Three warriors find a forever home in the heart of a loved one in this collection of stories about veterans of the Napoleonic wars. The cavalry captainLord Cuckoo Comes HomeAfter ten years at war, Dom Finchley wants only to build the home he’s never had. A place to call his own. Then he meets Chloe. Chloe Tavistock is past the age for the marriage market, and unfashionable in her shape, her opinions, and her enthusiasms. She is not going to find a husband in York, whatever her fond brother might think. And then she meets Dom. Two people who have never fitted in just might be a perfect fit. (Previously published in the Bluestocking Belles collection Desperate Daughters)The freedom-fighterThe Beast Next DoorEric Lord Wayford would rather face the surgeons of Naples and Napoleon’s armies than the tongues of the ton. He retreats to his estate of Eastwood. Beastwood, as the neighbours called it, for the child he had been—a child whose birthmarks made him an exile. Charis Fishingham has been escaping to the gardens of Eastwood since she was a child. There, she can escape her mother’s expectations, her sisters’ chatter, and her own worries about her future. But now her childhood friend, the Beast of Beastwood, has returned, and their future looks to be full of hope. But someone does not wish Charis to wed the Beast of Beastwood, and will stop at nothing to keep them apart. (Previously published in the Bluestocking Belles collection Valentines from Bath)The Career Soldier (retired)Love in Its SeasonThe Battle of Waterloo lost Jack Wrath the use of one arm and ended his career in the cavalry. With nothing better to do and nowhere else to go, he sees his doctor home to Reabridge—and stays because of Gwen, the female farrier he rescues from a lustful lord. Gwen Hughes is taller and stronger than many men, and runs her own business. Perhaps she intimidates the men of the town, but that is fine with her. She doesn’t have time for courtship. Under the harvest moon, two people who believe romance has passed them finally reach their season for love. (Previously published in the Bluestocking Belles collection Under the Harvest Moon)
Author
Have you ever wanted something so much you were afraid to even try? That was me ten years ago. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a novelist. I even started dozens of stories, over the years. But life kept getting in the way. A seriously ill child who required years of therapy; a rising mortgage that led to a full-time job; six children, my own chronic illness… the writing took a back seat. As the years passed, the fear grew. If I didn't put my stories out there in the market, I wouldn't risk making a fool of myself. I could keep the dream alive if I never put it to the test. Then my mother died. That great lady had waited her whole life to read a novel of mine, and now it would never happen. So I faced my fear and changed it—told everyone I knew I was writing a novel. Now I'd make a fool of myself for certain if I didn't finish. My first book came out to excellent reviews in December 2014, and the rest is history. Many books, lots of positive reviews, and a few awards later, I feel foolish for not starting earlier. I write historical fiction with a large helping of romance, a splash of Regency, and a twist of suspense. I then try to figure out how to slot the story into a genre category. I'm mad keen on history, enjoy what happens to people in the crucible of a passionate relationship, and love to use a good mystery and some real danger as mechanisms to torture my characters. Dip your toe into my world with one of my lunch-time reads collections or a novella, or dive into a novel. And let me know what you think.
