*This originally posted
here, but I will post it below as well.
We are excited to welcome Marie Lavender and her book: Upon Your Return. Tell us a little about your book.
Fara
Bellamont has been back in society for a year after leaving Cluny
Abbey, where her uncle sent her long ago. When he chooses a suitor for
her for marriage, she fears that she will be forced to marry a stranger
and live a miserable life.
But, Fara finds herself thrust into an adventure
of a lifetime when unforeseen circumstances cause her to place her
trust in a strange man for protection. His intervention not only saves
her, but puts her in an even more compromising position.
Grant Hill, a trading
captain, is enchanted by the young heiress not only because of her
beauty, but because she is hardly conventional. Underneath her ladylike
exterior lies a tigress. Grant cannot help but offer his protection as
she is in need and he is far from immune from her charms.
Fara just never bargained on the passion that she feels for Grant
Hill. As events unfold, she must decide whether her desires and the
dictates of her heart should trump the rules of society…
Wow if you thought that was intriguing here is an excerpt:
This was a very bad idea. Surely
Monsieur Le Croíx knew the dangers. What if he was a rascal indeed? What if he’d meant for her to be alone at the pier?
A shiver slowly crept up her spine. It wasn’t the implications of
that thought which plagued her. It was the feel of something or someone
close by. Were those footsteps she heard behind her or on another pier?
“Jean? Is that you?” She tried to slow her breathing, which came in
rapid pants. “Jean?” She stiffened. “Jean Le Croíx, are you there? You’d
better come out.” As she turned, her elbow brushed something and she
recoiled, falling against a wall.
No, not a wall. Terror ripped through her as she realized a pair of arms enclosed around her.
“Lovely lady. You’re looking for someone, I presume? Well,
Monsieur Le Croíx thought you’d be better off in our hands.”
Our hands? She tried to jerk away from him, but he was too strong. “Let me go, I-I demand it.”
Laughter erupted nearby and a figure loomed before her. Another man appeared and licked his lips lasciviously. “
Oui,
Monsieur Le
Croíx believed us quite capable once he dished out the finances
required. We may have gotten a poor bargain, Bernard. She could be worth
far more.”
The man grunted in agreement.
Mon Dieu, she thought. Jean had hired them! For what exactly?
To kill her? Her stomach rolled as she imagined all the things they
might do to her.
“Please, I’ll do anything. Not this…” She shook her head.
“The lady is smart, Bernard. We must watch her.”
“Please. My…m-my uncle,” she stammered.
“I’m terribly sorry,
chère. Your uncle has nothing to do with our pleasure.”
“But…” She swallowed her fear. “Ransom…if you ask for a ransom, he’ll give it to you. I promise. Anything.”
“No doubt your uncle is a wealthy man and you might fetch a fair
price. But, what we’re looking for you cannot buy.” He laughed. “In most
circumstances.”
No, they couldn’t buy it. But, they could take it. Her virginity. She
could not fight them if they tried. Anger heated her face and a red
haze filled her vision. She struggled harder. “Damn you! You’ll pay for
this!”
He laughed. “I suppose so. But, what else can you do? There is an alternative now, a position with
dames de nuit…”
She clenched her fist. Now she was likened to a prostitute? No, it
would not be done. She tried to play at her innocence. “Please…this
can’t be happening.”
“Oh, but it is, my lovely lady. It won’t be so bad–”
“No!” She slammed the heel of her foot in her captor’s shin and spun away.
“Bernard!” called one of the men.
She heard footsteps behind her and she turned, lashing out with her
fingernails. She gasped as she saw him howl in pain, lowering his head
to reveal red claw marks over the bridge of his nose. Then the man she’d
first wounded came at her, tackling her.
The impact jarred her and she went down. “No!” Her escape was not to be.
She rolled to the ground in a maze of skirts and a heavy thigh was
thrown across her knees, leaving her immobile. She squeezed her eyes
tight. His touch on her face and breasts was repulsive. Tears threatened
to overcome her and they ran like tracks into her hair. “Please,” she
whispered.
“Ah, gentlemen, what have we here?” An unfamiliar voice sounded and
Fara lifted her head weakly to see a new face, a different man. She
wondered if he was an ordinary spectator. He didn’t look ordinary. He
was big, intimidating but not frighteningly so. There was something
about him she wanted to trust. She thought it might be his eyes, thought
she detected a hint of concern as he glanced at her briefly. But, of
course, she might be wrong. She had been before.
The man who pinned her disengaged himself and got to his feet. He looked down at her uneasily. “To your feet,
chère,” he ordered.
She dizzily stood in response and he clutched her to his side as if to claim her as his possession.
The stranger frowned. “She’s quite a catch, gentlemen. Are you sure she’s not off limits?”
The man at her side stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“She appears to be a lady.”
Hope sprang from inside her. The man was no innocent bystander. He
was a man with a purpose, but deep down she knew he could not be with
these rogues.
“And if she is,
Monsieur?”
“Then I would be curious as to why a lady is here with the two of you.”
The one called Bernard replied derisively, “Perhaps we are just too irresistible.”
The man laughed. “Hardly.” He sighed as her captor chose to resume
his place behind her and blocked all attempts of escape with an arm
across her chest. “Release her, gentlemen. Let’s settle this in a
civilized manner, shall we?”
The man who held her grunted. “Why don’t you go about your business,
Monsieur? A simple matter like this shouldn’t interest you.”
“A woman’s reputation may be at stake. Of course I’m interested.”
“We could share her,
Monsieur.”
His gaze swept over her body and she shivered. Why, surely he would
not take them seriously…he couldn’t take the offer. For God’s sake, he
was her only hope. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she cursed herself
for her maiden’s sensibilities. Where had her strength gone?
“You think I would participate in something so lewd? You mistake my
character, gentlemen.” He pulled a rapier from its sheath. “The question
is, what risks will you take? Let me see…two men against one. Of
course, if you still want to keep the lady, it will take one of you to
hold her. She looks fairly strong despite her size…why look at that mark
on your face. She has fought you. She could be deadly, if given the
chance. That makes one against one. Do you intend to fight me for her
obvious favors?”
“Take out the girl, Bernard.”
The command came too quickly and before she could struggle away, a fist slammed against her jaw and she fell into blackness.
She lifted her head sometime later, unsure of how long she’d been
unconscious. Her vision gradually returned, and the damp of the ground
seeped through her dress. She shuddered with the chill of air upon her
body. She heard the scrape of a footstep and a grunting sound above her.
Still disoriented, Fara raised her head to see the man who had come to
her rescue fighting off the two rogues.
He fought them with expert wrist and arm technique. He seemed to be
in top physical shape as compared to Jean Le Croíx, who was soft for his
obvious youth. She grimaced. Her wound caused her to be silly. So, he
was attractive and strong…strong enough to fight these men off and break
her neck all in the same moment.
Then the man thrust his rapier forward swiftly. When the one called
Bernard, who had a white scar down the side of his face pulled away, he
revealed a small but bloody wound on his arm. With a ragged breath, he
looked at her rescuer as if weighing the consequences of his decision.
He then turned on his heel and his accomplice soon followed him away
from the docks.
Fara watched their retreat with a deep sigh. Her rescuer pivoted on
his heel and approached her. He looked much larger than before.
Trembling, she levered herself up on one elbow and waited for him to
speak.
He kneeled and looked her over. “I guess they gave up the chase…”
Fara nodded, swallowing hard. “
Oui, Monsieur.” He touched her
cheek and she felt the warmth emanate from his hand. She was afraid, but
she did not pull away from his touch. She found it strangely
protective, even affectionate. Though she barely knew him, she wanted to
believe he cared for her welfare. Her vision clouded with tears as rich
longing swept through her. To be cared for completely, to be loved.
But, he was a stranger. She could not forget that.
Distantly, she knew that her physical state was far from normal at the moment.
“Are you all right?”
She shook her head, feeling herself grow weaker by the second. Nothing could keep her alert at that moment. “
Monsieur…” she murmured, falling in the inviting darkness.
Can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Here’s a little bit about the author Marie Lavender:
Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats.
She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in
progress than she can count on two hands.
At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination
fueled a lot of her early child’s play. Even growing up, she entered
writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second
round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that
was all she ever wanted – to be a writer. While there, she published two
works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff
of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought
out her dream to publish a book.
Since then, Marie has published sixteen books. Marie Lavender’s real
love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary
fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories. Most of her works
have a romantic element involved in them. Upon Your Return is her first
historical romance novel. Feel free to visit her website at
http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
A list of her books and pen names are as follows:
Marie Lavender:
Upon Your Return
Erica Sutherhome:
Hard to Get;
Memories;
A Hint of Scandal;
Without You;
Strange Heat;
Terror in the Night;
Haunted;
Pursuit;
Perfect Game;
A Touch of Dawn;
Ransom
Kathryn Layne:
A Misplaced Life
Heather Crouse:
Express Café and Other Ramblings;
Ramblings, Musings and Other Things;
Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
