Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless.

Medieval Monday ~ Betrothal: A Lovesick Fool’s Revenge

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Medieval Monday is back. This week we are to choose a fight or battle scene. My favorite is from Betrothal, in which the two heroes, Geoffrey and Thomas, square off against one another.

EXCERPT:

By the time Geoffrey returned to the reception room, Thomas had moved closer to the door in anticipation of the king’s customary afternoon ride. His entrance drew no one’s attention as the courtiers were milling about, waiting for the king to rise. He took the opportunity of the unguarded moment to seize his friend’s tunic and shove him out the chamber door.

“Geoffrey! Have you lost your senses? What are you doing?” Thomas grasped his arms, tried to break his hold, but to no avail.

Geoffrey bore him into the corridor and threw him unceremoniously into the far wall. Thomas whirled, and reached for his knife. Geoffrey darted forward, struck the blade from his hand and grabbed his clothing again.

“You had to interfere, Thomas. Had to plant doubt in my mind.” Geoffrey’s voice lowered in deathly calm, though he seethed with anger. He adjusted his hold on the dull red fabric, screwing it into a tight knot against Thomas’s chest.

“What are you talking about, Geoffrey? You are not making sense.” Thomas glared at him, though Geoffrey caught a flicker of fear in his friend’s eyes. Good.

“I went to Alyse to learn her choice because you thought it would be ill-advised.” Geoffrey leaned his full weight into Thomas, trapping him against the wall with no hope of escape. “Now, in trying to prevent one disaster, I have created another. She thinks I do not trust her judgment and has withdrawn from me. Christ, she may not even speak to me again. Everything I have worked for the past two days, the trust, the companionship, the regard, has vanished.” He shook Thomas roughly, like a terrier with a rat, and turned a cold eye on his friend. “And you are going to help me get them back.”

Thomas’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Why does this matter so much to you, Geoffrey? The girl must wed you. What does it matter whether she comes willing or not to your bed? You are acting the lovesick fool!” He managed to wrest his tunic away and put some distance between them.

“Better a lovesick fool than a man incapable of feeling.”

“By God, Geoffrey…”

“Peace, Thomas.” Geoffrey put out a dismissive hand. “My regard for Lady Alyse is none of your concern. But the grief and mistrust I have brought down on my own head are, for you certainly had a hand in that.”

After ten years of friendship, how had they come to this?

An unwilling chuckle erupted from his lips, causing Thomas to glance at him suspiciously. “Two friends at odds over a woman,” he offered ruefully. “We sound like a tale from the Round Table.”

Thomas grinned at that, and the tension eased. “We do indeed. ‘Sir Thomas and the Lovesick Fool.’” He sobered. “My pardon, if my words have brooked a quarrel betwixt you and your lady. ’Twas not my intent.” He offered his hand and slowly Geoffrey reached out his as well. “So relate to me what has transpired and I will devise a plan of action to win back the regard of the fair Alyse.” His mouth turned up into a knowing smile. “For who knows better than I how to seduce a woman?”

Betrothal is now FREE at Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. And Betrayal is only .99 at all retailers!

Hope you enjoyed this excerpt! See you next week!

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Mondays, Medieval Romance, Medieval Times | Tagged Betrothal, Excerpts, fight scenes, Jenna Jaxon, Medieval Monday | 1 Comment

Cover Spot: Star Dust by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner on Star Dust‘s cover: We wanted the cover (and typography!) for Star Dust to convey the 60s setting and the book’s romantic comedy vibe. We hope everyone is ready for space-race romance!

Blurb:

Houston, 1962

Anne-Marie Smith wanted normal: a loving husband, two beautiful kids, and a well-kept house. But when she catches her husband cheating, she decides that normal isn’t worth it. Now in a new city with a new job, she’s trying to find her new normal—but she knows it doesn’t include the sexy playboy astronaut next door.

Commander Kit Campbell has a taste for fast: fast cars, fast planes, and even faster women. But no ride he’s ever taken will be as fast as the one he’s taking into orbit. He’s willing to put up with the prying adoration of an entire country if it will get him into space.

But Anne-Marie and Kit’s inconvenient attraction threatens both normal and fast. As the space race heats up, his ambitions and their connection collide and combustion threatens their plans… and their hearts.

Star Dust released yesterday and can be found at the following locations:

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Dust-Fly-Moon-Book-ebook/dp/B01547OVBC

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/star-dust/id1038288676?mt=11

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-dust-genevieve-turner/1122636930

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/star-dust-7

Posted in Cover Art, Cover Spot, Promotion | Tagged 1960s romance, astronaut romance, cover art, Emma Barry, Genevieve Turner, romantic cover art, space race romance, Star Dust, vintage romance | 3 Comments

Medieval Monday ~ Betrothal: Boys Talk Too

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Medieval Monday is back. This week is author’s choice of scene. So many great scenes to choose from. However, one of my favorites is from Betrothal, in which the two heroes, Geoffrey and Thomas, discuss Alyse, the heroine, at some length.

EXCERPT:

“You cannot tell me you intend to retire at this hour. It is not yet midnight, and there is to be a game in Sir John Claymore’s apartments this evening.”

Geoffrey strode to the table, dressed in nothing but his chausses, and took a cup of the sweet wine for himself. He shook his head. “Nay, Thomas, I plan an early morning.”

“Hawking or hunting?”

“Most definitely hunting.”

Thomas sipped his wine. “What game?”

Geoffrey laughed. “A wide-eyed doe.”

An irritated glare sparked as Thomas sat up. “Oh, do not tell me you have been snared by that little wench you flaunted earlier tonight! You looked insufferably pleased with yourself, though I have no idea why. You did not even win her through your own efforts. Your father chose her, by Christ.” He glared at Geoffrey. “Though why he did not get you a better alliance, God knows. He made a much more illustrious match for your brother.” Thomas shook his head. “And yet you approve of it?”

Geoffrey grinned at the exasperated man. “Aye, I do. The match is better than you may think, Thomas. Her father has no sons and she is the eldest daughter, so his estates will pass to her and her husband on his death. A fair catch for a second son with no expectations, would you not say?” He sipped the wine and sighed. “And strange as it may seem, I liked the little maid.”

“An innocent who will not even know how to please a man properly. As I recall, you usually prefer more lively fare.”

Geoffrey grimaced. Thomas knew his appetites in women as well as his own. “What I prefer would hardly be what I would wed.” He seated himself across from the man he had called friend for ten years. “She is what I expected in a wife and maybe a bit more besides.”

Thomas grunted, twirling his cup in his hands. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, she is an innocent, but underneath there is a mettle in her that could be very entertaining, both in and out of bed.” Geoffrey chuckled. “She spoke her mind rather freely tonight and challenged me to be her Hercules.”

Thomas cocked his head. “Hercules? I would say she has an eye for the obvious. You fit that immortal’s description so well already.” His face took on the smug smile it so often wore. “I know you saw how smitten she was with me when I pointed her out to you earlier. A bold eye she had, with a face to tell the tale.” He grinned at Geoffrey. “She did not, however, seem pleased with you, my friend. You should be glad she had no dagger within her reach when you forced her to promenade around the room.”

Geoffrey scowled. He knew Thomas’s penchant for baiting well.

“Did you see her face when I kissed her hand? I thought she would drop to the floor.”

Geoffrey snorted and shook his head. “She is young, and you are but a passing fancy.” He shot a glare toward the smaller man. “Trust me, I will make sure of that. And you well know ’twas when I kissed her hand before the court that she all but swooned. Neither did she react to your kiss, but to the touch of her hand on mine after you had kissed it.”

“You saw that, you devil!” Thomas shook his head. “And I was at my most charming, too. So why does your rough touch make the girl giddy? Have you threatened to beat her already?”

“She is marrying me, not you, Thomas.”

Betrothal and all books in the series are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Hope you enjoyed this excerpt! See you next week!

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Mondays, Medieval Romance, Medieval Times | Tagged Betrothal, Excerpts, heroes on heroines, Jenna Jaxon, Medieval Monday | 1 Comment

Close Encounters of a Ghostly Kind

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Everyone has a ghost story and I am no different, although mine is probably milder than many. Still, the encounter scared the bejesus out of me and even though it happened decades ago, I still remember the incidents perfectly, including the insane fear I felt.

About the time I got married, my husband changed jobs and had a computer at his new work place. Yes, this was in the Dark Ages when people didn’t have personal computers. 🙂 I was editing a manuscript for someone else, and had gone to my husband’s place of business to do it, because we didn’t have a computer at the time. My husband decided to go home to get some work done at our house and left me there, all alone, after everyone had gone home. This was on a military base, in a building that had been in existence way before World War II.

He’d told me people had told him the building (a converted two-story house) was haunted by an elderly man, but I really didn’t pay it much mind. I was too intent on the job, which was paying me serious money. So I’m in the downstairs lobby, typing away at the receptionist’s desk. It was probably 8:00 at night and in the autumn, so it was pitch dark. I had on the overhead lights, which were old and gave off a dingy glow, and a desk lamp by the computer so I could see my work.

All of a sudden, in the absolute dead silence of the place, I hear a long, loud creeeeek of a door opening upstairs. There was no one in the building. Hadn’t been for hours. No drafts to move a door left ajar.

My head snapped toward the staircase to my right that led to the second floor. I felt the adrenaline hit my blood stream, tasted the bitterness in my mouth, and my heart took off like a 747 jet. There were no cell phones, guys. Shaking like a leaf, I dialed my husband and told him what had happened, all the time my eyes trained on that staircase. All he said was, “Get out of there now!”

I saved my work, shut the computer down, and shot out the door in under five minutes. I didn’t feel safe until I was off the base and headed home.

I can’t recall, but I don’t think I ever went back to that building. Some months later they closed the office down and moved my husband to another location. Not long after, they tore the building down. I’m not sure where the ghost went, but I hope he found peace and stopped scaring the bejesus out of folks.

So that’s my one and only close encounter with a ghost. Have you ever experienced a ghostly visitation?

Posted in Holiday Posts | Tagged ghost stories, ghostly encounters, Halloween, Jenna Jaxon | 3 Comments

Cover Spot: An Earl’s Queen by Lindsay Downs

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Blurb- An Earl’s Queen

A mysterious lady. A secret well-kept. A foiled abduction. These and other events get Anthony, Earl of Wyatt, to start wondering who this Lady Chelsea truly is.

All he does know, she’s not the love from his childhood as that Chelsea had drowned ten years ago.

His mother, Lady Rosalind, invites her and Lady Iris, her mother, to visit their estate to participate in a house party. Once there things slowly start to make sense, or so Lord Anthony believes.

What none of them realize, everything isn’t as it seems.

Bit by bit the secret is revealed. Even before everything is laid out Lord Anthony knows he’s found his long lost, thought dead love, in the form of Lady Chelsea.

By a stroke of fortune for them, misfortune for someone else she is finally able to recall the events of that dreadful day years ago.

The only question which remains, is Lord Anthony able to keep Lady Chelsea safe until they wed or will other events prevent it.

Amazon Buy Links

US- http://tinyurl.com/nlmkkwk

UK- http://tinyurl.com/pvxocx2

AU- http://tinyurl.com/ohp2jrc

Bio-

I’ve been an avid readers ever since I was old enough to hold a red leather bound first edition copy of Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake in my lap.

So it only seemed natural at some point in my life I take up pen and paper to start writing. Over time my skills slightly improved which I attribute to my English teachers.

My breakthrough came about in the mid 1970’s when I read a historical romance written by Sergeanne Golon, Angelique. This French husband and wife team opened my eyes to the real world of fiction. Stories about romance, beautiful damsels, handsome heroes and plots which kept me hooked. Of course, being a man, I had to keep my reading hidden from others as that wasn’t appropriate reading for men.

With this new found appreciation of the written word I took up other books and devoured them as a starving person would a plate of food. I them attempted to write again. I still wasn’t satisfied so I put it aside for years as other events entered my life.

Finally, in the early years of the new millennium I tried again to write and once again met with limited success. At least now I was able to get past the first page or two. Then, in 2006 a life changing event brought me back to my love, I took a job as a security officer. This allowed me plenty of time to read different genres.

My favorite was regency. As I poured through everyone I could get my hands on I knew this could be something I wanted to attempt.

Since 2012 when my debut regency romantic suspense released I was hooked and have, except for a few contemporaries, focused on this genre.

Since 2012 I’ve lived in central Texas. I’m also a member of Romance Writers of America and their local chapter.

Where you can find me-

Facebook- http://tinyurl.com/pgq8vzz

Facebook Pages- http://tinyurl.com/nresq5j

Twitter- @ldowns2966

LinkedIn- http://tinyurl.com/e8t56

Goodreads-http://tinyurl.com/prcdmml

Lindsay Downs-Romance Author- http://tinyurl.com/kvfz468

Amazon- http://tinyurl.com/ktem76c

Posted in Cover Art, Cover Spot, Promotion | Tagged An Earl's Queen, cover art, Lindsay Downs, Regency romantic suspense, romantic cover art | 6 Comments

Jenna’s 411 ~ 10/07/2015

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome back to another week’s installment of Jenna’s 411! I’m finally back and life is still busy.

Book Chat ~ Only Marriage Will Do is on SALE!

My Georgian romance, Only Marriage Will Do, is on sale during the month of October at Amazon for just .99! It’s the second book in The House of Pleasure series:

Not every happy-ever-after begins at “I do.”

When the man of her dreams rescues Lady Juliet Ferrers from the villain claiming to be her husband, she is sure she has found her one true love. But is she free to marry him? Not to be deterred, Juliet arranges for her hero to escort her to her family estate in far off Northern England—hoping that along the way she can win his love—and his hand…

Captivated by Juliet’s sweetness and beauty, Captain Amiable Dawson can’t help but be spellbound by the promise of a life with her. But the spell breaks when questions arise about her marital status. Soon the upstanding Amiable is unsure if he is indeed married to Juliet. And when his rival absconds with her, Amiable must choose between the law of the land and his heart’s desire to rescue Juliet once more…

Only Marriage Will Do is available at Amazon for .99!

And if you d’ like to review Marriage, I’ll send you a copy for free! Just message me via my Contact Me page on my blog.

On the Home Front ~ Little Shop of Horrors

Yes, the plant that ate Jenna Jaxon is alive and well. The show was supposed to open on October 1st, and it did, but inclement weather (Hurricane Joaquin) made us postpone the rest of the run until next week. So I have a little breather before Audrey 2 attacks again. 🙂

Jenna Fun Fact of the Week

October is my favorite month and Halloween is my favorite holiday. So you’ll probably see a lot of Halloween themed things here this month. I’ve always loved creating costumes for Halloween. One year at my undergrad school I went as Lizzie Borden, complete with bloody ax. 🙂

So, how’s your week been?

My New Releases! Click the picture for buy link.

Posted in Beloveds, Jenna's 411, Promotion | Tagged Halloween Costumes, Jenna Jaxon, Jenna's 411, Little Shop of Horrors, Only Marriage Will Do | 3 Comments

Writing Crap

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

I don’t generally like to think that what I write is substandard or “crap,” however, in one certain case I have finally given myself permission to write crap. This certain case or circumstance is the rough draft of any novel, novella, or short story I write. It’s taken me a long time (several years, in fact) to allow myself to do this. But the benefits, believe me, are worth it.

I’m not sure how many of you compose at your computer. I started doing that about two years into writing. My first several books I wrote out long-hand and then typed into the computer. Typing the first draft seemed, at the time, like it would save time. But now I see the error of my ways. Because I remember writing my second book in two months and the third book in about the same amount of time. I had the same job, had small children to deal with at home, and was still reading several books a week. My most recent WIP, To Woo a Wicked Widow took me a year to write. A freakin’ year. My first book was 187K and it only took me six months to write that. (Widow’s at about 90K.)

So what is the big difference? For me, apparently, typing a manuscript turns on my inner-editor. Some little voice in my head tells me the words must be as perfect as I can make them. Therefore, I sit and agonize over word choice, syntax, and sentence structure, rather than just getting the story down. Author K. M Weiland calls this being a first-draft over-thinker. “Instead of letting my words just pour out of me whenever I sat down to write these first drafts, I instead sat there and thought. And thought and thought. Write a paragraph. Read it. Think about it. Obsess about word choice. Obsess about how the characters are coming across. Fuss about thematic implications. Drive self crazy.”

Sound familiar? It does to me.

Writing in longhand, however, gives me the ability to write crap and to write it quickly. My hand races over the page, and although I will sometimes go back and cross out or write overtop of lines or in the margins, for the most part I have permission to just let the words flow. Innately I know that I can fix this crappy stuff when I revise it into a typed second draft.

Dan J. Fiore, winner of the Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition says the same thing: “Remind yourself over and over again as you’re writing that you give yourself permission to write terribly. Tell that little voice in your head that keeps saying to you, This is awful, that it’s okay. Name an author, any author. Go ahead. Guess what? His or her first drafts suck, too. Keep reminding yourself of that.”

Judi McCoy

My mentor, the late, great romance writer Judi McCoy, in the first writing workshop I ever took with her, took a huge pad of paper and wrote “You can fix crap. You can’t fix nothing.” These words have stayed with me for the past six years, although I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowing myself to write crap. And therefore it took me longer and longer to write anything.

Now that I’ve given myself permission to turn off that inner-editor and to write crap, the words are flowing like wine again. And they are, for the most part, crappy. But when I start to revise that crappy first draft, I get all excited again about making the story better. And I have something tangible to fix. You can’t fix nothing. But you can make crappy writing shine.

Please, give yourself permission to write crap. You may just re-discover the joy of writing that first draft.

Posted in Craft, On Writing, Writing Craft | Tagged first draft, Jenna Jaxon, Judi McCoy, Writing craft, writing crap | 20 Comments

Medieval Monday ~ Beleaguered: A Sweet Treat

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Medieval Monday is back, with a new twist. This time around we post excerpts that fulfill a different requirement each week. This week we must post a scene with food. So my excerpt will be a little risqué one from Beleaguered, Book 3 of my medieval series Time Enough to Love.

EXCERPT:

She stared first at her bedaubed body then at him. “What is that?”

“Honey, my sweet.”

She tilted her head. “The honeyed pears from our feast?”

“The same.” He grinned, watching her closely. Would this suit her playful sense or no?

Dropping her head back on the pillow, she giggled, a delicious sound in his ears. “I suppose now I cannot even take my rest lest I awake to find a…a…pudding on my stomach.”

He chuckled. “You are much tastier than a pudding, love.”

She squealed as he dipped his head to lap at the other breast.

He licked the golden swirls he had dribbled over her as she slept, savoring the sweetness of both honey and delicate flesh.

“That tickles, Geoffrey.” She laughed and wiggled. “I will still be a sticky mess no matter how well you work there.”

“Then I must be more diligent, sweetheart.” He applied his tongue vigorously to the honey.

“I say if one be a mess then ’twere best both were.” She stared at him, a new hunger in her eyes.

Visions arose of her tongue licking honey from his chest, his stomach, his… His cock leaped, insistent once more.

Oh, let it be done.

He grabbed Alyse by the arms and rolled them until he lay flat on the bed with her overtop of him.

“All right, madam.” He ran his finger down her breast, gathering some of the honey that still clung there then caught it with his tongue. “’Tis your turn.” He gestured to the opened jar of pears and stretched his arms wide. “I promise you, revenge will be sweet.”

She slipped her hand into the pot and grabbed one of the slices, dripping with the sticky honey.

What would be her first point of attack? He held his breath, quivering.

Her gaze shifted from his face to his chest. His pulse quickened. Would she give him measure for measure and…

She leaned over and plopped the slice of pear onto his right nipple.

The cool, sticky pear and the touch of her slender fingers sent a shudder of desire hurtling toward his heated shaft. Ah, ’twas torture of the sweetest kind.

Beleaguered and all books in the series are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Hope you enjoyed this excerpt! See you next week!

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Mondays | Tagged Beleaguered, honeyied pears, Jenna Jaxon, Medieval Mondays | 8 Comments

Hilarious Read for Halloween: Haints in Hollywood by Patricia Preston

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Through the month of October I plan to spotlight Halloween or scary themed books on Sundays, just to get in the mood for my favorite holiday at month’s end.

So I’m starting off spotlighting a very funny Halloween treat: Haints in Hollywood by Patricia Preston.

I have to preface this by saying if you haven’t read Patricia’s short story Laid to Rest, you really should before you read Haints in Hollywood. First, it’s one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Darlene, the heroine, is just priceless. Maybe it’s because I’m from the South, but I know these characters. I daresay I’m related to some of them. And it’s just a fun read.

Once you’ve stopped rolling on the floor, grab your Kindle and download Haints for a double dose of Darlene, this time beset with more dead and supernatural creatures. She and her dumb and dumber duo of Ritchie and Tommy Ray take on a haunted ghost town called Hollywood and the fun begins again.

Haints in Hollywood is available at Amazon for just .99. Start your October off right with this hilariously haunting read.

Posted in Spotlights | Tagged Haints in Hollywood, Halloween reads, Jenna Jaxon, Patricia Preston | 4 Comments

Interview with Ashley York and The Irish Warrior

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jenna Jaxon

Today I’ve got Ashley York with me, talking about her new release The Irish Warrior and some other really fun and fascinating things about her!

1. Tell us a little bit about your new release.

Sean O’Cisoghe was a character I first introduced in The Gentle Knight. He is a handsome warrior from Drogheda, Ireland. The story begins with him facing the fact that the lass he’d lusted over had married another. He’s not a happy man. He’s not the most chivalrous type preferring battle to conversation. When a “lad” calls the horse out from under him, he finds he must see the woman to her brother for her own safety.

2. What was your inspiration for this story?

It was The Gentle Knight. Peter fell in love with Brighit but before they’re even married he has all these other men from Drogheda falling all over her. When he meets Sean, Peter’s impression of him is not only that he lusts after his betrothed but that he is a formidable warrior. This will all come into play with the last book in the Norman Conquest Series, The Seventh Son.

3. I am a fanatic about my character names. Are the character names special in any way?

They are. I’m Irish and Scottish so they’re names I’ve heard. The spelling it is what dictates whether they’re Irish or Scottish because they are both Celts.

4. What was your process for writing this book? Is this different or the same as other books you’ve written?

I think I’m getting more productive in my writing. I had intended this book to be shorter than it is but I needed to tell the story until it was finished.

5. Do you have plans for a sequel to this book?

Next up will be The Seventh Son which I had already started when I realized Sean’s story would help bridge the time span for the readers. The Seventh Son begins with Brighit first leaving Drogheda to go the Priory. It covers some important revelations about her family and why her brother, Tadhg, will no longer be married to his love, Tisa O’Brien. Things that Brighit is not aware of in The Gentle Knight like the reason she gets sent to the Priory to begin with.

6. Who is your favorite romance hero or heroine and why? What qualities do they possess that make them memorable?

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves version – he faces conflict head on and oh by the way yeah he likes that woman – the one he would die for.

7. Who was the first romance author and book you read?

Janet Daily – Ride The Thunder. I remember we were traveling cross-country and I wanted to see these big horn sheep. When we lived in Colorado a short time later, we would regularly go to Rocky Mountain National Park and see them. They are just beautiful.

Now, Lightning Round:

8. What is your favorite amusement park ride? merry go round

9. Tea or coffee? coffee

10. French manicure or color (and if color, what color)? french manicure

11. Beach or mountains? not fair to have to pick!

12. Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate

13. Boxers, briefs or commando? commando

14. Blond, brunette or redhead? (preferred men’s hair color) brown which isn’t the same as brunette

15. Would you rather skydive or scuba dive? no thanks

16. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii, Vegas or London? not for me

Thank you, Ashley! I enjoyed our little session. 🙂 Ashley’s new release, The Irish Warrior, is available at Amazon.

Blurb:

Outcast and alone, Thomasina MacDonell is hell bent on finding her brother, the only person who can thwart their father’s latest scheme to offer her as payment for his gambling debts. Disguised as a lad, she defiantly sets off on foot to locate him—never expecting to find a handsome, Irish warrior riding her beloved horse. The warrior’s offer of help and unsolicited advice on how to be manlier sparks an intimate desire to reveal her more feminine side.

Rejected by the love of his life, Sean O’Cisoghe wants simply to return home and heal his broken heart. When a young “lad” steals the horse out from under him, he discerns the spirited woman may be in way over her head against her ruthless father. Finding her brother while keeping her would-be betrothed at bay, Sean must confront the fact that Thomasina has stolen his heart. Will Norman soldiers out for his blood and shifting clan alliances cut short their growing passion?

Excerpt:

Sean had expected her to struggle which was why he had her arm tucked between his body and hers, and her other arm held tight to her side. What he had not expected was to be so affected by her. Alarm bells were sending waves of regret—and overwhelming desire—coursing through him. Not one of his finest moments. If she ever settled down, she’d certainly find his arousal as upsetting as her anticipated punishment. He had no plans to actually slap her bottom, he just wanted honest answers. He found a threat worked best.

“So before I land my hand on yer arse since ye’re so deserving—oof.” Her elbow poked into his stomach, knocking the air out of him. He pulled her closer in to him and raised his knees to keep her lodged there. “—how about ye try telling me the truth for once and then I can be on my way.”

“Ye whoreson! Who do ye think ye are? Let me go!” She continued her struggles.

Her tempting bottom wiggling from side to side was hard to ignore. He needed to disarm her and quickly. “What? Nae clearing of yer throat to sound like a lad?”

“Let me go.” She pulled her knees in and managed to plow into his groin. The pain excruciating. He reacted with a hard slap to her bottom. She stilled. He held his breath until the sharp pain lessened then yanked her legs out straight.

He adjusted her away from him to ease the pressure on his groin. She didn’t need to know specifically what she had managed to do. “Try that again and I’ll make ye sorry.”

“I’ll make ye sorry!” she hollered back at him.

He didn’t hide the smile. She remained motionless across his lap. Her delightful bottom at his disposal but he refrained from touching her.

“I’m not an idiot. I ken when ye’re lying to me and here I’ve done nothing but try to assist ye.”

“Assist me? Was that when ye insulted me? Told me I was girly?”

“Ye are a girl!”

“And is that what ye wanted me to tell ye?” She rolled back so she could look him in the face. “Is that why ye teased me mercilessly?”

“Nae! I wanted ye to remember to act like a boy, damn it! Ye kept slipping up! How could I take ye to the village with everyone seeing ye for what ye are? They’d have been all over ye like ticks on a dog.”

“Ye bastard!” She started kicking her legs with wild abandon. “Let me go. Let me go.”

With one arm wrapped around her narrow waist, he stood, holding her like a sack of corn. Placing her away from him, he held each arm in a firm grip against her side. She hunched forward, breathing heavy from the exertion. And all he could think about was covering her mouth with his, of tasting her lips, her skin, of running his fingers through her tangled mane. He was near exploding with desire for her.

“Stop this! I deserve to ken the truth.” Sean’s voice sounded strained and he prayed she wouldn’t realize why. “Thomasina!”

It was a beautiful name. It fit her perfectly.

Closing her mouth, Tommy looked to be getting herself under control. Her eyes on him, she shook as if overcome by his audacity. Mayhap he should have taken to paddling her as she so deserved but he feared he’d feel worse than she would. Beating a woman was not in his nature. That one spank had been an unexpected reaction to pain. Slapping her bottom was the farthest thing from what he wanted to do with it.

“Truth!” he groaned aloud. “Put me out of my misery.”

She looked surprised at his outburst then took a shaky breath. “Yea! Ye deserve the truth.”

“And do ye ken the truth?” Sean leveled his gaze. “I dunna need any more pretenses here. Not now.”

Not when his body yearned to be betwixt her legs as he pounded into her, receiving his need, answering with her own passion. She had no idea. She would have no idea. He kept his gaze fixed on her face despite the heaving breasts and the sweat trickling down her neck into places he’d like to follow with his tongue.

Meet the Author:

Aside from two years spent in the wilds of the Colorado mountains, Ashley York is a proud life-long New Englander and a hardcore romantic. She has an MA in History which brings with it, through many years of research, a love for primary documents and the smell of musty old libraries. With her author’s imagination, she likes to write about people who could have lived alongside those well-known giants from the past.

Connect with her online at:

Website: http://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com

Email: ashleyyork1066@gmail.com

Twitter: @ashleyyork1066