Sherry Ewing's Blog, page 9

Read an eBook Week!

I’m excited to announce that most of my books will be available as part of a promotion on Smashwords to celebrate Read an Ebook Week 2024! This is a chance to get my book, along with books from many other great authors, at a discount or for #FREE so you can get right to reading.

If you wouldn’t mind taking part in promoting this celebration of ebooks and reading, please feel free to share this promo with your friends and family. Just forward this post to anyone who would love a chance to find their next favorite book and, as the name suggests, read an ebook!

Thank you for your help and support! The sale runs from today March 3rd through March 9th.

Happy reading, my lovelies!

You can find all my books that are currently on sale or for #FREE at Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SherryEwing5347

And if you’re looking for a new author, find the entire promo here: https://smashwords.com/shelves/promos

First Kiss Friday with Lisa Williams Kline

Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. My guest today is Lisa Williams Kline who has an excerpt from her novel Between the Sky and the Sea. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!

Excerpt:

Long stretches of time drifted by. The sun rose higher in the sky and seemed determined to burn them to ash. The horizon was empty in all directions. Lavinia’s spirits plunged, and she concluded with unassailable certainty that they would indeed die out here. 

“Is there anything that you wish you’d done in your life that you haven’t, Mr. Ridge? Do you wish you had traveled more? See the Taj Mahal?” 

He lay still for a few seconds, his eyes closed. “I would have liked to have had a wife and children. What about you?” 

She regarded him. “I’ve come to the ripe age of twenty-two, without being kissed. I always wished for a love match but never found one. I wish just once that I might have been kissed.” 

Mr. Ridge opened his eyes and sat up. He looked into hers and reached up and gently pushed a strand of hair from her face. “I will kiss you, Miss Onslow. It would be my great honor and pleasure to do so.” He leaned toward her and very gently touched his dry, cracked lips to hers. She caught her breath. Despite the pain of their sore lips, a pleasant heady feeling swirled and she felt a faint shiver, a tingling lightness through her whole body. Then he held her close and they floated in a golden silence for a long time. Or perhaps it was only a few moments. Time seemed to have stopped.

“So that’s how a kiss feels.” 

Between the Sky and the Sea
By Lisa Williams Kline

Lavinia Onslow, who delights in the freedom of managing her father’s millinery shop in the heart of Savannah, Georgia, has decided she may defy convention and not marry after all. Yet, in the summer of 1838, on board the elegant steamship Pulaski, bound from Savannah to Baltimore, she exchanges glances with an intriguing young man. What can ensue from a mere glance? Quite a lot, as legend has it. That very night, the boiler of the Pulaski explodes and the ship sinks, drowning most of its wealthy passengers. As Lavinia struggles in the water in her heavy dress, calling out for her father and thinking she will surely perish, someone dives in to rescue her, pulling her up next to him on a makeshift raft made of two deck settees. When she composes herself, she recognizes the intriguing man. There they float, alone but together, surrounded by ocean, thirty miles off the coast of North Carolina, desperate for a life-saving miracle.

Is the bond she feels for this stranger more than an instinct for survival?

Inspired by a legend –that may or not be true– and set in the rich historic milieus of Savannah, New Orleans, and the coast of North Carolina, Between the Sky and the Sea explores how Lavinia Onslow’s desire to live as an independent woman transforms after surviving the wreck of the Pulaski.

Buy Link or read for #FREE in Kindle Unlimited: https://amzn.to/3uDtQTx

About the Author:

Lisa Williams Kline is the author of two novels for adults forthcoming in 2023, Between the Sky and the Sea, and Ladies’ Day, as well as an essay collection entitled The Ruby Mirror and a short story collection entitled Take Me. Her stories and essays have appeared in Literary Mama, Skirt, Sasee, Carolina Woman, moonShine review, The Press 53 Awards Anthology, Sand Hills Literary Magazine, and Idol Talk, among others. She is also the author of ten novels and a novella for young readers. She lives in Davidson with her veterinarian husband, a cat who can open doors, and a sweet chihuahua who has played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She and her husband treasure frequent visits with their grown daughters and their husbands.

IG: @lisawilliamskline
FB: lisa.kline.566

First Kiss Friday with Ruth A. Casie

Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog! My guest today is my dear friend Ruth Casie who has an excerpt from her new release, The Pirate’s Jewel. I just love this cover. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies.

Excerpt:

Clouds dominated the morning sky, with shifting patches of blue sprinkled here and there. Though the clouds were mostly white, there was a hint of greyness, a suggestion that rain would play a part in the day. Wesley entered the library and found Darla leaning over the table, setting the large pearl in place on the necklace. He bent over her shoulder for a closer look.

“It’s more beautiful than I expected. The pearl teardrop is the right finishing touch. The intricate pattern of the gold frame is wonderful. But the amber stones appear different, more alive, radiant. Like you.”

Darla turned her head toward him. Her mouth lifted in a silent invitation. The quick rise and fall of her chest and the smoky passion in her eyes drove him on.

He leaned closer until he brushed her lips with his. Her eyelids fluttered, then slid closed. Encouraged that she didn’t pull away, he pressed his lips against hers, then gently covered her mouth.

Startled and confused, his planned revenge was inconsistent with the emotional hunger that urged him on. He pulled away from her. He had to. Her eyes remained shut, her lips moist from his kiss, and her face lit with an angelic smile.

She blinked, the passion fading from her eyes. Her faint smile held a touch of misery. He didn’t offer an explanation or apology. He wasn’t sorry he kissed her. What he really wanted was more.

“Forgive me. My parents have told me that I’m promised to another,” she said, her voice low and full of regret.

There was no conviction in her words, only sorrow. The grief in her eyes and tremor in her voice, her misery tore at him.

He drew her to her feet and held her close. Her head fit perfectly in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger and stared into eyes damp with tears.

“Shhh. There’s no reason to cry.” He cuddled her head against his chest.

He had spent his days at Maxwell’s side planning and scheduling and his evenings plotting and scheming against him, against her.

With a gentle hand, she pushed herself out of his embrace and woke him from his thoughts.

“Wesley, please. You should go.”

The last thing he wanted to do was leave. He wanted her to spend time with him, laugh with him, and think of no one else but him. His heart squeezed tight in his chest. Who was he fooling? She had no future with him. Once he carried out his plan with Fynn, she would hate him forever.

His arms dropped to his sides, and she stepped away. He opened the garden door but stood there like a statue, unable to leave.

“Please,” she said, her voice strained.

He stepped outside and closed the door. Guilt hit him hard. The garden gate was up ahead. He’d walked away from women before, but never with remorse, never with his heart broken.

Deception and family honor are at stake – so is her heart.

Wesley Reynolds will do anything to avenge his family’s banishment from Dundhragon Castle, even throw in with the notorious pirate king MacAlpin. His plan is to ruin Lord Ewan’s trading network. He has a more devious plan for his father’s ‘best friend,’ the man who abandoned them at the eleventh hour. He’ll ruin the man’s most precious jewel, his daughter Darla. Wesley’s so close to ruining the trade network and succeeding he can almost taste it, but revenge is not nearly as sweet as Darla’s kisses.

Darla Maxwell, beloved by her parents, has no prospects of marriage. Her father and Lord Ewan search to find her the right husband. Darla’s special gifts are frightening to many. She has visions that often come true. The murky image of a man haunts her. She’s sure it’s Lord Ewan’s soon-to-be son-in-law, but the vision morphs when she meets Wesley. The meaning couldn’t be any clearer to her. Her destiny lay with Wesley.

When revelations surface, indicating Wesley has been deceived and his revenge misplaced. Will he find the truth of what really happened to his family in time to stop the pirates? Will Darla ever forgive him? Will he ever forgive himself?

Buy Link: Kindle Unlimited

About the Author:

RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical adventures from the shores of medieval Scotland to the cobblestone streets of Regency London. Within the pages, you’ll discover ‘edge-of-your-seat’ suspense, mind-boggling drama, and heart-melting emotions featuring strong women and the men who deserve them. She currently has four historical series: The Druid Knight, The Stelton Legacy, and The Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea, and she participates in The Connected World of The Pirates of Britannia. 

Ruth lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms, and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at a major international bank where she was a product/marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing romance. Grab your favorite cup of tea, or an ale if you prefer, and join her heroes and heroines as they race across the pages to find their happily ever after.  Ruth hopes her stories are your next favorite adventures!

Social Media Links:

Website: https://ruthacasie.com/

Ruth’s Newsletter Signup:  http://ruthacasie.com/contact.html#newsletter       

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ruthacasie/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/RuthACasie/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RuthACasie

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ruth-a-casie

Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/ruthacasie   

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792909.Ruth_A_Casie

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Ruth-A-Casie

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ruthacasie

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ruthacasie

First Kiss Friday with E.L. Johnson

Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog, my lovelies. Today’s guest is E.L. Johnson who has a first kiss scene from her novel, The Lyon and the Bluestocking. I just love the Lyon’s Den Connected World and if you haven’t dived into one of these stories, here’s your chance. Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

That night at the Lyon’s Den, whilst she and her mother stood at the gambling tables, Mr. James approached her. “I wonder, Miss Denham, if you might like to join me and attend the theater tomorrow evening. I have a box at the Drury Lane Theater. You would be very welcome to bring your sister or mother as an escort.”

Miss Denham said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I would love to, but we are already engaged to dine at Mr. Lewis’s.”

“It would be very rude to change our plans,” Mrs. Denham pointed out.

“Yes, of course. Forget I asked,” Mr. James said. He bowed and walked away. 

“Mama,” Elizabeth said.

“What? It is true. And you have so few suitors, it would be bad form to turn down Mr. Lewis in favor of Mr. James, even if he is the handsomer of the two.”

Miss Denham watched him go. A few minutes later she found him in a stairwell, and touched his arm. “Mr. James.”

He turned around. “Miss Denham?”

“You left so abruptly. I really am sorry, Mr. James. I am due to dine with Mr. Lewis this evening.”

“I know. You have already informed me once; you do not need to reject my invitation a second time.” His brown eyes were annoyed. He breathed. “I just thought…”

“What?” she asked.

“It is rather soon, isn’t it? You’ve only just met him, and he already asks you to dine with him. Do you not find it a little odd?”

Her eyebrows rose. “You find something improper in his asking me to dinner?”

“No. not at all. Only that he is quick to pay you attention. You know so little of him.”

“You think I am being overly friendly?”

“No. I think he is. What is his aim? What are his intentions toward you?” he asked.

She bristled. “I do not know, nor do I care. Is it not enough that a young man wishes to dine with me? We are acquaintances. Is that so wrong?”

“It’s fine. I just…” He rubbed the side of his face. “I do not like him. I cannot say why. I think you should not dine with him. Come to the theater with me instead. You and your sister can come, or your mother.”

She frowned at him. “Thank you, but I cannot. I have a prior engagement to dine this evening.”

“Cancel.”

“No.”

“Come to the theater with me.” He took her hand in his.

“No.”

“Miss Denham.” His voice was hard.

“Mr. James,” she said curtly.

They stood, nose to nose. He frowned at her, and she glared at him. His eyes were like dark pools she could drown in. She hoped her eyes were like the stormy gray skies before a storm. She…

He gripped her arms. 

“Mr. James, what are you—”

He kissed her.

She slapped him.

By:

An intelligent bluestocking is doomed to be a spinster. Can she find love in the Lyon’s Den?

Miss Elizabeth Denham is hopeless in love and a disappointment to her family. Her every word is about history and literature, earning her condemnation by Polite Society as a stuck-up bluestocking. But when her mother brings her to the Lyon’s Den, she meets Mr. James, a rake with an infamous past, who instantly catches her eye.

Mr. James did not expect to find anyone of interest, as so many of today’s ladies focus only on dancing and frivolities. But when he meets Elizabeth, a bluestocking with a penchant for saying the wrong thing, he is intrigued. She is everything the other ladies are not: bright and independent, with an inquiring mind worthy of any Bow Street constable.

As the unlikely pair grow close, they must overcome false friends, unwanted suitors, and malicious gossip. When one charming gentleman threatens to steal Elizabeth’s heart, Mr. James wants to protect her. But his past is on every gossip’s tongue, and it could ruin his chances with Elizabeth forever.

Can they find love, or will Elizabeth remain an unwed bluestocking?

Buy Link: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDJJJ953?&linkCode=sl1&tag=dragonblade0c-20&linkId=61adff24b9ffe94b22023adac4c28a90&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

About the Author: 

E.L. Johnson writes historical mysteries for Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 ebook publisher of Historical Romance on Amazon. A Boston native, she gave up clam chowder and lobster rolls for tea and scones when she moved across the pond to London, where she studied medieval magic at UCL and medieval remedies at Birkbeck College. Now based in Hertfordshire, she is a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and the founder of the London Seasonal Book Club. 

Follow ELJohnson on twitter at  @ELJohnson888 or catch the latest updates on her 

website: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/

Social media links 

Website: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/

Twitter: @ELJohnson888

Insta: eljohnson_writes

Facebook page: @theELJohnson

Tiktok: @alecto99

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18090432.E_L_JohnsonBookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/e-l-johnson

Valentine Day Book Blast!

Love historical romance books? Then hop on over to BookFunnel for eBooks from 100+ historical romance authors who have their stories on sale for only $0.99! It’s a one day only sale and our Valentine’s Day present to you. You’ll find my medieval romance, If My Heart Could See You there for your reading pleasure.

Happy reading and enjoy, my lovelies, and happy Valentine’s Day!

BookFunnel Link: https://books.bookfunnel.com/valentineshistrom2024/jtfb9e4fc4

First Kiss Friday with Knight of Darkness!

Hello, lovely readers! Not only is today another First Kiss Friday but it’s also release day for my brand new series with Dragonblade Publishing, Knight of Darkness: The Knights of the Anarchy (Book One). I hope you enjoy this excerpt and first kiss scene between Wymar Norwood and Ceridwen Ward. Happy reading!

Excerpt:

He shivered at her touch for ’twas most unexpected. He was even more surprised when she leaned toward him. She hesitated but an instant before she placed a chaste kiss upon his lips. She must have realized the inappropriateness of her impulsive gesture for just as suddenly as her kiss had

occurred, she jumped from his lap and began to leave the river’s side.

“I should not have done that,” she tossed over her shoulder as she climbed up the bank.

“Ceridwen,” he called to her.

“Here is your mantel,” she answered, barely looking at him as she tossed the garment into his face.

He whipped it away and reached for her hand. ’Twas then he saw her tears cascading down her cheeks when she raised her face to meet his. “Tears on so fierce a warrior as you?” he teased her gently as he wiped them away with his thumb. He hoped the words would spark her indignation. Surely that would be enough to distract her from her sadness and fear. But to his dismay, her tears did not abate.

“I am a woman before all else and even I can have a moment of weakness.” She turned away from him even though he did not let her go.

“You are hardly weak, Ceridwen. In fact, I have never met another woman with the courage to enter battle as you have done.”

“But I was weak back there,” she shouted pointing toward the river. “I should never have kissed you, let alone gone into the woods without my guards to protect me.”

“Are you truly crying over such a little kiss or are you more upset with yourself for what almost happened to you?” he questioned. He turned her around and saw the anguish upon her visage.

“Perchance all of it! I do not make it a habit of kissing men, I assure you.”

He tried to make light of the situation. “I never assumed you did with the meager sampling you gave me. ’Twas not the kiss of an experienced woman.”

“’Tis not the first time I have been kissed.” She defiantly lifted her chin as though to prove the truth of her words.

“Then ’tis apparent you have only been kissed by a relative or someone who knew not how to pleasure a woman.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Mayhap I am. I have the distinct feeling you should be kissed often and I may be the man to show you how ’tis properly done.” He pulled her closer.

“Do you honestly think you are man enough?” She did not seem to object to him pulling her closer into his embrace, although she was not agreeing to anything like him giving her a demonstration either.

“Now ’tis you who are but jesting with me. I can assure you that you will not go wanting whilst in my bed.”

“I never said I would bed you. We were talking about a simple kiss, and nothing more,” she protested.

“There is nothing simple about a kiss, when it is done properly. Why, I am told if you put in enough effort, the act can be most pleasant.” He took a step closer and heat radiated between them like a burst of fire.

“What is it you are doing?”

His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her completely up against his body. “Testing the theory that I am man enough for the likes of a Viking shield maiden like you.”

“I am no Viking shield…”

“…who talks entirely too much.”

Wymar lowered his head and he watched whilst her eyes widened in surprise. She may be fierce on the outside but he had the distinct feeling that despite what she had said, she had not much experience with a man. His lips gently brushed against hers. Teasing her to awaken the woman hiding just beneath the surface of the fierce warrior she had chosen to become. His name passing her lips whispered between them on her breath. He almost smiled in satisfaction that he had been right.

’Twas enough for him to continue his exploration of her mouth and from her response as he deepened their kiss, she was more than willing to allow him to instruct her on the art of kissing.

Knight of Darkness: The Knights of the Anarchy (Book One)
By Sherry Ewing

Sometimes finding love can become our biggest weakness… 

Wymar Norwood understands responsibility. His two brothers have been in his care since his parent’s death. With his title and lands stripped from him by the usurper Stephen, he aligns himself with the Empress Matilda, the rightful Queen of England. If he can win her favor and become her champion knight, he prays all will be returned to him.

Lady Ceridwen Ward of Norwich is out to prove not only to herself but the Empress that she is more than capable of protecting those she loves. She hides herself in the guise of a knight and follows along with her men to Lincoln to raise her sword for the Empress’s cause. But life can become complicated, especially after your identity is revealed.

But Wymar and Ceridwen have a common enemy who is bent on revenge. They will need to search their souls and overcome grief in order for their love to survive life’s greatest test.

Buy Links or Read for #FREE in Kindle Unlimited:  https://amzn.to/47Gu0Hp

Learn more about all of my books on the book tab above!

First Kiss Friday with Sara Adrien

Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. Today my guest is Sara Adrien who has an excerpt from her story In Eternal Love. Isn’t this cover just lovely? We hope you enjoy this excerpt. Happy reading, dearest readers!

Excerpt:

Aaron moved so close to her he could almost feel her. She emanated a warmth and allure he’d never experienced before. Her passionate tales of fairies sent a glint of adventure to her eyes. Not for a minute did he believe she was taking the folklore at face value; there was so much more to her fiery wit. It filled her to the brim with stories and information that seemed connected in an intricate web in her inquisitive mind that he longed to explore.

What was worse, she made him surprise himself, a crime he’d never thought possible. She drew him in as if she were the source of heat in a storm of bitter loneliness. He wanted to be her friend—and more. Liora Primrose had captured his interest so peculiarly it was ripe for further analysis.

“Perhaps there is something to the fairies in your tales,” Aaron said without moving, so that her cherished touch and closeness would last longer.

She gave him one of her curious and expectant glances, like the moment she opened the door for him, and he nearly lost his footing.

Somehow, he kept talking. “Magic happens deep in the earth that humans don’t quite understand. Where else would treasures like diamonds, sapphires, amethysts, and other gorgeous stones come from?”

“Fairy gifts?” Liora whispered, barely audible.

Aaron nodded, or he wanted to, but his chin brushed her cheek. The inadvertent contact sent a thrill through him, and his eyes opened wide.

Liora gasped and locked her eyes on his mouth. She didn’t withdraw, as if instead, she was luring him into her magic world.

Aaron parted his lips and met hers. She held still and exhaled, but then pursed her lips. Ah, she didn’t know how to kiss, yet she permitted his advance despite their brief acquaintance.

Aaron gulped. He was her first kiss, and she was allowing him access. In less than a day, she’d given him friendship and now this. How could he rise to the unknown challenge of being her match? She was spirited and beautiful, but what could he offer her as a student here? He was out of his depth and, without the pomp of his London life, just plain Aaron, hoping to impress the most fascinating girl. He was but Aaron out of context. This was new, and he wanted it. Wanted her. Would he embrace the unknown she embodied?

She pressed her lips against his and pulled him closer. Aaron had to decide, would he rise to the challenges of matching her spirit or withdraw? He closed his lips and immediately felt the potential loss of her closeness. She stilled.

And then he wrapped his arms around her, careful not to stray from her back with his hands. He trailed his lips along hers and she met him with vigor. She explored his mouth and he let her, cherishing the chance of introducing her to such intimacy.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered.

He took this as permission to deepen the kiss, and she welcomed him. Aaron’s heart cracked for he knew his life had irrevocably changed. He’d only arrived in Edinburgh this morning, but he would not leave the same person he’d been. Not without feeling Liora close.

In Eternal Love
Diamond Dynasty Book 2
By Sara Adrien

He hates surprises. How can he consolidate duty and passion when the love of his life presents him with the surprise of a lifetime?

Meet Aaron, the third of the Klonimus brothers whose love story will sweep you off your feet. A student at Edinburgh University, Aaron and his classmate are working on an intricate clockwork mechanism. But when Aaron seeks out his brothers’ help to make it work, he returns to London and leaves his love behind.

At a time when girls cannot enroll, Liora secretly attends university with her brother. When Aaron’s sweet manners and good looks catch her off guard, can she withstand the sparks that are undeniably flying between them?

Join the next Klonimus brother as he solves pieces of the puzzles for the great treasure hunt. Stolen kisses, vivid descriptions, and nostalgic interludes will enchant you in the second book of the Diamond Dynasty series.

Let Sara Adrien transport you with stories of fairies, delicious treats, and Scottish folklore as you follow the love story between Aaron and Liora. This enchanting tale is full of historical treasures and loving passages of the Jewish faith. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a romantic story with beautiful descriptions.

Be inspired how love can overcome impossible hurdles and read In Eternal Love today!

Buy Link: https://www.saraadrien.com/products/in-eternal-love

About the Author:

Bestselling author Sara Adrien writes hot and heart-melting regency romance with a Jewish twist. As a law professor-turned-author, she writes about clandestine identities, whims of fate, and sizzling seduction. If you like unique and intelligent characters, deliciously sexy scenes, and the nostalgia of afternoon tea, then you’ll adore Sara Adrien’s tender tear-jerkers. She is the author of the series Infiltrating the Ton, Diamond Dynasty, Check Mates (coming in 2024), and Miracles on Harley Street (coming in 2024).  

Find Sara Adrien here: www.SaraAdrien.com

Instagram: @jewishregencyromance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraAdrien

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sara-adrien

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22249825.Sara_Adrien

First Kiss Friday with Spen and Cordelia

Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. I’m so happy you’ve stopped by. My guest today is my dear friend Jude Knight who has an excerpt from her new release Weave Me A Rope. Oh, this cover. Every time I see it I give a big heavy romantic sigh! We hope you enjoy this excerpt. Happy reading, my lovelies, and take it away Jude!

This excerpt is from Weave Me a Rope. My hero arrived just as my heroine rescued herself from a would-be rapist. He has taken her and her chaperone home, and they are left alone for a moment.

Excerpt:

Cordelia walked into his arms, and he closed them around her. 

They stood for a moment, each taking comfort in the other, for even as she relaxed and let go of her own fear, anger, and stress, she could feel the tension draining from him. 

A touch on her head made her look up. His face was just above hers, his lips still forming the kiss he had just given her. She stretched so her own mouth met his, and the brush of his lips sent a shiver to her core. Then his mouth closed over hers, took possession and all her consciousness narrowed in on the sensations coursing through her body from the points where they touched—mouths, torsos, one of his hands cupping her head and the other cupping her behind, her hands doing their best to burrow under his waistcoat.

When the door opened, he pulled back. She let go, but not quite quickly enough.

Uncle Josh strode in already speaking. “Dee-Dee, what is this I hear about…” He broke off, his eyes blazed, and he took another two steps towards Spen, his face working and his fists raised. Aunt Eliza, who had followed him into the room, gave an inarticulate cry of protest.

Cordelia stepped between them. “Stop, Uncle Josh. I kissed him first.”

“This is not what you think, sir,” Spen said, in almost the same breath.

Uncle Josh snorted. “Unless you plan to offer for my niece,” he scoffed, “it is exactly what I think.”

“Uncle Josh!” Cordelia scolded, while Spen tossed his hands in the air and groaned. 

“I wanted to make it special. I rehearsed in front of the mirror and everything. And then that blackguard Richport spoilt it all,” he said, looking up at the ceiling. Then he turned his gaze to Cordelia and dropped to one knee. 

“Cordelia Milton, from the day I first met you, I have been unable to keep away from you. I treasure every moment I spend with you and think about you constantly when we are apart. I admire and esteem you more than I can say. I cannot imagine spending my life with anyone at my side except you. My heart is bound to yours, and if you can imagine the possibility of coming to care for me, then I beg you to honor me by agreeing to become my wife.” 

He added, in a conversational tone, “I did not plan to make my speech in the presence of your uncle, of course, and I thought we could ask your aunt to stand out of ear shot. But there you have it.”

Weave Me a Rope
By Jude Knight

When the Earl of Spenhurst declares his love for a merchant’s niece, he is locked away in a tower. Spen won’t get out, the marquess, his father says, until he agrees to an arranged marriage.

After the marquess unceremoniously ejects Cordelia Milton from his country mansion, she is determined to rescue her beloved, but it all goes horribly wrong. 

She needs time to recover from her injuries, and Spen has been moved across the country under heavy guard. It seems impossible for two young lovers to overcome the selfish plans of two powerful peers, but they won’t give up. 

A Twist Upon a Regency Tale
Lady Beast’s Bridegroom
One Perfect Dance
Snowy and the Seven Doves
Perchance to Dream
Weave Me a Rope
The Sincerest Flattery
Inviting the Wild
Hold Me Fast
The Trials of Benedict

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP72WDH8

About the Author:

Jude 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 17 novels, 16 novella, 6 volumes of short stories, a number of awards, and hundreds of positive reviews. The dream is alive.

Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/

Subscribe to newsletter: http://judeknightauthor.com/newsletter/

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First Kiss Friday with Mary Morgan

Thanks for dropping by my First Kiss Friday blog. I’m so happy you’re here! Today’s guest is my dear friend Mary Morgan who has an excerpt from her newest novel Steinar. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!

Excerpt ~ 

Steinar raised a brow in amused contempt with the beginnings of a smile tipping the corners of his lips.

“I find nae humor in this.” She pointed a warning finger at the man. “Nor should you.”

He raised the jug near his mouth. “For Inga the Ruthless who has maintained a life around men, I find your response…interesting.” He then took a long draw of mead.

Stunned into silence, Inga gaped at him. Then her eyes narrowed to shards of fury. Her fingers sought the brooch fastened at the top of her cloak and undid the clasp. Removing the cloak from her body, she tossed both brooch and cloak onto a nearby stool. 

“How wrong you were in your earlier criticism of my skills as a woman. At Rangvald’s table I was simply Inga, daughter of Olaf.” She gestured to her gown. “Can you honestly tell me I look like a woman who is a leader of men on the seas?” 

Steinar’s expression stilled. He wiped the back of his hand leisurely across his mouth. “Nae,” he rasped out.

There she witnessed the invitation in the smoldering depths of his eyes—dark with desire luring her forward. 

Her heart hammered against her chest. Inga’s mind ordered her to leave—escape the temptation to feel his arms around her. But her body betrayed and overrode all thought. Slowly, Inga removed the jug from his hand and pressed it against her lips. Tilting it back, she drank deeply of what remained. After tossing aside the jug onto the ground, she smiled fully. “Then I am correct.” 

Steinar pushed away from the wall. “You think to claim victory?”

Her breath rose heavily with each rise and fall. When did she become the prey and he the predator? “Always,” she whispered, determined to grasp any shard of control or sanity. 

In one swift move, Steinar clasped his hands around her waist and turned her around with her back against the wall. His body towered over her, trapping Inga. Escape not an option.

She gasped. Fight or surrender?

For the first time, Inga lessened the strings binding her to an oath moons ago. 

An oath to never let a man control her. 

An oath to never let a man touch her.

Oaths be damned! She craved to have this man kiss her.

Candlelight flickered around them while his hands gripped her firmly. He lowered his head near her ear. “I see nae victory here.”

Inga swallowed. Heat swelled within her body—traveling from her face down her breasts and to the place hidden between her thighs. “Do you challenge me?”

His hand traveled along the curve of her waist upward until his fingers traced a path along the neckline of her gown.

She trembled from his touch. “What are you doing?”

The smile he flashed her was as intimate as a kiss. A kiss she ached from the man. Would his lips be soft? Or firm as the muscles he hid under his clothing.

His lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “Tasting the woman.” He then licked the soft skin below her ear, and Inga let out a moan.

Steinar drew back. “I think neither of us is the victor. I taste the woman and the warrior.”

She threw caution out to the sea and wrapped her arms around the man’s neck. “Are you certain you have sampled enough, Pirate?”

His low growl surrounded Inga. “You are a siren, Inga. A danger to any man. You should leave and bolt the door on your chamber.”

“But I have surrendered to you,” she confessed, eager to explore more.

Steinar crushed her against him. The first touch of his lips ignited a hunger within her, but when his mouth descended over hers, Inga reveled in the heady sensation—soft, full, demanding. The kiss sent her body aflame, sending her into a spiral of passion unlike any she’d experienced. She opened fully to the possession, letting the man take and plunder. When his tongue caressed the inside of her mouth, Inga replied by sliding hers across in invitation. Desire burned within her veins, burned in the most intimate places of her body. Shocked at her own eager response to the touch of his lips, she moved against him, feeling his hard length.

Breaking free, Steinar’s lips trailed a path along the vein along her neck. “You dare to tempt me further?”

Inga closed her eyes, weak and confused after one kiss. The man tasted of mead and much more—the sea clung to his skin, to his mouth, to the breath sliding over her lips.

“Do you want more?” His question barely a whisper against her skin.

“Aye,” she managed between gasps of air.

Steinar
By Mary Morgan

To save the wolf, she must renounce her love for the man. 

Descended from the mighty Somerled, Lord of the Isles, Steinar MacDougall’s supremacy over the seas is fierce. On a quest for King William, he is captured by the enemy and presented with a favorable opportunity. Yet Steinar soon realizes his greatest threat comes from the woman who hides behind the mask of a warrior, and the quest for control might send them hurdling into the abyss of the sea.

As leader of the Serpents, Inga the Ruthless travels beyond the isles bartering for goods with her brothers. After rescuing the feared Pirate Wolf during a storm, she surrenders her trust to the man and his inner wolf in order to claim the lost treasure of Odin. Though the journey is fraught with dangers, Inga fears her heart might be the one in peril, leading her to make the ultimate sacrifice. 

Will the sea be their salvation or doom them to a watery grave?

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link:  https://books2read.com/u/bx6ZGP

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Steinar-Wolves-Clan-Sutherland-Book-ebook/dp/B0CM6SMD6L

Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steinar-mary-morgan/1144267248?ean=2940186081944

Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/steinar/id6470925917

About the Author:

Mary Morgan is an international best-selling author of award-winning historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. During her research travels with her knight in shining armor to England, Ireland, and Scotland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.

Her passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. Inspired by her love for history and ancient Celtic and Norse mythology, Mary’s tales are filled with powerful warriors, brave women, magic, and romance. 

If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of fantasy, then journey back in time within the pages of her books. 

Connect with Mary here ~

Website/Blog:  https://www.marymorganauthor.com/

Amazon Author:  http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan

Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/

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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan

Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Mary-Morgan/B00KPE3NWILinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-morgan-2634a77a/

Celebrating my upcoming release!

In celebration of my Knight of Darkness release on February 9th, I’ve teamed up with several authors to offer my fabulous readers a giveaway opportunity. This giveaway begins today and will run through the afternoon on the day of release when a winner will then be selected.

Sign up to win here and good luck: https://kingsumo.com/g/da2iup/sherry-ewings-knight-of-darkness-release-celebration/wq6kkne?

Knight of Darkness: The Knights of the Anarchy (Book One)
By Sherry Ewing
Preorder for $0.99
Releases February 9, 2024

Learn more about Knight of Darkness and my brand new series with Dragonblade Publishing, The Knights of the Anarchy here: https://sherryewing.com/books/knight-of-darkness-the-knights-of-the-anarchy-book-one/