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.
This week we switch to Gabriella’s POV and see how she feels about this young man.(Some adjustments and very creative punctuation have been changed from published version to accommodate WWW rules.)
“Can you tell me your name, monsieur?” She batted her eyelashes at the handsome man; flirting always broke the ice.
“H…Horace, mademoiselle, Horace Carpenter. I am valet to the Marquess of Halford,” he said and glanced down at his feet.
Ah, as she’d suspected, the man should not be here any more than she. “Then merci beaucoup, Monsieur Carpenter. You have been most kind to me,” she said, smiling sincerely this time. Such a very attractive man and if she were lucky, he could further aid her in her quest. The assistance of someone in society would be necessary to carry out her plan, and this man worked for a powerful man, a marquess, no less.
Like a gift from a beneficent God sent to her.
Heart of Delight‘s release day is Tuesday, September 20! Please come by the blog for the festivities. I’ll be giving away copies of Heart of Delight, swag bags, and an Amazon gift card!
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, ON SALE for .99 until Tuesday.
A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Book 1, is available at Amazon.
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
They will make an interesting team, to be sure. 😉
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This keeps getting better and better. 🙂 Love that both of them disguise their real selves.
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I do too, Diane. It gave them quite an opportunity to finally come clean with each other.
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Let the duplicity thicken! Great snippet!
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And thicken it will! LOL Thanks, Elizabeth!
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Great cover and wonderful snippet.
Tweeted.
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Thank you, Victoria! 🙂
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Congrats! Sounds like excitement is coming!
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Thank you, Melissa! Yes, you could say that. LOL
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I can understand her appreciating the handsome man, and using him for her own nefarious purposes, though I suspect none of that will go as planned. Your snippets are always fun, and I love that cover!
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Thank you, Christina! I think you may be right! LOL
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Congrats on your upcoming release and beautiful cover! Great to find someone to help her with her mission, but will it go as planned? Great snippet!
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Thank you, Jessica! Sadly, the best laid plans always go awry, to paraphrase Robbie Burns. LOL Of course, that’s what makes it fun!
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Conflict is sure to ensue with each of them having their own agenda. Great snippet!
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Yes, it does, Elyzabeth. And their agendas are just the tip of the iceburg! 🙂 Thank you!
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I love that she has an agenda. Beautiful cover.
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I like heroines with agendas. It makes the story so very interesting to see if they get sidetracked or if they keep on target. Thank you, Cara.
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Yes she does appreciate the handsome man. More, let’s find out more!
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LOL! You’ll have to wait, Charmaine. But there will be a little more next week. 🙂
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Love the set up here, Jenna! That they’re meeting each other not as equals but as”real” people. Well done and well written!
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Well, each thinks the other is “real” but they’re both hiding very important things as we find out later. 🙂
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Ah yes, the essential and convoluted schemes – well done! Best wishes with the release and I certainly enjoyed the snippet.
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Thank you, Veronica! I’m so glad you enjoyed it/ 🙂
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Both of them have very conflicted motives. That could lead to some interesting complications.
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Oh, believe me, it does, Ed! LOL
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It sounds like her ideas about him are very similar to the ideas Hal was having about his cousin when he was interrupted! Though since this is a romance, I imagine this ulterior motive will eventually give way to sincere affections.
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Well, at the moment Gabriella’s more focused on her own agenda, although she does appreciate a handsome man when she sees one. 🙂
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