Cheryl thank you so much for inviting me to your Great Christmas
Tree Tour. I have had so much fun exploring everyone else’s posts. What a great
group those Harlequin Historical editors are!
We have a mid December birthday at our house and until that
is celebrated, we do not begin Christmas.
In the past we have had two trees, a large real one in the living room
with a color theme and a smaller artificial tree in the family room in the
basement.
This year I decided against a real tree because of
transportation problems, so as you can see my artificial tree, one that I have
had for twenty-five years now, takes pride of place in red and gold in the
living room. And since I just happened to be dressed for a party and just
happened to have a camera handy, I included me in the picture. I think the
angel is a bit too heavy, she looks as if she might have imbibed a bit too much
egg nog, poor old thing, but she also has been on our tree for a long time, so
tipsy or not, there she stays.
Down in the family room I decided to do something different.
Over the years I have sewn and embroidered a variety of little ornaments for
our tree and, when they were little, my daughters loved to play with them,
making up stories and moving them around to fit with their flights of fancy and
those of their friends. I felt like we were the only family with an interactive
tree. Now they are grown up they don’t do that anymore, so I created a special
tree for those handmade ornaments and sat it in the corner of the hearth. I
hope to make one new ornament every year, and it is quite likely I will need a
larger tree before too long.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New
Year.
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Just in time for Christmas, HQN has paired the third and
fourth books in the Castonbury Park continuity series (think Downton Abbey) and
put them out under one cover entitled Ladies
of Disrepute, including The Lady who Broke the Rules by Marguerite Kay and
Lady of Shame by me, Ann Lethbridge.
The
Lady Who Broke the Rules
Anticipating
her wedding vows and then breaking off the engagement has left Kate Montague's
social status in tatters. She hides her shame behind a resolute facade, but one
thing really grates: for a fallen woman, she knows shockingly little about
passion.
Could
Virgil Jackson be the man to teach her? He's a freed slave turned successful
businessman, and his striking good looks and compelling strength prove too much
for Kate to resist. She has already scandalized society, but succumbing to her
craving for Virgil would damage her status beyond repair….
Lady of Shame
But when
the dark gaze of head chef Monsieur Andre catches her eye, he seems as
deliciously tempting as the food he prepares. Claire knows he's most
unsuitable, even if the chemistry between them is magnetic. Risking her fragile
reputation for Andre would be shameful—but losing him could be even worse.
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Following hard on the heels of that book, out in February is
Haunted by the Earl’s Touch a story
which has a rather unique style, and all the elements of a true Gothic tale.
No
man has ever wanted her for herself
When
she arrives at Beresford Abbey, orphan Mary Wilder's hopes of finding a place
to belong are dashed when she meets Bane Beresford, the enigmatic earl. He is
as remote as the ghosts that supposedly haunt the Abbey…and, like its crumbling
walls, her dreams fall apart.
Occasionally
she sees a different, more caring man behind the facade, so is she foolish to
long for a happy home…and a family? His proposal is for a marriage of
convenience, but his touch has awakened within her a fervent and forbidden
longing….
BBA 2012
finalist, Daphne DuMaurier Winner, you can find Ann Lethbridge at http://www.annlethbridge.com @annlethbridge and on facebook
as AnnLethbridgeAuthor.
