The Crusader’s Kiss is 99cents

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Deborah Cooke

For the month of January, The Crusader’s Kiss is just 99 pennies! Pick up a copy of Bartholomew and Anna’s story, filled with disguise, mistaken identities and just plain fun.

The Crusader's Kiss, book three of the Champions of St. Euphemia series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix, is 99cents for a limited time

The Crusader's Kiss, book three of the Champions of St. Euphemia series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix

Bartholomewburns to avenge the past—until Anna gives him a future…

Bartholomew returns to England to avenge his parents and reclaim his stolen legacy, only to be challenged by a band of thieves in the woods of the estate that was once his home. He captures the bold leader, only to discover that she is a maiden in disguise, with the wit and audacity that seizes his attention. He suggests a mock marriage to gain access to the keep, never guessing the union will tempt them both to desire more—but can Bartholomew trust a woman who survives by deception?

Anna wants only justice for the people of Haynesdale, no matter what the price, and does not welcome the interference of a foreign knight, however handsome he might be. Bartholomew could be a useful ally, if only she could be certain of his goals. Is this maddening and charming knight just using her to learn all she knows of the holding’s history for some mysterious cause?

When Bartholomew’s identity as the lost heir of Haynesdale is revealed, he becomes the prey of those who destroyed his family. Can he and Anna forget their distrust and work together for the future of Haynesdale—and their dawning love?

Buy The Crusader’s Kiss ebook:

Buy directly from the author at Hazel & Honeysuckle Press and have your ebook delivered via BookFunnel

New at Hazel & Honeysuckle Press for 2026

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Deborah Cooke

A new year is a good opportunity for change. Now that my online store lists most of my books, it’s time to do more there.

In 2026, I’ll be featuring a book (or audiobook) each week at my online store, Hazel & Honeysuckle Press. Subscribers to the H&H newsletter will receive an email each Monday, sharing the feature and a discount code for subscribers to save on that title.

You need the code to get the deal. It’s that simple.

Audiobooks and e-books purchased in the store are delivered by BookFunnel, and stored in your BookFunnel library forever. Learn more about BookFunnel for readers right here.

You can subscribe to the Hazel & Honeysuckle Press newsletter in the store. There’s a pop-up form in the store that will appear while you’re browsing, or you can use the banner at the top of the home page to sign up. (Both appear after 15 seconds.) You can also sign up when you make a purchase or download a free book.

No matter how you sign up, please be sure to check your email for a confirmation message and confirm your subscription.

Visit my online store, Hazel & Honeysuckle Press, to sign up today! The fun begins on January 5.

If you want to try out the BookFunnel delivery, “buy” a free ebook in the store to see how it works.

Free Book Blast Today!

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Deborah Cooke

Today’s the day for the huge multi-author promotion at Romance BookWorms. There are over 1000 books free for download, for one day only – today! You’ll find The Beauty among the offerings and many more books, too.

Hurry on over to the landing page so you don’t miss out!

The Beauty is FR33!

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Deborah Cooke

I’m closing out 2025 with a sale – The Beauty is a free read through December 29! Angus and Jacqueline’s book hasn’t been free before, so here’s your chance to grab my first NYT bestselling title at a very special price.

The Beauty, #5 of the Bride Quest series of medieval romances by Claire Delacroix

Certain she will never wed for love, sworn to let no man possess her for her beauty alone, Jacqueline de Crevy has vowed to become a bride of God. But en route to the convent of Inveresbeinn, her party is ambushed by a knight, who snatches Jacqueline from her saddle and spirits her away with him.

He is Angus MacGillivray—not the black-hearted ravisher she fears but a valiant man of honor who has returned to Scotland seeking justice…and revenge. Angus has come home from the Crusades to find his family murdered and his birthright seized. Sworn to reclaim his rightful lands, he has kidnapped the stepdaughter of Duncan, chieftain of Clan MacQuarrie — Angus’s avowed enemy.

But his lovely captive refuses to be the chattel—or ransom—of any man…until Jacqueline senses the yearning heart beneath Angus’s embittered facade. In spite of himself, Angus has let this defiant beauty touch his very soul. And as desire flames between them, a lady fair and her battle-scarred knight will fight for a love that could banish all the sorrows of the past…

“With its well-drawn background and escalating sexual tension, The Beauty is a tale to warm a winter’s night.”
Romantic Times

New Bride Quest Audiobooks

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Deborah Cooke

Amazon introduced a new auto-narrated audiobook feature recently, and I decided to try it out for The Bride Quest series. These audiobooks are available at Amazon and Audible, on their US sites only. This is a new feature so it may perk out to other geos later.

I have mixed feelings about auto-narrated, or AI-narrated audiobooks. As much as I love hiring a human narrator to perform the audio edition of any of my books, the production costs are very high. I don’t think I’ve earned back that investment on any of my audiobooks. On the other hand, these editions are more economical to produce, though they lack the perfomance aspect offered by a human narrator. It is said that some people prefer them for that reason.

The other nice thing (for consumers) is that Amz offers the audiobooks created this way as a bundle with the ebook – it’s only $1.99 more to get the audio as well as the ebook. There are pricing restrictions, and the lowest price I can set is $3.99, which is high for the novella and short story at the end of the series.

I have used the auto-narrate option at Google for audiobooks and several of my Dragonfire Novels are available that way. Unlike the auto-narrated at Google, these ones can’t be downloaded and published elsewhere – they end up being Amz exclusives. Like the Google ones, the script for the audio is generated from the ebook – unlike the interface at Google, the text can’t be edited at Amazon. Pronunciations can be adjusted and pauses can be inserted. I really like being able to edit the text at Google, but there you go. Each portal has their rules. 🙂

If you are an audiobook fan, have a listen and let me know what you think.

The audiobook covers, in this case, are the same as the ebook covers.