The Crusader’s Bride is FR33

The Crusader’s Bride, book one of the Champions of St. Euphemia series of medieval romances is a free read through the end of November. Book two in the series, The Crusader’s Heart, is discounted to $2.99US for the same period.

If Gaston and Ysmaine’s story is not free at Amazon in your geo, you can get your free copy from my online store.

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

Gaston battled for duty and honor—until Ysmaine tempted him to fight for her love…

When the Templar knight Gaston unexpectedly inherits his family estate, he knows he needs a wife and heir. A marriage of convenience to a widow in need of assistance is a practical solution and the newly-wed pair leave Jerusalem, entrusted with the delivery of a package for the Templars. Away from the life he has known for years, Gaston quickly realizes that little is following his plan—especially his mysterious wife, whose presence awakens an unexpected fire…

Twice widowed, Ysmaine doubts she will ever wed again, let alone have a marriage of merit—until she is charmed by the gruff knight intent upon defending her. Ysmaine weds again, not only by her own choice but to a warrior whose honor she admires. She is determined to show Gaston that marriage has more to offer them both than an heir, but first she must win the trust of the wary man she has impulsively wed…

Neither realize that Gaston has been entrusted with the treasure of the Templars—much less that someone in their small party is intent upon claiming the prize at any cost. In a company of strangers with secrets, can Gaston dare to trust his new bride? Can Ysmaine convince Gaston to confide what he knows? Can they solve the riddle together before the villain’s plan comes to fruition and all is lost?


Buy The Crusader’s Bride ebook:

Buy directly from the author and have your ebook delivered by BookFunnel
The Crusader's Bride tropes, shown with 2025 special hardcover edition

The Beauty is FR33!

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

The Christmas Conquest is Free!

The Christmas Conquest, book one of the Ladies’ Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction series of Regency romances, is free through the end of this year.

Although I added the epilogue, Upon a Midnight Clear, into the book file a year and a half ago, it appears that Amazon is still delivering the original file. (People are still downloading the epilogue.) So, if you’d like both book and epilogue in one file, get the copy for your Kindle from my online store.

The Christmas Conquest, book one of Claire Delacroix's Regency romance series the Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction, is a free read for a limited time
The Christmas Conquest, a Regency romance novella by Claire Delacroix

Love was not part of the plan when this marriage was arranged…

Rhys Bettencourt, Baron Trevelaine, had every intention of avoiding his family’s curse. An arranged marriage to a plain bluestocking of fortune should have ensured the provision of at least one heir. After all, it was beloved Bettencourt wives who always died in childbirth. But practical Catherine undermined her husband’s scheme by stealing his heart. The only way for Rhys to protect her is to deny them both physical satisfaction, against his own desires.


Catherine Carruthers was content to wed for practical considerations and accept an arranged marriage to please her family. Two years later, though, Catherine is certain that her dashing aristocrat of a husband regrets his choice and that her marriage will never be more. She accepts an invitation to Rockmorton Manor for Christmas to decide whether to leave Rhys and return to her father’s house. Upon arrival, though, Catherine discovers pages of sensual advice left in her room—as well as Rhys determined to convince her to stay. Can their marriage be saved?


Armed with information and with little to lose, Catherine embarks upon a campaign of seduction that Rhys is powerless to resist—even as he fears for Catherine’s fate if he surrenders to temptation. Caught between love and the wretched curse, can Rhys find a way to keep his cherished wife safely by his side?

Buy the ebook:

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

Upon a Midnight Clear, bonus epilogue to The Christmas Conquest, book one of The Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction book one, by Claire Delacroix

Rhys and Catherine’s story has a bonus epilogue, which was originally available to my newsletter subscribers, called Upon a Midnight Clear. On September 28, 2023, the bonus epilogue was added into the ebook of The Christmas Conquest.

If you bought The Christmas Conquest after that date, you’ll get both.

If you bought The Christmas Conquest before that date, your portal of choice might offer an updated version, or you can download if from BookFunnel using the link below.

If you have the older version or the newsletter signup version, that link should still work.


Buy The Christmas Conquest in mass market paperback.

This edition includes Upon a Midnight Clear.

Buy directly from the author at Hazel & Honeysuckle Press and get your book signed

The Christmas Conquest is Free!

The Christmas Conquest, book one of the Ladies’ Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction series of Regency romances, is free through the end of May. If you haven’t begun this series yet, now’s the perfect opportunity – book six, The Duke’s Desire, will be published in May.

I’ve changed the price in my online store as well as at the retailers. Although I added the epilogue, Upon a Midnight Clear, into the book file a year and a half ago, it appears that Amazon is still delivering the original file. (People are still downloading the epilogue.) So, if you’d like both book and epilogue in one file, get the copy for your Kindle from my online store.

Also, I’m learning how to do cool things in the store – for example, if you put The Christmas Conquest in your cart, then go to your cart, you’ll see an offer to buy the rest of the series to date at a discounted price. This bundle will be delivered as individual books, but they’ll all be delivered at the same time. I really like this and will set up more of these offers in future.

The store is set up in Canadian dollars. It also detects the location of your ISP and will invite you to change the displayed currency based on that location. Instead of me setting territorial prices, they’ll be converted in real time. I’m curious to see how well that works out or whether it will need a tweak.

The Christmas Conquest, book one of Claire Delacroix's Regency romance series the Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction, is a free read for a limited time
The Christmas Conquest, a Regency romance novella by Claire Delacroix

Love was not part of the plan when this marriage was arranged…

Rhys Bettencourt, Baron Trevelaine, had every intention of avoiding his family’s curse. An arranged marriage to a plain bluestocking of fortune should have ensured the provision of at least one heir. After all, it was beloved Bettencourt wives who always died in childbirth. But practical Catherine undermined her husband’s scheme by stealing his heart. The only way for Rhys to protect her is to deny them both physical satisfaction, against his own desires.


Catherine Carruthers was content to wed for practical considerations and accept an arranged marriage to please her family. Two years later, though, Catherine is certain that her dashing aristocrat of a husband regrets his choice and that her marriage will never be more. She accepts an invitation to Rockmorton Manor for Christmas to decide whether to leave Rhys and return to her father’s house. Upon arrival, though, Catherine discovers pages of sensual advice left in her room—as well as Rhys determined to convince her to stay. Can their marriage be saved?


Armed with information and with little to lose, Catherine embarks upon a campaign of seduction that Rhys is powerless to resist—even as he fears for Catherine’s fate if he surrenders to temptation. Caught between love and the wretched curse, can Rhys find a way to keep his cherished wife safely by his side?

Buy the ebook:

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

Upon a Midnight Clear, bonus epilogue to The Christmas Conquest, book one of The Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction book one, by Claire Delacroix

Rhys and Catherine’s story has a bonus epilogue, which was originally available to my newsletter subscribers, called Upon a Midnight Clear. On September 28, 2023, the bonus epilogue was added into the ebook of The Christmas Conquest.

If you bought The Christmas Conquest after that date, you’ll get both.

If you bought The Christmas Conquest before that date, your portal of choice might offer an updated version, or you can download if from BookFunnel using the link below.

If you have the older version or the newsletter signup version, that link should still work.


Buy The Christmas Conquest in mass market paperback.

This edition includes Upon a Midnight Clear.

Buy directly from the author at Hazel & Honeysuckle Press and get your book signed

The Christmas Conquest BookBub Featured Deal Results

Yesterday, I had a BookBub Featured Deal for The Christmas Conquest as a free read.

The Christmas Conquest BookBub Featured Deal September 8, 2024

This book has never been free before and it’s a series starter, so the results were great.

At Amazon.com, the book rose to #1 in three categories and #6 overall in the store:

The Christmas Conquest at #5 free in the Amazon.com store, #1 in Regency Romance, #1 in Holiday Romance and #1 in Victorian Romance at Amazon.com September 9, 2024

By the time I grabbed a screen shot of the top free books, it had slipped to #6 overall. It always makes me happy to see historical romances break into the top ten listings. 🙂

The Christmas Conquest at #6 free in the Amazon.com store, #1 in Regency Romance, #1 in Holiday Romance and #1 in Victorian Romance at Amazon.com September 9, 2024

Here it is at #1 in Regency Romance:

The Christmas Conquest at #1 in Regency Historical Romance at Amazon.com September 9, 2024

It was also #1 in Holiday Romance:

The Christmas Conquest at #1 in Holiday Romance at Amazon.com September 9, 2024

And #1 in Victorian Romance:

The Christmas Conquest at #1 in Victorian Historical Romance at Amazon.com September 9, 2024

At Apple, results were also impressive. The Christmas Conquest rose to #7 overall in the Apple store.

The Christmas Conquest at #7 overall free in the Apple store, September 9. 2024

And it was #5 free in Romance in the Apple store. Once again, it’s great to see an historical romance that high in the rankings:

The Christmas Conquest at #5 free in Romance in the Apple store September 9, 2024

Nook and GooglePlay don’t feature a ranking for free reads, while KOBO’s free reads are chosen by their editors, not determined by rank. The book did well yesterday at those portals, too, although I can’t show you any pictures to illustrate results. It did really well at KOBO, actually.

The Christmas Conquest is free through the end of September, so if you haven’t grabbed your free copy of Rhys and Catherine’s story, be sure you don’t miss this deal.

The Christmas Conquest, a Regency romance novella by Claire Delacroix

Love was not part of the plan when this marriage was arranged…

Rhys Bettencourt, Baron Trevelaine, had every intention of avoiding his family’s curse. An arranged marriage to a plain bluestocking of fortune should have ensured the provision of at least one heir. After all, it was beloved Bettencourt wives who always died in childbirth. But practical Catherine undermined her husband’s scheme by stealing his heart. The only way for Rhys to protect her is to deny them both physical satisfaction, against his own desires.


Catherine Carruthers was content to wed for practical considerations and accept an arranged marriage to please her family. Two years later, though, Catherine is certain that her dashing aristocrat of a husband regrets his choice and that her marriage will never be more. She accepts an invitation to Rockmorton Manor for Christmas to decide whether to leave Rhys and return to her father’s house. Upon arrival, though, Catherine discovers pages of sensual advice left in her room—as well as Rhys determined to convince her to stay. Can their marriage be saved?


Armed with information and with little to lose, Catherine embarks upon a campaign of seduction that Rhys is powerless to resist—even as he fears for Catherine’s fate if he surrenders to temptation. Caught between love and the wretched curse, can Rhys find a way to keep his cherished wife safely by his side?

Buy the ebook:


Upon a Midnight Clear, bonus epilogue to The Christmas Conquest, book one of The Ladies' Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction book one, by Claire Delacroix

Rhys and Catherine’s story has a bonus epilogue, which was originally available to my newsletter subscribers, called Upon a Midnight Clear. On September 28, 2023, the bonus epilogue was added into the ebook of The Christmas Conquest.

If you bought The Christmas Conquest after that date, you’ll get both.

If you bought The Christmas Conquest before that date, your portal of choice might offer an updated version, or you can download if from BookFunnel using the link below.

If you have the older version or the newsletter signup version, that link should still work.