Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the blog series where I share snippets from new and past releases, and works-in-progress, and occasionally nag writer buddies into doing the same.

It’s always a delight to host historical romance author and lovely friend Anna Campbell on the blog. She’s been visiting a long time and is always welcome, and popular – but no surprise there!

Out of curiosity, I checked to see exactly how long Anna has been guesting here and was amazed to discover that Anna’s first post was way back in November 2011.

Remember Friday Feast? Regular readers of the blog might. This was a long-running series where author buddies shared recipes and foodie adventures, and chatted about their new releases. It was a blast, and Anna was one of the earliest authors to feature. It was also an enormous amount of work that took me away from book writing and, sadly, I had to end the series at the end of 2015.

In that 2011 Friday Feast post, Anna entertained and educated us with the delights of Regency cuisine – it was amazingly sophisticated – shared a recipe link for baklava (yum) and offered a giveaway of Midnight’s Wild Passion (terrific book).

Now she’s back in 2018 to entertain us again and offer another giveaway. What a wonderful person!

Please welcome Anna, and enjoy.

Hi Cathryn!

Thank you so much for having me back as your guest for another year of Teaser Tuesdays! I always love visiting your blog to talk about my latest release.

My new book is special for a couple of reasons. It’s the first full-length book I’ve written in a couple of years. It also ends the current cycle of Dashing Widows stories in fine style (hopefully!). Those of you who have read Catching Captain Nash, the sixth Dashing Widow novella, will remember Lord Garson, Morwenna’s fiancé, who definitely got the short end of the stick when her husband came back from the dead. Lord Garson’s Bride (out 28^th February) picks up Garson three years later, still heartbroken, but obliged to marry to produce an heir for the title. What a good excuse for a marriage of convenience story! That’s always been one of my favourite tropes. I hope it’s one of yours.

The teaser comes after Garson has married his childhood friend, Jane Norris, and a wedding night that didn’t go to plan. During their honeymoon in Salisbury, Garson sets out to seduce his bride into abandoning her fears and inviting him into her bed.

Salisbury Cathedral

It’s always fun to incorporate places I’ve been in my stories. Last year, I visited Salisbury for the first time. It’s a beautiful town with a gorgeous cathedral – on the outside. Sadly in 1790, an architect named James Wyatt decided to modernise the interior by taking out most of the medieval detail so the interior is quite disappointing. Jane shares my reaction!

Salisbury, Wiltshire, February 1833

“It’s very bare.” Jane surveyed the cathedral’s cavernous interior. “I’d imagined something a little more…”

Garson drew her into a dimly lit side chapel. “Ornate? Spectacular? Mysterious?”

With a slight roughness—and he was never rough with a lady—he pushed her up against the cold marble tomb that housed the earthly remains of some long-dead archbishop. A reminder, should he need it, not to waste his chances on this earthly plane.

Jane gasped as her back hit the cold stone. She observed him from under the brim of the dark blue bonnet that matched her fashionable pelisse. “What are you doing, Hugh?”

As he swept off his hat, he glanced around. This late in the winter day, little light penetrated the high, clear windows, but enough to reveal that the cathedral was almost empty. There was nobody in this side aisle, although evensong was due to begin soon.

He placed one hand beside Jane’s head, hemming her in with his body. “I’m going to touch you.”

“For shame.” Her reproof contradicted the flaring excitement in her eyes. “This is a church.”

Despite her disapproval, she didn’t try to escape. He shifted close enough to catch a drift of floral scent. Last night, that fragrance had fuelled his arousal. After he left her, it had haunted his restless dreams.

He set his hat on the tomb behind her head. “And nicely private.”

“That’s blasphemous.”

“We got married in a church.”

When Jane’s lips twitched, he cursed himself for limiting himself to only one kiss a day. “That reasoning is self-serving, and you know it.”

“I need to put my hands on you.”

Her alarmed squeak evoked a reaction more profane than sacred. He leaned in, until his lips touched her delicate earlobe. “Is that a yes?”

After a shuddering exhalation, her answer was a whisper. “Don’t do anything too brazen.”

A soft huff of laughter escaped him. “I’ll try my best.”

You can read a longer excerpt on my website.

Grab your copy today from:

Amazon.com | Kobo | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

GIVEAWAY!

So have you ever visited somewhere that was a bit of a disappointment and didn’t live up to the hype? I remember seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time and being rather underwhelmed, for example. Or have you visited somewhere that turned out to be a major surprise and far surpassed your expectations? Let’s talk travel stories today!

I’ve got a Kindle download of Lord Garson’s Bride to give away today. No geographical restrictions.

Please note: Giveaway closes midnight Friday AEST, 2^nd March 2018. Open internationally.

What a great question, Anna! I’m with you on the Mona Lisa. Here’s a photo of the Mona Lisa’s room in the Louvre, taken back in 2005 (I think). Aware how busy it could get, we arrived at opening time and made a beeline for it, which allowed us to enjoy the Mona Lisa without the crowds. I snapped this much later in the day, when we were leaving. This was in the heart of winter. Imagine what it’s like in peak tourist season.

Crowds in front of the Mona Lisa, Louvre, 2005

Come along, travellers. Reveal the places you found under- (or over-) whelming, at home or abroad, and we’ll pop you into the draw to win a Kindle download of Lord Garson’s Bride. You could end up travelling the marvellous world of Anna’s new story!

If you’d like to learn more about Anna and her books, please visit her website. You can also connect via Facebook and Twitter using @AnnaCampbelloz.