Masquerade by Julia Templeton The day has come for London's most infamous rakehell, the Earl of Saxford, to take a bride. Nicholas has no intention of ending his roguish ways—even after he weds the catch of the season, the beautiful, extremely timid Angelica Stafford, daughter to the Duke of Durham. Brianna Stafford, twin sister to Angelica, is already engaged to a well-liked viscount and will wed him at the end of the season. Though she is far from thrilled at the prospect of married life so soon after graduating from boarding school, she knows she can do worse than her father's reserved friend. Brianna's plans for an enjoyable season are shot to hell when she is asked to masquerade as Angelica and do her best to send Saxford running for the hills. Determined to get rid of Saxford, Brianna dons a disguise and tells the striking womanizer that she will never marry him. Nicholas is shocked when his surprisingly outspoken and spirited fiancée tells him she has no desire to marry him. Having never been turned down in his life, Nicholas is on a mission to get the one woman who doesn't want him, to marry him. Masquerade's Mate by Tracy Cooper-Posey It is 1884 and France is at war with China. Stuart Sutherland-Bruce returns to England after being posted to China as a member of the English diplomatic corps. He meets the astonishingly beautiful Bian, an exotic woman who turns his life upside down with her mystery and the power of his desire for her. But Bian did not wander into Stuart's life accidentally. She has orders to become intimate with him and find proof that he has been giving English secrets to the Chinese. Yet as she works her spell on Stuart, she learns he does not seem to be the traitor her superiors assure her he is. Stuart is a good man, who loves his country and puts duty above all else. Bian is caught in a trap. If she tells Stuart who she really is, she will lose the man she loves. If she honors Stuart's highest values and does her duty, then Stuart will be tried for espionage and hanged.
Author
I was born in Crescent City, California, a small logging town on the Pacific coast, home of enormous redwood trees and clear rivers. I have great memories of playing on stumps the size of small houses on my grandmother's acreage in a little town just north of Crescent City called Fort Dick . My sister and I would take daily walks to the main street store—an old, tiny white building that included the town's post office. The main street included just the market, a tavern (appropriately called The Stump) and a church we attended each Sunday morning. I loved that small town…and I still do. In the early seventies my family moved to Washington, a state with gorgeous mountains, beautiful forests, and lots of green, which meant lots of rain, but I love all the seasons. I have wonderful memories of my childhood—a mother who was always at home, a father who worked hard to give us a good life, and a sister and brother who always looked out for me. When I was all of 14 years old, I met Kip Templeton, my brother's best friend, and the man I would one day marry. Green eyes, dark hair, 6'1", and built like a Greek god, Kip had quite the reputation as a bad boy. I was absolutely terrified of him. Being that he was almost four years older than me, not to mention my brother's best friend, he was off-limits. Yeah right… Kip swept me off my feet and at the tender age of nineteen, I became pregnant with my first child. That same year I also discovered historical romance in the form of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s SHANNA. That book started a love of the genre that would spark a desire to write my own stories. Two kids and many years later I sat down at my computer and started writing a romance novel. Realizing I had a lot to learn, I bought research books, and studied the craft of romance writing. I joined Romance Writers of America, and attended a Romantic Times convention. I went to every workshop and absorbed every word. I met authors like Heather Graham, Kat Martin, Virginia Henley and Susan Johnson who were all approachable and friendly. That trip solidified my desire to become a published author. I sold six short stories to confession magazines, and felt like I was headed in the right direction when an untimely illness threw a wrench in my plans. Soon my focus turned from writing to fighting an inflammable bowel disease that would eventually cost me my large intestine in a radical surgery. During my illness I had lost my desire to write, but eventually I felt that familiar urge to sit down and start a new story, and I did just that. I’ll never forget the phone call I received from Amy Garvey of Kensington saying she wanted to purchase the novel for their new Precious Gems Historical line. In that moment I had realized my dreams…and it felt incredible. Since then, I have sold time-travel, historical, vampire and contemporary romances to Berkley, Avon, Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press, Hard Shell Word Factory and Triskelion. I’ve also made some incredible friends (Beth Ciotta, Jordan Summers, Tracy Cooper-Posey, Jolie Mathis, Mary Stella, Cynthia Valero, Patrice Michelle, Kathy Love, Arianna Hart & Kate Pearce) to name a few…who have gone through the ups and downs of publishing with me. I still live in Washington with my husband Kip, who is my biggest cheerleader (I even talked him into modeling for my historical romance SURRENDER TO LOVE). Our daughter has left the nest but lives nearby and our youngest is attending college and still lives at home. We’re enjoying our lives and even bought a Harley, something we’ve been waiting twenty-plus years for. It’s a good life…and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Thanks for taking the time to read about me. I hope it gives you a good idea of who I am. God Bless! Julia
