August’s “Book of the Month,” is Heart of Delight. It’s Book 3 in my Regency series Handful of Hearts. Here is my gorgeous new cover!
At Lady Hamilton’s ball in May 1820, Lord Halford, Hal to his friends, flirts with his cousin, Lady Celinda Graham, in hopes of gaining a wife as decreed by his father. After she leaves, someone else intrudes on his privacy. Hal is captivated by the beautiful young woman and wants to know more about her. (Some adjustments have been made from published version to accommodate WWW rules.)
“Is there some way I may be of service to you, Mademoiselle…?” He must know the name of this beautiful creature.
“D’Aventure,” she said, with a small but graceful curtsy, “Gabriella Veronique Marie d’Aventure. Mais, non, I am fine, monsieur.”
Well, he had a name, at least. Better than complete ignorance. “Have you, come, perhaps, to watch the dancing?”
She nodded, keeping her attention on him. “Yes, my lady does not require me at the moment, so I thought it would be nice to see how the English dance.” Her smile quite took his breath away.
Blurb:
He’ll do anything to be her heart’s delight—except tell the truth
Gabriella d’Adventure is on a mission. She has come to England as a ladies’ maid in pursuit of the Duke of Rother. When she meets Horace Carpenter, valet to a marquess, she is delighted to enlist his aid in gaining her heart’s desire: a meeting with the duke. However, her growing feelings for the handsome valet make Gabriella have to fight to continue her plans for the Duke
The eccentric Marquess of Halford, Hal to his friends, is tired of the demands of Society, especially his father’s decree that he marry this Season. When a breathtaking young woman intrudes on his solitude, he is captivated and introduces himself as his valet in hopes of learning more about her. Despite his fear about the true motive behind Gabriella’s quest to meet the Duke of Rother, Hal agrees to help her gain an audience with the him, all the while hoping his deception will won’t ruin his chances of winning her love and hand in marriage.
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Handful of Hearts series:
Heart of Delight, Book 3, is available for pre-order at Amazon.
Heart of Desire, Book 2, is available at Amazon.
A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Book 1, is available at Amazon.
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
A delightful exchange! Nice snippet!
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He’s definitely smitten, and doesn’t seem likely to get back to pursuing his original mission anytime soon!
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You paint such incredible atmosphere with your writing, Jenna–and I do love the premise for this story!
TBR 🙂
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Thank you so much for those wonderfully kind words, Teresa! I hope you enjoy it when you get to read it. 🙂
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Usually it’s the woman who’s swooning, so I like this change of pace. Nice writing!
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Thank you so much, Amy! Yes, it’s nice for a change in the dynamics once in a while. Although, looking back on the books I’ve written, I think it’s been about 50/50 as far as who falls for whom first. 🙂
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Super fun snippet!
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Thank you, Donna! 🙂
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Smitten, indeed. His deception just might come back and bite him in the butt.
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Oh, you are so right, Diane. He’s playing with fire and he knows it!
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Are his intentions honorable, or otherwise? Considering that she’s a lady’s maid, not a highborn lady, let’s hope the former.
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That is a very good question, Ed. A man could be attracted to a woman, but if she was of lower status, it quite often would end up badly for the woman. Good point!
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He is smitten, that’s true, but deceptions tend to add a lot of uncertainty to the emotional mix. Which, of course, adds greatly to the reading pleasure of the book. Great piece.
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And when neither one tells the exact truth, the uncertainty (and hopefully the reading pleasure) is heightened! Thanks, Rachel!
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I like this. It’s sweet.
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Thank you, Cara!
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Uh-oh, I think he needs that breath. Awesome snippet! 🙂
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He will indeed, Rin-Rin. She’s going to lead him a merry chase!
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Smitten is the perfect word and so the story goes. Lovely tale.
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And a bumpy tale in the beginning, as smitten describes only one of the couple! 🙂
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Neat deception! Reminds me of Georgette Heyer’s fun romances.
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Thank you, Aurora! What a wonderful complement! 🙂
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Sounds like she’s got him, whether she wants him or not! Love that cover.
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And she’s got other fish to fry at the moment. So he’s the furthest thing from her ,mind. So it goes. 🙂
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Sounds wonderful! 🙂
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Thank you, Melissa!
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Fabulous – you can pull a reader into the story so fast.
tweeted.
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Thank you so much, Daryl. What a wonderful complement!
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No doubt that he’s smitten (and that is the best word for it LOL). Loved the excerpt!
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Yes, that is the very word, Veronica! 🙂
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Aw, he’s smitten. Nice snippet!
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He is indeed, Elyzabeth! I love a besotted man. LOL
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