HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!
Only Marriage Will Do is February’s “Book of the Month” so I’ve put up 10 lines from it. This is Book 2 of my House of Pleasure series.
I’m starting somewhat in the middle, with a scene I really like. Throughout the book Juliet (our heroine) has been pursued by the Viscount Philippe St. Cyr, a debonair but ruthless Frenchman who claims he is married to Juliet through a proxy marriage in France the year before.
As this scene begins Juliet believes herself married to the man she loves, Amiable, but they are estranged and she is living with her brother and sister-in-law. In this scene, Juliet and her SIL, Katarina, have been talking about whether they would like a girl or a boy. Both ladies are pregnant and Katarina had just excused herself to go to the “necessary” room and Philippe walks in.
“Philippe, how did you get in here?” Juliet shrank back against the sofa, fear running coldly through her veins.
“I merely told the footman I had been summoned by you, petite,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb, his evil smile broadening.
This could not be happening.
He pushed the door shut, the latch clicking into place with a sickening finality. As he sauntered into the room, the air seemed to thicken with his presence. The warm, cheerful chamber turned cold, as though she sat in an icehouse. The walls seemed to shrink as he strutted toward her, the heels of his black boots tapping loudly on the polished floor. Each beat sounded like ticks of a clock until he stood before her.
She had run out of time.
Only Marriage Will Do is available here.
Blurb:
Not every happy-ever-after begins at “I do.”
When the man of her dreams rescues Lady Juliet Ferrers from the villain claiming to be her husband, she is sure she has found her one true love. But is she free to marry him? Not to be deterred, Juliet arranges for her hero to escort her to her family estate in far off Northern England—hoping that along the way she can win his love—and his hand… Captivated by Juliet’s sweetness and beauty, Captain Amiable Dawson can’t help but be spellbound by the promise of a life with her. But the spell breaks when questions arise about her marital status. Soon the upstanding Amiable is unsure if he is indeed married to Juliet. And when his rival absconds with her, Amiable must choose between the law of the land and his heart’s desire to rescue Juliet once more…
Today is the final day of my SWEETS TO THE SWEET Valentine’s Giveaway. If you’d like to enter to win a gift card, chocolates, and a complete set of Jenna Jaxon books (including Only Marriage Will Do) click HERE.
That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed it!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
Ooh chills ran down me. I’m hooked!
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That’s intense! She’s got nowhere left to run at the moment, it seems.
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Wow, you definitely built on her impending doom! He’s obviously not the hero, but I do hope the real one arrives to save her. Well done! 🙂
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Marriages by proxy are terrifying.
She’s so powerless in this scene, and the word-picture you paint makes me feel it!
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Great job portraying the terror of her situation. It’ll be interesting to see how she gets out of it, if she does.
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Nice! Love the way you play with words,Jenna!
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What a powerful evil-doer! What will happen?
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Fabulous. Heart’s pounding wondering what’s going to happen.
Tweeted.
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You placed this reader in the room watching the scene willing myself to help her. That’s good writing.
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Why thank you so much, Charmaine! What a delicious compliment! 🙂
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Poor Juliet, I feel her terror in this snippet! Very well done…
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Yes, this is her nightmare come true. Thank you, Veronica.
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Really nice. I love how all the little details add up to “running out of time.”
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Thank you, Cara!
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‘the air seemed to thicken with his presence’ – what a rich, multisensory phrase. Nicely done, Jenna
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Thank you, Kim! 🙂
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You say this is the middle of the book, so clearly she only thinks she’s run out of time!
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At least time to get a way from him. 🙂 If he manages to get her out of the country and into France, their proxy marriage will be valid and they’ll be legally married. A fate worse than death in Juliet’s opinion. 🙂
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