The humor mixes with the seriousness of the themes perfectly. I loved the characters (including the side characters like The Gals, clueless Cole, and Beanie) and who wouldn’t love an overly friendly and rumbustious Great Dane?
I devoured the book (audio) and I only have one complaint which is the same I had with Center’s last book I read: she has the tendency to overextend the ending.
She has a great ending–or what I think should be the ending–and then she goes on with more stuff that however interesting is kind of superfluous to the plot or enjoyment of the story. Just my opinion and the only reason I am giving the book four stars instead of five.
Really enjoyed it and can’t wait for more books by Center.
Thanks for dropping by for another First Kiss Friday! I’m featuring myself this week and giving you a blast from the past with an excerpt from To Love A Scottish Laird. I was thrilled when author Kathryn Le Veque asked if I would be interested in writing in her De Wolfe Pack Connected World. I jumped at the opportunity and wrote this story featuring Catherine and Douglas who became the parents of Amira of Clan MacLaren in my self published debut novel If My Heart Could See You. I also continued the story of Douglas’s sister in To Love an English Knight. I hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
Lady Catherine looked rather surprised by the fact that she would have the opportunity to speak with Douglas alone.
He bowed before her, taking her cool hand and placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist. A lover’s gesture, and he saw how she shivered at his touch. “Glad tidings, my Lady Catherine,” he murmured, hoping somewhere in the recesses of her mind she would be glad to take him for her husband.
“I see nothing to rejoice about, my lord,” she said in a tone that could not be mistaken for anything else but displeasure.
“So…ye have learned of our betrothal,” he said, straightening to peer down at her. He wished their situation would be easily settled between them.
“Betrothal, my lord? You make this sound as though you approve of the arrangement,” she snapped before taking his arm and leading him from the room.
They did not go far, only to an out-of-the-way alcove with a shuttered window. She unfastened the latch and flung open the wood, breathing in the ocean breeze as though to calm her frayed nerves.
Douglas shrugged. “I doubt I had any more say in the matter than ye did, Catherine,” he declared, dropping all formality between them. “What is there about marrying me that is not tae yer liking?”
“You knew about this all along!” Her accusatory tone had Douglas throwing up his arms in his own defense.
“I had no notion of the intent of the duke but I must admit I was searching for a wife,” he answered with a mischievous grin.
“You wished to wed me?” she asked in what sounded like disbelief. Her face flushed.
Douglas shrugged again. “Tae be fair, I did not even know of ye, my lady, only that I needed tae find myself a bride.”
Catherine gasped before she swatted him. “You mean to tell me any lady would have suited?”
She gave him no chance to reply. He had a hard time not laughing at the lovely picture she presented as she cursed under her breath. At least some color had returned to her face.
But once he grew tired of her ill words, Douglas took her into his arms, pulling her close. She fit there so perfectly, he momentarily overlooked what they were arguing about. He watched in startled fascination when her pupils dilated and her breaths grew shallow. Ah… The undeniable connection they had both forgotten about returned tenfold as he embraced her.
Her hands went to his chest, and he swore his heart leapt at her touch. Bloody hell! Why could the smallest of gestures from this wee woman cause such a reaction?
“For such a beautiful woman, ye can certainly curse like one of my men,” he observed.
She made the slightest attempt to shove him away but ’twas only a half-hearted, for she just as swiftly began smoothing down the fabric of his tunic.
He watched as she took several deep breaths. “You should probably get used to me voicing my opinion,” she said quietly before raising her eyes to meet his.
A lopsided grin formed on his lips. “Opinionated, are ye?”
“Aye,” she declared, lifting her chin. “I will not be some submissive wife holed up in her solar doing nothing but needlework.”
“I am certain I can find something tae keep ye entertained at Berwyck, Catherine,” his voice lowered just thinking of undressing her.
His grin broadened when she tossed her head, causing her lovely, black braid to swing. He could hardly wait til he was able to unbraid it. He reached out to cup her cheek, running his thumb across her silky skin. The pulse at her neck quickened, and Douglas’s grin widened. He began to lower his head to kiss her.
“Do you have birds at Berwyck?” Her words poured from her mouth as though drenching him with a frigid blast of water.
“Birds?” he asked, trying to grasp where she was taking this conversation when he had other things on his mind. “Aye, of course we have birds at Berwyck. The forests are filled with them.”
A small chuckle left her, and Douglas was glad to see her relax. “I meant, does Berwyck have mews? I have a falcon at Wolverhampton and would hate to see all my training be for naught if I cannot take her with me.” She blushed as though embarrassed to already be making demands on her soon-to-be husband.
“Ye can bring yer bird and whatever else ye like to Berwyck, Catherine. ’Twill be yer home as much as ’tis mine.” He tugged her closer til he could feel every inch of her body against his. Her breath caught in her throat at the contact. “Shall we pledge our troth with a kiss?”
“I-I cannot kiss you, Lord Douglas. We are not yet wed, and I will seal nothing with a kiss.”
“Douglas,” he murmured against her ear. “Say my name, Catherine.” He cupped her face with both hands while he awaited to hear her say his name.
“My lord, I cannot call you by your given name.”
“Ye will be my wife. Say my name,” he urged gently and saw the small spark of acceptance in her magnificent, hazel eyes.
“Douglas.”
Smiling, he lowered his mouth to hers and swore God smiled down on them as Douglas took what Catherine so willingly offered.
***
Catherine fought against the urge to completely surrender to Douglas and his all-consuming kiss. She should not be allowing him such a liberty. She should be voicing her outrage at the close proximity of their bodies. But when his lips slid against hers, she was completely lost.
If only Douglas knew what he was doing to her. She was not experienced with the intimacies between a man and woman. Oh, she understood the fundamentals of the act of kissing but had only been given meaningless pecks on the cheek. But this… A whole new world opened up to her, and she rejoiced in what Douglas brought out in her!
Her arms wound their way up his neck, and she played with the length of his hair. In turn, he all but crushed her to his body but ’twas not unpleasant. Nay! Her body begged for something she could not understand. Parts of her began tingling as if she was coming alive for the very first time, and she never wanted it to end.
When Douglas’s tongue skimmed across her closed mouth, she gasped. Apparently, ’twas just the opportunity he was looking for! His tongue began playing with her own. A low moan escaped her and only encouraged him to take her deeper into what could only be described as sheer bliss. Catherine felt as though she was soaring into the sky like one of her birds. But this was so much better!
His arm tightened around her waist, and she finally became aware of the unmistakable form of his manhood pressed intimately to her body. By the Blessed Virgin! What was she doing?
Catherine emerged from the abyss of pleasure, snapping back to a reality that would possibly become her worst nightmare; wed to a man who would probably control her every move. Douglas was a complete stranger, no matter how handsome. She was concerned she would lose the freedom she had grown accustomed to.
He must have sensed some change in her, for his grip loosened as he broke the kiss. Catherine felt the loss immediately and almost stepped forward for them to continue. Her heart felt as though ’twould beat its way out of her chest, and she was pleasantly surprised when it appeared Douglas felt the same. Their kiss had revealed many things to Catherine. First, Douglas certainly knew what he was doing when it came to kissing. Second…, she began to think mayhap ’twould not be so difficult to be this man’s wife.
To Love A Scottish Laird: De Wolfe Pack Connected World By Sherry Ewing
Sometimes you really can fall in love at first sight…
Lady Catherine de Wolfe knows she must find a husband before her brother chooses one for her, but none of the knights and lords she knows have caught her eye. A tournament to celebrate the wedding of the Duke of Normandy might be her answer. She does not expect to fall for a man after just one touch.
Laird Douglas MacLaren of Berwyck is invited to the tournament by the Duke of Normandy. He goes to ensure Berwyck’s safety once Henry takes the throne. He does not expect to become entranced by a woman who bumps into him.
Before they can express their feelings, the Duke orders them wed to strengthen ties between his English supporters and the borderland, and then separates them by commanding Douglas’s escort to his home.
Yet, nothing is ever quite that simple. Not everyone is happy with the union of this English lady and a Scottish laird. From the shores of France, to Berwyck Castle on the border between their countries, Douglas and Catherine must find their way to protect their newfound love.
And just in case you haven’t read the sequel, here’s the info for To Love An English Knight
Can a chance encounter lead to love?
Sir Charles de Grey is in turmoil. He cannot forget the Scottish lass he kissed in Caen, but her jealous spite toward the lady he was sworn to guard infuriated him. Living at Berwyck Castle, he is torn between his desire for Lady Freya and his need to rebuke her sometimes reckless behavior. Leaving her almost tears him apart, but it might give him time to recover some balance.
Lady Freya of Clan MacLaren didn’t expect to become blinded by love until she became quickly besotted on first seeing the English knight in Caen. How quickly everything fell apart when she defies him! Even worse, when he begins to show signs of returning her feelings, he receives a message from home that will tear them apart. Defying him again may put an end to any chance they may have together, but what other choice does she have when he leaves her?
Can the fragile love they found blossom into something more or will circumstances beyond their control continue to provoke behavior that keeps them apart?
Sandy Macintosh grew up loving her high school sweetie, Hank Tillman, in a very small town they both wanted to escape as soon as possible—Sandy to become an artist and Hank to become a singer/songwriter. When he goes away to college, her scholarship falls through, and she’s forced to stay in the town, living at home. When they next see each other, she hears their friends talking about how exciting it is to be experiencing new things. She fears Hank will realize how unhappy she is and come back, thus ruining his future plans—so she breaks up with him.
Fifteen years later, he walks into the grocery store in town. She now owns a nursery and is still an artist but with plants. He’s a famous country singer, now divorced, with his young son in tow. The town is so small, and the residents’ lives so intertwined, there’s no way for them to avoid each other. Now what?
I really liked these two characters, along with all of their friends. The small town residents all seem to be friendly folks who want the best for each other. I was annoyed that Sandy is too afraid to admit, even to herself, how she still feels about Hank. But I was more annoyed to discover this is a sweet romance. When they finally have their big moment, I was hoping to discover just what Hank meant when he said, “I’ve become better at a lot of things since I was seventeen.” Instead, the next page has them eating ice cream out of the container—afterward. WHAT? My mom used to drop-kick books across the room when writers staged a big build-up then gave the reader no satisfaction (no details.) I feel the same way. But if you like sweet romance, you’ll love this book.
LORDS IN LOVE, a 5-Book Regency Romance Collection is only 99¢!
Limited Time Offer
Purchase the LORDS IN LOVE collection for only 99¢ here:
LORDS IN LOVE, a five-book first in series collection
This emotional first in series collection is filled with devilish lords and the ladies who capture their hearts. This box set contains award-winning and award-nominated, sigh-worthy Historical Regency Romances you won’t be able to put down.
Sometimes love needs a little help—then fate comes along and gives a nudge.
The Viscount’s Vow: Blaming her for his brother’s death, Ian intended to ruin Vangie. Instead, he is forced to marry the last woman in England he could ever love.
A Kiss for a Rogue: When a lonely wallflower is reunited with her former betrothed, sparks fly and passion sizzles, offering them a second chance at love.
A Diamond for a Duke: An unexpected encounter between a duke sworn never to love again, and the childhood friend he never forgot turns a simple dance into something much more.
The Earl and the Spinster: He’s determined to sell her home. She’s vowed to save it all cost, including wagering her virtue in a winner-takes-all bet with her sworn enemy.
Triumph and Treasure: Ruined, her reputation in tatters, she was a means to an end. Theirs’ was a marriage of convenience. Nothing more. He wasn’t ever supposed to love her.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
