Blurb Blitz: Ever Since the Ball

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURB:

Miranda Harlake's only chance to escape the detestable match her parents are arranging is a sham betrothal to her best friend, Peter, who proposes solely to save her from a loveless marriage. She gratefully accepts, though both know they'll never wed.

Piqued by her parents' scheming, Miranda secretly attends a masked ball and dances with a fascinating stranger all night. Upon discovering her partner was the insufferable George Rockford, she tries to forget the romantic evening they shared.

George, lonely despite his popularity and roguish ways, is intrigued by Miranda but she's apparently immune to his charms.

Miranda must listen to her heart and find courage to be honest with everyone—especially herself—if for once she's going to fulfill her own dreams.

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EXCERPTS (Please choose only ONE to use with your post):

Excerpt One:

Miranda fidgeted with her fan as she and Peter made their slow way up the Rockfords’ torchlit drive. Ahead, costumed guests climbed the stairs and disappeared into the elegant manor.

When they at last came to a halt, Peter opened the door and helped Miranda out.

“I’ll meet you inside after I settle the horses,” he said.

Miranda clutched his arm. “No, we’re supposed to go in together.”

“I need to see to the carriage. I forgot about that when I devised this plan.”

“But—”

“You’ll be fine. Arriving alone will give you an even greater air of mystery.”

Not seeing any other option, she reluctantly let go of his sleeve. “Don’t be long.”

“I won’t.” He jumped into the driver’s seat and gave her a wave before driving away.

Miranda hesitated at the foot of the long staircase, debating about whether or not to just step onto the lawn to wait for Peter. But then she realized she was blocking the way for people behind her. Mustering her nerve, she climbed the stairs with the chattering crowd.

Once inside, she looked for a place to wait for Peter. Miranda didn’t want to go too far into the house, as it would be easy to miss each other in the throng. She found an alcove off to the side of the front doors with a window affording a good view of the drive.

Miranda had just turned to look out the window again when she felt someone step into the alcove behind her.

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AUTHOR:

Kate Ellington grew up in a woodsy New England town where summer days at the lake seemed to last forever. She read her first historical romance at age eleven when a teacher challenged her to find a book in the library written by an author she’d never heard of. Thus began a life-long love of love stories.

After graduating from college with an art degree she settled in the Pacific Northwest, where she currently resides with her family.

Kate wrote her first romance when she was sixteen, then set her pen down for years until another story floated into her head out of the clear blue sky. She jotted it down, just for fun, but soon it took on a life of its own.

Website

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Kate Ellington will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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Book Blast: Katie Walsh

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banneer to see the other stops on the tour.

Katie Walsh expects to write a love story someday. The hero resembles her father, and the heroine the deceased mother she never knew but imagines from the longing on her father’s face.

Katie doesn’t expect her father to be murdered, or his will to leave their farm to Guy Knowles, the man she hoped to marry, and order her to another state. Betrayed by the men she trusted, what should have become a love like no other withers and dies.

Until Ted Howard, who doesn’t fit the hole Guy left in her heart. Instead, he fits himself into what she needs—someone who will stay, protect her, and break his own heart for her if needed.

Read an Excerpt

“You’re in love, aren’t you?” Her voice softened.

“Was in love. Like I said, it doesn’t matter now.” My voice wavered.

“There is no such thing as ‘was’ when it comes to first loves. They are the pioneers who break our hearts in and carve the place where forever love will eventually reside.”

Tears trickled down my cheeks.

“Who is he?” she coaxed.

“My neighbor in Nebraska. Evidently, I wasn’t the pioneer of his heart. Someone else will have that honor for Guy.” I could barely say his name, but Eliza had no trouble spurting, “Guy Knowles?” right back.

I glanced out the side window. Maybe Papa felt this sort of loss after Mama passed, and that was why he said so little when I plied him for more about her. The loss in his expression said he wanted what I did—more of and for the one we loved. Ultimately, more time.

Eliza leaned from her seat and wrapped me in her arms. “Go ahead. You need to cry. The mold Guy cut into your heart hurts because he didn’t fill it. But someday someone will. And you will be ready.”

I rested my head against hers and imagined a hole in my heart the exact shape as Guy. I didn’t want it filled by someone else someday. If Guy didn’t fill it, I wanted it gone. Forever.

About the Author:

Colleen L Donnelly was born and raised in the US Midwest but ventured to other parts of the country as an adult to experience life from other perspectives. Besides writing, she spends time outdoors, antique hunting, reading, or watching a good movie. Even though she retired from a career in laboratory science, she is never bored and always busy at something.

Social Media Links:

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/colleen-l-donnelly
Website: http://www.colleenldonnelly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenLDonnelly
Goodreads: http://www.Goodreads.com/colleenldonnelly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenldonnelly/
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Buy Link: https://amzn.to/3YQIFP2

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Blurb Blitz: The Widow Wore Plaid

The Widow Wore Plaid

by Jenna Jaxon 

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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 BLURB:

The Battle of Waterloo made them widows, but each has found new happiness. And Jane, Lady 

John Tarkington, intends to keep her freedom, even if love—and one particular gentleman—are 

determined to claim her heart . . .

It is a truth rarely acknowledged—at least in public—that a wealthy widow is free to pursue a 

great many adventures. For two years, Jane has privately enjoyed her independence. Why 

should she remarry, even when the gentleman proposing is as wonderful as Gareth, Lord 

Kinellan? She entreats him never to ask her again. But as her Widows’ Club friends—now all 

joyfully remarried—gather at Castle Kinellan, Jane begins to wonder if stubbornness has led her 

to make a terrible mistake . . .

Kinellan needs a wife to give him an heir, and he wants that wife to be Jane. They are perfect 

together in every way, yet she continually refuses him. Just as he is on the point of convincing 

her, a series of accidents befall Gareth and point to an enemy in their midst. He has promised 

Jane a passionate future filled with devotion, but can he keep them both alive long enough to 

secure it? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Excerpt:

Parched, Gareth headed for the refreshment table that had been set up sufficiently far from the 

dancing to be out of danger. Footmen were stationed at each end to help keep those who might 

have imbibed too much from crashing into the table. He grabbed a cup of ale and drank thirstily 

until the tankard was empty. Setting it back on the table, he then took a glass of rich, red wine 

and sipped more moderately before heading back to the dancing.

He skirted the dancing couples, where Lathbury was heying with Jane, who was now flagging a 

bit. Two sets of fast-paced Scottish dancing was hardly comparable to the more staid English 

country dances. One actually had time—and breath—to converse during those. The faster 

paced Scottish tempos demanded stamina and good wind.

A young couple ran laughing in front of him. Smiling at the gaiety of the pair, Gareth backed out 

of their way, toward the blazing bonfire, his gaze still on Jane’s entrancing form. She did cut a 

delightful figure when dancing.

A passerby jostled his elbow, but he managed to save most of his wine. He spun toward the 

ungraceful lout when someone else shoved him harder.

The jolt propelled Gareth, already off balance, backward, directly into the flames of the roaring 

bonfire.

Desperately windmilling his arms to regain his balance, Gareth fought the sickening, helpless 

feeling of falling backward. Searing heat on the back of his head and jacket grew greater with 

each passing second, telling him his efforts to right himself would be in vain. God help him, but 

this would be a fiery end.

Author Bio:

Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods

because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical

romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to

the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her

own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including two vocal cats, one

almost silent cat, two curious bunnies, and a Shar-pei beagle mix named Frenchie.

Blog

Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter

during the tour.

Giveaway

Book Blast: Mayhem and the Marquess

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Daughter of an infamous murderer, Ivy Wollard now wields knives instead of needlepoint to survive in a society where no one wants her. When the Marquess of Blackbourne comes along and ruins her chance at a better life, she decides she’d rather have her toes eaten by eels than agree to his proposed scheme. There’s no way her surrender has anything to do with the mesmerizing angle of his jawline or the wicked twinkle in his eyes.

But Asher Blackbourne has a secret. He knows it’s just a matter of time until he goes mad and loses his illustrious title, so when Ivy falls into his path, he realizes he could use her to keep his house of cards from falling down. If every illicit touch between them doesn’t drive him mad first, that is.

Yet Ivy cannot escape her grisly legacy and the dark desires of her father’s admirers. What if violence runs through her veins, and no one who gets close is safe? Mayhem will descend as this rake finally falls for the enigmatic woman who might be just his brand of poison…Er, cure, of course.

Read an Excerpt

Blackbourne came towards the clawfoot tub, running a finger along the porcelain edge.

Ivy shrank back instinctively into the steam.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, love. I won’t bite,” he drawled, and then paused. “Yet.”

She inhaled as his eyes flashed promises of things she wasn’t sure she understood.

“Your bathwater is quite thoroughly unrevealing with all those suds. What a pity.” He sighed, pulling the nearby chair closer to the tub and lowering himself down into it. “Will you wash your hair for me?”

Ivy blinked “Right now?” she choked, reaching up to pat her hair, which she’d styled in a high chignon.

He nodded, his posture relaxed, although Ivy knew this to be deceptive. He was waiting to hear her answer with taut focus. When she didn’t move a muscle, Blackbourne interrupted her tumultuous thoughts with a soft suggestion. “Let me help you.”

The words reached out to her with tendrils that wrapped her consciousness in a sensual fog, causing the hair on her nape to rise. This was not done, she knew. A proper lady would never allow a gentleman to touch her hair, much less while she bathed. But what about any of their arrangement was proper in the first place? Who would even know?

Besides him.

So she reached up slowly so as not to disturb the water covering her chest and drew the stickpin from her hair, letting its length fall in a heavy coil down her back.

His sharp intake of breath echoed in the tiled chamber.

Was that a good thing? Ivy’s body trembled as she watched him rise and come towards her through the steam…

About the Author:

Win Hollows is a multi-award-winning romance fiction writer who still believes that love conquers all. She currently lives in Colorado with her own real-life hero and their three fur babies. Her passion is writing stories about love and intrigue and will continue to do so as long as characters keep having conversations in her head. Hollows’ other interests include traveling to places with delicious food and languages she can’t speak, having wilderness adventures, and, of course, reading! She loves connecting with readers and fans on Facebook, Instagram, and through her website.

Social Media Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winhollows/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Win-Hollows-166439534079985/
Website: http://www.winhollows.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44526655-mayhem-and-the-marquess

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mayhem-Marquess-Lords-Havoc-Book-ebook/dp/B07NHR2TYQ
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mayhem-and-the-marquess-win-hollows/1130949870
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/929031
Publisher: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/mayhem-and-the-marquess-by-win-hollows/

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Book Blast: Much Ado About a Widow

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick defied her family, jilted her fiancé, and married the man she loved. But when her husband died at Waterloo, she was delivered right back into her father’s power . . .

Victory is sweet—but England’s triumph was Georgie’s rout. Now that she’s widowed, the loathsome marriage her father first arranged has simply been renegotiated. With neither money nor rights, and nowhere to flee, all she can do is cherish her last weeks of freedom. . . . Until a band of ruffians overtake her carriage and kidnap her. When she escapes in seaside Brighton and encounters her brother’s rather wild friend, Lord St. Just—whom she suspects aspires to be a pirate—she’s prepared to entertain more of his adventurous suggestions than usual . . .

St. Just knows his mind and his duty, and he loves a challenge. Helping a fair lady make her farewells to hoodlums suits his talents well. Within the hour he has Georgie, her lady’s maid—and her little dog too—sailing for his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the lady’s entire family, her kidnappers, and her scheming intended are in pursuit. But as he and the indomitable Georgie grow closer, he begins to suspect that together they will prove a match for them all . . .

Read an Excerpt

A key grated in the lock. Lulu growled and stalked toward it, the fur on her back rising straight up.

“Not yet, Lulu.” Georgie gathered the leash. “Don’t bite him quite yet.”

Her dog stopped advancing on the door; however, the growling did not abate. Better be safe. She gathered Lulu into her arms. “I’ll give you the signal.”

The cabin door swung open, revealing Lord St. Just, an impossibly broad grin on his face. “Wait until I tell you what my men and I just did.”

“You don’t have to tell me, my lord. I already know.” Georgie glared at him and held Lulu tighter. The little animal was shaking, and Georgie was sure if she loosened her grip Lulu would launch herself at the unwary marquess. Serve him right too.

“You do?” He frowned and cocked his head, which made him look like a puzzled puppy. Lulu looked just like that whenever she was unhappy. But what did he have to be unhappy about? He was the one who had kidnapped her.

“You have set sail, my lord, with me and my maid aboard against our wills. Many sensible people call that kidnapping.” She’d always known this man was a pirate. In fact, she’d told her brother so. She handed Lulu to Clara before the dog could leap out of her arms and tear at his lordship’s throat. If anyone was going to attack the marquess, it would be Georgie herself. Plant him a facer and see how he liked being set upon.

“Oh.” The impossible man was all smiles again. “Yes, we had to put out or miss the evening tide.” His grin had returned, showing many straight, white teeth. “But we did manage to steal your trunks, Lady Georgina. If you will consider yourself abducted again, at least rejoice in the fact that you will have clean linen throughout the ordeal.”

About the Author:

Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, she has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories. She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets. When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director. She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.

She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can't stop.

Links:

Blog: http://www.jennajaxon.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jenna_Jaxon
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/passionistimeless

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Much-about-Widow-Widows-Club-ebook/dp/B07Q6VM63Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

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Book Blast: The Seduction of Lady Phoebe

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ella Quinn will award a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Polite society has its rules for marriage. But for Ella Quinn’s eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the faint of heart . . .

Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady. As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially when she is driving her dashing phaeton with its perfectly matched horses. And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors. But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within his blue-eyed gaze . . .

For Lord Marcus, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years. Now that he’s returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant. He must work fast to gain the advantage—to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies—but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control . . .

Read an Excerpt

Phoebe walked briskly into the large, sunny breakfast room, the train of her pale green nankeen riding habit draped over one arm.

She greeted her brother, Geoffrey, the sixth Earl of Cranbourne. “Good morning.”

When he looked up from his newssheet and met her gaze, Phoebe saw the fatigue etched in his face.

“Oh, you poor dear,” she said. “Is it the baby?” Miles was Geoffrey and his wife, Amabel’s six-month-old son.

“Yes,” Geoffrey replied. “He’s getting his first tooth. I dare say, had I’d known he would be in this much pain, I would have recommended to him that he not bother.”

Grinning, Phoebe said, “I am sure he would have appreciated the advice.”

Geoffrey handed her a section of the newssheet, and they sat in companionable silence until her sister-in-law joined them.

After pouring a cup of tea, Amabel asked Phoebe, “When do you leave for Town?”

She swallowed a piece of toast. “Next week.”

“I do wish I could go with you,” Amabel said.

“What a whisker!” Phoebe smiled. “You have no desire at all to go to London and dance attendance on me, and, indeed, I have no wish for you to have to do so. I am quite content to stay with my Aunt St. Eth. I much prefer the political parties the St. Eths attend.”

Her sister-in-law pulled a face. “But they are so dry.”

Phoebe laughed when Amabel wrinkled her nose. “I know, for you the subject is a dead bore, but I enjoy it extremely.”

Her sister-in-law frowned. “My dear, how will you ever find a husband if you are attending only political parties?”

“It is not as if there are no unmarried gentlemen at the parties,” Phoebe retorted. “Besides, I daresay I have met every unmarried gentleman the length and breadth of England. Not one has given me the smallest desire to marry. Perhaps I shall set up a salon and become a famous bluestocking.”

Her sister-in-law’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You cannot mean that!”

Phoebe tried to hide her exasperation. “I know you’ve tried very hard to bring about a match for me. I wish you would not persist. I shall marry when I find a gentleman I can love and not before.”

“But you must marry,” Amabel said. “You are almost twenty-four, and you are much too beautiful to become a spinster.”

“I am well aware of my age,” Phoebe said as mildly as she could. “I’m not on the shelf yet.”

After taking a sip of tea, Amabel said airily, “I have invited my brother to visit us.”

Phoebe creased her brows. “Evesham? I thought he was too ill to travel.”

“No, Arthur is indeed too ill,” her sister-in-law said. “I have invited my other brother, Marcus. He shall arrive in three days’ time.”

“Lord Marcus?”

Amabel hesitated before continuing, “He needs to marry now, and I immediately thought of you.”

At the mention of Lord Marcus Finley, Phoebe’s stomach clenched, and the humiliation she had not felt in years burbled within her, feeding her anger.

She took a breath and calmly but firmly said, “I have met Lord Marcus, we did not suit. Amabel, pray excuse me. I have just remembered something I must do.”

Phoebe rose and left the room. Upon entering her chamber, she closed the door with a snap. The control with which she had been holding herself threatened to unravel. Lord Marcus Finley was back.

Myriad feelings of fear, hurt, and despair assailed her. It confused her to feel almost as raw as she had eight years ago when he’d shattered her childish romantic ideas. She had pushed him out of her mind then and, other than the bad dreams, had not purposely thought of him since.

She’d hoped never to hear his name again and certainly did not want to meet him. She’d learned to protect herself, but still mourned her loss of innocence he’d stolen. She would not weep over Lord Marcus. No good could come of thinking of him. Forgetting that day had been easier when he had been safely across the ocean.

Phoebe breathed deeply and strode to her writing desk, a beautiful cherry secretaire. She furiously mended her nib then took a piece of hot-pressed paper, dipped the pen in the standish, and wrote her first letter to her aunt, the Marchioness of St. Eth.

About the Author: USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn's studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Great Dane. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.

Ella loves when readers connect with her.

Author Contact and Social Media:

Website: https://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044274.Ella_Quinn
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Quinn/e/B00CAE0FSQ

Buy Links for the Mass Market Paperback:

Kensington: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/38034
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Lady-Phoebe-Marriage-Game/dp/1420147285/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-seduction-of-lady-phoebe-ella-quinn/1115119327
BAM: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Seduction-Lady-Phoebe/Ella-Quinn/9781420147285?id=7711374629459
Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420147285
Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-seduction-of-lady-phoebe-marriage-game-by-ella-quinn-paperback/-/A-76508331
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Seduction-of-Lady-Phoebe-9781420147285/853764265

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Book Blast: Fire Song

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tanya Anne Crosby will be awarding signed copies of the Daughters of Avalon series (3 books)(US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Praised for her beauty and grace, deep down, Seren Pendragon fears a tempest rising inside her. Her mother is a witch, her sisters are in peril, and she has been promised to a beast of a man who's already murdered one king. When she and her youngest sister seize the opportunity for escape neither realizes how much their struggle will cost, and it will take a terrible tragedy to unleash Seren’s inner fire and true nature.

The Bastard of Warkworth is no stranger to misfortune. Everything he held dear vanished one night in a wisp of smoke and fire, and he has been scarred by his encounters with Seren's own mother, Morwen Pendragon. Even so, when one of the witch’s daughters finds herself in trouble, Wilhelm must find the champion within and ride to her rescue.

Read an Excerpt

If you have not guessed, my true name is Cerridwen. Creirwy, Morfran and Taliesin are all children of my blood. I took this body, thinking it might serve me, but I chose wrongly. I chose the sister, not the brother. Those two scarcely knew what mysteries they would reveal… but I thank them, nevertheless.

Emrys. Poor Emrys. Would he have lain with his sister had I not inhabited her body? I think not. And Morgan? How did she learn? Well, I suppose… a mother always knows.

Stealing over to the cauldron, I peer inside. Empty at the moment, but there lies residue and I reach down to taste the blend.

I need more coltsfoot, I think. And, of course, blood…

Mentally, I pore over the faces I saw in the tavern … a man and woman traveling together, a trader and a thief. These are my choices, and perhaps I should have them all…

Incidentally, do you how the fae were created?

They were cauldron borne to serve the Sylph.

So, you see… my daughters are gifted with fae blood, but I am born of the essence from which they draw. They are whispers of the wind from which I am formed. They are breeze-kissed whilst I am the storm. They are sparks, I am the flame. They are demigods, like the fae. But I… I am a Goddess, and once the light of this world has been extinguished like the flames of a thousand dying stars, and the hearts of men are stillborn in their cradle of night… here, I shall remain.

Fools.

Kill me?

I’d like to see you try.

About the Author:

Tanya Anne Crosby is the New York Times/USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including works of women’s fiction, suspense, historical romance and fantasy. Known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, she is an award-winning author, and her stories have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews.

Tanya has been featured in magazines, such as People, Romantic Times and Publisher’s Weekly, and her stories have been translated into eight languages. Her first novel (Angel of Fire) was published in 1992 by Avon Books, where she was hailed as “one of Avon’s fastest rising stars.” Her fourth book (Once Upon a Kiss) was chosen to launch the company’s Avon Romantic Treasure imprint. She and her writer husband currently split their time between Charleston, SC, where she was raised, and northern Michigan, where the couple make their home.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyaannecrosby/
Website: https://www.tanyaannecrosby.com/

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Daughters-Avalon-Tanya-Crosby/dp/1947204378
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fire-song-11
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire-song-tanya-anne-crosby/1130052932

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Novella Review: To Enchant an Icy Earl

This is the first book historical romance by Catherine Gayle that I read

I first noticed the title. After reading the blurb I decided to read the book.

Because of the title and the blurb I expected the earl to be more of a brooding character.

However, that didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

Rating: 😃😃😃😃😃

Blurb Blitz: For the Brave

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Holly Bush will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

1869 – Matthew Gentry joined the Confederate Army at eighteen years of age after an argument with his father, leaving Paradise, his Virginia home and famed horse breeding stables, for the fields of Gettysburg. Having survived the War Between the States, Gentry is haunted by the violence and inhumanity of the war. He continues to roam the country long after the conflict is over, finding solace in the arms of soiled doves and at the bottom of whiskey bottles. Finally traveling home after learning of a family tragedy, he nearly loses his life in a spring-flooded riverbed.

Annie Campbell, lone survivor of her family, lives at a remote farm near the North River, raising pigs and trying to grow enough to feed herself, and to stay out of the crosshairs of the Thurmans, violent men who run the town of Bridgewater. Annie’s secrets threaten her safety, even as she rescues and nurses Matthew Gentry.

Matthew knows he must return to Paradise, to grieve with his family. Will his heart lead him back to Bridgewater and Annie Campbell?

Read an Excerpt:

He watched as she sharpened his blade on a worn leather strop and ran a brush around a tin cup, making lather with the soap on the bottom. She walked up to him, close enough that he could feel her body heat up and down his right side, and he smelled hay and horse, and some faint note of wintergreen or peppermint. Her shirt gapped when she leaned around him to scrape his other cheek and he was pleased to note that he was interested in seeing the top of her breast, as at some point in the last few days he’d convinced himself that there were parts of him that might never recover.

“Almost done,” she said. “Tilt your head back and let me get your neck.”

He did as he was told and let the sun beat down on his face. Her fingers were strong, moving his chin one way or another or dabbing soap from around his ears and wiping his face clean with a piece of towel she’d dunked in a pan of water. The warm towel wiping his face felt better than anything he’d felt for a long while, and he relaxed his shoulders and let her wipe away two weeks’ worth of sweat and grit. His eyes closed and he let run her comb through his long, filthy hair.

“I need to bathe. I can smell my own stink.”

“I’m going to cut your hair while we’re out here. The weather’s temperate, so we could wash it without heating water.”

“I don’t care if the water’s cold. I’m tired of pulling it back with a string. Cut it. Cut it all off.”

About the Author:

Holly Bush writes historical romance set on the American Prairie, in Victorian England, and recently released her first Women’s Fiction title. Her books are described as emotional, with heartfelt, sexy romance. She makes her home with her husband in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. http://www.hollybushbooks.com
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Blog Tour: The Duke of Ice

Synopsis

Everyone Nicholas Bateman ever loved has died. Except Violet Caulfield, which must mean he never loved her. Eight years after she threw him over to marry a viscount, Nick is a widowed duke who prefers isolation. When a friend convinces him to leave his lair of self-imposed solitude, he considers taking another wife, provided she agrees to his terms: no emotional attachment of any kind.

Now widowed, Lady Violet Pendleton hopes for a second chance with the man she’s always loved. But she isn’t prepared for the desolation in his soul or the animosity he still bears toward her. Despite those obstacles, it’s clear their passion hasn’t dimmed. However, the heat between them isn’t enough to melt the Duke of Ice, and this time Violet may find herself the jilted party. Can love, once so tragically lost, finally be found?

Excerpt:

“Looks like it’s you and Lady Pendleton,” Simon said. His voice carried a hint of something.

Nick snapped his head toward his friend and detected the glimmer of a smile in his gaze. He was enjoying this. He was playing matchmaker. And he had his sights set on Nick and Violet. Bloody hell.

Nick wanted to be angry, but his pull toward Violet was too strong. He’d felt it last night and again today when Simon had asked if it would be odd for him to pursue her. Nick had been jealous. Shockingly, blood-boilingly, desperately jealous.

The realization shook him to the core.

“Who’s to be the crier?” Simon asked.

“Why not Mr. Adair since he won Kiss the Nun?” Seaver suggested.

With everyone in agreement, Violet and Nick moved to the center of the room.

“Is this awkward?” she whispered.

“No.” His pulse quickened. Should he kiss her or should he fail?

His mind screamed the latter. And really, that was for the best. Jealousy aside, he and Violet had no future, not when their past was so painful.

And yet when they knelt with their backs to each other, he caught her scent of rose and an earthy spice. It was wholly feminine yet slightly wild. He hadn’t smelled a rose in the past eight years without thinking of her. His body reacted, heating at her proximity.

“Make ready,” Adair said.

Nick looked over his right shoulder and felt the air move as she looked over her left.

“Present.”

Nick leaned close to her cheek. He could feel her warmth, and his skin tingled.

“Fire.”

He moved closer, but she sprang up. Instinctively, he reached for her, his arm curling about her waist. He pulled her back down. To stop her from hitting the floor, he spun to his back and sprawled, bringing her down on top of him. He cupped the side of her face and kissed her, his lips sliding over hers for a brief but delicious moment.

“The cheek,” she murmured, her gaze locked with his.

He leaned up and brushed his mouth against the soft flesh of her cheek. His lips lingered perhaps a second too long, but he didn’t care. Desire coursed through him, and for the first time in years, he felt alive.

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My Review

This is the seventh book of the untouchables series. Out of the five that I read, the Duke of Ice may possibly be my favorite. 


I first decided to read it because of the blurb. Like I expected, it contained my favorite trope. That trope is the main male character denying any emotion or relationship due to great loss.

It is a major bonus when the main female character wants to be the one to make him happy.

It is because of (fictional) men like Nick that I find myself attracted to broken characters.

Rating: 😃😃😃😃😃

About Darcy:

Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, two Bengal cats and a third cat named after a fruit.

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Promo Tour: Surrendering the Past

SURRENDERING THE PAST

The Granville Legacy series, book 1
by Pamela Lynne