#NewRelease from Seelie Kay: Vive la Resistance

Seelie Kay has a new release in her series about Vampire lawyer, Donavon Trait. In VIVE LA RESISTANCE, vampires are eliminating all half-bloods, those who are half human or half were. To save his family, Donavon has no choice but to fight. Seelie is here to tell us about herself and her writing, as well as her new book. Welcome Seelie!

An Interview with Seelie Kay:

Q.  Why do you write romance?

Since the onset of the pandemic, I have totally changed my attitude toward writing romance. While I was long enamored of the happily-ever-after because it brought me and readers joy, I have concluded that my true purpose in writing romance is to give me and my readers hope. Let’s face it, the pandemic has been traumatic—for everyone. It evolved into one of the most chaotic situations of our time, something we had never before experienced. I was grasping at anything that would give me hope and found myself turning daily to romance books and tales of finding or sustaining love. So now, I write to give people hope.

Q.  Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?

That also changed during the pandemic. While I still adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge, I found myself focusing more on principled men, those willing to fight for what they believe in. And now, you will that find my heroes also have a strong sense of family. They value the support a family can provide. Of course, the definition of “family” varies and comprises more than the traditional assortment of parents, siblings, and relatives.

However, these “heroes” continue pair with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love.

Q.  Why did you write “Vive la Resistance?”

At the foundation of this book is the belief that people cannot be afraid to speak out against wrongs, especially those inflicted on others, and they must be willing to fight against evil, even at the risk of death. Soldiers and peacekeepers do that every day. We live in turbulent times. It is so easy to say, “Not my problem,” and turn away. But sometimes, you don’t have that choice. You have to stand up and fight back. Donovan Trait is a vampire lawyer. In the human world, a very respected lawyer. Now he must use his skills to save the half-bloods—vampires whose blood is mixed with human or Were. What began as a Vampire Coalition vendetta against his turned wife, Judge Shirley Magnusen, who gave birth to half-blood twins in violation of her marital agreement, has extended to the elimination of all half-bloods. A campaign of genocide. However, this is not a battle that can occur with boots on the ground in the presence of humans and Weres. It must be fought in the shadows to prevent exposing the vampire world to humans.  So it must be fought virtually, and soon it becomes clear that the resistance may be winning battles, but the Vampire Coalition will never concede the war. The final battle must occur in person. Sacrifices will be made, lives will be lost, and the vampire world will be shattered. But the real question is, what will emerge from the ashes? Vive la Resistance (Long Live the Resistance)!

Blurb:

Things are gonna get messy…

An illegal union, a banned birth, a Great Lie, and now, genocide. Vampire lawyer Donovan Trait and his wife, chemically-turned Judge Shirley Magnusen, are battling for their lives and the lives of their children. The Vampire Coalition wants them dead, but now the despots have also decided to expand their net, targeting any vampire whose blood is mixed with human or Were. Half-bloods are already treated like dirt by the Vampire Nation. They have been subjected to centuries of discrimination and cruelty at their hands. As the Coalition embarks on a campaign of terror, destruction, and slaughter, millions of half-bloods emerge from the shadows, ready and willing to reclaim their place in the Vampire Nation. The problem is, war cannot be unleashed out in the open in the human world. Battles must be fought in other ways. Even with an island of highly-skilled vampire nuns and a few Weres and humans at their side, it appears the Traits may be fighting an unwinnable war. Their only option may be to sacrifice their own lives in the hopes of setting all other half-bloods free.

Excerpt:

Donovan shifted on the lounger and muttered incomprehensively, then he emitted a rumbling snore.

“Hey, y’all. So yeah, vampires are real and they’re not above doing the dirty to those who share their blood. Take a look at this.” The Tik-Tokker grinned. “You are not gonna believe it. It’s so shady.”

Video of the Coalition camps rolled across the screen. Occasionally, the camera zeroed in a dirty or bruised Millennial, or a guard pushing a group of people into a building, their ankles locked together with some sort of rope. They were seen eating off of metal plates and lined up to fill a metal cup with something from a barrel. It wasn’t water. The liquid was rust-colored and thick, like blood.

“And the dudes running the place have a Marie Antoinette fetish. You know—” The woman mimicked a knife across her throat. “Off with their heads?” She giggled.

A guillotine appeared on camera. About ten people were in line, each with a black hood over their heads and their arms bound behind them. One at a time, they were pushed onto a stage and forced to their knees, their necks positioned directly under the blade. With manic efficiency, a guard released the blade. Most heads flew into a barrel in front of the platform. The ones that rolled off onto the stage were kicked to their final destination. The headless bodies were tossed onto a pile on the ground.

“Oh, grosss,” the woman complained. She leaned toward the camera. “Kind of like a bad zombie movie, isn’t it?” She sat back in her chair and made a face. “Whatever. I mean, like, are we supposed to believe that’s really happening? Isn’t that against the law or something?” She cackled. “As if.” She leisurely stretched her body, her crop top exposing a belly button ring. “I’m so shook.”

The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. “Now, I’m not sharing this for the views. It is kind of sus. But if this shit is real, someone needs to get off the pot and do something about it. Aren’t there any woke cops out there who can play the James Bond card? Before anymore—” She swiped her finger across her throat and giggled. Then the screen went black.

Donovan shot up in his chair and blinked. Once. Twice. He shook his head and attempted to gather himself. What the hell? Sure, he had needed the sleep, even if it was only a thirty-minute nap, but the dreams he could do without. It had been less than forty-eight hours since the worldwide kidnappings. Donovan knew preparations for rescue were underway. But he also knew Bengotten and Hannigan were capable of even greater cruelty. He could only imagine the terror and the torture the victims were being subjected to. 

It was difficult to understand how the vampire world was capable of this. He had long prided himself on their natural superiority, their ability to rise up above the petty politics and unjustified violence in the human and Were worlds. Yet overnight, vampires had become the monsters, the tyrants capable of such evil. That astonished him. For the first time in his long existence, Donovan was ashamed of being a vampire. If it was possible, he might very well submit to being turned into a human or a Were. He buried his face in his hands. Yes, he could live as a human. Perhaps he could ask Dr. Alvarez to find a way to turn off his vampirism, maybe using the gene-editing Marilyn could not stop talking about.

Release Date:  May 27, 2022

Publisher: Extasy Books

Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy

Three flames, 21+

Book Trailer— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fss8Vvhkh8Q

Excerpt #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk70WEWVEnE

Excerpt #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy8OZ83jga0

Buy links:

Extasy Books: https://www.extasybooks.com/Vive-la-Resistance

About Seelie Kay:

Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in twenty-two works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait, as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefs series and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine. 

Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie can be reached at www.seeliekay.com, www.seeliekay.blogspot.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

Author links:

Website:  https://www.seeliekay.com

Blog:  https://www.seeliekay.blogspot.com

Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/seeliekay51/

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/seelie-kay

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16492565.Seelie_Kay

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@authorseeliekay

Newsletter sign-up:  https://rb.gy/w69pim

Prior Books:

Kinky Briefs:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-1

Kinky Briefs, Too:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-too

Kinky Briefs, Thrice: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-thrice 

Kinky Briefs, Quatro: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-quatro

Kinky Briefs, Cinque:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-cinque

Snatching Dianna:  https://www.extasybooks.com/snatching-dianna

Infamy:  https://www.extasybooks.com/infamy

Cult:  https://www.extasybooks.com/cult

Hope:  https://www.extasybooks.com/hope

Martimus:  https://www.extasybooks.com/martimus

The Garage Dweller:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-garage-dweller

The President’s Wife:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-wife

Seizing Hope:  https://www.extasybooks.com/seizing-hope

The White House Wedding:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-white-house-wedding

The Last Christmas: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-last-christmas

The President’s Daughter:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-daughter

A Touchdown to Remember:  https://www.extasybooks.com/a-touchdown-to-remember

First, We Kill All the Lawyers:  https://www.extasybooks.com/first,-we-kill-all-the-lawyers

Ye Gods! The Law is an Ass!:  https://www.extasybooks.com/ye-god-the-law-is-an-ass

TO HEAL A HEART #onsale #99cents #MFRWhooks

TO HEAL A HEART, book 2 in the Masonville Small Town Romance series, is on sale at Amazon for .99 cents from May 20 to June 3. Pick up your ecopy today!

https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

Two souls in pain, two hearts in need of rescue.

Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.

Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?

Excerpt:

“Do you remember the last summer I saw you, just before I joined the Marines? Your brothers were both working for the summer, so you came out to your grandparents’ farm on your own.”

Blair’s face grew hot at the memory. She pulled his shirt from his jeans and laid her palm against the warm, hard muscles of his abdomen. “You mean the summer I threw myself at you and you totally rejected me? No, I barely remember that at all.”

He chuckled as he pushed her shirt off her shoulders. “I was sorely tempted that summer. There you were, prancing around in your short shorts and bikini top, working in your grandmother’s garden while I mowed the lawns. You must have known you were driving me crazy.”

Actually, she hadn’t known. He’d done a great job of ignoring her and making her believe she was nothing but a nuisance. She looked up at him, tilting her head to one side. “If you were so tempted, why did you tell me to take a hike when I tried to seduce you?”

“You were fifteen, Blair. Three years younger than me and just a kid. If you’d known what I wanted to do with you…” His unfinished sentence shimmered between them.

He was such an honorable man. He hadn’t wanted to take advantage of a young girl with a case of raging hormones and too little sense. A girl who believed her only worth was in what her body could give to a boy.

“Perhaps you can show me now.” Blair slowly lowered the zipper of his pants. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

#NewRelease from J. Arlene Culiner: A ROOM IN BLAKE'S FOLLY

J. Arlene Culiner visits today with a look at A ROOM IN BLAKE'S FOLLY, her new release from The Wild Rose Press. This historical western romance has an intriguing blurb that hints at a story that travels from the old west to the present. Thanks for being here, Jill!

I love writing about people who are different. Some are forced to adapt to new circumstances in order to survive, others are originals, folks who have never really fit into mainstream society. But no one is humdrum, and all have dreams. 

So what do an embittered mail-order bride, an adventurer, a brothel madam, a silver baron/artist, a war refugee, a pacifist, a playboy veterinarian, and a woman who protects spiders all have in common? They get another chance to find love. And what better setting for romance than a semi-ghost town in Nevada? 

A Room in Blake’s Folly begins in 1889 with the romance between Sookie Lacey, former prostitute now saloon dance girl, and Westley Cranston, adventurer. But love rarely follows a straight path. Times change, life goes on, new relationships form. By 2022, Blake’s Folly, once notorious for its saloons, brothels, speakeasies, and divorce ranches, has become a semi-ghost town of abandoned shacks and weedy dirt roads. But the old stories are still very present, and they have the power to influence the 53 remaining inhabitants.

A Room in Blake’s Folly

If only the walls could speak…

In one hundred and fifty years, Blake's Folly, a silver boomtown notorious for its brothels, scarlet ladies, silver barons, speakeasies, and divorce ranches, has become a semi-ghost town. Although the old Mizpah Saloon is still in business, its upper floor is sheathed in dust. But in a room at a long corridor's end, an adventurer, a beautiful dance girl, and a rejected wife were once caught in a love triangle, and their secret has touched three generations.

Excerpt:

“You a widow?” 

“No.” She could hear the tightness in her voice and feel the tension in her shoulders. 

His eyes glinted. “A runaway wife.” 

“Not that either.” Did she have to say more? She didn’t. But since people were bound to be asking that same question over and over, she might as well get used to it, even though the answer was only partially true. Even though it could never express what her life had been like up until now. “I left of my own accord, but with my husband’s full agreement. He’ll be looking into getting a divorce.”

“And your children?” 

Ah, there it was. The big question, the one thing everyone would be curious about. “No children. I’ve never had any.” 

He said nothing. Had he heard the note of anger in her voice? She’d done her best to sound neutral, but neutrality wasn’t an easy note to hit. How vividly she remembered the first time she’d caught sight of her future husband, Sam Graham, waiting with a little knot of men by a shanty train station in the middle of nowhere. He and the others had been eager to grab a sight of their brides-to-be, women lured west by the promise of marriage, land, and a home. How had the other women fared? Had they been as discouraged as she at the sight of the vast lonely wasteland, the emptiness, the bleached-out colors, and the coarse men who would be their lifetime partners? Men honed by the elements, a hard life. And rough alcohol. 

Westley Cranston stood, walked in her direction—no, walk wasn’t the word she could use. He sauntered, a slow, elegant saunter. A man sure of himself, of his power to seduce. Yes, that was why she’d felt so wary yesterday. He stopped when he was standing beside her. Smiled. No, there was nothing seductive in his smile. She’d been wrong. What had she been imagining? That she was still the young attractive woman she’d been years ago? What a fool she was. 

He touched the top of the piano with a gesture that was almost a caress. “Don’t worry. You’ll do well. The boys you’ll be playing with are good musicians, nice guys, too. They play at all the dances in town, and they’ll teach you the sort of pieces folks out here are used to hearing.”

“Thank you.” 

His eyebrows rose. “For what?” 

“For being so kind.” 

“Kind?” He guffawed. “It’s not kindness. I’m fighting for survival. High time we got a good piano player in this place. Bob, before he let that stray bullet hit him, knew how to slap at the keys, all right, but he didn’t know the first thing about keeping time. I’ll bet pretty well all the customers were happy to see him taken out of the running.” Grinning, he moved away in that casual easy way of his, headed toward the front door. Then stopped, looked back, his eyes twinkling. “But they couldn’t do that, not legally, anyway. One of the rules here in town forbids shooting pistols in a barroom.” 

She grinned back at him. “Sounds like a pretty good rule to me. And what are the other rules, if you don’t mind me asking. If there are any others, that is…” 

“Sure there are. Need plenty of rules in boomtowns, especially after payday. The other ones are, you can’t insult a woman, you can’t ride a pony or horse on the wooden sidewalks, and you can’t ride them inside this establishment or any other business in town.” He was chuckling again when he turned the lock, stepped out into the street, and disappeared. 

Hattie remained seated at the piano. Her anguish had totally vanished. Amazing, how he had put her at ease. He hadn’t judged her, hadn’t looked at her with disgust when she’d told him some of her story, hadn’t condemned her for feeling unsure about her piano playing. She wondered why she’d felt so mistrustful. He had behaved like a perfect gentleman—and a friend. 

Then another thought struck her. What had he been doing here in the Mizpah so early in the morning? Had he slept here? Obviously he had. Hadn’t he just let himself out? And that meant he had probably spent the night with one of the ladies upstairs. That he was a client. 

Disappointment washed over her. She couldn’t condemn him—men had needs, desires. Why was she so saddened by the thought?

Review of A Room in Blake’s Folly:

Rich detail and scintillating dialogue transport the reader through the decades between 1889 and 2022 of this surprising saga. With flowing descriptive phrases (“… the walls had a yellowish hue that only time could bring,”) Culiner effectively intertwines the characters and descendants of Blake’s Folly. And although overhunting and pollution mean environmental change, the charm of this old world community remains intact. Cheers for this book!

Lisa McCombs for Readers’ Favorite

Purchase Links:

https://books2read.com/BlakesFollyRomance

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt3VkYUTVNk

Author Bio:

Writer, storyteller, photographer, and social critical artist, J. Arlene Culiner, was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a Hungarian mud house, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, on a Dutch canal, and in a haunted house on the English moors. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest and, much to local dismay, protects all creatures, especially spiders and snakes. She particularly enjoys incorporating into short stories, mysteries, narrative non-fiction, and romances, her experiences in out-of-the-way communities, and her conversations with strange characters.

Social Media Links:

Author Website: http://www.j-arleneculiner.com

Blog: http://j-arleneculiner.over-blog.com

Storytelling Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/j-arlene-culiner

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-arlene-culiner

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JArleneCuliner/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jarlene.culiner/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7158064.J_Arlene_Culiner

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jarleneculiner

Amazon Author Page : https://www.amazon.com/author/jarleneculiner-quirky-romances

TO HEAL A HEART #OnSale for #99cents at Amazon!

 TO HEAL A HEART, book 2 in the Masonville Small Town Romance series, is on sale at Amazon for .99 cents from May 20 to June 3. Pick up your ecopy today!

Two souls in pain, two hearts in need of rescue.

Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.

Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

A HERO'S HEART by Amber Daulton #onsale for #99cents

I'm helping spread the word about Amber Daulton's sale on her steamy romantic suspense A HERO'S HEART. The sale runs tills May 31. Best of luck, Amber!

 Lies. Betrayal. A blown undercover mission.

After ten years away, DEA agent Jarrett Brandt heads home to pay his respects to his deceased brother and hide out from the cartel kingpin who wants him dead. The last thing he needs is Marissa, his high school sweetheart, tempting him with her sassy smile and showing him the life he gave up. Add on his judgmental parents, and he’s ready to hit the road.

Widowed mom Marissa Reinn never had much luck with the Brandt boys. First Jarrett broke her heart, then she lost his brother—her husband—to a bullet. Vowing to uncover Jarrett’s secrets, she succumbs to the passion still burning between them instead.

When a team of assassins find him, Jarrett and Marissa will have to work together to survive and protect her son. How will they seize their second chance at love with their lives on the line?

Excerpt:

“You can trust me, Jarrett. I won’t tell your parents anything you don’t want me to.” She sighed and stood as well. “You used to tell me everything. We never kept secrets.”

Jarrett paced between the coffee table and fireplace. “My parents’ opinion doesn’t matter. Dad would still throw up my juvie record or the fact that I’m not a cop, even if I was a model citizen. I’m not that lost, angry kid anymore. I know who I am now, and it’s not someone you’d want to know.”

“I disagree.”

“God, you don’t understand. Marissa, I’ve missed you so damn much. I’ve laid awake so many nights wondering what my life would’ve been like if I’d stayed here.” When he made love to other women, he imagined Marissa beneath him or above him, panting his name. When the nightmares of blood and gore faded, he dreamed of her. Those bittersweet memories and what if scenarios were almost worse than the nightmares. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”

“I hated you after you left, but I’ve gotten over it. Everyone feels regret and guilt over something. It’s all about being human.” She dashed away her tears. “I told you mine last night. Will you please show me the same courtesy?”

“I can’t.”

“At least tell me what you did last Christmas. Jason made it crystal clear that he didn’t want you alone. He wants you to have a tree.” She pointed at the Douglas fir. “Well, there you go. What did you do last year?”

Jarrett licked his dry lips, heat swelling in his cheeks.

He’d joined the Consuelo gang last December and spent the holiday in a slummy apartment with five thugs who sold cocaine on the streets of Albuquerque. Living around his drug of choice had nearly destroyed him.

“What about your last birthday?” Marissa blocked his path and braced her hands on her hips. “Did you have cake or go out with a bunch of buddies and get drunk? Did something horrible happen? Why won’t you tell me anything?”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Marissa. Yeah, I got drunk. A few of us went to a strip club where I fucked two dancers in a backroom. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Her eyes widened as she stepped back.

Way to go, you fucking idiot. He brushed his shaky hands on his button-down shirt to steady them. “Marissa—”

She strode past him with a high head and left the room.

Her cold shoulder skewered him, but he didn’t deserve better.

Add to Goodreads - https://bit.ly/aherosheartgoodreads 

Check it out on BookBub - https://bit.ly/aherosheartbookbub 

A Hero’s Heart is now on SALE for .99 cents. Deal lasts from May 1-31.

Amazon – https://bit.ly/aherosheartamazon 

Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/aherosheartnook 

Apple – https://bit.ly/aherosheartapple 

Kobo – https://bit.ly/aherosheartkobo

Google Play – https://bit.ly/aherosheartgoogleplay

Universal link – https://books2read.com/aherosheart 

About the Author:

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. 

Social Media Links:

Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

Fashion in TO ENTICE A SPY by Diane Scott Lewis

Diane Scott Lewis visits today with her historical romance TO ENTICE A SPY from The Wild Rose Press. Diane tells us about some of the clothing worn just after the French Revolution. Thanks for visiting, Diane!

After the storm of the French Revolution in 1789, women’s clothing changed drastically. Tight corsets and fitted gowns gave way to a classical style. A loose Greek-style chemise, with a ribbon under the breasts, and very little clothing underneath. Women discarded their corsets and petticoats, the bolder ones dampening their gowns to show all their assets. Fine silks gave way to plain cottons. Later on, when Napoleon came to power, this was known as the Empire style. When the Regency began in England in 1810, it was dubbed Regency-style.

Hair went from piled high with fancy decorations to simple, short curls.

Men’s clothing also changed, from ruffled shirts and high heels, to plain, earthier colors and cut. Brown and dark green, buff, and tan, were popular colors.

In my novel To Entice a Spy, it’s 1784, and the mode of dress is caught between the old style and the new. My heroine, Eseld, has returned from France to England. She attends an afternoon soiree given by her close friend Rose Menadue. Eseld is searching for a spy, and wears the bold, changing fashion, feeling a bit “risqué”.

Excerpt from Lady Menadue’s soiree.

A tall butler took Eseld’s wrap and gestured to the right. She didn’t miss his nose wrinkle at her mode of dress.

Her blue silk chemise gown, with a ribbon under her breasts was far more comfortable with its long, loose line than the stiff, corseted styles popular before the revolution. She’d wanted to look confidant, a woman in charge and au courant. Yet she felt like a lost swan. In France few gathered at fancy parties or flaunted their wealth to act ordinary and preserve their lives.

A beautiful woman, her blonde hair in Grecian curls approached, wearing a green-flowered robe a la anglaise. “Eseld, I’m so happy you came. And you’re in that new fashion, how lovely.” She gave a twirl of her full skirt, cut in front to show a green-striped petticoat. “As you can see, my hair is the latest kick, but my gown is still in the past. I’m not certain with my curves if I can manage such an unstructured style. Yet these designs are catching on in London."

Rose linked arms with Eseld and they walked into the salon. “With those short sleeves, your arms are enticing, if shockingly bare.” Rose wore three-quarter sleeves with lace trim.

Eseld laughed as she gazed about the room. Who here could be a ruthless spy? “My bodice is so low, there’s little decency. I wrap a band around me to bind my breasts in place.” She touched the fichu, the small shawl tucked into her bodice. “But the French insist no more outrageous garments once worn by the aristocrats. No voluminous skirts with wide hoops, or elaborate wigs decorated with toy ships.”

Rose whispered close, “Is it true, all those terrible beheadings by that machine in Paris?”

“Unfortunately, very true. That’s why I left.” One of many reasons. Eseld patted her fingers over the pinned up curls where her lady’s maid had woven a blue ribbon. Did her fingers shake? And as a countess she would have been questioned, imprisoned, then perhaps sent to the guillotine. She swallowed slowly.

“Lady Trehearne, my darling, I’m so pleased to see you, Eseld.” The diminutive Lady Jane Quintrell flittered forth in an old-fashioned Robe à la Turque, a full-skirted gown of red velvet, with a revealed satin petticoat of purple and white flowers. The dress looked too heavy for a spring party. But this woman was politely called “eccentric.” A small red feather bobbed on her graying head. 

“I’m pleased to see you, my lady. I do need to be in society again. I’ve been away too long.” Eseld bent and kissed the older woman’s papery cheek. Once she’d been a skilled hostess, used to balls and parties, happy beside her late husband; but now she was out of practice in the social whirl.

A tall man in a dark frock coat caught her attention. Her heart twitched as he approached. Robert, her childhood love. “Eseld, I’m relieved you’re home from France.”

“Robert, it’s good to see you.” She touched her fichu, wishing it hid more of her breasts. Could she stand to be this close to him again? She could not let anyone get in the way of her hunt for a French spy; one sent to murder her.

“Aunt Jane, you’re quite the picture, as always.” Robert bowed to his bird-like aunt, his eyes amused.

“Pish. You have no idea how difficult it was to convince Robert to attend today. He’s a veritable recluse.” Jane patted her nephew’s arm, then turned to Eseld and scrutinized her gown. “Is that the latest fashion? Oh, Eseld, don’t you realize you’re half undressed?”

Eseld turned away from Robert’s searching gaze and his aunt’s disapproval. Each man she was introduced to, she scrutinized. Which one could be the French spy sent to murder her?

Buy Link: 

https://www.amazon.com/Entice-Spy-Diane-Scott-Lewis-ebook/dp/B09D9ZCRKX

Blurb: 

In 1794, Widowed Countess Eseld Trehearne seeks revenge for the brutal death of her female companion during a Paris riot. On her return to England, Eseld delves into espionage to defeat the French rebels. 

Baron Robert Penhale, Eseld’s childhood love, rejoins the Secret Services after his wife’s death. He’s determined to protect England from the revolution terrorizing France.

 A  ruthless French spy fights for the common man while disguised as an English aristocrat. He’s intent on revenge against those who oppose him.

With the spy stalking them and Robert in fear for Eseld's life, the fate of the couple verges on disaster. 

Author Bio: 

Diane Parkinson (Diane Scott Lewis) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, joined the Navy at nineteen, married in Greece and raised two sons all over the world, including Puerto Rico and Guam. A member of the Historical Novel Society, she wrote book reviews for the Historical Novels Review. Diane worked from 2007 to 2010 as an on-line historical editor. She has had several historical and historical-romance novels published between 2010 and 2021. 

Her first Time-travel, Beyond the Fall, was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2018. To Entice a Spy was published in 2021.

Diane lives with her husband in western Pennsylvania.

For more on her books visit her website: www.dianescottlewis.org

Social Media Links:  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=diane+scott+lewis&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diane-scott-lewis-999d8de3-fdae-46d4-8758-665f9362c2ae

FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Diane-Scott-Lewis-277223019312535/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3999998.Diane_Scott_Lewis

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/DSLewisHF

CHILD OF MINE #onsale for #99cents on Amazon!

 CHILD OF MINE, book one in the Masonville Small Town Romance series, is on sale for .99 cents at Amazon from May 6 - 20! Pick up your ecopy today!

Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his. 

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY

BEAR'S DREAM: #NewRelease from Christina Lynn Lambert

 I'm participating in Christina Lynn Lambert's blog tour with Silver Dagger Tours. Check out this new shifter romance and make sure to enter Christina's giveaway!

 

Bear's Dream

Haven Forest Resort Book 1

by Christina Lynn Lambert

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

She had every reason to hate him.

Aiden “AJ” Shepherd’s mistake during a Shifter Army Enforcement rescue mission cost Ellie Ortiz’s brother, Marco, his life. Ellie hates AJ with a burning passion until a chance encounter with him on New Year’s Eve reveals he’s not the cold, heartless man she once thought him to be. Her attraction to him takes her by surprise, and she vows to ignore her feelings. When a new job puts her in contact with him every day, the heat building between them threatens to flare out of control. Her resolve to keep the sweet, sexy man in the friend zone is weakening by the day.

He’s convinced she’s his mate, but a secret could ruin everything
Whether they’re fighting off fanatics who target shifters or working together to get his shifter resort, Haven Forest, ready for the grand opening, AJ can’t get enough of Ellie. Convincing her to give him a chance, more than the one-night-of-fun idea she’s proposed, might be impossible, but he’s fallen too hard for her not to try. During a disastrous assignment with Shifters United, AJ uncovers some information that changes everything. Keeping the secret from Ellie is killing him but he might lose her forever if he tells her the truth.

When Ellie ends up at the heart of a reporter’s plot to prove the existence of shifters, she and AJ must fight their way to freedom. The survival of shifters everywhere depends on it.

Goodreads * Amazon

Ellie stirred at the feeling of strong hands under her back. AJ gently picked her up off the sofa.

“Sorry. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.”

She accidentally gave a little sigh at the sound of the growly bass of his voice.

“I’m gonna put you in the bedroom and I’ll take the sofa.”

“Okay,” she murmured. She must have fallen asleep before the movie ended. The warmth of his arms encased her, and she was so tired, she gave in to the urge to snuggle into his embrace as he carried her down the hallway. He laid her down on the bed then covered her up in blankets. He paused, stroked a hand down her cheek, then abruptly backed away from her.

“Night, Elena. I’m glad I ran into you today.”

“You can call me Ellie.”

“Ellie.” He spoke her name softly, almost reverently.

She closed her eyes against the desire to sit up and kiss him, to see if he tasted as good as he smelled. If she’d met him in another lifetime or in a parallel universe, then she would have guided his head down so she could taste his lips. Instead, she murmured, “See you in the morning,” and pulled up the covers.

Before I had the wild idea to write a book, I worked in a few different fields. I was in sales for a while, and after I finished college, I worked as a case manager. When my children were little, I was a personal trainer and running coach. During the evenings, when I was supposed to be studying for another fitness training certification, I started writing a story. Finally, I gave in and acknowledged that writing is what I’m meant to do. I love creating imperfect but determined characters who find the courage to love and the strength to survive in a world where there are no guarantees. My stories include a fair amount of sarcasm, suspense, steam, and violence. When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time outside and finding ways to avoid cooking. I live in beautiful Virginia with my husband, two daughters, and a sweet, hairy monster of a dog.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#NewRelease & #Preorder: STRONG ENOUGH #MFRWhooks

 STRONG ENOUGH, book 4 in the Masonville small town romance series, now has a release date. Mark your calendars for June 22, 2022! I can't wait!

STRONG ENOUGH is currently available for pre-order. Order your ecopy now and have it sent to your device on June 22!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VNRFZW7

Love can make you strong enough, if you let it.

Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.

As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

Excerpt:

As their names were called, Charlotte reached for Damon’s outstretched hand and stepped into his arms. They glided effortlessly across the floor as if they’d been dancing together all their lives. As if they were perfectly in sync. 

“You’ve been holding out on me, Greyson. You never told me you could dance.”

He appeared uncomfortable with her compliment. “My school had obligatory ballroom dance classes. To be honest I haven’t danced in years, but apparently it’s like riding a bike. You never forget.”

“Those classes were time well spent, I’d say.”

To her surprise, his mouth twisted in distaste. “My mother would likely agree with you. She’d be the only one.” 

Charlotte heard the bitterness in his voice. Last summer at Everett Branson’s funeral, she’d sensed a deep tension between the three Greyson children and their parents. Blair refused to invite her parents to the wedding. It seemed very important to her, so despite the odd request, Charlotte hadn’t questioned it. Now as she stared up at the tight line of Damon’s pursed lips, she wondered at the reason.  

“In any case, you make even someone like me with two left feet look good.”

To Charlotte’s relief, the tension eased from his face. 

“Glad the classes weren’t a total waste of time.”

With that, he pressed Charlotte close and spun her into a tight, fast spin. She let out a squeak of surprise and hung onto to his broad shoulders. As he straightened their steps, she laughed in pure delight. 

“Maybe I don’t have two left feet after all.”

“Maybe you just needed the right partner.”

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon UK ~  iBooks ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

New Newsletter Giveaway!

An ecopy of HOME TO SOLACE LAKE is my gift to you as a thank you for signing up to receive my newsletter. Click https://www.janarichards.com/contact.html#newsletter and get  HOME TO SOLACE LAKE!