New Book Preview: A Baron for Becky

Genre
Regency romance, historical romance

Heat rating
R for implied sexual content, 2 out of 5 flames

Giveaway
Free copy of A Baron for Becky to random commenter

Book Blurb

Becky is the envy of the courtesans of the demi-monde - the indulged mistress of the wealthy and charismatic Marquis of Aldridge. But she dreams of a normal life; one in which her daughter can have a future that does not depend on beauty, sex, and the whims of a man.

Finding herself with child, she hesitates to tell Aldridge. Will he cast her off, send her away, or keep her and condemn another child to this uncertain shadow world?

The devil-may-care face Hugh shows to the world hides a desperate sorrow; a sorrow he tries to drown with drink and riotous living. His years at war haunt him, but even more, he doesn't want to think about the illness that robbed him of the ability to father a son. When he dies, his barony will die with him. His title will fall into abeyance, and his estate will be scooped up by the Crown.

When Aldridge surprises them both with a daring proposition, they do not expect love to be part of the bargain.

Excerpt:

PG heat level

Aldridge never did find out how he came to be naked, alone, and sleeping in the small summerhouse in the garden of a country cottage. His last memory of the night before, had him twenty miles away, and—although not dressed—in a comfortable bed, and in company.

The first time he woke, he had no idea how far he’d come, but the moonlight was bright enough to show him half-trellised window openings, and an archway leading down a short flight of steps into a garden. A house loomed a few hundred feet distant, a dark shape against the star-bright sky. But getting up was too much trouble, particularly with a headache that hung inches above him, threatening to split his head if he moved. The cushioned bench on which he lay invited him to shut his eyes and go back to sleep. Time enough to find out where he was in the morning.

When he woke again, he was facing away from the archway entrance, and there was someone behind him. Silence now, but in his memory, the sound of light footsteps shifting the stones on the path outside, followed by twin intakes of breath as the walkers saw him.

One of them spoke; a woman’s voice, but low—almost husky. “Sarah, go back to the first rosebush and watch the house.”

“Yes, Mama.” A child’s voice.

Aldridge waited until he heard the child dance lightly down the steps and away along the path, then shifted his weight slightly letting his body roll over till he was lying on his back.

He waited for the exclamation of shock, but none came. Carefully—he wanted to observe her before he let her know he was awake, and anyway, any sudden movement might start up the hammers above his eye sockets—he cracked open his lids, masking his eyes with his lashes.

He could see more than he expected. The woman was using a shuttered lantern to examine him, starting at his feet. She paused for a long time when she reached his morning salute and it grew even prouder. Then she swept her light up his torso so quickly, he barely had time to slam his lids shut before the light reached and lingered over his face.

She was just a vague shadow behind the light. He held himself still while she completed her examination, which she did with a snort of disgust. Not the reaction to which he was accustomed.

Author bio
Jude Knight writes strong determined heroines, heroes who can appreciate a clever capable woman, villains you’ll love to loathe, and all with a leavening of humour.

Jude Knight is the pen name of Judy Knighton. After a career in commercial writing, editing, and publishing, Jude is returning to her first love, fiction. Her novella, Candle’s Christmas Chair, was released in December 2014, and is in the top ten on several Amazon bestseller lists in the US and UK. Her first novel Farewell to Kindness, was released on 1 April. It is number one in a series: The Golden Redepennings. 

Into The Whirlwind

Review of Into The Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden

Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: As owner of the 57th Illinois Watch Company, Mollie Knox's future looks bright until the night the legendary Great Chicago Fire destroys her beloved city. With her world crumbling around her, Mollie will do whatever it takes to rebuild in the aftermath of the devastating fire.

Zack Kazmarek, an influential attorney for one of Chicago's finest department stores, is a force to be reckoned with among the city's most powerful citizens. Bold and shrewd, he's accustomed to getting exactly what he wants--until he meets Mollie Knox, the beguiling businesswoman just beyond his reach.

In the tumult as the people of Chicago race to rebuild a bigger and better city, Mollie comes face-to-face with the full force of Zack's character and influence. Zack believes this may finally be his chance to win her, but can Mollie ever accept this man and his whirlwind effect on her life, especially with her treasured company on the line?

My Review:

Elizabeth Camden’s novel brings “into the whirlwind” in more ways than one. And it all begins with the Great Chicago Fire.

Our main character, Mollie Knox, owns a watch making company known as the 57^th Illinois Watch Company. She inherited it from her now deceased father who lived for his work and Mollie has inherited his drive though her business skills are all her own.

Before the fire, Mollie is a tough, no nonsense business women who wears her hair in braids to keep it out of her way as she works.

Zack Kazmarek is the lawyer for Hartman’s, a fancy Chicago department store. He is equal parts ambition, control, and craziness. Although he has known Mollie for three years in their business dealings (his store sells Mollie’s watch) he had never seen this side of her before nor had he ever had the guts to let his true feelings for her show. But the fire changed all that.

Realizing how easily he could have lost her, Zack finally declares his real feelings for her. But winning her love will not be easy.

Mollie dislikes the pressure that Zack has put her under and on top of that her business burnt to ground during the fire. The factory workers are counting on her to keep them employed, many of them dear friends of her father’s during the Civil War, and she can’t let them down.

The world she lives in has turned upside down overnight, something we can all relate to I think. At least those of us who remember the days after 9/11 and what a shock that was. As much as we might think it is something that only we modern citizens have experienced, it is nothing new.

I liked the character of Mollie Knox. In many ways she is different from the type of woman that we usually think of when we envision woman of the day and yet she is believable. She is tough but not so tough that we don’t see her vulnerable side. And she is kind at the same time, always taking time to care about her employees as well as fighting to keep the company that her father loved afloat.

I also liked how the message to trust in God’s love was not too heavy-handed like you see in many works of Christian fiction. And I liked how this book delved somewhat into the heart of Chicago’s Polish Community. I am not sure if it exists as such these days but it is nice to imagine how it might have been.

While it is not my favorite type of Historical Fiction, I appreciated this Romance nonetheless. At least it didn’t insult my intelligence and hopefully not yours. I suggest you give it a try.