Hello folks!
Allow me to introduce you to author Maggi Anderson. Maggi is doing a virtual
book blast tour in connection with Goddess Fish Promotions for her book Taming a Gentleman Spy – book #2 in The
Spies of Mayfair, a regency historical/romantic suspense books available
December 4th 2013 from Knox Robinson Publishing.
Maggi will award
a $50 Amazon GC plus an e-book copy of A Baron in Her Bed – The Spies of
Mayfair, Book #1 to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So don’t forget to leave your comment!!!
What’s the novel about?
John Haldane,
Earl of Strathairn, is on an urgent mission to find the killer of his fellow
spy. After visiting the young widow of one of his agents, Strathairn
strengthens his resolve. A spy should never marry, and most certainly not to
Lady Sibella Winborne, with her romantic ideas of love and marriage. Unable to
give Sibella up entirely, he has kept her close as a friend. Then, weak fool
that he is, he kissed her.
Lady Sibella Winborne has refused several offers of marriage since she first set eyes on the handsome Earl of Strathairn. Sibella’s many siblings always rush to her aid to discourage an ardent suitor, but not this time. Her elder brother, Chaloner, Marquess of Brandreth, has approved Lord Coombe’s suit. Sibella yearns to set up her own household. She is known to be the sensible member of the family, but she doesn’t feel at all sensible about Lord Strathairn. If only she could forget that kiss.
Lady Sibella Winborne has refused several offers of marriage since she first set eyes on the handsome Earl of Strathairn. Sibella’s many siblings always rush to her aid to discourage an ardent suitor, but not this time. Her elder brother, Chaloner, Marquess of Brandreth, has approved Lord Coombe’s suit. Sibella yearns to set up her own household. She is known to be the sensible member of the family, but she doesn’t feel at all sensible about Lord Strathairn. If only she could forget that kiss.
An excerpt…
Beneath glistening
chandeliers, the dancers spun to the strains of a Handel waltz. Strathairn
smiled down at his partner, her slim waist beneath his hand as they danced.
Lady Sibella Winborne looked like a delicate flower in a gauzy pale gown
covered in amber blossom. White ostrich feather plumes adorned her luxuriant
dark locks. He enjoyed looking at her. Her serene oval face lifted and she
smiled at him, her mouth wide and full. Too wide for beauty some might say, but
made for kissing. She had inherited her mother’s famous eyes, a delectable mix
of blue and green, but her nature was quieter, lacking the vivacity of her
mother in her youth, who was said to have had men falling at her feet. He
admired Sibella’s calm beauty, but she was oh, so much more: practical, poised
and intelligent. Yet still unmarried, which surprised him.
“You arrived late
tonight. I wasn’t sure you’d come,” she said.
“I was tied up with
business.”
“Not parliament?”
“No.”
She tilted her head.
“Your horses, then?”
He grinned at her
blatant curiosity. “No.”
“You won’t tell me.”
“No.”
Sibella laughed with
good humor. “Very well. Might I find you riding in Hyde Park tomorrow?”
“I hope to.”
Her delicate brows
rose. “If business doesn’t keep you.”
He laughed.
“Precisely.”
The music faded away.
Strathairn escorted her back to her chair where her mother, the Dowager
Marchioness of Brandreth, sat fanning herself among the other dowagers. He
bowed, planning to slip into the rooms set aside for gambling. As much as he
might wish to dance with Sibella again, it would place them under scrutiny, and
faro was an effective release from the tension he always carried with him.
“Don’t rush off,
Strathairn,” her sharp-eyed mother said. “We have seen little of you of late.
You rarely frequent these affairs.” She waved her fan in an arc to encompass
the ballroom. “Where have you been hiding?”
“Not hiding, my lady,
merely visiting my estates.”
Lady Brandreth
adjusted the silk shawl over her shoulders. “Did you include that pile of yours
in Yorkshire? I enjoyed the hunt ball, but it’s cold as charity in winter up in
those parts.”
“Not this time, but I
miss it. There’s a wild beauty to the dales in winter, quite unlike southern
England.”
“I daresay.” Her
purple turban wobbled as she nodded. “You are a fine figure of a man,
Strathairn. What are you now? Six and thirty? You should marry. You should be
setting up your nursery.” She gestured toward her daughter sitting beside her.
“Sibella will bear you healthy children. The Brandreths come of good stock, and
the Wederells even better.”
“Mama, please!” He
caught Sibella’s apologetic gaze and suppressed a wry smile. Her plea would
have little effect; the marchioness was known to be one of the most colorful
and outspoken members of the ton.
The dowager batted her
daughter’s protest away with her fan. “I am merely speaking the truth,
Sibella.”
“Your daughter is a
credit to you, my lady,” he said with a smile. “She has inherited both your
beauty and intelligence.”
“Now you are toad
eating.” A roguish smile lit Lady Brandreth’s face. “You always were a charmer.
Sibella is intelligent. Walk with her on the terrace to discover it for
yourself.”
“I should be
delighted.”
Meet the author
Maggi Andersen fell in
love with the Georgian and Regency worlds after reading the books of Georgette
Heyer. Victoria Holt's Gothic Victorian novels were also great favorites.
She has raised three
children and gained a BA and an MA in Creative Writing. After husband David
retired from the law, they moved to the beautiful Southern Highlands of
Australia.
Maggi's free time is
spent enjoying her garden and the local wildlife, reading, movies and the
theatre. She keeps fit swimming and visiting the gym.
Maggi is a
multi-published author, and writes mysteries and young adult novels as well as
her Georgian, Regency and Victorian romances.
Buy Links:
Publisher: Knox
Robinson Publishing Ltd. http://www.knoxrobinsonpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=190?osCsid=7ca7b93ba2d4d9c4a32d9ec07cf6f205
Thanks for hosting me, Nickie.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Maggi!
DeleteThank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the excerpts.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks Rita!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt! Thanks for sharing it and the giveaway. Wishing everyone a wonderful and magical holiday season! evamillien at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteHi! I read Maggi's book Taming a Gentleman Spy and found it captivating and so much fun to read! Thank you for this great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com