This week's Wednesday Wonders introduces
a collection of 9 sweet Regency romances
and featuring
Love's Refrain
by Patricia Kiyono
About Nine Ladies Dancing 2018:
Nine
bestselling authors present nine Regency romances — some traditionally sweet,
some clean, some mildly sensuous — in a boxed set you won’t want to miss!
Teach Me Under the Mistletoe by Kay Springsteen: What's a girl to do
when she's never been kissed, and the worldly man she wants regards her as a
child?
How It All Began for the Baron by Tabetha Waite: Cassie can’t stand her
brother’s best friend… really.
Love’s Refrain by Patricia Kiyono: Lady Laura Montgomery, acting as her
stepsister's chaperone, takes solace in poetry and her love of music. Can they
comfort her as she faces the man who stole her heart ten years ago?
Mistletoe Magic by Donna Hatch: Can the mistletoe work its magic and
open Evelyn’s eyes to true love at the Christmas ball?
The Matchmakers by Ruth J. Hartman: Jessie Selkirk has a mission — to
take care of every stray cat she finds. But when Baldwin Rutledge steps into
her barn looking for a cat, she develops a whole new interest.
The Ruse by Felicia Rogers: Luke Andrews, Baron of Stockport, is in
trouble. He needs a wealthy bride to secure future funds for his financially
shaky estate, but the lovely lady who’s caught his eye doesn’t have two sticks
to rub together — literally.
Heart of Delight by Jenna Jaxon: He’ll do anything to be her heart’s
delight — except tell the truth.
Mischief on Albemarle by Vivian Roycroft: Miss Beryl Wentworth is
silently, desperately in love with her childhood friend, Finian Fitzwilliam,
who unfortunately still treats her as if willing to shove her into the nearest
mud puddle... until a quite charming rake asks her for the first two dances at
the Hanover Square assembly room.
The Respectable Charades by Sherry Gloag: No one could have predicted
the chain of events triggered by Jenny's discovery of her fiance's body in his
library… least of all her chance to find true love.
From Patricia:
Thank
you so much for hosting me at your blog! Nine
Ladies Dancing is a collection of sweet to mildly sensual historical
romances released by Dingbat Publishing.
Love’s Refrain is a sweet novella set in the regency period. Originally
published in 2013, Love’s Refrain includes
characters from my Christmas Regency series, which includes The Partridge and the Peartree, Two Tutor
Doves, Three French Inns, and Four
Calling Bards. I remember this story took very little time to write,
because I had a clear idea of the main characters before I even started the
first paragraph.
Laura
Montgomery is a slightly older heroine, at least by Regency standards. She had
her season ten years ago, and is now considered “off the shelf.” I wondered
what it would be like for a woman like Laura, when women lacked the life
choices we enjoy now. I was 28 when I married – a bit later than many of my
friends, but in the nineteenth century I would have been considered a spinster.
I did some reading and brainstorming, and I decided Laura would be a lot like
me – responsible for her younger siblings, curious about the world around her,
and finding joy as well as solace in music.
Andrew
is the man Laura loved from afar. Ten years ago he married Laura’s best friend,
so she’s kept her feelings to herself. Of course he’s handsome, and kind. Like
all my heroes, he’s based partly on my handsome husband. Except that Andrew is
an earl and he plays the flute, and my husband… well, he’s a good listener! And
of course, my husband has no royal title. But several of the character traits
that attracted me to him so many years ago were incorporated into Andrew
Bradford. He cares deeply for his mother and tries to please her, even when he
finds her plans slightly distasteful. He’s fiercely protective of those he
loves. Most of all, he supports Laura’s love of the arts.
Definitely
hero material.
Blurb
Lady Laura Montgomery, acting
as her stepsister's chaperone, takes solace in poetry and her love of music.
Can they comfort her as she faces the man who stole her heart ten years ago?
Excerpt
Laura’s
thoughts went back ten years, to her own season. She’d been so young and naive
then, full of hopes, dreams, and romantic notions.
There
was one who figured prominently in her memories. One gentleman had stood out
among all the others — a tall, handsome, elegant young man. He had been
stylish, yet not vain. His hazel eyes had shone with intelligence, but he’d
listened politely when others spoke, those expressive eyes indicating genuine
interest. Through experience, she knew he was a graceful dancer, yet he seemed
content to spend time discussing the weather with the chaperones. There had
been no one else like him.
And
then, as if she had magically recalled him from her memory, he was there.
Andrew Bradford carried a plate of treats for his mother, the dowager Countess
Covington, whose regal presence held court in a seat to Laura’s right. The man
was as handsome as she remembered. His voice as he addressed the countess was
as sonorous and soothing as it had been when he’d held her in his arms for one
magical dance. Ten years ago, she’d fallen in love with Andrew, but he’d fallen
in love with her friend, Lady Priscilla. And so she’d had to watch as he’d
courted and then wed another.
Andrew
was now the Earl of Covington. Would he remember her? She doubted it. She was
no longer a debutante, but rather a spinster, relegated to the chaperones’
corner.
Author bio
Patricia Kiyono lives in
southwest Michigan with her husband, not far from her children and
grandchildren. She teaches music education at a nearby university, but when not
in the classroom she can be found writing, sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking, or
making music. A love of travel and an interest in faraway people inspires her
to create stories about different cultures.
It's Aug 13, 1961, in Berlin Germany. Nationale Volksarmee soldiers roll barbed wire across the war-torn city to create the first Berlin Wall. 
