A Horse as a Character and Free Excerpt

 

PG Excerpt from THE ROGUE'S RING

Once Bryce had peeled the frozen coat from his body, he headed up the ladder. The blankets were reasonably clean. Heat enveloped him within minutes of having nestled beneath them.

“A short nap is all I need.” His voice echoed amid the rafters. The outside rush of wind and pitter-patter of sleet accentuated the weariness evident in his voice. The cold that had washed over him as he and Ghost rode the trail disappeared. Having only a few blankets for warmth saddened him.

What I’d give for a lass to share my bed…

A dream about Cat and her luscious lips disappeared when he awoke in the dark. No sounds emanated from the roof, meaning the sleet had abated. The darkness concerned him, though. He had overslept, which might be the lingering result of the sleeping draught Cat had given him.

He hated to head out in the dark, but the better weather meant he might get out of the area and closer to Inverness sooner. Climbing down from the loft, Ghost snorted his disapproval at being ignored and alone for so long. Turning his head, he neighed so loud a barn owl flew from the rafters and out a broken window.

“Now, do not be upset. You hated having sleet coat your head as much as I. Here.”

The beast gulped down the fresh water and a handful of oats Bryce offered him.

“We need to go, my friend.”

The farmer appeared before Bryce could lead Ghost from the barn. “Leaving this late, my lord? My wife sent ye some food and wine.”

“My thanks to you and your wife. I overslept, so must be on my way.” He grabbed the sliced loaf of bread stuffed with a hunk of ham and cheese. He ignored the wine. 

“Which way toward Inverness? The road closest to the sea was blocked by downed trees.”

“The main road be that a way, my lord. With the clouds gone, the moon should light yer way, good enough.”

Mounting atop Ghost, he tipped his cap and rode away, eager to leave the area in his wake. As they trotted along and Bryce chewed his food, he thought back to the lass he had loved years earlier. She lived on a similar farm in the same area, and had welcomed him into her heart and into her bed. 

 

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Like Historical Romance set in Scotland? Another Chapter Teaser

 

PG Excerpt: The Rogue’s Ring  

Where is it? Cat murmured, cursing under her breath as she sought the rest of the stranger’s gold coins. The sleeping draft would not last long. Long enough, she prayed, so she could make her way back home before he woke.

When she couldn’t reach into the bulky overcoat and satchel he slept upon, she dug her fingers into his jacket’s inside pocket.

Success!

Removing her fingers, three more gold coins appeared. As she slipped them down her bodice, two silver eyes glared up at her.

“What are you doing?” The stranger sat up, grabbed both of her wrists, and pulled her into his lap.

“Why, nothing. Ye fell asleep and I dinna’ wish to wake ye. I worried that ye had stopped breathing, ’tis all. ’Twould never do to have a guest of the inn come to any harm. Are ye well?”

He blinked, then lowered his gaze to the tops of her breasts. She could feel the heat stirring from his attention. Was her flesh growing pink with guilt?

Had he seen her hide the coins? Did he realize how much time had passed since she had offered him drugged wine? He ought to be fast asleep, but he blinked again, then growled.

“Please. I must be on my way home.” If she did not leave now, Devlin might slap her once again, or throw her to his men. His threats had grown worse and more depraved. Her plans to escape his influence required money. The three coins she’d stolen from the Englishman would help her achieve her goal.

He stared back at her face, then released one hand and turned her head sideways. “Did someone hit you?”

His warm fingers gently stroked her scar and the newer bruise she had to assume had turned purple. “Aye. ’Tis a consequence of working in such a place. Many travelers curse the weather yet take out their frustrations on whomever strays close. I shall survive.”

“Like the brute who grabbed you by the hair tonight? You seemed to know him, but a stranger would do worse? You need a protector.”

When she attempted a small smile, he released his hold on her chin. In an instant, his free hand strayed down her bodice and gripped the coins.

“Nay!” she cried, to no avail.

“A thief? Strange, since I believe I compensated you more than enough inside.” He pushed her away.

Stumbling backward, she hit the wall, then returned to his side with her fists defiantly on her hips. She could only glare down at him. She was not leaving without those coins. Her future depended on acquiring the means to live elsewhere and free from her brother’s abuse. Those coins could get her and Blake hundreds of miles from him and his pirate crew.

He staggered to his feet. Surprise filled his handsome face at his loss of equilibrium. He tunneled his fingers through his dark hair. Several strands of silver glimmered at his temples, nearly matching the glaring silver of his eyes. Surprised to face eyes the same color as her son’s, she gasped. 

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Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author K.C. Bateman

K. C. Bateman, a fellow Romance Writers of America member, stopped by to share her newest book, which you can pre-order now! Take it away!

The Devil To Pay is a Renaissance Italy-set Historical Romance featuring a ruthless mercenary skilled in the art of conquest, an heiress who refuses to be tamed, and a devilishly sexy bargain . . . 

Release date 28 Aug 2018. It is available for $1.99 pre-order until release.

Not part of a series.

Book Blurb

Italy, 1492.

Cara di Montessori has a price upon her head. Her traitorous uncle has murdered her father and seized her home. Her only hope of survival, and of regaining her birthright, is an alliance with her childhood nemesis, the infamous mercenary Il Diavolo. The most irritating—and seductive—man Cara’s ever met.

Battle hardened and world-weary, Alessandro del Sarto has earned the sobriquet Il Diavolo. He needs a politically expedient marriage to secure the lasting peace he craves, but the simpering ladies of court hold little interest. More than anything, he longs for a challenge.

Headstrong beauty Cara has always been Il Diavolo’s only weakness, the one woman he’s never been able to forget. When she appears at his door begging for help, the two strike a devil’s bargain. In return for his assistance, for two weeks Cara must entertain his guests, relieve his boredom—and warm his bed. 

Cara has no intention of succumbing to del Sarto’s studied seduction, but the passion that simmers between them is more potent than her paper twists of gunpowder. Surrounded by danger and intrigue, she must choose between what she’s always thought of as her destiny, and what could be the greatest prize of all—her heart’s desire.

Excerpt from The Devil To Pay 

Chapter 1.

Central Italy, June 1492.

Cara di Montessori was sick of people trying to kill her.  

As a child she’d trailed her father through some of the most godforsaken places in Christendom, so it had been a rare week that hadn’t included a scimitar-wielding Saracen or bloodthirsty Moor trying to send her to the afterlife. But familiarity with the experience did not make it any more enjoyable. And besides, those instances had been impersonal, only to be expected of campaigning, whereas this attempt was personal in the extreme. ‘Uncle’ Lorenzo did not want her alive to dispute his seizure of Castelleon.

His men were proving annoyingly persistent. He must have offered a ransom to keep them on her tail, and though Cara doubted her life was worth a great deal, everyone had their price. In truth, she was staking her life on that very premise, about to make a pact with the Devil himself.

If she could reach him.

Alessandro del Sarto, ‘Il Diavolo,’ was the last person in Italy she would have chosen to ask for help, but engaging his dubious talents was her only hope of staying alive and regaining her home. He was condottiero. A killer for hire.

Cara wrinkled her nose in distaste. Mercenary described both del Sarto’s profession and his nature. Il Diavolo sold himself to the highest bidder. He didn’t care which side won or lost, or whether the cause was worth fighting for, only whether the victor could pay his exorbitant fees. Every monarch in Europe wanted him. And now she needed him, too.

‘Better to dance with the devil you know,’ Father used to say. Well, she hadn’t seen this particular devil in six long years, not since she was sixteen. He’d knocked her on her backside, then kissed her until she’d seen stars. She’d threatened to kill him in return. He’d haunted her dreams ever since.

Cara shivered. She hated being cold. At least if she ended up in hell for bartering her soul she’d be warm. She nudged her exhausted horse forward and wished—for perhaps the hundredth time—that she’d stolen a mount with a better saddle. The urge to slump over the animal’s scrawny neck was so strong. She hadn’t eaten for two days, hadn’t dared stop for more than an hour at most. Every jolt of the animal’s hooves reopened the wound at her ribs and brought a fresh wave of dizziness and pain. Perchance the quick slash of an assassin’s blade would be preferable to dying slowly of blood loss?

No. She would reach Il Diavolo. She had hundreds of things she wanted to do before leaving this world, and she’d hardly managed to achieve any of them. Quite apart from avenging her father’s death and regaining her home, she planned on dying a wrinkled old crone in a nice warm bed, surrounded by a huge and loving family. A young, heroic death was all very well in principle, but it looked extremely unappealing now it was a distinct possibility.

Whirling lights crowded her vision like fireflies and Cara shook her head. The stumbling horse crested a rise, and she let out a breathless prayer of thanks. There it was, outlined against the deepening twilight; Torre di San Rocco, the fortified city strongold of Italy’s most infamous son.

Cara kicked the horse into an exhausted trot. She would reach Il Diavolo, or die trying.

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More About the Author

Kate Bateman, writing as K. C. Bateman, is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of Regency and Renaissance historical romances, including To Steal a Heart, A Raven’s Heart and A Counterfeit Heart. Her books feature feisty, intelligent heroines, (badasses in bodices!) wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss. When not writing, Kate leads a double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK. She currently lives in Illinois with a number-loving husband and three inexhaustible children, and regularly returns to her native England ‘for research.’ Connect with her here:

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Also by K. C. Bateman...

Nancy Lee Badger Presents D.R. Grady

D.R.Grady stopped by to share her new release and to talk about her writing. Take it away!

Seeking: Warrior King is a short (50K words) fantasy romance. It is my twenty-first book and is also my first foray into fantasy romance. A genre I haven’t explored yet. This book came about from battery ad, then I dreamed about it, and I had to write the story.

Book 2 is written, entitled Seeking: Maiden Queen and is in the final stages of editing. No release date yet, but anyone wanting more info can visit my website and join my newsletter for up-to-date information and be the first to know.

I also write contemporary romance—some with suspense elements (The Morrison Family series or my “nerd” series), romantic suspense (The Me Series) and paranormal romance (The Dragon Chronicles Series).

Book Blurb:

With her beloved mother dying, Crown Princess Raene of Montequirst must prepare to be queen and choose a husband within hours of the death. By law, he must be the greatest warrior in the land. The only man who fits that description, who she can tolerate, is her friend and mentor, Vidar the Loyal. He’s a member of the elite Aasguard warriors, who have never married in their centuries of existence.

While the mightiest men of the nation circle Raene in an attempt to boost their own rank and wealth, a neighboring country is also making plans against Montequirst. With the aid of his clumsy dragon companion, Vidar has been teaching Raene to wield her legendary sword in order to defend her throne. Meanwhile, they’re both battling an attraction neither understands.

Can they possibly break the age-old traditions that bind them and choose their heart’s desire?

Excerpt from Seeking: Warrior King

   “Come no further.” The command was uttered in the graveled tones of two rocks rubbing together.

   It sent a skitter of something other than fear down her spine. She stepped closer.

   Indeed, nothing could have prevented her from doing so.

   The warrior straightened his massive length. “This is forbidden.” His inflection didn’t change, but his burning silver eyes pierced her. They glowed as though they saw far more than the outward. A shiver undulated down her spine.

   He squared his shoulders, hand resting on his sword hilt, on the balls of his feet.

   His shadow is bigger than me.

   Her second gulp was audible.

   Yet if she didn’t set her course now... Retreat ceased to be an option, despite the way her heart pounded too loudly in her ears.

   Eyes narrowing, Raene drew her sword. Although she hadn’t practiced nearly like she should have, the weapon flowed from the sheath with deadly precision.

   The warrior sighed deep. When he drew his sword, the echo of metal on old leather made sweat pool along her spine. His hand clasped the hilt with practiced ease, as though sword and hand were one.

   By the time he countered her opening thrust, her heart had jumped into her mouth.

   Fighting in this manner is beyond us, her inner voice yelped. This is a true warrior. We cannot hope to battle this one and win.

   But she gritted her teeth and parried his forward blow. I am not here to win. Not at this juncture. The need to defend herself, to learn all she could, set her jaw.

   Perhaps I am a novice, but we continue, she stated in determined tones to her skeptical self. This needed doing, so they would do it.

   His lazy counter sent pain ricocheting up her arm. She breathed through the pain, and offered up her best defensive move. While clumsy and weak, she did remain on her feet.

   The only advantage she had proved to be her size. The delightful muscles bunching and releasing with his every movement were pretty, but their sheer girth proved a hindrance to him.

   She ducked under his sword and jabbed with a small dance that came naturally to her.

   He backpedaled to block the blow, but it had been close. He eyed her with a tinge of respect.

   Although both knew she was not up to his skill in any way.

   When he didn’t pierce her with the sharp end of his sword for the second time, she realized he had another advantage. He had no intention of killing her. Even though he was supposed to.

   Wiping away the blinding sweat, she stumbled a few steps back to peer up into his face.

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More About the Author

D.R. Grady is the author of over twenty clean romance novels. She lives with her husband near Hershey, PA and adores chocolate, laughing, collecting bags, books, and shoes. Oh, and writing clean stories that resonate with others. Connect with her here:

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Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Sofie Darling

Please welcome author Sofie Darling who stopped by to talk about her latest release. Take it away, Sofie!

Three Lessons in Seduction centers around a married couple, Nick and Mariana, ten years after a very public scandal ruined their marriage. Initially, it was the second installment of my Shadows and Silk series, with book “one” already written. However, a keen-eyed critique partner told me I should flip the books around and explained why. She was absolutely correct. So, I stuck the other book in a drawer and started writing Three Lessons. What happened to the other book? It’s Tempted by the Viscount and releases on June 27^th. J (It tells the story of Olivia, Mariana’s twin sister, and the man she can’t seem to keep out of her life!)

Book Blurb from Three Lessons in Seduction

Lord Nicholas Asquith needs his wife. Too bad he broke her heart ten years ago.

When Mariana catches the eye of the man at the center of an assassination plot, Nick puts aside their painful past and enlists her to obtain information by any means necessary, even if it means seducing the enemy agent.

Even if the thought makes his blood boil.

Mariana has a chance to best Nick at his own game. It’s an opportunity she can’t resist, even as, increasingly, she wants nothing more than to seduce her Bool own husband . . . 

Excerpt

"A girl like you is a girl one could marry,” he murmured. They were heedless and dangerous words that fell from his lips, and he couldn’t understand why he spoke them.

“A girl like me?”

“You.”

“One could marry?”

“I.”

“Careful,” she whispered into the space between their lips. It was the only space that mattered in the universe. “I might hold you to such words.”

“I might hope you do.”

Again, words fell from his mouth of their own accord, and he’d proposed to her. There had been no biting it back.

And he hadn’t wanted to.

At least, not for another five seconds.

He’d proposed to Lady Mariana Montfort, a girl he didn’t know.

That wasn’t precisely true.

In the ways that mattered, he knew her. 

Bio

Sofie spent much of her twenties raising two boys and reading every book she could get her hands on. Once she realized that she was no longer satisfied with simply reading the books she loved, that she must write them, too, she decided to finish her degree and embark on a writing career. Mr. Darling and the boys gave her their wholehearted blessing. When she’s not writing heroes who make her swoon, she runs a marathon in a different state every year, visits crumbling medieval castles whenever she gets a chance, and enjoys a slightly codependent relationship with her beagle, Bosco.

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Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Joanne Guidoccio

Please welcome author Joanne Guidoccio who stopped by to share intimate details of her life and her latest release. Take it away, Joanne!

During my cancer journey, all I wanted to read were cozies, those delightful murder mysteries that include a bloodless crime and contain little violence, sex, or coarse language. I read voraciously, often finishing a cozy in one or two sittings. Toward the end of treatments, I came up with a storyline for my own cozy, A Season for Killing Blondes, Book 1 in the Gilda Greco Mystery series (released by The Wild Rose Press in 2015). Too Many Women in the Room is the second book in the series. Based in Northern Ontario, these books feature a fifty-something Italian woman, her relatives, deserving and undeserving men, food, and murder.

Blurb

When Gilda Greco invites her closest friends to a VIP dinner, she plans to share David Korba’s signature dishes and launch their joint venture— Xenia, an innovative Greek restaurant near Sudbury, Ontario. Unknown to Gilda, David has also invited Michael Taylor, a lecherous photographer who has throughout the past three decades managed to annoy all the women in the room. One woman follows Michael to a deserted field for his midnight run and stabs him in the jugular.

Gilda’s life is awash with complications as she wrestles with a certain detective’s commitment issues and growing doubts about her risky investment in Xenia. Frustrated, Gilda launches her own investigation and uncovers decades-old secrets and resentments that have festered until they explode into untimely death. Can Gilda outwit a killer bent on killing again?

Excerpt

“Thanks for coming,” Luke said and turned toward the female officer. “Detective Irina Banicki will be sitting in.”

Irina Banicki. I racked my brain but couldn’t recall the name. Was she new to the department? I hadn’t seen her at the Christmas party. I would have remembered the tall, willowy brunette with razor-sharp cheekbones. Late thirties. Maybe early forties. Young and on the upward spiral.

She inclined her head. I nodded but said nothing. There was no need to engage in conversation and allow myself to be distracted. Instead, I turned and focused on Luke.

Frowning, he rustled through the loose pages filled with scattered handwriting. After locating the right page, he cleared his throat and made eye contact. “Sounds like quite a shindig last night. Do you want to tell me about it?”

Tell him how we planned it or how everything went south? The question was too open-ended. Was that part of his plan? Get me to tell everything and later sift through for any incriminating nuggets. “It was our rehearsal dinner for the opening of—”

“Rehearsal dinner? You mean like for a wedding?” Luke asked innocently enough, but I could hear the amusement in his tone.

A giggle escaped from Irina.

I forced myself to smile and make eye contact with Luke. “Not quite. David and Susan had planned to test-drive some of Xenia’s signature dishes and reveal our new venture to everyone.”

“So, you were a silent partner in this venture.” Luke alternated between raising and dropping his

Magnum eyebrows while still maintaining eye contact. A talent he must have perfected in his younger days. “You were until Michael Taylor spilled the beans. That must have upset your plans…made you angry…”

Angry enough to kill? I’ve been told I wear my emotions and would make a terrible poker player. With my feelings about Michael, I must have shown thunderous anger and disapproval all evening. Intuitive Jean would have been able to read my face and then share her observations with Carlo. “I felt a surge of anger at both David and Michael, but it passed. We were there to celebrate the opening, not spar over pettiness.”

Luke’s eyes widened in surprise. “I think it was more than—”

My nostrils picked up a musky smell. Not too unpleasant but a bit overpowering. A woman’s scent, one I steered away from at the cosmetics counter. I turned and looked up into intense green eyes.

Irina had decided to become an active participant in the interrogation. “Why did you keep your

involvement a secret? Were you afraid or embarrassed to tell your friends?”

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Book Trailer

More About the Author

In 2008, Joanne Guidoccio retired from a 31-year teaching career and launched a second act that tapped into her creative side. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes cozy mysteries, paranormal romance, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario. Where to find Joanne...

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What The Lady Wants by Author Nika Rhone

Author Nika Rhone stopped by to share her latest romantic suspense novel. The book is titled What the Lady Wants (Boulder Bodyguards #1) and was released July 14^th. Since I like to pay it forward to other authors, I have invited her to tell you more about it.

BOOK BLURB:   

Thea Fordham has wanted him forever. The years haven’t cooled the heat Brennan Doyle arouses in her, so it’s time for her to make the former Marine open his eyes to everything he’s missing. What will it take to prove she’s not some untouchable porcelain doll, but a red-blooded woman determined to finally get her man?

Doyle’s honor has kept Thea off-limits, but every time he turns around she’s there, wreaking havoc on his senses, making him think about long, sweaty nights and how good she would feel wrapped in his arms. How long could a man be expected to ignore the woman who calls to his every desire?

Doyle holds a secret that could jeopardize not only the first fragile bonds of love, but Thea’s very life. Will he be able to act before it’s too late for them both?

 BOOK EXCERPT:

   Thea scowled, stabbing her fork into her cheesecake as though it were a stand-in for the man in question. “Sometimes I think Charles is marrying Senator Westlake’s connections, and Mellie is just the fully trained political hostess who comes with the deal. Kind of like the toy surprise you get with your burger and fries.”

   “You do realize that you’ve just equated your friend’s marriage to a Happy Meal?”

   “You know, I’ll be satisfied if ‘happy’ figures into things in any way it can.”

   Although he knew Thea’s concern for her friend wasn’t entirely unwarranted, Doyle selfishly didn’t want it to put a damper on the evening, not when he was enjoying himself in Thea’s company for the first time in weeks.

   Deliberately, he picked up his fork and helped himself to a large bite of Thea’s cheesecake. It was difficult to swallow without choking on laughter at the look of affronted chagrin that crossed her face at the sneak attack.

   “Nope.” He made a show of smacking his lips. “Definitely as good as ever.”

   “And why would you think it wasn’t?” Thea watched him lick the fork clean with obvious resentment.

   “Well,” Doyle said, eyeing her plate again, “I figured since you were mutilating it rather than inhaling it like you usually do,” he paused a second while she sucked in an indignant breath, trying to ignore the way her breasts heaved upward against the silk of her dress, “that there must have been something wrong with it.”

   “Well, you thought wrong, mister.” Wary of the covetous looks Doyle was still throwing at it, Thea moved her plate to where he’d have to lean over her to get at it. “Dessert stealing is a very serious offense, you know.”

   Doyle twirled his fork between his fingers, fighting a grin. “Is it, really?”

   “Yes.”

   “I hadn’t realized that.”

   “Ignorance of the dessert laws is not an excuse.”

   “Are you going to read me my rights before you haul me in?”

   Thea’s lips twitched. “I think maybe we can avoid any hauling, since this is your first offense—this is your first offense, isn’t it?”

   With as innocent a look as he could manage, Doyle replied, “Of course.”

   “Of course.” Thea’s echo sounded less than believing. A sudden, speculative light lit her eyes. “You will, of course, be expected to make restitution.”

   “Resti—” Doyle followed her gaze to his own plate, heaped with one of the most decadent slabs of Black Forest cake this side of the Atlantic. “Oh no. You’re not getting my cake. Sorry. Uh-uh. Go ahead and call the sweets police, babe, because I’ll go down fighting before I surrender any of this.” With good reason. The pastry chef was originally from Germany, and made an authentic Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte worth every overpriced penny Rudolfo paid him.

   “Just a bite.” 

BUY LINKS:

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More About the Author:

Nika Rhone spent her childhood wearing out library cards as she read her way through the extraordinary worlds far beyond her small hometown on Long Island, NY. By her teens, her imagination was taking her places all on its own, forcing her to learn how to type (badly) so she could get all the stories down on paper. After a long love affair with science fiction and fantasy, she finally discovered romance, fell head-over-heels, and now spends her days crafting happily-ever-afters for the characters who still tell their stories faster (and better) than she can type them. Connect with her here:

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