Second Chance Marquess

Second Chance Marquess

by Jessica Jefferson

The book is on sale for ,99.

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURB:

When Wilhemina Turner’s younger sister runs off with a young Lothario, she has no choice but to turn to the notorious rake who broke his promise and her heart, for assistance. George Bartlett, the Marquess of Chesterton, hasn’t forgotten the woman who hurt him so many years ago, but can’t deny her request, knowing that his brother’s reputation, and fortune, is at risk. A series of misfortunes leave the straight-laced widow and committed bachelor stranded, sharing both close quarters and old secrets. But when morning comes, will this unlikely pair find a second chance at love?

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EXCERPT:

“Are you accusing Kitty of going after your brother for his money?”

“She wouldn’t be the first.”

Willie set her jaw firmly, just as she always had when she was angry. “A decade later and you’re still following your father’s example. You still think the worst of women, don’t you?”

“I’m simply waiting to be proven wrong.”

“You were,” she said quietly, almost too low for him to hear.

“Once, Willie, and even that’s debatable. Every woman after you has fulfilled my lowest expectations.”

She looked away, a pale blush spread across the creamy pale skin of her chest. “Mrs. Turner,” she reminded him, facing him once again. “Kitty’s not like that. She doesn’t need his money.”

“Both your parents are gone and last time I knew, you hadn’t a penny to your name. How can she not need my brother’s money?”

“Because I make sure she’s taken care of. I’d do anything for that girl, no matter how silly or naïve she is. She’s still mine to take care of.” She jutted her chin proudly, just as she always had. George had to remind himself that this was no longer the stubborn, hopeful young woman he once knew, but a strong, experienced widow standing before him.

“Mr. Turner left you comfortable then?”

“My finances are none of your concern. We are doing quite well considering our circumstance.”

He found that hard to believe. “Beg your pardon, Mrs. Turner, but a vicar and a viscount are two very different things. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll need to get on the road soon. I heard mention that there might be a great deal of rain coming, possibly snow, and I doubt the weather will hold off much longer.” He turned his back to her and continued gathering the necessary items from around the study.

“I can’t allow you to go by yourself,” Wilhelmina protested, ignoring his less than subtle hint that their discussion had ended. “There’s no way I could possibly trust you to address this situation fairly after the unwarranted judgement you’ve already made regarding Kitty’s character.”

“It’s only unwarranted if it’s not true and that remains to be seen, now doesn’t it?”

“I won’t let you do it, George.”

The use of his given name stopped him cold. He took a deep breath, then turned to her, arms folded across his chest. “What exactly do you propose I do then, Mrs. Turner?”

“Take me with you.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jessica Jefferson makes her home in Almost-Chicago with her husband, two young daughters, French bulldog Lulu, and English bulldog Pete.  When she's not busy trying to find middle-ground between being a modern career woman and Suzy-Homemaker, she loves to watch "Real Housewives of [insert city here]" and performing unnecessary improvements to her home and property.

Jessica writes Regency-era historical romance with a modern twist where she invites her readers to fall in love with romance again.

Links and social media:

http://www.JessicaJefferson.com and http://www.embracingromance.com

Like me at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Jefferson/545243542195152

Follow me at https://twitter.com/authorJessicaJ/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7376474.Jessica_Jefferson

Amazon Author Page- http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Jefferson/e/B00GI20W2K

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorjessicaje/

Buy link

https://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Marquess-Book-ebook/dp/B01N80K1I3/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489936094&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=jennifer+jefferson+second+chance+marquess

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jessica will be awarding a $25 and a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taming Miss Tisdale

You'll find a nice word from the author after the excerpt.

TAMING MISS TISDALE

By

Jessica Jefferson

BLURB:  

Miss Tamsin Tisdale believes herself to be completely unsuitable for London life. After a myriad of social mishaps, and the potential ruination of her family name, she’s shipped away to her cousin’s northern estate. Only after she comes to her senses will she be welcomed home.

Marcus Winston, the Duke of Grayson, has a lackluster reputation. The last in a dying line, he’s endured a protected life—rank with privilege, encumbered by isolation. After a brief encounter with rebellion, he learns the devastating consequences of his carelessness and willingly accepts living life from inside his gilded cage.

However, a chance meeting with the brazen Miss Tisdale gives Marc the opportunity to reinvent himself into the man he’s always dreamed of being. When his deception comes to light, and ghosts from both their pasts threaten to unravel the intimacy they’ve come to cherish, will either of them set their fears aside long enough to embrace love? Or will Miss Tisdale’s stubbornness divide them?

EXCERPT:

Marc watched the faint outline come across the dense morning fog, becoming more discernible as it approached. The tall, thin figure was riding along at a perilous speed, given the morning’s lack of visibility. He thought perhaps it was some gangly young man misguided in the fog. It wouldn’t be the first time someone accidentally stumbled upon the vast property that made up his family’s immodest estate.

Then the fog parted in an almost biblical manner, revealing his gross inaccuracy.

Were those ... breasts?

Marc closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Typically, women didn’t ride alone at such an hour and they certainly didn’t wander unexpectedly across his property. It’d been quite a while, his last birthday to be exact, since his last intimate encounter with a woman—a gift, compliments of St. Regis—so there was always the possibility that perhaps his half-drunk, sex-starved mind had conjured up the sensual image.

He shook his head, opened his eyes, and looked back again toward the horizon.

Yes, those were most certainly breasts.

And she was most definitely not a young man. The woman’s riding habit pulled taut against her body as she raced toward him. Her hair was blowing behind her—various hues of auburn and gold, like wild flames curling about in the wind. Then a decidedly feminine voice burst through the morning’s silence, interrupting his self-doubt.

“Oh, thank goodness I found you!”

This was no mirage. She was indeed very real.

And very loud.

How do my characters conform to the time period in which the book is set?

By Jessica Jefferson

I think when writing historical romance, all authors are faced with a similar struggle – to conform or not to conform to the specific era in which you’re writing. This is especially true when writing regency.

The regency period has the dubious distinction of being one of the most recognizable periods as it relates to customs and social decorum.  If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice, then chances are you’ve at least seen some version of the movie.  Because of the public’s unwavering interest for the period, there are a staggering number of reference sites out there.  Because of this, it’s actually quite easy to learn just about everything having to do with regency.

Now, even though I love the regency period, I prefer my regencies a bit on the saucy side rather than traditional.  This is not to say that I don’t enjoy the occasional Georgette Hyer, but I do have a tendency to lean toward more modern styles of say, Eloisa James.

This is also reflected in the way I write as well.  I often try to remain true to the fashions of the era.  In my latest book, Taming Miss Tisdale, the heroine is a ‘tom-boy’, but you won’t find her running around in breeches.  It’s just one of those lines that I didn’t think someone with her breeding would cross.  So in that sense, she conforms to the times.  However, she does end up in a carriage alone with a man—something that rarely would have happened.  My characters also have a gift for losing their chaperones, which isn’t the most historically accurate way to go about things.  At the same time, I do like to keep a certain amount of sexual tension present throughout the book which may not conform to the strict rules of the time, but does appeal to a certain group of readers.

It’s a delicate balance.  If I maintain strict adherence to the social norms, then I risk losing a lot of those more modern values that I think makes a lot of historical romance really appealing to a lot of readers. If I go too far and lose all semblance of the rules and regulations of the time, then I alienate an entirely different group altogether.  It’s a tough call, but I can only hope that my choices are those that readers on both sides of the regency aisle can accept.

Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it—almost Chicago.  She is heavily inspired by classic sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy.  She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read more of her random romance musings.

http://www.JessicaJefferson.com and www.embracingromance.com

Like me at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Jefferson/545243542195152

Follow me at https://twitter.com/authorJessicaJ/

AMAZON:  http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Miss-Tisdale-Jessica-Jefferson-ebook/dp/B00K5Y8W7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401396150&sr=8-1&keywords=taming+miss+tisdale

Jessica is giving away a $50 gift certificate so follow her tour and use the link below to enter. You can find her schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/04/nbtm-tour-taming-miss-tisdale-by.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Compromising Miss Tisdale

If you came for Fashionista Friday, scroll on down, but why not enjoy this post first?

 

COMPROMISING MISS TISDALE

By

Jessica Jefferson

BLURB:  

Ambrosia Tisdale is the very picture of propriety and the epitome of what a respectable young lady should be. Haunted by a memory and compelled by her family, she pursues perfection to a fault.

The Earl of Bristol, Duncan Maddox, has returned to London after years of familial imposed exile. As the second son, he has led a life filled with frivolity, leisure, and a healthy dose of debauchery. Now his older brother has died, leaving the family’s flailing legacy in Duncan’s unwilling arms.

At the behest of his uncle, Duncan is advised to do the one thing that could provide instant fortune and respectability – he must marry. But there is only one prospect who meets the unique requirements to solve all the Earl’s problems – the lovely Miss Ambrosia Tisdale. But securing the prudent daughter of a Viscount’s hand proves to be more challenging than this scandal ridden second son of an Earl has bargained for.

With scandal, extortion, treachery, and even love itself threatening to keep him from his goal, will Duncan succeed in compromising Miss Tisdale?

Excerpt One:

She had stumbled upon the library.  A fire in the hearth threw a faint glow over leather lined volumes that filled floor to ceiling book shelves.   Lavishly upholstered plush arm chairs sat upon Aubusson rugs scattered throughout the room.  A settee was positioned across from a giant stone faced fireplace where a shirtless man sat warming his hands.

Shirtless man?

Ambrosia blinked.

 Certainly, her eyes were playing tricks on her. 

Then the shirtless man turned his head, his eyes meeting hers.  

It wasn’t a hallucination-he was real.   She hadn’t been expecting to find a partially dressed man, and he obviously wasn’t expecting to be found.   It was but a moment before the man’s expression began to soften and a wicked smile slowly crept across his lips. 

 A smile that stole the breath right from out of her. 

 Every gently bred fiber in her body screamed to turn around and run straight out the door.  Hundreds of years of proper English rearing had produced a base instinct to flee when in the presence of an unknown male (especially one with so little clothing).  But then he stood up, cautiously, the way one does as if not to startle a deer.  Standing, he was clad in nothing but buckskin breeches, the dim light from the flames playing over the sculpted muscles and sinew of his shoulders and chest. 

Breeding be damned, her feet simply refused to budge.  

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it – almost Chicago.  Jessica originally attended college in hopes of achieving an English degree and writing the next great American novel.  Ten years later she was working as a registered nurse and reading historical romance when she decided to give writing another go-round.   

Jessica writes likes she speaks, which has a tendency to be fast paced and humorous.  Jessica is heavily inspired by sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy to transport the reader into a story they miss long after the last page is read.  She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read her random romance musings.

http://www.jessicajefferson.com/

Like me at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Jefferson/

Follow me at https//twitter.com/authorJessicaJ

 
Jessica is giving away a $25 Amazon or BN.com Gift Certificate so follow her tour and enter often. Use the following link to enter. 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43477http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43477

 You can find her tour schedule athttp://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/01/name-before-masses-compromising-miss.html

And now for some super good advice for writers.

 

JESSICA JEFFERSON’s WRITING TIPS 

            The Twitter feed is abundant with Twisdom regarding the secret to writing.  

            Of course, most of it is crap.  

            And what is not crap is simply rehashing what everyone already knows.  So, in the consulting spirit of rehashing what is already common knowledge but twisting it slightly to make it my own, here is my first in a series of writing tips for Romance novelists. 

            Tip #1 – Don’t write about your husband. 

            What you intend to be an everlasting tribute to the love you share, will no doubt be misinterpreted for a myriad of reasons. 

            First, unless you are Angelina Jolie, the physical description of your husband in your book will certainly differ somewhat from the man you’ve been married to for the last decade.  You may use his hair color, or eyes, but the moment you start describing rock hard pecks or chiseled abs, he’s bound to get somewhat offended.  It’s been my knowledge that readers just don’t respond well to “sagging pectorals with sparse hair about the nipples and a gentle rounding abdomen”.  And don’t even get me started on back hair. 

            There’s also the sensitive subject of sexual prowess.  No man wants a detailed account of his intimate actions written for the world to see, or at least the few thousand readers who pick up a copy of your latest release.  Most writers describe love-making between their lead characters to be earth-shattering, and the heroes are always ready to please again no matter how many times they’ve already engaged in the act.  Generally, real life does not mirror fiction in this regard.  Men are not robots and need more than thirty seconds to refuel – especially after the third or fourth time.  I rarely read about Dukes and Duchesses to be engaging in a romp in the playroom for a couple minutes whilst the children take their nap, nor would I want to.

             And finally, though your books may be grounded in some sort of reality, half the fun of writing romance is creating characters that you know your readers would love to meet, but probably won’t encounter in their lifetime.  The men are always strong, yet sensitive.  Brave, yet vulnerable.  And unbelievably sexy.  Though the man you married may encompass many of these qualities, the hero in a romance novel possesses these qualities in abundance.  This exaggeration is what makes the characters so fanciful that works to transport the readers to a different time and place. 

            Think of your hero as your own personal pool boy.  Your hero should be the fantasy you love to think about during boring moments in the office, but in reality you would never trade in your hubby for.