Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 03/25/18 To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ His Last Sight of Her

weekend_writing_warriors_header3

It’s finally here! My upcoming release To Woo A Wicked Widow, is due out in 3 days! So excited! Party Time!

 

 I’m very sorry for not visiting some people last week. I had a tech rehearsal for the show that went up this past Friday. Now the show is over and my 3rd Widows’ Club book is finished, I can spend some time catching you all up.

I’m skipping ahead to Nash sitting at breakfast the next morning, remembering the ladies he’s been attracted to over the past year. He’s also remembering the last sight he had of Charlotte the evening before. It’s not quite flattering.

(Very creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules.)

The last was Lady Cavendish from last night. He’d never been so attracted to a woman on such a brief acquaintance. The sum of his knowledge of her amounted to almost nothing: she was a widow, her given name Charlotte, she moved more gracefully on the dance floor than off it, and she had a propensity to carry on with unsavory men. He clenched his jaw at the memory of his last sight of her.

After he’d cooled his ire in the refreshment room with weak lemonade, he’d returned to the ballroom bent on asking the captivating Lady Cavendish for the next set. Instead, he’d spied her emerging from the stairwell, her hair mussed, her eyes glazed, in the company of that young buck. Had Nash been closer, he’d have planted the man a facer on principle alone. The woman, however, was none of his affair now. A lady that brazen in a public place could hardly be one he wanted for his countess.

Why then could he not stop thinking about her?

 

BLURB for To Woo A Wicked Widow:

The war years are behind them. 
The future is before them.
And one by one, the widows of Lyttlefield Park are getting restless . . .
 
Lady Charlotte Cavendish is still the spirited girl who tried to elope in the name of love. That dream was thwarted by her father who trapped her into a loveless, passionless marriage. But now widowed, Charlotte is free to reenter the giddy world of the ton—and pursue her desires. For hardly your typical widow, she remains innocent to the pleasures of the flesh. Yet her life is finally her own, and she intends to keep it that way . . .

Nash, the twelfth Earl of Wrotham, is beguiled by Charlotte at first sight—and the feeling is mutual. When he receives her intriguing invitation to a house party, the marriage-minded lord plans to further their acquaintance. But even he cannot sway her aversion to matrimony, and only with great restraint does he resist her most tempting offer. For unbeknownst to Charlotte, the misadventures of the past are revisiting them both, and bedding her could cost him everything—or give him everything he ever wanted . . .

Available for pre-order at Amazon. 

BOOK LAUNCH: Don’t forget I have a book launch scheduled for March 31 in Williamsburg, VA . I’ll be signing books, giving out swag and refreshments at the Barnes & Noble from 4:00pm until 6:00pm. If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by!

REMINDER: The first segment of To Woo A Wicked Widow is available on a new reading app/platform called Radish! Segments from 2K-4K will be released each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until sometime just after the book releases (approximately April). You purchase the segments until you are finished with the novel.

If you’d like to try Radish, and read my book before its actual release, click HERE.

I still have  ARC copies of To Woo A Wicked Widow, both print AND e-book if you prefer. If you’d like to review the book, please contact me at 1jennajaxon@gmail.com. I’d love to share it with you!

Books in The Widows’ Club series:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

 

Posted in Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, The Widow's Club, To Woo A Wicked Widow, To Woo A Wicked Widow, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 03/18/18 To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ The Spell Breaks

weekend_writing_warriors_header3

More from my upcoming release To Woo A Wicked Widow, due out in 10 days! So excited!

 

 I’m very sorry for not visiting everyone last week. I’m under deadline (still am) but I had to finish what I was writing last weekend to send off to beta readers. I’m still writing like a fiend, but I will take time to visit everyone today!

I’m continuing the scene at the ball, but now skipping past Charlotte’s dance with Alan Garrett. Their dance has ended and Alan has spirited Charlotte off the dance floor to a more secluded spot: a stairwell where they can dally–with possible consequences of several kinds!

(Very creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules.)

 

That thought broke the spell and she pushed Mr. Garrett away from her.

He panted as if he had run a race saying, “Devil take it, are you trying to get us thrown out, Charlotte?”

“Me?” Her voice rose and she stopped and lowered it, “you’re the one trying to ruin my reputation, and do not call me Charlotte; I haven’t given you permission.”

“After that little interlude, I don’t need permission,” he grinned at her in the faulty light, “you can’t deny you enjoyed it.”

“I can and do deny it.” She pressed her hand to her chest, where her heart still hammered. She hadn’t enjoyed it, not really, but it had been exciting–more exciting than anything in her life for the past six years. Pray God he couldn’t see her face which must be the color of ripe cherries.

“Methinks ‘the lady doth protest too much;’ may I call upon you tomorrow?” he asked, grabbing her hand and placing his lips on the palm; the kiss burned even through the glove.

BLURB for To Woo A Wicked Widow:

The war years are behind them. 
The future is before them.
And one by one, the widows of Lyttlefield Park are getting restless . . .
 
Lady Charlotte Cavendish is still the spirited girl who tried to elope in the name of love. That dream was thwarted by her father who trapped her into a loveless, passionless marriage. But now widowed, Charlotte is free to reenter the giddy world of the ton—and pursue her desires. For hardly your typical widow, she remains innocent to the pleasures of the flesh. Yet her life is finally her own, and she intends to keep it that way . . .

Nash, the twelfth Earl of Wrotham, is beguiled by Charlotte at first sight—and the feeling is mutual. When he receives her intriguing invitation to a house party, the marriage-minded lord plans to further their acquaintance. But even he cannot sway her aversion to matrimony, and only with great restraint does he resist her most tempting offer. For unbeknownst to Charlotte, the misadventures of the past are revisiting them both, and bedding her could cost him everything—or give him everything he ever wanted . . .

Available for pre-order at Amazon. 

BOOK LAUNCH: I also have a book launch scheduled for March 31 in Williamsburg, VA . I’ll be signing books, giving out swag and refreshments at the Barnes & Noble. If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by!

NEWS ALERT!  The first segment of To Woo A Wicked Widow became available yesterday on a new reading app/platform called Radish! Segments from 2K-4K will be released each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until sometime just after the book releases (approximately April). You purchase the segments until you are finished with the novel.

If you’d like to try Radish, and read my book before its actual release, click HERE.

I still have  ARC copies of To Woo A Wicked Widow, both print AND e-book if you prefer. If you’d like to review the book before its release, please contact me at 1jennajaxon@gmail.com. I’d love to share it with you!

Books in The Widows’ Club series:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

 

Posted in Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, The Widow's Club, To Woo A Wicked Widow, To Woo A Wicked Widow, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Medieval Monday: Author’s Choice ~ 3/12/18 Cathy & D.D. MacRae’s The Highlander’s Crusader Bride

 

MedMon

Author’s Choice

This time around on Medieval Monday our theme is simply Author’s choice. Each author get to choose their own theme–celebration, food, betrayal–everything is on the table.

I have chosen a celebration–a wedding and more particularly a wedding night–for my snippet. My excerpt is from Betrayal and can be found this week at  Cathy’s  blog if you’d like to keep up with my story.

This week on my blog, is an excerpt from

Cathy & D.D. MacRae’s

The Highlander’s Crusader Bride

 

Excerpt:

Caelen took a casual step toward the table, dropping her hand to reach for a tankard. He downed the contents and moved further away, putting distance between them, dividing the crowd’s attention. Someone spoke to Arbela and she laughed. Beckoning the woman to accompany her, she strolled unhurriedly from the room. Wending his way through the crowd, Caelen marked his path with jokes on finding the privy.

Join me next week on Ashley York’s blog https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com  for the next excerpt from The Highlander’s Crusader Bride!

 

Blurb:

Born in the Holy Land only a few years after the Third Crusade, half-Armenian, half-Scot Arbela MacLean is a true daughter of the desert, beautiful and untamed. Trained to be a warrior to avoid her gentle mother’s fate, Arbela has honed her skills with Turkish bow and arrow, sword and throwing darts—and dreads the day her father choses a man for her to marry.

After more than thirty years in the Holy Land, Donal MacLean, Baron of Batroun, is recalled to Scotland, the last son available to take up leadership of clan MacLean. He brings with him knights, treasure, trade—and a daughter of marriageable age.
Caelen MacKern, known as the Bull of the Highlands, is cynical about women. His first marriage formed an alliance, and he did not grieve when his spoiled, immature bride passed away. He has agreed to marry again—against his better judgement—for the men, means and coin to recover from a devastating pestilence that all but wiped out his clan.

Though more than a little resentful at finding himself forced to remarry, Caelen’s proposal to Donal MacLean’s headstrong daughter nevertheless piques her interest. Each will receive what they want most from life—the ability to live as they please without interference from a meddling spouse. But their marriage of indifference will soon change to one of passion that neither Arbela nor Caelen could have predicted.

Buy Links:

Available on Amazon.

 

 

Titles in the Time Enough to Love Series:

 

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Romance, Promotion | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 03/11/18 To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ Inside the Stairwell

weekend_writing_warriors_header3

More from my upcoming release To Woo A Wicked Widow, due out in 16 days! So excited!

 

 I’m continuing the scene at the ball, but now skipping past Charlotte’s dance with Alan Garrett. Their dance has ended and Alan has spirited Charlotte off the dance floor to a more secluded spot!

(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules.)

A shadow crossed her face and Charlotte opened her eyes to find they had entered a dim stairwell, with a flight of dusty stairs leading to the attics; her mouth dried as though she’d eaten sand.

Before her eyes could adjust, he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against his granite-hard chest. When his hot mouth found hers, she gasped—she should have known he would try something like this.

He darted his tongue through her open lips and she squealed, then quieted. The last thing she wanted was for someone to find them so engaged. His hands cradled her head as he explored every inch of her mouth with a gentle thoroughness she had not known for years. Had anyone ever kissed her thus? With an intensity designed to kindle flames in her soul? Perhaps Edward, but that had been so long ago, she’d forgotten how good it felt, except…

That blasted cologne of his!

 

BLURB for To Woo A Wicked Widow:

The war years are behind them. 
The future is before them.
And one by one, the widows of Lyttlefield Park are getting restless . . .
 
Lady Charlotte Cavendish is still the spirited girl who tried to elope in the name of love. That dream was thwarted by her father who trapped her into a loveless, passionless marriage. But now widowed, Charlotte is free to reenter the giddy world of the ton—and pursue her desires. For hardly your typical widow, she remains innocent to the pleasures of the flesh. Yet her life is finally her own, and she intends to keep it that way . . .

Nash, the twelfth Earl of Wrotham, is beguiled by Charlotte at first sight—and the feeling is mutual. When he receives her intriguing invitation to a house party, the marriage-minded lord plans to further their acquaintance. But even he cannot sway her aversion to matrimony, and only with great restraint does he resist her most tempting offer. For unbeknownst to Charlotte, the misadventures of the past are revisiting them both, and bedding her could cost him everything—or give him everything he ever wanted . . .

Available for pre-order at Amazon. 

BOOK LAUNCH: I also have a book launch scheduled for March 31 in Williamsburg, VA . I’ll be signing books, giving out swag and refreshments at the Barnes & Noble. If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by!

NEWS ALERT!  The first segment of To Woo A Wicked Widow became available yesterday on a new reading app/platform called Radish! Segments from 2K-4K will be released each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until sometime just after the book releases (approximately April). You purchase the segments until you are finished with the novel.

If you’d like to try Radish, and read my book before its actual release, click HERE.

I still have  ARC copies of To Woo A Wicked Widow, both print AND e-book if you prefer. If you’d like to review the book before its release, please contact me at 1jennajaxon@gmail.com. I’d love to share it with you!

Books in The Widows’ Club series:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

 

Posted in Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, The Widow's Club, To Woo A Wicked Widow, To Woo A Wicked Widow, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

A Regency Celebration: Handful of Hearts Series on Sale

To celebrate the release of my Regency romance To Woo A Wicked Widow on March 27, 2018, I have put my Regency novella series, Handful of Hearts, on sale!

Each novella or short story is only .99 through the end of the month.

The Handful of Hearts series follows the courtships of several ladies and gentlemen who met at Lady Hamilton’s ball in May, 1820.

Hearts Beneath the Mistletoe

(the prequel to the series)

Jenny Crowley has been duped! At her eighteenth birthday celebration her parents announce that instead of having the London Season she’s dreamed of for years, Jenny has been betrothed from birth to Alexander Isley, son of family friends and heir to a title. A distraught Jenny refuses point-blank to marry Alec, and when her aunt offers to whisk her away to a Christmas house party, complete with many eligible young bachelors, Jenny jumps at the chance to enjoy a variety of entertainments, be courted, and perhaps fall in love.

Alec Isley is between a rock and a hard place. He desires a marriage with Jenny no more than she does, but when his family’s dire financial status is revealed, he follows Jenny to the house party in hopes of convincing her to marry him after all. When he discovers who else is courting her there, Alec is frantic to keep her from making a dreadful mistake. Struggling with new-found feelings for his childhood friend, can Alec convince her of his love in time to save her from being ruined under the mistletoe?
Hearts Beneath the Mistletoe is available at Amazon and Smashwords.

 

Heart of Desire

Miss Katherine Locke is irked to start her third season dancing with the disagreeable Lord Haversham, her brother’s friend and her own arch enemy. After three years out, however, she’s finally interested in the dashing Lord Finley—only to find out her cousin has set her cap for him too. To make the man jealous, Kate feigns interest in Lord Haversham, only to be shocked to find the handsome lord apparently falling for her. With time running out, should she accept his suit and risk falling in love despite herself?

Marcus, Lord Haversham, is in a tight pinch. His estates are failing and worse, he’s just lost three thousand pounds to his best friend, Lord Ainsley. Ainsley’s solution: have Marcus marry his shrewish sister and he’ll cancel his gambling debt plus give him ten thousand more pounds for her dowry. With nowhere to turn, Marcus agrees, praying he can keep word of the wager from Miss Locke long enough to charm her into marrying him. But can he avoid falling in love himself?
Heart of Desire is available at Amazon, B & N, and Smashwords.

 

Heart of Delight

Gabriella d’Adventure is on a mission. She has come to England as a lady’s maid in pursuit of the Duke of Rother. When she meets Horace Carpenter, valet to a marquess, she is delighted to enlist his aid in gaining her heart’s desire: a meeting with the duke. But will her growing feelings for the handsome valet interfere with her plans for the duke?

The eccentric Marquess of Halford, Hal to his friends, is tired of the demands of Society, especially his father’s decree that he marry this Season. When a breathtaking young woman intrudes on his solitude, he is captivated and introduces himself as his valet in hopes of learning more about her. Despite his fear about the true motive behind Gabriella’s quest to meet the Duke of Rother, Hal agrees to help her gain an audience with him, all the while praying his deception won’t ruin his chances of winning her love.

 

Heart of Delight is available at Amazon, B & N, and Smashwords.

 

Hearts at All Hallows’ Eve

When Miss Cecilia Powell attends her very first masquerade on All Hallows’ Eve, she’s thrilled when a mysterious reveler pays court to her. As their encounter continues, Cecilia is charmed, then smitten with this masked stranger, even though she senses something odd about him. Is he truly the man of her dreams, or will Cecilia find her dream a true nightmare?

Hearts at All Hallows’ Eve is available at Amazon, B & N, and Smashwords.

And To Woo A Wicked Widow, first book in The Widows’ Club series, is available for pre-order at Amazon, B & N, Kobo, Google, and iTunes. It releases on March 27 in print and e-book.

Posted in A Handful of Hearts, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Heart of Delight, Heart of Desire, Hearts at All Hallows' Eve, On Regency Romance, Promotion, Sales Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Medieval Monday: Author’s Choice ~ 3/05/18 Barbara Bettis’s The Lady of the Forest

 

MedMon

Author’s Choice

This time around on Medieval Monday our theme is simply Author’s choice. Each author get to choose their own theme–celebration, food, betrayal–everything is on the table.

I have chosen a celebration–a wedding and more particularly a wedding night–for my snippet. My excerpt is from Betrayal and can be found this week at  Barb‘s  blog if you’d like to keep up with my story.

This week on my blog, is an excerpt from

Barbara Bettis’s

The Lady of the Forest

 

Excerpt:

 

An ache took up residence in the hollowness of Kate’s chest. Perhaps not. I can trust Alyss. Even though they hadn’t visited in a half-dozen years, Kate felt certain her old friend would keep her secret. But perhaps Alyss wasn’t at Windom. Henry might face terrible danger in the meantime.

Deep in thought, Kate nearly missed Jamie’s words. “—not the traitor.”

“What?” She turned to the youth, who shoved the rest of a boiled egg into his mouth. It bulged in his cheek.

“I heard Sam’l tell the prisoner he saw the real traitor.”

Follow along next week at https://judithmarshallauthor.com/blog/. Be sure to leave a comment for a chance at an ebook of your choice.

Blurb:

He must pursue his enemy; she must protect her people. Can their love survive the duties that drive them apart?

When her elderly husband dies, Lady Katherine fakes her own death and disappears into the forest with others escaping the brutish new lord. Determined to protect her people, she knocks the wrong man senseless. But Lord Henry isn’t an enemy, he’s the brother of her childhood friend. Although his tender confidence tempts her, she’s bound by duty.

Henry of Chauvere has found the one lady he wants for his own, never mind she’s tied him hand and foot. When he learns the king has ordered her to wed Stonehill’s ruthless new master, he insists Kate seek haven with his sister. But she won’t desert her friends. Henry vows to solve her problem, provided he catches a traitor before the threat from Kate’s past catches her.

When a daring rescue compels Henry and Kate to join forces, their attraction grows into love. If only duty didn’t drive them apart.

 

Buy Links:

Buy Links: AMAZON  TWRP

 

 

Titles in the Time Enough to Love Series:

 

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Romance, Promotion | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 03/04/18 To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ Could He Read Her Thoughts?

weekend_writing_warriors_header3

More from my upcoming release To Woo A Wicked Widow, due out in 24 days! So excited!

 

 I’m continuing the scene, at the ball, but now shifting to Charlotte’s POV.  Garrett has just spirited her off from Lord Wrotham for a dance and has admitted he’s taking advantage of her.

(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules.)

“I thought you a gentleman when we met at your aunt’s home, despite your reputation.” A hum of voices had set off around the room the instant his lips touched her, singling her out. Lord knew what they would make of his stealing her out of the very hands of Lord Wrotham. The ton forever whispered about such things, especially when one of the parties enjoyed the reputation of a rakehell the likes of Garrett’s.

He grinned and took her hand again, saying “I am a gentleman, my lady, however, being a gentleman attracts fewer women than being a rogue. Don’t you long to be scandalous after a year of mourning?”

“Certainly not.” The wretch was bad; how could he know she yearned to do something at least a little wild now that she was her own woman?

“You may say no, but a yes lurks in your eyes, my lady.”

Charlotte gasped and dropped her gaze; dratted man—could he read her thoughts?

BLURB for To Woo A Wicked Widow:

The war years are behind them. 
The future is before them.
And one by one, the widows of Lyttlefield Park are getting restless . . .
 
Lady Charlotte Cavendish is still the spirited girl who tried to elope in the name of love. That dream was thwarted by her father who trapped her into a loveless, passionless marriage. But now widowed, Charlotte is free to reenter the giddy world of the ton—and pursue her desires. For hardly your typical widow, she remains innocent to the pleasures of the flesh. Yet her life is finally her own, and she intends to keep it that way . . .

Nash, the twelfth Earl of Wrotham, is beguiled by Charlotte at first sight—and the feeling is mutual. When he receives her intriguing invitation to a house party, the marriage-minded lord plans to further their acquaintance. But even he cannot sway her aversion to matrimony, and only with great restraint does he resist her most tempting offer. For unbeknownst to Charlotte, the misadventures of the past are revisiting them both, and bedding her could cost him everything—or give him everything he ever wanted . . .

Available for pre-order at Amazon. 

BOOK LAUNCH: I also have a book launch scheduled for March 31 in Williamsburg, VA . I’ll be signing books, giving out swag and refreshments at the Barnes & Noble. If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by!

NEWS ALERT!  The first segment of To Woo A Wicked Widow became available yesterday on a new reading app/platform called Radish! Segments from 2K-4K will be released each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until sometime just after the book releases (approximately April). You purchase the segments until you are finished with the novel.

If you’d like to try Radish, and read my book before its actual release, click HERE.

I still have  ARC copies of To Woo A Wicked Widow, both print AND e-book if you prefer. If you’d like to review the book before its release, please contact me at 1jennajaxon@gmail.com. I’d love to share it with you!

Books in The Widows’ Club series:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

 

Posted in Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, The Widow's Club, To Woo A Wicked Widow, To Woo A Wicked Widow, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Southern Comfort Food ~ An English Delight: Shepherd’s Pie

Welcome to Southern Comfort Food!

Today’s recipe,  isn’t typically southern food, unless you go back to America’s English roots.

I’ve loved Shepherd’s Pie ever since I first had it in England, lo these many years ago as a student on a month-long college study-tour of England. The melding of the creamy mashed potatoes with the ground lamb and savory gravy makes my mouth water right now.

In recent years I’ve only made it when my younger daughter was away from home because she as an aversion to mashed potatoes. The other three of us, however, have been known to demolish the pan in one sitting. Occasionally, there will be one serving as leftover for us to fight for. 🙂 And I cannot make this dish without recalling (and often singing) the words to the song from the musical Sweeney Todd, A Little Priest (about a demonic barber and a pie maker who kill his customers and turn them into pies). The song recounts the flavors each of the customers would have, based on their occupation. The lyrics I sing are

TODD: What is that? [talking about the pie]
LOVETT:
It’s fop.
Finest in the shop.
And we have some shepherd’s pie peppered
With actual shepherd on top!

My daughter’s shepherd’s pie, with cheese on top.

The original calls for ground lamb, but as that is usually overly expensive in the States, I’ve successfully substituted ground beef. (Without actual shepherd, however!)

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, browned and crumbled

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 can of petite peas, drained

2-3 lbs potatoes, well boiled and peeled

1/4 cup half and half

2 Tbs butter

1 can beef broth

2 Tbs corn starch

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil potatoes well, 20-25 minutes, or until they are falling apart tender. You can peel them before or after boiling (or you can leave the peelings on if you prefer). Drain. Mash with fork and add half and half and butter. Stir until slightly blended, then mix with electric hand mixer until potatoes are smooth and without lumps, adding extra half and half and butter until the potatoes are a creamy consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

While potatoes are boiling, brown the ground beef, then add the chopped onion and carrot. Saute until onion is transparent. Add peas, heat thoroughly, then remove from heat. Spoon into the bottom of a greased 9X9 casserole dish. (If you want to make more, double recipe and use a 13 X 9 pan.)

To make the gravy, in a small saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Mix 1/4 cup water with cornstarch and add to boiling broth (you can add a beef bouillon cube to the mixture for extra flavor if you desire). Cook until thickened.

Pour beef gravy over the ground beef mixture and mix well. Top with the potatoes. Brush with a little melted butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes until potatoes begin to brown a little.

ENJOY!

My Shepherd’s Pie

Two shortcuts to this recipe:

You can use prepared instant potatoes, although these are not as satisfying as the regular kind. Also, you can used canned or jar gravy, or a package mix. I use the above recipe to make the dish gluten-free.

Come back next week for another recipe full of down-home southern comfort. 🙂

 

Posted in Cooking and Recipes, Southern Comfort Food | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Medieval Monday: Author’s Choice ~ 2/26/18 Mary Morgan’s A Highland Moon Enchantment

 

MedMon

Author’s Choice

This time around on Medieval Monday our theme is simply Author’s choice. Each author get to choose their own theme–celebration, food, betrayal–everything is on the table.

I have chosen a celebration–a wedding and more particularly a wedding night–for my snippet. My excerpt is from Betrayal and can be found this week at  Mary‘s  blog if you’d like to keep up with my story.

This week on my blog, is an excerpt from

Mary Morgan’s

A Highland Moon Enchantment

Excerpt:

Silence descended inside the place, and Angus stood. As the oldest Dragon Knight and Laird of

Urquhart, it was his duty to welcome in the druids.

He spread his arms wide. “’Tis an honor to greet the druids who will give their blessing on this feast of light.” While glancing around the room, his voice rang loud. “Urquhart has been blessed with abundance this year—in family, health, and crops. May we ask the Gods and Goddesses to continue to favor us with their love and protection.” Turning his attention back toward the druids, Cathal and Tam, he added, “Greetings, wise ones. Ye are most welcome.”

“’Tis an honor to be among the Dragon Knights and their friends and families,” proclaimed Cathal. He motioned for Tam to move ahead of him.

Follow along next week on Ashley York’s blog: https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com/blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a signed print copy of A HIGHLAND MOON ENCHANTMENT.

 

Blurb:

You first meet this warrior in Dragon Knight’s Axe, Order of the Dragon Knights, Book 3

Irish warrior, Desmond O’Quinlan has never surrendered his heart to any woman. He has no wish to have his soul tortured by love. Yet, the moment he locks gazes with Ailsa, his fate is destined for an adventure he never fathomed. He may have battled alongside a Dragon Knight, but his greatest challenge will come from within his own heart.

Ailsa MacDuff, a warrior among her clan, has no desire to have a man chain her to a life of obedience. However, that is before she meets Desmond. The temptation to allow this warrior inside her heart is a risk she dares to take, but one that could lead to a future of emptiness and sorrow.

When betrayal looms from within, the battleground of love is no match for these two warriors. Can the power of a Highland full moon be strong enough to unite or destroy them?

Buy Links:

Buy Links: AMAZON | BN | KOBO | iBOOKS

NOTE: If anyone is having trouble copying the links above, here are the full ones:

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0767QVJBX/

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-highland-moon-enchantment-mary-morgan/1127176325

Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-highland-moon-enchantment/id1294140045?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-highland-moon-enchantment

 

Titles in the Time Enough to Love Series:

 

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Romance, Promotion | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 02/25/18 To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ A Rake’s Reputation

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More from my upcoming release To Woo A Wicked Widow, due out in 31 days! So excited!

 

 I’m continuing the scene, at the ball, but now shifting to Charlotte’s POV.  Garrett has just spirited her off from Lord Wrotham for a dance.

(Creative punctuation utilized to conform to WWW rules.)

 

How could this have happened? With a sinking heart, Charlotte allowed Mr. Garrett to lead her onto the dance floor.

In less than fifteen minutes her triumphal return to society had dissolved into a dish of scandal-broth. Not only had she tripped and fallen into Lord Wrotham, but she had been unable to stop Mr. Garrett from stealing her away from him—to protest would have created another huge scene. She also resisted the urge to turn and took at Lord Wrotham, the partner she had actually chosen. What must he think of her? Well, she could at least give Mr. Garrett the rough side of her tongue.

“Mr. Garrett, you have taken unfair advantage of the situation,” she said, dropped his hand and turned to face him. “I recall no conversation that would permit you to believe I had promised you the first dance at this or any other ball.”

“My dear Lady Cavendish,” he laughed, making his handsome face even more attractive, “I have built my reputation by taking unfair advantage of women; did you think yourself immune?”

 

BLURB for To Woo A Wicked Widow:

The war years are behind them. 
The future is before them.
And one by one, the widows of Lyttlefield Park are getting restless . . .
 
Lady Charlotte Cavendish is still the spirited girl who tried to elope in the name of love. That dream was thwarted by her father who trapped her into a loveless, passionless marriage. But now widowed, Charlotte is free to reenter the giddy world of the ton—and pursue her desires. For hardly your typical widow, she remains innocent to the pleasures of the flesh. Yet her life is finally her own, and she intends to keep it that way . . .

Nash, the twelfth Earl of Wrotham, is beguiled by Charlotte at first sight—and the feeling is mutual. When he receives her intriguing invitation to a house party, the marriage-minded lord plans to further their acquaintance. But even he cannot sway her aversion to matrimony, and only with great restraint does he resist her most tempting offer. For unbeknownst to Charlotte, the misadventures of the past are revisiting them both, and bedding her could cost him everything—or give him everything he ever wanted . . .

Available for pre-order at Amazon. 

BOOK LAUNCH: I also have a book launch scheduled for March 31 in Williamsburg, VA . I’ll be signing books, giving out swag and refreshments at the Barnes & Noble. If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by!

NEWS ALERT!  The first segment of To Woo A Wicked Widow became available yesterday on a new reading app/platform called Radish! Segments from 2K-4K will be released each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until sometime just after the book releases (approximately April). You purchase the segments until you are finished with the novel.

If you’d like to try Radish, and read my book before its actual release, click HERE.

I still have  ARC copies of To Woo A Wicked Widow, both print AND e-book if you prefer. If you’d like to review the book before its release, please contact me at 1jennajaxon@gmail.com. I’d love to share it with you!

Books in The Widows’ Club series:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

 

Posted in Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, The Widow's Club, To Woo A Wicked Widow, To Woo A Wicked Widow, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 27 Comments