is currently rather nomadic.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/222MBai
Apple: http://apple.co/1m2nt2B
Chapters: http://bit.ly/1IQWkKv
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1I5j2i1
Jane Ashford’s latest release, Heir to the Duke, comes out this January! To celebrate, we invite you to get to know Randolph Gresham, one of the Duke of Langford’s six sons, and to check out an excerpt from Heir to the Duke.
Full Name: Randolph
Occupation: Clergyman with a living in the north of England
Height: 6’ 0”
Hair Color: Auburn
Eye Color: Blue
Age: 30
How would you describe yourself?
Able, intelligent, thoughtful, eager to help others. I pride myself on possessing more depth than many men.
If your brothers had to describe you, what would they say?
I suspect they might call me pompous, which is an unfair criticism, in my opinion. I think they would also acknowledge that I am learned and diligent.
What is your favorite way to spend your time?
Reading, conversation, tramping in the countryside. I get a certain satisfaction from preparing an effective sermon. I enjoy counseling those of my parishioners who come to me for advice.
What’s one piece of advice you would give the newlyweds (Nathaniel and Violet)?
As a clergyman there are certain moral principles that naturally come to mind. But I think they might boil down to – have compassion for each other, and yourselves. Everyone makes mistakes. Acknowledge your own. Forgive those of others.
If money was no object and you had no commitments for the next two weeks, what would you do?
I would go down to London to visit with friends and acquaintances. Life deep in the country has a certain sameness and can be a bit lonely. Particularly when one has a position to uphold in the community.
An Excerpt:
Nathaniel Gresham, Viscount Hightower, stirred in his sleep. His hands groped for bedclothes, found nothing. Sensing wrongness, his consciousness rose through layers of befuddlement and wisps of dreams. He opened his eyes to find a gaping maw of three-inch fangs inches from his throat.
“Aah!”
Nathaniel threw up his arms to shield his face and twisted to the side. The convulsive movement brought him right to the edge of a large four-poster bed, and he scrambled to avoid falling three feet to the floor. He twisted in the opposite direction and struck out at the sharp, yellowed teeth. They did not snap shut on his forearm or lunge into his face once more. Indeed, they did not move at all, except sideways under his blow. There was no snarl or slaver, no spark of rage in the shiny eye behind the fangs. Nathaniel shoved them farther away and sat up.
He was stark naked, on a large bed stripped bare of linens, covered only by a moth-eaten gray wolf skin. The wretched thing’s head had been carefully placed on his chest, to ensure the rude awakening. His hips still rested under its hindquarters. Molting fur peppered the bed. The mere sight of the ancient pelt made his skin itch. Revolted, he pushed it all the way off and moved to the foot of the bed, struggling to get his bearings. This wasn’t his bedchamber. The blue-striped wallpaper was alien, the furnishings unfamiliar; the windows with their slant of early morning light were in the wrong place. Then he remembered. He was staying at the Earl of Moreley’s country house, because tomorrow—no, today—he was to marry the earl’s daughter at their local parish church.
Nathaniel glared at the wolf skin, then rubbed his hands over his face. This was what it meant to have five brothers—five younger brothers—on one’s wedding day. Or rather, on one’s wedding eve, a night they’d insisted upon marking with bowls of rack punch. Had it been three? Or had he lost count? No wonder they’d kept filling his glass, if they had this prank planned. Where the devil had they found a wolf skin in a strange house? And hadn’t he told his father, when Robert was born in his sixth year, that four sons were quite enough? Even for a duke, six sons were excessive. At this particular moment, Nathaniel thought that his parents might have been content with just one.
He rose, stretching stiff limbs and marveling that he had only a mild headache. Revenge on his brothers would have to wait for another day. Today, he was getting married. He was doing his duty to his name and his line, pledging himself to a woman who would be an admirable duchess when their turn came—may it be far in the future. The match was eminently suitable. All society acknowledged its rightness. And despite Violet’s irascible grandmother, the occasional bane of his existence, he could have no complaints.
Indeed, why had the word even occurred to him? No one had rushed him into marriage. He had enjoyed a plenitude of seasons in London and a number of agreeable flirtations and liaisons with delightful females. Though they had never spoken of it, he was aware that his parents had given him every opportunity to fall in love. But the passion that had overtaken them in their young days had not befallen him. He wasn’t sure why, but once he’d passed thirty he concluded it never would. He’d had more than enough time to observe that such a bond was rare in the circles of the haut ton.
Nathaniel stretched again, his bare limbs a bit chilly. This marriage was certainly not a penance. He liked Violet very much. They’d been acquainted for years. He did not know whether she’d had other offers, but he supposed that she too had waited for love to find her. They had that in common. They were also well suited by background, had similar tastes, and enjoyed the same even temperament. When he’d decided that the time for marriage had come, he’d simply known that she was the proper candidate. He expected their union to be gracious, harmonious, and ideal for the significant position they would someday be called upon to fulfill. And now it was time to stop wool- gathering, put on his dressing gown, and begin this momentous day.
Nathaniel walked over to the oaken wardrobe on the far wall and opened it.
It was empty. All his clothes had disappeared.
He stared at the bare hooks. This part of the prank would be Sebastian’s doing, he imagined. It had his next younger brother’s touch. Nathaniel met his own gaze in the mirror set into the wardrobe door, and acknowledged the spark of amused annoyance in his eyes. His brothers had a fiendish facility for complicated jests.
The figure in the glass shook its head. All the sons of the Duke of Langford were tall, handsome, broad-shouldered men with auburn hair and blue eyes. Sebastian was the tallest. Robert the wittiest. Randolph was acknowledged as the handsomest, James the most adventurous, and Alan the smartest. But he was the eldest, and the heir.
For as long as he could remember, Nathaniel had felt the weight of his destiny. The others said it was a burden to have everything done ahead of them, but he’d felt the onus of being the pattern, setting up the expectations, being the son visitors scrutinized the most. He would be the next duke; he must show he was worthy. Thus, he kept a tight rein on his wilder impulses. Instead, he was the one who came to the rescue when one of his brothers went too far, kicking up a lark.
And so now, he did not slam the empty wardrobe shut, but simply closed it. He would leave it to his valet to straighten this out. He wanted hot water for washing, and then clothes, and then breakfast. He went to ring for Cates, and discovered that the bell rope had been removed. He could see the wire to which it had been connected, near the ceiling, twelve feet up. It must have taken two or three of his brothers to reach so high.
For a moment he just stood there, staring at it. This final touch would be Robert’s idea, no doubt. He’d always been the most ingenious, the brother who added the crowning climax to a prank. Robert would be the one to set the others guffawing—describing their elder brother slinking through the corridors of the Earl of Moreley’s house wrapped in a wolf skin, like some sort of demented ancient Celt. Even Nathaniel had to smile at the picture. How would Violet’s fierce stickler of a grandmother like that? And all the other near and distant relations visiting for the wedding? He’d barely met most of them. Perhaps he’d twine some ivy from outside the window in his hair and attempt a Gaelic war cry.
Nathaniel laughed. Truth to tell, it was a splendid prank, unfolding like a puzzle box upon its hapless victim. All that remained was for him to wiggle out of the trap so cunningly set.
He eyed the windows and considered pulling down some of his almost-mother-in-law’s elaborate draperies to wrap about himself. But one panel would trail behind him like a coronation robe. The picture was little better than the wolf skin. Perhaps he would just wait until Cates arrived on his own. It couldn’t be too much longer. In fact, judging by the sunlight, his valet ought to have appeared well before now. Where the devil was he?
As if in answer to this thought, there was a knock at the door.
“Nathaniel?”
The voice was the last he expected. “Violet?”
“Are you all right? James said you needed to speak to me most urgent—” The door opened, and Nathaniel’s promised bride looked around the panels. “Oh!” Her mouth dropped open.
Nathaniel—stark naked, next to a bed sporting only a rumpled wolf skin—braced for a shriek, a shocked retreat, babbled apologies. But Violet just looked at him. Indeed, it seemed as if she couldn’t tear her eyes away. He could almost feel her gaze traveling along his skin, as if it left trails of warmth. He saw something stir in those gray eyes, something he’d never observed before, and his body began to respond to the possibility of much more than he’d expected from his suitable marriage. Respond all too eagerly.
Nathaniel moved over behind the bed. “My brothers’ idea of a joke,” he said with a gesture toward the wolf skin.
Violet blinked. Color flooded her cheeks, and she looked away. “How did they…?” Her voice was rather choked.
“They are endlessly inventive. They stole my clothes as well. Would you have someone send Cates to me? I would ring but”—he pointed to the bell wire—“they were quite thorough.”
Violet glanced at the denuded wire, swallowed, and gave a quick nod. “Of course.” In the next instant, she was gone.
“Well, well,” murmured Nathaniel to the wolf. “That was interesting.”
His days of being capable of interest long past, the wolf made no reply.
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