Emily Sewell couldn't remember when she fell in love with her neighbor, Gray Masterson. He unfortunately didn't really notice her as a woman until the eve of his leaving to fight in the Civil War. A magical evening ensued with him asking her to wait for him. News that he's been killed on the battlefield propels her into action. She knows he is alive - she just has to find him. The only thing between her and her true love is miles of swamp land, a major war, and her own doubts. Emily wrestles with Gray's possible death, imprisonment, or that he's unwilling to return to her. Can a sheltered Southern Belle navigate the horrors of war to retrieve her fiancé? Emily is willing to try.
Book Information
Release Date: July 9, 2012
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Formats: All eBook types
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Gray’s lips curved upward. “All the Sewells
are good looking. It’s commonplace to hear your family mentioned as one of the
most comely of the county.”
Emily’s heart took a nosedive like a crow
spying a piece of corn. Sure, she heard they were a comely family, but never
thought much of it. Comely could mean there were no hunchbacks or cross-eyed
cousins. She’d thought perhaps he only commented on her, especially wearing the
green satin. No, such praise was too much to hope for.
“Hey there, sugah, what’s with the long
face?” Gray raised his hand to place two fingers under her chin, tilting it
upwards toward his gaze.
His unexpected action caused her fingers to
loosen on her fan and it slipped from her hand. He called her sugar. Mother
would hate it and call it common, inappropriate at any time. If only she could
grab the word, the look in his eyes, and the feeling inside her, and wrap it,
all in cotton batting to store away like a precious keepsake. If only this
moment, wait, his lips moved, could it get any better?
“You’ve always been a delightful sprite
following your brother and me around. Townsend called you a nuisance, but I
never minded. Your high spirits, your curiosity, your courage always impressed
me.” Gray ended with a wink.
“It did?” Emily squeaked. She didn’t sound
like the belle of the ball. More like her nine-year-old cousin than a femme
fatale. Maybe Eileen could get her money back on the potion. Still, Gray called
her beautiful, winked at her, and touched her. So far, he brought to life
almost every one of her romantic daydreams, except one. His face grew larger.
Oh my, he was going to kiss her. Her heart beat double time, making it hard to
breathe. Inadvertently, she squeezed her eyes shut, but opened them again, not
wanting to miss a second.
Voices getting closer broke through Emily’s
rapt contemplation of Gray’s lips. Whirling, tugging on his arm, she urged him
down the gravel path.
“Let’s check out the gazebo down by the
river,” she commented, hoping Gray could read her unspoken message. The gazebo
stood isolated at the edge of the property.
As they walked, greeting people casually,
Emily worried Gray wouldn’t kiss her at all. Her skirt bumped against an azalea
bush, scattering the deep pink blossoms and releasing their fragrance into the
air. Maybe he wasn’t going to kiss her. Maybe she imagined it all. What would
she say to Gray? How could she extract herself from this embarrassing
situation? A woman they passed teased Gray about how handsome he looked in his
uniform. Shaking off her internal monologue, Emily spotted the offender,
Elizabeth Anne, and bestowed upon her one of Eileen’s specialties - the gimlet
glare with the smug smile. Elizabeth
stumbled back a step, obviously interpreting the message correctly. The potion
just kicked in.
The people thinned out, and they managed a
few more steps without any interruptions. The gazebo with its fresh coat of
white paint gleamed like a beacon. Gray walked by her side in a companionable
silence. What was he thinking? Looking up at him, furrowing her brow, Gray
laughed and dropped a kiss on her brow.
Without thinking, she said, “You kissed me.”
“No, not a kiss. I was just trying to smooth
out those worry lines in your forehead. Would you like for me to kiss you?”
Waiting for her response, his eyes twinkled.
“Oh yes,” Emily sighed the words, giving
voice to her most ardent wish. Gray swept her into his arms, causing her to
stumble backwards. He only held her tighter. His lips swooped down on hers. My
goodness his lips were soft, yet firm. He smelled so good. The sandalwood
aroma wrapped around her along with his arms. The length of his muscular body
pressed up against hers, causing her hoop skirt to bell out behind her.
The kiss ended too soon. Staring into Gray’s
darkened eyes; the thought of another kiss drew her up on her toes closer to
his lips when voices rounding the path corner caused them both to move apart.
Emily murmured under her breath. “Damn people.”
It must have been
loud enough for Gray to hear because he laughed and attempted to cover it with
a cough. Angling his head in her direction, away from the approaching people,
he winked, mouthing words she couldn’t quite make out. He turned to greet the
group of people. Joseph Calhoun stepped forward in his Confederacy uniform
and began pontificating about the strength of the Southern States. Emily caught
the eye of Virginia Hammer, who looked supremely bored with her beau’s choice
of topic. She’d probably heard Joseph’s impassioned speech more than a few
times already.
What are 10 weird things about you?
My first name is an initial. M.
One of the first women to combat train in the experimental stage
I am a captain in the Civil Air Patrol.
My second toe is longer than my first.
I’ve been bellydancing for the last ten years.
Elvis Impersonator walked me down the aisle.
I do not drink coffee.
I don’t have cable, not even local channels.
I drink Diet Coke with lime every morning.
All my dogs have been rescue dogs.

Morgan as a child had to suffer through movies with clueless heroines rescued by smart men. Her mother dutifully read her stories where princesses waited for princes to jumpstart their lives. There were no proactive female role models in the media at that time, with the exception of Wonder Woman. It is for this reason, and that it is fun, Morgan writes about strong women going after what they want.
Next Stops
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Dec 5 -
Promiscuous Diva/guest post
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Dec 11 -
Chanting of Muses/Top Ten's List
Dec 14 -
Black Lion Tour Blog/wrap-up
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16 comments:
Good Morning Laurie,
Thanks for hosting me on your festive sight. I am excited to promote by latest Secret Cravings book, Undercover Rebel. Thanks again.
The title and cover caught my eye --
And the premise is very interesting!
- khriscc (at) yahoo (dot) com
Belly dancer and historical fiction author--now that's a wide range of talents. :)
Thank you for hosting today Laurie!
Hey Morgan, those are really cool top ten things about you.
I love diet cola with lime and could probably drink 6 cans per evening. In fact, I have.
I have the same toe issue too {g}.
Good excerpt.
Hi Laurie and Morgan!
Awesome blog! And I'm just learning to belly dance - it's really cool that you've been doing it for 10 years!
Tricia (tricia@triciaandersen.com)
Hi Tin,
Thanks for your comments about the cover and title. I found out another book is named Undercover Rebel too. Luckily, it's not a romance. So a fellow looking for a gory was story will be surprised with mine.
Hi Jeanne,
Another coke with lime fan, yeah! According to Armenian tradition, the longer second toe means boss of the house. Second toes rule.
Hi Tricia,
Go Belydancers! I will include belly dancing in a novel at one point. :)
Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for stopping by MK.
Fun facts. Loved the interview. Congratulations on your release!
I really can't wait to read this! Sounds like my kind of book
Orangeestrella2@hotmail.com
Thank you for rescuing your dogs!!
Hi Ella,
Thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked my fun facts.
Hi Abby,
I am glad you like the excerpt. I'm betting it is your kind of book.
Hi Angela,
There is a saying with rescue dogs. It is always a question of who rescued who?
Thanks for stopping by.
I really enjoyed your list! An Elvis impersonation walked you down the aisle? Sounds like a fun wedding. Thanks for sharing more about yourself.
chrysrawr@yahoo.com
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