We're traveling back in time today for the next stop on our BOOKCATION with historical romance author Diana Quincy and her new book, Seducing Charlotte!
There’s nothing quite like a lazy summer day when you have nowhere to go and nothing to do. My ideal way to spend those moments is on our back screened-in porch sipping homemade lemonade while reading a book or playing a board game with my two middle-school aged boys.
I know some parents dread the end of the school year, but I look forward to it. Having a break from homework and test patrol and easing up on getting the boys to bed on time is a relief. I love hearing them outside with their friends, playing basketball, manhunt or jumping on the backyard trampoline.
One of our favorite annual traditions is inviting the extended family to the community pool. Everyone comes, from grandma, to the aunts and uncles, to the cousins still in diapers, all the way to the college-aged nieces and nephews, and those who’ve graduated and become young working professionals. We swim, have a picnic and generally enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed, laidback setting.
My husband and our two boys also take a summer vacation, often to the beach, which lets us enjoy time together as a family.
And that’s just a start. There are so many wonderful things about summer, it’s hard to name them all. Still, below, I’ve listed ten more of my favorite things about season.
1) Taking in the colorful array of wildflowers by the side of the highway
2) Wearing flip flops, which gives me a sense of ease and freedom
3) Giving and going to cookouts
4) Checking out the fresh produce at the farmers market
5) Making and savoring fresh homemade lemonade
6) Wearing shorts (but not too short)
7) Enjoying the long hours of daylight
8) Eating ice cream cones as they melt
9) Opening the windows
10) Floating on my back in the pool, feeling weightless as I bask in the sun and experience an incredible sense of calm
What about you? What is your favorite thing about summer?
A grand passion. A ruinous secret. An impossible choice.Buy for the Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBookstore, Google play (for Android)
The wildly handsome Marquess of Camryn is an industrialist who stands for everything social reformer Charlotte Livingston detests.
She’s mortified by her intense attraction to the aristocratic factory owner who thinks nothing of replacing workers with machines, depriving them of honest work.
Stirred by Charlotte’s tart tongue and refreshingly direct manner, Camryn launches a relentless campaign of seduction to win the spinster’s heart, but she is loyal to another man.
As a violent Luddite rebellion rages across England, unrelenting desire flares between the passionate adversaries.
Camryn vows to destroy the rebel movement, unaware Charlotte harbors a secret — a shocking connection to the machine wreckers that could shatter them both.
Excerpt:
He marveled at the way the sun illuminated the clear blue in her eyes. “I won’t bother to dissemble, Miss Livingston.” Taking hold of her hand, he pulled Charlotte around the massive tree trunk, out of the sight of the rest of the guests. “I hope to steal another kiss. Actually, I have thought of little else since our last one. Will you allow it?”
She flushed, her gaze floating beyond him. “Really, Camryn, if you ask for permission, it hardly qualifies as stealing a kiss.”
Blood raced to his vitals when it registered she’d just told him to take what he wanted. Shaking his head, he wondered what is was about this woman that made him desperate to touch her again. It had been an agonizing week since he'd last felt her lips beneath his. Now, finally offered the opportunity, he greedily grasped it.
Cupping Charlotte’s cheeks, he marveled at their satiny softness before lowering his face to hers, kissing one side of her succulent mouth and then the other. Then he intensified his actions, pressing down on her lips, bidding her to open them to him as she had once before. When she did, he kissed her as deeply as he had ever kissed a woman.
He licked and plunged his tongue deeper, greedy to taste more, losing himself in her subtle floral scent. She tasted of lemonade, a woman’s softness, and unlimited possibility. Her untutored tongue ventured to taste him as well, provoking a delighted sound of surprise from him. The wondering hum that sounded from the back of her throat made his body quicken in a rush of heat.
Awareness gradually filtered back to him, reminding Cam of their surroundings. He pulled away with great reluctance, his blood at a boil, and forced himself to take a step back lest he pull Charlotte to the grass and make love to her right there with other guests nearby.
She stood frozen in place with her eyes still closed, red circles burned into the high arches of her cheeks. After a moment, as if in a daze, her lids fluttered open. He easily recognized the hazy arousal in those unfocused blue depths for they mirrored his own.
They stood facing one another for a moment, bodies apart, but gazes interlocked. She blinked. “When I said you had a clever tongue, I really had no idea.”
He marveled at the way the sun illuminated the clear blue in her eyes. “I won’t bother to dissemble, Miss Livingston.” Taking hold of her hand, he pulled Charlotte around the massive tree trunk, out of the sight of the rest of the guests. “I hope to steal another kiss. Actually, I have thought of little else since our last one. Will you allow it?”
She flushed, her gaze floating beyond him. “Really, Camryn, if you ask for permission, it hardly qualifies as stealing a kiss.”
Blood raced to his vitals when it registered she’d just told him to take what he wanted. Shaking his head, he wondered what is was about this woman that made him desperate to touch her again. It had been an agonizing week since he'd last felt her lips beneath his. Now, finally offered the opportunity, he greedily grasped it.
Cupping Charlotte’s cheeks, he marveled at their satiny softness before lowering his face to hers, kissing one side of her succulent mouth and then the other. Then he intensified his actions, pressing down on her lips, bidding her to open them to him as she had once before. When she did, he kissed her as deeply as he had ever kissed a woman.
He licked and plunged his tongue deeper, greedy to taste more, losing himself in her subtle floral scent. She tasted of lemonade, a woman’s softness, and unlimited possibility. Her untutored tongue ventured to taste him as well, provoking a delighted sound of surprise from him. The wondering hum that sounded from the back of her throat made his body quicken in a rush of heat.
Awareness gradually filtered back to him, reminding Cam of their surroundings. He pulled away with great reluctance, his blood at a boil, and forced himself to take a step back lest he pull Charlotte to the grass and make love to her right there with other guests nearby.
She stood frozen in place with her eyes still closed, red circles burned into the high arches of her cheeks. After a moment, as if in a daze, her lids fluttered open. He easily recognized the hazy arousal in those unfocused blue depths for they mirrored his own.
They stood facing one another for a moment, bodies apart, but gazes interlocked. She blinked. “When I said you had a clever tongue, I really had no idea.”
About the author:
Diana Quincy is an award-winning former television journalist who decided she’d rather make up stories where a happy ending is always guaranteed. Growing up as a foreign service brat, Diana lived in many countries and is now settled in Virginia with her husband and two sons. When not bent over her laptop or trying to keep up with laundry, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and dreams of traveling much more than her current schedule (and budget) allows.Diana loves to hear from readers. You can keep up with her online at the following links: Website - Blog - Twitter: @Diana_Quincy - Facebook - Goodreads
GIVEAWAY:
Leave a comment for a chance to win one of two $25 giftcards to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winners’ choice).
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I'm looking forward to this book. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hero was in the book "Sierra" by Taylor Dean. He was a true hero who saved her from the worse fate any woman would ever have to endure and he sure sounded like a very sexy handsome caring man too. :) The book on this blog sounds like a very good read. Sure would love to read it. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt! I love that last line and am looking forward to reading Seducing Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteI've read so many wonderful HRs. My favorite heroes come from across all the time periods and in a multitude o variations. Asking me to single out one favorite is like asking me to find a needle in a hay stack.
Hi Sophia - Thanks for stopping by! Good luck in the contest :)
ReplyDeleteIsmoore - I've never read "Sierra." I hope you do have a chance to read "Seducing Charlotte." I would love to hear what you think!
ReplyDeleteKamla - I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt! I agree that it is hard to single out one hero in historical romance. There are so many good ones!
ReplyDeleteHi Diana!
ReplyDeleteBeing a dreamer at heart my favorite historical hero is Don Quixote! I first met "Don" when I was in High School in the 1960's and it was part of our "required reading" assignment for the year.
As a teenager I was quiet and shy and not only under-tall but late developing as well. How wonderful to find a hero who only saw you as beautiful and overlooking all your faults like Don did with his Dulcinea!
That one book written by the master of historical romance who set the bar high for you and your fellow authors is who not only inspired me but gave me a true appreciation of historical romance ever since that simple assignment changed my outlook on myself and the person I could become!
i would have to say all the men and women in the military that put their lives on the line daily, to protect our freedom. true heroes and heroines! :)
ReplyDeletejukyjoauka at aol dot com
So happy to hear someone else enjoys their children. That's wonderful you spend the time you do with your boys. My husband and I have 6 children. We have 3 daughters and 3 sons. We have a lot of fun spending time together.
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
Lori
lorih824 at yahoo dot com