I have asked sensual romance author, Linda McLaughlin, to be on my blog today to tell us about her new release, Rogue's Hostage.
I
want to thank Marie Higgins for inviting me to her blog today.
Shortly
after I decided to start writing, I joined the local Orange County California
chapter of Romance Writers of America. One of the first Special Events I
attended was a day long workshop at the Fullerton Library taught by Ann
Maxwell, aka Elizabeth Lowell. It was an amazing overview of writing romantic
fiction.
One
of the things she said that stuck with me was how important it was to tap into
the reader's romantic fantasies. She went on to list some of the more popular
fantasies, like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Guardian fantasy, and the
captive story. That day I decided I wanted to write a captive story, and
eventually decided to set it against the backdrop of the French & Indian
War where frontier settlers were taken hostage by war parties led by French
officers. That part intrigued me, too. We think of the French as so very
civilized, but in those days, the French officers would strip down to moccasins
and loincloth to join the war parties. That was my first mental image of my
hero, Jacques Corbeau.
The
captive story is an old one, with roots in the Greek myth of Persephone in the
Underworld, and in reality. Among tribal societies, marriage by capture was not
uncommon, a pre-scientific method of enlarging the gene pool. In our own time,
the Stockholm Syndrome has been observed, in which hostages begin to identify
with their captors. Though "marriage by capture" is no longer
practiced, the story still resonates in the female unconscious.
Rogue's
Hostage was a finalist in a number of contest, including the chapter’s Orange
Rose and was first published by Amber Quill Press in 2003. Earlier this year,
it got a new incarnation as an indie book with a sensational new cover by
Winterheart Design.
Rogue’s Hostage is the book of my heart,
and I’m really excited that it is now part of a boxed set of ten romances, the
Romance Super Bundle. We’re having our
official launch party at Facebook today, so join us if you’re able. There will
be games, prizes and a chance to chat with the authors.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1374263606143800/
The
Romance Super Bundle is temporarily
on sale for 99 cents. A fantastic deal for 10 full-length romance novels!
Rogue's
Hostage
By
Linda McLaughlin
Historical
Romance
4 ½ stars and a Top Pick from Romantic Times!
Romantic
Times Nominee—Best Small Press Romance of 2003!
2nd
Place - Lorie Awards - Best Historical Romance!
Blurb:
His hostage...
In 1758 the Pennsylvania frontier is wild, primitive and
dangerous, where safety often lies at the end of a gun. Mara Dupré's life
crumbles when a French and Indian war party attacks her cabin, kills her
husband, and takes her captive. Marching through the wilderness strengthens her
resolve to flee, but she doesn't count on her captor teaching her the meaning
of courage and the tempting call of desire.
Her destiny...
French lieutenant Jacques Corbeau's desire for his captive
threatens what little honor he has left.
But when Mara desperately offers herself to him in exchange for her
freedom, he finds the strength to refuse and reclaims his lost self-respect. As
the shadows of his past catch up to him, Jacques realizes that Mara, despite
the odds, is the one true key to reclaiming his soul and banishing his past
misdeeds forever.
Excerpt:
Holding the towel to his shoulder, he walked over and stood by the bed to
check on the woman, who was still in a faint. Despite her pallor, he noted that
her skin was fine, her nose straight and thin. She had a lower lip just full
enough to entice a man to taste it, and a stubborn chin that dared him to try.
Under different circumstances…
She was perhaps not as lovely as he’d thought when he first saw her standing
in the clearing—her hair, the color of corn silk, shining in the sunlight.
Still, she was tall and fair, with slender curves and shapely ankles visible beneath
the short skirts of a farm wife.
And now she was a widow. He stared down at the woman and silently vowed to
see that no more innocents died today.
The woman gave a soft moan and opened her eyes. When she spotted him, she
shrank back against the wall, arms folded defensively across her breast. His
gut tightened. He didn’t enjoy terrifying women, but fear should make her
easier to control. She had already proven unpredictable.
Terror, stark and vivid, glittered in her eyes. "Who are you?"
"My name is Jacques Corbeau, lieutenant in the army of France. And you
are my captive."
* * *
Mara inhaled sharply, panic building inside her. This couldn’t be real. It
was all a bad dream. She would wake up soon and tell Emile about it, and they
would laugh. And laugh and laugh and…. She swallowed the hysteria engulfing
her.
"Madame, are you listening to me?"
The Frenchman’s voice, sharp and insistent, demanded her attention.
"There is not much time. My companions are not patient men. We must leave
soon, but first I want you to bind my shoulder. Where do you keep
bandages?"
Her mouth and throat were dry when she swallowed, but she choked out an
answer. "The trunk. Under the bed."
He squatted beside the bed, pulled out the trunk and rummaged through it.
She watched his every move, unable to take her eyes off him, alarmed by the
physical threat he represented.
He was a tall man who dominated the cabin as Emile never had, and his state
of undress revealed nearly every inch of his lean and powerful form. Not only
was he bare to the waist, but his breechclout and leggings failed to completely
cover his thighs and buttocks. He had a wide-shouldered, rangy body and long,
sinewy legs. He looked strong, virile, and infinitely dangerous.
A cold knot formed in Mara’s stomach. The French had killed her father and
now her husband. What would they do to her?
She wrapped her arms around her waist. Her grandfather would say whatever
happened was God’s will, but she rejected that idea. What kind of God allowed
such awful things to happen?
Fearfully, she watched as the Frenchman shoved the trunk back under the bed
and stood. He held out the bandages, and she froze. She couldn’t touch him, she
just couldn’t.
The man’s heavy black brows drew together in a fierce frown, but his voice
was without emotion. "Madame, I am all that stands between you and the men
who killed your husband. I can be persuaded to act as your protector. It is to
your advantage to do what I command."
Linda
Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of history fostered by
her paternal grandmother and an incurable case of wanderlust inherited from her
father. She has traveled extensively within the United States and has visited
Mexico, Canada, & Australia. A lifelong dream came true with a trip to
England where she was able to combine sightseeing and theater with research for
her novels. A native of Pittsburgh, she now lives in Southern California with
her husband.
Her first book was Worth The Risk by Lyn O'Farrell.
Now Linda writes historical and Regency romance. She loves transporting her
readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the journey of life,
love is the sweetest reward.
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