Spotlight: The Doctor’s Daughter by Patricia Green

I am so pleased and excited to welcome back my good friend Patricia Green to the blog. She took a little hiatus from writing her sexy spanking novellas to pursue other writing venues, but has been persuaded to return to her writing career with an historical romance series (Hooray! She writes fantastic historical romances) for Blushing Books called The Doctor’s Daughter.  I have yet to read this one–got my copy last night, though–but from the blurb and the excerpt I know it will be another Patricia Green book you’ll fall in love with.

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The mysterious stranger might be a desperado, but Verity can’t resist plunging into the darkness to find out.

BLURB:

Verity tends to tell tall tales, despite her name. Everyone knows she’s prone to exaggeration, and no one seems to mind. No one except the mysterious man who winds up wounded and in need of a doctor’s care.

The newly dubbed “Mr. Smith” has lost his memory and is of no help in filling in the blanks about his real name or his past that yawn like a bottomless canyon. While he waits for anything that sounds familiar or sparks a memory, he finds Verity’s family to be gracious and supportive. He also finds that he’s more than willing to administer a spanking when Verity tells one of her outrageous stories or makes mischief.

The hot sex between them heats up their time together, but can Verity accept that she’s in love with a possible married man, a possible outlaw, a possible reprobate? The truth will emerge, but the doctor’s daughter might be the last one to find out.

DISCLAIMER:  This book contains the spanking of adult women and explicitly described sexual scenes. If any of these offend you, please do not purchase this book.

EXCERPT:

He was naked except for one gray sock on his right foot and a red bandana precariously spread over his private parts. She felt her face flame. Verity didn’t know his name or where he came from, but with her father away almost all the way to Prescott, she had little choice but to treat the stranger. She was pretty much the “doctor on call” even though she had never finished medical school. But this was beyond anything she’d done as her father’s assistant. He usually shielded her from such displays.

Mark Milner, the town livery owner, hauled the man’s legs, while Jeb Hays, the farrier, carried the fellow’s arms. The bandana breezed off and Verity had to tell herself not to panic. She’d seen baby boys; she knew what their parts looked like. A grown man was more than a sight to behold, however, a sight for which she was unprepared.

“Close your eyes, Miss Verity,” Mr. Milner said sharply.

“Nonsense.” Her voice quaked—not the certain and commanding tone she hoped for. And her gaze couldn’t move from it. Her face was hot, and the rest of her tingled.

“It ain’t right, seeing as you’re an unmarried female,” Mr. Hays said firmly as he helped put the man up on the exam table. After the stranger was settled there, Hays took the hat off his own head and put it over the man’s privates. “That’ll have ter do, I guess.”

The man was breathing, but blood congealed at the corner of his mouth, a shiner practically covered the upper right quarter of his face, and his chin wore a few nasty looking scrapes. His left thigh was swollen and bruised and a horse shoe print shone livid as a calf’s liver on the leg. He was a young man, possibly only a few years older than she, maybe thirty, with short brown hair with lighter streaks. As she checked his pupils, finding unfocused piercing blue eyes, she responded to the older man’s comment. “It’s not as if I haven’t seen naked men before, Mr. Hays.”

“You have?” Milner asked. “I can’t hardly believe it.”

“I don’t believe it,” Mr. Hays stated without hesitation.

Verity hesitated. “Well…”

Hays poked Milner in the ribs with a pointed elbow. “See? It’s a tall tale, just like always.”

Sighing, Verity leaned down to put her ear to the unconscious fellow’s chest—her father had taken their only stethoscope with him out of town. “Well, I’ve seen naked men in books—anatomy books.”

“Tain’t the same,” Mr. Milner pronounced. “You need to mend your lyin’ ways, Miss Verity. Your pa will take a switch to you, and I wouldn’t blame him.”

The Doctor’s Daughter is available at the following sites:

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

Barnes & Noble

Blushing Books

Author’s Bio:

TrishBestselling author, Patricia Green, is a full-time fiction writer specializing in erotic romance. She provides the reader with love stories that emphasize fun characters with quirky personalities. Patricia is the author of more than 30 published novels and novellas as well as an ever-growing collection of short stories.

In her personal life, Patricia is married and the mother of twins. When she’s not being the angel of domestic harmony and a semi-crazed creator of fictional friends, she loves to read, embroider, knit and watch hockey.

 

You can reach Patricia Green in the following ways:

Email: pig (at) patriciagreenbooks (dot) com

Website/Blog: http://www.patriciagreenbooks.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Patricia.Green.Romance

Twitter: @PatriciaIGreen

Google+: http://plus.google.com/+PatriciaGreen

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Patricia-Green/e/B002RCB0IK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541511.Patricia_Green

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/patriciaigreen/

Posted in Book Spotlights, Historical Romance, on Victorian Romance, Promotion, Spotlights | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 10/30/16 A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe: Charming and Ruthless

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This post will be my last from my Regency Christmas story, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe. Beginning next week, I’ll be posting snippets from my new medieval Christmas story, Seduction at the Christmas Court. But for now, lets take a final look at Jenny and Alec’s Christmas.

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Jenny and the other young people at her aunt’s Christmas house party are out in the woods cutting greenery for decorations. They spy a mistletoe ball high in a tree and begin to play a game of running beneath the mistletoe. The forfeit for being caught ~ a kiss. Jenny wants to outrun Lord Somersby and avoid his kiss. Now that she’s done so, she’s having second thoughts.

Today’s snippet switches to Alec’s POV and a little more info as he talks to Lady Celinda Graham. This excerpt has been altered to adhere to the WWW rules and begins with Lady Celinda speaking.

“She seems rather taken with Lord Somersby.”

“Yes, I’d noticed.”

Lady Celinda laughed and took his arm, leading them toward the back of the group of runners, further away from the infuriating sight of Jenny and Somersby. “You don’t approve, I take it?” she asked,  cocking her head, but said nothing more. 

“As I said, Miss Crowley is an old friend of the family and I would hate to see her hurt, or even worse, ruined by Somersby,” Alec said bitterly, grinding his teeth, for he’d put nothing past the blackguard.

“You have a rather low opinion of his lordship. An opinion not generally held here, at least, not that I’ve heard,” she said as she raised her delicate eyebrows. “You have met before, perhaps?”

“Somersby can be charming, but he can also be ruthless and cruel if he has cause to be.” 

“Indeed,” Lady Celinda said as she  glanced over her shoulder, then shifted closer to him, asking, “What did he do to you, Mr. Isley?”

 

 

Other Books in the Handful of Hearts series:

Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Desire

Heart of DelightHeart of Delight

 

 

 

Blurb:

Is one kiss ever enough?

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?

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

 

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Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Delighta-kiss-beneath-the-mistletoe-final-1

Posted in A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 10/23/16 A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe: An Intention Thwarted

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More from my Regency Christmas story, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe.

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Jenny and the other young people at her aunt’s Christmas house party are out in the woods cutting greenery for decorations. They spy a mistletoe ball high in a tree and begin to play a game of running beneath the mistletoe. The forfeit for being caught ~ a kiss. Jenny wants to outrun Lord Somersby and avoid his kiss. Now that she’s done so, she’d having second thoughts.

Today’s snippet follows immediately after last week’s. It has been altered to adhere to the WWW rules.

 

“I thought you wanted me to catch you,” the young man said, adjusting his gloves impatiently. Sulking did not become his lordship.

“I thought so as well,” Jenny replied and straightened her pelisse, settling it over her green cashmere gown in an effort to stem the chill air she had begun to feel again.

“Then why did you run away?” He stared frankly into her eyes. “Did I frighten you?”

“No, my lord.” With a shake of her head she began a sedate walk back to the crowd of excited young people still running under the mistletoe, his question troubling her. She hadn’t been frightened, but neither could she pinpoint why she had suddenly decided not to give in to him. She’d stopped with the full intention of accepting his kiss, then she’d seen Alec’s face…

A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe is available at Amazon .

Other Books in the Handful of Hearts series:

Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Desire

Heart of DelightHeart of Delight

 

 

 

Blurb:

Is one kiss ever enough?

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?

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

 

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Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Delighta-kiss-beneath-the-mistletoe-final-1

Posted in A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Medieval Monday: Traveling ~ Mask of the Highlander by Bambi Lynn

MedMon

Traveling

 is our theme for this round of Medieval Monday!

Join us as we travel near and far in our medieval worlds!

This week’s excerpt is from Bambi Lynn, an excerpt from her book, Mask of the Highlander.

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Excerpt:

 

EXCERPT:

They rode out shortly after dawn. The hills were covered in a mist so thick, Kenna could barely see her horse’s ears through the fog. The mare shied often at the close proximity of Ty’s stallion. The beast, as dark and menacing as his master, snorted and pawed the ground whenever they stopped.

Three starving villages remained on Vass lands. Ty insisted the villagers would want to see their laird, returned home from defeating the English. They had visited each in turn. The arrival of the laird drew the ragged villagers from indoors, but if he expected a hero’s welcome, he would be disappointed. The tension in the air was thicker than the fog, each village worse than the one before it. By the time they reached the third, he did not even dismount.

He was cordial enough. His scowl of contempt did not seem directed at the villagers but at the squalor in which they lived. However, they did not know that. A glower from Laird Vass was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the most stout of men, regardless the cause.

She glanced over at him as he pulled his horse to a halt at the crest of a hill. Her heart tripped. Dare she hope that war had changed him? Was he right and truly a different man, or did he play some game to distract her, to lull her into relaxing her aegis. Then he would strike.

He stared off into the distance, beyond the grassy plain toward the border of his lands and her father’s. But his gaze was unfocused. Lines of worry creased the corner of his eye, his mouth. She had never known Ty Vass to worry about anything except his own pleasure. His raven-dark hair caught a breeze and swirled around him.

Kenna caught her breath. He had not seemed so handsome before, not when he was beating her, forcing himself on her. Those memories, nightmares she had relived again and again, began to fade. She saw the man he could be, a man she would be proud to call husband.

She gave herself a shake. Verra well. She would play along, see how his homecoming played out. Kenna wanted nothing so much as peace in her life. Peace between their clans, and peace within her own house…

…and heart.

“Come.” She spurred her mare forward. “I have something to show you.”

He did not speak, but Kenna sensed his stallion behind her. Her mare swished her tail overmuch, drawing strange sounds from Ty’s war horse. Soon enough she found herself scanning the brush, searching for an opening she had not seen in years. She had last come here on the eve of her wedding. It seemed a lifetime ago.

She paced her mare back and forth along the same gnarl of overgrown vines until she spotted it. “Here.” She pulled her leg over the horse’s neck and slid to the ground. She knelt in the grass, still damp from the morning’s fog and coaxed the vines apart, revealing a wooden door, barely hanging on its hinges.

She grinned over her shoulder at him, but her smile fell instantly. He watched her with a look akin to lust. She hesitated, old fears skittering up her spine, but reminded herself of her vow to give him a chance. She would never trust him, never love him, but by God she would make peace. Besides, there was nothing he could do to her here that he could not do to her elsewhere.

She knew little of his upbringing, but what she did know was enough to turn the heart of any woman who had loved a child. Ty’s own mother had died birthing him, a feat his father found pleasing. To have sired such a braw laddie as could rip a woman asunder to take his place in the world. There was a son t’ be proud of.

Kenna shuddered to imagine the lessons Ty has been taught growing up. As bad as her husband was, his father was worse.

With a faint smile, she turned away and concentrated her efforts on opening the door. After struggling for several moments, she felt him behind her. His presence engulfed her, trapping her against the massive expanse of his chest.

He reached a beefy arm around her and gave the door a great shove, heaving it into the darkness.

Kenna was fully aware of what lay beyond and had no fear of the close interior. Daylight guided her to a small table where she found flint and a candle, enough to illuminate the inside of the small cottage.

Ty ducked and stepped through the door, filling the inside and staring around in surprise.

Kenna followed his gaze, fully aware that he stood between her and the door. She tried to ignore it, taking in the broken stool, the crockery piled in the corner, the cold hearth. She took calming breaths, using the wobbly table as support. She was trapped in close confinement with him, her grandfather’s hated enemy and the man she feared most.

Relief flooded her when he moved from in front of the door and further into the room. He is changed, she told herself. Please, God. Let it be so. The ice around her heart melted a little when he turned a wondrous smile on her.

“What is this place?”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I discovered it as a child. It was my secret place.” She plied him with a sad smile and shook her head. “I have not been in years.”

He circled the room, no more than a few paces with his gigantic stride, until he stood beside her. The door was at her back, so she could still escape if needs be. For once she did not flinch when he lifted his hand.

Blurb:

BLURB:

Kenna dreads her husband’s homecoming like the plague. The man she married is vile and cruel. She has prayed every day of his absence he would be killed in the fighting, freeing her from a life of brutal torment and a loveless marriage. But the man on her doorstep has changed. This man is kind, gentle and sparks a fire in her she never felt in the early days of her marriage.

Ty is returning home after years fighting in France. He yearns for the arms of his beautiful wife and to finally meet the daughter he has never known. But can Kenna forgive the man she married and love the man he has become?

Buy Link:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Mask-Highlander-Gods-Highlands-Prequel-ebook/dp/B01D6W96OE/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mask-Highlander-Gods-Highlands-Prequel-ebook/dp/B01D6W96OE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1458561258&sr=8-5&keywords=bambi+lynn

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mask-of-the-highlander/id1095199574?mt=11

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mask-of-the-highlander-bambi-lynn/1123562788;jsessionid=CE60A3595E440C0F72681CCDEADC70E8.prodny_store01-atgap08?ean=2940152818888

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Medieval Monday, Medieval Romance, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 10/16/16 A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe: A Woman’s Perogative

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More from my Regency Christmas story, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe.

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Jenny and the other young people at her aunt’s Christmas house party are out in the woods cutting greenery for decorations. They spy a mistletoe ball high in a tree and begin to play a game of running beneath the mistletoe. The forfeit for being caught ~ a kiss. Jenny wants to outrun Lord Somersby and avoid his kiss. Or does she?

Today’s snippet follows immediately after last week’s.

A sharp movement to her side drew her attention to Alec, standing beside Celinda. He’d crossed his arms over his chest, his face puckered into a frown that somehow bespoke not only anger but sadness.

Somersby’s arms came up to snare her.

She broke her gaze from Alec, ducked under the earl’s outstretched arm, and spun around him. A glimpse of his wide, astonished eyes when he whirled, clutching at the air where she had just been, spurred Jenny on as she shot across the clearing.

Somersby swore under his breath and chased after her, but she arrived on the far side a good three steps ahead of him. The crowd cheered as he came puffing up beside her, a thundercloud of annoyance distorting his face. “My compliments, Miss Crowley, on making me look the fool.”

“It is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, is it not, Lord Somersby?” Jenny tossed her head, the glow from her exertion and the sweet rush of victory sending satisfaction humming through her.

 

A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe is available at Amazon .

Other Books in the Handful of Hearts series:

Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Desire

Heart of DelightHeart of Delight

 

 

 

Blurb:

Is one kiss ever enough?

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?

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

 

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Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Delighta-kiss-beneath-the-mistletoe-final-1

Posted in A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

‘Tis the Season: Christmas in July

Capture Mistletoe

It all began with Christmas in July…

Five and a half years ago I was taking a five week seminar on Shakespeare in wonderful Washington, DC. I was a fairly new author at the time with a very active blog. And I had very little time between reading Shakespeare and going to my seminar classes to write, although every spare minute was given over to writing. I needed a feature for July, one of the hottest months in DC as far as I’m concerned, so to cool me down I hit upon the idea of Christmas in July—a series of four flash fiction Christmas pieces, 2500 words or less, one for each week in July.  Cool idea, right?

I loved my little Christmas stories that ended up as two contemporary and two historical tales. The final historical, ‘Tis the Season, was actually my favorite. Set in Victorian England it was a story of a girl who reaches her eighteenth birthday, ready for her come-out in the spring, only to be told she’s been betrothed from birth to the boy next door. She’s distraught and defiant until the young man in question assures her that he won’t agree to marry her. He insists she have her London Season with all the trappings: parties, dances, theatres, carriage rides, beaux. But he also tells her he will be there also trying to win her hand and her heart. And in the epilogue we see that he did indeed win his lady.

all wrapped upThe story ended there for me, until a chance comment on my blog made me see there was more to it. This commenter (I wish I remembered who it was) said they wanted to know about the heroine’s season and how the hero won the girl. I loved that idea and put it on the back burner. The Christmas stories were published that November as an anthology called All Wrapped Up, which is FREE on Amazon and Smashwords.

Last year I finally expanded the short into a novella and Jenny and Alec’s story is now released as A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe.

 

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There are, however, several significant differences between the two books. ’Tis the Season was about Jenny’s lost season, hence the title. By the time I finished the novella, I realized the story wasn’t so much about her season as it was about her being kissed underneath the mistletoe. The short story intimates that Jenny does have a season in London; A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe takes place during a house party during the Christmas season, so Jenny does not get her season in London, per se.

The hero’s name was also changed. Originally it was Thomas, however, since I wrote ‘Tis the Season, I published my medieval series Time Enough to Love where one of the heroes’ names is Thomas. So I changed this hero to Alexander and called him Alec for short.

The ending is also changed slightly to give a subliminal little surprise to the reader. The story is sweet, except for a bit of a “naughty” subtext at the end. I’ll let you read that part for yourselves.

And that is how ‘Tis the Season became A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe. 🙂

A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe is available at Amazon.

 

Posted in A Handful of Hearts, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Historical Romance, Holiday Posts, On All Wrapped Up, Promotion, Regency Romance | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Spotlight: The Viscount’s Bride by Lindsay Downs

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Matthew, Viscount Rathbourne, is dispatched to Cornwall to design a gazebo for his uncle. There, little does he realize how his life will change. Caught poaching ducal trout he meets Lady Kathleen.

What has him wondering, why is she hiding out here and not in London searching out a husband? Not that he wished to complain as he found her not only beautiful but his intellectual equal.

After two bodies turn up Matthew quickly learns Kathleen is stronger than any young lady of the ton he’d ever met.

As the mystery of who the murdered victims are is uncovered Matthew learns of a hidden, albeit interesting, fact about Kathleen. Should he allow her to continue with these late night excursions or put a halt to them?

When all the truths come out Matthew and Kathleen, now married are happy at who helped bring the murderers to justice.

 

Excerpt- The Viscount’s Bride

As he got closer he slowed, not wishing to frighten them, and Matthew heard one say, “Do you believe he will accept your invitation to dine with us this eve?”

He cursed silently, suspecting the speaker was referring to him. Slowing his horse to a walk, Matthew spied them. Even from behind he could tell they were ladies as their dresses were of fine quality. Even more interesting was that they both had fishing poles in their hands and were casting flies out upon the river.

“I don’t know, daughter. From what I understand in the letter from Serena, Viscount Rathbourne is here under the direction of the Duke of Kettering to design a gazebo.”

Matthew was aware he was in trouble if this lady and his mother knew each other. He was about to announce his presence when—

“Then I’m sure we won’t as, from what I understand the duke can be a harsh task master. At least that’s the rumors I heard in the village.”

Matthew quickly decided the lady to his right was the daughter while the other the mother. This was going to be a very interesting meeting. Bringing Devil to a stop, he smiled to himself and took in a breath.

“Ladies, my uncle is a fair gentleman unless you cross him or disobey an order while under his command in the Guards.”

Their reaction was exactly what he’d expected. They dropped their poles and spun about. He’d been correct in his assumption. The lady on his right was the daughter, and never before had he seen such a beautiful lady. Not even the duchess could hold a candle to her.

“Ah, so the illusive viscount is for real. I’m Lady Elsie, Countess of Ashburn, and this is my daughter, Lady Kathleen.”

“M’ ladies, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I do hope you enjoy fishing on Radcliffe Hall property,” he politely informed them, all the while trying not to be firm in tone.

“Yes, m’ lord, we are as where the river crosses our estate is all rapids, thusly dangerous to get near,” Kathleen announced.

The sound of her voice sent warmth racing through him like no other lady had ever done. But it wasn’t just hearing her speak but the way the sun glinted off her sandy brown hair turning it cinnamon in color which had him spellbound. Then there was her heart-shaped face, soft full lips, and petite nose that helped in entrancing him.

“Then, by all means continue,” he said giving them a bow.

“Thank you, m’ lord, for we shall in the hopes of catching several more trout for this evening’s meal, to which I hope you will be joining us?” Elsie said.

“It will be my pleasure to sup with you and enjoy the duke’s fish, under one condition,” he replied with a smile.

“And what might that be, m’ lord?” Kathleen uttered.

“Please call me Matthew when no staff is present. Even at Radcliffe Hall I take care of my meals, except breakfast, as I never could cook an egg to satisfaction. I also don’t travel with a valet, only a tiger to handle my horses.”

Buy Links-

US-http://tinyurl.com/h27cbqw

UK-http://tinyurl.com/zo4vk73

AU-http://tinyurl.com/zemrnmd

CA-http://tinyurl.com/jythyw8

 

 

 

Lindsay Downs Newest Aug 2016About me-

I’ve been an avid reader 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 favourite 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 Book Spotlights, Guest Posts, Promotion, Regency Romance, Spotlights | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Medieval Monday: Traveling ~ The Maxwell Ghost by Ruth A. Casie

MedMon

Traveling

 is our theme for this round of Medieval Monday!

Join us as we travel near and far in our medieval worlds!

This week is from Ruth A. Casie, an excerpt from her book, The Maxwell Ghost, in the Once Upon a Haunted Castle anthology.

The Maxwell Ghost

 

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Excerpt:

He and Laura were targets in the swift moving water. He needed to get farther downstream, away from the marshland. He cursed himself for worrying about her propriety rather than her safety.

The sound of splashing from up river grew closer.

“Wrap your arms around my waist and try not to lose your seat.”

They reached the far bank and raced along the river, the raiders not far behind.

“You need to let me down,” she yelled at him in the wind. “You can go faster without me.”

“Keep down,” he said between clenched teeth and pulled his sword. They raced on, the land a blur as they flew by.

The spray of water from his horse’s pounding hooves turned into small clouds of dust as they came out of the marshland into the meadow. His horse couldn’t maintain this speed much longer. They reached the area where the river dog-legged to the right. A dense fog hung low in the forest. Jamie let loose his battle cry then veered into the woods.

They raced on. Out of the mist his men charged and dashed past them set to do battle with the reivers close behind them.

Jamie and Laura raced on. Laura glanced over his shoulder.

“Rider behind us.” Jamie urged his horse on faster. If they didn’t stop soon, the poor animal would collapse.

Another glance. The man was gaining ground. Think, she told herself. Sunlight bounced off Jamie’s sword. Could it work? It had to.

“Put your sword on your left shoulder then make a quick half-turn to your left and face the rider. Don’t stop, charge,” Laura said as she lay as close to his horse as possible to give Jamie more room to maneuver.

“Don’t look. It’s not going to be a pretty sight.”

She closed her eyes tight.

Jamie followed her instructions. The sound of the horse’s hooves echoed in her head as he completed the maneuver and his horse sprang forward. With the full weight of the charging horse behind his sword, he hit the raider in the chest. The man fell to the ground. His disembodied head rolled somewhere in the mist.

Jamie turned his horse again and continued into the woods. Laura sat up. The trees sped by. She began to panic at the tall hedge row that loomed in front of them.

Their direction didn’t waver. Rather than slow down, the animal gathered speed. Jamie crushed her in front of him and held her head against his chest.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Hold me.”

The sensation of flying through the air frightened and exhilarated her at the same time. For a moment, her heart stopped. How they landed without the horse falling or them being thrown was beyond her, but they did.

The horse slowed to a halt, lathered and blowing hard. His men were soon with them.

 

Blurb:

 

In Ruth A. Casie’s The Maxwell Ghost, traitors, deception, murders and ghosts run rampant at The Maxwell’s Caerlaverock Castle. Jamie Maxwell Collins, a man of reality not magic, serves Lord Herbert in exchange for his own farm.  Laura Reynolds, Lord Herbert’s distant cousin comes to the castle to solve the murders and put the ghost to rest. The two, long-time friends find their destinies intertwined with hidden passions, but all is in jeopardy when Laura becomes the murderer’s next target. Jamie will find he needs some ghostly assistance to save Laura and declare his love. 

Buy Link:

Buy Links: Amazon/Kindle, iBook, BN, KOBO   

 

 

 

 

 

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 10/09/16 A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe: More of A Challenge

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More from my Regency Christmas story, A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe.

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Jenny and the other young people at her aunt’s Christmas house party are out in the woods cutting greenery for decorations. They spy a mistletoe ball high in a tree and begin to play a game of running beneath the mistletoe. The forfeit for being caught ~ a kiss. Jenny wants to outrun Lord Somersby and avoid his kiss. Or does she?

Today’s snippet follows immediately after last week’s.

 

The grin that lit Somersby’s handsome face spread so wide the lines alongside his cheeks deepened. His eyes flashed with a triumphant gleam and he stopped several paces in front of her then crooked his finger, beckoning her back to him.

She stood panting, suddenly unsure as her body trembled. The shouts and encouragements of the crowd blended with the roaring in her ears.

Somersby raised an eyebrow and stalked toward her. “You should have made it more of a challenge, Miss Crowley,” he said as he drew near. “Although I’m flattered you’re that eager for another kiss from me.” He reached for her to claim his prize.

Entranced, as though she were a mouse confronted by a snake, Jenny could only stand there, heart pounding with an insistent beat, watching him close the distance between them. In another moment he would take her arm, then his kiss.

A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe is available at Amazon .

Other Books in the Handful of Hearts series:

Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Desire

Heart of DelightHeart of Delight

 

 

 

Blurb:

Is one kiss ever enough?

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?

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

 

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Heart of Desire FinalHeart of Delighta-kiss-beneath-the-mistletoe-final-1

Posted in A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, Historical Romance, On Regency Romance, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Medieval Monday: Traveling ~ The Saint by Cathy MacRae

MedMon

Traveling

 is our theme for this round of Medieval Monday!

Join us as we travel near and far in our medieval worlds!

This week is from Cathy MacRae, an excerpt from the newly released book, The Saint, part of the de Wolfe Pack series.

The Saint

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Excerpt:

“You will ride with us,” Geoffrey informed her, changing his mind once again. Simon and Walter gave him startled looks and his neck warmed. “The Church teaches us to care for women and children,” he reminded them. He returned Marsaili’s furious stare. “And those unable to fend for themselves. ’Tis not safe for you to travel alone, and you will be under our protection until your journey ends or you are passed on to another for safe-keeping.”

“Here’s a miracle for yer impending sainthood, Lord de Wylde! ’Tis a miracle no one has kilt ye out of a fit of total aggravation for yer interfering ways. I told ye I dinnae need yer care, and I meant it!”

“I heard you, and you do,” Geoffrey intoned evenly, reining in his building annoyance with supreme effort. Never had anyone—much less a woman—gainsaid him as this woman did. “I am used to having my orders followed to the letter, so let me speak plainly. You will ride with us until we reach my estate at Galewood, which is not far from the Scottish border. At that time, escort will be arranged for you that will take you to your destination. No other options, opinions or attempts to sway a change in my order will be entertained.”

He paused, waiting for the woman to explode. Her cheeks flamed, her neck arched, and sparks flew from her clear blue eyes. Impressive! The only drawback was the thinning of her full lips, marring their lush perfection. And, of course, ’twas now likely she had a full arsenal of vindictive words ready to hurl at him.

“Do I make myself clear?” he asked, forestalling her tirade.

“Ye amadan!” she hissed. “Ye dinnae care what damage ye cause. I have reason to not ride with ye, or any man. I willnae have my journey impeded by such as ye.”

“Such as me?” he returned, curious as to what specific fault she found with him.

She waved an arm in the air, encompassing everyone in the room. “Ye have two horses where four would give better service pulling that wagon. Yer driver is elderly and likely not capable of demanding the best of what nags he has. And two men are an impressively small guard for a landed English lord.” She cast a look at their booted feet. “And, ’twere it not for the gold spurs ye wear, I’d find myself wondering at their abilities.”

Stung, Walter rose to his full height. “The three of us are completely formidable, milady,” he informed her, his voice rising with each word.

“Everyone knows the might of The Wolfe rides at our back,” Simon added with a nonchalant shrug. “It has been quite some time since anyone was foolish enough to challenge us.”

Marsaili drew back, a chill coursing up her spine at the thought of these men aligned with the formidable baron, Lord William de Wolfe, the king’s champion.

She suppressed a shudder. “Nevertheless, there are but two of ye now, unless milord fights from his chair. Though he has a commanding presence, I have yet to see him without his cane.”

“Despite our grievous faults, the fact remains you are safer with us than without us,” Geoffrey clipped. “Make yourself presentable and begin your sojourn with our lackluster party by helping with a few of the chores. We will bide the night here and leave at first light.”

 

Blurb:

Following in the footsteps of his uncle, the famous Lord William de Wolfe, Geoffrey de Wylde was counted among the greatest knights England had ever known. Revered for his justness and strict adherence to the chivalric code, he was known as The Saint.

Fleeing the unwanted attentions of her late husband’s brother, Marsaili de Ville runs headlong into the path of The Saint. She wants nothing more than to reach the safety of her family’s home in Scotland before Edmund de Ville’s henchmen capture her, but Geoffrey de Wylde insists on becoming her protector, slowing her flight and putting her unknowingly at risk.

As her past catches up with her, Marsaili will find more than a safe haven in The Saint’s arms. And Geoffrey de Wylde will discover his code does not tell him what to do with a woman who has been accused of murder, yet has captured his heart.

 

Buy Link:

Amazon Kindle Worlds: https://www.amzn.com/dp/B01LMHIC4K

 

 

 

 

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