Dear Mr. S. Clemens,

As an American reader of your delightful column, I felt I had to write in and share ever such scandalous and shocking goings-on in the quiet and God-fearing town of Cedar Point, Massachusetts.

The rather unusual spinster, Miss Rowena Mumford, has always been under scrutiny. Not only does she possess considerable wealth, but she also insisted on attending college and living alone after her parents’ deaths. Her only companion is a large and mischievous black tomcat. Miss Mumford, although she doesn’t need to support herself, insists on teaching piano and French! She is corrupting the youth of our town with her love of “ragtime” and encouraging other young ladies to seek out higher education! But this is not the most shocking accusation!

It seems Miss Mumford has actually devised a contest to weed through her many suitors, including the rich and eligible Matthew Raine. She let it be known that any man who could put a bell around the neck of her cat, Tiger, could court her! The entire town is awash with men sneaking down alleys, toting nets, and dangling pieces of fish to tempt the big brute!

One man seems immune, but then again, Mr. Augustus Warwick, piano tuner and confectioner, is very eccentric. He seems to like Miss Mumford and her cat—but makes no attempt to woo her or to bell her fearsome feline. (Yet rumor has it that he has been over to Miss Mumford’s house several evenings to “tune her piano.”)

The Christian ladies of the parish have decreed that Rowena Mumford ought to be married by summer, and that means a spring engagement must occur! The town is taking sides in this madness, with most assuming Matthew Raine will sort out his rival, Mr. Warwick. What does Miss Mumford say about all of this?

Not a word, Mr. Clemens, not a word! She barely acknowledges the strange attempts to catch and bell her cat. Some have long suspected her of witchcraft. I myself wonder what her secret could be—but I know there is a secret indeed!

I’d be ever so delighted if your readers could advise your American neighbors on how to handle this scandal!

Anonymously Yours,

A Concerned Congregant of St. Clementia’s

About Belling the Tigress: Rowena Mumford has the eye of every single man in quiet Cedar Point, Massachusetts. Her beauty and fortune outweigh her mischievous black cat, Tiger, and the murmurs of witchcraft that surround her. Tired of pointless suitors, Rowena states the man who can place a bell around Tiger’s neck may woo her.  Soon, all of Cedar Point is hoping for a spring engagement!

Augustus Warwick, a dreamer who owns the local sweet shop, believes he has no chance of winning Rowena’s heart. The eccentric confectioner is too busy trying to perfect a new confection before Easter Sunday. But Tiger has taken a shine to his shop, and Augustus has taken a shine to Miss Mumford. Will he be able to win her heart—and will he want it once he learns her secret?

About M. Culler: Bestselling author M. Culler can’t stick to just one genre. She writes fantasy, mystery, and all flavors of romance. M.Culler lives in historic Chester County, Pennsylvania, where potentially haunted battlegrounds and 18th century buildings serve as neverending inspiration. M.Culler lives for her two brilliant children (mini-bookworms), her gorgeous husband, her endlessly entertaining students, and her wonderful community. If she’s not hunched over a laptop, you’ll find her baking up a storm in the kitchen, playing board games, or watching Brit Coms.

Find M. Culler OnLine: Website and Newsletter   Facebook   Reader’s Group: Book Dragons   Historical Heat Historical Romance Group   Twitter   Instagram   Amazon   Bookbub   Goodreads

 

 

Gentle Reader,

As you might imagine, the drawing rooms of Key West, Florida, make quite the effort to compare with those of genteel civility, such as Savannah, Philadelphia or Boston. Our young ladies are brought up to display the most decorous of behavior. That is, of course, until those of lesser class broach the best thresholds, and then what may we expect, but scandal?

Miss M, daughter of a codfish aristocracy businessman, recently–and inexplicably–became engaged to local society swain TW.  Until a few weeks before, he had been most intently courting a young lady of proper breeding, Miss P.  I can assure you that more than a few jaws dropped, and a dozen young ladies’ hopes were dashed at his most public announcement of the sudden engagement. But the worst was yet to come.

At the party to celebrate the engagement Saturday last, the most shocking event occurred. The young woman was abducted by pirates! Right from under her fiancé’s nose! We are told that she returned home the same night. One can only imagine in what condition she arrived, considering the scoundrels who stole her away. The young man was overheard loudly demanding that she be examined to see what sinful harm had befallen her during her absence, and her father seemed quite beside himself, his already-questionable family name being exposed to such shameful behavior.

One may hope that such shenanigans will bring the young man to his senses, and that he may, with all proper decorum and certainly legal right, breach his promise to marry this unfortunate girl. Certainly, his parents should encourage such a course of action immediately.

About the book: Tamsyn McKiernan thinks her dreams have come true. She’s engaged to a dashing Key West bachelor and finally in her widowed father’s good graces. But in her heart, she knows something’s wrong. She loves the ocean and the quiet pleasures of nature—so what does the aristocratic life she’ll lead truly hold for her?

Mercenary captain Drake Ashton is neck deep in preparations for the Spanish-American War, running guns and other supplies to Cuban natives who want out from under their Spanish masters. He and his brother Freddie risk their lives daily, focused on saving his friends on the island. Nothing else matters but his mission.

Available Now: Ebooks   Paperback   B&N

About the Author: Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years, after working as a pizza maker, a floral designer, a journalist and a family law attorney. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. She writes romance and suspense as Alana Lorens, and sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal mystery as Lyndi Alexander. She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by three crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages.

Find Alana OnLine

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https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

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Twitter:  @AlexanderLyndi

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 Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFWs54EUJeU

Dear Gentle Reader,

As this writer predicted several years ago when the present Duke of Calhoun assumed his title, there is again turmoil within the family. The heir to the dukedom, the Marquis of Whittington, has gone to the Crimea to fight for Queen and Country. The Marquis left behind a broken- hearted fiancée after embarrassing her at the Levington’s party. There was some report of fisticuffs!

This writer has also been informed within the last few days, that the turmoil that surrounds the Duke and Duchess of Calhoun has spilled over to the family of the Count and Countess of Levington. Not only is their son in the Crimea with the Marquis, but it has been rumored that the daughter, Lady Alison Spencer, is soon to joined that woman, Florence Nightengale, in journeying to Turkey to help in the healing of our brave young men in that war-torn country.

I ask you, Dear Reader, can anything good come of this scenario? The heir of the dukedom in harm’s way and gentle young women going to war zones to be exposed to disease and pestilence?

About The Marquis’s Healing: This novel brings together history, intrigue, betrayal, and romance. The Crimean War is the backdrop for the story of Jonathan Ryan Carmichael, the Marquis of Whittington, who strives to hold onto his honor after being betrayed by his betrothed. He searches for healing from the deep wounds of losing not only the fidelity of his fiancée, but also from the loss of his childhood friend and comrade-in-arms who succumbs to disease while serving alongside him in the Crimea. Meanwhile, back home in England, Lady Alison Spencer is troubled by news of the terrible conditions in the Crimea and seeks to find a way to help. She joins with Florence Nightingale on the journey to improve conditions for the troops in the faraway land. In the course of time Lady Alison assists not only the Great Lady in restoring healthful conditions in the Crimea, but she also aids in healing the Marquis by means of honor and perfect love.

Available Now: https://www.amazon.com/Marquis-Healing-story-Honor-Perfect-ebook/dp/B0BYTBC698/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pl_foot_top?ie=UTF8

Excerpt:  “For the next several days Alison performed her duties, but the other nurses as well as her patients knew that something had happened the day Captain Carmichael had found her in the Barracks Hospital. She had returned the following day to carry out her appointed duties, but the laughter in her hazel eyes was missing. Her joy of life was no longer evident, nor was her ever-present smile. Alison dressed the men’s wounds, read to them letters from home, and assisted the doctors on their rounds, but all knew that something had happened between her and the captain.” —from The Marquis’s Healing

About Deborah Craton: The Marquis’s Healing is the author’s first published work of fiction. She began writing while still in high school, creating a number of novellas that today would be classified as “fan fiction,” much of it based on the original “Star Trek” television series; she also completed a Western saga novel while in high school. In the ensuing years college, medical school, and family intervened to limit her creative opportunities, but after retiring from an active medical practice in 2022 she was able to complete the current novel about Jonathan Ryan Carmichael, the Marquis of Whittington, which she began writing in 2004. The author is married to her college sweetheart, and together they have raised three sons, hosted four foreign-exchange students, and cared for numerous cats throughout her 38 years of medical practice. She states that the impetus to complete this novel came largely through her sons’ good-natured sniping at her fascination with period romance novels. She hopes her readers enjoy her story-telling and will look forward to reading more from her pen as the Whittington saga continues.

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090973520528

Dearest Readers,

An evening at a ball never lacks for good gossip, but the events at Lady P’s ball this past week surprised even this writer. The Bon Ton has been aflutter these last weeks about a certain Miss B, whose beauty is only superseded by her mysterious arrival in Society. And when that certain young miss chose the Awkward Earl (whom many have taken to calling Lord H. for his inability to carry even the simplest conversations) for her first dance of the evening, many an eyebrow raised.

While her taste in dance partners is certainly in question, I can quite attest to how shocking the next events were. At the end of the quadrille, Lord H. abandoned Miss B. on the dance floor in a cut direct! But instead of returning to her chaperone as any respectable young miss should, Miss B. chased after him onto the shadowed balcony. A reliable source confirmed to me that they did not return to the ballroom for quite some time, and while they returned separately, my source says Miss B. looked quite flushed for a chilly spring night. One can only imagine what the pair were doing on a dark balcony hidden away from her chaperone.

Miss B. must be aware that her actions have tarnished her reputation and her association with the Awkward Earl will certainly leave her marriage prospects far thinner than they had been prior to the ball. This should serve to remind us all to take care when selecting the people one associates with. Especially if you are on the marriage mart.

About the Tempting the Reclusive Earl:  Destiny brought her. He’ll fight to keep her.

Christian Albury, the Earl of Huntington, prefers his inventions to people. When he discovers that someone is stealing from him, he is forced to leave the comfort of his workshop to investigate the matter. Being highly intelligent has its advantages, but not in the shark-infested waters of a London Season where his social awkwardness makes him an outcast. When he meets a beautiful woman who claims that one of his inventions brought her from the future, Christian does what any self-respecting recluse would—he ignores her request for help and avoids her. A decision he fears left a bad impression on her.

Bellamy Bennett just became the new face for a famous perfume company’s ad campaigns. Even though modeling isn’t as fulfilling as it once was, she’s hoping the work will provide the means for the next chapter of her life. But when her sister goes missing, Bellamy rushes to find her, only to end up two hundred years in the past—and in the arms of a handsome but exasperating Earl. He may be the only person who can help her get home. He’s also avoiding her. But Bellamy is persistent and the more time she spends with Christian, the deeper her feelings grow for the brilliant but shy man.

When Christian’s time travel clock is stolen, he discovers a depth to the theft that threatens his entire estate and could keep Bellamy in the nineteenth century forever. And when an old enemy resurfaces to threaten all he holds dear, Christian will discover how much Bellamy means to him and just how far he will go to protect her.

Pre-Order Link: https://amzn.to/3OHaEf2 (also available in KU)

Excerpt: What happens on the balcony stays on the balcony?

Christian took hold of her upper arm and steered her into the shadows. “Bellamy, why are you out here? Your reputation could be ruined.” He crossed his arms over that wide chest and glared down at her.

She lifted her chin. “I’m helping you find Dale.”

“I don’t need help.”

She waved at where Waler had been. “He planned to share the information with you?”

He pressed his lips into a thin line.

“I heard the terrible things he said to you,” she added softly.

Christian looked away.

She laid her hand on his arm. “I don’t understand their cruelty.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does if it hurts you.” She cupped his cheek and made him look at her.

He sucked in a sharp breath at her touch. Whatever else she meant to say disappeared beneath his intense gaze.

The air changed between them. Grew charged in a way she couldn’t describe. Every sensation magnified. The coolness of his cheek from being out in the chilly air, beneath her gloved hand. The solid muscle she felt beneath her palm when she laid her other hand on his chest. She heard him swallow and watched his sensuous lips part.

Heat curled in her belly and her nipples pebbled. She inched closer.

Christian move his hands to cup her waist. The warmth of his palms seared through her thin gown, warming her even more. His gaze dropped to her lips.

She pressed closer until their chests brushed.

“Bellamy.” Her name was a soft sigh on his lips. It washed over her like a caress.

She wanted to kiss him, she realized. He was frustrating and shy, and at times achingly vulnerable, and she wanted to kiss him more than anyone she’d ever been with.

“Christian,” she whispered as she slid her hands up to wrap behind his neck.

He startled at her touch, and she saw the desire-filled haze begin to clear from his eyes.

No. She wasn’t letting this moment pass. She threaded her fingers into his hair, angled his head down, and kissed him.

 

Book 2 in the Taken by Destiny series

Book 1- The Earl’s Timely Wallflower:

The Earl’s Timely Wallflower Teatime Tattler link: https://bluestockingbelles.net/an-earl-with-two-mistresses-in-the-same-house/

About Aurrora St. James: Aurrora St. James writes sexy historical and paranormal/fantasy romances featuring tough heroes, strong women, quirky characters, and a touch of humor added in for spice. She loves coffee, making her own journals, old B, C, and D-movies, and the magic of a happily ever after.

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