Sherry Ewing's Blog, page 21
February 18, 2022
First Kiss Friday with Meara Platt
Thanks for stopping by my First Kiss Friday blog. Today’s guest is my friend Meara Platt who has an excerpt from Lyon in the Rough. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
The vast expanse of sea shimmered before them as the sun fell across it.
But it paled to Beatrix’s splendor.
Perhaps this is why poets went on about women sparkling like diamonds. Beatrix was a vision of loveliness. Her gown, a soft, dove gray, picked up the soft gray of her eyes and accentuated the blue in them as well.
She stole his breath away every time he looked at her.
Even now, his heart was beating faster, as it would with the thrill of a first encounter. He had been in close quarters with Beatrix for over a week now and that heady feeling had not faded.
It galled him that Bessie had recognized she was a perfect match for him.
He had not met Beatrix until that morning at the Lyon’s Den. It seemed a lifetime ago. And yet, he felt as though he had always known her.
Perhaps his heart had known her and simply been waiting for her to appear.
Anam charaid.
The love of his soul.
This was going to be a problem if her father had truly promised her to that dunce, Greenock.
Lucas had no intention of giving Beatrix up.
If she wanted him, then he was ready to move heaven and earth to have her.
Why should he not put himself forward and offer for Beatrix’s hand in marriage? He had excellent connections. He was a Lyon of Mar and had the birthmark on his buttocks to prove it. Indeed, the red splotch in the shape of a lion was the mark of every Lyon. He and his brothers all carried it.
But he knew a birthmark to prove his lineage would not overcome the biggest hurdle to gaining her father’s approval. The problem remained, he was not a peer nor was he ever likely to become one by inheriting the dukedom of Mar. It would require the death of his two elder brothers and any sons they might sire. Cheyne already had a son, a newborn babe hardly a few months old.
Lucas did not wish for any bad fate to befall them. No, he wished only good health and happiness for all of his family.
Beatrix inhaled lightly and squeezed his hand, distracting him from his thoughts. “Look, Lucas! There is something moving in the water.”
She began to hop excitedly beside him. “Is it a whale? Oh, there! I think it is an entire family of whales.”
He chuckled and kept tight hold of her hand. “Aye, lass. Aren’t they a magnificent sight?”
She turned to face him. “Everything is magnificent about this moment. Do you feel it, Lucas? This contentment. This sheer perfection.”
“Aye, lass. I do.”
When would they ever have such a day again?
A cooling breeze rippled off the water to swirl around them as they stood on the heights.
The sun shone down upon them and glistened across the waves. The sea was bluer than Lucas had ever seen it, and clear enough to provide an unimpeded view of the pod of whales gliding beneath its surface.
Beatrix had her mouth slightly open as she stared in utter fascination.
He mostly kept his gaze on her.
Anam charaid.
Yes, she was that.
As they watched, one of the larger leviathans surfaced and blew a spume of water out of its spout.
Beatrix squealed in delight. “Do you think he noticed us and decided to put on a show?”
“Perhaps, lass.” Why should not all creatures be enchanted with this girl? She was the loveliest part of this day.
Poseidon wagged his little rump and barked at the whales, unable to contain his excitement. Lucas kept firm hold of his tether, tugging him back each time he skittered to the edge to announce his dominion over these creatures who were a thousand times his size.
Beatrix turned once more to look up at him, happiness shining in her eyes. “Lucas, thank you for sharing this with me. I have never seen anything so beautiful.”
“Lass,” he said in a raw whisper, wanting so badly to draw her up against his body and crush his lips to hers. She was the beauty in this moment. The sun, the wind, the azure water and majestic gray whales all paled next her. “It is my pleasure.”
He tucked a finger under her chin to hold her gaze to his.
She closed her eyes. “I am making a wish.”
“What are ye wishing for?”
“I dare not say.”
“Why? Is it too sinful?” He only meant to tease her, for he could not imagine this girl as anything other than innocent.
“It is, Lucas. Well, perhaps not sinful by your standards, but not anything I ought to be wishing to do.”
Her eyes fluttered open as she spoke, the blue in them seeming to melt into the blue of the sky. Her lips were the pink of the windblown flowers that grew in abundance on this outcropping. “What is it ye wish, Beatrix?”
He knew what he would wish for in this idyllic moment, in this perfect slice of a day. In the heat of the sun shining down on them and the roar of the waves pounding against the shore.
She took a deep breath. “It will not come true if I tell you. Perhaps it is for the best that it doesn’t.” She inhaled again and then let her breath out slowly. “I wished that you would kiss me on this perfect spot amid this perfect day. Would you consider it, Lucas?”
He gave a raw laugh. “Blessed saints, Beatrix. It is a terrible idea.”
Her cheeks turned a bright pink. “Oh, I see. Of course. This is why I should not have told you. Because…what you must think of me…that is, I just assumed…because men…I am so sorry.”
“Dinna be sorry, lass. It is a terrible idea because it is one that has been preying on my mind throughout this journey. Ye’re an angel. I have ached to put my lips to yours from the moment I met ye. How can ye not know it?” He drew her up against him, for this burning need to kiss her had grown unbearable. “I canno’ promise ye anything beyond this kiss.”
She nodded. “I am not asking for anything more.”
In truth, he would give her anything she wished because he was already lost to her. He was so far gone in love with this lass, he would give up everything without need for her to request it. “Verra well. One kiss. Is it yer first?”
She nodded.
“Och, then it must be special. Close yer eyes, Beatrix.”
She held her breath and shut her eyes.
He stifled his laughter, not merely for her obvious innocence but also for the way his heart was responding. Puffed with pride. Touched to the core. He had yet to kiss her and he already knew her lips would taste of heaven. “Breathe, lass. It is permitted.”
She released her breath with a light groan. “Oh, Lucas. I have no idea what I am supposed to do.”
“Ye’ll be just fine. Let me do the work. Ye need only follow my lead.” He brought his mouth down on hers and pressed lightly upon her lips, careful to keep the kiss gentle despite the savage heat coursing through him.
He did not want to scare her off with his ravenous longing.
Give me strength.
Liquid fire coursed through his veins, but he held the flames in check. This was her first time with a man and he dared not overwhelm her.
Nor did he intend to be tepid, for he could never be indifferent to this girl who turned his body molten.
He slowly began to deepen the kiss.
Och, he had to stop thinking each step and just go with what felt right. But she meant so much to him, he wanted their first time to be perfect.
Fool, it will no’ be if ye measure every step.
He set aside his thoughts and simply allowed the heat building up inside of him to flow naturally through his body.
Lord, it came at him like a wall of flames.
He lifted her up against him, drawing her tight to him so that her feet were off the ground and the length of their bodies were seared to each other. He felt the plumpness of her bosom against his hard chest and ached to explore her lovely mounds with his hands and lips.
Not this first time.
Some restraint was required or he would scare her off.
His tongue teased along the seam of her lips to draw them open. He delved in when she responded, tasting the sweet velvet of her mouth.
She moaned and slipped her arms around his neck, leaning into him so that there was no space between their bodies, not a particle of distance between them as their legs entwined and arms held each other in a desperate clench.
He felt the wild beat of her heart.
Blessed saints, she was made for him.
He could tell by the sweet heat of her skin that she was aroused by him.
Was it any different for him?
He poured all of his heart and longing into their first kiss, for it represented so much more than the wild press of two mouths or the hot touch of two bodies.
His was stripped raw, no barriers remaining.
He loved this girl.
She was his heart and the light in his soul.
Mo anam.
My soul.
She had to be his, even if her father had betrothed her to Greenock.
He could not bear to think of it.
“Beatrix,” he whispered, feeling her body shudder with a desire they both felt. “Lass, we canno’ go further.”
“I know. Oh, Lucas,” she said breathlessly, “I am trying so hard to hold back my feelings.” She still had her arms around his neck while the length of her body remained pressed to his, the softness of her breasts such sweet perfection against his chest.
He kissed her again.
His body was on fire and the flames consumed them both.
Lyon In The RoughBy Meara Platt
Lucas Lyon is leaving London to head back to his home in Edinburgh when his meddlesome aunt, Bessie Dove-Lyon, decides he also needs to deliver the lovely Lady Beatrix MacGlory to her father. Along for the ride are Beatrix’s overly perfumed aunt and her aunt’s little pug, Poseidon, who is about the size of a hedgehog but thinks he is a lion. Lucas is not happy about this arrangement, until he finds himself falling in love with Beatrix. However, she is returning to Edinburgh for an arranged betrothal to another man. Since when has that stopped a Lyon from claiming what he wants? If you love Scottish heroes, road trip romances, or simply enjoy laughter, you’ll have fun with Lucas and Beatrix as they fall in love in Lyon In The Rough.
Lyon in the Rough Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LRF418F
Author Bio:
Meara Platt is a USA Today bestselling, award winning author, and an Amazon UK All Star. Her Regency romances are infused with humor and heart, and her fantasy/paranormal stories add just enough darkness to keep her readers intrigued. For Meara, romance is a journey of enchantment, so whether you are looking for funny, uplifting escapes in her Farthingale series or Book of Love series, or wish to be transported into edgier Fae/dragon realms as in her Dark Gardens series, or something in between, take the journey and enjoy!
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMearaPlatt/
Amazon Author Link: http://www.amazon.com/Meara-Platt/e/B00PO672QU
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/meara-platt
Website: www.mearaplatt.com
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/meara-platts-newsletter
Free download If You Kissed Me for free form signup link is this: http://bit.ly/free-novella-download
Free download Any Duke Will Do: https://BookHip.com/MLAHCW
February 11, 2022
First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing
Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. I’m still celebrating the release of Before I Found You: A de Courtenay Novella (Book Three). I can’t being to tell you how much I just adore this cover (thank you Period Images!). I had a great time writing this novella that was originally in the Bluestocking Belles’ box set Storm & Shelter. It took a certain hero for Miss Miranda de Courtenay to finally find what matters most in life and that certainly wasn’t a title. Please enjoy this first kiss scene between Miranda & Jasper. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
She at last remembered herself and backed up a step. He, in turn, stepped forward and continued to do so until they were out of sight of the front of the manor. It wasn’t until she felt the brick wall upon her back that she realized she had nowhere else to turn.
“I had to see you one last time,” she murmured in a breathy whisper. She leaned her head back just so she could once more stare into his eyes.
“I’m certain our paths will cross often, Miranda, at least when I’m on shore,” he said, coming so close she could feel the very heat of him radiating from his body. She almost moaned but as she placed her hands upon his muscular chest, instead a gasp escaped her. Her action was meant to halt him from coming any closer but it had the opposite effect when he pulled her into his arms.
“I don’t see how that will be possible,” she managed to say, while attempting to hold him off. Her pulse quickened and every fiber of her being craved to be held in his arms forever more. She must remember her goal, and Jasper could never fit into her plans.
“Anything is possible, Miranda. We just need to have a little patience. Time will eventually be on our side. I won’t always be at sea.” He ran a finger down her cheek, causing her to shiver in pleasure.
“It’s not about time, Jasper, because all the time in the world won’t change anything.”
He bent forward until his forehead touched her own. “I know we have only just met but, for whatever the reason, I feel drawn to you. Was I mistaken that you feel the same way?”
Her breath caught in her throat to hear his words. “No,” she said honestly. “You weren’t mistaken.”
He cupped her face so she had no choice than to give him her undivided attention. “Then, hopefully, you’ll forgive me if I do something I’ve been craving to do since last night.”
She gulped. Oh no… please don’t let him kiss me. “What’s that?” she asked instead, even though she knew what was coming.
“This…”
His lips gently slid across her own as if testing to see if she would accept the gift of his kiss. She should have pulled away but how could she deny what she herself wanted just as badly? She tilted her head to give him full access to her mouth and, when his tongue slipped inside, Miranda was completely lost. Shivers of delight swept across her entire body until she found herself wrapped in Jasper’s arms. Her hands made their way up into his hair and her fingers tangled into the soft length. He deepened their kiss without any protest from Miranda until she thought her feet would never again touch the ground.
How long their mouths danced with one another, she could not say. For one brief instant, Miranda never wanted the kiss to end. She never wanted to leave Jasper’s arms or his life. But when a soft moan escaped from her lips, the reality of what this man did to her finally penetrated her numb mind. She broke off their kiss and yet their mouths lingered near as their breaths mingled together. She may want him, but he could never offer her the life of her dreams.
Before I Found You: A De Courtenay Novella (Book Three)By Sherry Ewing
A quest for a title. An encounter with a stranger. Will she choose love?
Miss Miranda de Courtenay has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Missto My Lady. But when a handsome stranger crosses her path at a Valentine’s Day ball, her obsession with titles dims. Might love be enough?
Captain Jasper Rousseau has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter at a ball. He has a new ship to run, passengers to book, and cargo to deliver. But one look into a young lady’s beautiful hazel eyes, and he becomes lost. Does love at first sight really exist?
Their paths continue to cross until they are both stranded in Fenwick on Sea. Their growing connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda’s childish quest for a title at all cost. But what if the cost includes love?
Buy Links:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3EMDFgS
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3FNrW2W
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3qK7BVM
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3HmHIC0
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/4XDrva
International:
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3EEGAIo
Angus & Robertson: https://bit.ly/3FKMpp6
Vivlio: https://bit.ly/3pIP5he
February 8, 2022
Happy Release Day!
Any day an author can release a new book into the world is a good day. Before I Found You: A De Courtenay Novella (Book Three) is now available for individual sale after being in the Bluestocking Belle’s box set Storm & Shelter. I hope you enjoy reading Miranda’s journey to finding what truly matters most in life and that certainly isn’t the title she’s been craving her entire life!
Excerpt:
She was not sure what to expect. Being outside alone with a man she did not know was a bold move. If she needed reinforcements, she could easily call out for help, but that would hardly do her reputation any good. It had barely recovered from her last scheme. Society’s memory was short, remembering scandals only until something new came along for them to gossip about—or until something happened to remind them. She couldn’t afford to give them new fodder to chew on.
She could not resist. Miranda took the remaining few steps until she stood next to him, and he rose to his full height, his hair tousled by the evening breeze. She suppressed the urge to push back the lock of hair across his brow that refused to stay in place. Oh my, but the man was tall!
Miranda did not even realize she offered him her hand until he leaned down and kissed the air between her knuckles. His fingers were warm even through the silk of her gloves. How would they feel if her hand was bare? Good heavens! What was coming over her?
“Mademoiselle,” he whispered in a husky French accent, causing goose bumps to rise on her arms. His voice was utterly divine!
“Miranda,” she said offering only her first name. It was hardly appropriate, but she did not wish to see his disinterest when he learned she was a “Miss” and not a “Lady”.
Although it might not matter. Many gentlemen present this evening were on the lookout for a well-dowered heiress to enrich their estate. The man before her could be one of them. Even though she could not attach “lady” to her name, she was still wealthy in her own right… or would be when she finally wed.
Love had nothing to do with what really mattered in life—marriage to a husband within the nobility, one with enough wealth to keep her and her children in luxury. Not for her a boring life as a country matron, with nothing to do or to talk about beyond counting sheets and breeding children. She wanted a glittering life as a Society hostess! It would be an adventure. Or so she had always thought, and she would not allow her heart to rule her head.
She bit her bottom lip before she realized she had done so. The man before her could not know it was an automatic reaction when she was worried. She watched his brow arch in surprise before a grin turned up at the corner of his lips.
“Jasper,” he finally replied in return, examining her reaction to his touch. “The evening has become brighter now that you have joined me for a breath of fresh air. Look how the stars above beam in approval that they may gaze down upon you.”
Miranda’s lips twitched at the compliment. Very nice, though she sensed that he used this phrase often. She realized he still held her fingertips and she reluctantly pulled them away before waving her hand towards the crowd inside.
A quest for a title. An encounter with a stranger. Will she choose love?
Miss Miranda de Courtenay has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Missto My Lady. But when a handsome stranger crosses her path at a Valentine’s Day ball, her obsession with titles dims. Might love be enough?
Captain Jasper Rousseau has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter at a ball. He has a new ship to run, passengers to book, and cargo to deliver. But one look into a young lady’s beautiful hazel eyes, and he becomes lost. Does love at first sight really exist?
Their paths continue to cross until they are both stranded in Fenwick on Sea. Their growing connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda’s childish quest for a title at all cost. But what if the cost includes love?
Buy Links:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3EMDFgS
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3FNrW2W
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3qK7BVM
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3HmHIC0
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/4XDrva
International:
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3EEGAIo
Angus & Robertson: https://bit.ly/3FKMpp6
Vivlio: https://bit.ly/3pIP5he
February 4, 2022
First Kiss Friday with Jude Knight
It’s First Kiss Friday and I’m very excited to have my dearest friend Jude Knight on my blog today. I will admit, I’ve been waiting for this story to be told and Jude has finally done it! I do so enjoy an older couple romance, don’t you? Please enjoy this excerpt from Paradise At Last and happy reading, my lovelies!
This excerpt is from Paradise At Last, in which my widowed duchess and widowed duke are finally free to marry thirty-five years after their families broke up their courtship. Except that a disagreement has torn them apart. It takes a stern talking to from relatives and a kidnapping to bring them together again.
Excerpt:
James continued his circuit of the house, and decided Eleanor must be on the upper level—a sloping roof that might contain a bedroom or two as well as storage space. He saw no one else. He should still be cautious in case of other confederates. Though would the couple in the kitchen be indulging as they were if others were in the house?
In his circuit, he had found a window with a broken catch. It was a moment’s work and nearly silent to break it still further. Inside the room, he listened, but nothing disturbed the peace except the increasingly enthusiastic noises from the kitchen.
Carefully, checking each space before he moved to it, James made his way upstairs. Three doors. The first opened to an empty room, with nothing in it but dust and spiders. The second was certainly the major bedchamber of the house. James guessed that the kidnappers had coopted it as their own, given the male and female clothing strewn around. So why they were not putting the bed to use, he could not imagine.
The third was locked, but he’d seen a key on a table beside the bed in the second room, so he fetched that and opened the door, his heart in his mouth, ready to attack a guard, fearing she was secured somewhere else.
Eleanor was there, alone, and unharmed. Relief froze him in the doorway, but he recovered quickly when she threw herself into his arms. He maneuvered her backwards, closing the door with one hand, while the other explored her to make sure she was real and unharmed.
The door shut, he crushed her to him and took her lips with his own, wild with relief. She was very real—a fragrant armful of human female, uncorseted and returning his kiss as enthusiastically as he could ever have imagined.
He was struggling to remember why he should pull away when she suddenly came to herself. “James, how did you find me? No! There’s no time for that. Let’s get away.”
Paradise TriptychLong ago, when they were young, James and Eleanor were deeply in love. But their families tore them apart and they went on to marry other people.
Paradise RegainedJames Winderfield yearns to end a long journey in the arms of his loving family. But his father’s agents offer the exiled prodigal forgiveness and a place in Society — if he abandons his foreign-born wife and children to return to England.
With her husband away, Mahzad faces revolt, invasion and betrayal in the mountain kingdom they built together. A queen without her king, she will not allow their dream and their family to be destroyed.
But the greatest threats to their marriage and their lives together is the widening distance between them. To win Paradise, they must face the truths in their hearts.
Paradise LostIn 1812, the suitor Eleanor’s father rejected in favour of the Duke of Haverford has returned to England. He has been away for thirty-two years, and has returned a widower, and the father of ten children.
As the year passes, various events prompt Eleanor to turn to her box of keepsakes, which recall the momentous events of her life.
Paradise Lost is a series of vignettes grounded in 1812, in which Eleanor relives those memories.
Now Haverford is deceased nothing stands between the Duchess of Haverford and the Duke of Winshire. Except that James has not forgiven Eleanor for putting the dynasty of the Haverfords ahead of his niece’s happiness.
Can two star-crossed lovers find their happiness at last? Or will their own pride or the villain who wants to destroy the Haverfords stand in their way?
Paradise Triptych contains two novella and a set of memoirs: Paradise Regained (already published), Paradise Lost (available free to my newsletter subscribers) and Paradise At Last (new for this collection).
https://books2read.com/u/4ApXZN
Meet JudeJude always wanted to be a novelist. She started in her teens, but life kept getting in the way. Years passed, and with them dozens of unfinished manuscripts. The fear grew. What if she tried, failed, and lost the dream forever? The years since 2014 have brought 11 novels, 13 novella, 4 volumes of short stories, 3 awards, and hundreds of positive reviews. The dream is alive.
Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/
Subscribe to newsletter: http://judeknightauthor.com/newsletter/
Jude’s bookstore: https://judeknight.selz.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudeKnightBooks
January 28, 2022
First Kiss Friday with Elizabeth Ellen Carter
Today on my First Kiss Friday blog, I have the fabulous Elizabeth Ellen Carter who has a new series looming on the horizon. Isn’t the cover lovely? We hope you enjoy this excerpt from Deceiving the Duke that releases on February 4th. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
She approached the desk and glanced down at the papers there – drawings, lots of them. She recognized the complex web of warp and weft threads suspended on a loom.
“You recognize what this is?”
Ruby started.
“I… ah, yes… my father took an interest in textiles and how machinery operated. He would show me how each pattern would be set up.”
She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. He was interested in what she had to say, and she’d said too much.
Thank goodness it was he who broke the spell by priming another lamp. Apparently, he was uncomfortable as she with this new intimacy.
She took the second lighted lamp from the desk and picked the farthest corner of the library to conduct her search.
Poetry. Perhaps the duke had a romantic soul after all – presuming he had a soul.
As she browsed the titles, she listened to Seth returning to his work. The pen scratching on paper and the whispered sigh of pencils as they shaded in his diagrams.
This was ridiculous! Mooning over a man who could mean nothing to her.
She grabbed a book, only glancing at it, intending to return directly to her patient. It was a book of poems by Pierre de Ronsard. With her focus on the door, she did not hear her name called.
A touch on the arm stilled her.
“Don’t go… not yet.”
She should go. Oh, how she should go. But she made the mistake of looking at the earl… Seth.
Those eyes seemed to see deep into her soul and found its twin in the loneliness.
He must have heard the answering call because he removed the book from her hand and placed it on the small side table by the door. His face was half in shadows, but she could see his eyes clear enough. They searched her face and seemed to know what was in her deepest heart.
He lowered his lips to hers slowly, giving her time to escape from him if she wished.
But she didn’t wish.
Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips met hers. Never had she felt such emotion in so small a touch. She could taste the isolation, the need. She responded with a need of her own.
Seth responded by sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.
The kiss was all too brief, but his hold lingered. She had no idea how much she craved his touch until that moment.
Deceiving The DukeBy Elizabeth Ellen Carter
Hate brought them together. Will love tear them apart?
Welcome to book 1 in the exciting new series from USA Today Bestselling Author Elizabeth Ellen Carter.
William Musgrave, Duke of Auchen, is dying. When he goes to his grave, he will take with him the opportunity to right a wrong that has left Lady Ruby McAllister impoverished.
Ruby has the contract that pledged her father a one-third share in a successful Scottish textile mill. But Auchen never made good on his promise before Ruby’s father died. Now Ruby has lost her beloved Strathaird, home to the McAllisters for centuries. Her only hope is to confront the duke before he dies. And her chance comes when a vacancy arises for a new night nurse in his London household.
Standing in her way is Seth Musgrave, the duke’s estranged son, who despises his father for deriding him as an imbecile. In truth, Seth is the driving force behind his father’s successful enterprise. William Musgrave has heeded no one in his life except for his wife. She died twenty years ago, but Ruby hears him call for her in his nightly delirium.
What if Ruby answered his call, pretending to be the only woman who could ever persuade the duke to do the right thing?
How long can Ruby keep her secret when Seth is trying to distract her with his kisses? And what if Seth learns the woman he’s falling in love with is deceiving the Duke?
Available Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NL99DYN
About Elizabeth Ellen Carter
Elizabeth Ellen Carter is USA Today bestselling author and an award-winning historical romance writer who pens richly detailed historical romantic adventures. A former newspaper journalist, Carter ran an award-winning PR agency for 12 years. The author lives in Australia with her husband and two cats.
Social Media
Web: http://eecarter.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethEllenCarterPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eecarterauthor/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_ellen_carter/BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-ellen-carterYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ElizabethEllenCarterJanuary 21, 2022
First Kiss Friday with Caroline Warfield
Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. I’m welcoming back my dear friend Caroline Warfield. The third book in Caroline’s Ashmead Heirs Series, The Forgotten Daughter is available for pre-order now for 99 cents. We posted her first kiss here two weeks ago.
Book One in the series, The Wayward Son, remains 99 cents in the meantime. Here’s a kiss from Book One, in which the hero has returned from a dangerous attempt to track a murderer. Along the way he stumbled on something she thought lost. Rob Benson didn’t mean to stay in Ashmead, but when Lucy Whitaker was threatened, he had no choice. In reaction to danger, passion flares.
Excerpt:
“You came back,” she breathed.
A grin, lopsided and dear, lit his face. “You waited.”
She scrambled back so he could enter, embarrassed by her foolish words, and noticed for the first time that the bundle he carried had begun to squirm.
He saw the direction of her gaze and his grin widened. He offered her the bundle, its movement becoming frantic. A wooly head peeked out the opening, and her heart swelled.
“You found it!” She took the lamb from him, but the creature struggled until she put it down, and it wandered into the darkened dining room. “Agnes will have a fit if she finds that animal in the house. We best give it to Vincent. He can see that it gets to his mother in the morning.”
He caught her arm when she started after the animal and pulled her back. Whatever he meant to say stuck in his throat. His hand slid up her arm to her shoulder, and his heated gaze stole her breath.
“Oh, bloody hell,” he murmured as his mouth found hers and his arm snaked around her to pull her close. When he loosened his grip to allow her to move away, she clung to his shoulders to pull him back, and he kissed her again, caressing her mouth with his, seeking and finding entrance to deepen it. She lost herself in the embrace. Only when he pulled away to breathe, his breath hot against her mouth, and began to slide gentle kisses in the corner of it and down her chin did she realize how she clutched his neck with one arm while her other hand had tangled in his hair, feathering it between her fingers.
“Oh God, Rob, what—”
“What indeed,” he whispered against her mouth, kissing her again and driving out reason.
When he moved to explore her ear, his tongue sending shivers down her spine, she moaned and tried to pull him closer. “I was so afraid. You’re safe, you’re safe,” she said between kisses to the side of his face.
At her words he pulled back. “Safe? I think not. Not here; not now.” He dropped a swift kiss to her nose and loosened his hold.
She dropped from her toes, her body sliding down his, rested both hands on his chest, and leaned her forehead against him to hide her heated cheeks.
“A gentleman would apologize. I won’t. I wanted that too badly. A gentleman would—”
Her head still on his chest, she raised her hand to his lips to silence him. “Don’t. Don’t go all honorable now.” He stilled and she pulled away. “Tell me about Miller.” Her piercing gaze dared him to finish the speech he had begun.
“He got away. Clarion and Gibbons will question the Caulfield tenants tomorrow. The earl plans to send for Spangler too. Happy?”
She shook her head. “Not if he got away.”
Rob put one knuckle under her chin and drew her face up to look at him. “We need to talk about this.” He didn’t have to clarify “this.” He didn’t mean Miller. They stood like that for several breaths. He tried to hold her eyes, but his gaze dropped to her mouth, and she swallowed convulsively. When he bent to kiss her again, she rose to meet him. His restless hands began to explore her neck, her shoulders, her back—when they reached her derriere he stilled.
He gripped her shoulders with both hands and set her a few inches away. “We have to stop; we can talk in the morning. Things are clearer in the light.” He dropped one last kiss to the top of her head and stepped back. “I’ll check on the guards and sleep down here.”
About The Ashmead Heirs
When the old Earl of Clarion leaves a will with bequests for all his children, legitimate and not, listing each and their mothers by name, he complicates the lives of many in the village of Ashmead.
One sleepy village
One scandalous will
Four tormented heirs
The first of them grew believing he was the innkeeper’s son. His life is London. He has no intention of letting the unexpected bequest tie him to Ashmead, but concern for Lucy keeps him there. Rob is The Wayward Son. Still 99 cents https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09484DC1D/
He called his only legitimate daughter defiant, and sold her to a man twice her age. He left her nothing, but she won’t give up her freedom now that she’s a widow. Brynn Morgan has other ideas. Madelyn is The Defiant Daughter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09GL6PT1J/
He forgot one daughter entirely and left her out of the will. Now she’s determined that the new earl’s steward make it right. Eli will fix it, if he has to die trying—and it may come to that. Never underestimate a quiet hero. Fanny is the third heir, The Forgotten Daughter. Preorder for 99 cents by January 27. Price reverts to retail after launch. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PGSYJ3Q/
In a fit of spite, the old earl left his heir a tarnished title and a bankrupt estate stripped of every unentailed asset. Somehow the new earl has to care for all of them and still find his own happiness. A shocking new neighbor may help with that. David is The Upright Son, and his story is coming in May 2022.
You can find more about The Ashmead Heirs and all Caroline’s books at https://www.carolinewarfield.com/bookshelf/
About the Author
Award winning author Caroline Warfield has been many things: traveler, librarian, poet, raiser of children, bird watcher, Internet and Web services manager, conference speaker, indexer, tech writer, genealogist—even a nun. She reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows where she lets her characters lead her to adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the British Empire. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart.
Find Caroline here:
Website: http://www.carolinewarfield.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.warfield.1422/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Warfield/e/B00N9PZZZS/
GoodReads: http://bit.ly/1C5blTm
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caroline-warfield
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaroWarfield
January 7, 2022
First Kiss Friday with Caroline Warfield
Happy New Year, my lovelies, and welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. My first guest author of the year is my dear friend Caroline Warfield. Caroline has an excerpt from her upcoming novel The Forgotten Daughter in her new Ashmead Heirs series. If you haven’t gotten a chance to read them, you’re missing out. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading!
When the old Earl of Clarion leaves a will with bequests for all his children, legitimate and not, listing each and their mothers by name, he complicates the lives of many in the village of Ashmead and beyond. Francis Hancock was left out and forgotten completely. She is the third of The Ashmead Heirs.
In The Forgotten Daughter, Fanny comes looking for a hero. She gets a mild-mannered land steward. Eli is good at fixing things, however, and he is determined to solve her problems, even when they take him far from home. Even when he falls in love with her. Even when she falls into the net of a trafficking ring. Even at risk to his own life. Never underestimate a quiet hero.
In this scene, a band of kidnappers tried to pull her from her carriage.
Excerpt:
“Is this the first time you killed a man, Benson?” the corporal asked.
Eli nodded. He’d had no choice and wouldn’t second guess himself, but the horror of it would haunt him.
“It needed doing,” Goodfellow said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Think on the things you protected.”
When Fanny slid up next to him and put an arm around his waist, he turned her away from the sight of the brigand’s wounds, and pulled her into an embrace. He soaked in the comfort she offered, thanking God she had not been injured.
Fanny went up on her toes and kissed the side of his chin. “We best get Reilly to a doctor,” she said, her voice thick and wet.
He kissed her fiercely then, pouring all the wanting, all the passion, all his need for comfort into that kiss. When he raised his head, still holding her, Goodfellow studiously saw to the tack on his horse, but Wil stared open mouthed.
Eli almost asked Fanny to trade places with Wil, needing her by his side, but she’d be safer inside the carriage. One thing he knew for certain. Once they got to the inn, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.
About the Book
Frances Hancock always knew she was a bastard. She didn’t know her father was an earl until her mother died. The information came just in time. She and her mother’s younger children were about to be homeless. She needs help. Fast. What she wants is a hero.
Eli Benson, the Earl of Clarion’s steward, took great pride in cleaning up the mess left behind by the old earl’s will. When a dainty but ferocious young woman with the earl’s hair and eyes comes demanding help, his heart sinks. She isn’t in the will. She was forgotten entirely. And the estate is just getting its finances back in order. But he knows a moral obligation when he sees one. He may not be her idea of a hero, but people count on him to fix things. He’s good at it. Falling in love with her will only complicate things.
Eli will solve her problems or die trying. It may come to that.
Preorder now for 99 cents. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PGSYJ3Q/
It reverts to full price after launch on January 27.
About the Author
Award winning author Caroline Warfield has been many things: traveler, librarian, poet, raiser of children, bird watcher, Internet and Web services manager, conference speaker, indexer, tech writer, genealogist—even a nun. She reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows where she lets her characters lead her to adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the British Empire. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart.
Learn more about Caroline here:
Visit Caroline’s Website and Blog http://www.carolinewarfield.com/
Meet Caroline on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carolinewarfield7
Follow Caroline on Twitter https://twitter.com/CaroWarfield
Email Caroline directly warfieldcaro@gmail.com
Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter http://www.carolinewarfield.com/newsletter/
Amazon Author http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Warfield/e/B00N9PZZZS/
Good Reads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8523742.Caroline_Warfield
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caroline-warfield
Bookshelf: http://www.carolinewarfield.com/bookshelf
January 2, 2022
Available for Preorder!
Good morning, my lovelies! Just a heads up that Before I Found You: A de Courtenay Novella (Book Three) is available for preorder. Previously in the Storm & Shelter boxset with the Bluestocking Belles, Before I Found You will now be available for individual sale! Release date February 8th.
A quest for a title. An encounter with a stranger. Will she choose love?
Miss Miranda de Courtenay has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Missto My Lady. But when a handsome stranger crosses her path at a Valentine’s Day ball, her obsession with titles dims. Might love be enough?
Captain Jasper Rousseau has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter at a ball. He has a new ship to run, passengers to book, and cargo to deliver. But one look into a young lady’s beautiful hazel eyes, and he becomes lost. Does love at first sight really exist?
Their paths continue to cross until they are both stranded in Fenwick on Sea. Their growing connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda’s childish quest for a title at all cost. But what if the cost includes love?
Buy Links:
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Angus & Robertson | Thalia | Tolino | Vivlio
December 25, 2021
Happy Holiday, dearest readers!
Just a short hello to wish all lovely readers a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Thank you so very much for all your support this past year! Love, Sherry
December 20, 2021
Holiday Sale from Sherry Ewing
Hello to all my wonderful readers! I’ve put my Regency novella Under the Mistletoe up for sale just in time for some holiday reading. I know you’ll enjoy this romantic suspense story with Margaret and Freddy so happy reading! From my house to yours… I wish you all a Happy Holiday season and prosperous New Year!
Excerpt:
With Digby gone, Margaret took a seat by the fire, and Frederick sat opposite her. An awkward silence fell between them, broken only by the crackling and popping of the wood within the hearth. Conversation had never been stilted between them, but Margaret was clearly nervous because she kept peeking over her shoulder as if she were being watched. Frederick was unsure what he should say to calm her nerves.
“You have no need to fear me, Margaret,” Frederick whispered softly now that they were alone.
“I do not fear you, Freddy.”
He was pleased to hear his name as it passed her lips. “Then what is troubling you so?”
The eyes raised to his were filled with worry. “Why are you here?”
He watched her fidget with the fabric of her gown. “You know why. I was invited,” Frederick answered.
A sound escaped her, but it was hardly ladylike. “You could easily have made your excuses and refused.”
“I wanted to make sure you were safe,” he replied.
“How could I not be safe? Captain Morledge is practically my betrothed.”
Frederick ran his hand across his eyes. “I do not trust him. There are rumors—”
The laugh she gave was meant to be merry, but sounded forced. “Frederick, please tell me you have not taken to believing in town gossip. I would have thought you, above all people, were above such nonsense.”
He frowned. “Nonsense or not, I needed to see for myself that you are not in danger, even if I must watch over you myself.”
“It is hardly necessary.” Margaret’s attention once more flew to the entryway.
He reached over to take her hand.
She wrenched back with a silent and pleading look, and the briefest shake of her head. Leaning slightly forward, she confided, “Please do not, for it will not be wise. The servants watch my every move, and even now, it is reckless of me to be here alone with you.”
“You see! There is cause for concern. Why will you not let me help you?”
“Please, Freddy. This is my one chance to find some happiness. Do not ruin it for me.”
“We have discussed this before, Margaret. You know my offer still stands. I would wed you on the morrow if you would have me.”
“Shush, you fool. You know I cannot.”
“Yet you would enter into a marriage with a man you do not love.”
A heavy sigh left her lips. “I can learn to love him.”
“Now who is the fool?” he grumbled irritably.
Under the MistletoeBy Sherry Ewing
On Sale for $0.99 for a Limited Time
A new suitor seeks her hand. An old flame holds her heart. Which one will she meet under the kissing bough?
When Margaret Templeton is requested to act as hostess at Captain Sander Morledge’s Christmas party and possibly agree to marry him, she did not think she would see the man who once held her heart. Frederick Maddock, Viscount Beacham had never forgotten the young woman he had fallen in love with, and his feelings are evident when he sees her at a holiday gathering. In a swirl of Christmas miracles and joyous celebration, will the two finally put down their differences and once again fall in love?
Buy Links:
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