Author: Alina K. Field Page 2 of 4

High Stakes, in Chess–and Love!

Ladies and Gentlemen, gather your teacups and prepare your fans for fluttering, for today’s tittle-tattle traverses the tantalizing tale of Baron Gregory Stone, known in the shadows of London’s candlelit corridors as the Black Knight. Not for his sable attire nor for his darkly handsome visage, but for his prowess on the chessboard, where he reigns supreme. Yet, it appears our Baron has found himself in a game far more perilous than chess—a game of the heart.

Miss Hermione “Hermy” Ellsworth, a gem of the countryside, once radiant in the glow of London’s ballrooms, has found herself in a predicament most dire. Exiled due to a scandal that whispers cannot name, she seeks independence from the shackles of an arranged marriage, dictated by her late brother’s will. Her guardian, none other than our Black Knight himself, holds the key to her future. But dear readers, it is not only her freedom at stake but also her heart—for it once beat fervently for the Baron.

Baron Stone, amidst the intrigue of Parliament and the cutthroat tactics of chess, now faces his greatest challenge. With but two weeks to alter the course of Miss Ellsworth’s fate, he is drawn into a web of societal pressures and villainous schemes. A correspondence chess game, shadowy in its intent, becomes the battleground for her independence, his career, and the well-being of their mutual friends, the Pearlers.

The stakes? Nothing less than the Baron’s lost love and the very fabric of society itself.

Will our dashing Black Knight outmaneuver his adversaries both on the board and in the ballrooms? Can love indeed trump the rigid dictates of Regency London? This tale weaves through the heart of a battle for love and liberty, promising intrigue at every turn.

“Baron in Check” promises a tour de force of romantic adventures, with suitors bold and socialites cunning. Our characters dance through the glittering backdrop of Regency London, each move calculated, each glance significant. And amidst the sparkling wit and whispered secrets, one question remains—will the Black Knight capture his queen, or will the game of love prove too treacherous?

Dear readers, keep your eyes peeled and your ears open, for in this season of romance and strategy, every move counts. And remember, in the game of love and chess, it’s the heart that’s the true prize.

With all the affection—and a sprinkle of mischief—I remain,

Your devoted chronicler of hearts and secrets as I will make an impression in this story myself,

Baroness Sophia von List

Blurb

Baron in Check is the first book in the Check Mates series. It has been a #1 bestseller in several categories on Amazon and has received outstanding feedback from readers. The story brings Gregory Stone back who’s proven himself as a devoted friend in the Infiltrating the Ton and Diamond Dynasty series. Get 50% off the book bundle and save on the Check Mate series at www.SaraAdrien.com.

About the Author

Bestselling author Sara Adrien writes hot, heart-melting regency romance with a Jewish twist. As a law professor-turned-author, she writes about clandestine identities, whims of fate, and sizzling seduction. If you like unique and intelligent characters, deliciously sexy scenes, and the nostalgia of afternoon tea, then you’ll adore Sara Adrien’s tender tear-jerkers. She is the author of the series Infiltrating the Ton, Diamond Dynasty, Check Mates, and Miracles on Harley Street.

Find her at:

Instagram: @jewishregencyromance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraAdrien

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22249825.Sara_Adrien

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sara-adrien

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-text&rh=p_27%3ASara+Adrien

A Most Scandalous Ball

By Alina K. Field

On June 19, 2024

In Teatime Tattler

The Talk of the Ton

Dear Reader,

The first ball of this year’s Season has not disappointed.

Lady C’s ball this week, a veritable crush, offered a host of delicious on dits:

the return of the widowed hostess after many years of mysterious absence from society, the delayed debut to society of the Honorable Miss NL, and the arrival of a handsome new peer, one elevated from rather lowly branches of his family tree to an exalted level in the kingdom.

In homage to the caricature in the shop window where said new peer may have recently appeared, we shall call him SD.

As it happened, the newly raised SD had to be, well, newly raised from Lady C’s ballroom floor after imbibing an excess of the evening spirit and toppling the unfortunate Miss NL.

He has fled town; she has reportedly barricaded herself in her bedchamber while her very large family gathers for a council of war.

Beware, ye newly elevated peer. I have it on good authority that the young lady has vowed revenge!

Be assured that this faithful correspondent will keep you, dear Reader, apprised of the next delicious chapter of this drama.

A Wallflower’s Midsummer Night’s Caper

Book #15 in the multi-author Revenge of the Wallflowers Series

As Midsummer Night’s magic unfolds and passions rise, will a repentant duke be well and truly punished, or will a vengeful wallflower be caught in her own game?

A Midsummer Night’s masquerade at her family’s country home presents the Honorable Nancy Lovelace with the perfect opportunity for revenge against the man who ruined her first London season—a man she’s known since childhood, a man she’d once thought she loved. With the help of her crew of younger relatives, she’ll give him his comeuppance.

Thanks to his bad behavior, Simon Crayding is now known to society as the Swilling Duke. When an old school chum invites him for a Midsummer Night’s party, he jumps at the chance to lick his wounds among friends and apologize to his friend’s sister, Nancy, because apparently, he’s done something to hurt her, he just doesn’t remember what.

It soon becomes clear that Nancy will not easily forgive. Never one to resist a challenge—or a beautiful lady—Simon vows to persevere. As the night unfolds and passions rise, will Simon be well and truly punished, or will Nancy be caught in her own game?

Excerpt:

Oh, for a familiar dance partner. Her brother, George, wouldn’t mind if she stepped on his toes; her brother, Fitz, would laugh if she made a wrong turn. The same was true for Rupert and Selwyn.

Or… what about Simon?

Thoughts of him sent emotions spiraling in her, longing twining with annoyance, and strands of hurt and embarrassment befuddling her, so that when she turned a corner, she stumbled against a large body with a startled squeak.

“Here now. What’s this?”

Powerful hands matched the deep masculine voice and set her back, steadying her. She looked up, astonished, and her heart swelled and threatened to burst. All the mixed emotions evaporated, and joy flooded her. Dark hair spilled over one blue-gray eye and the full lips pursed together in a frown.

He’d come for her. Simon Clayding—Duke of Something now, but he would always be Simon to her—Simon was here.

“It’s you,” she said. “I’m so s-sorry. I’m as clumsy as ever. B-but… you’re here?”

Perhaps he would dance with her. Perhaps she should ask him.

“’Course I’m here.” He blinked, as though trying to focus. “Question is, why are you here looking like a fresh young thing ready for your come-out?”

“S-Simon?”

“Simon?” He muttered a foul profanity she’d heard only on the rarest of occasions spilling from one of her brothers’ mouths. “Demmed Percy told you my Christian name, I suppose, and sent you along. One of his pranks. Well, madam, you’re a pretty thing, and I mean you no offense, but I’m not going to be sidetracked tonight. I’m not interested.”

A wave of misery stilled her tongue and drove the breath from her. She’d loved Simon Clayding since her brother George brought him home from school that first holiday fifteen years ago when she’d been not much more than a baby.

In the dim light of a wall sconce, his gaze darkened and held hers, despite his proclaimed lack of interest.

Perhaps… Simon hadn’t seen her in nine years. He didn’t recognize her. He had her confused with someone else.

Reasoning trickled back into her senses, bringing along the strong scent of brandy.

Of course. He was completely foxed.

She licked her lips, preparing to set him straight, but as she opened her mouth, a spark lit his eyes and turned up the corners of his mouth.

And then he tugged her, pressing his lips to hers, pressing his chest to her… to her…

Breath left her in a whoosh as he angled his mouth over hers, nibbling and then entering her with his tongue, inflaming desire, demanding surrender.

She gripped his broad shoulders but instead of steadying her, their solidness sent heat spinning through her.

Simon was kissing her. Simon. The first man to kiss her. At a public ball. He cared for her. He hadn’t forgotten. He meant to mar…

“There.” He set her back as suddenly as he’d swooped down on her.

A tendril of hair fell over her cheek, the same one that a maid had just pinned.

“That’s all you’ll get from me. Go back and tell Percy we’ve had our tumble, if you will, and demand payment from him. Get you gone before one of the servants sees you and throws you out on your arse.”

He turned her around and smacked her bottom. She staggered against the wall, righted herself, and turned back ready to give him a piece of her mind.

Pick up a digital copy from your favorite bookseller: https://books2read.com/aWallflowersMidsummerNightCaper

Love series romance? Find links to the entire multi-author series here.

About the author:

USA Today bestselling author and newest member of the Bluestocking Belles, Alina K. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and German literature but prefers the happier world of romance fiction. Her roots are in the Midwestern U.S., but after six very, very, very cold years in Chicago, she moved to Southern California where she shares a midcentury home with a golden-eyed terrier and a feisty chihuahua and only occasionally misses snow.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://alinakfield.com/

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alina-K.-Field/e/B00DZHWOKY

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alinakfield

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlinaKField

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alina-k-field

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173518.Alina_K_Field

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

Newsletter signup: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z6q6e3

Love is in the Air

By Alina K. Field

On February 24, 2024

In Teatime Tattler

Take a leap into love…

Dear Reader,

We’ve sent an intrepid reporter to a most interesting gathering in the town of Upper Upton in Sussex. It is not often one sees a Viscount, an Earl, and a Marquess and their ladies gather to attend the wedding of an innkeeper.

However, not only did these esteemed peers attend, but the bride, a young widow of seemingly no importance, was escorted down the aisle on the arm of the marquess.

The whole event had the air of a rowdy country fair. Why, even a houseful of children from a nearby charity home piled into the church and attended the breakfast that followed.

Why? we ask.

It seems that the groom is a military comrade of the valiant peers who fought so bravely in defense of England; further, the bride has a connection with none other than the marchioness, Lady W. who we have written about in this earlier dispatch: Secrets and Lies.

Have no fear, we will report more on this story as soon as we learn more.

~~~~~

A Leap Into Love

Can a gentleman be too charming? The ladies of Upper Upton think so.

And it’s almost Leap Day, when a man who refuses a lady’s proposal of marriage must offer a forfeit.

When the single ladies of the village conspire to teach their charmer a lesson that might bankrupt him, the town’s loveliest young widow steps up to warn him.

His secrets and hers make them a perfect match—and she’s the lady he wants. But she won’t accept his proposal, not even to rescue him.

As Leap Day approaches, the clock is ticking. Can he convince her in time to say yes to his offer and take a leap into love?

Excerpt

When the Ladies’ Society for the Improvement of Village Life gathered, discussions could drag on.

Mrs. Myra Smith stood at a distance, watching the exhalation of so much talk fog the air in the unheated assembly rooms of the Royal George Inn. From her station near the door, she kept an eye on the boy who’d marched off to the far end of the room, away from the ladies.

The Society’s grandiose title always made Myra smile. Stuffy-sounding though it might be, the Ladies’ Society did have a valuable purpose. Village life could be dull, and didn’t she know that well.

It could also be closed-minded, a trap Myra was always dodging. She was here today representing Longview, the nearby children’s home that had brought so many interesting characters to Upper Upton—the teachers, ladies of questionable background like herself, and the children, London’s outcasts, who’d found shelter, and training, and love.

Longview had been generously endowed by the Lords Cathmore, Hackwell, and Wallenford, much as their lordships had endowed this whole village, trying to make the residents of Longview more palatable to the good citizens of Upper Upton. Even this inn had been thoroughly modernized and expanded. Their lordships had even plucked the handsome innkeeper from among their former military comrades.

Thoughts of the man reminded her, she and Barty should be on their way. “The room is quite adequate to your needs,” Myra said. “The children and I shall certainly see to—”

The door to the assembly rooms whooshed open, silencing her.

A wide smile flashed her way, and she caught her breath. “Mr. Grant,” she said with a clipped curtsy, remembering what she was dealing with.

True to his nature, Alexander Grant turned that handsome gaze on the other three ladies and bowed all around. “Such loveliness brightens the dreary aspects of this day.”

His grin widened, and his dark hair sparkled in the light from a tall window. The cold February rain had dampened his coats and breeches and ruddied his cheeks under the dark stubble. Warmth rose in Myra. She shook herself, searching for words.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/ALeapIntoLove

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling and Award-winning author Alina K. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and German literature, but prefers the much happier world of romance fiction. Though her roots are in the Midwestern U.S., after six very, very, very cold years in Chicago, she moved to Southern California where she shares a midcentury home with her two rescued dogs, a spunky, blonde terrier and a super-friendly chihuahua.

Find her at:

http://alinakfield.com/

https://www.facebook.com/alinakfield

https://twitter.com/AlinaKField

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alina-k-field

Newsletter signup: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z6q6e3

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alina-K.-Field/e/B00DZHWOKY

News of a Rushed Wedding

By Alina K. Field

On December 23, 2023

In Teatime Tattler

Dear Reader,

Most interesting news has arrived. A wedding apparently has taken place officiated by a very high-ranking clergyman. I herewith share a partial letter I received from our local correspondent:

My Dear Mr. Clemens,

I hasten to send you this news, though I daresay given the state of the roads it won’t reach you before the event I report has occurred. Wet, wetter, and wettest; that is how this weather has been. I only pray that my report reaches you safely, for it is a—dare I say—juicy revelation.

To begin at the beginning, the esteemed and ancient Episcopal See which I will refrain from naming is to be the sight of a wedding—a rather rushed wedding to be officiated by no less than a bishop–between a high-ranking young clergyman and a local woman, the hired companion of one of the prosperous parishioners.

As to how this came about, you must have heard in town about the abysmal snowstorm that struck locally on Twelfth Night. The soon to be happy pair (or already happy, if this letter is delayed) found themselves on an improvident—dare I say imprudent—social call and snowbound. Sheltering together in a vacant cottage, they spent an entire night alone together before returning and announcing their engagement.

If it would not be indelicate, I might add that one would hardly doubt what went on that night. Those acquainted with the happy groom found the affair shocking. Parishioners had thought him to be upright and sober. (Though there were, of course, others who found his probity veering toward the pompous.)

Ah, but the next piece of news will explain everything. Concerning the bride

~~~

Dear Readers,

The roads must have been wet indeed, for the rest of this letter has been soaked beyond my ability to trace the letters.

I shall endeavor to find out more of this interesting story for you in my next edition.

Or, you can find out more in Twelfth Night Treasure, by Alina K. Field, in Christmastide Kisses, a Bluestocking Belles Collection with Friends

The Bluestocking Belles and Friends brighten your holidays with:

A beleaguered uncle whose wards have run off every governess–what he needs is a wife, if only he can persuade the latest applicant
A country solicitor who becomes an earl and then finds a secret that changes everything
A very proper clergyman who battles very improper urges when he and a lady with a murky past find themselves snowbound
A viscount whose search to unearth generations-old family secrets kindles the fire of love for his lovely search partner
A former army captain who wonders if the best friend of his ex-fiancee is the woman he should have married
A vicar with a misspent youth and the duke’s daughter who brings out the best in him

Six gentlemen and the ladies with whom they discover the power of a Christmastide Kiss.

Release date: December 26, 2023

Pre-order your copy for only 99 cents:

https://books2read.com/u/m26VG6

Goings-on at Lord C’s Estate

By Alina K. Field

On November 25, 2023

In Teatime Tattler

My dear Clarissa,

Such goings on we have had here in Kent at F Manor with our new Lord C and his mother and their house party guests!

We, of course were invited tonight to dinner and the ball that followed. Lord C’s mother, Mrs. Y, puts on such airs, if you ask me, and was in a fair snit when the weather gods had the nerve to spoil her plans for a late night of dancing. It was a perilous and very wet walk home—yes, my beloved refused to take out the carriage—and though I was soaked and chilled to my bones, I could not rest tonight until I put pen to paper and write to you.

I tell you, Clarissa, there is something funny about that woman, Mrs. Y, and that household, with servants coming and going as if Lord C… Well, anyone could see that his attention was on one guest in particular, a Scots lady, in a very fine gown though I couldn’t work out whether she fancied him or not.

There are wedding bells on the horizon, mark my words, if he can but convince that red-haired hoyden to accept, and if he can untie his mother’s apron strings. Not that Mrs. Y would condescend to wear one of those.

But oh, what a grand pool of interesting tidbits there were, for those who could see, like you and me, my dearest friend. No less than a duke and his duchess, a marquess—a very shady one if I do say so, and I do—and our Sir H, (you remember I wrote that he is home now?) whispering in the corner with the shady marquess’s sister.

What occurred after we left? And what will the morrow bring? I have fortuitously left behind my vinaigrette—my old one, not the silver filigree case you sent me for Christmas. My Betsy will fetch it back for me tomorrow, along with whatever news she can learn. She is very good at ferreting out information.

I just may have a juicy ondit for Mr. Clemens at the Teatime Tattler!

I must hasten to bed. My lord and master is calling.

Your dear friend,

Harriet

The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden

When her family’s business reunites a Scottish lass with the English earl who jilted her last Christmas, she vows, by all means, to protect her heart.

Edme Beecham was not disappointed in love last Christmas when Lord Cottingwith abruptly departed the Duke of Kinmarty’s Yuletide party. No, the Earl was too old to be so shy, but there it was. He’d latched on to her own talkative self because he’d found Edme, a girl among a multitude of brothers of all ages, comfortable company.

Thus, when an invitation to join a Yuletide party at Furningwood, his family’s estate, arrives, she’s alarmed to feel her hopes rising, and determined to stay home. But the earl is a valuable political and business connection, and her brother insists she go.

After one youthful lapse, Trenton Yardley, Earl of Cottingwith, has set about being a better man than his late uncle and cousin, and restoring the fortunes of his family, without submitting himself to the sort of fortune-hunting marriage his mother wants for him. He has a secret, and only the right woman will do for him, one with a generous heart and a sense of humor. He’d thought he’d found her last year in Edme Beecham, but an emergency had called him home before he could press his suit further.

The cold, aloof girl who appears at his home for Christmas could not be his Scottish hoyden, could she?

The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden is a standalone romance, Book 5 in The Upstart Christmas Brides Series.

Release day is December 5, 2023.

Universal Pre-order Link:

https://books2read.com/TheEarlsScottishHoyden

About the author

USA Today bestselling author and Bluestocking Belle Alina K. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and German literature but prefers the happier world of romance fiction. Her roots are in the Midwestern U.S., but after six very, very, very cold years in Chicago, she moved to Southern California where she shares a midcentury home with a golden-eyed terrier and a feisty chihuahua.