Sunday, October 16, 2011

Hello, Linda Sole


First of all, thank you to Roseanne for having me on her blog today.  I have recently had two books accepted by Museitup Publishing.  They are part of what will probably be a series.
Sisters of the Ring, Books One & Two – Lady of Shadows/Anne Ireland.
Lady of Shadows Book 1 & 2 are books set in Medieval times and a mixture of historical fact and magic.  The power of the Sisters can be devastating but the Lady is always innocent and she only uses her powers when it is for the good of others.  The Sisters can be good or evil but whatever they do, they protect their own.
These books are to be published June 2012.  I have put a taster from the first up at Museitup’s blog and will be blogging about it again there and at other places.  However, today I’m giving you a taste of a book that is available – a Regency I have written under the Linda Sole name this time.
Read and enjoy.  If anyone is interested in getting to know more about me visit  www.lindasole.co.uk
You can contact me through my website.  Readers who would like a free ebook may contact me this way.  I have some to give away so get in quickly if you’d like a book.  Now read this taster…
A taster from A Dangerous Masquerade/Linda Sole
Available in Kindle and from All Romances in PDF and mobi
This book was written for fans of Northaven from the Hanover Square/Anne Herries series.  You can meet him again here, because this is his own story.


Lost in his thoughts, Mooraven did not notice the woman until she knocked into him as she passed.  The scent of her perfume alerted his senses and he turned his head to watch her leave the room.  She was dressed in black, the most beautiful woman he had seen in an age – a woman who turned all heads.
          He’d noticed her briefly earlier in the evening.  She had been losing steadily at the tables all night and the glitter in her eyes had prompted him to ask his neighbour who she was.
          ‘She is the Countess Madeline Dupree,’ the man answered.  ‘She was wed to a vile depraved brute who died of some unspeakable illness a few months ago.  Until his death she was never seen in company.  Now she comes regularly to parties where she can gamble.  I lost a thousand francs to her one night.  Couldn’t concentrate on my cards when she has such perfect flesh and that gown reveals more of her charms than a man can stand without ravishing her…’
          Mooraven had smiled, because the gown dipped daringly to reveal a glimpse of her silken skin and breasts so full and perfect that they must have most of the men in the room lusting after her.  A deliberate ploy to make them careless with their cards perhaps – though she seemed to be losing that night.
          Why had she knocked into him so heavily?  It was almost intentional…a sudden thought made him thrust his hand into his pocket to search for the purse of gold he’d carelessly thrust there when he rose from the tables.  His searching fingers found nothing but his kerchief.  The gold had gone.  She had taken it!  For a moment his senses reeled: the countess a thief?  Impossible one would think and yet she had lost heavily at the tables.

          His gaze narrowed as he went outside, looking for the woman in black.  Ahead of him in the dimly lit Paris boulevard he could see her walking swiftly.  A burly servant accompanied her but Mooraven’s instincts were alerted.  Why had she no carriage?  A woman of her breeding and wealth walking the streets with only one servant?  He was a tall heavily built man and carried a stout cudgel – but she was still taking a huge risk.  The jewels she’d been wearing about her neck had been worth a small fortune – if the diamonds in that collar were genuine, of course.  The stones had sparkled enough in the candlelight, which gave him no cause to doubt their worth.
          Why would a woman like that leave a card party in the house of a prestigious member of the French aristocracy, to walk home through the streets on foot?  It didn’t make sense.  He was certain she’d taken his purse and now his hunting instincts were aroused.
          He wanted to know more about the mysterious lady in black.
          Keeping to the shadows, Mooraven followed the woman and her bodyguard.  It seemed that she had not far to go for after walking the length of three streets, the pair stopped outside a large and impressive house.  The woman turned to her companion, clearly thanking him for his services.  From their gestures, Mooraven thought she was telling him to leave her, but he was hesitating, arguing.  After a moment or two he gave in and walked off.  The door of the house opened and the woman went in.
          Mooraven waited in the shadows until the giant had disappeared.  He was about to approach the front door when it opened again and a figure came out.  This time it was a youth, who walked swiftly in the same direction the countess’s servant had taken a few minutes earlier.

          Mooraven drew back into the shadows, not wanting to be seen by the youth.  Once he had disappeared, he approached the house and knocked at the front door.  Countess Dupree had some questions to answer.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your acceptance by MuseItUp publishing. I'm a Muse author, too. Your taster of a Dangerous Masquerade was great! I loved it. :)

Michelle
www.conciliumbooks.com
www.michelle-pickett.com

gail roughton branan said...

Wonderful taster/teaser!

Pat McDermott said...

Loved the excerpt, Linda. The Countess sounds like a rascal! Congratulations on your contracts with MuseItUp, and best of luck with all your writing.