Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

 I’m back this week with more from my WIP As Long As You’re Mine. I plan on releasing this book sometime in summer 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

In today’s snippet Amantha is on the brink of putting her desperate plan into operation. She’s afraid to marry a man she loves for fear he won’t love her and will break her heart–just like her father broke her mother’s heart. Her mother died a miserable woman and Amantha refuses to follow in her footsteps. So when her father refuses the man she wants to marry, she takes matters into her own hands to force the issue. I’ve skipped ahead a little bit to chapter 2. Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

Ignoring the wild fluttering in her stomach, Amantha straightened her shoulders, shook back her hair and, with a determined nod, turned the handle.

The dim interior of the room, lit only by the thin moonlight spilling around the drapes at the single window, made Amantha pause as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She then crept to the foot of a massive four-poster bed that jutted into the center of the room. For a moment she simply stood there, looking down at the shadowy lump under the coverlet. A gentle snore rumbled from the still figure.

“You fell asleep?” she murmured into the darkness. She would’ve thought the man would be wide-awake and eager to take her into his arms, into his bed. Disgusted by Raif’s lack of interest, she turned to go. It was one thing to want a man she could hold at arm’s length, but not one so weak-willed he had no spine—or enthusiasm—whatsoever.

And a bit more . . .

She sighed. It would be wonderful to marry a man who knew her, who understood her and would love her. A man she could love in return. But that was the fairytale her father had spun and a far cry from the reality of his own marriage. She shook off the thought. After tonight, Raif would at least understand the depth of her determination if nothing else.

She moved to the far side of the bed, careful not to make a noise. Another glance toward the closed door and her heart sped up at faint words audible in the hallway. Had her father come that quickly? She needed time to get into bed with Raif, time to wake him up so he could at least look like they had been in the throes of passion. She had to be thoroughly compromised for this to work, although she supposed just being in the room like this would assure her ruination. But she had to make certain.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

 I’m back this week with more from my WIP As Long As You’re Mine. I plan on releasing this book sometime in summer 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

In today’s snippet Amantha is on the brink of putting her desperate plan into operation. 

EXCERPT:

With her hand resting lightly on the handle, a creak behind Amantha made her eyes pop open as she whirled around, certain she’d been discovered at last, however, the corridor remained empty save for the maid and the pale-yellow light of the oil sconces. Weak with relief, she turned to the maid. “Sara, I need you to find my father, Lord Clarendon, and fetch him to this room.”

“This room, Lady Amantha?” The frown on Sara’s face showed only her incomprehension of the task given her. “Whatever for?”

“There is someone desperately ill inside.” It was the only excuse she could think of that would bring her father at this time of night. “It’s one of my cousins, Lord Abercrombie, who I dined with tonight. He came to my room and said he wasn’t feeling well, so I told him I would come check on him before I retired.”

And a bit more . . .

Sara simply stared at her and Amantha searched frantically for some way to galvanize the maid do her bidding. “It may have been that the shrimps were bad. He looked a ghastly shade of green when I last saw him.”

“But you shouldn’t be here, my lady.” Unconvinced, Sara continued to stare at her indignantly. “This is the gentlemen’s wing.” According to the scandalized tone of her voice, the maid’s fatigue had given way to ingrained propriety.

“Yes, I know. I’ll leave as soon as my father arrives, but someone must stay with my cousin until then in cased he worsens. My father will know if the doctor should be summoned.” That should satisfy Sara. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to Lord Abercrombie, would you?”

“Oh, no, my lady.” Sara squared her shoulders. “I’ll go straight away.”

“My father was in the library when I last left him around midnight.”

“Very good, my lady. I’ll be back in three ticks.” The young maid spun around and took off at a brisk pace.

Amantha stayed completely still until Sara turned the corner, then let out the breath she’d been holding. Sagging against the door, she paused as the enormity of what she was about to do sank in. But it was the only way. If she wanted this struggle to be over, she had to seize her chance tonight.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

 I’m back this week with more from my WIP As Long As You’re Mine. I plan on releasing this book sometime in summer 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

In today’s snippet Amantha tries again to put her desperate plan into operation but has forgotten one scandalous detail.

EXCERPT:

Dutifully, the maid held the garment as Amantha slipped her arms through the sleeves. She couldn’t afford any more mistakes. Tying the belt, Amantha started down the corridor, darting her gaze back and forth to detect any other movement. “Can you come with me, please Sara? I need your help with something urgent.”

“What’s the matter, my lady?” The maid’s tone was suspicious, but the well-trained servant followed Amantha nonetheless.

“Just come with me.” They headed down the corridor to the juncture by the main staircase where Amantha stopped short and peeked around the corner, searching about for some other wakeful guest. Seeing no one, she scurried across the wide expanse of carpet, Sara at her heels, toward her ultimate goal: the gentlemen’s wing.

And a bit more . . .

They hurried into the corridor and Amantha breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good. She slowed her pace and continued down the corridor, counting the doors carefully. At the sound of laughter on the stairs, Amantha’s heart lurched sickeningly. She would be caught and then God only knew what her father would do to her. She threw herself against the wall, pulling Sara with her, but after a few moments the sound faded, and Amantha could breathe again. Perhaps, at last, her luck had turned.

Even more determined after that scare, she headed for the fourth chamber on the right where her soon-to-be lover awaited her. The thought began a flutter in her stomach that escalated with each step until she finally stood at the door, trembling once more. She stared at the wood panel and closed her eyes. This was it.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

 I’m back this week with more from my WIP As Long As You’re Mine. I plan on releasing this book sometime in summer 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

In today’s snippet Amantha tries again to put her desperate plan into operation but has forgotten one scandalous detail.

EXCERPT:

Straightening her shoulders, Amantha was just about to slip out of the door when Sara appeared around the corner, her cap askew, her cheeks a hectic pink.

“Thank goodness.” With a sigh of relief, Amantha eased out of her room, closed the door with a soft click and beckoned the maid to follow her down the passageway.

“Where are you going dressed like that, my lady?” Puzzlement fought with exhaustion in Sara’s face as she took in Amantha’s appearance.

Amantha glanced down and gulped. Dressed in a frilly white night gown, with frothy lace at the high neckline and around the cuffs of the sleeves, she was the picture of a lady ready for her bed, not for traipsing around a manor house in the dead of night at a house party. In her haste to get her plan underway, she’d forgotten her robe.

“Oh, goodness, how silly of me,” Amantha darted back into the room, grabbed her pale rose robe, and stepped back into the corridor,“I’m so distressed I forgot my robe. Help me put this on before someone sees me.”

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy 2024 to everyone! I’m back this week with a new WIP to share with you. And, it’s not exactly new. I’ve been working on As Long As You’re Mine for more than ten years. I finished the first version of it around 2012 or 2013 and sent it out to agents, but had no takers. Looking back on that version, I can absolutley see why! But, I’ve revamped it and revised it totally and while the hero has remained pretty much the same, the heroine has undergone quite a transformation–one for the better, I hope. I plan on releasing this book sometime in 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

EXCERPT:

The clock on the mantel chimed loudly, startling Lady Amantha Easton up from her seat in the frilly pink and cream bedroom at Monk’s Copse with a startled shriek. She clamped her hands over her mouth and stared hard at the door. Had someone heard her? At two o’clock in the morning few should be stirring, but she had to be careful.

Waiting a minute or two, Amantha held her breath, willing her heart to slow its frantic beating, then slowly removed her hands from her face. She’d not been found out yet. If, however, she was going through with this desperate plan, it was time to put it into action.

Closing her eyes briefly, she took a deep breath to steady herself, then slipped to the door. Thankful she wasn’t trembling more, Amantha pressed her ear against the wooden panel, hoping to catch the sound of Sara, the Armstrong’s maid, returning. After a moment or two, the stillness of the corridor began to concern her–the servant should have returned by now–and Amantha opened the door a crack and peered out.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!