I’m back with more of Only A Mistress Will Do. It’s still on sale for .99! If you want it at that bargain price, here’s the Amazon link!
Next Sunday I’ll be on my way home from RWA Nationals–my how time flies. So I won’t be on Weekend Writing Warriors that week. The following week I’ll be up at my cabin in the woods of upstate New York, but I should have my cell phone data, so I’ll have a new book for you in August.
In this snippet, I’m giving you the end of the scene from the last few weeks between Tristan and Dora, the young woman he is betrothed to. It’s an arranged marriage so Tris can gain a valuable piece of property. He and Dora have met only a couple of times and danced perhaps twice. Tris has just kissed Dora, her very first kiss, and she has happily run out of the room.
(Creative punctuation used to conform to the WWW rules. The published text may be slightly different.)
What a damnable mess. He hated to lie, but the hesitant hope in Dora’s face when she asked if he enjoyed the kiss had squeezed his conscience into that pathetic admission.
The girl was sweet, too sweet for his tastes if truth be told. So he should not be surprised she stirred not one iota of passion in him, even pressed firmly against his cock. There hadn’t been so much as an inkling of a stirring down below.
That might concern him except for the immediate response when he thought of kissing Violet. If he had been engaged even in this light a dalliance with her, his ride home would have become damned uncomfortable. In fact, if he didn’t stop thinking of her right this minute he might regret it, though he doubted that.
Stepping out onto the portico in the brisk wind, his ardor abated somewhat; still, it didn’t matter. He’d be tortured by thoughts of Violet in his arms long after her departure and his wedding were things of the past.
BLURB:
The man of her dreams…belongs to another woman.
Destitute and without friends, Violet Carlton is forced to seek employment at the House of Pleasure in London. She steels herself for her first customer and is shocked when the man rescues her instead of ravishing her. A grateful Violet cannot help but admire the handsome Viscount Trevor. But she must curb her desire for the dashing nobleman she can never have because he is already betrothed to another . . .
Tristan had gone to the House of Pleasure for a last bit of fun before he became a faithful married man. But when he recognizes the woman in his bed, he becomes determined to save her instead. Now, his heart wars with his head as he falls for the vulnerable courtesan. Unable to break his betrothal without a scandal, Tris resolves to find Violet proper employment or a husband of her own. Still, his arms ache for Violet, urging him to abandon propriety and sacrifice everything to be with the woman he loves. . . .
Only A Mistress Will Do is on sale for .99 on
Amazon and B & N
Books in the House of Pleasure 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. 
Such a good story!
Have a great at RWA,, and enjoy the time in the woods! 🙂
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Have a great–you know, “time” at RWA.
Sheesh…brain is so far ahead of keyboard tonight.
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LOL! Thank you so much, Teresa! I will have a good time. Both at RWA and at the cabin. Hope to complete at least one novella while I’m there!
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I’m almost finished reading and loving it! So, I’m glad you didn’t spoil anything with this snippet.
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Oh, Nancy, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! And glad I didn’t spoil anything for you. 🙂
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I feel for Dora and I’m glad he’s not a total jerk to her. Nice how society was so bent on making everyone miserable.
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Tristan is a gentleman and doesn’t want anyone to be hurt. Georgian and Regency society had lots of very restrictive rules. You broke them at your peril. Something we would call normal today was taboo then–like dancing with a man more than twice at a ball signaled too much interest and you could find yourself engaged the next day.
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Ed–I’d mostly been sharing snippets with Tris and Violet, but I wanted readers to see the other love tangle Tris is up against. He truly comes to care for Dora and would be a good husband to her, but he’d never be truly happy with her. But I agree, this section, as everyone points out, has shown how kind and patient he’s been with her, which is such a big part of his character. It’s easier to be kind and patient with someone you love. Do be willing to be that with someone you don’t love, speaks well of him, I think.
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He’ll be in a tough position no matter what he ultimately chooses.
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He certainly will, Carrie-Anne. And it tears him apart.
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He’s going to have to make a choice sooner or later… 😉
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Yes, he will. And it’s a hellacious one to make, when you know his background. His father had an arranged marriage with this mother, then took a mistress and fell in love with her. It tore the family apart. So Tris has vowed not to let that happen to him. And then his father arranges the marriage with Dora…It does make for some juicy conflict. 🙂
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Poor Dora. Poor sweet, innocent Dora. I’m pretty sure you won’t be marrying Tris….
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It does seem that way, however, betrothals were extremely hard to break without severe consequences. So Tris is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t.
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Great snippet! I bought my copy last week. I’m waiting to be on holiday next month to read it 🙂
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Thank you, Elyzabeth! I do hope you enjoy it on your holiday!
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No one comes out happy in the current scenario, but I have utmost confidence in you, the Author, to make it all good! Enjoyed the excerpt of course 🙂
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There is a lot they all have to go through, but eventually some of them get an HEA. And the one who doesn’t, well that book is already in the works. 🙂
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What a situation to be in. Who will Tristan choose? Great snippet! And have fun! 🙂
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Thank you, Jessica. I always do because I finally get to see lots of authors who I “see” all the time on the internet. 🙂 And yes, Tris is certainly in a quandary. Does he honor duty or love?
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Confusing and conflicting tease.
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Yes, he is very conflicted. He can’t have the woman he wants, and doesn’t want the woman he has.
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He’s in a dilemma- a world of woe awaits.
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Yes, it does, Charmaine. For him and both the women he’s involved with.
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Taking these snippets out of context like this, you’re setting the possibility of a nice love triangle.
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Yes, it does tend to seem that way. But the actual plot paints it much bleaker, doesn’t it?
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Yeah, that’s what I’d been thinking — that these snippets point to a road not taken.
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