Hear ye, hear ye! Looking for medieval romance? Tales of knights and their ladies abound in ONE WINTER KNIGHT, a wonderful collection of medieval holiday novellas for your reading pleasure!
You’ll be held spellbound by this boxed set of captivating stories from some of today’s top medieval authors, as well as some rising stars in this up-and-coming genre. Lindsay Townsend, Deborah Macgillivray, Cynthia Breeding, Keena Kincaid, Cheryl Pierson, Beverly Wells, Patti Sherry-Crews, and Linda Carroll-Bradd have woven eight excellent Yuletide tales of love lost and found that are sure to keep you reading far into the night. Laced with holiday traditions and the excitement of a bold, dangerous era, Prairie Rose Publications is proud to offer yet another wonderful boxed set of medieval Christmas tales for your reading pleasure.
This collection of novellas makes a wonderful holiday gift for hours of entertaining reading—for others, or for yourself! These stories are certain to keep you enthralled as you read on to find out how these knights and ladies find their very own “happily-ever-after” endings ONE WINTER KNIGHT…
Many years have passed since I’d considered writing a medieval setting, but I wanted to challenge myself. The way I got inspired was to look through the travel book I used for my trip to Ireland in 2014. Although the location wasn’t a place we visited, I was intrigued to learn about a motte-and-bailey wooden castle built on a strategic river location that was later rebuilt in stone as Kilkenny Castle. That kick-started the story wheels. Ireland is a country that has seen its share of political strife, and I picked a time when the Norman influence was relatively new. So I was introduced to Richard de Clare, Count Striguli of Normandy, France aka Strongbow, a Norman leader who came to Ireland as an ally to a failing king, bringing troops to bolster the king’s fighting strength, and ended up marrying his way into a kingship. I’d found my setting and the political climate of a people serving non-native born rulers.
Tagline: Will opposing political beliefs and family loyalty keep the lovers apart?
BLURB: Weaver Thordia Ulfsdottir can no longer wait for her brother to request payment for the sword he crafted—the money is needed for food. In Castle Kilburren, she demands an audience with the Earl but is thwarted by a tipsy knight. Rory MacGuignard, captain of the castle guard, flirts, thinking she’s come to provide entertainment and he’s enjoyed a few kisses from traveling minstrels before. Realizing his mistake, Rory arranges a temporary job for this poor but proud woman he’s offended. Time spent in his company softens Thordia’s opinion. When opposing political beliefs and family loyalty rip them apart, Thordia despairs of finding a way back to Rory’s side
Today marks the approximate one-year anniversary of the release of A COWBOY CELEBRATION, a seven-story historical romance anthology published by Prairie Rose Publications. Contributing authors are: Agnes Alexander, Linda Carroll-Bradd, Julia Daniels, Lorrie Farrelly, Meg Mims, Angela Raines, and Beverly Wells. An added bonus is each story mentions a tasty picnic dish and the recipes are included.
My novella is titled Forged By Fire, and I loosely based the story on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale.
LOGLINE
Can a wounded soul find solace in the attentions from a cook who nurtures through her culinary creations?
BLURB
Ivey Treadwell, cook at her family’s boarding house, wants to accomplish something big. For now, she satisfies herself with improving on the traditional recipes for the boarders by adding herbs and spices she gathers. An incident with a broken pan causes her to see Berg Spengler, the town’s blacksmith, in a new light.
Stigmatized for his huge size and blamed for his brother’s injury, Berg has discovered being alone is safer for his heart. But when he sees interest spark in Ivey’s eyes, he decides to take a chance and approach her. The pair discovers an attraction that heats up each time they are alone together. Will Ivey convince Berg his wandering days are over and home is here with her in Comfort?
The Longest Way Home by Lorrie Farrelly—Maddie, an orphan, is torn when her father shows up to reclaim her from her adoptive mother.
Winner Takes All by Meg Mims—Cora Peterson’s plan to beat her rival at a picnic auction brings about a surprising end and an unexpected love…
For the Love of Grace by Julia Daniels—Poppy travels west to find her sister—but her own happily-ever-after awaits, as well.
Brighter Tomorrows by Beverly Wells—Callie trusts no man. Chase Matlock is fearful to love again. He gets his man, she gets her adventure, and together they find it all.
Second Chance at Love by Agnes Alexander—A temporary living arrangement might lead to something else when love enters the mix.
Never Had a Chance by Angela Raines—How can a deadly trick bring two people the love they didn’t know they needed?
Leave a comment about your favorite Fourth of July food for a chance at winning an ebook.
Linda Carroll-Bradd, Agnes Alexander, Kaye Spencer, Gail L. Jenner, B.J. Betts, Patti Sherry-Crews, Zina Abbott, and Niki Mitchell all contribute their own brand of Valentine’s Day romance to LARIATS, LETTERS, AND LACE, providing some great reading that you’re sure to enjoy.
My story, Between The Lines, is set in the California Gold Rush country in 1850 in a real town named Rough and Ready. The area is dear to my heart because in nearby Jackson is where I spent my honeymoon night.
BLURB:
Dance hall girl Daisy Shaddock and her miner brother, Perry, work toward a mutual goal of owning a book shop. Perry’s partner Walt Renfrid arrives in town, dreading the promise he must fulfill—delivery of a fateful letter. Recognizing Daisy, Walt can’t resist delaying his purpose for a few stolen moments in her company. Will the news he must deliver push her away or draw the couple closer?
The year Veronica turned twenty-two changed her life. She graduated from San Diego State University, married the handsome Lieutenant Carter Weis—widowed six months after the happy nuptials.
Captain Quinn Alstrom of the U.S. Coast Guard was eager to start his newest post; however the excitement had nothing to do with the beautiful surroundings of Key West, and everything to do with his best friend’s wife.
Will Quinn’s surprise arrival in Veronica’s life re-spark the fire in the vivacious woman he remembered? Or, will the memory of her fallen husband stop the two of them from finding happiness? A Manly Man by Jean Young
Confederate POW, Braxton Bolton, had an unexpected visitor the day before his execution, when Arabella Anderson walked into his jail cell and, in front of other POWs, kissed him until he shook with desire.
Two years prior, she had been the Lieutenant Colonel’s prisoner. While she was tortured and raped by the other Confederate soldiers, Bolton was different. He protected her from further suffering, and the grateful young woman had come to repay his kindness. While they became more and more intimate, she learned the story behind his kindness.
But what she learned while with her hero POW, turns the sweet girl into a fearsome warrior. One determined to save the soldier with a noble heart. Hero of Her Heart by S.L. Hughson
Nicole Taylor has loved Vincent for years. Now he’s back from serving in the Army, and she’s determined to make him see her as something other than a little sister.
After a heated Valentine’s date, Nicole is confused by Vince’s withdrawal. She confronts him, but no matter how hot their physical attraction, he keeps backing away.
Nicole helps him follow his lifelong dreams but he drifts further from her happily-ever-after plans. What will it take for him to see he is truly the hero of her heart? Feathers by T. E. Hodden
Kerry only wanted to do right by Christopher. To protect him from the whispers of ‘coward’ and the shame of a white feather.
But the war doesn’t look like a grand adventure any more. All Kerry wants is Chris home safe. But will he still be the same man she once knew? Goin’ Home by Philip Lisagor
How will Jack be able to put Iraq behind him and return home to Leah and their two children? The green peaceful coast of Ireland is the perfect landing zone from the brown violent landscape of Mesopotamia. Jack is humping his ruck along the North Atlantic coast when a chance encounter with an Irish maiden turns him all around and he hears the voice of Leah in a magical moment calling him home.
An anthology of Halloween-themed stories published by The Wild Rose Press
Unlocked Treasure by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Aleen MacRae resists the lure of the sea. But when her interest is caught by a man she sees both in person and in a dream, she is afraid that her future is tied to the sea.
Braden Williams hunt for buried treasure brings him to Aleen. Collaboration on genealogy research draws them closer, and Braden steers her toward his true passion—sailing.
Will Aleen play things safe or accept what this free-spirited man offers?
Love Her Like the Devil by Stacy Dawn
A chance meeting in a honky tonk on Halloween finds Luke in the arms of a brown-haired beauty. But if the stories he overhears are true, she may be far more than she seems…and he’s more than ready to find out.
Caper Magic by Veronica Lynch
P.I. Nick Forrester has tracked a woman on the run to Cape Brendan. Within days he is confronted by Annunciata Doyle, a vivid reminder of a pain-filled past.
On the shores of Lake Ontario, Nunie Doyle has earned the love and respect of new friends and neighbors—and put her talent for helping women to good use.
Together again, Nicke and Nunie discover a side of each other that has them considering drastic changes for the rest of their lives. Is it madness or Caper Magic?
ShriekWeek by Anne Knol
Two problems threaten Maggie Ballater’s new career as Island events organizer. One is the inexplicable murder of the lead actor in her Halloween pageant. The other is a dangerously attractive guitarist, Bram Jenkins, who brings back memories she’d rather forget. Is his interest in her real, or is he stalking her with a more sinister motive?
Because of personal reasons outside my control (3-week evacuation due to forest fire), I wasn’t able to properly announce the release of this Fourth of July anthology to which I contributed a story. From Prairie Rose Publications, A Cowboy Celebration released late in June and is available in ebook and print.
BLURB for Forged By Fire
Ivey Treadwell, cook at her family’s boarding house, wants to accomplish something big. For now, she satisfies herself with improving on the traditional recipes for the boarders by adding herbs and spices she gathers. An incident with a broken pan causes her to see Berg Spengler, the town’s blacksmith, in a new light.
Stigmatized for his huge size and blamed for his brother’s injury, Berg has discovered being alone is safer for his heart. But when he sees interest spark in Ivey’s eyes, he decides to take a chance and approach her. The pair discovers an attraction that heats up each time they are alone together. Will Ivey convince Berg his wandering days are over and home is here with her in Comfort?
The Longest Way Home by Lorrie Farrelly—Maddie, an orphan, is torn when her father shows up to reclaim her from her adoptive mother.
Winner Takes All by Meg Mims—Cora Peterson’s plan to beat her rival at a picnic auction brings about a surprising end and an unexpected love…
For the Love of Grace by Julia Daniels—Poppy travels west to find her sister—but her own happily-ever-after awaits, as well.
Brighter Tomorrows by Beverly Wells—Callie trusts no man. Chase Matlock is fearful to love again. He gets his man, she gets her adventure, and together they find it all.
Second Chance at Love by Agnes Alexander—A temporary living arrangement might lead to something else when love enters the mix.
Never Had a Chance by Angela Raines—How can a deadly trick bring two people the love they didn’t know they needed?
Summer’s Sweet Embrace, a Romance Anthology
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: August 19, 2015
Truly Paradise – Michelle Ziegler
Description: Waiting for the right one can be torture.
Too bad for Hailey, impatience got the best of her. Finding Mr. Right in time for a destination wedding couldn’t happen fast enough. Instead of listening to reason, or rather her friends, she’s stuck in paradise alone, again. Nothing ruins a tropical paradise faster than catching your date with another woman.
Justin’s ready for a change. He’s been caught up in his own success for too long and is looking to finally settle down. Timing is everything and his cousins wedding is the perfect start of his new life. His luck is changing with the captivating mystery woman on the beach. Now all he has to do is find her, before he agrees to his family’s match making plot.
Ocean Dust – Laurie Treacy
Carly Dawson, 18, is facing her last summer before leaving for college, all alone. Still nursing a broken heart over the loss of her boyfriend, Chase Montgomery, she wants the next two months to be different. A shocking unexpected visitor one night just may offer Carly the excitement she seeks. Her only decision is whether or not to choose what this visitor offers her.
The Beach Rose – Christa MacDonald
Description: Annie Thomas can’t believe her good luck when she inherits the family’s beach house in Oceanside Maine. It’s one of the few places she was truly happy so she sells everything she owns, quits her job, and moves in hoping that her new business, The Beach Rose, will bring in enough money in its first season to let her live up there year round. But on her first day things aren’t as easy or as simple as she’d hoped. To cap it off she discovers that her best new client is actually the boy she had a huge teenage crush on. So much for rekindling a summer romance.
For Craig, Annie was everything he wanted when he was a geeky seventeen year-old. Now that he’s pushing forty and the owner of half the real estate in town, he wants another shot at convincing her that he’s everything she needs. He didn’t count on her owning the business he just signed a contract with though. Craig has to find a way to help Annie’s struggling business without her knowing it since anything else would push her further away and that’s the last thing he wants.
Together they may get a second chance for a summer romance.
When the Sea Swallows the Sun – Kim Strattford
Description: A trip to Clearwater Beach was supposed to be a fun escape from the D.C. rat race for Emma and her boyfriend Sam. Until Sam dumped her, leaving her with a ticket she was too cheap not to use and a resolution to enjoy her time in the sun and get over him. A plan that sputters when Sam’s good friend Rick shows up. Rick, who’s never seemed to approve of her for reasons she’s never understood. Rick, who seems to think he has license to bug her just because he bought Sam’s ticket. Rick, who may be a much nicer guy than she ever realized, and who might have a very good reason for not thinking much of her. Can they make peace in the beautiful Florida sun and surf? Peace—or maybe more?
Love’s Nectar – Jaylee Austin
Description: What if fate pushed you to make a choice between keeping a promise and revealing a truth? After her grandmother’s death, she opens an unexpected letter containing an unwanted request. Isabel feels obligated to honor her grams final wish. In the process she risks losing the man of her dreams.
Six months before their marriage Isabel reveals a time bomb that will forever change their lives. He loves her but the betrayal of not trusting him weighs heavy on his heart. Trust means everything to Seth.
One ring, journal, box, spirit, and flower will teach everyone the power of commitment and the importance of honesty. Secrets left buried will always haunt the living, a life lived truthfully leads to happily ever after. Will Isabel and Seth realize this before they are doomed to replay the mistakes of the past?
Love’s High Tide – Niki Mitchell
Description: Tired of the vacationers hitting on her, surf shop owner, Skye Taylor quits dating. In walks the cocky, Harley Nicholson from Idaho. She’s not open for another summer fling. Can he convinces her to give love a chance?
Harley sees Skye shooting through the Huntington Beach Pier on her surfboard. Mesmerized by the woman’s connection with the wave, he sets out to meet the brazen surfer. He bets his cousin that before he leaves in three weeks, she’ll be his.
Skye’s life is kept busy running the Epic Surf Shop and training for annual surfing contest. The handsome, buff Idahoan interests her, but she doesn’t want another disastrous summer fling. Harley charms her into giving him a surfing lesson, woos her with moonlight strolls, and coaxes her with sweet gestures. Skye discovers Harley’s betrayal. She refuses to see him or hear his explanation.
Miserable, Harley must do something monumental to win her back. Will Skye ever forgive Harley?
Description: Tracey Thompson isn’t like most twenty-year-olds. She’s looking forward to settling down and marrying her soul mate, Noah Martin. Even though their love bloomed when they were just little kids, they never doubted it and never looked back.
When a tragic accident separates Tracey from Noah, she struggles to go on without him. As the days wear on, she becomes aware of a chance for them to be together once again. All she needs to do is understand what tore them apart in the first place. But, overcoming this is harder than it seems. Will she be strong enough to find her way back to him?
Description: Executive Secretary Margaret Simms should have had it all. An apartment on the beach and a job at Reynolds Ad Agency, working for her best friend and business mogul Garrett Reynolds.
A one night stand leads to a pregnancy and a re-evaluation of her life goals. In reality, Margaret’s always hated her office job and culinary school is her life dream. But that too is ripped away from her when Garrett, her best friend and father of her child, develops cancer.
Obligation forces her back to the work she hates. When office espionage threatens her life, Margaret finds she must make a choice. Stand up for what she truly believes in or lose all she’s ever wanted.
As part of this promotion featured by Trans Canada Romance Writers, here are eight sentences from When My Heart Knew, a story in the Cowboy Kisses Valentine’s Day-themed anthology published by Prairie Rose Publications.
Mr. MacInnes settled his hat on his head and held out a hand. “The blasted thing is throbbing like a son of a gun. Help me up.”
Maisie averted her face, scurried across the aisle to the farthest empty stall, and grabbed an armful of hay. Her attention was focused on the conversation between the men. Although the man wasn’t truly handsome, there was something about his face that intrigued her. Could be the deep set eyes under a broad forehead or his nose with a small bump on the bridge or his strong jaw shadowed with whiskers. Like a warrior from olden times she’d seen in a fairy tale book.
Derek Hayes and his family are preternatural hunters. Stake and dust is their motto, but Derek has a difficult time accepting his sworn duty when Sloane McBride, his ex-girlfriend from high school, is the one he’s been sent to eliminate. Once infected from a Nosferatu bite, there is no turning back. Sloane has been bitten and she will eventually change.
It proves a race against time when Derek puts aside his core beliefs and teams up with Sloane. The Nosferatu wants Sloane for his own bloody Valentine, Derek’s brothers are hunting her, and every second brings Sloane closer to changing into the very fiend they want to kill.
Other titles in the Anthology:
Ring for a Lady by Gerald Costlow
A Season for Love by Linda Swift
Cupid’s Beau by Nan O’Berry
Sloane and Derek
EXCERPT
She was halfway up the stairs when someone knocked at her front door.
Lad’s ears perked up and a low growl vibrated from the back of his throat. Her gaze landed on her lab with a frown. Lad usually loved everyone. Who could be at her front door that had him agitated? She strode over to it and peeked out the peephole. She half expected Freddy Kruger to be standing there by the way Lad’s fur stood up on end, and the snarl he produced to go along with his bad fur day. She sighed in relief when she recognized her visitor. She threw opened the door with a smile.
Lad came bounding to the door, snarling in rapid barks. She’d never seen him act like that—ever. “Lad, sit. It’s only Tim.” She didn’t understand her dog’s weird behavior.
Lad backed up, but his stance clearly indicated he would take out Tim’s throat if she only gave the word. She turned toward Tim who gave her a nonchalant shrug. “Maybe it’s my new aftershave.”
She pursed her lips. “Give me a sec. I’ll put him out back.”
“Sure.”
It took her a few minutes. Lad didn’t want to obey her. She had to drag him outside and sprint for the door, slamming it shut, just to keep him outside. He continued to bark and snarl, but she would have to ignore him for now.
She hurried to the front door. Tim still stood there, leaning casually against the doorframe. He stood up straight when he caught sight of her. For a brief second, she could have sworn his eyes had an eerie glow to them, like a pair of eyes looking back from a thicket, warning her of danger, but she blinked and his eyes were the same soft brown color she’d remembered.
“Are you going to ask me in?” His brows lifted in question. He must be feeling better. He looked a little pale, not feverish. It was good to know the flu would only last twenty-four hours.
“Sure, but I must warn you I think I caught what you had a few days ago.”
“I’ve already been exposed and I doubt I’ll catch it twice,” he said.
She opened the screen and stepped aside. She frowned when he didn’t move. “Well, come in already.”
His lips slid into a grin, but the smile made her uneasy. Something was off with him, had been for a few days.
Before she could shut the door, he pulled her flush against him. She gasped in surprise and he chuckled. “Don’t be scared.”
Funny, how those words sent a chill down her spine. “I’m not scared.”
“Your heart is beating fast.”
Her brows drew together. “How do—” She didn’t have a chance to finish her question. He captured her lips and her words were swallowed into a passionate caress. His tongue swept inside her mouth and she met his passion, but something pricked her lip and she drew back in alarm. Her hand flew to her mouth. When she looked at her fingers, she spotted drops of blood coloring the tips. “You bit me.” Again, she thought the last to herself.
“You say it as if it is a bad, thing.” He stalked toward her. This time there was no mistake; his eyes gleamed with a weird sheen before turning red. Red? What the heck was going on? When he grinned she caught sight of two pointed incisors. Vampire came to mine, but that was insane. Self-consciously, she touched the side of her neck where he had bitten her the other night and stumbled back a few steps.
Tim’s mouth quirked and a low menacing chuckle greeted her. “I can see your wheels are turning inside that pretty little head of yours, but I’ll make it simple, unlike how my brother did for me. I’m a vampire. You know—the kind that drinks blood and all that.”
The kind that drank blood—was there another kind? She shook her head. “That’s impossible. You’ve been ill. You must be…running a fever.”
“I’ve never felt better.” He shook his head and kept grinning like he’d given her the best news. He took another step toward her. “I can make you feel good, too.”
“Stay back.” She bumped into the wall, separating the kitchen from the living room and quickly sidestepped.
“But I can’t stay away from you. You invited me in and I’m soooo hungry.” His gaze roved over her like she was a delectable treat he’d been anticipating sinking his teeth into.
She whirled away from him, attempting to run, but it was useless. He was upon her in a second, spinning her around to face him and slamming her against the kitchen counter. She ignored the sudden jar to her body and pushed at his chest, but he was so strong…so very strong. “Let me go, Tim.” His fangs lengthened. “Oh God, no!” She would have screamed but a deep baritone voice, from somewhere behind Tim, halted her cries.
“I believe the lady asked you to let her go.”
Tim’s body went rigid as if rigor mortis had set in and turned his body to stone.
Curiosity proved too strong and she chanced a peek around Tim’s shoulder. A man with dark reddish brown hair and eyes as green as a cats stood there in the archway of her kitchen with a medieval crossbow aimed at Tim’s back.
Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all of Karen Michelle Nutt’s stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.
When she’s not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates pre-made book covers to order at Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”.
What could be better on a cold Valentine’s Day than to sit down with a book chock full of stories about special cowboys and their ladies? COWBOY KISSES has just what you’re looking for! Eight stories by some fabulous authors who share with you their love stories of the old west!
In Lorrie Farrelly’s tale of love and fate, a tattered old diary sends a young woman into the arms of a long-ago Texas Ranger for A Kiss in Time.
Linda Carroll-Bradd’s When My Heart Knew is the story of young Maisie Treadwell, who has never been in love before, and handsome Dylan MacInnes, who might or might not be the one.
A Westward Adventureby Kristy McCaffrey is a story of aspiring novelist Amelia Mercer, who travels to Colorado, determined to find her own adventure to write about. When Bounty hunter Ned Waymire comes to her aid, the true adventure begins!
Valentine Angel by Gail L. Jenner is a poignant story of a determined young woman who rescues a wounded lawman and then must help him fight off his nemesis.
In Gil McDonald’s story, Hearts and Red Ribbons, a feisty young woman who dresses in men’s clothes and a drifter looking for—something—are thrown together by Fate on a wet February day.
Hunter’s Gamble, by C. Marie Bowen, is a gripping tale of lost love and determination. Life is a gamble, and Hunter knows he can’t always win. With true love in the mix, the odds are stacked in Hunter’s favor!
Her Thief of Hearts by Tanya Hanson is the tale of an outlaw, an orphan, and a socialite—is this a recipe for disaster or true love?
Beverly Wells will steal your heart in her story, Hopes and Dreams. A woman on the run, a sheriff sworn to uphold the law, and one little girl’s pleas to Mr. Cupid for a new daddy!
Settle in for some mighty fine Valentine’s Day reading from your favorite western romance authors!
From today through January 28th at 11:59PM, enter the rafflecopter giveaway below for a chance to win an electronic copy of this anthology. 2nd place winner chooses a title from my backlist.
