Hello everyone,
I'm delighted to introduce my fellow Ellora's Cave author Susana Ellis who is
going all out to celebrate the release of her sweet and touching novella A
Twelfth Night Tale!
Besides the
Grand Prize—a Giant Treasure Box—she is giving away a Twelfth Night Tale Christmas charm bracelet (silver-plated) for one
random commenter on each of the twelve stops
of the tour. Click here for the
Rafflecopter for the Giant Treasure Box!
A Twelfth Night Tale Giant Treasure Box*
·
lovely gift box
·
A Twelfth
Night Tale
Christmas charm bracelet (silver-plated)
·
Father Christmas figurine
·
Three Wise Men figurine
·
Thomas Kinkade photo collage
·
Treasuring
Theresa
mug
·
Treasuring
Theresa
necklace
·
Treasuring
Theresa keychain
·
two Christmas ornaments from Scotland (Mary
Queen of Scots and fleur-de-lys)
·
two decks of Ellora's Cave playing cards
·
two perfumed soaps from Scotland
·
fizzing bath salts from Scotland
·
Celtic pen from Scotland
·
“jeweled” soap
·
nail clipper keychain from London
·
stuffed toy bear
*In lieu of
the treasure box, a winner from outside the U.S. will receive a gift card from
the book retailer of their choice.
About A Twelfth Night Tale
A wounded soldier and
the girl next door find peace and love amidst a backdrop of rural Christmas
traditions.
Without
dowries and the opportunity to meet eligible gentlemen, the five Barlow sisters
stand little chance of making advantageous marriages. But when the eldest
attracts the attention of a wealthy viscount, suddenly it seems as though Fate
is smiling upon them.
Lucy
knows that she owes it to her younger sisters to encourage Lord Bexley's
attentions, since marriage to a peer will secure their futures as well as hers.
The man of her dreams has always looked like Andrew Livingston, her best
friend's brother. But he's always treated her like a child, and, in any case,
is betrothed to another. Perhaps the time has come to put away childhood dreams
and accept reality…and Lord Bexley.
Andrew
has returned from the Peninsula with more emotional scars to deal with than
just the lame arm. Surprisingly, it's his sister's friend “Little Lucy” who
shows him the way out of his melancholy. He can't help noticing that Lucy's
grown up into a lovely young woman, but with an eligible viscount courting her,
he'll need a little Christmas magic to win her for himself.
Available
Excerpt
All
Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave
Chapter One
The Barlow Home
near Charlbury, Oxfordshire
23 December 1813
“It’s so kind of you to call, Lord Bexley. The
flowers you sent are simply lovely, are they not, Lucy?”
Unable to miss the warning tone in her mother’s
voice, Lucy sat up straight in her chair and smiled sweetly at their caller.
“Oh yes indeed. They are undoubtedly the most
beautiful I’ve ever received, my lord.”
Of course, she did not mention that they were
the first flowers she’d ever been sent by a gentleman. And considering that
there were few opportunities to meet eligible gentlemen in the quiet little
neck of the woods where the Barlows resided, the arrangement was quite likely
to remain the only floral tribute to come her way.
Her caller beamed with pleasure. “They were the
best I could find at the florist, but of course they cannot hold a candle to
your beauty and sweetness, Miss Barlow.”
Lucy swallowed and forced herself to reply.
“You embarrass me with your flattery, my lord.”
“Not at all,” he insisted. “You were quite the
belle of the Christmas Ball last evening, Miss Barlow. I was much envied to be
allowed the honor of two dances with you when so many gentlemen had to
be turned away.”
The “Christmas Ball” was merely a small
celebration at the local assembly rooms. Her mother had encouraged her to favor
Lord Bexley, but in truth, Lucy herself had not found him objectionable. He was
an accomplished dancer and quite distinguished-looking, in spite of the fact
that he had at least twenty years over her.
At eighteen, she was of an age to be out in
society, and Lord Bexley, a wealthy widower from Warwickshire, was undoubtedly
the most eligible gentleman in the county. Recently out of mourning, he was
seeking a new wife and a mother to his three children, and as Mrs. Barlow kept
telling her, Lucy should be flattered that he seemed to be favoring her for the
role.
Well, she was flattered. Wasn’t she? The
number of young ladies far exceeded that of eligible gentlemen, and she didn’t
wish to be left on the shelf. With her family in financial difficulties and
four younger sisters to be married off, Lucy knew she owed it to them to marry
well and do what she could to find her sisters suitable matches as well.
She was prepared to do her duty and make the
best of it, but somehow, when she thought of marriage and children, it was not
the kindly Lord Bexley who came to mind. It was the face of the strapping,
dark-haired Adonis with laughing gray eyes who lived on an adjoining estate
with his younger sister—her bosom friend Jane—who had teased her unmercifully
from the time she learned to walk. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t
been in love with Andrew Livingston—she’d even asked him to marry her at the
age of five when he’d been twelve and about to leave for Eton. He’d laughed and
quipped that it would be like marrying his sister, and she’d nursed a broken
heart ever since.
She sighed as she frequently did when she
thought of Andrew and his affianced wife, and her mother glared at her.
Fortunately, Phillips wheeled in the tea cart and Mrs. Barlow’s attention was
mercifully diverted.
“Please do the honors, Lucy. An excellent
opportunity to practice your housewifely skills.”
Lucy flushed. Could her mother’s intentions be
more obvious? But Lord Bexley did not seem to notice. He smiled kindly at her
somewhat shaky inquiry as to his preferences, and thanked her graciously when
she brought him his tea and a plate of cherry tarts.
“Quite charming,” he commented as he regarded
her with obvious approval. It was unclear whether he was speaking to her or to
her mother, and Lucy wasn’t sure how to respond.
Fortunately, there was a shriek followed by the
sound of fierce arguing from the back rooms of the house. Lucy turned
instinctively to the door, which was promptly thrust open and filled by the
figure of her sister Lydia, who was breathing hard and wringing her hands in
agitation.
“Do come, Lucy! Lila and Louisa are having one
of their rows again, in the kitchen of all places. Lila broke one of Cook’s
mixing bowls, and Cook swears she’ll leave if someone doesn’t stop them and you
know you’re the only one who can, Lucy!” She flushed when she saw Lord Bexley
and her mother’s angry face. “Oh…pardon me, I didn’t realize we had a guest.”
She backed out into the hall, shooting Lucy a pleading look as she did so.
Relieved for an excuse to terminate the social
call, Lucy muttered her excuses and scrambled out of the room. But not before
she heard her mother’s mortified apology and Lord Bexley’s soothing reply that
he found it quite agreeable to discover a young lady so accomplished in the
maternal skills.
Goodness, he really was intent on courting her!
She should be flattered. She was a sensible girl, and it was pointless to set
her cap at Andrew Livingston, in any case. Lord Bexley would be an excellent
match for her. His three daughters could not possibly be as troublesome as her
two youngest sisters, after all.
She gritted her teeth and hurried to the
kitchen, the ineffectual Lydia as usual trailing behind her. The second eldest
Barlow daughter was as helpless as their mother at controlling the two youngest
children. When Lucy married and left the house, as she would in time, her
bookish middle sister Laura was going to have to take up the reins.
About
the Author
A former
teacher, Susana is finally living her dream of being a full-time writer. She
loves all genres of romance, but historical—Regency in particular—is her
favorite. There’s just something about dashing heroes and spunky heroines
waltzing in ballrooms and driving through Hyde Park that appeals to her
imagination.
In real
life, Susana is a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio, although she has lived in
Ecuador and studied in Spain, France and Mexico. More recently, she was able to
travel around the UK and visit many of the places she’s read about for years,
and it was awesome! She is a member of the Maumee Valley and Beau Monde
chapters of Romance Writers of America.
Contacts
