Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (YA)
Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig (YA)
Emry Merlin by Robyn Schneider (YA)
One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny
The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi
Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (YA)
Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig (YA)
Emry Merlin by Robyn Schneider (YA)
One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny
The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi
Today on the site we’re revealing the cover of A Lady to Treasure by Marianne Ratcliffe, an f/f Regency Romance releasing from Bellows Press on October 15, 2023! Here’s the story:
Louisa Silverton is the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, brought up to believe a healthy profit is the only route to happiness. With the family company over-leveraged and in need of a capital injection, she travels to England to find a rich husband.
The Honourable Miss Sarah Davenport has no time for romance. The family estate of Kenilborough is mired in debt and only she can save it. Unconventional and outspoken, Sarah is dismayed that somebody as intelligent and attractive as Louisa is willing to sacrifice herself for financial gain.
As Louisa pursues her campaign, Sarah realises her objections to the project run deeper than mere principles. At the same time, Louisa finds herself captivated by Sarah’s independent spirit. Yet to indulge their unexpected passion would surely mean the ruin of both their families. Bound by duty, will they ever be free to follow their hearts?
And here’s the lovely cover, by Matt Maguire at Candescent Press!
Buy it: Amazon UK | Waterstones
But wait, there’s more! Here’s an excerpt from Her Lady to Treasure!
The maid took Louisa out through the kitchen gardens and into a walled orchard, gesturing vaguely towards the back wall before returning to the house. There was no path, although a line of beaten-down grass between two rows of apple trees indicated where others had passed. Louisa followed it, ducking beneath boughs that drooped under the weight of ripe fruit. The dewy grass plucked at the hem of her cotton dress which was quite sodden by the time she reached a handcart full of ripe apples. This was manned by a young boy and girl, both barefoot and wearing smocks with frayed seams. A half-filled reed basket lay by their feet and apples rained down from the tree above. The children found this a great game, giggling as they caught the apples and placed them in the basket.
Louisa peered up into the branches. A pair of legs encased in close-fitting buckskin pantaloons, tucked into riding boots with a brown roll top, balanced on one of the branches. The soles of the boots had been patched in several places and the leather above was cracked and grey. They were a woman’s legs, she realised in surprise. Although slender and firm, they were too shapely to be those of a man. Distracted by such a shocking sight, Louisa did not notice a stray red orb flying towards her. It struck her on her forehead, just beneath the hairline.
‘Ow!’ she yelped in shock, clasping her hand to her brow. The torrent of apples ceased abruptly, and the owner of the boots swung herself down in one easy motion, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Above the pantaloons, the woman wore a linen shirt with sleeves rolled up above the elbows, her front covered by a rumpled apron. She had brown hair, a few shades lighter than Louisa’s, pulled into a simple knot from which several strands had sprung free. Her face, although not delicate enough to be called pretty, was striking, with a firm, square jaw and arrestingly blue eyes.
‘Good heavens, I didn’t see you there. Are you hurt?’
‘The Honourable Sarah Davenport, I presume?’ said Louisa, still holding her hand to her forehead.
‘That title is not generally spoken, but I shall not hold it against you. Miss Davenport will do fine, or Sarah if you prefer.’
‘But Lady Kenilborough―’
‘My stepmother constantly reminds anyone within hearing of my rank, in the vain hope that one day I shall start to behave like a lady.’
***
Marianne Ratcliffe grew up in Lincolnshire. A biochemist by training, she has always found creating new worlds and interesting characters every bit as rewarding as discoveries at a laboratory bench. She has had short stories published in literary magazines and was runner-up in the Guildford Book Festival short story competition in 2010. In 2017, redundancy spurred her to focus on creative writing, and she published her debut novel, The Secret of Matterdale Hall, with Bellows Press in 2022. Marianne lives in Cheshire with her wife and two dogs.
So Forward by Mina V. Esguerra (bi m/f contemporary romance, $1.99)
Things Hoped For by Chencia C. Higgins (f/f contemporary romance, $2.99)
Set the Stage by Daniel De Lorne (m/m contemporary romance, $3.99)
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (f/f historical romance, $3.99)
Trouble & Strife by Lara Kinsey (bi m/f historical romance, $3.99)
Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters (Contemporary f/f Romance, $4.99)
Links are Amazon affiliate. Using them helps earn a small percentage of income for the site, so please do!
Historical f/f Romance (especially Regency) is definitely having a moment, and whether or not it sounds like your jam, I submit The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite as the title that will tell you for sure. It’s smart and sexy, but my favorite thing about it is the way both heroines are passionate about not just each other but their personal skills. It feels groundbreaking and defiant while being beautifully queer, and there’s no better time to pick it up because the second in the series, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, releases later this month!
As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.
Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.
While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | iBooks |
Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles (m/m historical romance, $3.99)
Starcrossed by Allie Therin (m/m historical fantasy romance, $4.99)
The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M. Cameron (f/f contemporary romance, $4.99)
Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon (m/m contemporary romance, $4.99)
Sugar Summer by Hannah Moskowitz (f/f YA contemporary romance, $3.99)
Inked with a Kiss by Jennie Davids (f/f contemporary romance, $3.99)
Three to Love by Rebel Carter (m/m/f historical romance, $3.99)
All links are Amazon affiliate. Using them for your purchase earns a small percentage of income for the site.
All links are Amazon affiliate and earn a small percentage for the site.
The Blundering Billionaire by Chace Verity (cis m/trans f contemporary Romance short, $0.99)
Gifts of Spring by Shira Glassman (cis m/trans f Historical Fantasy Romance story, $1.49)
The Edge of the World by Garrett Leigh (m/m contemporary Romance, $4.99)
Bitter Pill by Jordan Castillo Price (m/m Urban Fantasy, $4.99)
The Doctor’s Discretion by E.E. Ottoman (1831)
Lilies of the Bowery by Lily R. Mason (1914)
Spellbound by Allie Therin (1925)
Undiscovered Country by Kelly O’Connor McNees (1932)
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian (1989)
The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
A Lady’s Desire by Lily Maxton
Spring Flowering by Farah Mendelsohn
Pembroke Park by Michelle Martin
My Lady’s Lover by Nicola Davidson
Bonus: Coming up August 6, try A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian!
Double Bonus: These are all realistic fiction, but for historical fantasy set during the regency, try Graveyard Sparrow by Kayla Bashe!
Historical romance fans, take note! Allie Therin’s Prohibition-era m/m, Spellbound, releases today, and if for any reason you’re on the fence about picking it up, we’ve got an excerpt to help you make the right choice!
To save Manhattan, they’ll have to save each other first…
1925
New York
Arthur Kenzie’s life’s work is protecting the world from the supernatural relics that could destroy it. When an amulet with the power to control the tides is shipped to New York, he must intercept it before it can be used to devastating effects. This time, in order to succeed, he needs a powerful psychometric…and the only one available has sworn off his abilities altogether.
Rory Brodigan’s gift comes with great risk. To protect himself, he’s become a recluse, redirecting his magic to find counterfeit antiques. But with the city’s fate hanging in the balance, he can’t force himself to say no.
Being with Arthur is dangerous, but Rory’s ever-growing attraction to him begins to make him brave. And as Arthur coaxes him out of seclusion, a magical and emotional bond begins to form. One that proves impossible to break—even when Arthur sacrifices himself to keep Rory safe and Rory must risk everything to save him.
Get your excerpt here!
Rory burst through the shop’s side door into the brownstone’s lobby, where a handful of people were smoking cigarettes and checking their mail. Ignoring them, he snatched up the party-line telephone and bit out the exchange and number for the operator.
The call was answered on the second ring. “This is Arthur Kenzie.”
Kenzie’s voice was deep and confident and he had a ritzy accent, like he hadn’t always lived in America. It was unquestionably sexy and that only pissed Rory off more. “You think `cause you got money you can stomp all over us?”
All heads in the lobby turned his way. In his ear, Kenzie sounded very unimpressed as he said, “I beg your pardon—”
“How dare you give Mrs. Brodigan that—that thing.”
There was a barely perceptible intake of breath. “Who is this?” Kenzie’s voice had gone sharp.
“We don’t appraise weapons!” Rory’s heated shout nearly sent his broken glasses tumbling off his face.
“Where’s Mrs. Brodigan?” Kenzie demanded. “Why do you know about the ring—”
“That’s no ring. Whatever that piece of hell is, you’re taking it back.”
“But—”
“Keep your job, keep your money, and keep the hell away from us. You’ll get your monster back tomorrow and I better never hear your fucking name again.”
Rory slammed the receiver back on the cradle. He stood for a moment of righteous anger—then slumped as all the fight left him in a rush.
That…might have been a bit harsh.
He hunched his shoulders, conscious of every pair of eyes in the lobby staring at him. He slouched as small as he could and slunk away from the phone—
When it suddenly rang.
Rory froze. His gaze landed on the phone. It rang again, the long-long-short ring that meant a call for the antiques shop. And no one else in the lobby was moving, all eyes staring at him, so finally he swallowed hard and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Don’t bother sending the ring back,” said Kenzie. “I’m coming to get it myself.”
***
About the Author: Allie Therin is a writer and avid reader of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance. She also is, or has been, a bookseller, an attorney, a Parks & Rec assistant, a boom operator, and a barista for one (embarrassing) day. She grew up in a tiny Pacific Northwest town with more bears than people, although the bears sadly would not practice Spanish with her.When not researching odd questions for her 1920s romance series, she loves to connect with other readers and writers. Come say hi on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook or at allietherin.com!