Here's the blurb:
When Miss Sarah McLean causes a scandal in Boston, her father takes her to London in search of a husband.
At her first party, Sarah insults Lord Amherst who takes her
over his knee to spank some manners into her. When his actions come to
light, Sarah's father offers him a choice: Marry Sarah or send her back to
America where she has no prospects for a husband.
Intrigued by the spirited Yankee Girl, Lord Amherst
proposes.
Despite the circumstances of their marriage, Sarah and
Jeffrey form a bond and appear headed for a bright future.
That is, until Sarah pretends to be someone she's not.
And now, here is this week's snippet. Sarah and Jeffrey are discussing their imminent marriage.
“Do you understand all that is entailed in being Lady Amherst?”
he asked.
I stuttered
and stammered and stared. “Are you referring to…to…my
wifely duties?” I longed
to run to my bedchamber and bury my head in a bowl of cold water to extinguish
the flush of sheer embarrassment burning my face.
Lord Amherst closed the gap between us on the
settee, rested his hand on my shoulder, slid his fingers around the nape of
my neck and stroked me there. The warmth of his caress infiltrated my body, and
I relaxed. Touching
my chin, he tipped my face up, leaving me no choice but to stare directly into
his eyes--- the corners of his mouth lifted in a small, sweet smile. “Do not be
afraid, my little Yankee, for I shall take tender care of you. I want us both to be happy in this marriage,
including our marriage bed.”
I think you have hit your stride. You do Regency so well, a nice blend of romance and DD. As to the title, I'm tied between His Yankee Girl and Becoming Lady Amherst.
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at choosing titles but His Yankee Girl gets my nod.
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt.
I like the snippet - I think I like him. I'm horrible on choosing titles for my work, but I think I like Becoming Lady Amherst.
ReplyDeleteI loved "bury my head in a bowl of cold water." That's so perfect. This is going to be a great book. As Cara said, you've "hit your stride."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great snippet. Personally I like "Becoming A Proper Lady" but all are good titles for this story.
ReplyDeleteLove your writing and this snippet. I realize that he calls her his Yankee girl and in the context of the story I think it's cute, but (and this may not sound PC) I am a Southern girl and if I was clicking through books on Amazon I would pass right over a book had the word Yankee in its title, and I'm positive I'm not alone in that. For an entire region of the USA that word has a negative association. To us it's like a synonym for Carpetbaggers.
ReplyDeleteEven though that's not the context in which you are using the word, that is the way Southerners understand it and I fear lots of people would reject a book called Yankee Girl. You know how quickly people can be influenced by a title or a cover they either like or dislike.
I'm gathering you don't know this and unless you live in the South you probably wouldn't. I'm certainly not being political just trying to give you some insight you might not otherwise have had.
Oh...good info, Normandie! Thanks so much. I was thinking that Yankee would sound like a story set in the American Revolution, but I could see someone else thinking it was even completely different from that. Thanks so much. I don't want to pour my sweat into this book and then have a title that turns readers off.
DeleteI so did NOT want to be a wet blanket, but I had to say something because I want everyone to buy your book! And please come promo it at my place when it comes out. :)
DeleteLoved this snippet Celeste and I agree with so many here that you are indeed coming into your own... I personally like "Becoming Lady Amherst" -as it annotates so much into both the discipline side and the awareness of self... Wishing you much success with this... *smile*
ReplyDeleteAs a reader I would agree with Normandie Alleman. I'm a southern girl and my first thought when reading the title was not positive. I did like becoming Lady Amerherst though. I think it portrays the transition she will take to become what her lord wants. I do love your writing and am looking forward to the book.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd go with Becoming Lady Amherst (after reading Normandie's comment). Totally hadn't thought of that. Nice snippet!
ReplyDeleteAww, Lord Amherst sounds sweet! I like Becoming Lady Amherst. Mention of Yankee makes me think of baseball and the stupid Yankees.
ReplyDeleteI love the snippet and I'm fond of "Becoming a Proper Lady"
ReplyDelete