Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog, my lovelies. Today’s guest is E.L. Johnson who has a first kiss scene from her novel, The Lyon and the Bluestocking. I just love the Lyon’s Den Connected World and if you haven’t dived into one of these stories, here’s your chance. Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

That night at the Lyon’s Den, whilst she and her mother stood at the gambling tables, Mr. James approached her. “I wonder, Miss Denham, if you might like to join me and attend the theater tomorrow evening. I have a box at the Drury Lane Theater. You would be very welcome to bring your sister or mother as an escort.”

Miss Denham said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I would love to, but we are already engaged to dine at Mr. Lewis’s.”

“It would be very rude to change our plans,” Mrs. Denham pointed out.

“Yes, of course. Forget I asked,” Mr. James said. He bowed and walked away. 

“Mama,” Elizabeth said.

“What? It is true. And you have so few suitors, it would be bad form to turn down Mr. Lewis in favor of Mr. James, even if he is the handsomer of the two.”

Miss Denham watched him go. A few minutes later she found him in a stairwell, and touched his arm. “Mr. James.”

He turned around. “Miss Denham?”

“You left so abruptly. I really am sorry, Mr. James. I am due to dine with Mr. Lewis this evening.”

“I know. You have already informed me once; you do not need to reject my invitation a second time.” His brown eyes were annoyed. He breathed. “I just thought…”

“What?” she asked.

“It is rather soon, isn’t it? You’ve only just met him, and he already asks you to dine with him. Do you not find it a little odd?”

Her eyebrows rose. “You find something improper in his asking me to dinner?”

“No. not at all. Only that he is quick to pay you attention. You know so little of him.”

“You think I am being overly friendly?”

“No. I think he is. What is his aim? What are his intentions toward you?” he asked.

She bristled. “I do not know, nor do I care. Is it not enough that a young man wishes to dine with me? We are acquaintances. Is that so wrong?”

“It’s fine. I just…” He rubbed the side of his face. “I do not like him. I cannot say why. I think you should not dine with him. Come to the theater with me instead. You and your sister can come, or your mother.”

She frowned at him. “Thank you, but I cannot. I have a prior engagement to dine this evening.”

“Cancel.”

“No.”

“Come to the theater with me.” He took her hand in his.

“No.”

“Miss Denham.” His voice was hard.

“Mr. James,” she said curtly.

They stood, nose to nose. He frowned at her, and she glared at him. His eyes were like dark pools she could drown in. She hoped her eyes were like the stormy gray skies before a storm. She…

He gripped her arms. 

“Mr. James, what are you—”

He kissed her.

She slapped him.

---

By:

An intelligent bluestocking is doomed to be a spinster. Can she find love in the Lyon’s Den?

Miss Elizabeth Denham is hopeless in love and a disappointment to her family. Her every word is about history and literature, earning her condemnation by Polite Society as a stuck-up bluestocking. But when her mother brings her to the Lyon’s Den, she meets Mr. James, a rake with an infamous past, who instantly catches her eye.

Mr. James did not expect to find anyone of interest, as so many of today’s ladies focus only on dancing and frivolities. But when he meets Elizabeth, a bluestocking with a penchant for saying the wrong thing, he is intrigued. She is everything the other ladies are not: bright and independent, with an inquiring mind worthy of any Bow Street constable.

As the unlikely pair grow close, they must overcome false friends, unwanted suitors, and malicious gossip. When one charming gentleman threatens to steal Elizabeth’s heart, Mr. James wants to protect her. But his past is on every gossip’s tongue, and it could ruin his chances with Elizabeth forever.

Can they find love, or will Elizabeth remain an unwed bluestocking?

Buy Link: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDJJJ953?&linkCode=sl1&tag=dragonblade0c-20&linkId=61adff24b9ffe94b22023adac4c28a90&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

About the Author: 

E.L. Johnson writes historical mysteries for Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 ebook publisher of Historical Romance on Amazon. A Boston native, she gave up clam chowder and lobster rolls for tea and scones when she moved across the pond to London, where she studied medieval magic at UCL and medieval remedies at Birkbeck College. Now based in Hertfordshire, she is a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and the founder of the London Seasonal Book Club. 

Follow ELJohnson on twitter at  @ELJohnson888 or catch the latest updates on her 

website: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/

Social media links 

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18090432.E_L_JohnsonBookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/e-l-johnson