Tag Archives: #BellesInBlue

First Kiss Friday with Caroline Warfield.

15 Friday Feb 2019

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday. Please help me welcome my dear friend Caroline Warfield who will give you an excerpt from her novella Candles in the Dark from the Bluestocking Belles’ box set, Valentines From Bath! Happy reading and enjoy.

Excerpt:

The bad leg—acquired at the Battle of Toulouse—doesn’t stop Doug Marsh from coming to the aid of Esther Hopkins when her employer at the Bath Assembly Rooms imposes himself on her. He has been afraid to court a woman so far above his station, but the woman herself has other ideas.

_________________

She turned to Doug with wide eyes, her hand fluttering down to her side. He reached out and cupped her cheek to sooth her. “He’s gone,” he whispered.

She nodded, a swift bob of her head, and he worried for a moment she might fall to pieces.

He kissed her brow and the spot next to her eye, murmuring reassuring nothings. Her hands slipped up to his shoulders, and she clutched him as if she feared he would go away.

Never, he thought. Never.

***

Esther snuggled into Doug’s shoulder, unable to get close enough, wishing she could crawl inside him. One arm came around her waist to hold her in place; he moved the hand that held her cheek to the back of her head, his thumb caressing her neck. He paused for a moment as if asking for the permission he must surely know he had, lowered his mouth to hers, and covered her lips with his. He moaned when she opened for him with no encouragement and deepened their kiss, pulling her with him to lean against the wall for support. All thought of what had happened fled, and she kissed him in earnest, intoxicated with his scent and the feel of his hands.

Long moments later, Doug pulled his mouth from hers, leaned back in for one swift kiss and then another, and finally, tipped his head to lean, head and shoulders, against the wall facing her, his arm still pulling her close.

He sighed deeply. “Battle madness,” he said.

“What?” she jerked up. He soothed her back.

“Men go a bit mad wanting release after battle,” he explained, staring into her eyes. “Apparently women do, too. We could call this battle madness.”

Her lips curved upward. “We could, Sergeant Marsh, except I have wanted you to do that for a very long time.”

Candles in the Dark in
Valentines From Bath
Just $0.99!

Doug Marsh and his candles bring light to many, none more than Esther.  They may light the Assembly Rooms even as his love lights her life.

Doug Marsh knew what the army expected of him. Invalided out, he struggles to run his uncle’s candle-works and look after those dependent on it. A contract with the Bath Assembly Rooms would go a long way toward succeeding at both of those things. The plight of a young woman is a distraction he doesn’t need.

Esther Hopkins, formerly ‘the Honorable’, has no time to mourn the life denied her by a single mistake. A woman alone with a new-born son to raise needs work, and she is determined to make it on her own. If only she could stop yearning for the sturdy arms and kind blue eyes of the man who rescued her from starvation and enlisted the entire Marsh Candle Works to her support. But Sergeant Marsh shows nothing but benevolent interest in her welfare. Why should he care for a fallen woman?

In the normal course of things Esther is far above Doug’s touch. Can he find the courage to court her and still take care of business at the same time?

Valentines From Bath:
A Bluestocking Belles Collection

The Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath. Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity. Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.

But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.

25% of the proceeds benefit our mutual charity, the Malala Fund.

Buy Links:

Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords
Amazon AU | BR | CA | DE | ES | FR | IN | JP | IT | MX | NL | UK

About the Author

Caroline Warfield has been many things. Now retired to the urban wilds of Eastern Pennsylvania, she divides her time between writing and seeking adventures with her grandbuddy and the prince among men she married. Her new series sends the children of the heroes of her earlier books to seek their own happiness in the far-flung corners of the British Empire.

 

Happy Release Day ~ Valentines From Bath!

09 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by in 2019, New Releases

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There is no greater day in an author’s life than when she has a new book baby released out into the world. Today is no exception. The Bluestocking Belles and I are pleased to announce that Valentines From Bath is now available for your reading pleasure. This box set is packed full with love and adventure, just in time for the holiday meant for lovers so pick up your copy now.

Read on to learn about Valentines From Bath and my novella, The Earl Takes a Wife! Happy reading, my lovelies, and thank you for your continued support!

In five original stories, Jessica Cale, Sherry Ewing, Jude Knight, Amy Quinton, and Caroline Warfield bring you Valentines From Bath.

The Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath.

Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity.

Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.

But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.

My contribution to the set is The Earl Takes a Wife, by Sherry Ewing. It began with a memory, etched in the heart.

Lady Celia Lacey is too young for a husband, especially man-about-town Lord Adrian de Courtenay. But when she meets him at a house party, she falls in love.

Adrian finds the appealing innocent impossible to forget, though she is barely out of the schoolroom and a relative by marriage.

His sister’s deceptions bring them together, but destroys their happiness. Can they reach past the hurt to the love that still burns?

Buy Links for Valentines From Bath:

Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords
Amazon AU | BR | CA | DE | ES | FR | IN | JP | IT | MX | NL | UK

With your purchase, 25% of all sales benefit our mutual charity the Malala Fund.

Valentines from Bath Release Party
Saturday, February 9, 2019
3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Be sure to join the Bluestocking Belles and their guests later today on Facebook for fun, games, and giveaways as we celebrate our latest box set release! Join the party here at this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/306566746633565/

First Kiss Friday with Jessica Cale

08 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in 2019, First Kiss Friday

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday! Today I’m welcoming my friend and fellow Bluestocking Belle Jessica Cale to give us an excerpt from her novella Beauty and the Bounder. Jessica and I are thrilled our box set with the Belles, Valentines From Bath, releases tomorrow! Enjoy this excerpt and happy reading!

Excerpt

“I’m afraid there are some things rather more important than a fortune. To me,” Seb admitted.

Emilia arched a dark brow, intrigued. “Are there?”

He bit his lip to keep himself from biting hers. She was a lady and likely a maiden; he couldn’t have his way with her in a public pool. He glanced down as he felt her other hand span his ribs. If anyone happened by, this would look very, very bad.

Seb stepped closer. “Wit,” he offered. “Intelligence, beauty, passion.”

“I see,” she murmured, quite breathless. “And have you met such a paragon, Mr. Virtue?”

Though every bit of good sense he had left urged him not to, he leaned in, grasping the tiles on either side of her curvaceous thighs. If he took her in his arms, he wouldn’t let go. “I’m looking at her,” he whispered.

Emilia’s eyes widened, every shade of amber shining in the candlelight. He felt her toes brush his thighs under the water. “And . . .” Her gaze dropped to his mouth before returning to his eyes. “If she had no fortune or name?”

“I’d give her mine,” he swore.

Emilia shuddered. Misreading it as a reaction to the cold, he folded her in his arms to warm her. Her hands spanned his back to pull him closer, and before he could think better of it, he was kissing her. He couldn’t say if he’d initiated it or if she had, but the entire French army couldn’t make him stop. Her lips were even lusher than they looked, her mouth hot and hungry. She kissed him like it was the last time as well as the first, and maybe it was. Maybe his years of planning, saving, and practicing had all led to this one fleeting moment, this one illicit kiss.

It was worth it.

 

Valentines From Bath:
A Bluestocking Belles Collection
Release Date: February 9, 2019
Just $0.99!

Blurb for Beauty and the Bounder:

The moment Lady Emilia sets eyes on the Chevalier d’Aubusson, she knows their fates are tied together. For good or ill, she cannot say. A mysterious aristocrat with a tragic past, the chevalier makes waves with his considerable charm.

But the chevalier is not as he seems. There are cracks in his story, and Emilia never could resist a mystery. Whether he’s a gentleman or a bounder, he might just be the man for her.

About Valentines From Bath:

The Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath. Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity. Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.

But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.

25% of the proceeds benefit our mutual charity the Malala Fund

Buy Links:
Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords
Amazon AU | BR | CA | DE | ES | FR | IN | JP | IT | MX | NL | UK

 

Jessica Cale is a romance author, editor, and historian based in North Carolina. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She kidnapped (“married”) her very own British prince (close enough) and is enjoying her happily ever after with him in a place where no one understands his accent. She is the editor of Dirty, Sexy History and you can visit her at www.dirtysexyhistory.com.

Website: http://www.dirtysexyhistory.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorjessicacale

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessicacale

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/caleisafourletterword

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

First Kiss Friday with Jude Knight

01 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in 2019, First Kiss Friday

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday. Please help me welcome my dear friend Jude Knight who will give you an excerpt from her novella The Beast Next Door from the Bluestocking Belles’ box set, Valentines From Bath! Happy reading and enjoy.

Excerpt:

“Are you cross with me for not kissing you, Charis?” Eric’s voice had dropped to a husky purr, and again, his thumb touched her, this time tracing her lips. “I was afraid.”

Without her volition, Charis turned her head to follow his hand as he went to draw it away. “A—afraid?” she stammered.

“You and I have been alone, dolcezza mia; no chaperone to protect your honor—and mine, for I feared that once I started I would be unable to stop. I long for you so. I imagine how soft your lips will be, how you will melt in my arms, how you would look…” he stopped, catching his lower lip in his teeth.

Charis blushed. “Did we need a chaperone, Eric?”

“You doubt it?” He lowered his face towards hers, slowly. Perhaps he was trying not to startle her. Perhaps he wanted to give her time to turn her head or to pull away. Charis waited, lifting her face to make her lips more accessible.

He was right to call himself a scoundrel, for he stopped just a couple of inches away. When he made no further move, she lifted onto her toes and closed the distance.

Eric greeted her initiative with an approving murmur, his mouth cruising in small kisses along hers. Was that his tongue sliding along the seam of her mouth? She opened her mouth to ask, and it darted inside, sending a bolt of sensation all the way to her female places. Dimly, she was aware of one large hand lifting her derrière, holding her up. Just as well. Without that support, she would have fallen from his lap, although how she had arrived in such a scandalous position she could not have said.

She essayed a foray with her own tongue and was rewarded by Eric’s groan as his hand pulled her even closer to his body, and something hard dug into her hip. She wriggled, and he groaned again, pulling away a fraction of an inch to say. “Amore mio,” in a strangled moan.

Charis wanted to moan herself. Her breasts felt hot and heavy, and the lower part of her torso was uncomfortable, as if each kiss pierced through to that forbidden place. She wanted. She gripped Eric’s nape and pulled him back to her mouth, and that both eased the ache and made it worse.

When Eric’s free hand first brushed and then cupped one of her breasts, she leaned into the new sensation eagerly, her own hands roaming down from Eric’s neck to the bare skin under his banyan. The hand behind her tugged her closer. “Bellisima,” Eric murmured.

Perhaps Eric could move whatever he had in the pocket of the silk trousers he wore under his banyan. “Something is digging into me,” she whispered, shifting uneasily.

It was the wrong thing to say. Eric stilled, and then lifted his head. With both hands on her hips, he shifted back onto the seat beside him, then tucked her head against his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you, dearest Charis,” he said.

“For the kiss?”

“Yes, definitely for the kiss. And for reminding me that you are an innocent and I am a gentleman who greatly esteems you and wishes to cherish you for all our days.” He was breathing hard, as if he had run a considerable distance, and Charis, too, felt short of breath.

The Beast Next Door in
Valentines From Bath
Just $0.99!

 

In all the assemblies and parties of Bath, no-one Charis met could ever match the beast next door.

Charis Fishingham has always felt more at home at Eastwood—Beastwood, as the neighbours called it, after the flawed child who once lived there. In the Eastwood gardens, Charis can escape her mother’s expectations, her sisters’ chatter, and her own worries about her future. There, she reads and remembers her secret friend, long gone into exile to have his birthmarks removed at his family’s command.

Now the Beast has returned. Eric Lord Wayford would rather face the surgeons of Naples and Napoleon’s armies than the tongues of the ton. He joyfully greets Charis, and their future looks to be full of hope.

But someone does not wish Charis to wed the Beast of Beastwood, and will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

25% of the proceeds benefit our mutual charity, the Malala Fund.

Buy Links:

Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords
Amazon AU | BR | CA | DE | ES | FR | IN | JP | IT | MX | NL | UK

About Jude Knight

Jude Knight’s writing goal is to transport readers to another time, another place, where they can enjoy adventure and romance, thrill to trials and challenges, uncover secrets and solve mysteries, delight in a happy ending, and return from their virtual holiday refreshed and ready for anything.

Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeKnightAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudeKnightBooks

Pinterest: https://nz.pinterest.com/jknight1033/

Email: jude@judeknightauthor.com

 

First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing & a giveaway~

25 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by in 2019, First Kiss Friday

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Today on First Kiss Friday, I’m giving you the first kiss scene from my upcoming novella The Earl Takes A Wife that is in the Bluestocking Belles’ box set Valentines From Bath. In this scene, Adrian de Courtenay has just given Lady Celia Lacey a necklace for her birthday while they are outside on her uncle’s balcony. Be sure to read all the way to the end to learn about my giveaway and happy reading!

Excerpt:

Her impulse to bend forward to kiss Adrian’s cheek may have been an innocent enough gesture in her mind, yet her heart apparently thought differently, given its rapid rhythm. Could he hear the staccato sound that betrayed her feelings for him whether she voiced them aloud or not? Surely he could, since he was standing so close. Was she the only one who felt as though the world was tipping, as if his mere presence made her head spin?

She should step away. She should distance herself from the man who caused such reckless behavior. She should mumble an apology and flee into the ballroom as fast as her slippered feet could carry her.

Yet here she stood, even daring to step closer when she felt the slightest pull from Adrian’s hand on her elbow. It was so subtle that Celia could easily mistake such a harmless touch as nothing. Instead, she hoped he desired her closer. Her reaction to the gift may have been her undoing. She was unsure her heart could stand much more.

He took several steps backward, plunging himself into the shadows of the night, but not releasing her hand. Fool that she was, Celia willingly followed his lead. Not caring she was no longer in sight of those who may be watching, her spirits soared knowing Adrian… yes, Adrian… wanted to steal a few moments alone together.

Had she not dreamed of this moment for months since they were first introduced at Hollystone Hall? His sister Miranda’s words that Celia should make Adrian jealous in order to win him were but a small memory. She had told Miranda months ago that she could not resort to such a ploy and such unladylike behavior, that it was not becoming of a genteel lady. Miranda had laughed, telling Celia sometimes harsh measures were needed in order to obtain what the heart desired.

Clearly such foolery had not been necessary, because here she was with Adrian. He led her into the dark of his own accord and not because she made him jealous with another. A brief glimpse of the marquis flashed in her mind, but she brushed away the image of his face, knowing she had made no commitment to the man despite her father’s wishes. Phillip did not own her heart, and he never would. It belonged to Adrian from the first moment she had seen him.

Lost in her thoughts, Celia realized they had not gone far, and for that, she was grateful. She could still easily make a hasty escape if necessary, especially if they heard someone approaching.

Adrian gently maneuvered her against the brick of the manor in the shelter of a trellis filled with ivy vines. He placed his body as a protective shield so she was efficiently hidden. Her mind worked furiously. Had he done this before with some other willing lady? Was she just another conquest?

His long fingers reached out and took her chin, tilting her face upward so she could do nothing more than stare into those mesmerizing blue eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted into a sensual grin, and Celia was lost to everything but him.

“Adrian…”

She blurted his name as though they were already lovers and felt a blush color her face crimson, hoping he could not see it in the dim light. Her hands moved of their own accord to tentatively touch his waist. At her apparent encouragement, he stepped even closer until she could feel the very heat of him against her young trembling body. His hand slid to her cheek; the thumb rubbed a gentle pattern as if to calm her, but she was anything but calm. The anticipation of his kiss was going to kill her.

A heavy sigh escaped him. “You should leave.” His voice was strained as though he was struggling within himself.

“Yes… I probably should.” Her hands crept upward to finger the buttons of his waistcoat, the floral pattern in deep contrast to the rest of his dark attire. A mental image from her dreams of undressing Adrian on their wedding night startled her, and she quickly shifted her hands to the edge of his jacket as if holding onto him might give her strength and the support she needed to remain level headed.

His breath was warm against her temple when he placed a soft kiss at her hairline before he touched his forehead to her own.

“You are not leaving,” he murmured, his hands moving down her arms as if she needed warming. His voice was low and husky, causing her flesh to shiver in anticipation of the unknown.

“I cannot,” she managed to croak out, while she tried to find a way to breathe. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew she must flee but she ignored the warning, especially when her stomach flipped as his arm swooped around her waist.

“Why not?” he asked, pulling her closer so there was no doubt left in her mind that he wanted her. She may be young, but she certainly understood the fundamentals of what might happen when she took the hand of a rake and plunged into the coolness of the night.

Celia wound her arms around his neck, touching the curling edges of his brown hair. God only knew how much she had been dying to do that since Hollystone Hall. She swallowed hard and rushed onward, her fate sealed to this man whether he knew it or not. “Because I have dreamed of your kisses from the day we first met,” she confessed, her words louder than she intended, as though such an admission should be shouted for all the world to hear.

Adrian muttered something beneath his breath before he gave her a little shake. “I made you a promise I would behave as a gentleman,” he growled. But he did not let her go, and his face showed an internal struggle.

His voice made her shiver yet again, but she kept her place within his embrace. “I would expect nothing less.”

He took her face into the palms of his hands in order to study her reaction to his touch. She covered one of his hands with her own. “If we stay out here, I have no doubt I will break my vow,” he replied.

“Then, before I lose my nerve to ask you…” Celia hesitated only an instant before she rushed on in an urgent plea, “…kiss me, Adrian. Kiss me like—”

…you love me, she finished inside her head when he cut off her words; for she could not speak when Adrian did just that. Kissed her. Right there. In the moonlight. With half of Society but a breath away.

His kiss was demanding at first. She had no idea what to do with her mouth, since this was her very first kiss. He must have realized that fact because everything changed between them. He softened his lips on hers as he possessed her mouth, but still, their situation was charged with an unseen energy that Celia never wanted to end.

Unsure what to do, she at first stood as still as one of the marble statues in her uncle’s garden. A gentle urging from Adrian encouraged her to open her mouth and follow his lead. A willing pupil, she allowed the master to teach her what he enjoyed, and she discovered that she enjoyed it, too.

He easily slipped his tongue inside. Warm fire erupted in her veins, while her tongue tangled with his. A low moan escaped her, unbidden but easily detected in the silence of the night. A tell-tale sign of the true depth of her feelings for the man who kissed her senseless.

Nothing had ever prepared her for the heady rush of sensations that enveloped her whole being. His arms tightened around her. She clutched at him like she was starving, and only Adrian could satisfy her cravings. Nothing mattered. Not the ball. Not her sisters. Not Phillip. Not even her father. If Adrian could kiss her like this, then surely he, too, must care for her. Did he love…?

“Celia!”

They tore their lips apart as the sound of her name continued to echo off into the night. Her breathing heavy, she melted into Adrian’s arms, placing her head upon his chest while she heard his own heartbeat running wild. He was just as affected as she was.

Valentines From Bath:
A Bluestocking Belles Collection
Release Date February 9, 2019
Just $0.99

My contribution to Valentines From Bath is The Earl Takes A Wife.

It began with a memory, etched in the heart.

Lady Celia Lacey is too young for a husband, especially man-about-town Lord Adrian de Courtenay. But when she meets him at a house party, she falls in love and cannot get him out of her mind. Will he ever think she is old enough to become his wife?

Adrian finds the appealing innocent impossible to forget, though she is barely out of the schoolroom and a relative by marriage. If they are constantly in each other’s company, then how can he move on without her?

His sister’s deceptions bring them together, but destroys their happiness. Can they reach past the hurt to the love that still burns?

Valentines From Bath

The Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath. Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity. Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.

But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.

In five original stories, Jessica Cale, Sherry Ewing, Jude Knight, Amy Quinton, and Caroline Warfield bring you Valentines From Bath.  25% of proceeds benefit the Malala Fund.

Buy Links:
Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

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How about a giveaway? To win an eCopy of A Kiss For Charity that is Grace de Courtenay’s story, leave me a comment and tell me what you’d like to receive this Valentines Day. I’ll generate a random comment on Monday as the winner. Good luck, my lovelies!

First Kiss Friday with guest Amy Quinton

18 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by in 2019, First Kiss Friday

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It’s First Kiss Friday and it’s always a great day when I can introduce one of my fellow Bluestocking Belles. Please help me welcome Amy Quinton who will be sharing the first kiss scene from her novella The Umbrella Chronicles: John and Emma’s Story in our upcoming box set Valentines From Bath. Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

 In this scene, our hero, Dr. John Edward Hartwell, has caught a flash of light from outside as he meanders through the first-floor drawing room. He strolls over to the window and watches with disbelieving eyes as a person dances beneath the stars around the open flames of a fire, with what appears to be an umbrella in her hand. Alone. Then, suddenly his mystery woman reaches over and throws something on the fire.

A few moments later, John finds himself beneath the stars, standing just outside the circle of light, no more able to reckon her reasoning there than from inside the drawing room.

Emma, it seems, is burning some ferns and dancing and swaying and darting clockwise around a small fire, a black umbrella in her hand.

Our scene begins here with John asking our heroine, Emma:

“What are you doing?”

She didn’t stop her twirling as she replied, “Don’t say it.”

He held his hands in surrender, though she couldn’t very well see him and asked, “Say what?”

“That I’m crazy.”

He chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She spun again. “If you must know, King Charles I believed this worked.” She gestured at the fire as she rocked back and forth before spinning once again. “That burning ferns would invite rain.” She stopped as she drew before him, breathless from her dancing. “In fact, he believed in it so strongly that when he travelled, he often banned the use of burning ferns in any town he visited for the duration of his stay.”

He crossed her arms. “Fascinating.” He wasn’t sure if he should believe her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t infinitely captivated.

She grinned and grabbed hold of his hands, attempting to twirl him into a dance. “Honestly.”

And oddly enough, he allowed her. They spun as they circled the fire; he stiff, his muscles unused to dancing; she fluid in her movements as if she danced every day. The warmth of her hands cast a spell over him, and he was helpless to resist her command.

He nodded at the umbrella, clasped between their joined hands. “But why do you wish it to rain?”

She shrugged and almost seemed to shy away. “The better to keep you here?”

He nearly stumbled. Instead, he risked a peek at the stars, twinkling down on them from the clear skies above. “It’s been clear for days and not likely to rain any time soon.”

When he looked at her again, she shrugged. “We shall see.”

“Emma.” They slowed to a stop. “Why?” He reached out and looped that persistently loose curl behind her ear. As he’d been wanting to do for days. Had he been able to see, he would have repinned it and dared it to defy him.

It was as silky as he’d imagined it would be.

Softly, he continued. “Why do you wish me to stay? Why me?”

She reached up and ran her hand down his cheek. “Because you’re perfect. For me.”

He shook his head and laughed, remembering their morning walk of several days ago. “But we are nothing alike.”

Now, it was her turn to shake her head. “Haven’t you heard? When two people making up a couple are exactly alike, one of them is redundant.”

Before he could reply, he felt a drop of water splash down on his cheek, and he glanced around to note that a light drizzle had begun to fall around them. Eyes wide with disbelief, he glanced at the fire, the sky, the umbrella, and then Emma herself as another drop landed squarely on her lips, the water sparkling in the light of the sputtering fire. She withdrew the Umbrella from their clasped hands and opened it, carefully, almost reverently. Then, he being taller, he took it from her, holding it over the both of them, protecting them from the damp. They were cocooned now, alone, as the rest of the world was washed away with the rain. Or perhaps it was the umbrella, keeping the safe. Drawing them together.

They each stepped closer to the other. The fire died. Darkness enveloped them, which was a fine thing, for water dotted his lenses, and he no longer had a flannel with which to clean them.

Rather than worry over it, he dipped his head and drew near her, unerringly finding her lips in the dark. Ah, God. Finally.

It was pure heaven. Shewas pure heaven. Just as he’d been imagining. For days.

With his free hand, he wrapped his arm around her and clasped her to him, and she allowed it, willingly pressed against him. She ran her hands through his hair, and for the first time ever, he was disorderly, mussed. In a public place, no less. And he relished every single minute of it.

Her lips tasted like sunshine and warmth. Comfort. And home. He could die in her arms and be content that this was the best possible way to leave this earthly plane.

He didn’t know what sort of magic she possessed, but it was truly potent.

And he didn’t mind.

He dove into a deeper kiss, tossing time and Oxford and appearances to the wind.

Tomorrow… tomorrow he would remember why they could never be.

Valentines From Bath releases February 9th
Preorder now for $0.99

 The Umbrella Chronicles Blurb:

 England, 1815…

Dr. John Edward Hartwell is pathologically tidy and set in his ways—a more serious-minded man never existed.

But in his ways, lies misery.

Enter Miss Annie Merryweather—a woman as lovely as she is chaotic. She is the perfect compliment to our man of numbers and logic, bringing sunshine and superstition to thwart his future of certain wretchedness.

And now that she is convinced they are destined to be together—the signs, you see—no one can stand in her way, for she is as tenacious and optimistic as she is beautiful.

Will their hearts find common ground this Valentine’s Day? 

Buy Links:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MP7WV4T/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/915442
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/valentines-from-bath-bluestocking-belles/1130058838?ean=2940155926702
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/valentines-from-bath
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/valentines-from-bath/id1448246986?mt=11 

 

Biography

Historical Romance Author, Mother of Boys, American Wife of an Englishman, Crafter, Reader, Camper, Bluestocking Belle

Amy Quinton is an author and full time mom living in Summerville, SC. She enjoys writing (and reading!) sexy, historical romances. She lives with her husband, two boys, and three cats. In her spare time, she likes to go camping, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking… And did she mention reading? When she’s not reading or traveling, she likes to make jewelry, sew, knit, and crochet (Yay for Ravelry!).

Social Media

Website: https://amyquinton.net/

Email:  AmyQuintonAuthor@gmail.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AmyElizabethQuinton

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AmyQuinton

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/108235160756248116825/posts

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/amyqu11/amy-quinton-author/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/amyquinton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quintonamy/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RUHIXZ0

Goodreads Author Page: https:/www.goodreads.com/author/show/10912294

Book Page: https://amyquinton.net/published-works/valentines-from-bath/

 

Valentines From Bath available for pre-order

05 Saturday Jan 2019

Posted by in 2019

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I’m super excited to show you the cover for the next Bluestocking Belles box set, Valentines From Bath, available now for pre-order for just $0.99 with a release date of February 9th. Isn’t the cover just gorgeous? I just know you’re going to love these stories so read on to learn more about the set.

In five original stories, Jessica Cale, Sherry Ewing, Jude Knight, Amy Quinton, and Caroline Warfield bring you Valentines From Bath

The Master of Ceremonies announces a great ball to be held on Valentine’s Day in the Upper Assembly Rooms of Bath.

Ladies of the highest rank—and some who wish they were—scheme, prepare, and compete to make best use of the opportunity.

Dukes, earls, tradesmen, and the occasional charlatan are alert to the possibilities as the event draws nigh.

But anything can happen in the magic of music and candlelight as couples dance, flirt, and open themselves to romantic possibilities. Problems and conflict may just fade away at a Valentine’s Day Ball.

Buy Links:

Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Beauty and the Bounder

Beauty and the Bounder, by Jessica Cale. He’s a liar and a fortune-hunter… and exactly what she needs.

The moment Lady Emilia sets eyes on the Chevalier d’Aubusson, she knows their fates are tied together. For good or ill, she cannot say. A mysterious aristocrat with a tragic past, the chevalier makes waves with his considerable charm.

But the chevalier is not as he seems. There are cracks in his story, and Emilia never could resist a mystery. Whether he’s a gentleman or a bounder, he might just be the man for her.

The Earl Takes a Wife

The Earl Takes a Wife, by Sherry Ewing. It began with a memory, etched in the heart.

Lady Celia Lacey is too young for a husband, especially man-about-town Lord Adrian de Courtenay. But when she meets him at a house party, she falls in love.

Adrian finds the appealing innocent impossible to forget, though she is barely out of the schoolroom and a relative by marriage.

His sister’s deceptions bring them together, but destroys their happiness. Can they reach past the hurt to the love that still burns?

The Beast Next Door

The Beast Next Door, by Jude Knight. In all the assemblies and parties, no-one Charis met could ever match the beast next door.

Charis Fishingham has always felt more at home at Eastwood—Beastwood, as the neighbours called it, after the flawed child who once lived there. In the Eastwood gardens, Charis can escape her mother’s expectations, her sisters’ chatter, and her own worries about her future. There, she reads and remembers her secret friend, long gone into exile to have his birthmarks removed at his family’s command.

Now the Beast has returned. Eric Lord Wayford would rather face the surgeons of Naples and Napoleon’s armies than the tongues of the ton. He joyfully greets Charis, and their future looks to be full of hope.

But someone does not wish Charis to wed the Beast of Beastwood, and will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

The Umbrella Chronicles: John and Emma’s Story

The Umbrella Chronicles: John and Emma’s Story, by Amy Quinton. A serious-minded, scientific man of learning seeks a complex and chaotic practitioner of all things superstitious who will upend his well-ordered life.

The Umbrella Strikes Again! Another Bachelor Has Fallen!

England, 1815…

Dr. John Edward Hartwell needs assistance, though not quite the kind of help he might think. True, he is well-organized, tidy, and pathologically set in his ways—a more serious-minded man one might never find.

But in his ways, I have determined, lies misery.

Enter Miss Emma Merryweather—a woman who is as lovely as she is chaotic. She is the perfect candidate to compliment our man of numbers and logical focus, bringing sunshine and superstition to redirect him away from a future of certain wretchedness.

And now that she has been categorically convinced that they are destined to be together—the signs, you see—no one can stand in her way, for she is as tenacious and optimistic as she is beautiful.

And none can resist her smile.

If I have anything to say about matters, and I always have something to say about matters, the signs will point the way.

They already have.

Lady Harriett Ross,

Self-proclaimed Motley Meddler * Mistress of Destiny * Wielder of the Infamous Umbrella

I’m just an old woman with opinions. On everything.

Candles in the Dark

Candles in the Dark, by Caroline Warfield. Doug Marsh and his candles bring light to many, none more than Esther.  They may light the Assembly Rooms even as his love lights her life.

Doug Marsh knew what the army expected of him. Invalided out, he struggles to run his uncle’s candle-works and look after those dependent on it. A contract with the Bath Assembly Rooms would go a long way toward succeeding at both of those things. The plight of a young woman is a distraction he doesn’t need.

Esther Hopkins, formerly ‘the Honorable’, has no time to mourn the life denied her by a single mistake. A woman alone with a new-born son to raise needs work, and she is determined to make it on her own. If only she could stop yearning for the sturdy arms and kind blue eyes of the man who rescued her from starvation and enlisted the entire Marsh Candle Works to her support. But Sergeant Marsh shows nothing but benevolent interest in her welfare. Why should he care for a fallen woman?

In the normal course of things Esther is far above Doug’s touch. Can he find the courage to court her and still take care of business at the same time?

First Kiss Friday with guest Lizzi Tremayne

14 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by in 2018, First Kiss Friday

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday, my lovelies! This week, I have fellow Bluestocking Belle Lizzi Tremayne as my guest who will give you her first kiss scene from her novella Somewhere Like Home in our holiday box set, Follow Your Star Home. Happy reading and enjoy!

Hello! Thanks for coming by today, and thank you, Sherry, for having me here!

We pick up our story as things are going from bad to worse for Rob and Sofia in the Scottish Highlands… and they haven’t even been cleared from their village yet.


Excerpt:

“Sofia.” Rob’s heart wrenched as he called her name from around the corner of the chapel the following morning, his fingers gripping the cut stones.

“Robbie,” she whispered. With a furtive look in all directions, she slipped into the shadows beside him and threw her arms around his neck.

“Are you going up to work at the castle?” He could barely get the words out. “Tell me Archibald was just torturing me,” he murmured, his lips against her kerchief.

“What do you mean?” She pulled her head back and their eyes locked.

“Archibald said a Sofia from the village is going up to work as a maid. You’re the only Sofia here.” He looked away and bit his lip, fearing what he’d see in her eyes.

She shook her head and her fair skin paled. “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” she breathed. “But Màthairwas screaming yesterday morning. She said I wasn’t to talk with you. Did ye ask for me?”

“Apparently, I’m not good enough fer the likes o’ye,” Rob said, his head about to explode, “and I’m to stay away.”

“Oh, Rob,” she said, burying her face in his shirt.

“Yer da was going to talk wi’ me today, but he’s been avoidin’ me,” Rob muttered. “And if I won’t be tacksman, me father’ll disown me. Doesn’t want to know me—ever.”

If she was pale before, she was a ghost now. “We’re both old enough. We can marry. Take me away wi’ ye.”

“If our parents naysay us, Father MacIvor might ha’ somethin’ to say about that, mo luaidh.”

“We can run away and get married.”

He gripped her to him tightly. “I want to, but I canna take ye wherever I might need to go without knowin’ if I could feed us.”

“I’ll wait for ye, then.”

He nodded and nearly smiled, though his heart was breaking. “I’ll find work and build something for us, mo chridhe, then return for you. I’ll show your da, if not your màthair, that I am ‘good enough’—if ye can wait.”

“Forever, Rob,” she said fervently, “forever I’ll wait fer ye, mo chridhe. We can write, thanks to yer teachin’ me to read an’ write.”

“I dinna ken where I’ll be yet.” He pulled her hard against him and leaned back against the wall, its roughness digging into his back beneath his shirt, while he searched his mind for a way they could exchange letters.

The stones of the chapel.

For the first time since he’d entered Sofia’s father’s house the previous morning, he drew a full breath and then another. Squeezing her to him once more, he tilted her chin up to his. “The priest. He’ll exchange letters for us.”

“Do ye think he will?”

“I’m sure he will.” His lips cracked into the first grin in days, and he took a deep breath. “He’ll be happier for that than marry us against our family’s wishes, anyway.”

“Rob,” she said, pulling her kerchief from her head and looping it into the beginnings of a knot, “this was my grandmother’s kerchief. That makes it more solemn. Shall we? If the priest won’t marry us, we can pledge our troths anyway and handfast ourselves. Seanairsaid it was done that way in the old days.”

He smiled and helped her tie the kerchief around their hands, joining left to left and then holding their right hands together over the top.

“I don’t know how they did it,” Sofia murmured, eyes shining, “but this should work.”

“Sofia,” Rob said, for her ears alone, “to you I pledge my troth. I will return to marry you and become your husband, for ever and ever.”

Sofia repeated the words, finishing with, “and become yer wife, fer ever and ever.” Their lips met to seal their joining. “I canna believe this will be our last kiss. Come home to me soon,” she whispered.

“When I return, we’ll have kisses anytime we will.”

“At least yer calmer now,” Sofia murmured. “Yer language reverts when ye’re upset.

Rob allowed himself to smile at that. He could only hold her as her tears fell wetly on his shirt, and his into her hair, until the sun rose and their dark sanctuary slipped away into the morning mist.

“I’ll return for you, mo nighean ruadh, mo chridhe, my heart.” They untied the scarf and held fast to each other again. “Now go,” Rob said against her hair.

“Wait, Rob, gi’ me yer dirk,” she said and reached for one of the tendrils of hair curling around her face. “And the locket from your màthair.”

He drew his blade and carefully cut the lock Sofia held out, then handed it to her. Opening the golden heart, she placed the curl inside, sealed it shut, and kissed it.

“Keep it by yer heart,” she murmured.

“Until the day I die,” Rob said, watching her glowing eyes. “I love you. Now off with you before you’re seen.” He kissed her one last time and gave her a gentle push.

Not looking back, she turned and ran for home.

Now back to the real world… or is it?

You don’t even have to enter a drawing to get a free book today! I’m giving away a free sampler of my stories, just for becoming one of my VIP members!

Get yours here at https://lizzitremayne.com/VIP

Follow Your Star Home:
A Bluestocking Belles Collection
On sale through December 15th for $0.99!

Be sure to grab Follow Your Star Home while it’s still on sale.

Divided sweethearts seek love and forgiveness in this collection of seasonal novellas.

Forged for lovers, the Viking star ring is said to bring lovers together, no matter how far, no matter how hard.

In eight stories covering more than a thousand years, our heroes and heroines put this legend to the test. Watch the star work its magic as prodigals return home in the season of goodwill, uncertain of their welcome.

25% of the proceeds benefit our mutual charity the Malala Fund.

Amazon US  |  iBooks |  Kobo |  Nook | Smashwords

Amazon AU | Amazon BR  | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon ES | Amazon FR | Amazon IN | Amazon IT | Amazon JP | Amazon MX | Amazon NL | Amazon UK

Belles’ Blog Hop on now!

Come join our blog hop to see the interlinking stories between all eight of the stories in our new Follow Your Star Home!

It’s here: https://lizzitremayne.com/holiday/

Be the first to know about new releases, special offers, and news by signing up for Lizzi Tremayne’s Newsletter and get a copy of her Lizzi Tremayne Sampler for free! It’s here: https://lizzitremayne.com/signupsampler/

Author Bio:

Lizzi writes about the Old West, Russia, and Colonial New Zealand, as well as veterinary fiction and non-fiction—all with a horsey flair. She’s also one of the newest members of the Bluestocking Belles!

She grew up riding wild in the Santa Cruz Mountain redwoods, became an equine veterinarian at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and practiced in the California Pony Express and Gold Country before emigrating to New Zealand.

Lizzi has two wonderful, grown-up boys, a new grandbaby, and an awesome partner in this sea of green. When she’s not writing, she’s swinging a rapier or shooting a bow in medieval garb, riding, driving a carriage or playing on her hobby farm, singing, or working as an equine veterinarian or science teacher. She’s multiply published and awarded in fiction, special interest magazines and veterinary periodicals.

Sign up for Lizzi Tremayne’s Newsletter and get a copy of her Lizzi Tremayne Sampler for free. Be the first to know about new releases, special offers, and news here:  https://lizzitremayne.com/signupsampler/

Connect with Lizzi:

Lizzi’s Website :   http://www.lizzitremayne.com
Facebook:   www.facebook.com/lizzitremayneauthor
Amazon:   www.amzn.to/16VVn1
Goodreads:   www.goodreads.com/LizziTremayne
Instagram:   www.instagram.com/lizzitremayne/
Pinterest:   https://nz.pinterest.com/lizzitremayne/
Twitter:   www.twitter.com/LizziTremayne/
YouTube:   www.youtube.com/user/lizzikiwi
Newsletter signup:   https://lizzitremayne.com/signupsampler/
Google Plus: Google +: https://plus.google.com/+LizziTremayneAuthorandElizabethThompsonDVM

Thanks for coming by! Great to meet you!

Lizzi

First Kiss Friday with Nicole Zoltack

07 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by in 2018, First Kiss Friday

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday, my lovelies! This week, I have fellow Bluestocking Belle Nicole Zoltack as my guest who will give you her first kiss scene from her novella A Yule Love Story in our holiday box set, Follow Your Star Home. Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

“One winter,” Anoundus said as they climbed into his longship, “Gunni and I had been riding horses. We were chasing after a beautiful white-tailed doe, the likes of which I never saw before.”

“You were hunting her instead of letting her live to produce more beautiful does.” Sonja shook her head sadly.

He laughed. “She got away, I will have you know. And we wouldn’t have killed her for sport. We were going to feast on her. As I was saying, we chased her for hours. Hours! We worked up a healthy sweat and found a pond. While our horses drank, we stripped and jumped into the pond. We swam and splashed each other and enjoyed the peacefulness. It wasn’t until we returned back home, shivering, our teeth chattering, that we realized how stupid we had been. Although we enjoyed the coldness of the waters since our bodies had felt so hot, our bodies did not take well to the temperature.”

“You still have all ten fingers and toes?” she asked.

“I have every part of me,” he assured her.

As before, she gathered them food, and he poured them wine. They talked and laughed and drank and ate.

By the light of the moon, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was sitting on a bench facing him. Normally, they sat on the floor and used the bench between them to hold their food. This time, the plate sat beside her. All he had to do was lean forward, and he would be able to press his lips against hers.

So that was precisely what he did.

A Yule Love Story, by Nicole Zoltack

When Sonja stumbles upon fallen bodies littering her beach, she heals the lone survivor. After all, her late mother had been a healer.

Unbeknownst to Sonja, that survivor is none other than Anoundus. At one time, he ruled alongside his brother as co-kings of Sweden, but no longer. He has been banished.

What kind of life will he face here? What role will Sonja play? Can the two dare to find love this Yuletide?

Follow Your Star Home:

A Bluestocking Belles Collection

Divided sweethearts seek love and forgiveness in this collection of seasonal novellas.

Forged for lovers, the Viking star ring is said to bring lovers together, no matter how far, no matter how hard.

In eight stories covering more than a thousand years, our heroes and heroines put this legend to the test. Watch the star work its magic as prodigals return home in the season of goodwill, uncertain of their welcome.

The Bluestocking Belles are proud to present eight never before published novellas in their latest Holiday collection. As always, we will donate some of the proceeds of the box set to a cause dear to the hearts of the Bluestocking Belles, women’s education. 25% of all proceeds will be donated to the Malala Fund.

Eight original stories, more than 600 pages of diverse characters, complex relationships, and happily ever afters.

Follow Your Star Home is currently on sale for just $0.99! Hurry while the sale lasts.

Buy Links:

Amazon US  |  iBooks |  Kobo |  Nook | Smashwords

Amazon AU | Amazon BR  | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon ES | Amazon FR | Amazon IN | Amazon IT | Amazon JP | Amazon MX | Amazon NL | Amazon UK

Bio:

Nicole Zoltack is a USA Today bestselling author whose first love is epic fantasy. When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or witches, she enjoys spending time with her loving husband, three energetic young boys, and precious baby girl. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV shows are The Walking Dead and Stranger Things.

Social Media:

Website: www.NicoleZoltack.com
Author newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/m0k3l8
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PpYUI0
FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/authorNicoleZoltack
FB Street Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NicolesRockinReviewCrew/
Blog: http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicoleZoltack
Authorgraph: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/NicoleZoltack
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nicole-zoltack

 

Happy Holidays from the Bluestocking Belles & a giveaway!

04 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by in 2018

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Happy holidays, my lovelies! I would like to extend the very best to you and your families for this holiday season from the Bluestocking Belles. Welcome to our blog hop in celebration of our holiday box set, Follow Your Star Home. My gift to you is a short story of what happened to the ring after Thomas returned it to his father.

If you’ve read my novella in the set, One Last Kiss, you’ll certainly remember Jade Calloway’s friend, Zoe.

Zoe & the ring

Zoe’s breath hitched. She must be dreaming. How else could she possibly be walking through an ancient hall in a medieval castle? She moved forward, or more like floated, so she knew she must have been sleeping.

She watched the scene play out before her as though she watched it on a flickering movie screen. She smiled when she saw her friend Jade conversing with a knight at the raised dais. The name Thomas skimmed across her mind and Zoe knew her friend had found her soul mate whether Jade knew it yet or not. But how was any of this possible?

A feeling of being watched washed over her and she suddenly turned as though a force beyond her control made her do so. Startled, she came face to face with a handsome stranger. A knight of olden days to make any fair maiden lose her heart in the instant their glances met. Tall with black hair that fell below his broad shoulders, the knight continued to watch her with sparkling blue eyes as though he knew some secret she was not privy to.

“Mademoiselle,” the knight murmured before taking her hand and raising it to his lips. His eyes searched hers until they assessed her clothing… her very modern day clothing.

Zoe suddenly felt out of place. “Sir…” she allowed her unfinished words to linger in the air between them.

“Morgan… at your service,” he replied. He looked around the room before he took her arm and placed it in the crook of his arm.  A jolt of heat raced up her hand at the contact. “You appear lost. Mayhap you are one of the new ladies come here to attend the Lady Amiria?”

Zoe’s eyes widened. “Lady Amiria? As in the lady of Berwyck Castle?”

“Is there any other who could measure up to such a name?” he chuckled. “Let me escort you to her. She will be able to ensure you are properly attired. You must have traveled a long way in order to be here.”

“Sir Morgan, I need you to take me to Kenna. Is she here?” she asked quietly. Kenna would be able to explain everything… after all… the woman was her great-grandmother, several generations removed that is.

“She must still be outside. We had several men who were injured in the lists this day. Come, I can take you to her hut,” Morgan said, as he began ushering Zoe from the hall.

He grabbed at a cloak thrust into his hand by a servant and placed it upon her shoulders. She shivered when he closed the clasp at her neck. “Thank you,” she murmured, suddenly feeling shy in the presence of this very handsome knight.

“You are most welcome, Lady…” he gave her this lopsided grin that completely transformed his rugged face making him appear several years younger.

Zoe laughed realizing she had not given her name. “Zoe. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Morgan,” she answered him as she thrust her hand forward for him to take.

He looked at her offering oddly before taking her hand in his calloused one. Warm heat seared straight to her heart and Zoe watched his eyes widen at their contact. He raised her hand once more towards his lips but instead kissed the inside of her wrist. Her toes curled and she swore such a sensation had never before consumed her of this magnitude.

“The pleasure is mine, dear lady. Perchance once you have concluded your business with our healer, you would allow me to accompany you to the table to break your fast.”

Zoe smiled. “I would love to, kind sir,” she said. I could get used to this kind of treatment.

He opened the door of the hall and Zoe walked outside only to stare in wonder at what she saw: snow falling upon a full-blown medieval castle in all its glory. She should have been watching where she was going but she was so preoccupied with the view and her companion that she completely missed the steps in front of her. She began to tumble forward while a scream tore from her lips.

Arms of steel wrapped around her to break her fall and her arms automatically went around his neck as though holding onto Morgan was the only thing that kept reality and her dream from colliding. His lips parted and she watched when his head began to bend forward to steal a kiss. She had never wanted anything more in her entire life.

“Zoe!”

Their lips were but a breath away. Quickly they broke apart but Zoe still clung to Morgan’s arm, afraid that if she were to let go she would lose him to Time.

“Zoe… you must needs go home!” Kenna’s voice rang out in the inner bailey.

Morgan pulled her close, even while Zoe knew she was beginning to return to her own place in time. “Stay with me…” he murmured against her ear. “I just found you and cannot let you leave me so easily.”

Zoe reached up to cup his cheek, rubbing her thumb against his five o’clock shadow. “I would stay if I could,” she whispered. “Remember me…”

“Always.” He took her hand and once more placed a gentle kiss into her palm. “Come back to me, Zoe,” he said before leaning forward to kiss her.

It was everything she would ever want in a first kiss and as she tightened her arms around this handsome knight she gave herself into the moment… that was until her eyes snapped open and she found herself staring up at the ceiling in her apartment. A sob tore from her throat while she flung off the covers to sit at the edge of her bed.

“Why!” she yelled out in frustration only to see a vague vision of Kenna standing before her. “Why? Why would you show me him and then not let me stay?”

“Dearest granddaughter… I showed you nothing other than what you desire but you are not finished with your work in this time and until you are, you must stay here.”

“But what about Morgan?” she asked while tears ran down her face.

“You will know when it is the right time and place for you to find each other again. He will be waiting for you to come home…”

Zoe reached out for the woman who had been a constant in her life yet lived century’s ago. Before her grandmother faded from view, a soft golden glow began shimmering in her hand. She blew a kiss and a twinkling trail like starlight went towards Zoe’s bedside table. Zoe stared in wonder when a golden ring took shape. She reached over to clasp the ring to her chest and smiled knowing she would one day see Morgan again.

***

And in another place in time, Morgan awoke to still feel the lips of Zoe upon his own. He reached up to feel them still tingling from the contact. He began to dress to seek out Berwyck’s healer knowing Kenna would have the answers he stood in need of. He needed to find Zoe no matter the cost. Even Time itself would not keep them apart!

The Holiday Blog Hop Giveaway!

Did you enjoy Zoe & Morgan’s dream together? I sure have an idea for a full story for them after I take care of a few other characters who are vying for my attention. Be sure to leave me a comment here and to follow the Viking star ring to each of the Belles’ websites to be in the running for our giveaway. You can learn more about it here at the Belles’ website along with the sale we’re running until December 15th: https://bluestockingbelles.net/follow-your-star-blog-hop/. The more you comment on each site, the better your chances to win!

Follow Your Star Home

Divided sweethearts seek love and forgiveness in this collection of seasonal novellas.

Forged for lovers, the Viking star ring is said to bring lovers together, no matter how far, no matter how hard.

In eight stories covering more than a thousand years, our heroes and heroines put this legend to the test. Watch the star work its magic as prodigals return home in the season of goodwill, uncertain of their welcome.

Amazon US  |  iBooks |  Kobo |  Nook | Smashwords

Amazon AU | Amazon BR  | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon ES | Amazon FR | Amazon IN | Amazon IT | Amazon JP | Amazon MX | Amazon NL | Amazon UK