This month, my medieval romance and series starter, The Rogue, is discounted to just 99 cents. If you haven’t been seduced by Merlyn yet, this is the perfect opportunity!
Dear Reader: Seductive and mysterious, Merlyn was the laird of Ravensmuir—never had a man so stirred my body and soul. I gave myself to him—willingly, trustingly, passionately—and we soon wed. Then a horrible revelation emerged, shattering my innocence and my marriage… Five years later, Merlyn returned to my doorstep, desperate for my help. The scoundrel swore he was haunted by memories of me, that a treasure locked in Ravensmuir could clear his name. Yet I could not surrender to his will again. Now he is said to be murdered and Ravensmuir has fallen into my hands. But even as I cross the threshold of this cursed keep, I hear his whisper in the darkness, feel his caress in the night, and I know that Merlyn has told me but part of his tale. Should I do as is right and expose his lair? Or dare I trust my alluring but deceptive spouse—the rogue who destroyed my heart? —Ysabella
A Rhapsody Book Club Selection
A beguiling medieval romance from Delacroix…readers will devour this rich and compulsively readable tale.
Publishers Weekly
Passion and intrigue test the boundaries of love and honor—The Rogue is medieval storytelling at its best!
Terry Garey, RITA award winning author of Dead Girls are Easy
An engaging tale of lost love found!
Booklist
Merlyn is a delightfully charming rogue, Ysabella an admirable heroine, and the mystery just intriguing enough to keep you interested. Ms. Delacroix evokes the era, providing us with an accuate portrait and an enchanting tale—just what readers expect from this talented author.
One of my favorite tropes (maybe my VERY favorite one!) is Second Chance Romance. There’s little more appealing than being given a chance to do better, or to fix what went wrong in the past. When true love goes wrong, I love watching characters seize that second chance and work to make it right. These characters really earn their happily-ever-after. Plus, I like that they often have shared history or different memories (or interpretations) of the same event in the past. I enjoy watching them air their grievances, often while struggling against an attraction that won’t be denied. Here are a few of my own Second Chance Romances.
The Damsel, book two of my Bride Quest series, is a Cinderella story with a twist. Burke fell in love with Alys years before, and has regretted that he left her behind when her parents insisted on it. Haunted by his regrets, he returns to Alys, determined to win her heart for his own. Alys, however, believes she has a duty to her family and to follow their instructions—plus she’s not sure whether to trust Burke. His touch makes her forget everything she knows to be true, and it’s only sensible to fight against that kind of influence. Unfortunately for Alys’ plan, Burke’s passion and persistence is the very essence of temptation…
The Rogue is book one of my Rogues of Ravensmuir series. Sparks flew on the day that Ysabella and Merlyn first met and their mutual attraction was both powerful and immediate. How could she resist this handsome laird’s insistence that they wed? Ysabella was beguiled by Merlyn, until his secret was revealed and she fled their marriage. The book opens when he returns, five years later, to ask for her help. Someone is trying to kill him, a situation Ysabella can readily understand, and Merlyn is determined to convince his estranged wife to name the villain. “The fire still burns, chère,” he murmurs when he draws near, and it certainly does. If you haven’t been beguiled by Merlyn yet, the time has come. The Rogue is discounted to just 99cents for the month of January.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of my few Regency romances. It’s a novella and the first book in the Brides of North Barrows series. Lucien de Roye broke Sophia’s heart, yet when their paths cross again, she can’t help but respond to his presence. Her former life is a memory since her father’s passing, and fortunately, she’s in disguise, working as a governess—but Lucien isn’t fooled. He recognizes Sophia and is determined to make one thing right before the curse laid upon him claims his life. This is a bit of a ghost story, influenced by Lucien’s family holding, a sugar plantation in the West Indies, and Baron Samedi has a cameo.
The Warrior is book three of my Rogues of Ravensmuir series of medieval romances and has more of a fantasy element than the other books. The Hawk of Inverfyre is driven to reclaim his family estate from the rebels who stole it and means to secure the succession when he does. He needs a bride because he needs a son, and he doesn’t question his choice of Aileen, the overlooked daughter of an ally. He’s not a warrior inclined to negotiate and hasn’t much time: he abducts Aileen and weds her, never guessing that his touch awakens her dreams of their shared past, or that the bride that he seemingly chose by chance is his destined partner and true love. This is a reincarnation story, as well as a Beauty and the Beast story, and a favorite book of mine.
As you know by now, part of this feature is that at least one of the showcased books will be offered to newsletter subscribers at a discount. If you haven’t signed up for my monthly Knights & Rogues newsletter, this might be a good chance to do so.
Welcome to my new monthly feature! For December, my focus is on holiday romances—since I write mostly medieval romances, these are Christmas romances.
First up is The Mercenary’s Bride, a Christmas novella, which is now available in audio. This is book #1 of my Brides of Inverfyre series, and is the story of Mhairi, the first of the children of the Hawk of Inverfyre to have her tale told. This is a forbidden romance—Quentin was the Captain of the Guard at Inverfyre, until the Hawk caught him teaching Mhairi to throw a knife. (She asked.) The Hawk banished Quentin, who resolved to earn enough money as a mercenary to return to Inverfyre and ask for Mhairi’s hand. Things didn’t go according to plan, though, and this story opens with Quentin’s return to Inverfyre. Having lost everything, he thinks he can only keep his promise to Mhairi to bring her a good knife—but it’s Christmas at Inverfyre and there’s more love in Mhairi’s heart than Quentin dares to expect. I particularly love happy endings that aren’t expected by the characters, so this is a special story for me.
The Snow White Bride is the third book of my Jewels of Kinfairlie series of medieval romances. It’s the story of Madeline and Vivienne’s revenge on Alexander for arranging their marriages, even though both matches worked out well. The sisters also perceive that their older brother is too busy managing Kinfairlie to even think about marriage—when a beautiful woman seeks sanctuary in Kinfairlie’s chapel on Christmas Eve, her appearance seems fortuitous. Eleanor is only too happy to have a new husband and defender, but she expects a lot less from marriage than Alexander. Can this charming laird win her reluctant heart? (Of course, he can!) I really enjoy the holiday festivities at Kinfairlie in this book, including the Feast of Fools. Eleanor and Alexander’s story is also available in audio.
The Rogue is the first book of my Rogues of Ravensmuir series of medieval romances. This story introduces the family at Ravensmuir (and ultimately Kinfairlie) and includes some suspenseful elements. I think of it as a gothic romance. Ysabella and Merlyn are estranged and haven’t seen each other for years—until Merlyn returns at Christmas to ask Ysabella for help. Someone, he says, is trying to kill him. Ysabella is skeptical, though. She knows her husband is a charming rogue and believes he will say anything to get what he wants. She refuses, and is shocked by the subsequent news that Merlyn has been killed and has made her heir to Ravensmuir. She decides to solve the murder and finds a great deal more than expected during this particular Christmas. Can love triumph over the injuries and secrets of the past? You know it will. 🙂 I love this book and I adore Merlyn. The Rogue is also available in audio.
A Duke by Any Other Name is a Regency romance, which was originally written for an anthology—all of the stories took place when families gathered for a Christmas wedding. Alexander is a duke and a spy, who pretends to be a fashionable fop so that he’s underestimated. He’s on the hunt for a jewel thief, but instead he finds love unexpected—he falls hard for Daphne Goodenham, which puts him in a pickle. How can he court her when he’s in disguise? But how can he be certain of her motives? He could reveal himself and put his entire mission in peril. I had fun with this story of love triumphing over obstacles at Christmas.
Part of this feature is that at least one of the highlighted books will be offered to newsletter subscribers at a discount. If you haven’t signed up for my Knights & Rogues newsletter yet, this might be a good time to do so!
This month, I’m starting a new column on the blog, by featuring books of a certain trope or theme. For November, my focus is on romances featuring arranged marriages. I love these stories of love conquering all, even when it’s unexpected. As part of this new column, the featured titles may be on sale at the retail portals, or newsletter subscribers will have the chance to buy one or more directly from me, at a discount.
Probably my most popular medieval romance featuring an arranged marriage is The Beauty Bride, and it’s free at the online portals right now. This is the first book of the Jewels of Kinfairlie series: when Alexander suddenly inherits his family holding, he discovers that his carefree days are over. The treasury is empty and he has five unwed sisters, each of whom is determined to marry for true love or not at all. He knows he has to see at least two of them married before the winter and resolves to begin with his oldest sister, Madeline, who is the most stubborn of them all. Since she won’t listen to reason, he feels compelled to make a choice for her. Madeline, however, has never followed anyone’s rules—and if her brother thinks she’ll meekly put her hand in that of a renowned mercenary, both he and the bridegroom, Rhys, can think again. The Beauty Bride is also available in audio.
The Princess, book one of the Bride Quest, also features a defiant maiden unwilling to marry the man chosen for her. Brianna’s family estate is captured by a mercenary who insists she marry one of his three sons to solidify his victory. He leaves the choice to her. Brianna has no intention of marrying any of the three rogues, so she gives them a test: she pledges to marry the one who brings her a gift that makes her laugh. She’s pretty sure she can keep from laughing at anything and so avoid the old warrior’s plan. She’s not counting on Luc, though, who is done with the life of a warrior and has no patience with spoiled women who think they can make everyone obey their whims. He refuses to accept the quest, which infuriates Brianna—and you can guess what happens while Luc’s brothers are gone. I really enjoy the battle of wills in this one—it makes their dawning love all the sweeter.
Unicorn Bride is an older book of mine, which has been revised and republished. I just love the new cover! I also love this story of a woman fulfilling an arrangement made when she was in her cradle. Alienor has never met her husband-to-be, although she’s heard a lot of stories about strange doings at his remote keep of Montsalvat. She finds a bridegroom in disguise, as well as enough intrigue in her new home to tempt her to flee—but her mysterious new husband is a passionate lover by night, which leaves her torn. Trust is hard-won between these two, but love does conquer all when Dagobert chooses his new bride over his inherited responsibilities.
One Knight’s Return is also a revised older title—I’m realizing as I compose this that I wrote a lot of arranged marriages when I was traditionally published, but haven’t written many since then. Maybe I need to mix that up a bit!—also revised and republished with a new cover. Quinn returns home from the crusades to his family holding, only to discover that his overlord has put a price upon the ruined Sayerne: Quinn has to marry the beautiful and independent Melissande from neighboring Annossy to have any chance of claiming the holding that should be his. He’s perfectly willing to do this, as he probably needs a wife and isn’t romantic at all. Melissande, however, is not thrilled with the plan. She’s not a romantic either, but sees this move as the overlord’s attempt to seize her prosperous family holding. Let the battle begin! This one is a battle of wills between two strong warriors, each of whom has to learn to compromise and delegate.
Part of this new column is that I’ll provide a discount in my newsletter for the featured books. The Beauty Bride is already free, so one of the other titles will be offered for 99¢ when subscribers buy directly from me. (Which one will it be???) If you haven’t subscribed to my Knights & Rogues newsletter yet, this might be a good time to sign up.
Claire Delacroix 