1781. On opposite sides of the War of Independence, British Captain Jacob Vaughan and Claire Monroe find themselves thrust together by chance and expediency.
Captain Vaughan comes to a stately North Carolina manor to catch a spy. Instead, he finds himself in bedlam: the head of the household is an old man ravaged by madness, the one sane male of the family is the very man he is hunting, and the household is overseen by his beguiling sister Claire.
Torn between duty, love, and allegiances, yearning desperately for peace, will Captain Vaughan and Claire Monroe forge a peace of their own against the vagaries of war and the betrayal of false friends?
Endeavoring not to soil her sleeve, he circled his arm around hers. Tingles pulsed through him.
He felt her fear, also her resolve. Admiration for Claire only grew, and his distraction with it. Her lovely name slipped insistently through his mind. He wished she might slip into his arms and––
Stop! he ordered himself.
He must attend to the urgent reason for his arrival at Thornton Hall and not dwell on its young mistress, or the coveted promotion would pass him by again. And he’d have to answer for yet another misadventure.
‘Damn foolishness. Rein yourself in, sir,’ his father would chide.
And he’d be right. But even that old warhorse would be hard-pressed to withstand the charms of Claire Monroe.
He felt her fear, also her resolve. Admiration for Claire only grew, and his distraction with it. Her lovely name slipped insistently through his mind. He wished she might slip into his arms and––
Stop! he ordered himself.
He must attend to the urgent reason for his arrival at Thornton Hall and not dwell on its young mistress, or the coveted promotion would pass him by again. And he’d have to answer for yet another misadventure.
‘Damn foolishness. Rein yourself in, sir,’ his father would chide.
And he’d be right. But even that old warhorse would be hard-pressed to withstand the charms of Claire Monroe.
Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. In addition to American settings, I also write historical and time travel romances set in the British Isles, and nonfiction about gardening, herbal lore, and country life.
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Thanks so much for hosting me. I love the red roses on your blog.
ReplyDeleteIt was an absolute pleasure learning about you and your books! And thank you! Can't get more "romance-y" than red roses :)
DeleteThanks for hosting!
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