Spotlight & Giveaway: Seduced by a Marquis by Carole Mortimer

Posted December 11th, 2016 by in Blog / 45 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Carole Mortimer to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

 

Hi Carole and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Seduced by a Marquis (Regency Unlaced 8)!

 
Hi, and Merry Christmas to all of you!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Lysander Falkner is newly come into the title of marquis, but he quickly becomes jaded and cynical in regard to Society, mor especially the marriage-minded mamas. They all seem intent on marrying him off to one of their daughters, despite the scandal that had followed him since birth.
When he meets Isabella Reynolds he believes she’s different, that she sees the man and not the title and fortune. He is soon proved wrong in that belief, and very quickly finds himself betrothed to marry the lady.
But someone doesn’t wish to see Lysander and Bella married, and they are determined to prevent the marriage at all costs.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“God, these events are tedious in the extreme!” Lysander dropped down heavily into an armchair.
“I must say, you have quickly settled into the title and role of the Marquis of Trent,” his half brother, Sebastian, the Duke of Stowmont, observed dryly. The two of them were sitting with four other gentlemen in the library of their host for the evening, Lord Masefield, having briefly escaped the crowded ballroom to avail themselves of a glass or two of that gentleman’s excellent brandy.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • Lysander is a very reluctant marquis, rather than my usual arrogant and haughty heroes, which made him a very interesting character to write about.
  • Isabella, or Bella as she is known to her family, was also a fascinating character to write. She isn’t at all what she seems to be, and like me, the readers will discover this a bit at a time as the story progresses.

 

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Both Bella and Lysander surprised me as I wrote their story. I’m a pantser author, which means I get up in the morning, drink my first cup of coffee, and then switch on my laptop and start writing. I never plan or plot what is goingto happen in the story, because the hero and heroine decide that for me.
So I was very surprised when a threatened scandal forces them into a betrothal and marriage I hadn’t expected!

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

I always like the very first time the hero and heroine meet, to observe the dynamics that instantly come into play.

The same could not be said for the beautiful woman standing at Sir Arthur’s side.
His wife, perhaps?
Somewhat taller than many of the other ladies present this evening, she wore her hair, an abundance of golden curls, at her crown, with several enticing tendrils at her temples and nape. Eyes of the unusual shade of violets dominated a face of extraordinary beauty: delicate brows, creamy smooth cheeks, a pert nose, her lips a perfect and sensual bow. Her figure was shown to advantage in a gown of the exact unusual shade of her eyes, the rounded neckline allowing the fullness of her breasts to spill temptingly over the tightness of the bodice.
It astounded Lysander that a woman might show off such an abundance of bared breasts and yet it was positively scandalous for her to reveal her ankles in the same manner. He had never met any man who would choose to gaze upon a woman’s ankles when her breasts were so clearly on display.
“May I introduce my sister, Miss Isabella Reynolds,” Sir Arthur continued warmly. “Isabella, I would like you to meet a new acquaintance of mine, Lord Lysander Falkner, the Marquis of Trent.”
Lysander affected a polite bow. “Miss Reynolds.”
“My lord.” She curtseyed, fair lashes lowered demurely over those glorious eyes.
Lysander found himself wishing to see those eyes again. “Are you enjoying the ball, Miss Reynolds?”
She continued to look down at her gloved hands. “Very much, my lord.”
Lysander felt a return of his earlier irritation in the library, this time because of Isabella Reynolds’s continued refusal to look at him. Perhaps she was one of the few people brave enough to think that a title and fortune did not make up for his previous illegitimacy. If that was so, then she was the first person in Society to dare to show that opinion to his face.

 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That we all have secrets, some good, some bad, but secrets nonetheless. It’s learning those secrets about each other that is half the fun of any relationship!

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned for 2016?

I am currently writing Tempting Zander (Knight Security 4) now available for preorder, with a release date of January 27th
February 2017 will see the release of Tamed by an Earl (Regency Unlaced 9)
March 2017 is time for Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5)
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: A signed copy of my book Christmas Alpha (Alpha 1) OR a signed copy of the book The Duke’s Mistress/Claimed by the Marquis

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What are you hoping to receive for Christmas this year?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt from Seduced by a Marquis (Regency Unlaced 8):

Despite knowing how much it would anger her brother, Bella had tried to do the decent thing where Lysander was concerned, primarily by avoiding his company. An avoidance he was refusing to accept, first by asking her to dance again, and now by taking her away from the ball and into the Masefields’ gallery.
A gallery in which there was only one other couple, lying upon a chaise and far too engrossed in fondling each other to notice or care they were no longer alone.
Bella finally managed to pull her hand free of Lysander’s and was able to walk in a direction away from the couple, after a single glance had shown the man baring the woman’s breasts before his mouth latched onto one of her exposed nipples.
“We cannot remain out here alone together, my lord,” she said stiffly as he joined her in three long strides.
Candles were lit in the half-dozen wall sconces along the gallery, those candles reflected back in the mirrors lining the opposite wall. It would have been a romantic setting if not for the presence of that other couple and the fact she and Lysander should not be out here together at all.
“But we are not alone,” Lysander reminded huskily.
“The Lawsons are a married couple.”
He glanced across at them. “Indeed?”
Bella nodded. “I believe they enjoy risqué displays of their desire for each other.” She avoided so much as glancing in the direction from which the other woman’s soft moans and groans were now embarrassingly audible.
Was it so pleasurable to have one’s nipples sucked into a man’s mouth?
Bella’s own nipples became hard and sensitive against the confines of the bodice of her gown at merely imagining such an intimacy.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 

Book Info:

Bella is tired of being forced into obeying her older brother’s dictates, but each time she tries to rebel he uses the one thing he knows will make her agree to do anything he asks of her. Her younger sister, Esther.
Lord Lysander Falkner has only been the Marquis of Trent for a matter of months, and already he’s grown tired and jaded, of Society and the over eager mamas and their daughters all trying to tempt him into marriage. When he meets Isabella Reynolds he believes she’s different, that he might finally have found a woman who isn’t only interested in his title and fortune.
Within a matter of days he discovers how mistaken he was.
When Bella finds herself actually betrothed to the handsome marquis, a man she is deeply attracted to but she knows has every reason to distrust her, her future looks bleaker than ever.
But someone doesn’t want to see the two of them married, and when an attempt is made on their lives the only people they can trust is each other.
Book Links:
 
 

Meet the Author:

Carole Mortimer has written 220 books in the contemporary and Regency romance genres. She is 2015 Recipient of the prestigious Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award. A USA Today Bestselling Author. Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Romance Author—ever. 2014 Romantic Times Pioneer of Romance. In 2012 Carole was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II for her ‘outstanding service to literature’.
She is very happily married to Peter, they have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man.
Website | Facebook | Twitter |

 
 
 

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45 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Seduced by a Marquis by Carole Mortimer”

  2. smcmahon19

    I want books of course!☘️ And for my family to be happy and healthy!

  17. Mary Preston

    I’d love some new back steps, but not under the tree – actually in place.

  19. Cynthia P

    Books, of course, but I would love to get a cello to teach myself how to play!

  20. kermitsgirl

    It’s silly, but there’s this really awesome garlic press that I’m hoping to get. It has a piece that scrapes off the stuff that sticks to the press when you open it, and it pops out the mashed up bit – I love that you don’t have to touch the garlic at all!

    • Kate Sparks

      Get rid of garlic off your hands by wiping them on stainless steel. I use my gooseneck sink faucet!

  22. Debbi Wellenstein

    I always like books, of course! Personal care products like lotion is always nice too.

  29. Joanne B

    Books, an Amazon GC, and /or a Barnes and Noble GC, or maybe all three.

  36. Diane Sallans

    the only thing I want is our annual family pictures calendar (& maybe a bit of dark chocolate)

  37. Nancy Luebke

    A gift card or a nice sweater. With my hubby not feeling well, he’s got a blood clot in his leg, not sure what I’ll get. He tends to wait to the last minute.

  44. Kari Angeles

    A necklace. I asked for one last year, when my son broke it, but only got a 64 inch HDTV. Maybe I’ll have better luck this year.