This month I’ll be posting snippets from my new medieval Christmas story, Seduction at the Christmas Court. This book continues the story begun in Time Enough to Love and its hero Lord Geoffrey Longford and heroine Lady Alyse de Courcy, now Lady Longford.
New cover reveal is set for December 1!
Weekend Warriors, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with plenty of food, fun and family. I’m loving my 5 day vacation!
Seduction at the Christmas Court begins in December 1349, about seven months after the end of Time Enough to Love.
In this snippet, which comes some pages after last week’s post, Guy de Valere, Pippa’s betrothed, has put in an appearance at the Christmas Court, much to Alyse’s dismay. Here, Geoffrey tries to reassure her.
*Note: This excerpt is unedited and creatively punctuated to conform to the rules of WWW.
Geoffrey bit the inside of his mouth to stifle a curse. The man before them had challenged him, nay, tried to kill him for Alyse’s hand. ‘Sblood, he could have done without seeing this knave ‘ere Judgment Day. Well, ‘twas likely they would be more in company since Pippa was betrothed to him. To his right, Alyse’s pale face and drawn lips—pressed so closely together they resembled a thin line across her face—angered him. No one should cause his wife such distress. Their Yuletide would be much less merry with this French villain at court.
“Fear not, sweet,” he whispered to Alyse. “Yon peacock will not disturb you with his crowing, else I will pluck his feathers to make you a fan.”
Blurb:
Lord and Lady Longford journey to the Christmas Court of King Edward III in the year 1349 to wait upon the king and take part in some Yuletide merriment. However, when Geoffrey is suddenly called into the king’s service again, Alyse must remain at the court, attending the queen and persuading her rebellious sister to accept an unwanted betrothal. When rumors of Geoffrey’s death arise, Alyse fends off an old suitor who wants to renew an old friendship. But how long will he take “No” for an answer?
Other Books in the Time Enough to Love series:
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. 
I love the Medieval language, and the promise of an upcoming fight of some kind.
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Wonderful cover! Great snippet, too!
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Love your descriptions. Excellent snippet and congrats on the release
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Can’t wait! 🙂
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Me too! I’m so excited for this to release!
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That last line is perfect! Fun snippet.
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Thank you, Diane! 🙂
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Like everyone else, I love the words Geoffrey uses to reassure Alyse. They beautifully suit the era. If you maintain this voice throughout the book, you’ve really got something!
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Why thank you so much for that, Ed! I do appreciate it so much. 🙂 I hope I’ve kept their voices/my voice the same from the first novel. It’s a very colorful period to write.
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I love the last line. Love the way he characterizes the man and vows to protect Ayse.
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Thank you, Cara! Yep, Geoffrey is all about protecting Alyse however he can and against all comers. Even a “peacock.” 🙂
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I love the path Geoffrey’s anger takes.
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He’s definitely going to reassure Alyse this guy is no threat to her. And he’s witty enough to do it creatively. 🙂
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I like that he’s so protective of his wife and her feelings. Fun to have a medieval holiday story to read, great snippet!
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Thank you, Veronica. I really loved doing the research for this book, because I knew very little about how Christmas was celebrated in medieval times. And there was indeed quite a lot of revelry going on.
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Sounds great!
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Thank you, Angelica. 🙂
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This packs a lot of emotion in–I really feel for them, and wonder how Pippa must feel, having to deal with this jerk *and* knowing she wasn’t his first choice!
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Thank you, Caitlin. Pippa is not at all happy with the situation, as you will see going forward in the book. The second choice thing really rubs her the wrong way.
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What a wonderfully descriptive snippet. I love the last line about the peacock fan.
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Thank you, Rachel. I love peacocks and that kind of describes Guy to a T. Geoffrey would be the one to pluck those feathers, too. 🙂
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Wow. That was quite the line. Love it! Yay for upcoming cover reveals!
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Thank you, Amy. 🙂 And yes, I’ve very excited to reveal this cover!
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I LOVE your dialogue, Jenna. Excellent snippet!
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Thank you so much, Kim! I do appreciate that. 🙂
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Watch out. A fire is brewing ahead! Love the final line. You do have a way with words.
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Thank you so much, Charmaine! And yes, a fire storm is brewing between these characters.
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Oh, I love Geoffrey’s assurances! Wonderful snippet! 🙂
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Thank you, Jessica! A most self-assured man, Geoffrey. 🙂
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Make you a fan! Love this! Can’t wait to read more . . .
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Thank you, Nancy! 🙂 Yes, Geoffrey does have his moments.
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