Thursday, February 28, 2019

#RomanceIsInTheAir - Author Aubrey Wynne & Giveaway

 


  


   

A Wicked Earl's Widow by Aubrey Wynne 

Eliza is forced into marriage with no idea her life will change for the better. Married less than a year, her unwilling rake of a husband is surprisingly kind to her—until his sudden death. The widowed Countess of Sunderland remains under her in-laws’ protection to raise her newborn daughter. But her abusive father is on the brink of financial ruin and has plans for another wedding. Nathaniel, Viscount of Pendleton, gains his title at the age of 12. His kindly but shrewd estate manager becomes father and mentor, instilling in the boy an astute sense of responsibility and compassion for his tenants. Fifteen years later, his family urges him to visit London and seek a wife. The ideal doesn’t appeal to him, but his sense of duty tells him it is the next logical step. Lord Pendleton stumbles upon Eliza on the road, defending an elderly woman against ruffians. After rescuing the exquisite damsel in distress, he finds himself smitten. But Nate soon realizes he must discover the dark secrets of her past to truly save the woman he loves.

   





“Another beautiful historical romance gem from Aubrey Wynne.” N.N. Light Book Reviews 

“Well-crafted,engaging tale of loss and love.” Verified 5 star review 

“A sweet, historical romance to brighten any heart. By the end, I was teary-eyed and touched by the story.” Goodreads Review 


  


 

April 1818
Falsbury Estates
Northern England


Eliza rubbed the polished marble set in the stone wall, one gloved hand tracing her husband’s name. A tear rolled down her cheek as Althea clutched at her skirts, the toddler pulling and fidgeting in the quiet mausoleum.

Here lies the body of
Carson Roker, Earl of Sunderland
Son of Allan Roker, Marquess of Falsbury
16 June 1815
Aged 31 years
The Lord hath given him rest from all his enemies. 11 Samuel 7:1

“Oh, Carson, I miss your laughter and strength. I envy the fact your demon no longer chases you, but mine is close on our heels.” The chill of the surrounding limestone seeped into her bones. “How shall I keep him at bay?”

She sniffled and bent down to touch her daughter’s plump cheeks. The tiny face turned up, two matching dimples peeking out from the corners of her mouth as she smiled.

“Can you see how beautiful your little girl grows each day? Your mother says she has your coloring and my eyes, your boundless energy and my common sense. A perfect combination, don’t you think?”

Althea tugged impatiently at her skirts again. “Mama, go now.” One chubby finger pointed toward the small garden behind the mausoleum. The stained glass at the end of the building shed a pastel rainbow over the budding flowers and short rock wall.

“Yes, my sweet, you may play.”

The girl ran toward the back exit then stopped. Her small feet hopped on the reflecting kaleidoscope of colors, the sun’s rays gleaming through the painted glass.

“Yellow,” she said and hopped again. “Gween.” Another hop. “Blue.”

“Very good. Only two, and you know all your colors.” She brushed back the glossy midnight curls that rebelled against the confinements of hat and ribbons. The lacey plum bonnet matched the girl’s sparkling eyes.

“Pick flowers.”

“Yes, go pick some flowers. Not too many and only those that have bloomed.”

Eliza sat heavily on the bench across from Carson’s epitaph. Althea squealed in delight at the yellow blossoms clinging to the locked gate. One of these days, the enclosure would not be tall enough to hold her precocious daughter.

The monthly visits were a comforting ritual. At first, she’d come to be alone and grieve. To mourn the death of her husband taken after a year of marriage, leaving behind a pregnant widow. To mourn the affection she’d dreamed of all her young life, only to have it snatched away so quickly. To mourn the father who would never hold his child, and the child who would never know the man her father had become.

Theirs had been an arranged marriage. A duty for Carson, the Earl of Sunderland, a twin who had tried to pass his responsibilities on to his brother. An escape for Lady Eliza, daughter of the Marquess of Landonshire, from a brutal father and a lonely childhood. Her father had not cared about the roguish character of his future son-in-law. His priority was increasing his wealth and improving the family connection.

Carson’s reputation as a rake had not been exaggerated. Yet Eliza had sensed a generous but vulnerable heart in her husband, cleverly disguised by sarcasm and alcohol. The wedding night had been brief and perfunctory. The groom had been gentle but distant. She had seen little of her husband during the days following until…

She smiled, remembering the first gift he’d given her. A bouquet of flowers he’d picked at dawn as he stumbled home after one month of marriage. He had knocked at her door, one hand behind his back, smelling of alcohol and the clubs. After a mumbling an apology for missing the previous night’s obligations, he’d handed her a bouquet of crushed violets.

“I thought they matched your eyes.”

She had gazed from the mangled petals to the contrite man intensely interested in his dusty boots. As she put the flowers to her nose, the sweet scent was her undoing. The tears had come unbidden and swift as Eliza clutched the first gift she’d ever received from a man. It had also been the earl’s undoing when she gave him a brilliant watery smile.

“By Christ, woman, if you weep over wilted flowers, you’ll flood the Thames when I give you jewels.”

She’d only nodded her head and sniffled. Carson had pulled out a handkerchief and awkwardly dried her cheeks. As she looked up at him, their eyes met and held. Something passed between them at that moment. Two lost souls finding the same purchase in a storm they’d battled all their lives. He’d kissed her then. His lips gentle and sweet. It had been a different kind of kiss from her wedding night. Not polite and careful but questioning and heavy with need. Her first taste of passion.


 


   

Author Aubrey Wynne 


Bestselling and award-winning author Aubrey Wynne is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. She resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule, and barn cats. Obsessions include wine, history, travel, trail riding, and all things Christmas. Her Chicago Christmas series has received the Golden Quill, Aspen Gold, Heart of Excellence, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Aubrey’s first love is medieval romance but after dipping her toe in the Regency period in 2018 with the Wicked Earls’ Club, she was smitten. This inspired her spin-off series Once Upon a Widow. In 2020, she will launch the Scottish Regency series A MacNaughton Castle Romance with Dragonblade Novels. 

 



    

 




  

   

Giveaway Details $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 3/21/19 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   





#RomanceIsInTheAir - Author Donna K. Weaver & Giveaway

 


With the Magic by Donna K. Weaver 

 When Gareth Hildebrand travels from the year 1850 to a future time, he’s not expecting to fall in love. As the eighth Earl of Kellworth, Gareth is accustomed to getting what he wants. Then he encounters a woman he suspects is from the future--a utopian future that he feels compelled to see. He intends to get what he wants, but it will involve dealing with fae magic. And that could lead to disaster--for his heart. Dr. Catherine Ryan is drawn to the handsome guest at Twickenham Manor, with his odd combination of childish excitement and old eyes that have seen too much pain. She loses her heart to him before she discovers the truth of when he’s from. Now she faces the biggest decision of her life!

     




  

This book made me laugh a little then cry a lot, and then left me very happy. I love it when a book can do that - keep me up reading until 2:00 in the morning, yet feel like it was totally worth it! ~Teresa 

I'll be honest, fantasy and time travel are not genres I usually read. Because of this, I was a little overwhelmed at the beginning, but eventually found myself sucked into the story and had a hard time putting it down. Gareth and Catherine are so sweet together. I love their give and take with one another. They complement each other so nicely. ~Melissa 

This was so exciting and lovely how it all came together. I could see just how it all played out in my mind as I read. Excitement and danger was there, love and denial also. Two hearts brought together through time only for one to think they would bring the other down. Great ending and am looking forward to the next in the series. ~Lady the Owls 


 


  

Whenever Catherine had observed anomalies at Twickenham Manor, they’d always seemed to come from upstairs. Since the first time Catherine had toured the house, she’d felt a pull to seek out whatever was up those stairs. She let out a breath; she should return to the ballroom.

The Americans were passing her, and the tall woman who’d been crying said something that sent a chill down Catherine’s spine.

“I can’t bear that they’re all dead now.”

Dead? The comment brought a macabre feel to the evening, and Catherine’s curiosity-itch flared. She peered at the stairs again with narrowed eyes; she had to investigate.

But, if Aunt Nellie were to discover Catherine up there, would she be banned from coming to Twickenham again? She reminded herself that “curiosity killed the cat.” In her mind, her grandmother’s voice finished the old adage, “But satisfaction brought him back.”

Still, Catherine needed to ask herself if the risk would be worth it. These balls had become the one bright spot in her life. If she were to lose them too . . .

Then the ever-present pull gave a stronger tug, the sense that there was something else going on and she must investigate. The American woman had said “they” were dead. Catherine was a doctor. Surely she had a responsibility to investigate.

Glancing to make sure she was alone, she picked up her skirts and began the climb. Winded by the time she reached the last landing before the fourth floor, she paused to catch her breath, vowing to start exercising regularly. Catherine had been blessed with a fast metabolism, so people were forever thinking she was fitter than she was.

She climbed the last flight. The hallway was unremarkable, lined with paintings. Listening for the sounds of movement, she examined the portraits as she went down the hallway. She heard nothing, and she didn’t smell blood.

One door stood open, so she let the tug lead her inside. The long room held nothing but more paintings. How odd. There were a few chairs scattered around, but it didn’t look like it was meant to be a regular gathering place for people to sit together and talk.

Most of the pictures were busts of individuals, but in the center of the room hung a large painting of five people, three women and two men. Catherine blinked. It was the Americans, and their painted images wore the same clothing the five had on tonight. She shivered.

The young man she’d danced with hadn’t attended the Regency immersion vacation, having only arrived that day. When had someone had time to paint him? She’d also never heard that Twickenham had an artist on staff.

She studied the rest of the pictures in the room. Some were dressed in Regency clothing, but there were many others that spanned several eras. The one with the Americans was the only picture of such a large group. Whoever had arranged the paintings lacked any sense of design, leaving large sections of the walls empty.

That pull came again, as though Catherine had a string attached to her chest that drew her. This time it was to a portrait of a man placed to the right of the one with the Americans. Catherine came to stand before his painting, wondering who he was.

He appeared to be a little older than she was with a few silver strands at his temples. He also had what she’d call a regal bearing. She worked with enough surgeons and specialists who were used to being in charge, and this man had that look about him. He also wore an expression of someone with a fierce determination, the type of man people would steer clear of.

Catherine stepped closer to the painting. Behind the force of will that he projected, he had pain etched on his face. Her heart ached for him. What had happened to mark him that way?


   




   

Author Donna Weaver 


Award-winning author-wife-mother-grandmother-Army veteran-karate black belt-Harry Potter nerd-online gamer. 





  

   





   

Giveaway Details $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 3/20/19 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   





#RomanceIsInTheAir - Author G.G. Vandagriff, Sale & Giveaway

 




  

 Rescuing Rosalind by G.G. Vandagriff  

#1 Amazon Bestseller in Regency romance 

"Prolific author G.G. Vandagriff creates a world full of intrigue, suspense, and romance that fans of the Regency Period will adore. Vandagriff writes in a style reminiscent of Georgette Heyer."--Deseret News. 

When frigate Captain Buckingham Kernow-Smith encounters a sprite in a topiary garden he pulls off her stocking cap, revealing the character of “Rosalind” from As You Like It, played, in this case, by the appealing Fanny Edwards. Three years pass. The War over, Buck encounters his Rosalind at a ball, where she has developed into a notable beauty. However, her guardian confides to him that she is dancing on the very edge of propriety. Buck, who has been fighting the French since he was twelve, also finds the ton confining and sympathizes with Fanny/Rosalind’s plight as a properly reared young lady. Together, they make a dangerous pair, toeing the line between propriety and scandal. When they push their fun too far, Fanny faces ruin and the demimonde. Will Buck confide his own secrets and overcome his life-long aversion to marriage? Can there be a happily ever after for someone as headstrong and impetuous as Fanny?

    




 

"Vandagriff's Regency Austen-esque romance is perfect for any reader who loves a good old-fashioned romance and can enoy the journey of two people learning not to fear love while learning how to have faith in each other." --Deseret News 

"Regency Romance in the style of Austen and Heyer. Love as it's meant to be written." --InDtale Magazine 

"Another Regency delight from G.G. Vandagriff!" --Meridian Magazine 


 


   




  

Chapter One
 
It had been many years since Captain Buckingham Kernow-Charles, Marquis of Deal, had strolled in the formal Ruisdell Palace gardens. The topiary animals that had so delighted him when he was twelve were now rendered even more magical by a frosting of snow. The last time he had seen them was that summer before he first went to sea. The giraffe, the boar, the jaguar, and . . . what was that?
Before him in the freezing mist appeared a slender, small youth dressed in tights, a belted tunic, and a comical hat that resembled nothing so much as a blue and red striped stocking.
 
“Marry, kind sir, how com’st thou here?”
 
He blinked his eyes, but the youth remained. His comely, almost feminine features had a puzzled look. Upon closer inspection, Buck saw signs of a bosom and smothered a grin.
 
“I am a guest of the duke. My name is Captain Kernow-Charles,” he said, forgetting his new title.
 
The apparition bowed from the waist. “And I, kind sir, am Gannymede. Welcome to the Forest of Arden.”
 
Buck’s forehead bunched in a frown. Gannymede? Shakespeare? As You Like It? Striding forward, he took hold of the end of the stocking hat and pulled. Out tumbled waves of thick auburn hair, descending to Gannymede’s waist.
 
“Thou art Rosalind, I think?”
 
“Thou dost not play fair, sir.”
 
He chuckled. “You are, quite obviously, a girl. Your disguise was futile. Does your mother know you are cavorting about dressed as a boy, boldly addressing strangers?”
 
“Rosalind” blushed a fiery red that clashed with her bounteous hair. “My mother is nothing to do with you, sir. She lives in Shropshire. I am sister to the duchess and may do as I please.”
 
“How old are you?” he asked with the sternness for which he was known aboard ship.
 
“I do not see that that is any of your business, sir.” Her eyes, an unusual shade of turquoise, snapped with annoyance.
 
“You may address me as Captain. My guess places you at sixteen. Am I wrong?”
 
“Quite wrong, Captain. I am to make my curtsey to the Queen in the spring. I am a great many months older than seventeen.”
 
He saw that she was beginning to shiver in her scant clothing.
 
“It is too cold for you to be out in this weather dressed as you are. Come back to the house.”
 
Looking mulish, she said, “I am not cold. Besides which, I am meeting Jacques.”
 
“If I know Jacques, he will not come out in such weather.”
 
“He wishes to write a poem about it.”
 
“A lament, you mean.”
 
“Possibly. May I say, you are quite overbearing, Captain? But at least you know your Shakespeare.” 




   

Author G.G. Vandagriff 


G.G. Vandagriff is an Amazon #1 best selling author of Regency romance, however she has recently begun a Romantic Suspense series starting with the publication of Breaking News It surrounds the events in a Chicago TV station's investigative journalism unit and is lots of fun. Her first novel The Last Waltz, the first novel in her 20th Century Historical Romance Series won the Whitney Award for Best Historical Novel in 2009. There are now two more books in that series--Exile and Defiance. Her thirteen Regencies have been lauded by critics and compared to the witty novels of Georgette Heyer. She has also written a lively genealogical mystery series featuring Briggie and Alex, two wacky widows, as sleuths. Alex is in her thirties, Briggie in her sixties, and both have plenty of romance in their lives. Vandagriff graduated from Stanford and received her master's degree from George Washington University. She worked as an associate editor at Stanford's Hoover Institution, an assistant treasurer in the Harvard Treasurer's office, a bond analyst at Fidelity Investments, and an international banker for Continental Illinois National Bank (later acquired by Bank of America). She and her husband David are the parents of three children and seven grandchildren, her greatest joys in life. Her favorite novel? Jane Eyre. She also loves Florence, Sundance Resort, Cubs baseball, hot chocolate, lilacs, and dachshunds.


   




  

https://amzn.to/2EEJGAu
   


 
  

   

Giveaway Details $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 3/19/19 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.