Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A Knight in Not-so-shining Armor

I love Valentine's Day, and I especially love the theme of this Valentine's Blog Hop. "Swept Away" conjures up so many visions in my imagination. Falling in love is always a thrill and nothing compares to the feeling of being swept away by romance.


 Love is a powerful force, and it truly can sweep us off our feet. Romance novels can carry us away to different times and places, giving us opportunities to fall in love over and over again. That's why I write love stories.

When I wrote "Happily Ever After", my latest historical romance, I truly let myself be "swept away" by the story.  As George Mather, the story's leading man, came alive on the page, he became a true knight -- although his armor wasn't exactly bright and shining. I won't divulge what his physical armor was made from, but I will share a few of his thoughts about another sort of armor he wore: an emotional armor.

George is a lonely man. Two years earlier, his wife passed away. Before she died, he swore to Margaret that he would never marry again. Now, Anne Hopkins has come into his life. He's drawn to her, but bound by the vow he made.

He and Anne have spent a bit of time planning a very special birthday celebration for his daughter's tenth birthday. The party will have a fairy-tale theme, and Sir George will ride his valiant white steed.

Here's a quick excerpt:



He made a courtly bow. “Good day, fair lady.”
The sound of Anne's laughter lingered in his mind and heart as he hurried toward the stable.
Ah, to be a true knight, to rescue damsels in distress. He had his horse, and, in truth, he had his armor too. No one could see it, but he felt its weight upon him. His unseen armor had protected his heart since Margaret's death. It had kept him true and faithful.
Only now, Anne had found a chink in it, had gotten through it.
Sometimes when he thought about her—and even though he'd managed to avoid seeing her all week, he hadn't found a way to keep her from his thoughts—he wished he could throw off his armor.
But promises were sacred, love was forever, and marriage vows could not be broken.

~ ~ ~

I'll be giving away four copies of "Happily Ever After" during this Valentine's celebration.

To enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post. 
Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you're a winner!

My giveaway contest will run until 11:59 PM on February 17 -- Central Standard Time.
The following morning all entries will be counted, and Random.org will select four winners.  
I will contact all winners immediately after the drawing.




HAPPILY EVER AFTER


Currently ranked #8 Best-Seller at Sweet Cravings Publishing

$5.99


Available at:

Sweet Cravings Publishing

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance Ebooks

Bookstrand




Thanks for visiting "Time for Love". Please click HERE to continue "Hopping" along!

9 comments:

  1. Looks like a great new historical for my TBR list, thanks Carin
    mawmom at gmail dot com

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  2. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  3. Just 'hopping' by to wish you well and a belated Valentines good wishes.

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  4. He sounds like a most interesting man. Best of luck on the hop!

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  5. Thanks for the giveaway! Sometimes I wish I was swept away by someone's love especially on Valentine's Day. Being young, I have yet to have the opportunity. If I could choose any man in the world to sweep me away, I would certainly choose Alexander Skarsgard. He's nice, funny, polite and well educated. If I could pick a fictional man, I would choose Jamie Fraser from "Outlander." With his rough physicality, loving sensibility, and fierce passion, I know I would be happy for the rest of my life. I wish I could be swept away to New Zealand or Scotland, somewhere beautifully green and primitive.
    Enough with my epic daydreams…
    Happy Valentine's Day!

    mestith at gmail dot com

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  6. Thanks for the giveaway! I'm loving this blog hop, so many new authors!

    xo_veronica16[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  7. Hi Christina! I love the premise of Happily Ever After. My TBR list is getting very looooong. Happy belated Valentine's Day!

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  8. This story sounds so sweet!

    susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

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  9. Congratulations to the winners: Carin, Flossie, Ute, and Shadow. I've e-mailed each of you to arrange delivery of your prizes. Enjoy!

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