Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Wedneaday Wonders: BELONG TO ME

 This week's Wednesday Wonders features 
Belong to Me 
by Kit Morgan


Book Description:  

The Cooke brothers, Duncan, Colin and Harrison, lived in a little town out west called Clear Creek. They moved to America as young boys and helped tame the Wild West with not only their fists, but impeccable manners! In all that time, they kept hearing bits and pieces of a tale their mother told them. Over the years however, not to mention the loss of their mother, they lost most of the story and could only remember one major detail. A crocodile. Oh, and their third cousin the earl of course, who later became a duke, and whose duchy eventually fell to Duncan – but that’s another tale. This tale is something else entirely … 

Anthony Sayer had toiled for the East India Company for many years and after the death of his father was more than happy to return to England once and for all. Unfortunately, the Company had other ideas for Anthony, ones he wasn’t too thrilled to take on. Little did he know he’d be taking on so much more.

Isabelle Bainbridge – better known as Isabelle Painbridge (or Hurricane Isabelle, depending on which circles one ran in) had given up any hopes of marriage. At twenty-six she was considered “on the shelf” by most of the ton and began to despair of ever finding a husband. Enter one Anthony Sayer. He was handsome, an earl and, better yet, available! But when a diary is delivered to her, its secrets turn Isabelle’s life upside down. Wishing to escape the horrible truths of the diary, she heads for India hoping to escape the scandal that will surely follow should anyone learn the book’s secrets. Unfortunately she runs into something else while abroad. Namely, one Anthony Sayer. And he isn’t exactly glad to see her. After all, Anthony has secrets of his own ...

Enjoy this clean and wholesome romance full of fun, adventure, and a few critters to boot!
 

Excerpt: 

   Anthony allowed himself to be ushered along. “She’s horribly ugly, isn’t she?” he stated more than asked.
“On the contrary!”
Anthony stopped again, this time causing Nigel to lose his grip and stumble ahead a few feet before he could right himself. He quickly apologized to several guests before turning to him. “Really, she’s quite beautiful. In fact, of the three Bainbridge daughters, she’s by far the most lovely.”
“Then why haven’t you danced with her? In fact,” Anthony added, knowing Nigel’s reputation for being a horrible rake, “why haven’t you …”
“Oh, but I have!” Nigel retorted and held one arm at the memory as if it were broken. “But I would never consider being anything but a gentleman with the lady. I value my life.”
Anthony could only stare. Value my life? 
Nigel smiled anew. “Tell you what, I’ll just make you a wager. Five quid says you can’t make it through one dance with Miss Bainbridge and leave here in one piece.”
Anthony scowled. He needed to get out of there, not play some foolish game with Nigel. “What the devil are you getting at? Just get me out of here!” he hissed.
“I cannot. But Miss Bainbridge can.”
Anthony could see a blur of bright yellow with a smaller blur of green in tow, approaching quickly. “Fine,” he groaned. “Where is she?”
Nigel pointed toward the refreshment table.
The usual guests were milling about. Men of lower rank and status that the matrons wouldn’t target until later, after they’d first run their daughters through the gauntlet of the higher-ranking bachelors in attendance. Married men and women, there for the entertainment that the Amesburys so graciously provided. And, of course, Mrs. Amesbury herself, at the end of the table near a massive punch bowl with an incredible ice sculpture of some sort of nymph climbing from its sugary depths.
Chatting with Mrs. Amesbury was a delectable-looking woman with the most striking chocolate-brown eyes he’d ever seen. Their warmth was unmistakable even at this distance and in stark contrast to her blonde hair. Pity she was probably the wife of one of the men nearby, as she was a touch older than most of the ladies in attendance. Most of them, Mrs. Amesbury had enthusiastically informed him, were in either their first or second season.
“There, talking to our beloved hostess,” Nigel informed him. “That’s Isabelle Bainbridge. Now be quick and save yourself! You haven’t much choice at this point.” He tossed his head at the women that almost had them surrounded.
The one in the lead caught her breath, then rushed at him in a mass of yellow silk and sweat. “Ohhhh, Lord Sayerrrrrr!”
Anthony nodded politely at her as he turned, glared one last time at the now-smirking Nigel, and charged toward the refreshment table and Isabelle Bainbridge.
“Lord Sayer, a moment if you please!” the woman in yellow screeched after him.
Anthony made his legs move faster. “Mrs. Amesbury!” he shouted over the din of his baying pursuers. It felt very much like a fox hunt – from the fox’s point of view.
His tone startled Miss Bainbridge, who jumped at the sound and dropped her glass of punch. It fell to the floor and shattered, spraying drink and glass everywhere. In response, she jumped away from the table and out of the mess.
Anthony didn’t have a prayer. Between his momentum from fleeing the herd of women behind him and the now-slippery floor, he slid headlong into the refreshment table, right beside the punch bowl. Being the trained officer he was, however, he managed to stop himself by grabbing either side of the massive bowl as he careened into it. The ice sculpture rocked dangerously, threatening to crash onto the table. What a pity to lose such a glorious creation, he thought as he got his booted feet under him and, still bent over the punch bowl, glared in Nigel’s direction.
The look of horror on Nigel’s face and Mrs. Amesbury’s scream of warning were the last things Anthony Sayer, the new Earl of Stantham, saw or heard before everything went black.

 
You may purchase Belong to Me on Amazon by CLICKING HERE.
 
About Kit Morgan:
A consistent Top 100 lists bestseller, Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, has been writing for fun all of her life. When writing as Geralyn Beauchamp, her books are epic, adventurous, romantic fantasy at its best. When writing as Kit Morgan they are whimsical, fun, inspirational sweet and clean stories that depict a strong sense of family and community. She hopes you will enjoy reading this first book in the The Bainbridge Sisters series.
 
 Website: www.authorkitmorgan.com  (social media links are there.)









Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Wednesday Wonders: THE COURAGEOUS BRIDES COLLECTION

 Today's Wednesday Wonders features 
Debby Lee's novella
Love On the Run
 part of the
The Courageous Brides Collection

BOOK DESCRIPTION:




Ride into adventures alongside nine determined women of yesteryear whose acts of compassion and bravery attract male attention. Marcy helps displaced Indians. Emmy tends wounds at Fort Snelling. Ronnie stows away on a cattle drive. Daisy disguises herself as a Pony Express rider. Elinor becomes an abolitionist. Mae tames wild horses. Hannah gets help for accident victims. Lucy’s curiosity unnerves criminals. Kate nurses soldiers on the battlefield. Will real dangers douse the sparks of love?



EXCERPT from Love On the Run

          Chapter 1  
Daisy Hollister’s gaze fell on the slicked-up man in Army blue stepping down from the stage coach. The polished medals and shiny buttons on the officer’s uniform glistened in the summer sun like the thirty pieces of silver once held by Judas Iscariot. From a distance the man appeared to be Randall “Butch” Butchovick, the snake who had haunted her nightmares for a year. 

A slight breeze blew through the branches of a nearby tree causing the late afternoon shadows danced around the horse-drawn conveyance so Daisy couldn’t recognize the man for sure. For a closer inspection, she snuck forward a few steps. A small barrel of sugar sat atop a larger barrel of dried beans. They provided a measure of obscurity as she stepped behind them. Her gloved hands clutched her reticule so hard her fingers ached.

“See to it my trunks are delivered to the hotel.” The man called to the stage coach driver.

Air flew from Daisy’s lungs in a whoosh. That voice! This was Butch, all right. Her knees went weak with fear, and rebelled at the thought of holding her upright. Thank the Lord the barrel provided support. She leaned against the rough wooden container. What now? She couldn’t spend the rest of her days running from the goon, yet confronting him could mean a trip to the Pearly Gates. 

The sound of heavy boots clomping along the boardwalk jerked Daisy’s attention to the person approaching her.

The stage coach driver carried a mail sack. “Afternoon Ma’am.” He tipped his hat as he passed by.

Daisy nodded, but was too frightened to manage a reply. Two young boys lugging a large trunk followed the driver. Farther down the boardwalk she spied Butch. He puffed on a cigar and leered at a saloon girl who had just stepped through the establishment’s batwing doors.

 Daisy had to find a way out of town, fast.

About Debby Lee:

Debby Lee was raised in the cozy little town of Toledo, Washington. She has been writing since she was a small child, but never forgets home.


The Northwest Christian Writers and Romance Writers of America are two writing organizations she enjoys being a part of. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the  Steven Laube Literary Agency.

As a self professed nature lover, and an avid listener of 1960's folk music, Debby can't help but feel like a hippie child who wasn't born soon enough to attend Woodstock. She wishes she could run barefoot all year long, but often does anyway in grasses, and on beaches in her hamlet that is the cold and rainy southwest Washington.

During football season, Debby cheers on the Seattle Seahawks along with legions of other devoted fans. She's also filled with wanderlust and dreams of visiting Denmark, Italy, and Morocco someday.

Debby Lee loves connecting with her readers. Visit her website at www.booksbydebbylee.com


AUTHOR PLATFORM LINKS:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Blog

PURCHASE LINKS:


 

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Wednesday Wonders: THE CAPTAIN




Today's Wednesday Wonders features 
The Captain  
By Julie Coulter Bellon

Book description:


Captain Colt Mitchell is part of the elite Griffin Force team hunting down terrorist Nazer al-Raimi. After an attack on the Canadian Parliament buildings, the team gets good intel on Nazer’s whereabouts. They plan to grab him, but when the mission goes wrong, Colt is captured and dragged away. Bruised, restrained, and disoriented, Colt is stunned to see Brenna Wilson, the Canadian intelligence officer who broke his heart years ago, standing next to Nazer. But how deep is she in the operation and can she help Colt escape?

After the devastating attack on Canadian soil, Brenna is recruited to go undercover to find out what Nazer is planning next. She’s close to her goal until her former flame Colt Mitchell is taken hostage. Walking away from him has always been her biggest regret and she knows she has to save him, even if it blows her mission. Taking matters into her own hands, she pulls off a daring escape, but Colt and Brenna must learn to trust each other again if they want to stay alive. With their hearts and their lives on the line can they survive long enough to stop Nazer from ravaging another country’s sense of security?

Short Excerpt:

          She went to the side of the metal cot and looked down at his face.  Her heart rate sped up and she blinked, not believing what her eyes were seeing. The nose that was just a little crooked, the proud chin, the short dark hair.  A roar of blood rushed through her ears and she grabbed the side table for support.  She knew this man.  Once upon a time, she’d known his face almost as well as her own. 
          How can Colt Mitchell be here? When she left to join counter-intelligence and he joined Joint Task Force 2, she’d thought she’d never see him again.  Why was he here? She immediately reached for the bonds strapping him to the bed before she pushed her instinct down. She couldn’t untie him. She couldn’t help him at all.
          Clenching her fists, she tried to quell the panic rising within her. Colt would recognize her and her cover would be blown. Not to mention that Nazer would kill them both.  She had to get him out. But helping him in any way would blow her cover as well. She was stuck.
          What could she do?
          Taking a breath and letting it out, she brushed his hair back.  His cheek was swelling, the eye above it already swollen shut, and he was covered in soot. He’d obviously been in a fire and a fight.  Turning him slightly she could see an angry burn on his neck. At least that was one thing she could help him with. Quickly grabbing the discarded cloth napkin from the side table, she dipped it in the water jug. She glanced back at the unconscious man, still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Colt was here.  She wrung out the napkin and came back to his side, gently pressing the wet fabric against the burn. It wouldn’t do much, but at least it was something.
          Standing there, offering such a small comfort, she felt tears clog her throat.  Once he was awake her hands would be tied, and she wouldn’t be able to even offer him water. Could she really watch him suffer?
           her lip, she dipped the napkin in the cool water once more. So many memories of their time together, the flirting, the fun, the way he’d looked at her when they’d said goodbye. How could they have come to this?
          “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she drew back and picked up the tray. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered herself, then left the room and shut the door.

About Julie Coulter Bellon:


Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of more than a dozen romantic suspense novels. Her book All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense and Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense.

Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she's visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle, Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

Julie offers writing and publishing tips as well as her take on life on her blog ldswritermom.blogspot.com You can also find out about all her upcoming projects at her website juliebellon.com

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