Grace Elliot: 'Hope's Betrayal'

One wild, winter's night two worlds collide.

Known for his ruthless efficiency, Captain George Huntley is sent to stamp out smuggling on the south coast of England. On a night raid, the Captain captures a smuggler, but finds his troubles are just beginning when the lad turns out to be a lass, Hope Tyler.

With Hope as bait, the Captain sets a trap to catch the rest of the gang. But in a battle of wills, with his reputation at stake, George Huntley starts to respect feisty, independent Hope. Challenged by her sea-green eyes and stubborn loyalty Huntley now faces a new threat - his growing attraction to a sworn enemy. But a love where either Hope betrays her own kind, or Captain Huntley is court-marshaled, is not an easy destiny to follow.

Excerpt:

            "I don’t want your pity."

            "And I have no pity to give."

            Slowly he turned. "Then why are you here?"

            "Once you helped me. You protected me when others condemned me…and didn’t judge."

            “But I don’t want anyone, least of all you, to feel sorry for me.”

            “And why would I do that?”

            “Because I am not the man I was. Because I am useless. A wreck.”

            “Well the man I know is bigger than that. The man I see before me, stood up to his fellow officers for what he believed was right. Your body will heal and you will recover, but your injury has taught you humility…and that’s a very appealing quality.”

            Huntley stared at her, astounded. “It is?”

            “Oh yes, I didn't liked the arrogant, bully of a man you were before, but this Huntley, the one who cries into his horse's mane, is altogether more attractive.”

            “Well I’ll be damned if I ever understand women.” His heart thudded, as they faced each other, so close that he could smell the scent of bedsheets on her skin. Merciful heavens, a man could lose himself in the depths of those tilted green eyes, standing there with her luscious lips softly parted.

            He cleared his throat, acutely aware of the pulse at the base of her throat. “Miss Tyler, unless you want to be ravaged, I would suggest you leave now.”

            She didn’t move. A primal beat throbbed through his blood. He licked his lips and took a step forward to trap her against the stable wall.

            “Why didn’t you go?”

            Without fear she gazed into his eyes. "Because I chose to stay."

            He claimed her mouth, so warm and moist, such precious heat as she returned his kisses, gently at first then with urgency. He leant closer, pressing the delicious length of her against his body. It excited him to know that beneath the redingcote was no armoury of stays and petticoats, just one thin nightrail. A sense of mastery swept through his body, as he lowered her hands to caress the undulating line of her waist. Breathing heavily, he leant down to taste her skin of neck. She arched and groaned in response, throwing back her head to expose the milky curve of her throat…

            

Amazon US

http://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Betrayal-Huntley-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0084ND8ZY/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337537229&sr=1-4

Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hopes-Betrayal-Huntley-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0084ND8ZY/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337514149&sr=1-3

Smashwords.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/163804

Kobo

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Hopes-Betrayal/book-Pa6FSzbX6UGi7VZo8wr0Bg/page1.html?s=0Xxp0zcWWkSg4sbgVZL1xg&r=1

Grace Elliot: 'Eulogy's Secret'

EULOGY'S SECRET

Buy at:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

In the four weeks since her guardians’ death, Eulogy Foster has lost everything. Penniless and alone she seeks the help of her estranged brother, Lord Lucien Devlin. But Devlin throws Eulogy out onto the streets and the mercy of a passing stranger, Jack Huntley. As Eulogy seeks the truth behind her birth, she is drawn into the world of art and artists, where her morals are challenged and all is deception. 

Jack Huntley: bitter, cynical and betrayed in love. He believes women are devious, scheming, untrustworthy creatures - and when he rescues a naïve Miss from being raped, his life is about to change forever. As his attraction to Eulogy grows, caught in a deadlock with both denying their true feelings, events take a sinister turn as someone seeks to silence Eulogy….forever.

EXCERPT:

Bright, moss-green eyes blinked back at her, as Eulogy realized he [Huntley] was waiting for her permission to stay. Her heart skipped and wondering if she’d misjudged him, cautiously, she nodded.

As the housekeeper fussed with the fire, Eulogy fought the discomfort Huntley stirred in her. His voice resonated deep in her body, and when he smiled she wanted to stare, to drink in that strong face, so masculine with its angles and planes, and yet somehow vulnerable. His presence filled her with unnamable sensations as she fixed her gaze firmly on the teapot.

They made an awkward party with Huntley gruff as a bear and Eulogy skittish as a colt. It didn’t help that she couldn’t make up her mind what to think. One moment he seemed high handed and arrogant, and the next a kind word to Mrs. Featherstone and her heart melted. Then there was the way his large hand folded round the teacup, that something so big could be so gentle did strange things to her insides.

Gilbert jumped onto his lap.

“No, Gibbe, get down this instant.” Eulogy leapt to her feet, trying to shoo the cat from a comfortable perch on Huntley’s long thighs and his immaculate buckskin breeches. But Huntley just smiled, ignoring the cat’s sooty feet, and started stroking the stripy ginger coat causing Gilbert to erupt into purrs.

“He really should get down. He’ll ruin your breeches.”

“It’s quite all right. Really.”

As if to emphasize the point, Gilbert bunted against Huntley’s hand as he found the sweet spot below the tom-cat’s ear.

“Oh. He obviously likes you.”

Eulogy sank back, nonplussed by this man who was overbearing, arrogant, domineering and yet strikingly handsome and utterly charming when he wished. That Huntley tolerated the old tom cat was unmistakably attractive and set Eulogy wondering if his bluster was just that…an act. His hooded eyes lifted to meet her gaze, and a moment of understanding passed between them that shook Eulogy to the core. 

Grace Elliot: A Dead Man's Debt

Celeste Armitage has a plan…and that plan doesn’t include marriage.

 After deliberately humiliating a suitor, Celeste’s despairing parents exile her to the country. But once there she discovers a sketch book of daring nude studies and is shaken to find the artist is her hostess’s eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing. This darkly cynical lord is exactly the sort of dissipated rogue she despises most…if only her blood didn’t heat at the thought of him…

Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf’s life is a façade. Only he can save the Charing’s from disgrace as a blackmailer seeks to ruin his late brother’s reputation. But just as Ranulf dares to open his heart to Celeste, the fury of his nemesis is unleashed… facing him with the stark choice between true love and family duty. However when Celeste guesses the truth behind his rejection, Ranulf underestimates her resolve to clear his name and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger….


Excerpt:

Holding his nose, in one gulp Ranulf swallowed the bitter draft and braced himself for the after effects. Smethwick’s concoction burnt its way down his gullet into his stomach and within seconds the familiar nausea was rising. Within five minutes he would be shaking and his skin deathly pale, all part of the success of his disguise as Vincenzo. As Smethwick repeatedly assured him, make up not matter how well applied could be spotted close and only the physic was foolproof.

“Here Sir, let me help you on with the padding.”

In old fashioned knee breeches, silk stockings and buckled shoes Ranulf grunted as Smethwick strapped a theatrical hump back in place, too afraid that if he opened his mouth to speak he may vomit. It took the addition of a flouncy shirt frothy with frills, a richly embroidered waistcoat and then a paint stained smock to complete the costume.

Already the potion had creased his skin and stomach cramps made it natural to stoop. The final element was a fine wig of real human hair, grey to the side of silver, flowing around his shoulders. His eyelashes and brows had been bleached and with cotton padding in his cheeks, the disguise was complete; the athletic, virile Lord Charing was replaced by a shuffling old man, with flowing grey hair and a hunched back.

"Well, how do I look?” Ranulf mumbled, turning this way and that in front of the mirror.

“Awful, sir, truly awful,” Smethwick grinned, “your own mother’d not know you at this moment.”

Downstairs, the front door bell rang. The maid, the daughter of Smethwick’s oldest friend, hummed as she pattered along the corridor to answer it.

"That’ll be Black now sir. Best I keep a low profile in case she recognises me.”

“Do that. Thank heavens this is the last sitting…I don’t think I can bear that woman for much longer.”

"How goes the painting sir?” Smethwick fussed around, arranging locks of hair to fall in a more natural disorder.

“A masterpiece, one of my finest works.”

“That’s good then sir isn’t it?”

“Oh yes, you could say that… an image rich with irony… “

“Right you are then sir, best settle in the studio before Alice shows her up….”


Author Bio:

Grace Elliot leads a double life as a veterinarian by day and author of historical romance by night. Grace lives near London and is addicted to cats, acting as housekeeping staff to five mischievous moggies.

Grace believes intelligent people need romantic fiction in their lives as an antidote to the modern world and as an avid reader of historicals she turned to writing as a release from the emotionally draining side of veterinary work. Her debut novel ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ is a story of blackmail, duty and unexpected love.

Now available from most eBook stores including Amazon, price $2.99.

My blog is at: http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/

My Website is at: http://www.graceelliot.webs.com/

Amazon.com $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/A-Dead-Mans-Debt-ebook/dp/B0046REKBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=books&qid=1293833253&sr=1-1

Amazon.co.uk GBP 2.14

http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Dead-Mans-Debt/dp/B0046REKBS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293833360&sr=1-1

Coffee Time Romance

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1599765475

Solstice publishing.

http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/A-Dead-Man%27s-Debt-%252d%252d%252d-PDF.html

Smashwords.

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1599765480

Fictionwise

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1599765483

Books on Board UK

http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=searchresults&SEARCH=a%20dead%20man's%20debt

Grace Elliot: Why the Regency is romantic - Satins and silks

Hello, and thank you to Lindsay for welcoming me to the HFE blog!

Recently I asked myself what it was that made me, a professional working woman, go all gooey at the thought of the Regency. I came up with several answers but today I’m going to share my thoughts about regency dress sense.

As a modern woman I take equality for granted, but the girly side of cant resist the allure of the silk gowns and gorgeous fashions of the Regency period.

“Mrs Powlett was at once expensively and nakedly dress’d.”

Jane Austen in a letter to her sister.

How much more sensual can you get than wearing a fabulous silk chemise next to the skin? And how daring were drawers with no gusset (even if this was for the decidedly unromantic purpose of making chamber pot use easier.) Not to mention stockings held up by silk ribbons - ripe for an experienced male hand to slip undone.

But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s start with that essential Georgian and Regency article the hat. Even this item is romantic – a wide brimmed bonnet shaded the face, preserving that perfect ivory complexion, whilst the addition of a veil spoke of mystery and hidden identity. And then there was what you headwear revealed about you. A woman wishing to be taken seriously might wear a lace cap, ribbon trimmed bonnets spoke of innocence and ostrich plumes or turbans proved you a regency fashionista.

And then the gowns!

Gowns for every occasion and time: morning, walking, riding, evening and ball gowns. And the gorgeous fabrics: whisper thin muslin, clinging lawns, semi-transparent cottons, whispering silks and luxurious satins. Each gown high waisted with a tiny bodice, the wearer’s stays cunning thrusting the bosom upward so make a maiden seem a siren.

And then the act of getting dressed…or undressed!

Designed to make the wearer helpless with lacings and rows of tiny buttons down the back, again the scope for seductively undressing the heroine is mouthwatering, and the equally evocative risk of being caught half dressed just as tantalizing.

What do you think? Would you like to live in the regency or are you happy to savor it from a comfortable distance? Do share you thoughts in the comments below.

EXCERPT – A Dead Man’s Debt.

Easing kid leather slippers from aching feet, she rolled down her stockings, the air cool against her bare skin. Stretching her toes Celeste hoped that from sheer fatigue, if no other reason, she might sleep well for the first time in a month.

A cursory tap and, without waiting for a reply, the door opened.

“Evenin’ Miss.” Amy bustled in with a lighted candlestick, the faint aroma of boiled cabbage clinging to her skirts. “I thought as yer’d be needing this- sitting in the gloom an’ all.” Protecting the flickering flame with a cupped hand, she placed the candle on the dresser, the licking flame deepening the shadows.

“Thank you.”

“There’s a chill in the air Miss. Would yer like a fire set?”

“No need. I intend to retire directly.” With a humph Celeste struggled to reach the row of tiny pearl buttons at her back. “But please help me off with this gown. Honestly! Why fashion dictates such impractical garments is quite beyond me.” Only in her heart Celeste knew that women of her station were destined to be helpless.

“But if yer had yer way Miss, us lady’s maids would be out of a job.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

Amy’s fingers worked nimbly down the delicate fastening until the silk sheath slackened and whispered to the floor. Celeste braced against the bedstead as Amy tugged at stay laces until the knots gave way and Celeste filled her lungs for the first time all day. How she ached to sink between cool linen sheets, her eyelids pleasantly heavy, closing under their own weight. In a chemise Celeste stretched and arched her back, shaking away stiffness.

“Shall I brush yer hair Miss?”

“Please.”

With a sleepy nod Celeste settled at the dressing table. The weight of the chignon pulled at her scalp and it was sheer bliss as Amy deftly plucked out the pins, releasing the thick chestnut curls to tumble down about her shoulders…

[A Dead Man’s Debt is available from most eBook retailers including Amazon, Fictionwise and Smashwords.]

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Dead-Mans-Debt/dp/B0046REKBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298137608&sr=1-1

Amazon US:
http://www.amazon.com/A-Dead-Mans-Debt-ebook/dp/B0046REKBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1298137532&sr=1-1

Solstice Publishing:
http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/A-Dead-Man%27s-Debt-%252d%252d%252d-PDF.html

Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26527

Fictionwise:
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b115169/A-Dead-Mans-Debt/Grace-Elliot/?si=0


Author Bio.

Grace Elliot leads a double life as a veterinarian by day and author of historical romance by night. Grace lives near London and is addicted to cats, acting as housekeeping staff to five mischievous moggies.

Grace believes intelligent people need romantic fiction in their lives as an antidote to the modern world and as an avid reader of historicals she turned to writing as a release from the emotionally draining side of veterinary work. Her debut novel ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ is now available from most eBook stores including Amazon, price $2.99.

To find out more visit http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/

Grace Elliot: Reasons to love the Regency - Stallions

Hello there, my name is Grace Elliot and I love the escapism of a good historical romance. I’m an intelligent person, a veterinarian, and for me HR is an antidote to the stresses of the modern world. My debut novel, ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’, is set in the regency, which to my mind is one of the most romantic eras to write about…and here’s one reason why – stallions.


Stallions are the embodiment of virility and power…and the regency was dripping with them. The Regency world ran on horse power, from high perch phaetons to farm wagons…and just like today’s sports cars, the quality of your engine spoke volume about the person.

What tonnish miss’s heart wouldn’t be set a flutter to see a handsome rogue pull up outside her address in a crest-emblazoned barouche, with coachman and liveried footman. From matched bays to high stepping hackneys the expense of keeping such an equipage was stunning… a definite aphrodisiac. Such conspicuous wealth was not so much equivalent to a Porsche or Lamborghini but to owning a private helicopter with a personal pilot on constant standby. But then again, any self respecting heroine would see through such shallow materialistic values to the man beneath.

From hours in the stallion’s saddle our hero would have finely toned thighs. Chances our she’d get a good appreciation of this and other assets within his skin tight ‘inexpressibles’, showing every contour and plane that left little to the imagination.

And if our heroine is strong minded enough to resist a splendid physique, perhaps the skill of controlling a powerful beast between seat and heel would give her pause for thought. The power of mind over body, of man over horseflesh, of the beast between his thighs might have made her stays feel uncomfortably tight… There’s definitely something about men and horses…what do you find attractive in a man? Do please comment below.

‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ by Grace Elliot.

Celeste Armitage has a plan…and that plan doesn’t include marriage.

 After deliberately humiliating a suitor, Celeste’s despairing parents exile her to the country. But once there she discovers a sketch book of daring nude studies and is shaken to find the artist is her hostess’s eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing. This darkly cynical lord is exactly the sort of dissipated rogue she despises most…if only her blood didn’t heat at the thought of him…
 Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf’s life is a façade. Only he can save the Charing’s from disgrace as a blackmailer seeks to ruin his late brother’s reputation. But just as Ranulf dares to open his heart to Celeste, the fury of his nemesis is unleashed… facing him with the stark choice between true love and family duty. However when Celeste guesses the truth behind his rejection, Ranulf underestimates her resolve to clear his name and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger….

Excerpt from ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’.

[Lord Ranulf Charing receives an urgent summons.]


…an Arab stallion danced in circles round the stable lad. Granite clouds towered in a brooding sky. A yard door slammed and the wild eyed stallion reared, dragging the lad off his feet. Then a down draught tugged the horse’s flowing silver-white mane and tail, as with flared nostrils he backed across the yard, hooves like flints, striking sparks from the cobbles. The boy clung to the reins, more fearful of letting such a valuable horse bolt than of being trampled. The grey plunged heaven wards, a silvery ghost against a charcoal sky, then struck the ground, the massive muscles of his rump bunching to rear again just as a dark figure rounded the corner and entered the yard.

“Sir have a care, your horse….” The shouted warning was stolen by the wind.

Lord Ranulf Charing grunted, reaching out a hand to gentle the plunging beast. As if he’d cast a spell, the horse calmed and with a snicker rubbed his velveteen nose against his master’s coat to exhibit an understanding between man and horse that eluded Ranulf amongst his own kind.

At the age of thirty, tall and of muscular build; Lord Ranulf Charing was a man not given to suffering fools; his expression a habitual frown, with wide unreadable lips and brown eyes so dark as to be almost black. The impression of the young Lord being part devil and part shadow was heightened by his dress which was entirely black; from neckcloth and lawn shirt, to riding breeches and kerysmere outer coat. In short, Lord Ranulf Charing was in mourning and it suited him.

‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ is available from most eBook stores including Amazon, Fictionwise and Smashwords.

US Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/A-Dead-Mans-Debt-ebook/dp/B0046REKBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1298137532&sr=1-1

To find out more visit: http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/