Tag Archives: The Five Kisses

America Refreshes Downton Abbey

Season Three of Downton Abbey introduced a character from America. Shirley MacLaine spiced up the show playing the American mother of Cora, Countess of Grantham. One of the reasons it worked so well was that viewers could see a striking contrast between the dueling dowagers, one from America and one from England.

The Divided Hearts, A Sweet Deception Regency Novel by Karla DarcyMost of the regencies are set in England so it makes for a very unique story to have one set in America. THE DIVIDED HEARTS is set in Newport, Rhode Island just prior to the War of 1812. It’s a time of rising passions as allegiances between England and America are tested. Now add a romance between an English gentlewoman and an American man. Let the sparks fly!

If you love Downton Abbey and Jane Austen you’ll love The Divided Hearts! This is the 7th book in the Sweet Deception Regency series. At the death of her mother Lady Judith Hallowell decides to visit her father in America. She agrees to find out if her Godmother’s grandson is still loyal to England.

Despite her father’s high praise of the man, she is stunned when Nathanael appears as a pompous dandy with powdered hair and peacock clothing. As she falls in love with a new country, she can’t understand how she can have feelings for someone so shallow and yearns to find someone like the mysterious Palatine who is considered a hero in the fledgling colonies on the brink of war? Or does she?

Don’t miss the opportunity to find out. Grab your copy today! CLICK HERE.

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An American Regency! How Unique!

You’ve read The American Bride and loved it but just imagine what would happen if the romance took place in America, not England! It could never happen, you say?  Miss Darcy is here to tell you that it could!

The Divided Hearts, A Sweet Deception Regency Novel by Karla Darcy

This is the publishing day for THE DIVIDED HEARTS!!

Lady Judith Hallowell leaves the drawing rooms of London to visit her father in America. Used to the sophisticated entertainments in England will the society in this raw new country be to her taste?Before she sails to America she agrees to find out if her Godmother’s grandson is still loyal to England. Despite her father’s high praise of the man, she is stunned when Nathanael appears as a pompous dandy with powdered hair and peacock clothing. As she falls in love with a new country, she can’t understand how she can have feelings for someone so shallow and yearns to find someone like the mysterious Palatine who is considered a hero in the fledgling colonies on the brink of war? How could her heart be so divided?

 

Miss Darcy is planning to celebrate the new book this week with the special price of $2.99 for two days. Don’t miss your chance to get your copy HERE.

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An American Regency? What a twist!

Miss Darcy is very excited that The American Bride has received such wonderful reviews. What an intriguing tale. Married by proxy! Will Caroline Leland be bedded by a total stranger when she arrives in England in this delightful romantic comedy? Can a feisty American heiress find love and happiness married to an English lord she has never seen?

Karla Darcy, Downton Abbey, Regency Romance, Jane Austen, Pride & Prejuice, Five Kisses

Cara disguises herself as a dowdy governess to observe her new husband. He’s arrogant and annoying but so very handsome and alluring. She’s courting danger and seduction with this disguise. To avoid discovery all she need do is remain quietly in the background. What an impossible task for this independent rebel!

Now just imagine if the situation were reversed! An English woman traveling to America in a time of danger and the rumblings of war. How would she react coming from the drawing rooms of London to this new raw country? Miss Darcy is very excited to tell you that a new book will be available in April.

The Divided Hearts, A Sweet Deception Regency Novel by Karla Darcy

The title is The Divided Hearts, a rousing tale of romance in America. A very unique kind of Regency. Miss Darcy just got the new cover from her publisher and she’s over the moon. In a few days I’ll be able to give you an excerpt of this delightful tale of love and intrigue.

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Gift Card and a Sneak Peek!

Miss Darcy invites her readers to check out: Booklover’s Bench. Some of my fellow authors and I have set up a website called Booklovers Bench. The purpose of our site is to bring contests to readers. Last month we gave away a Nook Simple Touch. This month, we’re giving away a gift certificate worth $50.00 at either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. New contests every month, so bookmark the site.

Our March contest kicks off on March 4th and runs through the 17th.

The authors of Booklover’s Bench are pleased to offer the following prizes for our March contest.

One lucky winner will receive his or her choice of a $50 gift card from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Amazon$50B&N$50

 And this time, we’re going to have a runner-up who will win FIVE e-books: One from each of our authors. The winner will be able to choose from any digital format the author provides. To enter the contest click here.

Note: terms and conditions for Amazon gift card can be found here:http://www.amazon.com/gc-legal

As stated in the terms and conditions, by entering this contest, you agree to be added to the authors’ newsletter mailing lists. Of course, you can opt out after receiving any newsletter.

Miss Darcy is very excited that The American Bride has received such wonderful reviews. What an intriguing tale. Married by proxy! Will Caroline Leland be bedded by a total stranger when she arrives in England in this delightful romantic comedy? Can a feisty American heiress find love and happiness married to an English lord she has never seen?

Karla Darcy, Downton Abbey, Regency Romance, Jane Austen, Pride & Prejuice, Five Kisses

Cara disguises herself as a dowdy governess to observe her new husband. He’s arrogant and annoying but so very handsome and alluring. She’s courting danger and seduction with this disguise. To avoid discovery all she need do is remain quietly in the background. What an impossible task for this independent rebel!

Now just imagine if the situation were reversed! An English woman traveling to America in a time of danger and the rumblings of war. How would she react coming from the drawing rooms of London to this new raw country? In the next few days Miss Darcy will give you a sneak peek at the new book coming in April. The title is The Divided Hearts, a rousing tale of romance in America. A very unique kind of Regency.

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Karla Darcy Celebrates Pride and Prejudice Anniversary

On Monday Miss Darcy went to a meeting at the Daughters of Sweet’s Racing Club to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice. It was a thoroughly satisfying evening. There were readings of course and in one of the private rooms Miss Darcy’s favorite movie version starring Colin Firth was shown. Many sighes could be heard among the gathered ladies.

During the party Rafflecopter was used to chose a winner from the entries in Miss Darcy’s raffle that ended Jan. 26th. The winner of the $10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate was Theresa Hurley. The prize was sent to her directly from Amazon.

Miss Darcy’s favorite quote from Pride and Prejudice is: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” So many romances have been written based on that very line.

Karla Darcy, Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, Regency Romance

In The Marriage Wager Lord Deveraux Havenhurst has been given an ultimatum by his grandfather. Marry and produce an heir or let the title slip to his pompous cousin. It takes a drunken evening with his friends to produce a foolproof scheme. He will marry an actress, get an heir and divorce her. Then he’ll have the freedom to live as he likes. Jane Austen would laugh at such folly. She knew that love could throw a wrench in even the best laid plans.

Don’t miss out on this delightful romantic comedy. Download your copy now by clicking HERE.

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Love Downton Abbey? You’ll Love The Virtuous Ward!

New chances to enter for the $10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate. Enter Contest Below! And Miss Darcy is worried that you’ll miss the last day, January 26th, to get a FREE download of The Virtuous Ward. Filled with romance, scandal, humor and of course a lovable mutt named Muffin. Look at this sweet face and you’ll definitely want to find out what takes place when Amity arrives for the first time to see her guardian who will be sponsoring her in society. Read the excerpt and then download by clicking HERE.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

Karla Darcy, Downton Abbey, romance, The Virtuous Bride, Jane Austen, Regency

“Come on, Muffin, you lazy slug. Wake up,” Amity muttered, elbowing her companion. When this tactic had little effect, she leaned over and whispered. “I’ll help you look for cats. And maybe even a rabbit.”

Thus tempted, Amity’s companion, an enormous brown dog of unknown and highly suspect origin yawned, his great tongue arching upward between neat rows of white teeth. He stretched all four legs and emitted a low rumbling moan before he turned his head toward his mistress. Muffin’s eyelids raised and he stared at Amity through soulful pools of brown.

“What a lump you are,” Amity said as she hugged her friend, nuzzling one floppy ear. “Ever since we got in the coach this morning you’ve been sleeping. Besides we’re almost there. Coachman said it would be another half hour.”

Thus reminded of their imminent arrival, Amity bit her lip, feeling the jolt of her accelerated heartbeat. She pushed the huge dog off her lap and brushed at the clumps of dog hair left behind. Then reaching up, she untied the blue ribbon that confined her hair at the nape of her neck. As usual a cloud of the bright red curls had escaped and were billowing around her cheeks. She raked her fingers through the shimmering mass of waist-length hair and retied the ribbon.

“My reticule! My gloves!” she wailed, searching the carriage.

She found the reticule at last beneath the plain poke bonnet, which she jammed on her head, but after a hurried hunt, could not find her mittens. She remembered removing them at the last stop and accepted the sad fact that she would have to arrive at her destination with bare hands. The reticule was dusty and she grasped the strings and smacked it against the squabs sending up clouds of dust. Muffin inhaled and sneezed so heartily that the movement propelled the dog upright, where he sat, eyes wide open and black nose aquiver. When Amity giggled at the dog’s expression, he looked so offended that she burst into a loud whoop of laughter. Thus Amity and Muffin arrived at Edgeworth.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

This is the last day that you can enter the contest to win a $10.00 Amazon gift certificate. Even if you’ve entered before you can enter again since the options have been changed in the raffle.

How to enter: Complete the entries on Rafflecopter below:

  • Log in with your name and email or Facebook
  • Click “Do It!” button to read the instructions for each entry option.

*If the rafflecopter form doesn’t appear, please wait a minute for it to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once you’ve entered don’t forget to pick up the FREE download of The Virtuous Ward by clicking HERE.

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Regency Romance? If this is January, we must be celebrating!

Miss Darcy just heard from friends who are snowed in the North and others who are being rained on in the South. What a perfect time to curl up with a book. And I have just the book for you. Not only is it exciting, romantic and humorous but it’s absolutely free!

The Virtuous Ward by Bestselling Regency Author Karla Darcy

Starting Jan.22, 2013 The Virtuous Ward will be free on Amazon for five days. And just because it’s a brand new year Glades Publishing is offering a $10.00 Amazon gift certificate to let you know they appreciate your support. Books and gift certificates. What could be more fun on a rainy or snowy day.

It’s so easy to enter Miss Darcy’s drawing! As usual she is up to the mark on fairness so she’s devised a wonderful raffle run by Rafflecopter who will choose the winner of the $10.00 gift card. Come join the fun! 

How to enter: Complete the entries on Rafflecopter below:

  • Log in with your name and email or Facebook
  • Click “Do It!” button to read the instructions for each entry option.

*If the rafflecopter form doesn’t appear, please wait a minute for it to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once you’ve entered to win the gift card, download a free book by clicking HERE. What could be simpler or more fun?

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Karla Darcy Announces Winners!

Miss Darcy participated in the New Year Blog Hop and couldn’t be more excited to announce the winners.

Miss Angelina Daniels-Shaw is the fortunate  winner of the $20.00 gift card. She will be getting the gift card directly from Amazon. Hope it will make start her new year off just right.

We also had daily winnners who won a free copy of The Scandalous Ward.

Day One winner was: Vera Mallard

Day Two winner was: Shadow Kohler

Day Three winner was: Nuzaifa

Day Four winner was: Karen C

For this blog hop The Scandalous Ward was the featured book. Although Miss Darcy tries not to show preferences, she has to admit that this story is one of her favorites. This excerpt documents Leslie Lathrup’s arrival from India and the introduction of her traveling companions to the Duke.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

“This is Jacko, your Grace.” Leslie indicated the wizened figure standing protectively at his shoulder.

The old man drew himself smartly to attention. “Private Jacko, sir! General factotum to Captain Philip, sir! Right glad to be back in a civilized country, sir!” His voice rasped like sandpaper on wood.

Pax wondered if all Jacko’s sentences ended in ‘sir’? He guessed that the little Englishman was close to sixty, but his remarkably fit body made it difficult to determine. Under a wild mixture of black and white hair, the old man’s face was tanned and wrinkled like ancient parchment.

Silvery-blue eyes shone brightly in the otherwise expressionless face. Arms, impressive in their wiry strength, dangled from a broad muscular chest. Short bandy-legs completed the picture of Leslie’s self-appointed bodyguard.

“And this is my other friend Manji.” Leslie was positively dwarfed by the giant on his other side.

Karla Darcy, Regency Romance, Sweet Deception Regency, Downton Abbey, Jane Austen, RomanceAlthough Pax was six feet tall, he suspected that Manji topped him by at least four inches, and outweighed him by a good six stone. The man was totally bald, the skin of his head gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight, giving a slight haloed effect. But the face beneath the shining dome was far from saintly.

Manji had the look of a fierce brigand with slanted brown eyes under bushy brows, a nose that had a decided list toward the right side and a moustache bristling above and then drooping dispiritedly on either side of a glowering mouth.

“Manji, syce.” The deep voice rumbled threateningly around the room.

“That means groom, your Grace.”

Pax could feel an aura of menace emanating from both the older men, so the boy’s calm explanation was a welcome relief. “And your mother, Leslie?” Pax asked forcing his eyes away from the giant and the gnome.

“She died when I was born, sir. The Captain—that’s my father—was mostly busy with the army. Jacko and Manji pretty well raised me,” the boy explained.

“And I can see they’ve done a fine job,” Pax acknowledged hastily. He eyed the bizarre duo, curious despite himself. “Where did Jacko and Manji come from?”

“I can’t say for sure about Jacko. He was sort of on the scene when I arrived. When Father first went out to India, he took Jacko as his batman. Since then, of course, the Captain wouldn’t move without him. He’s good at about everything.”

The boy grinned as the old man creaked once again to attention. “Sometimes I call him Teach because most everything I know I learned from him. ‘Cepting that Manji taught me to ride.”

“I wouldn’t have thought there was a horse alive that could carry the man,” Pax laughed.

Bristling at the implied criticism, Leslie hurried to Manji’s defense. “He’s really wizard on horseback, your Grace.”

“Give over, lad. I’m not doubting your word.” Pax smiled affectionately at the boy, pleased when the youngster returned the gesture.

“Well, anyways, my father found Manji on the waterfront. He was sick with a putrid fever, but we soon put him to rights.”

There was a note of pride in the boy’s high-pitched voice. “Manji was ever so handy when we were coming out of India. Speaks a lot of languages. His mother was an Indian prostitute, and his father was a Mongolian whoremaster.”

Pax coughed to cover his startled gasp at the blunt words spoken so nonchalantly by the ten-year-old. Good God! What kind of a life had the child led? Pax wondered in horror.

Looking across the desk at the placid expression in the clear blue eyes, he realized with a shock that the boy had little understanding of the words he used so casually. He was obviously parroting phrases, without any awareness of their meaning. Pax realized that he would have to see to the repair of some of the more exotic characteristics of the youngster.

*    *    *    *    *    *   *

What an exciting story it is. How was Pax to know that this simple beginning would lead to a scandal that would rock society? Even Downton Abbey hasn’t seen the likes of this!

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A New Year’s Blog Hop with Karla Darcy

Miss Darcy celebrated the New Year with the Daughters of Sweet’s Racing Club. Most of the ladies were distracted by the thought of the New Year’s Hop starting January 11th. So of course Miss Darcy managed to win at whist once more. She is considering putting out her shingle as a cardshark although she would never consider fuzzing the cards (cheating).

Esther Rutherford was at the New Year’s celebration and she reminded us all of the scandal associated with her ancestor Paxton Rutherford. You may not remember the story but at the time the gossip mongers had a field day. And it all began so simply as you’ll see in this excerpt:

The Scandalous Ward by Karla Darcy

“Bloody ‘ell!”

The expletive burst from the boy’s lips and he grimaced, clapping his hands over his mouth as if to prevent any more colorful language from escaping.

Paxton Rutherford, Duke of Ruhaven, stared in fascination at the boy standing stiff-legged before his desk. Pax still found it hard to believe that the small disheveled figure was a member of the nobility. But according to the papers on his desk, the child, who looked like the veriest street urchin, was Sir Leslie Lathrup, son of his own father’s friend, Captain Sir Philip Lathrup. Dropping his gaze to his desk, Pax assured himself that the papers were still there, then looked up at the discomfited lad.

Lifting embarrassed blue eyes, the boy dropped his hands and straightened his shoulders. “Beg pardon, your lordship, but I was that surprised to hear of the death of your father. Are you the new duke then?”

Paxton Rutherford nodded, waiting as the boy digested this startling information.

“Please accept my sympathy on your loss, your Grace.” Leslie executed a deep bow to show his respect for the late Duke.

“Thank you, Leslie. There was no way that you could have known. It was quite sudden. A riding accident.”

The arrival of the youngster and his two servants had created a most entertaining break in what had been an extremely trying day. Leaning forward onto his elbows, he indicated that the boy should take a chair.

“If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d prefer to stand. It seems like I’ve been sitting for weeks.” For emphasis the lad gingerly rubbed his backside.

Pax returned the rueful grin and once more took in the sartorial splendor of the boy. Khaki trousers of dubious ancestry had been cut down and resewn by an apparently blind tailor. A once-white silk shirt with flowing lace at the collar and cuffs drooped sadly beneath a hunting jacket, worn and patched from many years of hard usage. Despite the outlandish garments, the lad was good-looking with his intelligent blue eyes, wide mouth and thatch of unruly chestnut hair.

*   *   *   *   *   *

What an exciting story it is. How was Pax to know that this simple beginning would lead to a scandal that would rock society? Even Downton Abbey hasn’t seen the likes of this!

Now Miss Darcy is aware you are anxious to learn about the New Year’s Blog Hop and her own giveaway prizes.

From January 11 until Midnight January 14th you will have a chance to meet 60 independent authors and win some fabulous prizes.

To enter Miss Darcy’s contest and to hear the rest of the details CLICK HERE!

And after you’ve entered to win at Miss Darcy’s page check out the rest of these amazing chances to win at the New Year’s Hop main page!

New Year's Hop

 

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Weekly Words from Miss Darcy’s Dictionary

Miss Darcy was reminded of several other unique Regency words by a fellow Regency Author, Ella Quinn.  It’s great fun to define some of these antiquated words.

When regaling you concerning the rumors surrounding the proxy marriage of Lord Wilton in The American Bride, Miss Darcy used some of these words in context. She’ll add them to the dictionary too.

Karla Darcy, Downton Abbey, Regency Romance, Jane Austen, Pride & Prejuice, Five KissesSo here are several words that you might not know but will help in understanding the Regency world.

Fuddled or in one’s altitudes – additional ways of indicating someone is drunk.

Shot the cat – Such a delicate way of saying emptying one’s stomach or vomiting.

Puffed up on his own conceit– Someone who is very proud of himself and thinks they are extremely important.

Plant a facer – A punch in the face.

Up to every rig and row in town – Someone who is rather cutting edge.

Some of the Daughters of Sweet’s Racing Club have also indicated that they would like to add some words to the growing list. And if you think of one, mention it in the comments below this post. Or if you’ve found a word and can’t figure out the meaning, let me know and I’ll see what I can find. What an adventure for all of us!

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