Saturday Snippet: Independence Day 1881

The following excerpts come from my three books that have been compiled into the boxset titled 

Independence Day 1881

Zina Abbott's Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs

From Aaron’s Annulment Bride:

            Andrea set her glass of water down and took a bite of cake. She didn’t have much experience with all this social interaction and she didn’t find it overly comfortable. She had almost wished Lizett would just pick the man who should be her husband, or pull names out of a hat. It would have been so much easier than all the activities planned for the Independence Day holiday weekend.

            Then again, if Lizett had done that, maybe she would not have had a chance to meet Aaron on more of a personal level. As much as she had been drawn to his quiet, unassuming manner before the parlor game, she felt even better about him now, especially after guessing correctly his favorite activity and finding out he had family in town.

From Cat’s Meow:

            “He said this is the community park where we will have the picnic after church on Sunday, and where we will hold the Independence Day picnic and celebration including fireworks on Monday. Then he made some rude remark about how some of us might not be here because we would be off with our new husbands setting off fireworks of our own. Then Lizett reminded him we have a month before we are expected to—you know.”

            Catherine looked at Andrea, not sure how to reply. Once they were married, would she want to ask Harold to wait a month? Her body nearly hummed each time she thought of him now, and she hadn’t even met him in person yet. Not sure she wanted to wait a full month to become intimate with Harold, Catherine smiled weakly. “Yes, it is.”

From Bargain Bessie:

            “Fireworks? Since when did Jubilee Springs start having fireworks?”

            “Since they started expanding the town. The Bainbridge brothers that own the mine, I hear they put on quite a production the whole weekend, although it was mostly for some of their own men. Still, the Independence Day celebration was worth going to. You should of come, Boss. It would have done you good to get away from the ranch for a bit.

            Zeb shook his head and groused. “Someone had to stay here and take care of things while all you yahoos went off playing.” Zeb stared hard at his foreman. “What else happened you’d like to tell me about?”

            Eddie Joe stuck his thumbs in his pockets and rocked back on his boot heels. He licked his lips. 

             Zeb’s eyes narrowed at the sight. Yep. Ol’ Rusty, boy, hadn’t been talking through his hat, at least not completely.

            “You ever thought about getting married, Boss?”

You may purchase all three books as a box set. CLICK HERE.

Or, you may purchase them individually by going to my Amazon Author account: CLICK HERE. 


I wish all my United States readers a Happy Fourth of July!

Book Tour: NOT A FINE GENTLEMAN by Donna Hatch

Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.

~ Facebook ~ Website ~
~ Amazon ~
~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~

Lady Margaret secretly yearns for love, but fate has exchanged wedded bliss for a lie. When she is caught hovering over her cheating husband’s dead body, she is instantly doomed to hang for his murder. Without hope for justice, Margaret flees into the night alone. 

A cynical Bow Street Constable, Connor Jackson, vows to bring the fugitive Lady Margaret to face the law—but, he doesn’t expect sparks to fly between them. Could the strong yet tender lady truly be a killer? 

As more suspects—and even more condemning evidence—surface, the less certain Connor is of his duty. He must choose between his growing feelings for Lady Margaret and the demands of justice. Will the truth tear them apart or set them free to find love?


The Rogue Hearts Series:
The Stranger She Married 
The Guise of a Gentleman
A Perfect Secret
The Suspect's Daughter
Not a Fine Gentleman

Praise for Donna Hatch:
“Donna Hatch is one of the masters of clean romance with electric tension and smokin’ hot kisses.” ~ Reading is My Super Power Reviews


“Written with heart and depth, Donna Hatch’s books are absolute must-reads for any fan of swoon-worthy historical romance.”  ~ Sarah M. Eden, USA Today best-selling historical romance author

~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 
  

What a delightful story! This is not only a sweet romance, but also quite the murder mystery. Lady Margaret Hennessy, a disillusioned romantic, is in the wrong place at the right time and becomes a suspect in the murder of her odious and unfaithful husband. Faced with the threat of ending up in the hands of a lecherous night watchman, she flees.

I loved how the author portrayed the characters, including Connor, the constable, or Bow Street Runner, whom her family hires to find her and bring her safely home until the matter is cleared up. A man born on the wrong side of the blanket, but educated as a gentleman, he does the job for he was hired out of loyalty to her brothers, men he knew as a result of serving in the military. However, overall, he has no love for the gentry and their high-minded ways. That includes the lady he must find and return to the safety of her family’s home until the mystery surrounding her husband’s murder is sorted out. Then, he is assigned to investigate the murder. Will he search for the real killer, or only search for proof she is the guilty party?

Why did several of her late husband’s servants hold such animosity toward her, evidently, from the time of her marriage to Hennessy? Who is the strange man she saw leaving the room in which she found her dying husband? Who is trying to frame her? What did the last word her husband spoke before he died mean? Such great clues resulting in engaging suspense.

As always, this author tells a wonderful tale with enough description that allows the reader to picture the characters and setting. She is a master at dialogue. I felt like I was right in the story. This book is a must-read for those who love historical romance filled with suspense.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday Snippet: You Could Do Worse Than Her

The following snippet is taken from 

Mail Order Roslyn 

Book 9 in the series, 

Widows, Brides & Secret Babies

 

My next book in this series is about Lorena, a character mentioned in this novel. Here is a snippet about Lorena:

 

          “That will put us in a bind, Mrs. Welsh. None of the rest of us know how to cook.”

          Danny leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Eustace, you could marry Lorena. She seems nice enough, and you spend enough time in town with her after you get paid.”

          Eustace turned to Danny with a gimlet eye. “Where I come from, gentlemen might spend time with a woman like Lorena, but they don’t marry those kinds of women.” He spoke as if explaining a difficult concept to a child.

          Danny shrugged. “She’s from the South, too, Eustace. Like you, a lot of Southern women have fallen on hard times because of the war. Find out if she can cook. If she can, you could do worse than her.”  

 

To find the book description and purchase link for Mail Order Roslyn, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

 

Both of my other two books in the Widows, Brides & Secret Babies series are now available on preorder. Here are the links:

Mail Order Lorena - CLICK HERE

Mail Order Penelope - CLICK HERE 

     

 

Saturday Snippet: He Intended to Make That Happen

The following snippet is taken from 

Hannah's Handkerchief 

Book 24 in the series, 

Lockets and Lace

 

          Other discouraging thoughts crowded Jake’s mind. Hannah Atwell had been beautiful the night of the dance. Then again, the gown she wore and the manner in which someone had styled her hair showed her off to her best advantage. If he saw her in a faded, patched dress wearing muddy boots and a stained apron, would he still find her to be as lovely? During the one dance he enjoyed with her, she had struck him as outgoing and friendly. Unlike some young women—one of them her cousin—she did not appear shy or stand-offish. However, he had not spent enough time with her to determine how much of their interaction was genuine and how much was for show, intended to impress.

          How would she react upon seeing him again? Would she be pleased? Would she consider his visit to her family’s farm an unwelcome intrusion? Jake inhaled as he considered her possible responses to meeting him again. There was only one way to find out, and he intended to make that happen this trip.

Hannah's Handkerchief is now available for sale or for no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. To view the book description and purchase link, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

 

This September, you might want to read the rest of Hannah's story. To read the full book description for Hannah’s Highest Regard and find the preorder purchase link, PLEASE CLICK HERE.