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Five-Line Friday-First Meet Scenes
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.)
Let’s see some first meet scenes today. There’s nothing like that first moment when the hero and heroine first lay eyes on each other! My snippet is from Heartache and Honor (Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, Book 3). No cover yet, darn it.
In this scene, Tasara thinks The Duke of Harcourt is in cahoots with the Scots holding her and her little brother and sister hostage.
~ ~ ~
How dare he, the loathsome degenerate? Tasara made an inarticulate noise.
He whirled, his body tense and alert.
She lunged, swinging the blade in an arc intended for his neck. “Depraved sot.”
Ducking, he leaped away, her dagger slicing air instead of flesh. Half-crouched and keenly alert, he regarded her.
“Ah, the gypsy wench I expected.” Straightening, and apparently unperturbed at practically being skewered, he pointed at her dagger. “I do believe you tried to impale me. Most ungrateful of you, I must say.”
~ ~ ~
All right, bring on your tidbits!!
From my new book, A REBEL WITHOUT A ROGUE, releasing on 9/15:
For a moment, he’d taken the woman standing before him to be a spirit or a wraith; surely, such strange, eldritch beauty could belong to no mere creature of bone and flesh. With skin as pale as moonlight, wide green eyes hiding behind a spill of sable hair, a veritable leannán sídhe she seemed, a fairy so ethereally lovely that a mere mortal would overcome any obstacle to win the chance to touch his lips to hers, lips as ripe with promise as a lush summer plum. He’d always scorned them, the foolish men in the tales Uncle Christopher had brought back from Ireland, sacrificing everything in their all-consuming passion for a mere fairy girl. A leannán sídhe might gift the man of her choice with artistic inspiration, but she’d demand his life force in recompense. What rational man would give up his very life for a mere woman, fairy or no, he’d challenge his uncle, his words redolent with adolescent disbelief.
One glance at this haunting creature and suddenly Kit knew how utterly foolish his doubts had been.
Beautiful!!
Oh, wow, that is gorgeous!
Thanks, marichristie!
Thanks, Collette, for inviting us to share!
My pleasure!
Ooh, I like it! Lovely, vivid description. Plus you evoke skillfully the mood and air of the situation, and Kit’s reaction to it. Thanks!
Such a beautiful piece.
Thank you Collette for this opportunity. Today I’d like to give your readers a sneak peak at my novella, Under the Mistletoe. It’s my contribution to the Bluestocking Belles box set, Mistletoe, Marriage & Mayhem where all proceeds are going to our mutual charity, The Malala Fund.
“What a beauty,” a male voice whispered behind her.
Margaret’s face flushed. She knew that voice, and that tone. That familiar low timbre had teased her many times in their youth.
“Yes, she is indeed. See how the painter caught her expression in her eyes,” she replied, trying to sound calm as her heart raced with his nearness. “I wonder what she was staring at that caused her smile.”
The man chuckled softly and leaned closer. She could have sworn she felt the heat of his body through the fabric of her redingote. “I was not talking about the painting, Margaret.”
Pre-order Sale Price Buy links for Mistletoe, Marriage & Mayhem, Release date November 1, 2015:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014OI7M54/
Amazon Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B014OI7M54
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B014OI7M54
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B014OI7M54
Ohh, that’s brilliant!
Thank you Collete. I really appreciate being able to show off my work.
Thanks, Sherry. Nice bit of subtle drama. Just a few lines, but they imply a lot.
Nice first meet, Sherry
From ‘Tis Her Season, in the Bluestocking Belles holiday box set, Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem.
(Yeah, we are finally on pre-sale–and made Amazon lists!!! 🙂 Still pinching myself!)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014OI7M54/
Charlotte slid into a chair as fast as she could, to avoid being seated on a sofa, forced into close proximity with her future husband, but the decrepit old man took a seat in the nearest armchair. The earl, by contrast, sat as far away as he could while still maintaining a semblance of manners. Ankle crossed over his knee, arm draped across the arm of a chair turned slightly away from the assemblage, Lord Herrendon took in the art on the walls, sipping the brandy, distancing himself from the conversation.
Nice contrast of characters.
I love the chair turned slightly away!
Love the snippets. And whilst Belle and Ben don’t meet at knife point, when they meet she has been hiding in a high-backed chair across the room from his reunion with his grandmother after twenty years apart. When Ben creeps over to discover her, she very nearly takes his head off with the Complet Works of Shakespeare. Here is another snippet from A PERFECTLY UNREGIMENTED CHRISTMAS which will be up for pre order soon in the anthology CHRISTMAS REVELS II.
Unfortunately, his grandmother took the lady in question by the hand and led her back to the tea table. “Mrs. Winters, may I present my grandson, Viscount Pennyworth.” The two women exchanged a series of looks. Had Wellington allowed his dispatches to be carried between two women who communicated by wordless looks alone, the war would have ended in victory in a fortnight. “Pennyworth, this is Mrs. Winters.”
Ben studied them over the rim of his glass of brandy. “And Mr. Winters is?”
“I am a widow, my lord, and a governess by profession.” She gave him a suggestion of a curtsey and a grey stare hard enough to break Toledo steel
.
His grandmother patted Mrs. Winters’s hand. “Belle is my goddaughter. She is between positions at the moment and has been acting as my companion.” Another flurry of wordless communication. Lovely.
“I see.” He leaned against his chair and took another long draught of brandy. He’d come here for answers, peace, and quiet. Something told him he’d be fortunate to obtain even one of the three. He had, however, succeeded in provoking the viscountess, a useful tool when assessing one’s enemies.
“Is it not considered common courtesy to bow when one is introduced to a lady?” Here was the grandmother he knew—no nonsense and elegantly condescending.
Ben straightened, executed a bow, and flopped into his seat. “Your servant, Mrs. Winters.”
Something very like “Unlikely,” fluttered from Mrs. Winters’s very lovely lips. She moved to stand behind the dowager’s chair. “Tell me, my lord, you spoke of being assaulted earlier. What manner of attack was it? You appear uninjured.”
The two women pinned him with equally pointed expressions of feigned disinterest. He’d been here less than an hour and already new secrets were stacked atop the old. For little to nothing, he’d climb back onto Trafalgar and put Pennyworth Hall and every damned secret it held behind him. Pity was, he couldn’t.
“I will certainly show you my injuries, Mrs. Winters, if you wish, but as most of them are to my arse, Lady Pennyworth might object.”
“Of all the—”
“Pennyworth. Apologize to Annabelle, this instant.”
“My apologies, ma’am. It has been a long day.” He shoved out of the chair and started for the door.
“You were not raised to be so rag-mannered, young man.”
“I was not raised at all, madam, not past the age of ten. Or don’t you remember?”
I always look forward to your snippets, Louisa!!!
Hoo boy, that guy’s got an attitude! Thanks, 19th Century Lady.
I love the hint at the backstory. Wonderful.
First meet? This one is from Dangerous Weakness, releasing on September 30 http://amzn.to/1L8IDXp
When Lily turned to see who had so highhandedly up-ended her evening, a man’s cravat and spectacular sapphire stickpin met her gaze. She had to lift her face to look up past his firm chin and stern mouth, to eyes as blue as ice. He glared at the young men behind her who scattered like geese.
Glenaire. No one but the Marble Marquess could have routed the lot of them so quickly. What on earth does he want with me?
Before she could formulate a coherent response to his arrogant demands, he said, “Your admirers melted away rather quickly. Shall we sit for a moment?” He took her arm without waiting for a response.
Up-ended her evening…what a great term, Caroline.
Ok. I can’t resist. Collette has kindly let me post a second one. This is from A Dangerous Nativity, my contribution to the Bluestocking Belles holiday box set, Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014OI7M54/
He had stumbled onto a domestic crisis. He chuckled as he went.
Piglets ran in several directions while a goat charged up the hill toward him, eyes wide with panic. Two boys ran in circles trying to catch rioting pigs. The more they ran, the more they sent a flock of geese into a frenzy of honking and feathers. A dog barked frantically on one side, only to run to the other and bark more. In the center of the chaos a woman stood, one hand raised above her head and the other holding her skirts above the confusion.
Will’s vision narrowed to the woman. Tall and serene, she put him in mind of Athena, striding above the fray to command calm.
I can’t wait for this set, Caroline!
Thanks Caroline. Both your scenes sound cool. But I especially like the madhouse on a farm. Just gotta find out what’s going on here! Good luck.
“A frenzy of honking and feathers’ – fantastic.
Oh, I love all of these! Looking forward to the Bluestocking Belles’ boxed set. Here’s a snippet from my upcoming release, Liliana’s letter. This novella is a prequel to the novel released last year. Liliana has just seen the hero chastising a servant on the street:
His voice carried all the way to the townhouse steps. Liliana bristled, grasping the strings of her reticule tighter. Not even Mr. Mercer, a man made by trade, would upbraid a servant so audibly on the street like this.
“Aye, my lord.”
The groom’s laconic voice held no alarm, and wasn’t that worse? His servants did not respect him.
As she came down the steps, the gentleman turned. Blue eyes, of a startlingly bright shade, speared her.
That knot in her stomach danced, and she sucked a breath into her tightening chest.
Happy Friday, everyone!
I want to know more, Alina!
She certainly has mixed feelings about him, Alina.
This is the first meet scene from Wild Rose, the first of my Wildflowers of Scotland novels (contemporary romantic suspense). My tagline is: Wild Rose and Pastor Ian MacCraig – a match made in heaven, or one hell of a predicament? Buy Link: http://amzn.com/1938101421
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
She blinked and looked in the direction of the voice, but the sun was in her eyes, and all she could see was a soft sheen of light backlighting the silhouette of a very tall man. Too tall to be Digby. She raised her hand to her eyes to shade the light but the sun was still blinding, clinging to his head like a halo.
“Forgive me,” the man said, just as she saw his collar, the white square gleaming brightly between the black, and thought, shouldn’t it be me saying that?
“Sorry to intrude,” he continued. “I couldn’t help noticing that you seem to be looking for someone.”
This sounds like a fabulous series, Sherrie.
Thanks, Collette, and thanks for providing the opportunity to share. I appreciate it!
Please stop by every Friday! You are always welcome to promote more than one book too.
Thanks, Sherry. Intriguing scene with unusual visuals.
Thank you for reading the post, Mary Anne. I appreciate it!
Nice touch of humour in her reaction.
‘One can only hope. Now, let’s go and find a nice quiet spot and you can tell me what you were really doing out in the garden. Charles Ashton came in the door not a minute before you, and he had a face like thunder. As I happened to see the two of you head out into the garden at the same time a little while ago, I doubt Charles’ foul temper was because he found the flowers not to his liking,’ Eve replied.
This is from the first chapter of my latest release The Duke’s Daughter, the third book in the award winning Duke of Strathmore series.
Buy Link. http://www.amazon.com/Dukes-Daughter-Destiny-Romance-ebook/dp/B0131WTTLO
Thanks, Sasha. Must be a lot going on here!
You leave me wanting more, Sasha.
Simply wonderful!!! I want to know why Charles is ticked off!
Thanks again, Collette. Sorry I’m late. Real life, y’know.
Nice bit of extreme emotions in your excerpt. They meet when she tries to kill him. Their relationship has nowhere to go but up!
I can’t post a first-meet snippet from my WIP. The hero and heroine already know each other. This snippet is from my next project, “When Time Stood Still” (futuristic romance).
And then he saw her. A woman in a cobalt business suit, with a near-black braid coiled around her head and framing a lovely face. She was focused on her handheld, the only person in the TV studio not running about in a frenzy. Hard to tell her age; she had the looks of around thirty, but the calm, confident presence of middle age.
Roger winced. This was infamous Beryl Hesketh? The muckraker who was out to destroy his organization?
Feedback is welcome. Happy Labor Day weekend to my fellow Americans. How will I spend it? Laboring!
I appreciate you coming by and supporting the other authors so much!! Loved your lines too!
Nice snippet, Mary Anne. The conflict is front and centre!
I love this opportunity so much Collette. It is wonderful reading what other people have to offer, and I enjoy chosing something to fit your theme. Thank you.
You are welcome!
I have two excerpts I’d like to post. The first is from A Baron for Becky. The Marquis of Aldridge has woken, naked, and twenty miles from where he went to sleep. A woman has just entered the summerhouse where he was sleeping.
He waited for the exclamation of shock, but none came. Carefully—he wanted to observe her before he let her know he was awake, and anyway, any sudden movement might start up the hammers above his eye sockets—he cracked open his lids, masking his eyes with his lashes.
He could see more than he expected. The woman was using a shuttered lantern to examine him, starting at his feet. She paused for a long time when she reached his morning salute and it grew even prouder. Then she swept her light up his torso so quickly he barely had time to slam his lids shut before the light reached and lingered over his face.
She was just a vague shadow behind the light. He held himself still while she completed her examination, which she did with a snort of disgust. Not the reaction to which he was accustomed.
http://judeknightauthor.com/books/a-baron-for-becky/
Thanks, Jude. A very unusual first meet! Does “his morning salute” mean what I think it means? Just asking!
It does indeed, if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, Mary Anne
You two crack me up.
Morning salute. LOL!! And then the snort of disgust, I’m dying here.
The second is from my contribution to the Bluestocking Belles’ Christmas boxed set. In Gingerbread Bride, the hero and heroine have known each other since they were children. When they first meet in the novella, the heroine remembers their first meeting when she was nine. She had run away from her nurse.
She soon became lost in a maze of little streets, and her red hair and fair skin attracted a forest of locals, looming over her and making incomprehensible sounds, while she stood at bay against a wall and prepared to fight for her life.
Then the crowd melted and Midshipman Redepenning was there, smiling at her and holding out a hand, all the time talking to the village people in their own language. At fourteen, he had been a beautiful boy, tall and slender, with a crop of golden blond hair and intensely blue eyes.
He didn’t growl, or complain about the nuisance of girl children. He didn’t suggest that her father beat her (not that Papa ever did). He escorted her home to the ship, and helped her sneak back into her cabin. He even took a detour through the market and bought her an apple.
Mary had fallen in love that day.
http://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Marriage-Mayhem-Bluestocking-Collection-ebook/dp/B014OI7M54/
I am so looking forward to this set, Jude!
Recap scenes can be tricky. But you handle this one well. I can easily picture what’s happening and imagine what Mary must be feeling.