#MFRWauthor Book Spotlight: The Sun King @skylewrites by Sandra Kyle

Sandra Kyle released The Sun King, an Erotic Historical.
Young Cecilia Danet is introduced to the opulent world of royalty when she joins the court of King Louis XIV—the Sun King. Having been groomed her whole life for the role of a courtesan prepares her for everything but the intense passion she feels with the brooding and powerful Louis. Their romance builds, but an intriguing twist changes the trajectory of Cecilia’s course and leaves her caught in the middle of a royal love triangle.

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REVIEW
"Sun King is a beautiful, sexy novel filled with all the pomp and circumstance of the era. The descriptions were so evocative and visual that I felt like I was right there in the French ruler’s court. Thanks to the immediacy of the storytelling, I fell in love with the Sun King right along with Cecilia.

Although the love story (or should I say stories) turned out to be somewhat unorthodox and surprising, as a reader I rooted for the heroine all the way through to the end.

I tend to be a slow reader, but I finished the book in just a few sittings. The only book I ever finished faster was The Great Gatsby. I will definitely be looking for more stories by Ms. Kyle."

- Amazon Reviewer

EXCERPT

He moved closer. His perfection crept toward me with ease. His hands gripped my shoulders, guiding me to face the mirror once again. I met his gaze in the mirror as his reflection fell over me. His fingers traveled lightly across my bare skin. They found their way over my back and neck, into my hair. He bent down, lifting my curls to meet his nose. He deliberately inhaled my scent.

He found the last remaining hairpins at the crown of my head and released them. The locks tumbled around my face. Grabbing at the tresses, he rested them behind my shoulders. His fingers ran through them again.

“So dark and beautiful.” He spoke to no one in particular. I took the moment to spy upon him. He continued the luxurious combing, wrapping my curls around his skin. Brown tendrils of wispy hair framed his face, falling around his shoulders. The hair, so perfectly arranged at the dinner table, broke free. A few strands fell against his forehead, obscuring one of his azure eyes. A hand lifted from my lap momentarily, wanting to brush them back.
This is his time.

“You have interrupted my thoughts often since I saw you that first time. What it would feel like to touch you. How you would feel beneath me.”

A gasp left my mouth, my thoughts envisioning his words. His hands pulled my hair to the side, over my shoulder.

“Stand up, my treasure.”
I rose slowly from the chair. As I stepped to face him, his gaze wandered over my body again, looking down at me. “Do you know why you are here?”
I nodded before he demanded, “Tell me.”
I stammered. “I-I am here to please you.”
“Do you know how?” I hesitated, not quite sure what response would be appropriate. “It is all right. I will show you.” His hands found my waist before sneaking around to my back. He pulled me against him. The silk of our clothing swished together. His mouth opened. Hot breath washed over me. He licked his top lip. “Do you want me to show you?”
“Yes, Louis.”

ABOUT Sandra Kyle
Sandra is a first generation American, born to Italian parents who came to the U.S. in search of a better life. Along with their dreams they brought vivid tales (sometimes wonderful, sometimes far-fetched, sometimes downright terrifying) told time and time again around the kitchen table. That is where her love for storytelling and daydreaming began.

Sandra is an avid moviephile and introvert, and will read anything from Austen to King. She resides on the East Coast with her husband and bipolar feline.

Website and Blog - http://www.sandrakyle.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sankyle
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/skylewrites/
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Kyle/e/B01AL2XYUO/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14873341.Sandra_Kyle
Twitter - https://twitter.com/SKyleWrites

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Word of Honor @LaurenLinwood #MFRWauthor

MFRW Author Lauren Linwood released Word of Honor, Book #1 in the Knights of Valor

series.
Merryn Mantel and Geoffrey de Montfort have loved each other since childhood. Once betrothed, Geoffrey leaves for the wars in France for five long years. Upon his return, the two marry and spend one blissful night consummating their love and making plans for their future.

But her new husband vanishes the next day without a trace. Merryn grieves for almost seven years—and then Geoffrey returns to her—changed from the boy and man she knew and worshiped. This stranger refuses to reveal where he has been and why he stayed away for so long.

Will her husband’s silence create a rift too large to heal, or can Merryn and Geoffrey recapture the love they once shared?

EXCERPT

As Merryn started to nudge Destiny on, she heard hoof beats approaching in the distance. A rider topped the hill and stopped. She watched as his head turned to drink in the view.
Geoffrey!
Her heart sang as she kicked her heels. Destiny took off like the wind, bringing her closer to her beloved.
“Merryn!”
She heard his call and watched him gallop toward her. Her heart beat fast. Would he be the same? Would he still care for her? She’d loved him since she was a child. She knew that love had been returned before he left for the wars in France. The one, chaste kiss they’d shared had been her sweetest memory these past five years.
They reached one another. He leapt from his saddle as she dropped her reins. Before she could dismount, he grabbed her waist and pulled her from her horse.
His mouth crashed down on hers. In hunger. In longing. In need. Merryn gave up to his kisses willingly. She wrapped her arms about his neck. He parted her lips and plunged in, his tongue mating with hers, his mouth dominating her, his arms tightening about her.
She felt her knees weakening as he left her breathless. Suddenly, he swept her off her feet. His mouth never left hers as he twirled round and round. She grew dizzy.
So must he, for he slowed and set her back on her feet. He broke the kiss and gazed at her so lovingly, she knew nothing had changed.
Except it had.
Her entire body now vibrated, humming with tension. His kisses had awakened a sleeping giant within her. She’d watched animals mating in the woods. She was ready to do the same. Desire for him flooded her.
“I thought you’d never come home,” she said breathlessly.
“I thought I’d never be home.” He laughed. “But here I am.” He pulled her close. Her breasts pressed against his broad chest. They seemed so sensitive beneath her smock and kirtle.
They stayed in an embrace some minutes, happy in their very nearness. Finally, Geoffrey pulled away.
“I am home for good, my love.”

ABOUT Lauren Linwood
Lauren’s historical romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love. Her romantic suspense novels feature strong heroes and heroines who unite to defeat a clever antagonist and discover a deep, abiding love during their journey.

A native Texan, Lauren is an avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan who manages stress by alternating yoga with long walks. She plans to start a support group for Fixer Upper addicts—as soon as she finishes her next piece of dark chocolate.

Website: http://www.laurenlinwood.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurenlinwood
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LaurenLinwood
Blog: http://www.laurenlinwood.com/write-up-my-alley-2/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Linwood/e/B00CSSG8BC
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7091840.Lauren_Linwood
Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+LaurenLinwood/about

On #Thursday13 find out Where Dragonflies Hover from #MFRWauthor Annemarie Brear

 #MFRWauthor Annemarie Brear has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. She writes historical and contemporary fiction.
Her interests include reading, genealogy, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate - not always in that order!

Genre Contemporary, Historical

Publisher Choc Lit 

 Blurb
Sometimes a glimpse into the past can help make sense of the future …
Everyone thinks Lexi is crazy when she falls in love with Hollingsworth House – a crumbling old Georgian mansion in Yorkshire – and nobody more so than her husband, Dylan. But there’s something very special about the place, and Lexi can sense it.

Whilst exploring the grounds she stumbles across an old diary and, within its pages, she meets Allie – an Australian nurse working in France during the First World War.
Lexi finally realises her dream of buying Hollingsworth but her obsession with the house leaves her marriage in tatters. In the lonely nights that follow, Allie’s diary becomes Lexi’s companion, comforting her in moments of darkness and pain. And as Lexi reads, the nurse’s scandalous connection to the house is revealed …
 
 Buy link Amazon

13 Favorite Books

The Woman from Browhead by Audrey Howard
Tilly Trotter by Catherine Cookson
The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman
London by Edward Rutherfurd
The Juniper Bush by Audrey Howard
Nancy Wake by Peter FitzSimmons
Kitty McKenzie by Annemarie Brear
To Take Her Pride by Annemarie Brear
The Gentle Winds Caress by Annemarie Brear
The House of Women by Annemarie Brear
The Day Embroidered by Annemarie Brear
To Gain What's Lost by Annemarie Brear

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On #Thursday13 find out what an Word of Honor is from #MFRWauthor Lauren Linwood

Lauren Linwood’s historical romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love. Her romantic suspense novels feature strong heroes and heroines who unite to defeat a clever antagonist and discover a deep, abiding love during their journey.
A native Texan, Lauren is an avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan who manages stress by alternating yoga with long walks. She plans to start a support group for Fixer Upper addicts—as soon as she finishes her next piece of dark chocolate. 


                                                         Word of Honor
                                                Book #1 in the Knights of Valor series 

Genre  Historical romance 
Publisher  Windtree Press

Blurb
Merryn Mantel and Geoffrey de Montfort have loved each other since childhood. Once betrothed, Geoffrey leaves for the wars in France for five long years. Upon his return, the two marry and spend one blissful night consummating their love and making plans for their future.

But her new husband vanishes the next day without a trace. Merryn grieves for almost seven years—and then Geoffrey returns to her—changed from the boy and man she knew and worshipped. This stranger refuses to reveal where he has been and why he stayed away for so long.

Will her husband’s silence create a rift too large to heal, or can Merryn and Geoffrey recapture the love they once shared? 

Buy link Amazon 

                           

13 Things I Love

1.      Flannel sheets on a cold night

2.      Getting a pedicure and seeing that pop of color on my toes

3.      Crushed ice from Sonic in my drink

4.      Game of Thrones (accompanied by dark chocolate)

5.      Reading a book that sweeps me away to another place and time

6.      The smell of a burning fire

7.      A smooth, silky Cabernet

8.      Walking along the beach on Maui

9.      Laughing with friends

10.  Listening to waves coming in and out

11.  Watching my stylist cut and blow dry my hair

12.  Spooning in tomato bisque or clam chowder

13.  Finishing up writing my latest book

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Amanda's Rancher comes on #Thursday13 with #MFRW Author Caroline Clemmons

#MFRW author Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.
Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, and getting together with friends.

                                  AMANDA'S RANCHER 

Genre Historical 
Publisher Kindle World 

Blurb
One desperate young woman.
A chance meeting.
A life-changing outcome.

Growing up in a brothel, Mara O'Sullivan battled public disdain and contempt, but always remained kind-hearted and gracious. After testifying against vicious bank robbers, her life is threatened and Mara must find sanctuary far from everything she knows.

One train ride changes her life as she fatefully meets a half-sister and a niece she never knew existed. But when circumstances end her sister's life, Mara makes a promise that she'll raise her niece as her own and take her sister's place as Preston Kincaid's mail-order-bride. As Mara and Preston grow closer, their marriage no longer seems like a ruse, but a relationship of love, passion, and desire.

Mara's past comes back to haunt her and she finds herself in danger—will her new husband forgive Mara's deceit and protect her as his own?  Buy link Amazon

 Thirteen books that influenced me:
TALE OF TWO CITIES, Charles Dickens - the hero doesn't always get the girl
PRINCE CHARMING, Julie Garwood - I reread this about once a year
FOR THE ROSES, Julie Garwood -- I also reread this once a year
Anything by Louis L'Amour - what an amazing author
THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES, Maggie Osborne --the heroine doesn't have to be petite and ladylike
LORD PERFECT, Loretta Chase - For her descriptions as well as the story
LOVE RELEASED, Women of Courage, Geri Foster - I thought I hated serials until I read this powerful series with emotional impact
Brides of Beckham series, Kirsten Osbourne - what a great concept for a series
THE SWEETHEARTS KNITTING CLUB, Lori Wilde - the power of a secret even when it's not really one
THE TEXAN'S TOUCH, Jodi Thomas - loved the book and author and the concept of western historical romance
Nancy Drew series, Carolyn Keene - opened me to the idea of an ongoing series
IRISH THOROUGHBRED, Nora Roberts - Made me think I might be able to write my own book even if it wasn't as good as hers
SWEET LULLABY, Lorraine Heath - made me want to write like her


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What the Marquess Sees on #Thursday13 with @Amy Quinton

#MFRW Author Amy Quinton reveals us

       What the Marquess Sees, Agents of Change,Book 2 
                                                     Publisher Liquid Silver Books 
                                                     Genre Erotic Historical 

Blurb
 1814: He is a marquess with a woman to protect and an assassin to thwart. She is…not nice.

The Marquess of Dansbury is a charismatic man and an agent for the crown. His past isn’t without tragedy, but he is too amiable to allow misfortune to mar his outlook on life. Until now…when he finds himself tasked with protecting the one woman in the world he actively disdains, Lady Beatryce Beckett.

Lady Beatryce Beckett is mean. She ruins other women on purpose. She lies, cheats…even steals. And she takes particular pleasure in provoking a certain marquess. In short, she’ll do anything to get what she wants: freedom from her abusive father.

It will take a special man to see the true woman beneath the surface…and a strong woman to allow him that glimpse. Is the Marquess of Dansbury up to the task? 

Buy link Amazon

 Author Bio
Amy Quinton is an author and full time mom living in Summerville, SC. She enjoys writing (and reading!) sexy, historical romances. She lives with her husband, two boys, and one cat. In her spare time, she likes to go camping, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking… And did she mention reading? When she’s not reading, cleaning, or traveling, she likes to make jewelry, sew, knit, and crochet (Yay for Ravelry!).


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Thirteen Quotes I Like:
1.“What is that you express in your eyes? It seems to me more than all the words I have read in my life.” ― Walt Whitman
2. “…I can resist everything but temptation.” ― Oscar Wilde
3. “The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.” ― St. Jerome
4. “The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence.” ― Marianne Moore
5. “Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.” ―Buddha
6. “The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. Curiosity is the lust of the mind.” ― Thomas Hobbes
8. “If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.” ― Robert Frost
9. "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." ― Oscar Wilde
10. “My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
11. “A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.” ― Stendhal
12. “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.” ―Aristotle
13. “Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.” ―Marcus Tullius Cicero





 

#MFRWauthor Louise Lyndon on Love and Betrayal on #Thursday13

MFRW Author Louise Lyndon teaches us about Love and Betrayal on #Thursday13
Louise grew up in country Victoria, Australia, before moving to England, where for sixteen years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England. She has since returned to Australia and now lives in Melbourne.

In 2013, Louise won first prize in the historical romance category of the Crested Butte Sandy Writing Contest for her story, The Promise, which has since been retitled and is now known as, Of Love & Vengeance.

When not writing, Louise can be found covered in mud, crawling under barbed wire and hoisting herself over twelve foot walls!

Of Love and Betrayal
Historical Romance
The Wild Rose Press

Aveline de Bondeville is on the run. Determined to keep out of the hands of the cruel Raimbaut de Blois she will do whatever it takes to stay alive. And so when she finds herself in the company of Troy de Gysborne she must quickly decide if she can trust him. But can she confess to murder knowing it would mean her certain death?

Troy de Gysborne did the unthinkable; he tore the bonds of brotherhood and left a path of destruction in his wake. And now Troy must face those he betrayed, including the father who long ago renounced him. But to confess to the crime he committed will cost him everything. Including Aveline. But can he remain silent if it means losing the woman he loves?

Buy link: Amazon.com
13 Short paragraphs from Of Love and Betrayal

1. The fine hairs on her arms stood on end. Her knees shook. Her belly tightened. And when a twig snapped from somewhere behind, she shoved a fist into her mouth to keep from crying out.

2. Conversation ceased as he entered the darkened, smoke-filled room. He ignored the curious looks as he stood in the center of the room with an unconscious woman in his arms. “Does this girl belong to anyone?”
3. Aveline’s eyes flickered open, and she quickly closed them again as the harsh bright firelight burned her eyes. There was a foul taste in her dry mouth, and her head ached. It felt as if someone had whacked the side of her skull with a rock.
4. The yells of men and the high-pitched squeal of a woman echoed through the inn. And when Aveline heard the loud, booming bellow, “Tear the place down!” she erupted into full body tremors. She fought down a primal scream and clutched her throat.

5. They stood toe to toe. Their breath, white on the frosty air, plumed around them like puffs of smoke. But Aveline would not back away. She would not let yet another man intimidate or control her.

6. The fine hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end as Troy’s beard rasped against the tender spot just beneath her ear. She leaned forward in the saddle in an attempt to put some distance between them. She did not like how she reacted to him.

7, Aveline rubbed the heel of her palm across her chest. Was she attempting to wipe away her guilt? For she was on the crag of betraying the very man who, despite knowing the risks, was prepared to help her when no one else would.
8. He did not take his eyes from her as she dipped a corner of the cloth into the water. His eyes narrowed and darkened as she came forward and stood between his legs. She faltered, unnerved by the way he looked at her.

9, The bond of brotherhood had long been broken and could not be mended. At least, not completely. Too much had happened. And what had happened could never be forgotten. Or forgiven.
10. Aveline’s hand shook as she placed it over her heart. She was suddenly breathless. Her limbs light. Was the fluttering in her belly that of happiness? When was the last time she’d allowed herself to feel such a thing? When was the last time she had reason to?
11. Troy took the rest of the stairs three at a time. Without ceremony he pushed open the door and Aveline shot to her feet. Father Alfonse stood in the center of the room, his Book clasped firmly against his chest. Aveline’s face was as red as the embers in the hearth.

12. His voice trailed off as she took his large hand in hers. She turned it over and used the pad of her finger to lightly trace the deep grooves of the palm of his hand. When his fingers entwined with hers, she looked up. A slight flush stained his freshly shaved cheeks. His eyes darkened and narrowed.
13. Without taking her eyes from him, Aveline eased herself from the bed and tiptoed across the room. He glanced over his shoulder, and her breath caught in the back of her throat. Her lips parted, her hands moistened. A mild pain spread across her heart.

You can find Louise here:
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