"Enchanted Summer" (Gloria Gay) ★★★★★ with GIVEAWAY!!

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – ENCHANTED SUMMER AUTHOR – Gloria Gay GENRE – Regency Romance PUBLICATION DATE – May 14, 2015 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 329 PUBLISHER – Kindle Books/Gloria Gay COVER ARTIST – Killion Group

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

When Celia Meade’s uncle impulsively offers Celia and her family a chance at a better life by inviting them to live at his estate near Bath, he is surprised by his daughter Caroline’s animosity against the Meades. Caroline’s hatred of Celia began when Celia attended her aunt’s funeral and Caroline noted the immediate attraction between Celia and Caroline’s choice for a husband, Lord Robert Merrick. Running into each other again in the woods that adjoin Lord Merrick’s property the attraction between Lord Merrick and Celia blossoms into love in the warm days of summer. Enraged that Lord Robert’s sister encourages her brother by planning trips and picnics with Celia, Caroline calls a meeting with her father and Celia, and extracts a promise from Celia to not see Lord Merrick again with the threat that she will force the Meades to leave her house. To ease the tension, Celia accepts a month-long stay at a friend’s home but while Celia is away Caroline plans the downfall of Celia’s family.

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EXCERPT

She sighed as she saw him busy filling the kettle with water from a keg and measuring tea leaves. He then took two blue and white mugs from a shelf, set them on the table and smiled at Celia. Celia smiled back. It was so easy to smile at Robert.

He seemed at home in the place and knew where everything was kept. Celia had never seen a man engaged in such domestic occupations and he seemed even more endearing to her, if such a thing were possible, as he went about in his preparations.

If there was such a thing as paradise, thought Celia, this was it in essence: a blissful, forbidden paradise. She would never again be as happy as she was at this moment, with the warmth that was beginning to give forth from the fire warming her to a delicious shiver, the scent of pinecones and fir in the air and the woodsy feel of the cabin.

All that was left now for Robert to do was to wait for the water to boil and he came and sat in the sofa near Celia. He seemed at a loss for words, and stood up quickly. He fetched spoons and napkins from a drawer in the table from a cupboard. Celia gazed at him as he did this and when their glances met Robert smiled again at her.

“Have you enjoyed your walk,” he asked and his voice was strained. When she nodded he said, “I hope you will walk here often and I hope…”

Celia waited for him to go on and realized he must have been embarrassed that he had said the word ‘hope’ several times, for a blush was stealing up his neck and cheek and he turned away.

Celia looked at his hands and noticed that they trembled. On impulse she placed her hand over his. The connection was instant. She felt rays of pleasure stealing up her arms clear up to her brain, stunning her with a swirl of pleasure she had never felt before.

Robert took one of her hands and kissed it, slowly and as slowly he pulled her up with him and they embraced. His lips on her neck gave her a floating feeling and as he pressed her closer to him an explosion of feeling coursed in skipping waves along her skin and nerves.

“I love you, Celia,” he whispered in her ear and Celia turned her face so that his lips found hers quickly and the kiss was unlike anything Celia had felt in her life. “I have loved you since the first day I saw you in that awful black gown,” he whispered in her ear, making her smile widely. It was as if she became part of him. He kissed her again and his tongue sent waves of erotic pleasure throughout her body. His hand softly on her breast made her gasp and quietly he led her up to a bed in the loft.

Like a sleepwalker led by a force she was unable to resist, Celia walked up the wooden stairs to the loft with Robert behind her, and when they reached the wide bed and Robert nodded toward it, she lay down on it. She noted vaguely that Robert was taking off her boots and then her bonnet. She floated in a soft cloud as she heard Robert take off his boots and coat, then his cravat.

She knew she would never be alone with Robert again. And she also knew she could not turn away from the swirl of almost unbearable tremors that shook her body with unfamiliar pleasure. He did not insist she take her clothes off as he lay beside her after having taken off his boots. He put his arm under her head and pressed her close to him and Celia felt that she would never in her life feel as sheltered and loved as she was at this moment as she looked deep into Robert’s eyes…

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CAT'S REVIEW

So, once again, Ms. Gay has proven that she is a talented author that creates beautiful stories filled with wonderful characters and enjoyable plots.  In "Enchanted Summer" we meet Celia - she is working hard to help keep her family afloat.  She is sweet and kind.  Robert, our hero, is everything Celia isn't, as far as society goes.  He's rich and handsome and is on the radar of Celia's cousin.  I truly liked Robert - he knows what he wants and goes after it.  As I read this story, I was caught up in it and didn't put it down.  It moves at a good pace and Ms. Gay does a wonderful job of bringing the reader right into the story.  This is a romance that is just that - romantic and filled with love.  Yes, there is the evil sister, or cousin, and a bit of mystery as well that only helps solidify the feelings of our main characters.  I highly recommend this one, especially for the historical romance lovers.  (received copy for honest review).

★★★★★

 

AUTHOR BIO

Writing and painting have been Gloria’s main obsessions ever since she can remember. She and her husband consider themselves very lucky to be living in a beautiful place like San Diego, California, but most of all to have their children and grandchildren living nearby.

Enchanted Summer is Gloria’s seventh Regency romance and she has recently published her first time travel romance, A Bridge Through Time. Her other Regencies include the recently published Lovely Little Liar and Scandal at Almack’s, both with Boroughs Publishing Group, as well as Love In A Dangerous Season and Kissed In The Dark which she self-published with Kindle Books.

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"Love In A Dangerous Season" (Gloria Gay) ★★★.5 with GIVEAWAY!!!

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Love In A Dangerous Season AUTHOR – Gloria Gay GENRE – Regency Historical Romance PUBLICATION DATE – January 21, 2015 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 192 Pages PUBLISHER – Amazon Kindle Direct COVER ARTIST – Killion Group

BOOK SYNOPSIS

For her insulting behavior toward the Earl of Ashcom, on whom her family depends for subsistence, beautiful Fantine Delmere earns for herself an unwanted London season and is forced to leave her beloved Evergreen and venture into the hard glare of the heartless haut ton she abhors. But Fantine’s arrival awakens jealousies and dangerous forces are put into motion…

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EXCERPT

Fantine struggled in Ashcom’s arms as he pressed his mouth to hers, but to no avail. Her strength pitted against his was but a sigh to a powerful gale. Then even against her will she felt her treacherous lips responding hungrily to his bruising lips that tasted of recently sipped coffee and felt a rush of passion course madly through her limbs as he parted her lips forcibly and thrust his tongue into her mouth.

A thrilling rush of sensation shot out throughout her body, making her listless.

For a while he kissed her, hard and with a desperate hunger answered in measure by Fantine. He tasted the chocolate in her mouth and inhaled the sweet light scent he had chosen for her. He felt a tremor shoot out in sparks throughout his body and a strong response in his loins.

Hating his reaction to her and his weakening resolve, he let go of her suddenly and still holding her by her shoulders looked angrily into her eyes.

"Have you ever been kissed by a moneyed title, Miss Delmere? Well now you have." And with that he turned on his heel and strode out of the breakfast room.

CAT'S REVIEW

"Love in a Dangerous Season" is a Regency Romance that was an enjoyable read.  Fantine is a bit spunky yet innocent.  She despises that her life is being directed for her, without her input and fights it as much as she can. I liked her.   Lord Ashcom is arrogant and was a bit of a turnoff for me, but as the story goes along, he became more likable.  The other characters definitely add some depth and color to the story.  Aunt Dorothy was a fun character and her support of Fantine was wonderful to read.   At times, it did drag slightly and often, the writing created a bit of confusion as descriptions and actions were repeated needlessly - not sure if they were intentional or an editing problem.   There are some twists and turns and danger involved as well which help move the story along and create suspense - this adds to the romance factor, of course.   (Received copy for honest review)

★★★.5

AUTHOR BIO

From an early age I was drawn to painting and writing. Both have always been linked for me throughout the different stages of my life—studies, work, marriage, children, grand-children. Curiously enough it was a novel given to me as a prize for art excellence at the Catholic nuns’ academy where I studied through sixth grade that I was introduced to literature. Up until that time I only knew books as history, math, etc. Those nuns were very strict: novels only as a prize! I was amazed that a book could open doors into imagined worlds. I probably thought, as a nine-year-old, that movies just appeared on the screen by magic. :)

From that day forth I would make up stories to tell my brothers and my sister. Later on I started to put the stories down on paper. Then among the many novels I read I started one day to read “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier. That first line in the novel: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…” was the spark that drew me toward serious writing, first the gothic novels popular at the time and then when I searched for more romance than mystery, to the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.

Regency romance became my genre and I self-published four, then two more with a traditional publisher, Boroughs Publishing Group, and two with Amazon’s Kindle Direct. And although I will probably always write Regencies, I am also branching out to romantic suspense and will soon be publishing two of those and, hopefully, re-write the first gothic novel I wrote and abandoned many years ago.

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"Scandal At Almack's" (Gloria Gay) ★★★.5 with GIVEAWAY!!!

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – SCANDAL AT ALMACK’S

AUTHOR – Gloria Gay

GENRE – Regency Historical Romance Novella, ebook only

PUBLICATION DATE –April 25, 2014

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 36,000 words

PUBLISHER – BORROUGHS PUBLISHING GROUP

BOOK SUMMARY

Beautiful Jenny Longtree was expected to do her duty and accept the marriage proposal of a man she abhorred, Calvin Hazeldeck, an old and rich mortician whose offer of a marriage settlement would save her family from destitution brought about by her father’s bad shipping investments.

Then unexpectedly, Jenny’s dear uncle, Sir Roger Addington, who had been informed of the family’s dilemma, offered his favorite niece a London social season as a last chance to find a husband on her own.

But in the whirl of the London season, Jenny realizes that without a dowry her chances of obtaining a marriage proposal are practically non-existent.

Then on the last ball of Almack’s, and when Jenny feels that time is slipping away, Lady Jersey, the head patroness of Almack’s, introduces her to Sebastian Billington, Lord Corville. As they dance the waltz, Jenny realizes she has fallen in love at first sight with a man she is likely never to see again.

And during the seductive dance with Lord Corville, something happens that has Jenny lying on the floor at Lord Corville’s feet, having momentarily passed out. When she comes to, she finds a sea of faces staring down at her and scandal exploding all around her.

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EXCERPT

Lord Corville was surprised that Lady Jersey had led him directly into a vision of lovely youth. Usually wallflower duty was how it sounded, giving an opportunity to dance a few sets to girls who were in their first season and not likely to obtain dancing partners on their own because they lacked pedigree or were pretty enough but lacked an attractive dowry. The Almack’s patronesses took their duty to young girls in their first or second season very seriously, and in every ball the two in charge could be seen walking about, matching young ladies to reluctant young men.

Sebastian seldom if ever glanced toward the wallflower area, but now he regretted it. The moment he gave his gloved hand to this girl and led her to the dance floor, it was all he could do to keep his balance until they began their waltz.

Her touch was so sensual, he felt her hand not on his but directly on his groin. A hot frisson coursed along his nerve endings, and his whole body shuddered in anticipation. If he felt so much with only the soft touch of her hand on his, what would he feel with her in his arms?

Suddenly realizing where his mind was going, he shook off such outlandish thoughts. He was a bit foxed and couldn’t even remember what Lady Jersey said the girl’s name was during the introduction. He should have skipped that stop at Rothyn’s townhouse, as they’d dipped into bottles of claret before coming here.

Of course, it was turning out amazingly easy to keep his promise to his sister Camie. One dance with a wallflower debutante? Why this beautiful girl lacked dance partners was beyond his understanding. She was as lovely and as rare as an orchid, and her scent intoxicated him even more than the claret.

He had never felt such jumping sensations as he was now feeling while waltzing with her. Her eyes as she looked at him were sparkling blue aquamarines, and the tingling ripple the mere touch of her hand had started now throbbed along his groin so that his hand tightened on hers even as his breeches tightened. He quickly forced his eyes away from her lithe form, for just a quick glance at her curves unhinged him.

They swayed around the vast ballroom, and the lights from a thousand candles and the twirling couples confused him. The lovely girl in his arms became three identical girls who twirled round and round like the racing dials of a mad clock. He heard the waning notes of the waltz as it was coming to its end and felt so dizzy that, had he not held her, he would have lost his balance. He looked into the girl’s beautiful eyes and his gaze drifted downward. Her breasts, the tops of them peeking alluringly from her filmy gown, were so fetching that he wondered when he had ever seen a better pair. There was a small dark mole on her left breast, and a tiny rosebud by it, and so compelling was the tiny beauty mark that he was hypnotized.

The music had stopped. He looked into the girl’s lovely blue eyes and wondered why they were wide with alarm, and her voice was loud and clear in the silence that followed the conclusion of the waltz.

“Oh!” she exclaimed.

Her hand on his shoulder slipped away as she fell to the floor, her crumpling body settling softly on his feet. Sebastian leaned down toward her prone body.

After a few seconds, the girl opened her eyes. A crowd had rushed forward, and there was a large circle of people around her and Sebastian, three or four deep, looking down with concern. And silence, as everyone just stared.

The girl was helped up by two gentlemen while Lord Corville continued to stare, speechless.

Lady Jersey broke the silence. “What happened to you, my dear?”

A twittering of exclamations rose like a deafening wave, and then sudden silence fell again as the crowd waited in suspense for the girl’s reply.

The girl spoke slowly but clearly, so that everyone heard her words. She looked directly into Lord Corville’s eyes and said, “Lord Corville touched me inappropriately.”

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CAT'S REVIEW

"Scandal at Almcak's" by Gloria Gay.  This is the story of Jenny and Sebastian.  This is a sweet story but I found it a bit disconnected.  I never fully felt Sebastian's love for Jenny, at least not until the end.  Although I did believe in Jenny's love from the beginning - a young girl swept away by a handsome earl.  I did like both characters - Jenny is young and innocent but has a good head on her shoulders.  Sebastian, an earl that had his heart broken once before, is hesitant to give in to his feelings, yet wants to protect Jenny.  The threat to their relationship was present, yet it fell a bit short.   Seeing them overcome a bigger obstacle would have put more credence into their love for each other, at least for me.  the secondary characters - Camie, Kayton and  Mrs. Kabber - are enjoyable and made me smile. Overall, it was an OK story for me - quick and light but I was hoping for more throughout.

★★★.5

AUTHOR BIO

Gloria Gay has lived in San Diego, California the greater part of her life, where she worked as a legal secretary for twenty-five years and as a stringer for a local newspaper. Her heart, though, has always been with art and literature and it was one of the happiest days of her life when she wrote her first book.

Boroughs Publishing Group recently published her fifth Regency romance, Lovely Little Liar.  Scandal at Almack’s, with the same publisher is Gloria’s sixth Regency romance. Her debut novel, First Season, earned a four-star review from Romantic Times Book Reviews. She is also the author of Forced Offer, Canceled Courtship and Known to All.

She lives with her husband, Enrique, an architect, in San Diego, California, and couldn’t be happier that their children and grand-children live nearby.

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