Christmas Delights
by Heather Hiestand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The sweetest gift is the hardest to unwrap. . .
Lady Victoria Allen-Hill never dreamed she’d be a widow at
twenty-one--let alone a virgin. Her father insists that she attend a
matchmaking house party in the snow-covered seaside town of Pevensey in hopes
she’ll find a suitable husband. But for Victoria, it’s an opportunity to
indulge in a passionate affair--and the handsome inventor she meets at the
Christmas Eve masquerade ball may be just the man for the job. . .
Lewis Noble is the cousin of London’s famed Redcake sisters,
so it almost stands to reason that he’s just as irresistible as one of their
sugar-iced pastries. Lewis catches the eye of every woman at the party--but
Victoria is the only one who catches his. He won’t be tied down in her father’s
business, but watching other men court her amid a flurry of engagements ignites
a jealousy he’s never felt before. A dose of honesty may be just the thing to
mend their broken hearts--for many holidays to come. . .
"Before I realized it, the unusually strong and
well-developed characters of The Kidnapped Bride had sneaked up on me and
captured my full attention. This is one of the best shorter books I have ever
read." --Delle Jacobs, author of Lady Wicked
"A delightful, sexy glimpse into Victorian life and
loving with two wonderfully non-traditional lovers." --Jessa Slade, author
of Dark Prince's Desire on His Wicked Smile
EXCERPT
December 22, 1889
I’ll tell you a story while we
wait for the carriage,” said Victoria, Lady Allen-Hill. “Once upon a time, long
ago, in the south of England, a princess was left behind to guard the family
castle while her father was at war in France.”
“Is this the castle where we’re
spending Christmas?” Penelope Courtnay asked from her seat against the wall in
Redcake’s tearoom. Cutouts of Father Christmas dangled on green ribbons above
her head, dancing against the wall as waitresses called cakies walked around
briskly, serving customers.
“Yes. Though it was in sorry
shape in those days.” Victoria had to bend over the table to be heard through
the din of patrons clattering teacups against saucers and talking excitedly
about holiday plans.
“Continue,” said Penelope.
Victoria thought her
nine-year-old cousin sounded very grown-up, but then, she had little experience
with children. “Very well. This princess, Everilda by name, had spent the
beginning of winter stuffing herself with all sorts of game, every bird that
could be slaughtered, bread, and frumenty. She’d made herself so ill that when
a strange old serving woman approached the dais of her father’s great hall on
Christmas Day, with the first mince pie of the Twelve Days, she refused to eat
any of it.
“Her retainers looked nervous.
The chamberlain bent over her shoulder and whispered, ‘Princess Everilda, it is
bad luck to refuse mince pie.’
BUY LINKS:
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Heather Hiestand was born in Illinois, but her family migrated west
before she started school. Since then she has claimed Washington State as home,
except for a few years in California. She wrote her first story at age seven
and went on to major in creative writing at the University of Washington. Her
first published fiction was a mystery short story, but since then it has been
all about the many flavors of romance. Heather’s first published romance short
story was set in the Victorian period, and she continues to return, fascinated
by the rapid changes of the nineteenth century. The author of many novels,
novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon and
Barnes and Noble. With her husband and son, she makes her home in a small town
and supposedly works out of her tiny office, though she mostly writes in her
easy chair in the living room.
For more information, visit Heather’s website at www.heatherhiestand.com
Heather loves to hear from readers! Her email is
heather@heatherhiestand.com.
Social media:
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/heatherhiestand/
Heather will be awarding a $25
AMAZON or BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the
tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me visit today, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI love a good christmas romance, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI like the cover and blurb, nothing like a good historical romance story.
ReplyDeleteI love this cover.
ReplyDeletei liked the author bio
ReplyDeleteI liked the EXCERPT!
ReplyDeleterounder9834 @yahoo.com