Book Trailer for Lady O!
17 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Regency Historical, Vikki's Musings Tags: #American, #Historical#Romance, #Sea Captain, #Sensual, #Suspense
Lady Overton’s Perilous Journey ~ Vikki Vaught
14 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
Excerpt:
Anissa clasped her trembling hands together as she stammered, “I w-wanted to watch as we l-left the pier, since it will be my last sight of England for a very long time.”
Captain Hawks stared at her, black eyes gleaming. “Who’s that man? I thought you told me you weren’t running away. What are you running away from? Tell me, damn it!”
Anissa turned back to the railing to give herself time to collect her thoughts. She came up with a believable story, she hoped. Even though she hated lying, now was not the time for scruples. To save her son, she would lie, cheat, or even kill, if need be. She did not owe this arrogant captain anything. He was only a means to an end for her.
Pulling on her confidence as a marchioness, she turned to face him with an expression of disdain on her face…
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Spotlight on To Live Again by V.L. Edwards
13 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Erotic Historical, Regency Historical, Vikki's Musings Tags: #England, #erotic, #Historical#Romance
To Live Again by V.L. Edwards
Publisher & Release Date: Enticing Pleasures Romance, September 11, 2015
Time and setting: 1818, England
Genre: Historical Regency Romance
Length: 122 pages
Heat Level: 3 Scorching Hot Flame
Book Description:
The reclusive Earl of Broadmoor exists for his son and grieves for his late wife. Vowing to never give his heart again, he prowls the streets of London when his needs can no longer be denied. When an enchanting young woman captures his eye—a woman he believes wise in ways to satisfy a man’s urges—he offers her a night of passion.
Amelia Harrington grows desperate when her landlady demands the rent or else. To keep food on the table and a place to live for her and her young siblings, she sells the only thing she has to offer…her innocence.
Broadmoor discovers she is not what he expects, but a virgin and a gentlewoman as well. His honor demands he wed her. Can the earl protect his heart and stay true to his late wife’s memory, while enjoying his new wife’s delectable charms? Can Amelia bring his walls crashing down, allowing him…to live again?
Warning: This book is intended for mature audiences.
Buy Link:
Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26452954-to-live-again
Excerpt:
The young woman’s hands shook as she reached up to untie her bonnet and remove it. She lowered it, twisting the brim with her hands. Her lip trembled and her eyes looked glassy with tears as she bowed her head and followed his directions. Taken aback by this show of tears and nerves, he wondered if he had made a mistake. She did look quite young. However, as she had come willingly, he dismissed his concern.
Once she disappeared from sight, he lit more candles. The lamp behind the screen illuminated the woman’s shadow. While he watched her disrobe, fierce desire stirred in his loins. As he continued to watch, he reached down and rubbed his cock, which grew bigger by the minute. She had petite, pert tits, and he couldn’t wait to feast on them. If he were a betting man he’d wager she had small berry-colored nipples, as he always preferred.
When the woman finished undressing, she stood perfectly still as if frozen, so he called out, “Please, come here.” He heard her take a deep shuddering breath, and it gave him pause, making him again question his decision to engage her services. By this time he was so greatly aroused, he pushed his hesitation away again.
Just when he thought she wasn’t coming from behind the screen, she stepped out, moved a few feet, and stopped. His breath caught when he saw her. The sheer, pale blue silk robe showed her luscious curves to advantage. She was everything he desired, plump breasts with deep pink nipples, alabaster skin with a small patch of auburn pubic hair. Her tiny waist and gently flared hips drove desire straight to his already aching cock. Reminiscent of the statues of the Grecian goddesses he had seen when he visited the British Museum, definitely an alluring young woman’s body. Her graceful figure fed the fire deep in his belly.
However, as he observed the pensive expression on her face, he suspected she might be too fragile and young to handle such extreme sexual desires. “How old are you? You look younger than I thought.” As much as he’d hate it, if she wasn’t eighteen, he would need to send her on her way.
“I j-just celebrated my twentieth b-birthday.” Rushing her words, she added, “I’m old enough.”
A blush rose up her cheeks, as she pulled the sash apart. The robe slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor. Her beauty stole his breath. Never, in the last three years he’d done this, had he picked up such an exquisite female—and she belonged to him for the entire night. He stepped closer. In a husky voice, he murmured, “I’m going to blindfold you. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
She looked up. Her face paled, and her eyes grew large as she backed away. “No, please don’t.”
Warren raised an eyebrow. “Come now. You’re a woman who’s sold her favors before. It can be quite titillating to be blindfolded. All your other senses are more acute. Don’t act missish. It’s not as though you’re a virgin.”
Author Bio:
Vikki Vaught, writing as V.L. Edwards started her writing career when a story invaded her mind and would not leave. Over the last few years, she has written more than a half dozen historical romances and is presently working on her next. To Live Again is her debut novel in erotic historical romance. She also has another recent release, writing as Vikki Vaught. Lady Overton’s Perilous Journey is the first book in her Honorable Rogue series.
Vikki loves a “Happily Ever After”, and she writes them in her stories. While romance is the central theme of all her books, she includes some significant historical event or place in all her novels.
While all her books are love stories, she has also written short contemporary sweet romances as Vikki McCombie.
Vikki lives in the beautiful foothills of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with her beloved husband, Jim, who is the most tolerant man in the world to put up with her when she is in a writing frenzy. When she isn’t writing or working her day job, you’ll find her curled up in a comfortable chair reading her Kindle, lost in a good book with a cup of tea at her side.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.vikkivaught.com/home.html
Email: mailto:vvaught512@aol.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VikkiVaught?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vvaught512
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+VikkiMcCombie/posts
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vaughtmccombie/
Amazon Author Page: http://smile.amazon.com/Vikki-Vaught/e/B008EE7TG2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1433778387&sr=1-2-ent
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5208041.Vikki_Vaught
Spotlight on Lady Overton’s Perilous Journey by Vikki Vaught
12 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Regency Historical, Vikki's Musings Tags: #American, #England, #Romantic Suspense, #Sea Captain, #Sensual
Audiobook Review: THE LADY MEETS HER MATCH by Gina Conkle
11 Sep 2015 2 Comments
Title:The Lady Meets Her Match Midnight Meetings, book 2
Author: Gina Conkle
Genre: Historical Romance
Story Setting: London, 1768
Pages: 384
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN-10: 1402294301
ISBN-13: 978-1402294303
Narrated by: Marian Hussey
Length: 10 hours, 33 minutes
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Published by: NYLA
Publisher’s Summary:
Locating her is only half the battle.
Cyrus Ryland didn’t become England’s wealthiest bachelor by being a pushover, but the mysterious beauty he discovers sneaking around at his grand ball enflames his curiosity. When the clock chimes midnight, and she’s nowhere to be found, Cyrus vows to scour all of London to uncover who she is. Little does he know that not only does Claire Mayhew not want to be found, but she wants nothing to do with him at all….
©2015 Gina Conkle (P)2015 Gina Conkle
My Thoughts: A London, mid-town girl, Claire Mayhew, very…
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book & Audio Review: Along Came a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle
09 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Regency Historical, Vikki's Musings Tags: #historical #regency #b, #Historical#Romance
Along Came a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle
Publisher & Release Date: Harper Collins Publishers, May 29, 2012
Time and setting: 1810, Sussex, London
Genre: Historical Regency Romance
Length: 388 pages
Heat Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame
Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
New York Times bestselling RITA® Award winner Elizabeth Boyle is a wonder, and with Along Came a Duke—the first book in her delectable Rhymes with Love series based on well-known nursery rhymes—she proves once more that no one writes wittier, more endearing and original historical romance. Returning once more to England during the colorful Regency Era, Boyle transports readers to the small town of Kempton, where a local curse prevents the female residents from wedding—a fact that cannot deter a plucky young heiress who needs to marry to inherit her fortune, as she strikes out for London to wed a rakish and unsuspecting duke. Funny, touching, and wonderfully sensuous, Along Came a Duke is a prime example of the exceptional romantic magic that puts Elizabeth Boyle in the same master class as Lisa Kleypas and Christina Dodd.
Buy Links:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Along-Came-a-Duke-Audiobook/B00846MS0C
Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15820319-along-came-a-duke
Vikki’s Musings
It has been a while since I have read a book by Elizabeth Boyle. I am so glad I picked Along Came a Duke to re-enter Ms. Boyle’s amazing writing world. I thoroughly enjoyed being transported back to Regency England in this wonderful story. Elizabeth Boyle does not disappoint!
This is a fast-paced romance from start to finish. In fact, while listening to it, I had a difficult time stopping to take care of mundane tasks. This book has a sweetly developing love story, yet Ms. Boyle kept it going with excellent sexual tension, one of the things I love most about historical romances.
Tabitha Timmons is a wonderful heroine. With just the right amount of spunky kid rolled into the waif character arch. While this starts out as a Cinderella story, it is much more than that. I loved the heroine’s lively spirit and saucy tongue when dealing with the bad boy duke.
At first, I didn’t think I would like the Duke of Preston’s character. He is a bit brash in the beginning and Ms. Boyle paints his character as an uncaring, notorious rake to such a point that he is no longer received by polite society. As the story unfolds, his back story pulled at my heart, and had me misty-eyed for the sad young boy he must have been. His need to always have company when he dines shows his vulnerable side.
Since I listened to the audio version, I want to mention the narration by Susan Duerden. She does an outstanding job giving all the characters distinctive voices, from the heroine to the servants. It was easy to figure out who was speaking. Unfortunately, I struggled while listening to the narrative portion of the book. Ms. Duerden has a bit of a sing-song tone to her voice. However, that is not present during the dialogue.
I always love a traditional Regency romance with the added benefit of the slow burn of sexual tension building to the actually love scene. If you enjoy historical romances, then Along Came a Duke is sure to please. I know I found it completely satisfying. Happy reading!
Book Blast: Ashes of Waterloo by Olivia Andem
08 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Historical Fiction, Vikki's Musings Tags: #HistoricalFiction, #War
Thank you for stopping by my blog today. The spotlight is on Ashes of Waterloo by Olivia Andem. Make sure you enter the Rafflecopter drawing for a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC. The link is below!
Historical Fiction
Date Published: August 15, 2015
April 1815
Rumors of Napoleon’s war plans spread across the French border into the Province of Brabant. The caretaker’s stepdaughter dreads the arrival of Napoleon’s soldiers with good reason…she knows their violent ways only too well. One fateful afternoon, Lisette is left in charge of the empty chateau. During the dark days that follow, a vow of revenge mars her efforts to make new friends and bask in the attentions of a rugged British officer. The three men she cares about face the battle ordeal of Waterloo. While fleeing the catastrophe of war, her every step is fraught with perils, brigands and heartache-
Lisette, a soldier’s daughter with iron will and a kind heart, refuses to surrender to hardship or vile threats… when faced with defeat by the past, she must find a way to protect those she holds dear and win a most precious victory.
Excerpt:
The caretaker’s daily chore of inspecting the abandoned chateau fell to Lisette whenever her stepfather was absent.
Once this task was done, a few hours were hers to spend as she wished; the prospect hurried her from the family cottage with the door key and a workbasket in hand. Skirts held aside, she crossed the wide courtyard under clearing skies, avoiding the puddles strewn in her path.
Chateau Austerlitz, slate roof glistening like a dark mirror after the noonday rain, towered above the estate grounds.
A massive door of oak planks, studded with iron brads in the medieval fashion, guarded the converted fortress above a shallow flight of steps. The rusty lock, stubborn as always, finally yielded; as the door creaked open, dank air rushed past her cheeks. Out of an abundance of caution, she relocked the door from the inside.
Engulfed in a dusty gloom, the cavernous hall held a trove of tapestries, paintings and heraldic shields until the summer previous. Faint outlines on the limestone floors still marked where fine French carpets had resided.
Lisette hastened across the great hall to the stone staircase, pausing now and then to sneeze into her work apron.
Entering the second-floor ballroom, the sound of her footsteps provided ghostly company.
The open space was empty except for a carved trunk mistakenly left behind when the elderly Count Walbourg fled to Vienna; the aristocrat was banished from Brabant when Napoleon was exiled to Elba.
Fond recollections rushed from every corner.
On many a summer’s night, lively music from this grand room drifted across the courtyard to the caretaker’s cottage and into the open windows of Lisette’s attic bedroom.
During winter celebrations, logs blazed behind giant andirons in the two fireplaces. Here, the Austrian nobleman entertained his friends, the fine gilded panels brought from Paris resounding with their gaiety.
Now the salon’s ceiling was freckled with black mold, sad evidence of its changing fortunes.
Loud clattering arose in the courtyard…the sharp echo of horse hooves raced through the empty halls, a sound familiar to Lisette when she was a household servant here.
Was the visitor coming from Genappe? The narrow road past the chateau crossed the Baisy forest and led to Brussels but was seldom used until the drier summer months.
Thoughts in an excited jumble, Lisette rushed down the stairs and crossed the hall while untying her work apron, round wood heels of her shoes clacking on the stone floor.
No one had ever arrived at the estate when she was alone!
This morning after her family sped off to Genappe, she felt capable enough but now her confidence sagged.
Why had she not worn her best skirt instead of the shabby one? Stowing the apron in the basket, she checked her red knit stockings and white cap with trembling fingers.
Lisette carefully turned the large key and, opening the door a few inches, peered outside.
A military helmet, its metal badge gleaming…a soldier!
Sparks lit her memory afire…the French soldiers came to arrest her Irish father for desertion. Jabbing bayonets in every hay-filled corner of the small barn, they found him.
“No one is allowed here,” Lisette said, studying this soldier in the courtyard from behind the safety of the door.
His muddy black boots and splattered greatcoat suggested an arduous journey; tethered beside the steps, his dark bay horse was covered from muzzle to tail with brown road slurry.
Before she could warn the soldier not to come closer, he boldly mounted the steps.
“Bonjour, Miss Lisette.” His helmet perched in the crook of his arm. “I am Corporal Grosbek, serving His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Napoleon. Is Monsieur Pollard at home?”
“What do you want with him?”
How startling to hear their names spoken by a stranger!
“Is not Monsieur Pollard caretaker of this estate?” The soldier’s tone was firm but polite.
“He is on a list of possible suppliers for our regiment.”
“He is not here. Good day.”
Grosbek sprang across the threshold, forcing her aside as he said, “May I wait until he returns?”
“My stepfather doesn’t allow strangers in here!”
Ignoring her protest, the corporal loped across the entrance hall to the drawing room like a haughty fox.
Why was he so certain of himself? Alarmed, Lisette edged to the open doorway, poised to run down the front steps.
“I am not a stranger,” he said, returning.
“I don’t know you, so you are a stranger.”
“Monsieur Pollard surely knows our family,” Grosbek replied, “as we have always lived in this parish. In fact, you visited Wavre a few summers ago. We spoke after Mass.”
“I’m very poor at remembering names,” she replied, unable to think of a better excuse while turning the matter over in her thoughts as if scrubbing potatoes.
After bitter arguments with her mother, Lisette was sent away to visit a distant cousin in Wavre for an entire summer.
That was three years ago…however, she recalled fleeing the church hall to escape from a brash young man, a pestering nuisance!
Could this be the same fellow?
“I remember you were rude to me, Miss Lisette, and hurried away as if I was a bore.”
The truth of his accusation stung. “You are mistaken.”
“Well, it was a few years ago.” He shrugged, adding a wry smile. “When does Count Walbourg return?”
“His Excellency resides in Vienna,” she replied, her pride in tatters, “and you may write to him there. However, you should know…since leaving here, he seldom replies.”
Lisette rubbed her fingers, recalling how raw they were after days of packing every candle, pot and kettle of Count Walbourg’s into straw-filled barrels and crates.
“Walbourg is an Austrian and Austria is our enemy,” he said in a gruff voice. “We can take property or anything else from enemies…or their friends.”
What kind of loyalty to a staunch ally was this? She wanted to explain how Count Walbourg received the former Spanish estate as a gift of France and later renamed it in honor of Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz.
Arguing with the soldier, however, did not seem wise.
“Surely,” he said, eyeing the staircase, “some useful articles were left behind.”
“No, my family watches over an empty house.”
He tapped his boot toe in a rapid drumbeat. “Empty, yes,” he said finally, “and not what I had expected to find.”
While he spoke, she picked up the basket.
Forgoing the search for new dampness in the chateau for the time being, Lisette opened the front door wide and stood beside it, always a hint for a visitor to leave.
Grosbek agreeably followed her outside and looked up at the Latin motto chiseled above the doorway.
While she locked the door, he read the inscription aloud.
“FORTUNA AUDACES IUVAT…what does it mean?”
“I recall it translates as, fortune favors the bold.”
He hiked his chin. “When my unit from Paris arrives in this area, we will be very bold.”
“What town will they inhabit?” Lisette slipped the chateau’s key into her hidden skirt pocket, her mind racing with alarm. “Towns are the best place for billeting troops.”
That hardship must not darken their doorstep; she prayed he did not intend to bring his unit to the chateau.
“I’m not allowed to say.” He frowned. “We’ll forage to supply our regiment, possibly for weeks. I thought we might store supplies here…but it’s too damp.”
The burden of that terrible run-for-your-life feeling eased; her common sense, having flown away in fright, returned.
Relieved to be outside and thinking the soldier was a reasonable man, she sighed inwardly.
After they went down the steps to the courtyard, Corporal Grosbek glanced at his horse.
“I am traveling home from Charleroi.” Pushing aside his greatcoat, he grasped the hilt of the short saber at his waist. “May I water my horse and allow him to graze in your pasture for a while?”
About the Author
Olivia M. Andem lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to book clubs, library and civic groups about the historic Georgian era that inspired The Hawthorne Diaries saga. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and is an avid reader and researcher of her English and American heritage. Aided by the encouragement of family and support of a Yorkie terrier, Harley-Girl, current projects include works of both romance and historical fiction.
Contact Information
Purchase Links
Giveaway
$5 Amazon Gift Card
Book & Audio Review: For Love of the Duke by Christi Caldwell
07 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Regency Historical, Vikki's Musings Tags: #Drama, #historical #regency #book #women #romance, #Sensual
For Love of the Duke by Christi Caldwell
(The Heart of a Duke series, Book 1)
Publisher & Release Date: Self-published, October 9, 2014
Time and setting: 1814-1815, London
Genre: Historical Regency Romance
Length: 309 pages
Heat Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame
Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
After the tragic death of his wife, Jasper, the 8th Duke of Bainbridge buried himself away in the dark cold walls of his home, Castle Blackwood. When he’s coaxed out of his self-imposed exile to attend the amusements of the Frost Fair, his life is irrevocably changed by his fateful meeting with Lady Katherine Adamson.
With her tight brown ringlets and silly white-ruffled gowns, Lady Katherine Adamson has found her dance card empty for two Seasons. After her father’s passing, Katherine learned the unreliability of men, and is determined to depend on no one, except herself. Until she meets Jasper…
In a desperate bid to avoid a match arranged by her family, Katherine makes the Duke of Bainbridge a shocking proposition—one that he accepts.
Only, as Katherine begins to love Jasper, she finds the arrangement agreed upon is not enough. And Jasper is left to decide if protecting his heart is more important than fighting for Katherine’s love.
Buy Links:
Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/For-Love-of-the-Duke-Audiobook/B00RC28O02
Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24718512-for-love-of-the-duke
Vikki’s Musings
I read this series of books backwards, but loved them nonetheless. For Love of the Duke is the first book in the Heart of a Duke series, and a truly enjoyable read from the first page to the last. I’m so glad I found Christi Caldwell’s books!
Lady Katherine Adamson greatly fears being near or on the water. She almost drowned as a young child. When her sister drags her to the Frost Fair and convinces her the ice is safe, she reluctantly agrees to wander through the booths on the Thames.
Jasper, the Duke of Bainbridge allows his good friend to convince him to attend the Frost Fair where he nearly runs a young miss down and later has to rescue when she falls through the ice. With a heart frozen solid, ever since his wife and child dies almost four years before, the last thing he wants is to find himself attracted to the brown-haired beauty he saves.
When Lady Katherine asks him to marry her to save her from a marriage with her dreadful cousin, he agrees, but insists that it will be a marriage of convenience. Can the feisty lady break through his barriers, or will Jasper remain in the past, afraid to drop his guard?
This book is fast-paced and very well-written. It swept me up in the glittering world of dukes and duchesses and lords and ladies in the regency period, a time that I love. The plot is easy to follow and the characters are unforgettable.
Katherine’s character is so endearing. I just wanted to reach into the book and hug her, especially as she learns to deal with her tortured duke. I loved her interactions with her sisters and her kindness to her servants. Katherine is a true lady inside and out. She is feminine, yet has a strong backbone and refuses to bow under defeat.
Jasper is my favorite kind of hero. He is tortured and believes he does not have any piece of his heart left to give. When he lost his first duchess and son to childbirth, he withdrew from the world. Thank goodness his good friend talked him into coming to London and attending the Frost Fair, so he had the chance to save Lady Katherine. She was just what he needed to bring him back from the depths of despair, showing him he could open his heart and let her in.
I highly recommend For Love of the Duke. If you love the regency period and adore a love story where the heroine has to fight to win her hero, then you will love this book as much as I did. While I read these books out of order, I do not suggest reading them that way, even though each book is standalone. Happy reading!
Audiobook Review: SERPENT by Kathryn Le Veque
05 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
What a great cover, don’t you think? The story within cannot BE any more entertaining. Totally over the moon on this one.
Title:Serpent, De Wolfe Pack
Author: Kathryn Le Veque
Genre: Historical Romance, Medieval
Pages: 310
Story Setting: Present Day and 1283 at Pandraeth Forest, Isle of Anglesey, Wales; Published by: The Management Marketing Group
Published Date: April 30, 2014
ISBN-10: 1633156575
ISBN-13: 978-1633156579
Narrated by: Brad Wills
Length:13 hours, 21 minutes
Release Date: March 26, 2015
Published by: Kathryn Le Veque Novels
Publisher’s Summary: 1283A.D. – Edward I is in the midst of his campaign to tame the Welsh, but rising from the chaos is a Welsh knight known as the Serpent. Bhrodi ap Gaerwen de Shera is a warrior of tremendous range and power. Descended from the kings of Anglesey on his mother’s side and the earls of Coventry on his father’s, Bhrodi is in…
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Book Review: Written in the Cards by Lauren Linwood
02 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in Cowboy Romance, Vikki's Musings, Western Historical Tags: #American, #ARC, #Cowboy, #Drama, #Historical#Romance, #Post-Civil War, #Sensual
Written in the Cards by Lauren Linwood
Publisher & Release Date: Sole Mate Publishing, May 20, 2014
Time and setting: 1867 – 1875, Kansas
Genre: Historical Western Romance
Length: 260 pages
Heat Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame
Rating: 4.25 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Maggie Rutherford jilts her too-perfect society groom at the altar and flees New York for the American West. There she turns her travels into dime novels that she writes and illustrates under the pen name Lud Madison.
After the Civil War, veteran Ben Morgan marries his childhood sweetheart and takes her to homestead on the Great Plains. Losing her and their unborn child in an Indian attack, Ben detaches from emotion and becomes a roaming gambler. When he kills a cheating opponent in self-defense, the man’s gunslinger brother swears revenge upon Ben.
Ben hides on a cattle drive and brings in a herd to Abilene, where a waiting Maggie wants to find a rough and tumble cowboy to interview for her next story idea. Sparks fly as the dangerous drover and popular novelist wind up living in the same household, running a general store east of Abilene. But with Black Tex Lonnegan hot on his trail, will Ben run from his growing attraction to Maggie and the gunfighter’s promise of death–or will he make a stand for his life–and love?
Buy Link:
Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22674429-written-in-the-cards
Vikki’s Musings
This is the first western romance I have read by Lauren Linwood. I’ve read other sub-genres by her, though and enjoyed them a great deal. When Ms. Linwood asked me to read and review Written in the Cards, I happily agreed. This book is another fine example of her writing style, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
On the day of her wedding, Maggie Rutherford receives information that has her leaving her intended standing at the altar watching as she flees. She travels west, leaving her old life behind her to pursue her writing career and visit the places she writes of in her books.
Ben Morgan lost his wife and unborn child in the most horrific way. For the past six years, he has gambled his way from one state to the other. When he runs afoul of a notorious gunslinger, he chooses a different path, signing on with a cattle drive that takes him to Abilene, Kansas, a town close to his brother.
Ben meets the enthralling Maggie when she interviews him for her next book, and he is drawn to her in a way that has never happened before. When the couple is thrown together, the sparks fly. Will Ben give up his wandering ways for the charming Maggie, or will he move on?
One thing a particularly liked about this story is that I was immediately thrown into an intensely emotional scene with the hero. That pulled me in, and I felt immense empathy for him. That is always a great start to a book. Written in the Cards is fast-paced, and pulled on my heart-strings a number of times.
The characters are endearing, from the heroine, a feisty, independent woman, to the adorable little girl, Jennie. Ms. Linwood brought all her characters to life, giving them surprising depth. Her emotionally-charged writing put me right in the middle of the scenes in the book.
As I mentioned already, the first scene helped me immediately bound to Ben, and as I delved into his character, I fell in love with his sense of honor and loyalty. He is a strong alpha male, not afraid to show his feelings for not only the heroine, but his sister-in-law and his sweet little niece, who also stole my heart.
Maggie Rutherford’s bold character pulled me in and had me rooting for her from her opening scene. I loved her determination to forge her own path, which went against the stereotype for women during the 1870s. While she is a very strong character, she still possessed all the nurturing characteristics I enjoy in my heroine.
If you are looking for a great western romance with enchanting characters and a strong plot, then you will enjoy Written in the Cards as much as I did. If you have never read any of Lauren Linwood’s books, this is a fantastic one to read first, next would be Music for my Soul, a medieval romance by her that I loved. Happy reading!
Vikki Vaught Romance Author and Book Reviewer 