Showing posts with label Lee Swanson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee Swanson. Show all posts

Friday, 21 June 2024

She Serves the Realm by Lee Swanson. (Romantic Adventure Series)


She Serves the Realm. 

A lady of the London court has fallen in love with who she believes to be a man, and in this book the two are finally co-located long enough to deepen their relationship.

 









SHE SERVES THE REALM

Book 4 of 4. No Man is her Master Series.

Synopsis

London, 1311: Sir Frederick Kohl, a Hanseatic master merchant and English knight, is really Christina Kohl, a woman in disguise. She returns to London to discover her beloved Lady Cecily’s abusive husband is dead.  They now only need the king’s permission to marry. But in the turbulent times of Edward II’s reign, he is much more concerned with making use of Christina’s considerable talents than in bringing happiness to her life.

In She Serves the Realm, Christina is torn from her merchant trade and the woman she loves to become an officer of the king. She is placed in ever-growing danger as civil war seems all but inevitable; the rebellious barons demanding the banishment of the Earl of Cornwall, King Edward just as adamant to retain him by his side. Complicating matters further is the always present peril of her disguise being discovered.

Can Christina succeed in the tasks King Edward sets before her, winning the right to claim Lady Cecily as her bride? And what of Piers Gaveston; can Christina somehow save him from his enemies, and even himself? Rein your palfrey beside Christina’s Pearl and join her as She Serves the Realm.

# LGBTQ

EXCERPT

They rode north at a quickened pace. After a couple of hours, they slowed, believing the immediate danger to have subsided somewhat. As they neared a crossroads, they discovered they were sorely mistaken.

A group of riders, perhaps three times their numbers, burst forth from behind a grove of trees and galloped directly toward them, their evil intent unmistakable. The horsemen’s speed was such there was hardly time to react. Christina slipped from Pearl’s back and drew her sword, as did Reiniken and Jost. They steeled themselves for their attackers’ onslaught.

Not so Gaveston. Unexpectedly, he spurred his horse to charge directly at their onrushing foes as if they opposed him in the jousting lists. A high-pitched scream burst forth from Plantamor, unmistakably a war cry. The attacking formation halted, then split in panic as the earl’s sword flashed first to one side, then to the other. Gaveston hauled back on the reins and the great beast reared, striking out sharply with its forefeet at a hapless rouncey that fell to the ground from the force of the blow, trapping its unlucky rider beneath it. He wheeled the destrier to the left, his sword impaling another man through the chest as he turned. Gaveston relaxed his arm to allow the horse’s impetus to extract his sword from the mortally wounded man. Great spurts of blood cascaded from the man’s chest, but the earl paid him no mind. He was already seeking his next victim.

Many of the attackers gave the earl and his demonic destrier a wide birth, choosing instead to dismount and seek easier prey in the form of those who stood on their feet. Christina had no time to look for Cecily as she steadily gave ground to two swordsmen who sought to engage her simultaneously, her blade flicking out quicker than a serpent’s tongue to parry theirs to the side. Then she darted forward, dancing to the right of her attackers. This left her opponents one behind the other. The hindmost no longer constituting a threat, she brought her weapon diagonally upward in a slash that parted the skin of the nearest man’s face, digging deeply into the skull beneath. As he fell to the side, wailing as he clutched at his ruined visage, Christina took the opportunity to thrust her sword into his friend’s soft guts. Unlike his companion, the only sound he made was a loud “woof” as she drew back her sword from his body. She had no time to congratulate her clever tactic, however. As she tried to reach Cecily’s side, she was thwarted by more men advancing to take the place of those she had just dispatched.

From the corner of her eye, she noted Reiniken and Jost were positioned back-to-back.

Clever fellows, keeping all their enemies to their front!

While it seemed few of those facing Reiniken had the stomach to venture into the range of his weapon, other than those already on the ground before him, the same could not be said of Jost. The boy was sorely pressed by a single harrying foe whose skill clearly surpassed that of her cousin. Already, Jost had been pinked at least twice on his sword arm, evidenced by thin rivulets of blood running downward. If Reiniken had not been slowly rotating to his right as he fought, a fatal blow would probably have been already struck.

Christina had no time to provide assistance. A swarthy man with a hook nose brought his falchion downward from above his head in a heavy cut directed at her left shoulder. Christina parried it with her blade, the impact almost causing her arm to go numb.

“Hold!” a voice cried loudly from behind her. “Hold or, by Christ, I’ll split her from neck to cunt!”

The man before her smirked and backed away a few steps. Still on her guard, Christina turned her head slightly. What she saw chilled her soul.

One of the knaves had circumvented the fighting. He now held his falchion pointed straight before him, at the point of which stood Cecily.

“Now, drop them toad-stickers and back away, if you treasure her life, that is!”

Having no choice, Christina, Jost, and Reiniken did as they were commanded. Gaveston dismounted and joined them.

“This way, you lot!” one of the men said, directing them to the middle of the road.

“What do we do with ‘em now, Alf?” a younger man with a filthy shock of blond hair asked.

“His excellency only said to bring ‘im this one,” the man who seemed to be the leader of the ruffians responded. “I don’t give a hot damn about the others. Excepting that one maybe.”

He pointed toward Cecily.

“She looks like she would be sport enough for all of us.”

Christina’s ire exploded.

“Don’t any of you fucking touch her or I’ll . . .”

Alf’s gauntleted backhanded blow spun Christina’s head around, knocking her to the ground. Ignoring the sharp pain in her jaw, she immediately rose to her knees, fixing the man with a look of white-hot hatred as she wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.

The other men laughed heartily as Alf exclaimed, “So, she’s yours, is she? Maybe I’ll let you live long enough to watch her squirm beneath me as I pleasure her. I’m sure she’s never . . .”

Alf’s words ended abruptly as his throat suddenly sprouted goose feathers. He stood choking as he clawed at the arrow that transfixed his neck.






No Man is her Master Series on Amazon US Kindle 

 https://tinyurl.com/5dsa63pp









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Friday, 18 August 2023

Her Dangerous Journey Home by Lee Swanson (Romantic Adventure Series)




Her Dangerous Journey Home by Lee Swanson 




Synopsis: 
1310, Berwick-upon-Tweed, England – Edward II knights Frederick Kohl for his bravery fighting the Scots. But Sir Frederick is not the man the king believes him to be; instead, it is his sister, Christina, who assumes her dead brother’s identity and receives his spurs.
Still posing as Frederick, Christina escorts Lady Cecily, a young noblewoman joining Queen Isabella’s court at Westminster Palace, to London. Unexpectedly, Christina and Cecily fall in love. Their joy is short-lived, as their future together is seemingly impossible.
The wife of one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the city is Christina’s bitter enemy. Katharine Volker, whose lascivious advances Christina rejects, goads her into voyaging from her London home to the Baltic waters of her birthplace. Christina journeys not to engage in trade, as one would expect of a master merchant. She sails for a far more deadly purpose--to exact revenge on the pirates who killed her father and brother.
What will transpire in London during her absence and is there any hope for her lasting happiness with Cecily?
Christina must employ all her courage and fighting skill, as well as a secret weapon, to survive her adventure quest through pirate infested waters.

#LGBTQ
Excerpt

Chapter 1 
An Unexpected Departure
London, October, 1310

 Christina stood at her chamber window, staring down into the moonlit courtyard. Instinctively, her eyes moved across and registered each detail below, even as her mind was consumed by thoughts tumbling in her brain like flotsam on an angry sea. The frigid temperature outside created whorls of icy tracery on the inside of the thick, translucent glass; she ran her fingertips over the scars on her left forearm that the frostwork somewhat resembled. The room had steadily chilled since the fire in the hearth had burnt itself out hours before, causing gooseflesh on her naked skin. Yet, she remained so deeply engrossed in her thoughts, Christina hardly noticed the cold. 
Could it really have been only a year ago that I was a simple girl, playing games with my friends and trying my best to avoid doing chores around the house? she marveled. How much my life has changed since then. But it’s not really my own life I lead now, is it? Not since the pirates attacked us at sea and Frederick was lost; that was when Christina ceased to be. Now, I exist as Frederick, and this house, my fortune, even a knighthood, all really belong to him. So very little can I claim for myself. 
Christina’s melancholy was interrupted by the sudden sensation of soft warmth pressed firmly against her back and buttocks. A pair of arms slowly extended around her middle, ending in two delicate hands that clasped gently together. A light kiss upon her shoulder-blade next, followed by the slight pressure of the other woman’s cheek. Christina slowly turned in the embrace until she stood looking downward into the upturned eyes of Lady Cecily Baldewyne. Christina extended her arms around Cecily’s back and gripped her closer, forcing Cecily’s full breasts to press firmly against her own. Christina lowered her head until their lips nearly touched, hesitating long enough to inhale her lover’s sweet breath before giving in to their shared desire for a passionate kiss. When their mouths parted, Christina asked, “Did I wake you, my love? It is still several hours before the dawn.” “No, my rising was my own doing. I must return to my own bedchamber now.” “No. Stay with me. Please,” Christina pleaded, her mind a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts. Cecily’s full red lips parted into a wide grin, revealing her even, white teeth. She playfully pushed Christina from her, breaking their embrace. In an instant, she skipped away, gracefully scooping her white linen chemise from the floor. Before exiting through the bedroom door, she looked back at Christina with fluttering doe-eyes. “You can’t be having the household staff believing their master makes a habit of bedding every saucy wench who comes to visit him. What kind of an example would you be setting?” Although she spoke in a jocular manner, Christina perceived the other woman’s words were only said half-jokingly. She watched as Cecily sniggered and nimbly held the chemise above her head, letting it fall over her sanguine curls before it dropped down over her voluptuous body. She laughed merrily then, raising her fingers to her lips and blowing a kiss toward Christina before dancing through the doorway and
disappearing into the antechamber. A second or two later, Christina heard the outer door quietly open and close, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Her feelings of self-loss had dissipated, however. Although Frederick may claim credit for most of what I possess, Cecily’s affection is a thing that is truly mine and mine alone, she declared fiercely to herself, with a welling certainty so strong she felt as if her heart were about to explode. There was another realization that niggled at her though, this one so painful she tried to refuse its entrance into her foremost thoughts. Instead, she strode purposefully to bed and luxuriated between the sheets of Rennes linen still warm from the heat of Cecily’s body. She buried her nose into the bottom sheet and inhaled deeply, virtually intoxicated by the mixed scent of musk and rosewater she would forthwith associate with thoughts of her lover. Delaying no further, Christina pulled the fur-lined coverlet up beneath her chin and tried to will herself to sleep. After an interminable period of tossing and turning, she admitted defeat.
It is not just from my bedchamber Cecily must depart, but from my life as well. Today, I am dutybound to escort her to the Palace of Westminster as I had agreed. Once she is in service to the queen, she will have no time or opportunity for the likes of me!
Christina felt a palpable ache course through her core. 
For weeks we voyaged southward from Berwick, inseparable within the close confines of the ship. Yet, nary a word passed between us beyond the limits of polite friendship. How was I to know she had come to love me? Am I so thick-headed I could not perceive her feelings? Even more, that I could not recognize my own love for her? Now, what good is this knowledge when she is expected at Westminster this very day? 
These thoughts raced over and over in her mind, like a swift stream turning a heavy mill wheel. Yet, even after hours of consideration, she was no closer to a viable course of action to stay Cecily’s departure. Sitting up, she was surprised to notice the first vestiges of a dreary dawn creeping through her window. Christina moved to her antechamber and quickly dressed, beginning as always with the tiresome task of wrapping a length of linen repeatedly about her chest to bind the swell of her small breasts. She had nearly pulled on her boots when the door to the passageway began to open. Hoping it to be a returning Cecily, Christina was disappointed to see the slight form of Mary, one of the chambermaids, instead making her way purposefully into the room with an earthenware jug of fresh water, which she set on the dressing table before kneeling beside the fireplace to spark tinder for the morning fire.
 “I won’t be needing a fire this morning, Mary. I have plans to leave presently and to be out for the rest of the day,” Christina directed as she moved forward from the deep shadows near the wall into the feeble light.

 


 

Book trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gAXi3xWglg

 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/lee.swanson.315080

 

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61936493-her-dangerous-journey-home



 

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