I’m switching gears again this week to another Christmas novella that’s releasing on November 1 in the Regency boxed set A Lord for Christmas along with Collette Cameron, Ella Quinn, and Lauren Smith. My contribution to the set is the novella A Match Made at Christmas which is my snippet below.
Lady Sophia Constantine has made a dreadful mistake. She’s finished her third Season and has refused every offer, hoping for a love match. However, she forgot that she promised if she was still unmarried at the end of her third Season, she’d allow her grandmother to choose a husband for her.
Now Sophia has four days at a Christmas house party to discover who her betrothed is or find and fall in love with another gentleman.
In this snippet Sophia meets Lord Ashurst for the first time.
(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules and snippet may therefore be slightly different from published version.)
With a broad smile, Lord Ashurst took her in completely, his penetrating gaze roaming from the top of her jewel-studded hair to the bottoms of her tiny pink, flowered slippers. For a moment all she could see were his green eyes gleaming like gems, holding her spellbound, then she became aware of his smile, by far the most sensual thing she’d ever seen. His lips curled up only on one end; the other stayed straight and firm even as he stared directly into her.
“May I be bold, my lady, and be the first to claim a dance after dinner? I find it prudent to always ask well in advance.”
“How do you know there will be dancing, my lord?” Sophia asked as she cast her demure gaze to the floor, her toes curling of their own accord in her little pink slippers. “Even I do not know what my grandmother has planned.”
“Then I live in the hopes of dancing with you later this evening, Lady Sophia,” he stared once more into her eyes and lowered his voice, “or another time and place.”
BLURB:
A promise is a promise…
Unable to find a husband to her liking in three years, Lady Sophia Constantine is appalled to discover she’s promised to allow her grandmother to choose the gentleman. Balking every step of the way, Sophia is compelled to attend a family Christmas party where the man she’s expected to marry will be revealed. But when Grandmamma is delayed in London, Sophia decides to take matters into her own hands to find a husband of her choosing.
Leonardo, Lord Ashurst, has returned to England after five years of mourning. Ready to begin the search for a new wife, he accepts an invitation to a neighbor’s Christmas party and is introduced to Lady Sophia, for whom he experiences an immediate attraction. With the lady’s betrothal on the brink of being announced, can Leo win her heart by posing as her betrothed or will his deception ruin any chance they have of a happily ever after?
A Lord for Christmas will release on November 1, 2018 and is now available on Amazon for pre-order!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Christmas Books by Jenna Jaxon
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
He sounds like a good catch already!
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He seems to be an accomplished flirt who is accomplishing a flirtation.
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He’s actually doing quite well for someone very out of practice. 🙂
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This sounds like such a fun story, love this scene.
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Thanks, Hywela! I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far!
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Wow – I LOVE this scene! So vivid and it grabs you and doesn’t let go!!
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Thank you, Sara! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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I like that he’s bold, so hopefully he’ll continue being confident but not creepy! 😀
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Hopefully he’s not creepy! LOL But confident, oh yes. 🙂
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I love Christmas Regency stories! And the situation you’ve got set up here has all kinds of fun possibilities! Enjoyed the snippet, best wishes on the anthology…
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Thank you so much, Veronica! I had fun with the situation of her being betrothed and not knowing who it was, and then being attracted to another man. Yes, lots of plot possibilities!
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He is certain interested and persistent on getting a chance to dance. Tweeted.
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Thank you, Daryl. Yes, he is determined to get to know her, despite the fact she’s already betrothed.
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He’s very intense, isn’t he? His bold looks might not be what she wishes. Or he could be perfect for her. More, so I can find out. 🙂
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He is intense, and older, and I think Sophia is intrigued by that combination. As well as his bold looks. 🙂
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Love this enticing snippet. More, tell us more. Another trip into a timeless time.
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Thank you, Charmaine! There will be more, I promise. 🙂
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Well he seems pretty determined to win her affection. Nice snippet!
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Thank you, Jessica! Yes, Leo (that’s Lord Ashurst’s given name) has a tendency to love at first sight. 🙂
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Love Christmas stories . . . and love this tease! Can’t wait to read the whole thing.
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Thank you, Nancy! Christmas stories are so much fun to write!
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