Five-Line Friday Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Five-Line Friday
Where authors and readers meet to share and read romance novel snippets!
Five-Line Friday RULES
- Five lines of your current work in progress, new release, soon-to-be-released … whatever. (Do keep it as close to five sentences as you can.)
- You are welcome to post buy links too.
- PG (I don’t have a warning on my blog about content, so it has to be appropriate for all viewers. I will delete comments that aren’t appropriate or offensive to some audiences. Sorry.)
Gosh, I missed your snippets last week. My trip to California was great, but not the least restful!
As soon as I got home, I had to finish edits for Heartbreak and Honor (Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, Book 3-December 2, 2015). So, I thought it only appropriate to post a few lines today.
~~
The Duke of Harcourt’s languid gaze swept the room, passed by her and her family, then careened back to rivet on her as his eyes widened in disbelief. No sign remained of his injured eye. A slow, wolfish, smile curved his full mouth. No doubt existed that he’d recognized her.
Look away, Alexa.
Her dratted eyes wouldn’t obey. She couldn’t blink as he strode in her direction. What must he think, seeing her here, elegantly attired, and in the company of her well-heeled aunt and uncle? She permitted a welcoming smile and what she hoped qualified as a flirtatious flutter of her fan, which, from his astonished expression, confounded him.
Her smile slipped. Bother. Perhaps she’d told him to go to the devil or bugger himself with her inept flapping.
~~
Also, A Kiss for Miss Kingsley is FREE!!
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00099]](https://collettecameron.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AKFMK_meme_4.jpg "Five-Line Friday 2")
I’m so looking forward to reading your tidbits!!
wonderful
Thanks!
Loved your excerpt, Collette. “Dratted eyes” was wonderful!
Here are five lines from the soon to be released WWII era historical Begun by Time, the Prequel to The Thornless Rose, by Morgan O’Neill (co-authors Cary Morgan Frates and Deborah O’Neill Cordes). In this snippet, our heroine Catherine comes home from her first date with Major Jonathan Brandon—
He kissed her on the cheek. The softness of his lips against her skin entranced her, and she yearned for more. He smelled wonderful, too, of Pears’ soap with its scent of thyme, and something she couldn’t quite place—a wholly masculine scent that made her knees tremble.
“I shall look forward to seeing you again, Catherine.”
He pivoted and left with a bounce in his step, his fine figure caught in the sunset’s golden glow.
She shut the door when he was finally out of sight, then leaned against it and let out a squeal of delight.
http://www.entangledpublishing.com/begun-by-time/
Loved the title, Deborah!
Thank you so much, Collette. The title comes from the Bard— Love is begun by time, And time qualifies the spark and fire of it. William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Thank you, Deborah. Love this excerpt! Very romantic. Good luck with your new release!
Thank you, Mary Anne!
I love the squeal of delight! Good first date ending.
Thanks so much, Jude!
I think my current WIP is only five lines. 🙁
LOL!
Now on to line six!
Lovely excerpts, Collette and Deborah!
Here are five lines from a soon-to-be-released prequel to my novel, Bella’s Band. This tells the story of his uncle’s romance, so it’s something of an “older” romance, though 40 is NOT old, LOL!!!
Leo delivered her hand to Grigsby. It was the first time they’d touched without gloves, and his hand was warm, and dry, and strong, no softness about it. No softness about him, except…there, in his gaze, she saw it. A glimmer of vulnerability. She’d turned him down twice in private, now, here again, he was risking everything in a public display.
She’d wanted to be courted publicly and he’d done it, was doing it now.
Happy Friday, everyone!
I can’t wait, Alina!
Thanks, Alina. Quite an emotional passage. I like the way you describe the nuances.
Thank you, Alina. Loved your excerpt— and 40 is young! 😉
Oh, and don’t we all hope she’ll say ‘yes’ after that!
Thanks Collette! So glad I found your blog! I publish under Kristin Vayden. Here’s five lines from my latest release; “A Tempting Ruin”
Beatrix swallowed her cursed pride and glanced up, compelled by her curiosity to be brave. “Why did you leave so abruptly?”
“For being so expertly compromised—“
“Oh bother.” Beatrix rolled her eyes and stepped away, irritated, and gave her back to the lord. “It was a kiss—“
“Perhaps for you…” Lord Neville’s hand grasped hers and halted her recession.
He was a gentleman by title…but a rogue at heart.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LOV6hB
B&N: http://bit.ly/1HojfM9
iBooks: http://apple.co/1CBimIJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1JdXFr9
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1JdXSL0
Wonderful to have you here, Kristin.
I like the title very much, Kristin. A Tempting Ruin! Lovely.
Thanks, Collette! Great to see you back. Nice vivid snippet. I too could never master fan signals!
Here’s my excerpt, again from my work in process, “The Weeping Dragon” (medieval fantasy romance).
Dorrit scooped up a glob of the opium-laced ointment and rubbed it into the welts. Joan grimaced but kept still.
“Oh Joan, I’m so sorry! Father should never have done this to you! Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes.”
“What? Just name it!”
Joan’s brown eyes bore into Dorrit’s green ones. “Give me back William.”
Dorrit winced. “But—I can’t!”
“You can and you will! You don’t realize how great a wrong you’ve done me—or how much trouble you’re in!”
As always, feedback is welcome. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Now I’m curious!! Well done.
Me too! Who is William, and why was Joan beaten?
Thanks for replying, Jude. William is the knight these two chicks love. Dorrit was winning so Joan tried to kill her. As punishment, Dorrit’s father—Joan’s uncle—flogged her. But she’ll be back!
It’s already Friday again!?!!? Well, here are the first lines of the book I just sort of finished writing (so these lines may change or go away). It will probably be out early next year. It is the sequel to To Kiss a Rake.
***
“Marry me or else,” said the man Bridget O’Shaughnessy Black had once loved. “I will not allow my daughter to be brought up by an abandoned woman.”
Bridget’s voice didn’t shake, but inside she shivered with rage and growing fear. “You know perfectly well Sylvie is not your daughter.” She did her best to stare him down. “And no matter how many lies you tell, she never will be.”
***
Since that’s just a work in progress, I’ll give you the buy link for To Kiss a Rake, in which Colin Warren, the hero of the new book, is a secondary character. Thanks, Collette!
http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Rake-Scandalous-Kisses-ebook/dp/B00ZAY07OK/
And is he the hero or the villain? I’m intrigued!
I know!! Where are the week’s going? I cannot wait for this book!!
Subscribe to my newsletter for updates and I will send you a free PDF of Haunted, which features the short story version of my upcoming release Breakwater Beach–a Cape Cod paranormal romance in the Unfinished Business Series
Antiques were often charged with the energies of their owners—good and bad. And this saddle emanated a confusing mélange of bittersweet relief that it had been retrieved and deep melancholy that spritzed shocks of static electricity with every tap of the metal stirrups against her legs.
http://eepurl.com/bfNver
http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Ann-Moleti/e/B007ASNBVK
Oh, very intriguing!
Great excerpts everyone! And thanks for letting me share, Collette. 😀
Here’s a snippet from my recently released debut PNR. 🙂
~~~
“I’m completely unarmed,” Blaze added, as if to reassure her. “You’ve got nothing to fear.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied right through her teeth.
He smiled that infuriating little smile. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“I am armed,” she warned him, acutely aware of the .380 PPK tucked snugly in the waistband of her jeans. “If you make one wrong move, I’ll kill you.”
His smile faded. “I know.”
RELEASING THE DEMONS by L.D. Rose
Link: http://amzn.com/B013GVCC7I
Love a woman who packs!
Thanks Collette! Here’s a bit from How to Tame a Rake now on pre-order.
Mina folded her arms. “I would have thought you could ride him.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I can.”
“But you’re a bit wary of him,” she said politely.
Blake frowned. “I’m not a bit afraid of him. I prefer Ebony Fire—he’s a far superior horse.”
“Oh, I understand.” She gazed up at the sky. “One is entitled to have a favorite.”
“Thank you,” he said in an ironic tone.
“Not at all, I quite understand.” Mina tapped her riding crop on her gloved hand.
He eyed her suspiciously. “No need to repeat it.”
http://www.amazon.com/How-Tame-Rake-Maggi-Andersen-ebook/dp/B0141XZNEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440191017&sr=8-1&keywords=maggi+andersen+how+to+tame+a+rake
Heh heh. Nice work with that verbal needle, Mina.
Love the dynamics between these two, Maggi.
Thanks, Barbara. Nice bit of drama.
I have been remiss on this site for weeks now, and am glad to be back. 🙂 I love the fact that Alexa doesn’t know what she has said with the fan… (That is totally me…)
This is from ‘Tis Her Season, a novella in Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem, the Bluestocking Belles’ upcoming holiday box set.
Snow piled up outside the door, falling heavier and heavier as the day wore on. Charlotte hoped the marquess’s carriage would be delayed, perhaps lose a wheel, or be stuck in a ditch or a snowdrift. Perhaps, if she were lucky, the old man would freeze to death and leave her alone. She corrected herself for such spiteful thoughts, but couldn’t quite hold in a sigh. Her life would be much happier if no Marquess of Firthley existed.
Since it isn’t on pre-order quite yet, I am going to include the Amazon link for Royal Regard, for which this novella is a prequel: http://amzn.to/1ySFAJi
(Cover reveal party for Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem on Sept. 1: https://www.facebook.com/events/796896930429497/)
Now I have to get the set!!!
Thanks, Mari. Intriguing glimpse inside the protag’s mind. Why is Charlotte thinking such thoughts? Must a story here!
Lovely, Collette. I really want to know the circumstances under which they first met!
This is from A Baron for Becky.
Hugh consoled them with ices at Gunter’s, including one for the silent governess who played propriety. Uncle Lord Aldridge took her to Gunter’s, Sarah confided, but he’d never taken them to the park, or to the Tower.
“You didn’t like the Tower, Sarah,” he pointed out.
“No,” she agreed. “But I liked that you took me. Some of the other girls have been.”
He delivered them home, wondering about the little girl’s life. He forgot for hours at a time that Mrs Winstanley was a kept woman. He only knew that he wanted her.
http://judeknightauthor.com/books/a-baron-for-becky/
Ices at Gunter’s! Yum.
Thanks, Jude. Is that a Regency ice cream parlor? Wait, “ices” aren’t ice cream, right? Too soon. I think. I’ll have to Google that. Anyhow, touching excerpt.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam cursed his mount for throwing him and bolting, forcing him to face a fifteen-mile walk over a sloping landscape to his cousin’s estate. Trouble, his wily horse, was probably halfway to Matlock by now. The damned horse was hardly worth the effort of keeping, and twice as bad as his name.
He turned off the deserted country road into a wooded area. Richard’ s new course was not a shortcut in terms of distance, but the road on the other side of the wood saw a great deal more traffic and his chances of getting a ride to Lambton would be far better.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01263D8O8?tag=ammbt-20
B&N: http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=W1PQs9y/1/c&mid=36889&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%2Fpompous-schemes-ayr-bray%2F1122336927%3Fean%3D2940151114110
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pompous-schemes/id1021159316?mt=11&uo=8&at=1l3vwPw
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=oRsyCgAAQBAJ
Kobo: http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=W1PQs9y/1/c&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.kobobooks.com%2Fen-US%2Febook%2Fpompous-schemes
Lovely snippet, Ayr!
I am trying to imagine the fan motion for “Go bugger yourself.” LOL
Here is a bit from A PERFECTLY UNREGIMENTED CHRISTMAS which will be up for pre order in October in CHRISTMAS REVELS II
(For those of you who have read A PERFECTLY DREADFUL CHRISTMAS in CHRISTMAS REVELS – Belle is one of Alexander Chastleton, Marquess of Winterbourne’s five sisters.)
Boom!
Boom!
Belle nearly jumped out of her skin.
“What’s that noise?”
“Gunfire, Peter. Elbows off the table.” Belle chased an errant potato around her plate. Difficult to do when one’s hands shook as if palsied.
Boom!
“Should we send someone to put a stop to it?”
“He’s the master of the house, Godmama. He may do as he pleases.” An unladylike gulp of wine did not steady her hands, to say nothing of the pounding of her heart.
Boom!
Lady Pennyworth leaned across the table. “What if he’s shot someone?” she whispered.
“There would be screaming.”
“Belle, really. What if he’s shot himself?”
“There would be swearing.”
“Suicide is a sin,” Robbie declared with a piety an archbishop would be hard-pressed to muster.
“Yes, dear, but it generally requires only one shot.” Belle placed her serviette on the table and stood. “Even he cannot be so poor a marksman.”
I’m grinning!!! Loved it!!