THE DIAMOND AND THE DUKE Excerpt   His arms clasped behind him, the duke paced back and forth before the hearth. Never before had she seen him in such a state . . . which was saying a good deal, as she’d seen him many ways these past years: Stunned when his daughter had been caught in a compromising position with Ellie’s brother Courtland. Terrified and pacing in a similar way when Cailin had been giving birth to her first babe. Even that day, with the lines at the corners of his mouth tense, and his skin pale, he’d not looked as he did now. Just then, the Duchess of Bentley slid into her husband’s path, cutting off his stride. The devoted couple exchanged quiet words. Periodically, they nodded. His throat muscles moved, and his eyes gleamed, and the sight of that suffering . . . a portend of what was to come any moment when Wesley Audley finally entered the household, was too much. Ellie wrenched her gaze away, stealing a peek at the clock atop the mantel. “How are you reading right now?” Lottie said in hushed tones to their eldest sister. “I need a distraction,” Hattie said…

A MISTLEOTE KISS by Eloisa James It was humiliating to admit, even to herself, but Cressie knew precisely when they had met, at least, as adults. It was her debut ball, and her cousin had walked over to her and said, “Here, Cuz, dance with Elias; he’ll be a marquess someday so he’s good to practice conversation that’s not about that infernal Revelry.” She had looked up into the eyes of the most beautiful man in the ballroom and managed a wavering smile. Elias hadn’t said more than a few words to her and ignored her the rest of the evening. “Other than passing encounters as children, we met when I debuted,” Cressie said now. “Years before that,” Elias said impatiently. “In that case, I have no idea what you are referring to,” she said, managing to make it sound as if she was uninterested. “You were five years old,” he said, rather surprisingly. He took a long stride and caught her right hand. “Show me the last structure? I already missed the other grottoes. I don’t want to miss anything of this one.” Cressie didn’t roll her eyes, but it was a near thing. “Right.” She tugged her hand…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Christi, and congrats on the release of your new book, ALONG CAME A LADY! We’d love to hear more about it and the set up for this new series, All the Duke’s Sins.   Christi:  Danielle! I’m so excited to be back here chatting with you!! Thank you for both having me, and the warm congrats. Fun fact about me and Fresh Fiction…Fresh Fiction was one of the first blogs to ever host me, back when I began publishing. As such, it’s always special being here! And, I’m really excited to share more about my All the Duke’s Sins series. The series centers on the Audley family: three brothers and a sister who live and work in a mining village in Regency, England…and who also happen to be the illegitimate children of the Duke of Bentley!  Rafe is the eldest of the Audley family. Two things matter more to him than anything. First: his family. He is the protector of his younger siblings. The second being his role as foreman of the Cheadle mines. Rafe lives to thwart his father. He believes his father is a ne’er do well who abandoned his children…however, there…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Christi Caldwell! Writes: It’s SO wonderful joining you!! Thank you for having me here at Fresh Fiction! I write historical romance novels set in the Regency, late Regency, or early Victorian era. My latest book, In Bed With the Earl, features a lost lord, who’d been kidnapped as a child, and is now returning to his previous world, and who of course, finds love along the way! About: I blame Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught for luring me into the world of historical romance. While I was in grad school at the University of Connecticut, I set aside my school notes and picked up my laptop to try my hand at romance. I believe the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and I rather enjoy torturing them before crafting them a well deserved happily ever after! What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: • You LOVE a flawed or imperfect hero and heroine. • You devour deeply emotional reads that have you…

Many thanks to Christi Caldwell for joining us on the blog today! Welcome to the Fresh Fiction blog! Can you tell us a bit about the Wicked Wallflowers series, and your most recent release, THE BLUESTOCKING? Thank you so much for having me! The Wicked Wallflowers world is one that’s been so refreshing and rewarding for me as an author to write in. It’s set in the late Regency era, however, it explores life outside of the ton. Many times readers picture ballrooms and rides in Hyde Park when thinking of Regency romance, and though we have glimpses of that in my Wicked Wallflowers books, they really move so much deeper, looking at how people born outside the nobility lived…and struggled. In The Bluestocking, for example, I’ve paired Gertrude Killoran, the clever, partially blind, oldest sister of a gaming hell family with her family’s greatest rival…the Marquess of Maddock…known as the Mad Marquess. A man whose wife and unborn child were killed by Gertrude’s late father, and whose son was kidnapped and absorbed into the Killoran gang. It’s a very raw and real story that brings an HEA not only to Gertrude and Edwin as individuals but the pair of…

I’m so excited to be here sharing about my latest book, THE HELLION. The heroine Cleopatra Killoran and hero, Adair Thorne are not necessarily one’s typical Regency couple. Born into rival families, of London’s most successful gaming hells, they’ve only ever known hatred for the other. Until they meet and sparks fly, and every belief they’ve ever had of one another, is challenged. They’ve only seen the differences between them. When they’re thrust into one another’s company, they see just how much they in fact, share. Neither of them were born to the nobility. Both of them know what it is to struggle and fight to survive. And then there is the passion that flares from the onset! The inspiration for my Wicked Wallflowers series actually began first with the heroine, Cleopatra, her family, and the rival gaming hell owners of the Hell and Sin Club…which is run by Adair. Immediately I knew, I wanted Cleo’s family to juxtapose Adair’s….and from that the Wicked Wallflowers was born. This series wouldn’t be about a club run solely by men. Rather, about a family, of strong, independent, and very capable women…and their lone elder brother. And so, from the start, Cleo, by…

Check out this excerpt from Christi Caldwell‘s latest installment in her Scandalous Season series, ALWAYS A ROGUE, FOREVER HER LOVE! Jonathan sucked in his breath as the spirited vixen who’d dealt rather handily with Lord Whitby a short while ago revealed herself. Here, in the closeness of his carriage, he could appreciate that which he’d not noted a short while ago. Her green gaze, the color of the richest emeralds, the fiery crimson curls piled high atop her head, and a smattering of freckles along her high cheek-bones. “You, sir, have something I want,” she breathed. Which was rather good for him, because he rather wanted her as well. A recalcitrant red curl tumbled free from the precarious arrangement of her locks. He followed the path of that captivating strand as it bounced and then fell, nestled in the slight gap in her cloak, between her breasts. Jonathan fixed his gaze on that crimson curl, never more jealous of a slip of hair than in that moment. He reached out and caught the siren’s lock. He raised it to his eyes, wishing it were day so the sun could bathe her in its light and illuminate the vibrancy of the…