Unwrapping A Tribute To D-Day - 75 Years Ago - Romance Hasn't A Sole Claim On Heroes

My father in 1942

On this day, seventy-five years ago – June 6, 1944 – in the early morning hours of darkness, my father as a young 2^nd Lieutenant in the Army, and a member of the 82^nd Airborne Division, 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped out of an airplane over Normandy and survived being shot at by German gunners with spotlights to help liberate the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. Over 13,000 Americans and 7,000 British paratroopers fell from the skies in the darkness many hours ahead of the beach invasions of which D-Day is most famous. Not all of those 20,000 survived, not all were able to continue fighting because of injury and for the majority, it was their first experience with battle…including my father. These were young men doing things they never dreamed of doing but now had no choice if they wished to survive. Most were very young but they had trained well and when it was needed most, the hero inside each was there.

My father survived that fateful night and although injured, he continued on leading his company of men. He gained battlefield promotions and continued against the Germans through several more campaigns including the bloodiest at the Battle of the Bulge. Most of the journey through Europe was on foot as well.

The Battle of the Bulge was fought in snow feet deep. It's said the snow turned red with the blood of the fallen.

My father continued after the war with a career in the military, serving in the Korean Conflict and eventually, his final assignment was working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. I have always been proud to be his daughter and proud of his lifetime service to this country. Without men like him, who knows what our world would be had the enemy succeeded in their world domination. My father was and always will be my greatest hero.

Shannon L. Alder said, “Heroes are not made. They are born out of circumstances and rise to the occasion when their spirit can no longer coexist with the hypocrisy of injustice to others.”

This is true. The generation of men who served in one of the greatest wars to visit this planet were heroes of a sort we may never see again. They were not perfect. There were those who shunned their duty to their fellow man and there were those who took the wrong path and became an enemy to doing the right thing. But the majority of men and many a woman as well showed their honor, their bravery, and the hero which lives within every human being but only a select few are ever able to bring it forth.

The numbers of World War II veterans is quickly diminishing. My father left us on Veteran’s Day in 2016 but he never allowed June 6^th to pass without remembering the day and the sacrifices of the invasion. He would tell us about the things that went wrong, the things that worked, and the pure dumb luck which most likely saved many. He would’ve been 99 years young this year had he still been with us and I’m sure he would’ve remembered the day as always and possibly with a bit of amazement. Seventy-five years since the beginning of the end of the war which threatened the freedom of the planet but good triumphed over evil. God Bless.

In memory of all those who fought on the shores, the seas, in the air, across the different theatres and of course, on the home front—thank you for your service, the service of your family for supporting you, and for allowing us the privilege of knowing you and continuing to live in the freedom for which you fought to keep.

God Bless our military now and always. And Airborne All the Way! 

 

ManCandy Monday - It's Been A While!!

Well, it's been a while since we had a little eye candy, don't you think?

 

Time for some treats to make our Monday a little more tolerable.

It's ManCandy Monday!!!  Enjoy!

 

Oh MY!

 

Reminds me of Michelangelo's DAVID *wink*

 

 

Nothing like a yummy cowboy to round out the day! 

 

HAPPY READING - OR WHATEVER - EVERYONE!

 

 

Unwrapping: Wacky Wednesday - Quiz Time!

Welcome to Wacky Wednesday! We all like to imagine ourselves in every heroine role we read but have you ever considered which kind of hero would be your best match. Well, it's Quiz Time and that's what we're going to do!

Errol Flynn in THE SEA HAWK

Perhaps your best match is the Swashbuckling kind of Hero. Dashing, adventurous and little bit dangerous! 

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy
from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Or perhaps he's more the Gentleman Lord kind of Hero like Mr. Darcy of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - all charm and good manner but has possibly been around the block a time or two or three.






Daniel Craig as James Bond



Or perhaps you're better matched with the SPY/AGENT kind of Hero. The man of secrets and dangerous missions ... 



Robert Redford as Sundance Kid



Or maybe you prefer the rustic character of a Western Cowboy Hero with his "awww shucks, ma'am" and cocky saunter.

Alex O'Loughlin in MOONLIGHT

And last, but not least, there's the Paranormal Hero who chases away the things that go bump in the night but might not be all that he appears in the daylight.

Now for the Quiz ... are you ready to find out which is your Best Match?  Take this quick Quiz and then share with us which one is your Dream Hero. 

Have fun and Happy Reading!

Which Hero is Your Best Match? » quiz builder

Unwrapping: Does Familiarity Really Breed Contempt?

My view of the Belle Femme-
in my daydream, of course

If you read my post this past Wacky Wednesday, 1/17, then you know of my conversation with two of my characters [if not, you can click here to read it but do come back].  After my discussion about love and marriage with them, I began to consider something else. 

As writers, we develop a tension between our hero and heroine, then throw them together in a situation where they must deal with each other under less than ideal circumstances and yet they eventually fall in love.  As I consider this, I'm reminded of the old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt."  So why then do we assume that our couple will fall in love with each other after they are thrown together? Is it the familiarity that allows it to happen? But then what of the contempt?

That old saying was actually the moral to an Aesop's Fable, THE FOX AND THE LION.

When first the Fox saw the Lion he was terribly frightened, and ran away and hid himself in the wood. Next time however he came near the King of Beasts he stopped at a safe distance and watched him pass by. The third time they came near one another the Fox went straight up to the Lion and passed the time of day with him, asking him how his family were, and when he should have the pleasure of seeing him again; then turning his tail, he parted from the Lion without much ceremony.  
                                   Moral:  Familiarity Breeds Contempt.

It is true that when we first meet a person, generally one of the opposite sex, we set an impression in our minds about that person. We might dislike him/her, we might be enamoured of him/her, or we might even be intimidated by him/her. No matter what we first think of someone, as we get to know them better, more familiarly, our impression tends to change. Sometimes for the better, and unfortunately, sometimes for the worse.

Our heroes and heroines, like most men and women, are usually attracted physically to each other yet there seems to be something that almost always keeps them apart from the start.  It isn't until they're thrown together, when they have no other choice but to become familiar with each other - i.e.,  that they get to know each other better - that they fall in love! Our hero usually gains a respect for our heroine and our heroine usually decides he's not such an obnoxious arrogant SOB after all.  So why doesn't this newly discovered familiarity drive them apart rather than together?

I pondered this, for too long, I think, but I think I understand, at least in respect to Aesop's Fable ... well, I hope I do. In the case of the Fox and the Lion, the Fox was terribly frightened by the Lion. He feared the Lion would eat him straight away. It was only after the Fox discovered the Lion could be considered a friend rather than foe that he turned 'his tail, he parted from the Lion without much ceremony." It didn't mean the Fox wouldn't return another day to pass the time with the Lion only that he no longer feared the Lion. The Fox was then capable of actually turning his back to the Lion without fearing the Lion would leap upon him and devour him. His familiarity with the Lion led him to have contempt for his own fear. Ta Da! Well, I guess that's right!

If I am correct, that familiarity merely allows a person to feel contempt for whatever it was that held them back in the first place, then in regards to our heroes and heroines, it's the familiarity that grows between them that allows them to put aside that first impression.   Let's say our heroine thinks our hero is an arrogant misogynistic SOB and she'd rather kiss the back end of a toad than have anything to do with him. Yet, after spending some one-on-one time with him, she's leaping into the sack with him. So I can only assume that the familiarity leads to a contempt for something other than him, but what? You tell me, have I got this right or am I way off track? 

Kathleen was ready to take that knife to good old Joe Fox.
Fox  ...  F - O - X

Think about the characters, Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly, in the movie, YOU'VE GOT MAIL -  they meet (instant attraction), they find out who each other is (instant contempt), they slowly get to know each other (they fall in love).  Familiarity brought them together so what happened to the contempt? Uh oh, I'm confused again!

So ... does familiarity really breed contempt? Or is that Aesop was completely off base when it came to relationships? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter because I'm still feeling lost. Or perhaps it's just contempt for Aesop's moral. 

Happy Reading Everyone!

Unwrapping: Wacky Wednesday - Conversing With My Characters

Daydreams have always been a great way to wile away the time. It's also a great way to have a conversation with my characters when I feel stumped.  My characters like to invade my thoughts at the oddest times to begin with but it's doubly strange when I'm already thinking about them. I love daydreaming and daydreaming about my characters makes it even more fun. 

I was actually getting some work done on my historical romance work -in- progress, when I suddenly thought about changing my hero's attitude toward love and marriage. I sat at the keyboard staring at the text on the screen in front of me and pondered the idea. As I wondered what the men at the turn of the 19th Century really thought about love and marriage, I began to hear my characters talking to me. I've had them lead me in my dreams while I'm sleeping and I've had them lead me while actually writing so it didn't surprise me to suddenly have them talk to me now.  I closed my eyes and allowed my imagination to take me where I needed to be.

"Miss Amy, don't ya worry 'bout Hawke, he doesn't think he wants love and marriage but he do ... every man do even when he say he don't." Michel LaRue was there, sitting on a barrel aboard the gently rocking ship. He held several lines of thick rough-looking rope in his large hands. He was quickly, and expertly, tying them together with efficient knots.

"Good day, Michel," I greeted him with a smile as I glanced around me. Men were busy seeing to their individual duties. I looked to the ship's bridge above us and saw the captain there, arms crossed and looking grumpy about something. "Hawke doesn't look happy, is there a problem?"

Michel leaned forward slightly and glanced up at the tall black-haired man standing on the bridge scowling. He rested back against the rail again and chuckled. "He just find out he supposed to get married."

"But he ...," I halted my speech and glanced around at the landscape. It was like nothing I had ever seen, even in my imagination. There were mountains and the air was delightfully warm but humid. This was hardly the Port of London in which we should be docked but someplace much more exotic. The buildings were made of something more like clay and mortar rather than wood and brick. "Where are we, Michel?" I asked curiously.

Ponta Delgada on the Azore Isle of São Miguel

"Ponta Delgada. Where else?"

"The Azores! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be heading home to Louisiana?" I asked looking around me at the strange but beautiful place.

"Huh? You knows we gotta go to London first." Michel asked with a curious expression. "We only be stoppin' here for supplies.  'Course, right now Hawke be wishing he'd sailed right by 'stead of stoppin' here.  See, there be a letter waitin' for him and it be bad news. His grandpa, he died and now Hawke be the Earl. 'Course, Hawke, he be thinkin' the worst news be that his grandpa arranged for him to have a wife." Michel chuckled gleefully as he returned to his knots. How do they learn all those knots?

"So ... you haven't met Ro ..."  I clamped my mouth shut before any more words could escape. I suddenly realized it was as if I hadn't written their story yet. I was witnessing the events right after Hawke learned of his arranged marriage but before he returned to London. I smiled happily. This was my chance to gain some insight into what these men really felt about love and marriage.  I leaned against the railing and crossed my arms across my chest. "Michel, what do you think about Hawke's predicament?"

"Me? Well, I guess it ain't really none of my business." Michel said without looking up from his knots. Then he lifted his head and peeked upwards to see if Hawke was nearby. I leaned forward a bit and saw that Hawke was busy with the helmsman. Michel turned back to me. "Personally, I think it be good news. That boy, he need to be settlin' down and makin' a family since he lost all his own." I nodded my head for I knew about Hawke's parents and sister being killed in a fire in New Orleans some ten years earlier - after all, I wrote it. "I tell him he should meet the gal and if'n he don't like her then refuse it. But, oh no, he flat out say that he ain't goin' to be tied down to some female who only wants his name and his purse!" Having become rather animated and a little louder than he had intended, Michel lowered his voice substantially and leaned in toward me. "Hawke, he be needin' a good woman in his life. I be thinkin' anyway."

I smiled happily and then asked Michel about his own feelings on the subject. "So, how 'bout you, Michel? Don't you need a good woman in your life, too?"

Michel coughed and choked as if he'd swallowed wrong. I patted the big dark man on his broad backside until he stopped. "Thanks, Missy." He coughed again but only twice. "Don't be shockin' this old man with such foolishness. I be too old for love and marriage now."

"Too old! Michel, you're forty-two years old. Where I come from that's a young man yet!" I exclaimed, my voice rising in volume. I quickly quieted it and continued. "Okay, if a woman came along that captured your heart and stole away your breath, what then?"

Michel stared at me with his big dark eyes, he blinked as he considered what I had asked. Then his full lips parted and he smiled his most endearing smile. He chuckled softly and patted me on the back of my hand resting on my thigh. "Miss Amy, you conjure me up a woman who can do all that and I be fallin' in love and marryin' her in a heartbeat."

"Who are you marrying, old man?" A deep melodic voice rang out. I turned to face the captain of the ship. "How are you today, Mrs. Valentini?" Hawke is always so formal with me, it makes me smile. He gave me a quick bow and I bowed my head in recognition.

"I'm quite fine, Captain Boudreau. I was surprised to find you at port, here, in the Azores." I swept my hand indicating the beautiful surroundings.

"Well, we returned from Asia by way of the Cape of Good Hope and this is the best place to pick up supplies with the trouble along the Barbary Coast." Hawke explained as he stared at Michel who deliberately kept his eyes on his knots. I suspected Hawke surmised what his old friend had been talking about and wasn't too happy about it. "So what brings you here to visit, madam?" Hawke lifted his lash shadowed green eyes from the dark man's dipped head and met my eyes straight on. I swear my heart skipped a beat. Can a man truly be that handsome except in a woman's imagination?

"I ... uh ... well, I had been wondering what you really thought about love and marriage. I may have to change your, uh, a story I'm writing that is - if I have it wrong." I explained fearful of what the imposing man might say in response.

"Love and marriage!" Hawke growled. Michel lifted his head in reaction and when Hawke's narrowed angry eyes lit on him, he quickly lowered it again. "Michel, what have you been telling our dear lady?"

"Nothing I didn't already know, Captain, remember I, ... I mean, ... I coerced it out of him. He only spoke the truth." I resisted reminding the big man that I created the situation and that if I wanted to I could make sure he never enjoyed another woman as long as he lived. "I heard of your impending marriage ..."

"There will be NO marriage, madam!" Hawke interrupted angrily. "I refuse to uphold an agreement I had no party to especially one that means I must marry some silly twit who wants nothing more than a name, money and children. I will return to England and remove myself from there before the twit knows I've even returned."

Cringing slightly, only not wanting the imposing man to know it, I squeaked out my next words. "So I guess your opinion of love and marriage is ..."

"That it's for fools, madam! Love and marriage are best left to fools." When he saw my own green eyes narrow, he gulped and then added. "You are the exception, of course, Mrs. Valentini. I'm sure you are no fool and neither is your devoted husband." I relaxed and nodded my head accepting his apology. He calmed somewhat. I watched him take a deep breath. Upon releasing it, he continued, "Madam, I've had my chance at love, and almost married, but it only resulted in my heart being torn to shreds in the process. I'm a man of the sea now and have no time for a permanent woman in my life, despite what this old man has been telling you." He scowled at Michel who shrugged his shoulders in feigned innocence.   

"But, Hawke, ..." He lifted one black brow suspiciously when I used his familiar name. I proceeded cautiously, "if the right woman came along ... a woman who captured your heart, stole your breath and gave you a reason to live, wouldn't you want her with you?" I asked sweetly. Hawke stared at me for what felt like an eternity before straightening his back, squaring his broad shoulders and clearing his throat.

"Madam, there is no such woman." His deep voice was flat and that told me that the discussion was done. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to ready for sail. If you'd like, you are most welcome to join us on our journey. For you, madam, are the only female I will ever allow to sail on the Belle Femme." He gave me a half-bow, turned and walked away. I knew I had been dismissed and so had my argument. I glanced down at Michel who was watching his best friend walk toward the steps that lead to the bridge. There was a look of sadness on his handsome bearded face. I placed a hand on his large shoulder and squeezed it affectionately.

"Don't worry, Michel, I think he might change his mind some day - especially with your help, dear friend." Michel looked up at me with a million questions in his eyes but then he smiled and placed his large hand on mine as it rested on his shoulder.

"I always be trustin' you, Missy." He said in a quiet voice that made me feel maternal even though I wasn't old enough to be his mother, then he added eagerly. "So you be sailin' with us to London?"

"I wish ... I wish I could, Michel. I'm sure it would be thrilling but I must return to my work now. Till we meet again." I told him with a smile. He smiled back and when he looked toward Hawke who had returned to the bridge, I quickly took my leave. I do hate farewells.

I opened my eyes. I was back at the keyboard with the screensaver sweeping across the monitor. Well, I guess I got my answer, at least how it pertains to the two leading men in my story but does that answer my real question and has that question really changed at all throughout time? 

Nature has created a natural instinct in women to desire a partner in life to share their love, their home and with whom to create a family but what about men?
I know there are some men who desire to marry and have a family even before they meet the woman of their dreams but what about most men? Are men predisposed to sharing their life with one woman or do they only come to that conclusion once they have met the right gal?
What about men who live in polygamous relationships? Do they only see marriage as a means to getting what they want, namely lots of children? Can a man really love that many wives or is there one among them that holds his heart and the others are just chattel?

I started out pondering if I had led my hero in the right direction. I suppose I have but now I'm wondering why it's so difficult to keep him on that path. He made it quite clear that he does not wish to have love and marriage in his life but when I asked him about refusing a woman who might capture his heart, he merely responded by telling me that such a woman does not exist. Hmmm, ... so, ... is it denial? Fear of commitment? Is this what plagues most people, men and women, who scorn the idea of marriage?

So ... which do you prefer - the hero who eagerly awaits the day he meets the woman of his dreams and perhaps rushes into things with the wrong partner? Or do you prefer the hero who scoffs at the thought of falling in love but falls the hardest when that certain woman walks into his life?

Hope I've given you something to ponder and a little escapism to help you over that mid-week hump. I love conversing with my characters and I hope you enjoyed my excursion. I think I'd like to visit modern Ponta Delgada someday.  It looks dreamy ... and very romantic!   : ) 

Happy Reading Everyone!

Unwrapping: Romantic Education in Regency Romance

Readers of Romance Novels love the romance and the scenes that seal the love between the hero and heroine. I wonder if one of the things that makes Regency Romance Novels so popular among readers is that we tend to see innocent young ladies being swept off their feet by man who are abundantly more experience in the ways of lovemaking. In our modern age, we learn about the birds and the bees from more places than we should and some not always the best sources of information but in comparison to our blushing lovelies in Regency England, we are nearly as experienced as any gentleman's mistress.

Most young ladies of Regency England learn from their mothers, aunts, or perhaps an older married sister about the events that will unfold on their wedding night. With what most are told, it's amazing that any of them consent to be married at all. Typically, they're told such silly things as "it will be your duty to lay with your husband in the marriage bed. Just be still, let him finish and then you'll be able to go to sleep."

Yikes, it sounds more like they are being given instructions about a doctor's exam minus the going to sleep part rather than what's really going to happen.

So, where then do our young innocent heroines gain their lovemaking skills?

Usually from their heroes, of course, but some of our young ladies are much more enthusiastic about the concept and so do a bit of reading beforehand. It's only natural for them to have a curiosity after all they live in another era not another world. Despite what the men of the time, and some since believe, women need and desire release through lovemaking just as much as any man. 

Take our dear Celia Seaton in THE AMOROUS EDUCATION OF CELIA SEATON by Miranda Neville. She delighted in learning a thing or two from a book she found, The Genuine and Remarkable Amours of the Celebrated Author Peter Aretin and when the opportunity arose, so to speak, she decided to try out what she had learned.

"Tarquin," she said and nipped at his ear.

"Celia," he muttered again beginning to feel sleepy. "I think you've killed me."

"I'm so sorry."

"What a way to go."

She snuggled closer and kissed his neck. "Riding St. George is fun."

"Where did you hear that phrase?"  He refrained from pointing out that it was whore's cant.

"Er, I read it in a book." ---

Or our dear impetuous Suzette Madison in THE HEIRESS by Lynsay Sands.  Suzie was determined to find a poor man who would rescue her father and her sisters from ruin for a poor man would enable her to gain her dowry and pay her father's gambling debts.  Upon meeting Daniel, she was instantly taken by her attraction to him and believed him to be as poor as a church mouse making him a prime candidate for her needs only to discover her needs extended far beyond monetary.  She was more than willing to explore those needs and those of Daniel but surprised him a bit with what she thought she knew.

"Daniel."

He stiffened and felt his jaw drop as she suddenly stood before him, completely naked, apparently having shed the gown he'd all but removed himself. Daniel had been struggling with his cravat as he'd thought, but now she brushed his hands away and took the ends as if to manage the task for him. However, she paused and peered up at him solemnly instead.

"It is very chivalrous of you not to want to take my virginity, and I do understand and think it's honorable, but in one of the books I've read, they wrote of a way I could give you the same pleasure you gave me without you actually putting your maypole in me."

"What the devil have you been reading?" Daniel got out in a choked voice ...   ---

Goodness such an education our dear Suzie was getting from her books.

But then her sister, Christiana in THE COUNTESS by Lynsay Sands was so uneducated in the ways of lovemaking that she hadn't even realized that after a year of marriage to her husband that she was still as virginal as the day she wed him. It wasn't until the real Richard Fairgrave gave her a tumble that she knew what it meant to consummate the marriage.

Whatever are the young ladies of Regency Romance to do? Read books, get advice, wrong advice from female members of their family or their friends? Or wait to be 'instructed' by the hero that not only saves the day but captures their hearts? Perhaps if they had someone like Amanda Price from LOST IN AUSTEN to travel back through time and given them all a twentieth century take on the whole romance thing, they wouldn't be so innocent - but then would we really want them less innocent?

Now I'm wondering if, in fact, we are really better off today knowing everything we need to know about the ways of making love or perhaps, would it be more exciting to greet it head on with a large dose of innocence urging us forward as we investigate the mysteries that only our own hero can uncover for us?

Happy Reading Everyone!

                  

Unwrapping: Wacky Wednesday - Birthday Wishes to Gaelen Foley

Today is one of my favorite Romance author's birthday - Gaelen Foley. 
I hope you'll join me in wishing her a very Happy Birthday today and enjoy a treat from her wonderful Regency Romance, MY DANGEROUS DUKE.

MY DANGEROUS DUKE is the second in a series called the Inferno Club series.  The Inferno Club is a gathering of wealthy libertines and highborn rakes devoted to their pleasures and scandals.  Well, that's the way they are known to London Society but the truth is they have a much greater purpose.  London society suspects little of the danger that looms over England or the real enemies whom these select and powerful lords are secretly sworn to fight.

The Inferno Club series consists of three novels as of date but will soon be joined by a fourth which all who follow the series anxiously await. 

The first in the series is MY WICKED MARQUESS, Max's story or rather the Marquess of Rotherstone's

- the second is MY DANGEROUS DUKE, Rohan's story or rather the Duke of Warrington's

- the third is MY IRRESISTIBLE EARL,  Jordan's story or rather the Earl of Falconridge's

But today, in honor of Ms. Foley's birthday and because I promised you a man with secrets and a castle, we're going to visit with Rohan Kilburn, the Duke of Warrington.  So without further ado, let me introduce you to him in an excerpt from MY DANGEROUS DUKE by Gaelen Foley:



His expression inscrutable, Eldred the butler glanced at Kate, but was apparently too shrewd to ask any questions. He turned away, lifting his lantern high. "This way, please. The master is expecting you."

Their whole party followed as Eldred led them down a tall, shadowy corridor, all stone and aged plaster and carved dark wood. Kate stumbled along on her frozen feet, staring all around her. She had never been in a castle before, but it was hard to believe that anyone could actually live in such a place.

It was not a home, it was a fortress, a mighty barracks left over from the days of knights and dragons.

Everything was dark and hard, cold and threatening. Ancient weapons, shields and pieces of armor, tattered battle flags hung on the walls instead of paintings. There was not one cozy thing about it, yet perversely, despite its unwelcoming atmosphere, the castle's historical significance made her forget her dread for one or two seconds as her scholar's unquenchable curiosity was roused about the place, the battles it had seen, and all the other mysterious things that might have happened here over the centuries.

Then she noticed her captors becoming increasingly nervous.

"'Hoy, Eldred." Caleb leaned toward the butler as they trudged down a darkly paneled corridor. "How's his mood tonight?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"The Beast!" he whispered. "Is he in a foul temper?"

The butler eyed him in disapproval. "I'm sure I couldn't say."

"So, that's a yes," Calen muttered.

Then Eldred led them into a cavernous great hall with a soaring vaulted ceiling.

Darkness clustered thickly between arching beams. Moldering tapestries draped the side walls here and there. Overlooking the room, a small balcony - the ministrel's gallery - jutted slightly from the far wall.  Closer to hand, several pieces of thick, ancient furniture provided barren comfort.

Two black-clad guards, like those stationed at the gatehouse, were posted in the nearest corners. They stood at attention, as immovable as the ancient suits of armor that adorned the great hall.

The only real sign of life glowed from the blazing bonfire in the yawning fireplace, far away down at the dais end of the hall - and it was there that Kate caught her first glimpse of the Beast.

She knew at once that it was he.

The huge, crackling power of his presence filled the hall before he even turned around. His back to them, the Duke of Warrington stood before the fire, a towering figure silhouetted against the flames.

He was toying with a large, strange weapon with a long, notched blade, some sort of deadly cross between a lance and a sword. Balancing it on its tip, he twirled it slowly in a most ominous fashion.

Edred announced them with a polite cough. "Ahem, Your Grace: Caleb Doyle and company."

He lifted the weapon, resting the bar of its long handle on his huge shoulder.

Her heart leaped up into her throat as the iron giant slowly pivoted to face them. He paused, studying them from across the hall with a dissecting stare.

Then he began prowling toward them, his long paces unhurried yet relentless:  a medieval warlord in modern-day clothes. Each fall of his mud-flecked boots boomed in the hollow vastness of the chamber.

Kate's mouth hung open slightly as she stared at him in fear and some degree of awe.

Caleb whipped off his hat and took a couple of steps forward, gesturing to his men to do the same.

The smuggler's party advanced in cringing dread, with Kate in the center.

Her stare locked on the warrior duke as he sauntered closer.  She searched in vain for any sign of softness in the man, instead, a capacity for ruthless force emanated from him.  He was hard and dark and dangerous, intimidation incarnate.

It was clear he had just arrived, his wild, windblown mane of thick sable hair tied back in a queue. She studied him, wide-eyed.  The dark knotted cloth around his neck was nothing so formal as a cravat. His loose white shirt hung open a bit at the neck, disappearing into a black waistcoat that hugged his lean, sculpted torso.

Rain and sleet still dotted his black riding breeches, while the reddish firelight gleamed on the blade that he wielded so idly as he advanced, as though he'd been born with it in his hand.

Heart pounding, Kate could not take her eyes off him.

He appeared to be in his midthirties; she scanned his square, rugged face as he drew closer. He had thick, dark eyebrows with a scar above the left like the mark of a thunderbolt. His skin was unfashionably bronzed, as though he had spent years in sunnier climes. His nose was broad but straight, the grim set of his hard mouth bracketed by lines.

His eyes were terrifying.

Steeley in color and expression, they were narrowed with suspicion, their depths gleaming with a banked fury that she realized was waiting to unleash on the smugglers -  and might take out on her, as well, before the night was through.

Dear God, he could kill her easily, she understood at once. The man was huge, nearly six and a half feet tall, with arms of iron, and shoulders like the Cornish cliffs. He looked stong enough to lift a horse, while she only came up to the center of his massive chest.

No wonder the smugglers were terrified of him, despite Caleb's claim to the contrary back at the village.  Warrington had the imposing physique of a conqueror, and all the worldly power of the aristocracy's highest rank, save the royal family.

She tried to back away as the duke stalked closer, running a bold stare over the length of her.

"What's this?" he growled softly at Doyle, nodding at her. She reacted instinctively to his notice, pulling against her captors' hold in panic. She tried to run.

They stopped her.   [to be continued]

I fear you'll have to get your own copy of MY DANGEROUS DUKE by Gaelen Foley to find out what happens to poor Kate in the hands of the Beast.  Don't forget to get the others in the Inferno Club series including the fourth - MY RUTHLESS PRINCE - coming in December!

Happy Reading Everyone and Happy Birthday Gaelen!!!

                                  

Unwrapping: Veterans Day - Thank You!

To all the Veterans and their families - thank you so very much for your service, your sacrifices and your outstanding loyalty to the Red, White and Blue!

As the daughter of a Veteran, I have a deep appreciation for all that our military do so that we may reserve our freedom and the rights provided us by our government. I'm glad a day is set aside to pay tribute to all of the Veterans of this proud country but personally, I believe every day should be Veterans Day. So the next time you see an active duty military personnel or an older person wearing any kind of military insignia, please do something nice for them like hold a door open, let them step in front of you in line or just smile and say 'thank you' ... it will be so greatly appreciated.

As Romance readers, we love our heroes in or out of uniform ... partial to a military man out of uniform, if you know what I mean.  Romance Novels abound with heroes and although Regency centers around English heroes, Americans have their share of historical heroes beginning with those that fought for our freedom from the Brits in the first place.  Our proud country has a long history of men and women willing to sacrifice everything for our freedom beginning with the first Marines, the Minutemen and the civilian colonists that took up arms against the British tyranny suffocating our society, economy and right to free speech. The uniforms may have changed over the past two hundred and thirty-six years but the cry for freedom and the willingness to defend it hasn't changed one bit. Our United States Marine Corps is celebrating its birthday this month, actually yesterday (November 10) and next year we will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the start of the War of 1812.  A war that our young country fought to preserve the freedom that had just been won less than 35 years earlier. We lost 2,260 American soldiers, marines and sailors both on land and on the ocean fighting a war against Great Britain and their North American colonists - our neighbors to the north, the Canadians - but we persevered and maintained an unbreakable hold on our freedom that still thrives today.  That's a very long history, my friends.  By the way - Happy Birthday Marines, semper fi.

I love Regency Romance but I have often wondered why it is that we only focus on the British scene for our romance stories. Why don't we have more stories of the era involving Americans both as heroes and heroines? One author, who is one of my personal favorites, has been for years creating stories that do blend the societies and it makes for some very enjoyable reading. The author - Johanna Lindsey, the series - the Malory Novels ... we have heroes and heroines from both sides of the pond meeting, falling in love, fighting each other and others who get in their way. The Malory-Anderson family is a mixed bag of ladies and gentlemen who bring the best of two worlds together and give honor to the steadfast loyalty that each side of the family, whether Malory or Anderson, have for their kin and their countries.  Since this is more a tribute to our American Veterans and a thank you for their sacrifices, I'm not going to discuss literature more than just that at this time. If you're interested in Ms. Lindsey's Malory series or any of her other works, please feel free to visit her publishers website. I will include a list of her Malory novels at the end of this post.

In the meantime, may all our brave Veterans, including my father who is a Veteran of both WWII and Korea, have a good day every day and may your families be proud for you are each our greatest heroes and shall always be remembered for all that you have allowed us to take for granted. Our greatest thanks and gratitude this day and always.

Happy Veterans Day and Happy Reading Everyone!