A nibble of LORD APPLEBY'S GORGEOUS IMPOSTER! Debuts 12/27! Not your average ballroom Regency!

Part of my historically accurate SCARLETT AFFAIRS series, IMPOSTER debuts this Friday.

This is not your average Regency ballroom romance, but a fast-paced drama of action and suspense. 

Here, a young woman is determined to solve the mystery of her missing and abducted sister...and what she learns demands new courage...and the help of a devoted man whom once she wanted and could not have.

BUY LINK: https://amzn.to/3Ag8tKA

Every spy has an assignment, a secret...and a woman he dare not love!

First 4 in this fabulous romantic suspense series!

To every spy comes an assignment he cannot refuse, a secret he cannot escape and a woman he dare not adore.

SCARLETT AFFAIRS weave the tales of those who struggle to end the menace of Bonaparte—and who vow to save the love they cannot live without!

Napoleon overruns Europe—and creates chaos for millions.

Scarlett Hawthorne runs her London-based trading company her father established on the Continent two decades ago. But her profits suffer since a little Corsican general has shot to power in France. Using her ties to royalty, business and military leaders everywhere, she vows to rid the world of Bonaparte—and employ her own agents as spies for the Crown.

But her agents are not only ruthless men but brilliant, beautiful women. All are poison to their enemies and nectar to their lovers. Each year around the globe, at every new turn by the wily French leader, Scarlett’s agents foil the man’s attempts to rule the world.

Each agent bears one loyalty—to the British Crown. Each swears two vows: to rid the world of Bonaparte and never to fall in love.

Scarlett knows that a good man may be hard to find. But the woman who helps him succeed is irresistible.

USA TODAY Bestselling author Cerise DeLand creates a series of spicy historical romances focused on her inimitable combination of eloquence, accurate historical detail—and actual events and unsolved mysteries of the years when Napoleon became the scourge of Europe and the world.

But her agents are not only ruthless men but brilliant, beautiful women. 

All are poison to their enemies and nectar to their lovers.

Be sure to read the first four in this 5 STAR rated series of romantic suspense!

BUY LINK: https://amzn.to/4clTGvi

Lord Ramsey's Red-Headed Ruin debuts September 26!

 I hope you will order it now that it is on pre-order. Remember it is only 99 cents,
but the price increases the day of debut!

Here in Ruin you read the companion novel to ALIBI!

I hope you enjoy them both!

BUY LINK: https://amzn.to/4d5xZzY

Today's bon bon: Come see my heroine's chateau in BECAUSE OF YOU in the Loire Valley! (My pictures)

 My heroine's home in France is a gorgeous place. I set it in the Normandy region, near Rouen. I had the pleasure of going there last year and took pictures galore. I've also traveled extensively in the Loire valley where many famous chateaux dot the river. I have combined many of the features from various chateaux to create Marguerite Molyneaux's family home!

Here are a few for you. Do enlarge to enjoy. (They are mine so they are copyrighted material. Please do not share the pictures, only the blog!)

This is really Azay-le-Rideau in the Loire valley

 

 

 

Me, of course, in front of the great kitchen fireplace in Chenonceau in the Loire valley

The collection of copper cookware, Chenonceau, the kitchen

The great dining room, Azay-le-Rideau

The grand parlor, Azay-le-Rideau

 

 

Diane's bedroom, Chenonceau

Today's bon bon! First Kiss in IF I LOVED YOU, Matrimony Book #1!

Excerpt, IF I LOVED YOU. Copyright, 2023, Cerise DeLand.

Miles  had not known her for more than a few hours, but he’d seen her shock over such a sizable bequest. Certainly he could revel in the good fortune of anyone. But if she had suspicions about who had given her such a large inheritance and did not wish to discuss it with him, he could understand that, too. But her new-found gain, enough to support her at current standards in meager means for her lifetime, could lead her to break their agreement to marry. The possibility of losing her created an ache in his heart. A place he’d never expected to feel anything at all ever again. 

As they entered the Grosvenor Gate and passed the park wall, she strode more slowly and breathed more deeply. They took a turn on the path south and one glance at her told him she was more at ease.

“I hate to spoil your enjoyment,” he said, “but I think we should not walk here much longer. The shadows grow deeper.”

“You are right, of course.” She had her hands in her coat pockets as she stopped and spun toward him. “You have been very good to me today.”

He raised a hand, his smile wry. “No more gratitude, please. I am quite thanked.”

She stopped, faced him and tipped her head, suddenly the coquette, though to him, she did not seem to have planned the spontaneity of such an attitude. She was without guile—and he valued that unexpected characteristic more than he could ever have imagined.

“You are a darling man,” she said with an honesty that emphasized her simplicity and lack of artifice.

“You are kind to think so.” He remembered a few instances when the moniker he deserved was the opposite. Savage. Insane. Gullible. All came to mind in a rush of bile. 

She put her hands to his and held tightly. “Do you still want to marry a woman you barely know?”

“I’d like to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

She shook her head as if the whole idea were impossible. “Why? Why?”

“I want a wife. A friend. I am lonely. You seem a gentle soul. I think we would do well together.”

“I cannot imagine that you have not met a thousand young ladies you know better than me who would not make you a friend and wife because they do know you better.”

But they knew his past, too. His wife. “I would never find happiness with any I’ve met. They see me as the mill owner, a cit with a new title, an upstart viscount, too rich for his title. They also see me as a widower.” Not knowing I am more aggrieved than grieving. 

She stood immobile, only her large eyes searching his for what he would not reveal. “Did you love her?”

“When I married her, yes.”

“And do you miss her?”

“No.”

She nodded. “I see. Then your loneliness comes not from her lack.”

“No. It does not.”

She gulped. “Do you want children?”

He blinked and peered up at the deep blue clouds scudding across a darker moonlit sky. “I have not wished for that in many years. But now,” he said as he met her frank gaze, “I believe I would.”

She smiled as if he’d just given her the keys to the kingdom. “I would, too.”

He stepped closer to her, dropped her hands and cupped her shoulders. Her luscious curves fit into the planes of his suddenly very needy self. “Might we proceed to getting them?”

She arched her neck and let her eyes dance into his. “First we must be wed.”

“Will day after tomorrow do?”

“Quite well,” she said on a delighted laugh. “And then we must become better friends.”

He sent his fingers up into the heavy coil of hair at her nape. Her skin was as soft as charmeuse and her hair smelled of lavender. She’d been in his arms often today and her need had been great. Now, he would test to see if she might come for a new and startling reason. Might she come because she could want him? Want him as a man? As her lover?

She pulled back a little, a question on her plump lips. “Friends kiss.”

“They do,” he said with a smile that grew from a friend’s to a ravenous man’s. “Shall we?”

She studied his mouth and swallowed hard. “Oh, yes. From the moment I heard your voice on the Great North Road, I have wanted to know how you taste.”

“Well, then,” he said as he loomed over her lips, “we must not delay.”

 She circled her arms around his shoulders and pushed up on her toes. “Please don’t.”

The temptation to take her with all the ardor he bore her raged through him. He could not devour her like a satyr. He was a man who had foresworn passion and love. A man of reason and temperance. But then…

She put her lips to his, a brush of warm temptation. The sensation of her desire met the one of his quest as if two stars collided in the dark of night. Blinded by it, he groaned and caught her up. Her mouth was lush, and as his tongue invaded, he knew how hot her body was. How sweet. He swept the inside of her mouth and felt her complete surrender. This was what he’d craved. A woman who might love him.

He pulled away, breathless, cupping her cheek. “Darling, we must stop.”

In the shadows of the soft spring evening, she tipped her head and smiled at him. “You’ll kiss me again?”

“As often as you wish.”

There again was that sweet woman who drew him to her with the artless look of enchantment. “Must I tell you each time?”

“No,” he said on a laugh and hugged her close, then set her from him. “Only look at me like that, my darling, and I am yours.”

“As I am forever yours,” she said and put her arm in his to turn and walk home. 

BUY LINK:  https://amzn.to/3nkslpf

What to wear for mourning a king? George III dies in Jan. 1820!

When George III died January 29, 1820 in Windsor Castle, the Court sent out official orders two days later for members of the Court (his family, relatives, attendants et al.) and parts of the official government. This was "to begin upon Thursday, the 3rd day of February instant." 

Initially, everyone in the United Kingdom was to wear black. The mourning period, usually a full year after anyone's death, was extended in many finite ways after the death of a monarch.

In these two excerpts from a newspaper published days after his death, we see that clothing was specifically addressed. (Do enlarge the photos here so you can them.)

But I excerpt this for you:

"Ladies were to wear black bombazine, plain muslin or long lawn linens, crape hoods, shammy shoes and gloves and crape fans.

"Undress—Dark Norwich crape.

"The Gentlemen to wear back cloth, without buttons on the sleeves and pockets, plain muslin or long lawn cravats and weeps. shammy shoes, and gloves, crape headbands, and black swords and buckles.

"Undress—Dark grey frocks."

Specific instructions were issued by the Lord Chamberlain for:

Horse Guards: "...black crape over the ornamental part of the cap, the sword knot, and on the left arm. Officers on duty are to wear black gloves, black crape over the ornamental part of the cap...the sash covered in black crape, black gorget ribbon, and black crape scarf over the right shoulder.

The drums are to be covered with black...

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Admiralty Office: "...black crape on their left arms, hats, and scrod-knots...except at Court, when they are also to wear black waistcoats, breeches, stockings and buckles...

In addition, theaters were closed. Many shops closed too.

For three months, the Court held no public affairs. Balls and many social events were cancelled. The new King George IV, though not yet crowned, did not attend social functions. 

Gradations of mourning in terms of events one might hold or attend were normal. Three months, six months and then one year were the usual periods of mourning. Changes in the color and types of clothing changed with the periods.

Mourning for old King George III was particularly difficult for the Court and for all in the country because six days before one of his sons, the Duke of Kent who was Princess Victoria's father, had died of pneumonia.  He was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, February 12, 1820. For days later, February 16, 1820 was the day that George III was buried in the same chapel. 

Not until one year and half later is George III's son, the Prince Regent, crowned King George  IV.

In HIS NAUGHTY MAID, my heroine goes to the public celebrations for Coronation of George IV July 21, 1821. That official day-long event, long after mourning was ended for the previous monarch, was a lavish affair with week-long celebrations. It also cost the equivalent of MILLIONS of  British pounds!

Waterloo's heroes: men after our hearts in CHRISTMAS BELLES series! Debuts October 29

'Capture of the Eagle' by Royal Dragoons, 1815, Battle of Waterloo,
only capture of French Eagle by British cavalry.
By William Holmes Sullivan, 1898

Outfitting a Waterloo hero for my CHRISTMAS BELLES series I spent many hours combing pictures of Waterloo period memorabilia, diagrams and more!

Here are a few for your enjoyment. First, the Victorian era painting by William Holmes Sullivan of the 'Capture of the French Eagle' by the Royal Dragoons. A dashing scene, this depicts the impression Sullivan gave of the cavalry unit that brought home the only French Eagle from that famous battle at Waterloo in Belgium. This uniform is that of my hero in THE EARL'S WAGERED BRIDE, Book 1, of CHRISTMAS BELLES.  Here I imagine he looks like Luke Evans, but he is really Griffith Harlinger, Earl of Marsden! And yes, I really do have A Thing for Evans, so I show him to you in period and contemporary!

Luke Evans. Love the hair!

Luke Evans

Two friends travel with Griff from Paris to Brighton for the Christmas house party. One is Alastair Demerest, new Duke of Kingston,  Viscount Lowell, the hero of THE DUKE'S IMPETUOUS DARLING. This novella debuts in a box set with 5 other marvelous Regency authors. (I promise to post that book cover when it becomes available along with a buy link!)

Griff's other friend is Neville Vaughn, Viscount Bromley, a major in the Foot Guards, Coldstream Guards. Their uniform you see here too! Bromley is about to resign his commission and return home to his profitable estate. He hopes to take one of the charming Craymore sisters with him as his second wife! Look for him in THE VISCOUNT'S ONLY LOVE, BOOK 2. I imagine he resembles this charming man whom you know as actor Cillian Murphy.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this series is a man who is charmingly handsome, in his mid-thirties, and is recently hired by the Countess of Marsden, Griff's widowed step-mama. Not only is Simms, the butler, (that's Octavian Simms please) droll, dapper and decidedly opinionated, but he spouts quotes of Shakespeare at any opportune moment. and like any self-respecting butler, he knows everyone everywhere, even the staff at Prinny's Royal Pavilion. And who, pray tell, represents Simms in our modern era? Why this super(b) man, of course. Another heart-throb, Henry Cavill! Just where did Simms acquire his marvelous education? And why, for heaven sakes, is he in service?

Cillian Murphy, or Neville Vaughn, Viscount Bromley

Henry Cavill or Octavian Simms,
Marsden Hall's butler

2nd Regiment of Foot Guards, 
Coldstream Guards
Uniforms

Uniforms of various Regiments,
Waterloo, 1815. Note #1 and #2 Dragoons.

Do you see RED? Color in fashion in Regency romances! What great-great-grandma wore!

This charming number is dated approximately 1810
 and sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

Creating fashion in our novels, we authors like to give stunning visuals. Sometimes, those require more research than we’d hope!

Recently on the Beau Monde RWA writers loop, we discussed the color red, the dyes and fabrics that could have existed at the time.

Here from one of my large references on fashion (let that read TOME), I thought it fun to list for you the very limited number of shades of red for that period! Note, too, that many come from the latter part of the period which is not officially the Regency, but indeed the late reign of George IV, once that notorious man, the Prince of Wales.

So this table reads as: the title of the color, the year the term was first used, the modern color description/name as per the British Color Council! (In alpha order!)

Aurora, 1809. Chilli.

Aurora, 1829.  Shell-Pink.

Eminence, 1829.  Crushed Strawberry.

Japanese Rose, 1826.  Crushed Strawberry.

Marsh Mallow, 1829. Crocus or Old Rose.

Morone, 1811. Peony Red.

Naccarat, 1800. Tangerine.

Terre D’Egypt, 1824. Brick Red.

What does this imply? That blood red, ruby red, cherry red and many more were not possible in this period. So when you read that your heroine wears a bright red gown to the ball, beware, she may not have been at all!

Historical Fiction is your reading addiction? Enter to win Kindle Fire + 45 novels!

Today, I open a fabulous contest! You can win a GRAND PRIZE of a KINDLE FIRE plus my novel HER BEGUILING BUTLER and 45 novels from other authors like Rachel Anderson, Eleanor Meyers and Caroline Warfield!

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://www.booksweeps.com/enter-win-50-historical-fiction-books-feb-17/

Good luck, and enjoy!

SEALS, Soldiers, Delta Force and American Nurses who served in France during World War I! Cerise declares Military Month on her blog!

     November 11 we mark nearly a century since the end of the first WORLD WAR. Here in the States we tend to call it World War One. In Europe, they term it the Great War. "The war to end all wars" was not that at all.
     And so we mark November 11 each year to honor our war dead, our disabled military and our loved ones, lost in times of combat.
     For the next month, I will honor the military the way many of my author colleagues do all year long—by writing about them.
     I'll remind you of great romances by my pals and my own stories, too.

     I hope you will support my wonderful, talented colleagues just as you gain hours of enjoyment about those who serve.
     Among those who served, I will tell you about the women who served too. Twenty-one thousand women whom you have never heard of, those who volunteered to nurse American Doughboys in France, are those I will tell you about.
    In my other name, I write historicals of a different note.     HEROIC MEASURES recounts the story of thousands of women who become the Army Nurse Corps. This novel I researched for years at various facilities in the US and abroad in France. It comes with glowing reviews from the Army, other branches of the military, from nursing organizations and from readers. I hope you will buy this and enjoy it. It is available in digital and paperback. Please leave a review, too.
    If you would like to learn more about these courageous women who earned half what an Army private did and who worked 12-24-36 hours a day sometimes knee-deep in mud, please go to my blog about them, http://theyalsofought.blogspot.com

HEROIC MEASURES
In 1917, one young woman volunteers to nurse wounded Doughboys in France. Sailing far from home, working around the clock in a foreign land, she learns that courage takes on new meanings and comes in extraordinary forms. When she discovers love amid the chaos, she finds yet another way to define courage. And when the war ends and she sees that she is a different person from the one who volunteered, she learns the true meaning of courage and embraces new heroic measures of her own. 

Amazon:

http://amzn.to/1dWojVz  digital

http://amzn.to/1f30XAx   print

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heroic-measures-jo-ann-power/1117014178?ean=2940148469186

Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/heroic-measures-1#readThisOn 

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/heroic-measures/id719986822?mt=11&ls=1

Allromanceebooks.com :  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heroicmeasures-1310153-162.html

Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=209&products_id=5334

4 Stanhope men find women they adore, but can they marry them? #Regency #romance #boxset by Cerise DeLand 99 Cents!

AMAZON BUY LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCJR1MY/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb
ARe BUY LINK:

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thestanhopechallengeregencyquartet4regencyromances-1666892-166.htm

What's better than one Regency?

Four in one set, that's what! And to top that off, all four novellas star heroes who are brothers!

The heir, the spare who is the dashing Army hero, the politician and finally, the bastard of the family—are the stars.

In the Stanhope family, three young men and their half-brother who is part American all have the same reluctance to marry.

Why?

Because there is a family curse brought on centuries ago when Charles II, roué that he was, tempted a Stanhope bride into his bed. She loved her husband and didn't want to be seduced but politics being what they were, her husband agreed and off she went to Charles's bed. The marriage soured.
And ever since, no Stanhope man who has loved his wife has ever had a happy marriage with her.

Least of all the current earl! He was, you see, a rogue of the first water, seducing whomever he choose. Though he claims to this day to have loved every woman he ever bedded and married, each of them died soon afterward.

So as we begin The Stanhope Challenge, we see that the current crop of male Stanhopes not only have the Curse working against them, but they fear for the lives of the women they adore.

Come celebrate love and life and the persistence of men in love as I re-release the revised and expanded series that sat on 4 best seller lists for many many months!

When will the box set be out?

Monday, November 10! And for an introductory price of 99 cents!

Cerise loves #Paris! Come #travel with me! Part One!

Saint Chappelle built by
Louis IX
an exquisite elaborate confection
in mid Paris

So many of you know I DIG history. I love, love, heart it and try to give everyone a flavor of the Real Deal in my Regencies and my Medievals.

But I also luv to travel and when I do, I soak up the real deals and find those kernels to put into my novels.  Always when doing that, it is soooo vital to refrain from telling all—or as hubby puts it, NOT hang the draperies. (As in, I don't want to know the color, the texture of the drapes unless, of course, they are the green velvet drapes in Scarlett's drawing room and she has no clothes with which to tempt Rhett...and you get me!)

So. In that effort to entertain you with my travels...and later my stories, I have just returned from 2 glorious weeks in Paris. Two. WEEKS.
Yes, ma cherie e mon cher, I went, I saw, I ate, I walked, I lost 2 inches....

But here for your reading pleasure are a few introductory tidbits, for your eyes and heart and soul's satisfaction.

I will take you with me in the coming days on my travels via my copious pictures. With their historic significance attached. Some of which I will use in intriguing new ways in my forthcoming novels for your pleasure.

Laduree, Restaurant on Champs Elysee
where they also make Macaroons

So do return here!

Basically, what did we do in our two weeks in Paris?

Well! We went out of our rented apartment in Montmarte every day. EVERY day. Rain or shine. Ran between the rain drops, soaked up the Metro and the bullet train experiences and went to a different exciting place. Cathedrals, castles, palaces, chateaux, museums, city places, and yes, restaurants for hot chocolate that coats your tongue with creamy goodness and cafe au lait that does the same.

Escargots. Lamb. Onion tart. (Really? Yes!) Linguine with escargots, shallots and truffles in a divine cream sauce. And yes, and there is more!

Charles de Gaulle
astride the Place de la Concorde

Pictures?
Here is a wild sample!
Feast!

You know who is buried here!
Napoleon, of course!
Gives me chills every time I see this.
Was I alive then? Did I know him?

This stunning church is not in Paris.
And this picture is not from this year's trip but last year's.
I love it for its unique place in history.
This is the church in a little town in the Argonne forest.
Know it?
Called Varennes, this town was also headquarters to General Pershing in the Great War.
This church was the one in which
Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette sought refuge from the Revolutionary rabble in 1790.
The townspeople turned the royal family over to the Parisians who took them back to Paris,
locked Louis up separately from his wife and children whom they put in the
Conciergerie, in the same building as Saint Chappelle (above).
From there, they took her to the guillotine.
A sad little church.