This week I’m continuing to post snippets from my upcoming Georgian novel, A Countess Never Tells, Book 3 of my Captivating Countesses series. The book releases on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 and is currently up on pre-order for .99.
This book brings back the characters from A Countess of Convenience, particularly Judith and John (Lord and Lady Haxby), as Kitty Tate, the heroine is John’s younger sister and Judith’s childhood friend and now sister-in-law.
They say rakes make the best husbands…but do they?
At the age of twenty-four, vivacious Kitty Tate is having the time of her life in her first London season—such a good time in fact, she’s caught the eye of Lord Ashwood, the ton’s most notorious rake. And he’s caught hers.
She’s instantly taken with the handsome lord and finding out he’s a scoundrel doesn’t deter her one bit. Which is why her brother has forbidden her to see him. Unfortunately for him, Kitty has a mind of her own and the willpower to fight for what she wants.
Ash plans to be a dedicated rake until he’s old and gray, but at the moment he’s determined to seduce the delicious Miss Tate despite her brother’s objections. She’s such a blend of innocence and siren he cannot wait to welcome her into his bed. When he finds Kitty eager to be seduced, Ash’s desire burns brighter still.
But a dastardly wager surfaces, and Ash discovers a truly despicable man is determined to beat him to Kitty’s bed. Forbidden to marry her, Ash must now find another way to protect the woman he’s come to love before she’s ruined by another man.
Today I’m continuing on from the very beginning of the novel. Miss Kitty Tate is at a ball, dancing with a gentleman she’s just met. They manage some conversation while they dance. After the dance, they spy friends of Lord Ashwood and stroll over to say hello. Enjoy!
“Before I relinquish you to your sister-in-law, Miss Tate, allow me to thank you again for a lovely dance.” Lord Ashbrook patted her gloved hand gently.
“I assure you, my lord, you were a very welcome addition to my list of dance partners.” Kitty smiled at him as she let go his arm. Sadly, they had reached Judith.
“Then may I beg to add another dance this evening?” The eagerness on Lord Ashbrook’s face sent a thrill through Kitty. “Would you favor me by allowing me one more set this evening, Miss Tate?”
Kitty nodded enthusiastically. She always saved one set toward the end of the evening, in the event she became tired and wished to sit out the set–or, as now, someone she wished to dance with asked her.
“I have the second set after supper open, if you are available then.”
“I certainly am.” He raised her gloved hand and his lips brushed her gloved knuckles, making her shiver. “I will find you with Lady Haxby after supper, Miss Tate. Until then, I will be counting the minutes.”
Heart beating fast, Kitty couldn’t speak as he bowed and walked away. Lord Ashbrook was more exciting than any other gentleman she’d met this entire Season. She followed his progress across the ballroom until he approached and greeted her friend Maria Fitzhugh, who must be his partner for the supper dance.
Kitty sighed.
Lucky girl.
And the first book of the Captivating Countess series, A Countess of Convenience, is available on Amazon in e-book for .99, and in print and is on KU. Here’s the link for those options.
I’m now also part of two anthologies for Dragonblade–one that’s part of their Lyons Den shared world called Night of Lyons. My novella is called The Lyons’ Wager and is the pre-quel to the Welwyn Marriage Wager series. Night of Lyons is available on pre-order on Amazon for .99!
The other one is an historical cookbook of recipies dating back over the centuries complied from the kitchens of Dragonblade authors and their ancestors. It’s called Dragonblade’s Historical Cookbook, currently on pre-order for .99. It releases October 23, 2023 (just in time for Thanksgiving cookery!). My grandmother’s cornbread dressing I make every Thanksgiving is in there.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.
This week I’m continuing to post snippets from my upcoming Georgian novel, A Countess Never Tells, Book 3 of my Captivating Countesses series. The book releases on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 and is currently up on pre-order for .99.
This book brings back the characters from A Countess of Convenience, particularly Judith and John (Lord and Lady Haxby), as Kitty Tate, the heroine is John’s younger sister and Judith’s childhood friend and now sister-in-law.
They say rakes make the best husbands…but do they?
At the age of twenty-four, vivacious Kitty Tate is having the time of her life in her first London season—such a good time in fact, she’s caught the eye of Lord Ashwood, the ton’s most notorious rake. And he’s caught hers.
She’s instantly taken with the handsome lord and finding out he’s a scoundrel doesn’t deter her one bit. Which is why her brother has forbidden her to see him. Unfortunately for him, Kitty has a mind of her own and the willpower to fight for what she wants.
Ash plans to be a dedicated rake until he’s old and gray, but at the moment he’s determined to seduce the delicious Miss Tate despite her brother’s objections. She’s such a blend of innocence and siren he cannot wait to welcome her into his bed. When he finds Kitty eager to be seduced, Ash’s desire burns brighter still.
But a dastardly wager surfaces, and Ash discovers a truly despicable man is determined to beat him to Kitty’s bed. Forbidden to marry her, Ash must now find another way to protect the woman he’s come to love before she’s ruined by another man.
Today I’m continuing on from the very beginning of the novel. Miss Kitty Tate is at a ball, dancing with a gentleman she’s just met. They manage some conversation while they dance. After the dance, they spy friends of Lord Ashwood and stroll over to say hello. Enjoy!
“I’ll get Miss Tate back to her sister-in-law and return to you. If you’ll excuse us, gentlemen?”
Aldbury bowed, the other gentlemen looked confused, but bowed politely. Kitty curtsied again, confused herself by that exchange.
“Come my dear.” Lord Ashbrook started them away, then stopped. “I fear the room has become warmer than I like. Would you mind if we step outside onto the verandah for a breath of air?”
It certainly was warm in Lady Sutherland’s townhouse. The price one paid for having a popular entertainment. A breath of cooler air sounded glorious to Kitty. She opened her mouth to tell him yes, when from the corner of her eye she caught a glance between Lord Ashbrook and Lord Aldbury.
An almost smug smile appeared on Lord Ashbrook’s handsome face. Coupled with their mention of a wager, that glance boded ill things. Kitty was nothing if not cautious. She knew how easily a young lady could get herself ruined and she’d not risk that for a few more minutes with a handsome face. “I’m sorry, my lord, but I fear I must return straight to Lady Haxby. My next partner will undoubtedly be waiting for me.”
“As you wish, my dear.” Without so much as a blink, Lord Ashbrook started them off again toward Judith.
Now completely at a loss, Kitty began to doubt herself. Had she seen something pass between the two gentlemen’s faces that simply didn’t exist? Had she become too suspicious of everyone’s motives?
I’m now also part of two anthologies for Dragonblade–one that’s part of their Lyons Den shared world called Night of Lyons. My novella is called The Lyons’ Wager and is the pre-quel to the Welwyn Marriage Wager series. Night of Lyons is available on pre-order on Amazon for .99!
The other one is an historical cookbook of recipies dating back over the centuries complied from the kitchens of Dragonblade authors and their ancestors. It’s called Dragonblade’s Historical Cookbook, currently on pre-order for .99. It releases October 23, 2023 (just in time for Thanksgiving cookery!). My grandmother’s cornbread dressing I make every Thanksgiving is in there.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.
Lavender is one of my favorite scents and has been my signature fragrance ever since I wrote Time Enough to Love, my medieval romance set in 1348.
My daughter Emily and I went to the Gloucester Lavender Festival at Under the Stars lavender farm in summer of 2021 and had a wonderful time! Here are some pics of our visit.
While we were there we got to go into the lavender fields, make our dish gardens, eat a little snack, and shop for lovely lavender products. We had an awesome day!
I’ve since learned there are ten lavender farms in Virginia. I think my daughter and I need to start taking road trips on the weekends to immerse oursleves in the lavender experience!
To all Dads out there–Celebrate! This is your day for everyone to say Thank You!
This week I’m continuing to post snippets from my upcoming Georgian novel, A Countess Never Tells, Book 3 of my Captivating Countesses series. The book releases on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 and is currently up on pre-order for .99.
This book brings back the characters from A Countess of Convenience, particularly Judith and John (Lord and Lady Haxby), as Kitty Tate, the heroine is John’s younger sister and Judith’s childhood friend and now sister-in-law.
They say rakes make the best husbands…but do they?
At the age of twenty-four, vivacious Kitty Tate is having the time of her life in her first London season—such a good time in fact, she’s caught the eye of Lord Ashwood, the ton’s most notorious rake. And he’s caught hers.
She’s instantly taken with the handsome lord and finding out he’s a scoundrel doesn’t deter her one bit. Which is why her brother has forbidden her to see him. Unfortunately for him, Kitty has a mind of her own and the willpower to fight for what she wants.
Ash plans to be a dedicated rake until he’s old and gray, but at the moment he’s determined to seduce the delicious Miss Tate despite her brother’s objections. She’s such a blend of innocence and siren he cannot wait to welcome her into his bed. When he finds Kitty eager to be seduced, Ash’s desire burns brighter still.
But a dastardly wager surfaces, and Ash discovers a truly despicable man is determined to beat him to Kitty’s bed. Forbidden to marry her, Ash must now find another way to protect the woman he’s come to love before she’s ruined by another man.
Today I’m starting continuing on from the very beginning of the novel. Miss Kitty Tate is at a ball, dancing with a gentleman she’s just met. They manage some conversation while they dance. Enjoy!
They bowed as the music came to an end and he offered her his arm. Kitty took it gladly, pleased with their dance.
“Thank you for a lovely dance, Miss Tate.”
“You are quite welcome, my lord.”
“May I escort you back to your chaperone?”
“Yes, please. My sister-in-law is just there.” She nodded to Judith, standing on the opposite side of the ballroom. “The lady in purple–she has had much tragedy in her life in recent months. She lost her husband in January and her father is recently deceased as well but she is wearing half-mourning so she can help chaperone me during the Season.”
“We have been great friends since childhood. I only wish her life was not so difficult at the moment.”
“You are kind-hearted, Miss Tate.” He steered them around the dance floor.
“And you are gallant, Lord Ashbrook. I am very happy Lord Aldbury introduced you.” Kitty had known Lord Aldbury as an acquaintance of her brother’s, so she’d not needed Judith’s or John’s presence for the introduction.
“I certainly owe Lord Aldbury a debt.” Lord Ashbrook smiled ruefully. “I am glad he introduced us also. But wait, there he is.” He nodded to Aldbury, talking to several other gentlemen near to the doors to the verandah. “Let me just thank him once more.”
Kitty nodded. There would be time before the next set made up. It was the supper dance and she was to partner Lord Quatford, a gentleman she’d partnered often during the Season. A nice enough gentleman, but he didn’t hold a candle to Lord Ashbrook as far as looks were concerned. She could certainly spare a little more time for her current partner.
“Aldbury, gentlemen.” Lord Ashbrook bowed and Kitty curtsied. She knew Lord Aldbury, of course, but hadn’t met any of the others.
“Wanted to thank you again for that important introduction, Aldbury. Good man.” Lord Ashbrook looked meaningfully at his friend.
“Quite right. Not at all, Ashbrook.” Lord Aldbury glanced from her to him. “For that wager we spoke of earlier, any news to impart?”
“Nothing yet, but I should have something to tell you shortly.” Ashbrook smiled and patted Kitty’s hand.
I’m also part of an anthology for Dragonblade that’s part of their Lyons Den shared world called Night of Lyons. My novella is called The Lyons’ Wager and is the pre-quel to the Welwyn Marriage Wager series. Night of Lyons is available on pre-order on Amazon for .99!
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.
This week I’m continuing to post snippets from my upcoming Georgian novel, A Countess Never Tells, Book 3 of my Captivating Countesses series. The book releases on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 and is currently up on pre-order for .99.
This book is brings back the characters from A Countess of Convenience, particularly Judith and John (Lord and Lady Haxby), as Kitty Tate, the heroine is John’s younger sister and Judith’s childhood friend and now sister-in-law.
They say rakes make the best husbands…but do they?
At the age of twenty-four, vivacious Kitty Tate is having the time of her life in her first London season—such a good time in fact, she’s caught the eye of Lord Ashwood, the ton’s most notorious rake. And he’s caught hers.
She’s instantly taken with the handsome lord and finding out he’s a scoundrel doesn’t deter her one bit. Which is why her brother has forbidden her to see him. Unfortunately for him, Kitty has a mind of her own and the willpower to fight for what she wants.
Ash plans to be a dedicated rake until he’s old and gray, but at the moment he’s determined to seduce the delicious Miss Tate despite her brother’s objections. She’s such a blend of innocence and siren he cannot wait to welcome her into his bed. When he finds Kitty eager to be seduced, Ash’s desire burns brighter still.
But a dastardly wager surfaces, and Ash discovers a truly despicable man is determined to beat him to Kitty’s bed. Forbidden to marry her, Ash must now find another way to protect the woman he’s come to love before she’s ruined by another man.
Today I’m starting continuing on from the very beginning of the novel. Miss Kitty Tate is at a ball, dancing with a gentleman she’s just met. They manage some conversation while they dance. Enjoy!
The steps of The Black Nag demanded Lord Ashbrook hey with the other gentlemen in their set, so she followed her steps and turned in a circle, then the ladies heyed among themselves before she met her partner again as they took hands for the promenade. She looked expectantly at him for her answer.
“Sadly, I have been out of London for some months, out of England to be exact.”
“Where?”
“In Italy.” He glanced at Kitty. “And I am heartily sorry for it, Miss Tate, having missed the pleasure of your company for that entire time.”
Kitty smiled but kept her eyes forward. “You are kind, my lord. What kept you in Italy so long?”
“Oh, just some family business. My mother wished me to take care of it and a dutiful son could not refuse, could he?”
A doting son. That spoke well of Lord Ashbrook. “Of course not. I hope you were able to enjoy yourself while you were there. It wasn’t all business, I hope.”
He grinned, making him look sweetly boyish. “I did get to indulge in some entertainments while I was there, I assure you. One cannot focus solely on business when one is in Rome.”
“Rome.”
They parted again with Kitty sighing in envy. She would dearly love to travel to Italy. The ruins, the museums, the shopping opportunities all made Italy one of the places Kitty longed to see. She’d decided when she married, she and her husband would take a wedding trip there.
Kitty came back together with her partner. “I am quite envious, Lord Ashbrook.”
He frowned and stared blankly at her.
I’m also part of an anthology for Dragonblade that’s part of their Lyons Den shared world called Night of Lyons. My novella is called The Lyons’ Wager and is the pre-quel to the Welwyn Marriage Wager series. Night of Lyons is available on pre-order on Amazon for .99!
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read.
BookLovers Con was amazing for several different reasons. One of the best things about it was being able to meet and really talk to readers from everywhere.
Saturday was the busiest day of the conference for me. I was going from about 8:30 in the morning until almost 11:00 at night!
The first thing to do was prepare for the Book Bash, the huge Author Signing Event at every BookLovers Con. I had brought books with me (the first two Widows’ Club books are now out of print and I had to bring all of my House of Pleasure books which are POD) and the bookseller had provided the other four Widows’ Club books. That ended up being a LOT of books! My table was very full. I had to arrange things so I could offer swag AND still have a place to sign. And I got to put up my brand new Jenna Jaxon banner! So cool. Needless to say, it took a while, but I finally got it arranged to my satisfaction.
I tried a new advertising idea on my House of Pleasure series. I had my dear friend and graphic designer Patricia Green design placards with a “quote” from the heroine of each book on it, hoping to give the reader an idea of how exciting the books were. They garnered a fair bit of attention and I actually sold every copy of the first book of the series, Only Scandal Will Do, so I’m very pleased with the idea!
After getting the table set, I went back to my room and Ella Quinn acted as my lady’s maid and helped me dress in my Regency gown for the book signing.
I had a blast at the book signing, and the Regency gown got a lot of attention! I sold several complete sets of my Widows’ Club series along with other random sales, and as I mention, all of the Scandal books. I was extremely pleased with the Book Bash. And the Regency gown turned out to be quite comfortable. The only issue was the hat or capote made me rather warm the whole time. But as my hair is very short, I couldn’t just style it in a Regency style. Still, the signing and gown was quite a success.
Ther was no time, however, to rest. I had to change clothes to go to lunch (I refused to eat in the gown) and was too rushed to change back for my next event, Around the World in 80 Minutes. In this event readers were issued a “passport” and each author was set up at a table with all their swag. Readers had to go to each author, get them to sign or stamp their passport, and once they had all signatures, they could enter a raffle for gift baskets the authors had provided. It was a fun time and I got to distribute a lot of my remaining swag.
Finally, there was the “I Put A Spell On You” Hocus Pocus themed dinner and afterwards the Saints and Sinners Ball.
Instead of attending the Saints and Sinners ball (we were just too tired), Ella Quinn and I held an informal wine tasting with four bottles we had bought but hadn’t drunk. So a good time was had by all.
The next morning was a delicious Brunch and Bubbly breakfast send off and then I left for the airport.
All in all BookLovers Con 2023 was the best I’ve attended. I’m sad it was the last (but like Hocus Pocus perhaps it will return eventually) and if it does come back, I’ll be one of the first to sign up. Thank you so much, JoCarol Jones, for everything!
BookLovers Con was amazing for several different reasons. One of the best things about it was being able to meet and really talk to readers from everywhere. I got to talkOn Friday a lot to all the Libations readers who attended that (about 21 total) and I got to meet and get comfortable with a lot of them.
On Friday, one of the game events I got to attend had the same goal, to have a fun time and to meet and talk to the various readers. To this end, we played a game called “Left, Right, Center”, a dice game where usually you can win a lot of money, but in our version people ended up getting a lot of books.
Two authors started at one table (there were like 25 tables so I ended up with no author partner) and everyone played the game until time was called (about 10-12 minutes) and then no matter where you were in the game, the authors rotated to a new table and play continued. When someone rolled dice that said left or right, a token (we used pieces of candy) was handed to the person to the left or right of you. If you rolled a star, you put a token in the center, and if you rolled a circle, you kept a piece. When only one person at the table had tokens, they were the winner and won two books from the pile of books brought by the authors.
As authors sat down to each table, they got to talk to the readers as the play continued. Whenever someone had to put a token in the the center, I asked them to tell a fun fact about themselves or ask me a fun fact about me. This game was a lot of fun, I met a lot of readers, readers took away all 20 of my books (all authors brought those as prizes), and I got to tell readers some fun stuff about me and my books.
That night was the big sit-down dinner called the Faery Fantasy Gathering Dinner: When Dragons Ruled. Because of my dietary restrictions (gluten-free and dairy-free) it took me a minute to get my food straight–which gave me a minute to take some great photos of the dragon decor!
Tomorrow is the Book Bash!
I’ve just returned home from BookLover’s Con in San Diego–unfortunately the final one, according to the event coordinator, JoCarol Jones, but we are hoping for a restart of it after she takes a breather.
Anyway, this reader conference was fabulous! I know I was supposed to take pictures of the Libations of the Regency Lottery Event I helped Ella Quinn with, but we were all trying to keep everything going, and somehow no pictures got taken. This is me before the event, however. I don’t think I looked quite so composed afterwards!
I poured the claret–a red wine from the Bordeaux region of France. It was a blend of grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is said to be smooth on the palate, but I have to admit I thought it didn’t have much taste.
I also poured the Sherry, and this one I found delightful! It’s a fortified wine (which means it’s mixed with brandy) and is one of the world’s oldest wines, being influenced by most of the great empires of history, including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Moors, Spanish, and British. Sherry coms in dry, medium-dry, and cream (a sweet sherry). The first two were avaialble during the Regency (cream sherry came much later). Sherry was enjoyed as an apertif by both ladies and gentlemen. Most of the readers who tasted the sherry liked it. Ours was a medium-dry sherry and it was delightful! I must admit I drank three little cups of it.
Needless to say, everyone had a great time. Lots of laughing, especially as the afternoon wore on. Many of the readers said the libations were too strong for them, and I agree. It gives me a lot more respect for what Regency men went through when it came to drinking once you’ve tasted port and cognac!
So that was Thursday. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about some of the workshops and the big Faerie costume ball Friday night!
Lavender is one of my favorite scents and has been my signature fragrance ever since I wrote Time Enough to Love, my medieval romance set in 1348.
Lavender is from the mint family of plants and has quite a few medicinal properties. One of these is to help reduce stress. You can affect these benefits by inhaling the sccent of the flowers (which smells just divine) or you can (as I did for the first time recently) drink a lavender tea. My daughter and I went to a lavender festival a couple of years ago and bought some lavender tea. A week or so ago I decided to try it.
It’s actually Lavender Earl Grey tea, and it’s fabulous. Next, I’ll try the lavender sugar in my regular tea and see how that turns out!
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 