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Sherry Ewing

~ Historical & Time Travel Romance Author

Sherry Ewing

Tag Archives: Novella

First Kiss Friday with Bluestocking Belle Nicole Zoltack

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by SherryEwing in First Kiss Friday

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#BellesInBlue, Bluestocking Belles, Historical Romance, Holly and Hopeful Hearts, Hollystone Hall, Nicole Zoltack, Novella

Today on First Kiss Friday I’d like to welcome Bluestocking Belle Nicole Zoltack and her characters from Christmas Kisses, her novella within our holiday box set Holly and Hopeful Hearts currently available for pre-order. Enjoy the following excerpt!

Excerpt

Anna has fancied Benjamin Huxley, the Duke of Barnet, for quite some time now, seeing beyond his skirt-chasing ways. Her mother, of course, is scandalized and wishes Anna would consider another option. Thus far, Anna has not given into her mother’s wishes…

Anna didn’t know what to think. For so long, she had wanted Benjamin to look at her as he was staring at her right now, had wanted to hear what he was saying, had wanted him to kiss her.

But now that he was kissing her, she wanted to kiss someone else.

She put a hand to his chest and shifted back. “I am sorry, Benjamin, that things did not work out for you and Florentina—”

He captured her hand and held it there against him. “If you are willing—”

“I—”

His smile died. “It’s Pershore, isn’t it.” His nostrils flared. “I see how he looks at you. You would rather have him than me? I thought…”

“I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Then this conversation is over.” Tight-lipped, Benjamin walked off.

Only then did Anna come back to reality and realized how many others were in the parlor, and she flushed. So many prying eyes, so many wagging tongues. Why, someone might send in a bit about her and the duke to The Teatime Tattler!

And if one of the gossipers were to find Jasper…

About Holly and Hopeful Hearts

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever love-matches she can. Seven assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?

Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

Holly and Hopeful Hearts is a Bluestocking Belles Christmas collection, with a novella from each Belle and a bonus novelette. For more than 800 pages of holiday reading, preorder now. The Belles support the Malala Fund, with 25% of proceeds from this publication.

Buy Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA

Smashwords | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

Bio:

 

Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially romance, whether fantasy, paranormal, time travels or regency. She’s also a freelance editor and a ghostwriter. When she’s not writing about ladies and their gentlemen, 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 Gotham.

First Kiss Friday with Bluestocking Belle Jude Knight

14 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by SherryEwing in First Kiss Friday

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#BellesInBlue, Bluestocking Belles, First Kiss Friday, Historical, Historical Romance, Holly and Hopeful Hearts, Hollystone Hall, Jude Knight, Novella, Regency Romance

Today on First Kiss Friday, I would like to welcome back Bluestocking Belle Jude Knight as she gives us an excerpt from her novella in the Belles’ box set, Holly and Hopeful Hearts. Jude’s been busy as she has two stories in our box set. Happy reading and enjoy!

In The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, James fell in love at first sight, but has been hitting one barrier to his wooing after another. At last, after eight months, he is alone with his beloved, as she decorates a room for Christmas. How could he bear to waste such an opportunity?

Excerpt:

“Very well, Lord Elfingham, I will put you to work.” She put one hand on his shoulder to help herself from the ladder. “Bring the ladder, please. I have more garlands to hang.”

James lifted the ladder and followed obediently in her wake. “What are we doing, pray tell?”

“We are having a costume party tonight. You heard?”

James nodded. His wardrobe was limited to what he could carry in his saddlebags, but the duchess had ordered chests of costumes and fabric brought down from the attics, and he had found the means to replicate his festival clothes as a mountain prince, or at least close enough for the audience.

If they wanted a barbarian, he would give them a barbarian.

“We did not decorate in here on Christmas Eve, since we had so much else to do, so I am putting up Christmas decorations. See? The evergreen is a symbol of life in this most holy season. And the holly, have you heard the song about the holly?”

Sophia sang for him, in a light alto, all the verses his father had taught them when he was a tiny child. This European holly was not precisely the same as the holly he had grown up with, but it was similar. For the pleasure of hearing her voice, he kept his counsel.

She went on to explain the other Christmas customs, not just the foliage and ribbons and other materials used in the decorations, but the pudding that had been served at Christmas dinner, the Yule logs burning in various fireplaces around the house, and the boxes that the duchess had delivered the previous day to poor families around the district.

“Cedrica and I, and several of the other ladies, were her deputies,” Sophia explained. “It was wonderful to see the happy little faces of the children, James.”

James had stayed back from the hunt organized for the men in the hopes of spending time with Sophia, and had found out about the charity expedition too late to offer his services. “I am sorry that I missed it,” he said sincerely.

He noted one glaring omission in her descriptions. “Just a decoration,” she had told him, mendaciously, when he asked about the kissing boughs.

And now pretending to be ignorant of these English Christmas customs was about to pay off. One day, when she was safely his wife, he might admit to Sophia that he and the whole gala had hung on his father’s tales of an English Christmas, that his mother and her maids had decorated high and low, and his father had led the troops out to find a fitting Yule log to carry home in triumph on Christmas Eve. A harder job in his dry mountains than in this green land.

But this was not the time for that story. Not when Sophia was relaxed and about to pass under a kissing bough that retained its full complement of mistletoe berries.

James suppressed a grin. “Look,” he said, at the opportune time, pointing up. “My kaka—my Papa—told me about these.”

She stopped, as he had intended. With a single stride he reached her, wrapped her in his arms, and captured the lips that had been haunting his dreams this past eight months.

And she kissed him back. For a moment—for one long glorious moment, while time stood still and the world ceased to exist—Sophia Belvoir kissed him back.

About Holly and Hopeful Hearts

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever love-matches she can. Seven assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?

Holly and Hopeful Hearts is a Bluestocking Belles Christmas collection, with a novella from each Belle and a bonus novelette. For more than 800 pages of holiday reading, preorder now. The Belles support the Malala Fund, with 25% of proceeds from this publication.

Holly and Hopeful Hearts is on pre-order at

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon AU  |  Amazon CA

Smashwords  |  Kobo  |  Nook  |  iBooks

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?

 Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

 About Jude Knight

Jude Knight has been telling stories all her life: making up serial tales to amuse her friends and children, imagining sequels to books that have moved her and left her wanting more, occasionally submitting short stories to magazines and the radio, and starting more than a dozen novels set in different times and places.

She has devoted most of the last forty years to a career in commercial writing and raising a large family. She wrote and published her first historical romance in 2014, and now has the wind in her sails and a head full of strong determined heroines, heroes with the sense to appreciate them, and villains you’ll love to loathe.

Website and Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest

First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing and A Kiss for Charity

30 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by SherryEwing in First Kiss Friday, Uncategorized

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#BellesInBlue, A Kiss for Charity, Bluestocking Belles, First Kiss Friday, Historical, Historical Romance, Holly and Hopeful Hearts, Hollystone Hall, Novella, Regency, Regency Romance, Scottish Romance, Sherry Ewing

Today on First Kiss Friday, I’d like to introduce you to my hero, Lord Nicholas Lacy, and heroine, Grace, Lady de Courtenay. As you’ve already seen in the previous two weeks, I’ll be showcasing each of the novellas in the Bluestocking Belles’ next box set, Holly and Hopeful Hearts. My novella is entitled, A Kiss for Charity and we find my couple meeting at a masqurade ball at Vauxhall Gardens. Please enjoy this excerpt of their first kiss!

Excerpt:

“May I have the pleasure of this dance?” he inquired politely, already knowing her answer.

Her gloved hand slipped into his and he felt as though he had waited his entire life for her to say yes. Yes to the dance. Yes to anything else he might propose, be it for one night or something they might both wish to be a longer commitment.

She was an accomplished dancer. He had already witnessed her talent, yet it was far more pleasurable to watch her when she was now his partner instead of another. He wished to know who she was, but the fast paced dance was hardly a place to carry on a meaningful conversation about getting to know one another.

Was it two dances later or maybe three? Nicholas lost track of time but finally, he placed his hand about the lady’s waist to expertly guide her out into the garden. It had been some time since he had allowed himself the pleasure of enjoying a woman’s company, especially in the moonlight.

The evening was cool, and when he saw her shiver, he shrugged out of his jacket since he had left his cape behind in the supper box. He placed the garment about her shoulders. She took ahold of the lapels and brought it closer. He swore he could hear her sniff the edges as if she were going to commit to her memory the smell of his cologne once he was gone.

Nicholas reached out to remove her mask so he could finally see all of her features.

“No.” She held out her hand to stop his efforts. “The domino stays in place if you wish me to remain here with you.”

“If that is your wish, so be it.”

“It is,” she answered quietly.

Nicholas did not remember it being this difficult to kiss a lady in the moonlight, but she must desire to be with him, too, else she would not be standing outside with him now. He could no longer stand the distance between them. Surely some form of spell had been cast upon him to be acting so rashly.

“Who are you?” he asked, taking ahold of both her arms and bringing her closer.

“Does it matter?”

“How else am I to call upon you tomorrow if I know not your name tonight, my lady?”

This unknown woman who teased his senses gave a careless shrug but took a step closer. She placed her hand upon his chest. “Let it be enough that for tonight I am free to do as I please.”

He grinned at her response. One moment Nicholas was staring into her mask and brown eyes, and the next he was lowering his mouth to meet her lips.

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Grace was unsure if it was the moonlight that drove her to such reckless behavior or the thought of having just one moment in time to treasure with a man who wanted to be with a mysterious, and perhaps, desirable woman. In either case, nothing prepared her for the instant their lips met. She supposed that since she did not protest going down the garden path with him that this would be the natural course of what would happen next. But still… surely she was slipping at the very brink of tasting heaven itself from their first kiss.

Such a kiss was at first like an introduction when his mouth slowly slid over hers as though he were searching for some hidden meaning to their attraction to one another. There was nothing demanding or urgent in seeing the matter over and done with. No, the kiss was a mingling of breaths. It was two souls connecting in the night. A simple kiss, yet there was nothing simple about it. He stopped as quickly as he started then stared into her eyes, yet she knew the domino hid her features well enough that he would be unable to identify her in the light of day.

Adrian would be mortified if he had any idea what she was up to with a complete stranger. Thinking of her brother conjured an image of her deceased husband. Although his kisses had been pleasurable, they could not compare to what this stranger made her feel.

“Tell me who you are,” he urged again. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her coiffure and then cupped her cheek. “You must tell me.”

She leaned into his palm. The sensation of his thumb tracing her skin had her resolve weakening but not enough to reveal her identity. “I cannot, for I will not have you think less of me from my actions here this night. I am not what I seem.”

“I see a desirable woman I wish to get to know better,” he declared with a grin and an appreciative glance at her heaving bosom. There was no way she could mistake his meaning given the proximity of their bodies and the bold glare he gave her down the length of her body.

ABOUT HOLLY AND HOPEFUL HEARTS

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever marriages she can. Eight assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?

Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

Holly and Hopeful Hearts is a Bluestocking Belles Collection available for pre-order at $2.99 and will be released November 8, 2016. 25% of the sales benefit the Belles’ mutual charity the Malala Fund.

Buy Links:

Amazon US | Amazon Australia | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK

Kobo | iBooks | Nook |  Smashwords

First Kiss Friday with Bluestocking Belle Susana Ellis

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by SherryEwing in First Kiss Friday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#BellesInBlue, Bluestocking Belles, Historical Romance, Holly and Hopeful Hearts, Hollystone Hall, Novella, Regency, Regency Romance, Susana Ellis

Today on First Kiss Friday I’d like to welcome Bluestocking Belle Susana Ellis and her characters from Valuing Vanessa which is one of the novellas in the Belles’ holiday collection, Holly and Hopeful Hearts.

Excerpt:

It was a warm evening for September, but the breeze was refreshing, and soon Vanessa was feeling more herself. Rows and rows of Chinese lanterns were strung around the terrace and the garden area, not only illuminating the Herringtons’ fine plants and statuary, but also deterring the sort of dalliance that dark corners seemed to invite.

“Tell me about your wife,” she invited. A risky move, perhaps, since he’d seemed reluctant to speak of her that night at Vauxhall, but if she and George were indeed headed for matrimony, she needed to know about his first marriage.

They stood arm-in-arm at the balustrade, admiring the lush beauty of the garden against the dark backdrop of the night sky. She felt his body tense at the question, and briefly wondered if she had gone too far. “You needn’t speak of her, if you would rather not.”

“No, no, it’s been two years now, and I suppose I should be able to speak about it by now.”

And so he told her the story of his youthful marriage, how it had begun with such promise, and then, over time, began to fade when his wife’s longings to live like the aristocrat she was caused a rift between them.

“Genny had great hopes of someday regaining the title and estates that were lost in the revolution, but each year that the war went on without resolution, her bitterness grew, until it began to spread to my daughter. It was no use reasoning with Genny or her mother, the displaced countess.” His voice cracked. “There was nothing I could do to make her happy, not even when there was more money to spend, for gowns, for redecorating, and such. It didn’t help that her younger sister wed the brother of a duke and socialized in the highest circles.”

“Ah, Lord Nicholas. He lost his wife in the same accident, did he not?”

“He did, yes. He and Juliette were a true love match. Juliette never showed any signs of discontent with her situation, but then, she married into a ducal family—Lord Nicholas is still the presumed heir, as his brother has only daughters—and being the younger sister, she couldn’t aspire to the hereditary title, even if it still existed.”

Vanessa squeezed his hand, wishing she knew how to help him. As an unmarried woman, she was hardly qualified to give marital advice. But she was old enough to have learned that marriages begun happily could still go wrong, particularly when one or both parties were very young.

“Marriage is always a risk,” she began, “for the woman, since she gives herself to her husband and loses the limited rights she had as an independent woman. And ‘till death do us part’ can be a disaster if the parties grow and change and find they no longer care for one another.” She cleared her throat. “I confess I had doubts when my sister wished to wed at barely seventeen. But she was adamant, and I have come to believe that Reese sincerely loves Genie and their son and would never choose to destroy that.”

“Seventeen,” George murmured. “Only two years older than Louise.” Then he turned to Vanessa. “Have you never wished to marry, Miss Sedgely? I have no wish to be impertinent, but I have found myself wondering if you have forsworn the institution for yourself, or whether it is a matter of not finding the right gentleman. Because I cannot believe that a lovely, intelligent young lady as yourself should be lacking suitors.”

Vanessa grinned. “Why Mr. Durand, you will have me blushing,” she teased. “No, in all seriousness, I have not had a serious suitor since I was eighteen—that was six years ago, mind you—and my esteemed fiancé deserted me to flee to Gretna Green with a milkmaid.”

Mr. Durand’s eyes looked to pop out of their sockets. “No, really? A milkmaid?”

“I’m told she was rather pretty.”

“I suppose you were heartbroken. What a ramshackle fellow he must have been!”

Vanessa shrugged. “Humiliated, more like. It was an arranged marriage, you see. My parents—my mother really—have always wished to work their way into the lower aristocracy, and he was a baron. And at the time, I would have done anything to win their approval.” She sighed deeply. “I had a brother a year younger than I who died of a fever when he was two. I had it as well, but survived. I’ve always felt my parents blamed me for that. When Eugenia came along, it was as though I didn’t exist.”

She put her hands on his upper arms and smiled up at him. “But that is all water under the bridge. Eugenia is a lovely person and I love her dearly. My mother—well, she is who she is. While I have learned to deal with her, I should not be at all reluctant to marry some kind and trustworthy gentleman and manage my own household. And I shouldn’t be at all put off if he were to have a daughter of his own.”

For a moment George looked dazed, and then his eyes filled with tenderness and he bent down to take her chin in his hand and touch her lips with his. Vanessa hooked her arms around his neck in attempt to get closer. His lips were firm and persistent, and she trembled with a desire she had never felt before. His hands slid to her waist, and he pulled her closer to him, so that she could feel the strength of his hard body. Vanessa lost all rational thought, her only desire being to never have to let go of this dear man ever again.

“Vanessa!”

It was Mrs. Sedgely and she was enraged.

“Mrs. Sedgely—” George began.

“You!” she cried. “Do not even speak to me—I am so angry I shan’t be able to contain myself.”

Cotter, Vanessa’s abigail, ventured forward hesitantly. “Mr. Durand, sir. There is a message for you. The Herringtons’ servants have been searching for you for quite some time. I believe it is urgent.”

George’s hand flew to his chest. “Louise! It must be Louise!” He looked at Vanessa apologetically. “I beg your pardon, my dear. I must leave you now, but I will call on you tomorrow if I can.”

He bowed his head to both ladies and rushed through the door.

Vanessa’s eyes followed him, feeling disoriented. “Louise! What can have happened to her?”

Her mother’s lips formed into a fine line. “Do not be a fool! You have much more to worry about than a silly chit. Do you not realize that your scandalous rendezvous with that-that scoundrel was witnessed by at least half of the guests in the ballroom?” She pointed to the pair of double doors that had been propped open for the purpose of drawing air into the ballroom. “You have made our family the laughingstock of the ton!”

Vanessa looked through the open doors at the throng of disapproving faces staring at her.

Bloody hell!

ABOUT HOLLY AND HOPEFUL HEARTS

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever marriages she can. Eight assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they? 

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?

Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

Amazon US  |  Amazon Australia  |  Amazon Canada  |  Amazon UK

Kobo  |  Smashwords  |  Nook  |  iBooks

About Susana Ellis

Susana has always had stories in her head waiting to come out, especially when she learned to read and her imagination began to soar. A former teacher, Susana lives in Toledo, Ohio in the summer and Florida in the winter. She is a member of the Central Florida Romance Writers and the Beau Monde chapters of RWA and Maumee Valley Romance Inc.

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First Kiss Friday with Bluestocking Belle Jude Knight

16 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by SherryEwing in First Kiss Friday

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#BellesInBlue, Bluestocking Belles, First Kiss Friday, Historical Romance, Holly and Hopeful Hearts, Hollystone Hall, Jude Knight, Novella, Regency

For the next eight weeks, the Bluestocking Belles will be entertaining you each Friday with an excerpt from our upcoming box set, Holly and Hopeful Hearts. We are really excited about this collective work we have put together and I guarantee you’re going to love it. With that being said, I would like to welcome author Jude Knight, who has an excerpt from A Suitable Husband. Enjoy!

In this excerpt from A Suitable Husband, Marcel Fournier, the chef, has attended the masquerade in disguise, and won a dance from the duchess’s cousin, Miss Grenford. And not just a dance, but a walk in the moonlit gardens.

Marcel fell silent. The moon would set soon. They would need to go in while it still gave enough light to find their way without falling into one of the moats or ponds. He did not want the dream to end.

Mademoiselle echoed his thoughts. “We need to go. It will be full dark when the moon goes down.”

Marcel stood reluctantly, and she stood with him, still in the warmth of his coat.

“It is cold, Monsieur,” she said. “Keep the robe around us both until we are inside.”

So he put his arm around her to help them walk in harmony, and—oh, magical night—she put her arm around him. Marcel said nothing as they walked slowly back to the house. He was soaking up the warmth of her, the curves of her, the way she fitted neatly under his arm.

He could not resist. Even one of God’s saints would have done it, and Heaven knew, Marcel was no saint. As they rounded the corner that concealed the door, he stopped and used his other hand to turn her toward him. Naturally, she looked up.

Her lips were as sweet as he had imagined, and she did not draw back and slap his impertinent face. Far from it. She pressed herself into the kiss, and though she was untutored in the art, she learned quickly. Marcel was left reeling when at last a burst of noise from inside the ballroom intruded, and they parted.

“Mademoiselle—” he began.

“Don’t.” Mademoiselle put up a hand to stop his mouth, and he kissed her fingers. “Don’t spoil it by apologizing.” She stood within his arms, but he could feel she was poised to flee, and he had no idea what to say or do.

A moment, and it was too late. She stretched up, gave him a swift peck on the lips, and slipped away from under his robe. Marcel watched, his hand touching the lips she had so favoured as she opened the door and returned to the party.

It is over, then, but more, so much more than I ever imagined.

He would not go back inside. He would find his way to his kitchen and become a chef once more. And this night would be forever a jewel to carry in his heart.

About Holly and Hopeful Hearts

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever love-matches she can. Seven assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?

Holly and Hopeful Hearts is a Bluestocking Belles Christmas collection, with a novella from each Belle and a bonus novelette. For more than 530 pages of holiday reading, preorder now. The Belles support the Malala Fund, with 25% of proceeds from this publication.

Preorder links:

Amazon US: http://ow.ly/INwa3049Ey3

Amazon Australia: http://ow.ly/TczG3049EQ2

Amazon Canada: http://ow.ly/IERm3049EYM

Amazon UK: http://ow.ly/ZMuH3049ELM

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/664559

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?

Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

Cover Reveal ~ Holly and Hopeful Hearts: A Bluestocking Belles Collection

16 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by SherryEwing in 2016

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#BellesInBlue, A Kiss for Charity, Bluestocking Belles, Historical, Historical Romance, Holly and Hopeful Hearts, Hollystone Hall, Misunderstandings, Novella, Regency Romance, Scottish Romance, Sherry Ewing

hhh-cover

Today the Bluestocking Belles proudly reveal the cover for our latest holiday collection entitled Holly and Hopeful Hearts. We are extremely proud of the work we’ve done on this box set, plus, 25% of the sales go to our mutual charity the Malala Fund. You, too, can make a small difference in the world by purchasing this set. With 578 pages for your reading pleasure, I guarantee you’re not going to want to stop reading this until you’ve reached the end!

My contribution to our set is called A Kiss for Charity and features my hero, Lord Nicholas Lacy and heroine, Grace, Lady de Courtenay. To say that these two get off to a rocky start is kind of an understatement, but you’ll just have to read it for yourself when the box set releases on November 8, 2016.  In the meantime, I leave you with this brief excerpt of their first meet. Grace, along with her friend Mrs. Moriah Hernshaw, are attending a masqurade ball at Vauxhall Gardens.

a-kiss-for-charity-pic-meme

A Kiss for Charity Excerpt:

When they reached their destination, Grace was amazed at the throng of people. Was all of London here this evening? A footman came to assist them, and Moriah was the first to leave the carriage. Grace extended her hand to the footman and stepped down. A sudden rush of people on the walkway caused the footman to lose his grip on her hand, and Grace quickly lost sight of Moriah as she became jostled amongst the enthusiastic group of individuals excited to be a part of such an event. She began to lose her footing on the walkway, but before she slammed into the ground,

Grace found herself captured in a strong embrace. Arms of steel wrapped around her waist to prevent her downward pitch. Her rescuer’s cape whirled around their bodies as though the cloak itself would conceal them from the night and those around them. Fathomless dark eyes were all but hidden in the black mask that concealed his features, yet, a flicker from the walkway lanterns hinted at their color. His eyes were brown, much like his hair, she surmised, if the curls that formed around the edges of his hat and mask were any indication. Grace gasped as he quickly maneuvered her off the pathway to save them from being run over by the eagerness of the crowd. She shivered, but not from the cold for she was far from chilled. No. She quivered from the warmth that raced up and down her spine at being this close to a man, let alone held intimately for the first time in many years.

“Are you hurt, my lady?”

His deep voice went straight to her heart. His low tone plummeted down to reach into the very depths of her soul to awaken a part of her that had been left dormant as though she had been waiting for him her entire life. Waiting… yes she had been waiting for someone to come along who would give her this sudden feeling of completeness, even though he was a total stranger. The realization of what she was doing hit her as if a bucket of icy water had been thrown over the top of her head. He was asking her something, but her brain could not wrap itself around what he had inquired.

“Pardon me?” she asked in a breathy whisper of astonishment, especially when she realized she had been caressing the lapel of his jacket beneath his cloak. His arm tightened around her. She watched in mild fascination as one side of his mouth turned up in a cocky grin. He knew exactly how her body was reacting to their close proximity.

“I asked if you were hurt, although I might also beg for an introduction.”

“I h-hardly think this en-encounter is a-appropriate,” Grace stammered. Was that actually her voice sounding so unsure of herself?

He leaned down, and, for an instant, she thought he was about to kiss her. “How utterly charming that I have you all tongued-tied.” His words whispered gently in her ear were almost her undoing.

Before she could comment, Moriah’s voice was heard above the noise of the crowd, and she quickly untangled herself from the man who did nothing to hide his disappointment.

“There you are,” Moriah declared as she stared up at the stranger. Grace could only imagine what was going on inside her friend’s mind, given their recent conversation. “I am sorry I lost you. Are you all right?”

Grace nodded. “Yes… of course. Thank you, sir, for your assistance this evening,” she murmured shyly to the gentleman whose lips turned up into a charming grin.

He raised his fingers to tip his hat towards her. “It was my pleasure to rescue a fair damsel in distress.”

Her eyes followed him through the crowd until he disappeared. Her heart hammered in her chest. What in the world had just happened?

“Gracie? Are you sure you are fine?” Moriah questioned.

She touched her lips almost as though she could imagine the feel of the gentleman’s mouth pressed intimately against her own. She looked at her friend. “I am not sure.” Her words lingered in the evening air and left her wondering what the remainder of the night would bring.

ABOUT HOLLY AND HOPEFUL HEARTS & links to the other novellas.

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever marriages she can. Eight assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?

A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight

As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below.

Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis

Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life.

A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing

Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?

Artemis, by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight

James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy.

Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack

Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts.

An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield

Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well? 

Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett

Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

Holly and Hopeful Hearts

Coming November 8, 2016

Eight original stories, 578 pages of diverse characters, complex relationships,

and happily-ever-afters for $2.99.

Pre-order Now!

Amazon US  |  Amazon AU  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon UK

Kobo  | Smashwords

Another Cross-Book Vignette from Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem

25 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by SherryEwing in 2015

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#BellesInBlue, Bluestocking Belles, Mistletoe Marriage & Mayhem, Novella, Regency, Regency Romance, Under the Mistletoe

Welcome to my blog. Today, as part of a blog tour for Mistletoe, Marriage, & Mayhem, fellow Bluestocking Belle Mariana Gabrielle and me are introducing two secondary characters from our novellas.

[This is Part Two of a cross-book blog post. For Part One, go to Mariana Gabrielle’s blog at: www.MariChristie.wordpress.com.]

At a holiday house party, there are always those young people too old for the nursery party (or so they say), but too young to participate in the dancing. At one such occasion, Sophie Templeton, from Under the Mistletoe, a fanciful child who likes to chase butterflies and kiss frogs, hoping one will turn into a handsome prince, meets up with Hugh and Guy Amberly, younger brothers to the heroine of ‘Tis Her Season. The thing about young people of this age, however, is that they are but a few years away from seeking matches of their own. One never knows if a childhood friendship might blossom into romance…

ornament-1986808sophie-200x354

After a trip to the kitchens, and with their lunch in hand, Sophie shows Guy and Hugh the way to the pond.

Sophie sits down a bench and puts on her skates. Calling to Tulip, Sophie glides onto the ice with her pup slipping and sliding in her attempt to follow. Sophie manages a circle on wobbling legs and cups her hands to her mouth. “Come on, boys. The ice is just grand!”

Guy and Hugh put on their skates and join her, as well as the other dozen people of all ages skating at the pond. Guy skates in circles around Sophie until Tulip lunges for his scarf. He plays tug with the pup, both sliding about, more rambunctious than a boy and dog on ice should be, causing a bit of a commotion. Hugh, by contrast, skates sedately, as though he already believes himself too old to have fun. guy-and-hugh-amberly-200x266

Sophie laughs at Guy and Tulip’s antics. Her pup continues to hold onto to the scarf while Guys is pulling her along the ice, all four legs spread wide. Tulip growls her frustration, shaking her head without freeing the scarf from Guy’s grip.

Sophie skates up to Guy and gives him a smile. She is beginning to enjoy his company, whereas, his brother, she could do without. Even his skating appears as if he’s already all grown up.

“No offense intended, but does your brother always act like everyone is beneath him?” Sophie dares to whispers.

 Guy laughs. “Yes.”

The dog drags him farther away from Sophie and the crowds of people, onto a patch of ice that looks none-too-sturdy. He tugs at the scarf to avert catastrophe, but Tulip just thinks he is still playing.

At a loud creak, Guy becomes a bit frantic. “Come along, Tulip. Come on…” He is trying to make himself lighter than he actually is, and slide smoothly toward thicker ice.

The sound of cracking ice echoes beneath Sophie. A worried frown forms. “Guy…” she calls out, trying not to panic.

With a great CRACK, louder than a gunshot, the ice breaks.

“GUY!” Sophie watches in horror, as Guy slips beneath the frigid water. Tulip still holds onto the scarf as she, too, gets closer to the edge.

Sophie skates as near as she dares before she lies down upon the ice to even out her weight. She makes a grab for her dog right before the puppy falls into the water. Sophie tries to toss Tulip to safety, but the dog refuses to let go of the scarf. Rising to a sitting position, Sophie digs the blades of her skates into the ice for leverage, and she and Tulip yank on the fabric to bring Guy back to the surface, then pull him out of the water and off the ice.

Sputtering and stammering, teeth chattering, Guy might as well be frozen solid, as much as help as he can be in his own rescue.

Hugh has all but lost his reason, and has abandoned his skates and is pacing back and forth at the edge of the pond, bellowing any order he can think of, whether or not anyone is listening (and no one is). He dispatches a footman to go to the manor house and bring help. While he has no wish to hear what his mother will have to say about this, rather that than what she will say about not being told.

Guy’s blue lips and trembling has Sophie acting like a mother hen. “We need to get you up to the manor and changed out of these wet clothes.” She unbuttons his coat, pulls her own off, and drapes it onto his shoulders.

“Do not look at me like that,” she protests, seeing his horror to be wearing a girl’s garment. “Better to be warm in my coat than freeze to death before I can get you inside.”

As soon as they are off the ice, Hugh runs over and drapes his own greatcoat over the girl’s pelisse, saying, as though he were not repeating Sophie’s demand. “We must get him back up to the manor house!”

Guy, through chattering teeth, asks, “Tulip?”

“She’s safe,” Sophie replies, “and so are you. Come, Tulip.”

“You s…s…saved my l…l…life, Miss Templeton.”

Sophie hesitates, painfully aware, by his formality, that she had been calling the young gentleman by his given name. “I am certain you would have done the same, Mr. Amberly.”

“P… p… perhaps, but I was not c… c… c… called to. I m… m… must f… find a way to rep… p… p… pay you.”

“I shall tell our father of your heroism, Miss Templeton,” Hugh says, “and surely, he will reward you in some manner as yet unnamed.”

“Oh, no! Really, that is not necessary. My father would never let me accept any form of a reward, when he would say it was my Christian duty to help another.”

“Nevertheless,” Hugh pronounces. “My father, the viscount, will have his say. Perhaps,” he says slyly, cutting his eye at his brother, “he will give you my brother’s hand in marriage.”

“B… b… button your lip, Brother!” Guy snaps, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

“Y… you truly are a n… nasty boy!” Sophie sputters. Embarrassed not only for herself, but Guy, as well, she clamps her lips tight, afraid what else might spew from her mouth. Clearly, Hugh Amberly was in need of a lesson in manners.

“L… l… leave me alone or I will c… c… c… call you out, Hugh,” Guy stammers.

“You will do no such thing, young man!” Lady Effingale bustles up, a thick quilt in her arms, and wraps it around Guy. Completely ignoring Sophie’s presence, she chides, “Inside now, before you catch a lung fever.” She turns to Hugh, “And you! You were supposed to watch over your brother. You will speak to your father as soon as we return to the house.”

Belatedly, she notices Sophie. “I do hope you are not wetted, Miss. Certainly, we will make amends for any items damaged in the event.”

“She saved my life, Mum,” Guy says.

“Is that so?” Lady Effingale raises a brow. “What a very… boyish thing to do. Ah, here we are.” She shuffles her sons through the front door to the manor house. “I’m sure we will see you at supper, Miss Templeton.”

After that, one never knows…

******************************

Meet Sophie Templeton in Under the Mistletoe, by Sherry Ewing, and Hugh and Guy Amberly in ’Tis Her Season, by Mariana Gabrielle, both available in:

mmm-3d-cover

Mistletoe, Marriage, & Mayhem: A Bluestocking Belles Collection

In this collection of novellas, the Bluestocking Belles bring you seven runaway Regency brides resisting and romancing their holiday heroes under the mistletoe. Whether scampering away or dashing toward their destinies, avoiding a rogue or chasing after a scoundrel, these ladies and their gentlemen leave miles of mayhem behind them on the slippery road to a happy-ever-after.

***All proceeds benefit the Malala Fund.***

Pre-order for November 1 delivery

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads Reviews

 ******************************

This blog post co-written by:

Mariana Gabrielle

www.MarianaGabrielle.com

Sherry Ewing

www.SherryEwing.com

 

_dsf0006-640x960Sherry Ewing picked up her first historical romance when she was a teenager and has been hooked ever since. A bestselling author, she writes historical and time travel romances to awaken the soul one heart at a time.

******************************

 

 

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The Bluestocking Belles Online:

— Website and home of the Teatime Tattler: www.BluestockingBelles.com

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A chat with our heroines from Mistletoe, Marriage, & Mayhem by Amy Rose Bennett & Sherry Ewing ~ Part Two

05 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by SherryEwing in 2015

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#BellesInBlue, Amy Rose Bennett, Bluestocking Belles, Mistletoe Marriage & Mayhem, Novella, Regency Romance, Sherry Ewing, Under the Mistletoe

peter-pritchard

This is Peter Prichard from the Regency Morning Gazette, reporting to you from Mrs. Marlowe’s Book Emporium and Teashop. Today I have the pleasure of sitting and chatting with Miss Tessa Penrose, the heroine of Amy Rose Bennett’s ‘All She wants for Christmas’ and Miss Margaret Templeton, the heroine of Sherry Ewing’s ‘Under the Mistletoe’. Both stories are contained within the Bluestocking Belles’ Christmas anthology ‘Mistletoe, Marriage & Mayhem’. This is part two of their interview.

Let us continue getting to know you, ladies.

Peter: What is the worst thing that has happened in your life? What did you learn from it?

portrait-of-a-young-woman-gilbert-stuart-200x42Margaret: Losing my mother was extremely difficult as it would be for anyone who has lost a loved one. If I have learned anything from her passing, I would say to treasure every moment that life brings you. You never know how long you shall be here to make even the smallest measure of difference in someone’s life.

Tessa: I too have lost my mother. She passed when I was fourteen. She understood and accepted me despite my wayward disposition and what some may consider, unseemly quirks. I loved her dearly and miss her so keenly sometimes it hurts. The worst part is, I believe she died from a broken heart. So I suppose it is easy to see why I eschew the idea of marriage. A sad lesson to learn at such a young age, isn’t it?

Peter: Describe your ideal mate.

Margaret: The man who I would take to husband would accept me for who I am and not a trophy to be shown off upon his arm. This is most likely the reason I remain unwed. My forward way of thinking that women have a mind and are capable of using it generally is my undoing when it comes to finding a husband.

mary-anne-bloxam-by-thomas-lawrence-200x238Tessa: I cannot think of a single man who would be a suitable match for me, or vice versa for that matter. A long time ago, when I was but a child, I did dream of finding a love match one day. But I am not a princess and my life is not a fairy tale. I am not expecting to meet, or ever want, such a fanciful thing as an ideal mate.

 Peter: Then, you do wish to marry someday?

Margaret: Yes, of course I do. My father would like nothing better than for me to find someone who would suit. He has been busy of late by bringing eligible men to our home in the hopes I might find a common accord with one. There has been one…but I must not divulge such information. I understand spoilers cause a reader to become upset when information is given away before they have a chance to read it for themselves.

Tessa: I think, given my previous response to your question, Mr. Prichard, my opinion on the subject is quite clear.

Peter: What do you want to avoid?

Margaret: Gossip. I despise small minded people who have nothing better to do than whisper behind another’s back. For whatever reason, it seems to follow me no matter how much I try to avoid it.

Tessa: I am used to a small degree of gossip about me, however, creating a scandal that would bring shame upon my family is something I wish to avoid at all costs. As I mentioned, my younger sister, Emma, is about to make her debut and securing a match is very important to her. She is such a pretty, lively girl, and so I fear she will be easy prey for unscrupulous rakes when she enters society. Unfortunately, my brother is friends with more than few such men. I pray they will be on their best behavior around Emma. If they are not, they will have me to answer to!

Peter: Thank you so much for meeting with me today and being so open to a discussion about your lives.

Margaret: Thank you, Mr. Prichard, for this opportunity. I see Mrs. Marlowe is sending someone with some tea and biscuits. I do hope you shall stay to have a cup with us.

Tessa: Yes, thank you, Mr. Prichard. I too have enjoyed talking to you and sharing a little a bit about our Christmas box set, Mistletoe, Marriage & Mayhem. And please, do stay for tea!

For Part One of this interview, be sure and pay a visit to Amy Rose Bennett’s website and don’t forget to leave a comment. We would love to hear back from you! For part one, click here.

Amy Rose Bennett’s Author Bio:

Amy Rose Bennett has always wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. An avid reader with a particular love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her favorite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed—and sometimes a little racy—stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.

Amy is happily married to her own Alpha male hero, has two beautiful daughters, and a rather loopy Rhodesian Ridgeback. She has worked as a speech pathologist for many years, but is currently devoting her time to her one other true calling—writing romance.

Connect with Amy Rose Bennett:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  |  Goodreads

 The Bluestocking Belles Website

To learn more about Sherry, click on any of the tabs above on her website!

Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem: A Bluestocking Belles Collection is releasing on November 1, 2015

 mmm-3d-cover

In this collection of novellas, the Bluestocking Belles bring you seven runaway Regency brides resisting and romancing their holiday heroes under the mistletoe. Whether scampering away or dashing toward their destinies, avoiding a rogue or chasing after a scoundrel, these ladies and their gentlemen leave miles of mayhem behind them on the slippery road to a happy-ever-after.

All She Wants for Christmas by Amy Rose Bennett

A frosty bluestocking and a hot-blooded rake. A stolen kiss and a Yuletide wedding. Sparks fly, but will hearts melt this Christmas?

When confirmed bluestocking, Tessa Penrose, is thoroughly compromised at a Yuletide ball by Jasper, the Earl of Arlington, she is none to pleased to have to marry him. But not only her reputation is at stake. Can Tessa trust this disreputable rogue with a secret she will do anything to hide?

One thing is certain: she dare not trust her husband with her heart.

Under the Mistletoe by Sherry Ewing

When Margaret Templeton is requested to act as hostess at Captain Sander Morledge’s Christmas party and possibly agree to marry him, she did not think she would see the man who once held her heart. Frederick, Viscount Beacham had never forgotten the young woman he had fallen in love with, and his feelings are evident when he sees her at a holiday gathering.

In a swirl of Christmas miracles and joyous celebration, will the two finally put down their differences and once again fall in love?

***All proceeds benefit the Malala Fund***

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |

Amazon AU  |  Amazon CA  |   Amazon UK

Don’t forget to join us on Facebook on November 1, 2015 from 4-9 p.m. EST for the Bluestocking Belles release party. You won’t want to miss it! Join the fun here

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  • First Kiss Friday with Deb Marlowe May 26, 2023
  • A New Release from Jane Charles May 23, 2023
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  • My next release ~ To Claim A Lyon’s Heart! May 13, 2023
  • First Kiss Friday with Shana Galen May 12, 2023

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