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Her Impeccable Scoundrel

Simply Romance Posted on February 14, 2025 by Alina K. FieldFebruary 19, 2025

Wicked Widows League

Book Cover: Her Impeccable Scoundrel
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Anxious to save a cherished inheritance, Blythe Blatchfield, widowed Countess of Chilcombe, knows she must repair her reputation with the Beau Monde in order to face the powerful marquess challenging her dissolute husband’s will. She vows to resist handsome rogues like her late husband, and to never again give her trust so blithely. But when the new earl, absent from England for many years, finally appears, new rumors swirl around Blythe. Facing the loss of everything, she finds herself needing the help of an old enemy, the man whose interference years earlier led to her unhappy marriage, the new Earl of Chilcombe.

Called back to England to take up his late cousin’s title, diplomat Graeme Blatchfield is eager to see his cousin’s widow and learn for himself whether the rumors about the woman he once held a childish infatuation for are true. Having plunged into marriage with the last earl—Graeme’s fault for revealing their tryst—she’s been tainted by her husband’s decadence.  Forced by matters of the estate to spend time together, he soon discovers the vulnerable and lonely woman underneath the society mask. Can he get her to forgive him—and more?

Available on: November 18, 2025
Publisher: Havenlock Press (http://alinakfield.com/?page_id=2897)
Cover Artists:
Mandy Koehler

Genres:
Regency Romance

Tags:
Historical Romance, Second Chance Romance, Wicked Widow's League

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

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Her Impeccable Scoundrel →

A Christmas Quintet, A Bluestocking Belles Collection

Simply Romance Posted on January 9, 2025 by Alina K. FieldJanuary 9, 2025
Book Cover: A Christmas Quintet, A Bluestocking Belles Collection
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A Christmas Quintet

• Friends to Lovers—The farmer's daughter, the viscount's son, and the estate manager reunite as adults. Della is starry-eyed for the viscount's son, but is he really the one for her? (Regency, Christmas)

• Fake Relationship—When the pressure to marry is overwhelming, can a plan put in place at a Christmas house party turn into a love that will last forever? (Regency, Christmas)

• Second-Chance Love—An accident leaves the modiste burned, blinded and in despair until the physician offers hope and stirs memories. (Regency, Christmas)

• Country Mouse and Marriage-Shy Duke—Invited at the last minute to make up the numbers, she expects to be an interested observer. The duke has other ideas. (Georgian, Twelfth Night)

• Two Spies, One Secret—Trapped in a deserted wilderness, will they set aside secrets and past betrayals to rekindle their love and ring in the New Year together? (Medieval, Hogmanay)

Five charming stories for your holiday season, including my novella, Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot, a sequel to my Sons in the Spy Lord Series. 

Cover Artists:
Dar Albert

Genres:
Holiday Romance

Tags:
Historical Romance, Historical Romance Collections, Regency Romance

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

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Under the Champagne Moon

Simply Romance Posted on March 16, 2024 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: Under the Champagne Moon
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Orphaned by the French Revolution and rescued by a British family, Fleur Hardouin didn’t—or wouldn’t—speak, until the jolly young Gareth Ardleigh crossed her path one summer and saved her from bullies.

Fifteen years later, Fleur and the beloved lady she serves return to Cheshire. Determined to rescue them both through an advantageous marriage, Fleur tries to brush off the attention she receives from Captain Gareth Ardleigh, who’s home from the wars and as handsome as ever. Her heart longs for him, but her head knows he can’t provide the security she needs.

Gareth’s excuse for visiting Cheshire is to deliver the personal effects of his best friend who perished at Quatre Bras. But his real purpose is finding the little French girl he met years ago, for marriage—not to him, but to the Frenchman who helped save his life.

Astonished to find that Fleur has grown into a beautiful—and still intriguing—young woman, it soon becomes clear, he must choose between honoring a promise or trying to win the hand of the woman he loves.

Originally published in Under the Harvest Moon, a Bluestocking Belles Collection with Friends

Universal Buy Link

Published: April 16, 2024
Publisher: Havenlock Press (http://alinakfield.com/?page_id=2897)
Editors:
Jude Knight

Cover Artists:
Dar Albert

Genres:
Historical Fiction, Regency Romance

Tags:
Sweet Regency Romance

Excerpt:

“I will show you the art of sabrage, Laurence. Only but watch my technique.”

A shiver passed through Fleur, followed by heat that turned her hands and cheeks clammy. The voice, the cocky intonation… She paused, gathered her composure, and then turned the knob.

The door opened on silent hinges, cigar smoke wafting to meet her. Silver flashed. An object shot out and bounced against the fireplace shovel with a loud bang, and the air bubbled with the scent of fermented grapes.

A well-dressed gentleman sat behind a heavy desk, cigar in hand. The other, his curly dark locks in disarray, coatless, and with very fine legs encased in tight buckskins, stood before the desk, his back to the door.

“Dans la victoire,’’ the man in buckskins proclaimed, “tu mérites du champagne, et dans la défaite tu en as besoin.’’

In victory you deserve champagne, and in defeat you need it?

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Her stomach twisted, thoughts stirring in her muddled mind. It had sounded like him, but it couldn’t be, could it? Nor was it Thaddeus—he’d fallen at Waterloo.

Had he lived?

If it wasn’t him…would Sherington be hosting a blasted Frenchman?

Laurence—surely the weak-chinned blond fellow behind the desk was Laurence—noticed her. Thaddeus had been the handsomer of the two boys. Poor Thaddeus.

Laurence’s smile fell away as he stood and set aside his cigar. The man with him, the man clutching a foaming bottle in one hand and a saber in the other, turned his head. His lips stretched and softened, and his eyes darkened with what she recognized as a man’s carnal interest.

And then they widened with shock. A smile dawned, flooding his face with something that looked like relief.

Her own heart thundered. Gareth. This was Gareth, grown into a man, with thighs that would send Dulcinea into embarrassing public ecstasies.

“Petal,” he cried. “It’s you.”

“Flora?” Laurence stepped closer, his gaze traveling over her like an annoying insect buzzing around. “I haven’t seen you in years. Is it really you? All grown up?”

The tone was lascivious and didn’t deserve a reply.

Laurence rounded the desk and scoffed. “Don’t tell me you still don’t speak, Flora.”

That again. The fool.

“My name,” she said, “is Fleur. Not Flora. Nor is it Petal.”

Gareth’s eyes twinkled, flecks of gold sparking among the brown, and his whole face lit from within as if he was holding in one of his hearty laughs, like the one that exploded out of him the last time she saw him.

Did he still have the handkerchief she’d labored over? He’d probably thrown it into the fire the same day he’d received it.

And that was fine. Gareth had no place in her plans.

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

View all posts by Alina K. Field

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A Christmas Quintet, A Bluestocking Belles Collection →

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Under the Champagne Moon →

Christmastide Kisses, A Bluestocking Belles With Friends Collection

Simply Romance Posted on December 2, 2023 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: Christmastide Kisses, A Bluestocking Belles With Friends Collection
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Six charming holiday season romances from award-winning and best-selling authors.

The Bluestocking Belles and Friends brighten your holidays with:

  • A beleaguered uncle whose wards have run off every governess–what he needs is a wife, if only he can persuade the latest applicant
  • A country solicitor who becomes an earl and then finds a secret that changes everything
  • A very proper clergyman who battles very improper urges when he and a lady with a murky past find themselves snowbound
  • A viscount whose search to unearth generations-old family secrets kindles the fire of love for his lovely search partner
  • A former army captain who wonders if the best friend of his ex-fiancee is the woman he should have married
  • A vicar with a misspent youth and the duke’s daughter who brings out the best in him

Six gentlemen and the ladies with whom they discover the power of a Christmastide Kiss.

Includes Twelfth Night Treasure, by Alina K. Field

 

Though the Reverend Mr. Matthew Gurnwood longs to marry, he can’t afford a wife, not one without a dowry. One had to allow for the possibility of children, for it was a fact that a so-called white marriage would not do for him, at least not with the sort of woman he’d want to marry—a sort of woman like the mysterious Miss Dubia Hastings.

Disguised as a lady’s companion, Dubia Hastings has been hiding from a scandalous past, a mercenary cousin, and an impossible attraction to the very proper clergyman, Mr. Gurnwood.  When they’re stranded together alone on Twelfth Night, dare she risk everything to tell him the truth?

Genres:
Holiday Romance, Regency Romance

Tags:
Bluestocking Belles Collections, Christmas Romance, Historical Romance

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

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The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden

Simply Romance Posted on December 2, 2023 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: The Earl's Scottish Hoyden
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Part of the The Upstart Christmas Brides series:
  • THE NABOB’S DESIGNING DAUGHTER
  • The Impetuous Heiress
  • Convincing the Countess
  • The Duke She Despised
  • The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden

Edme Beecham was not disappointed in love last Christmas when Lord Cottingwith abruptly departed the Duke of Kinmarty’s Yuletide party. No, the Earl was too old to be so shy, but there it was. He’d latched on to her own talkative self because he’d found Edme, a girl among a multitude of brothers of all ages, comfortable company.

Thus, when an invitation to join a Yuletide party at Furningwood, his family’s estate, arrives, she’s alarmed to feel her hopes rising, and determined to stay home. But the earl is a valuable political and business connection, and her brother insists she go.

After one youthful lapse, Trenton Yardley, Earl of Cottingwith, has set about being a better man than his late uncle and cousin, and restoring the fortunes of his family, without submitting himself to the sort of fortune-hunting marriage his mother wants for him. He has a secret, and only the right woman will do for him, one with a generous heart and a sense of humor. He’d thought he’d found her last year in Edme Beecham, but an emergency had called him home before he could press his suit further.

The cold, aloof girl who appears at his home for Christmas could not be his Scottish hoyden, could she?

Published: December 5, 2023
Publisher: Havenlock Press (http://alinakfield.com/?page_id=2897)
Editors:
Jude Knight

Cover Artists:
Dar Albert

Genres:
Holiday Romance, Regency Romance

Tags:
Christmas Romance, Second Chance Romance

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

View all posts by Alina K. Field

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The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden →

Flowers for His Lady

Simply Romance Posted on June 19, 2023 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: Flowers for His Lady
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Shamed into spinsterhood by a fall from grace years earlier, Eleanor Gurnwood has found a home for herself in the tiny village of Upper Upton, and a quirky, sometimes annoying family in the villagers she’s been serving as her vicar-brother’s minion. Now, with his rising career, she’s faced with a choice: succumb to his pressure to keep house for him elsewhere or stay on in genteel poverty with her new “family”.

For now, she has only one goal in sight: to make this year’s Christmas service beautiful for the parishioners of St. Tancred’s—until the Christmas eve when a man from her past rides in on a white horse.

Major Sir Bramwell Huxley, late of his Majesty’s 95th Foot, has ventured on one last mission, a quest for a Christmas miracle: finding the lady he abandoned before leaving for Waterloo. With the help of the villagers of Upper Upton and a bit of Christmas magic, can Bramwell convince Eleanor to take a chance on love again?

Flowers for his Lady is a heartwarming tale of redemption, forgiveness, and the power of love to heal even the deepest wounds.

Previously published in Belles & Beaus, A Bluestocking Belles Collection.

Buy Links coming soon!

Genres:
Historical Fiction, Holiday Romance, Regency Romance

Tags:
Christmas Romance, Historical Romance, Second Chance Romance, Sweet Regency Romance

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

View all posts by Alina K. Field

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Under the Harvest Moon

Simply Romance Posted on June 19, 2023 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: Under the Harvest Moon
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As the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war.
But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge.
With two prominent families feuding for generations and the central event of the Harvest Moon festival looming, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface.
Nine award winning and bestselling authors have combined their talents to create this engaging and enchanting collection of interrelated tales. Under the Harvest Moon promises an unforgettable read for fans of Regency romance.
Under the Harvest Moon includes Under the Champagne Moon, by Alina K. Field:

Orphaned as a child by the French Revolution, Fleur Hardouin’s road has not been easy. Homeless again, she seeks an advantageous marriage as a matter of security. But when she crosses paths with a handsome young captain who, years ago, came to her rescue, she must choose between her heart’s desire and practicality.

Saved from French troops by a French vintner, Gareth Ardleigh promised to find his rescuer’s granddaughter, Fleur, for a marriage that will unite two branches of the family business. But when he finds her, he must choose between honoring a promise or pursuing the woman he loves.

Pre-order today for 99 cents--Release Day is October 10, 2023

Published: October 10, 2023
Editors:
Jude Knight

Cover Artists:
Mandy Koehler

Genres:
Historical Fiction, Holiday Romance, Regency Romance

Tags:
Bluestocking Belles Collections, Historical Romance, Regency Romance

Excerpt:

Excerpt from UNDER THE CHAMPAGNE MOON, by Alina K. Field

Gareth dipped his head her way and sniffed. “Mmm. Lilac?”

Her eyes turned a steely gray, and the slight wash of color creeping up her pale neck cheered him beyond reason. Fleur was a flower, but not a fragile one, and not one to blush easily at an importuning man’s flattery.

Or… he suspected that the cynical young girl had not grown into that sort of woman. What did he really know of her in the years since he’d last seen her?

She was still a Miss Hardouin, so she hadn’t married.

“Come along.” True to form, she quick-marched out of the library with him tagging along attached to her arm.

“Who is this Lady Dulcinea Ixworth?” he asked.

She sent him a side-wise condescending look, the sort you’d bestow on a child who’d asked a stupid question.

READ MORE

Another grin tugged at his lips, and he swallowed a laugh. He’d always enjoyed young Fleur’s silent testiness, but in Fleur the woman? The challenge was as intoxicating as champagne.

A new thought nagged: would Etienne Marceau appreciate her?

“She’s a distant cousin to the Bicton-Morledges.” Fleur’s frosty tone pull him out of his reverie. “I’ve been serving as her hired companion.”

“Does she live at Bicton Grange?”

“No. Well, that is, we only just arrived from Staffordshire.”

“Staffordshire.”

“Yes.”

“How did you come to…” He thought of the sulking little girl Fleur used to be and outrage filled him. “Do you mean that Bicton-Morledge sent you away?”

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

View all posts by Alina K. Field

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A Wallflower’s Midsummer Night’s Caper

Simply Romance Posted on June 19, 2023 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: A Wallflower's Midsummer Night's Caper
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A Midsummer Night’s masquerade at her family’s country home presents the Honorable Nancy Lovelace with the perfect opportunity for revenge against the man who ruined her first London season—a man she’s known since childhood, a man she’d once thought she loved.

Simon Crayding’s newly inherited properties are in disarray, and, thanks to his bad behavior, he’s no longer known to society as Captain Crayding but as the Swilling Duke. When an old school chum invites him for a Midsummer Night’s party, he jumps at the chance to lick his wounds among friends… as well as apologize to his friend’s sister, Nancy, because apparently, he’s done something to hurt her, he just doesn’t remember what.

It soon becomes clear that Nancy will not easily forgive. Never one to resist a challenge—or a beautiful woman—Simon vows to find out why. As the night unfolds and passions rise, will Simon be well and truly punished, or will Nancy be caught in her own game?

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER: Universal Buy Link

A Wallflower's Midsummer Night's Caper is Book 15 in a 52 book, multi-author collection!

 

Published: June 11, 2024
Publisher: Havenlock Press (http://alinakfield.com/?page_id=2897)
Cover Artists:
Mandy Koehler

Genres:
Historical Fiction, Regency Romance

Tags:
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Historical Romance

Excerpt:

Nancy lifted her skirts and tiptoed along the dark passage, willing herself to proceed in a stately manner, with her hem and her hair wreath minding their places.

She had been doing so well, so very, very well, quelling the nervousness twitching through her… Until that first step from the carriage when she’d knocked the poor footman’s wig askew.

She took a long breath and assumed the ramrod posture that was her defense against the busk in her stays—as well as all the other worries unsettling her.

The dancing would start soon, and she would so love to dance the first set.

There’d be no more tripping. No more ripped clothing. No more embarrassing awkwardness.

If only she and Mama were not virtually alone in this crowd of strangers.

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Mama would find someone to lead her daughter out. Someone young, Nancy hoped, but not too fashionable. Not eager to wed, because she wasn’t at all ready to spend hours drinking tea or being driven in the park. She could drink tea and go for drives at home, and there were far too many interesting museums and theaters in London to waste time on mere courting. Her friend from school, Sally Simpkins, was in London as well, though Mama had advised restraint about socializing with the daughter of a Drury Lane actress, never mind that the woman was considered respectable.

It had seemed a trifle unfair. Sally was as much a lady as any of the ton, and she’d know exactly how to act with the crowd gathered here, no matter how high the title.

Oh, for a familiar dance partner. Her brother, George, wouldn’t mind if she stepped on his toes; her brother, Fitz, would laugh if she made a wrong turn. The same was true for Rupert and Selwyn.

Or… what about Simon?

Thoughts of him sent emotions spiraling in her, longing twining with annoyance, and strands of hurt and embarrassment befuddling her, so that when she turned a corner, she stumbled against a large body with a startled squeak.

“Here now. What’s this?”

Powerful hands matched the deep masculine voice and set her back, steadying her. She looked up, astonished, and her heart swelled and threatened to burst. All the mixed emotions evaporated, and joy flooded her. Dark hair spilled over one blue-gray eye and the full lips pursed together in a frown.

He’d come for her. Simon Clayding—Duke of Something now, but he would always be Simon to her—Simon was here.

“It’s you,” she said. “I’m so s-sorry. I’m as clumsy as ever. B-but… you’re here?”

Perhaps he would dance with her. Perhaps she should ask him.

“’Course I’m here.” He blinked, as though trying to focus. “Question is, why are you here looking like a fresh young thing ready for your come-out?”

“S-Simon?”

“Simon?” He muttered a foul profanity she’d heard only on the rarest of occasions spilling from one of her brothers’ mouths. “Demmed Percy told you my Christian name, I suppose, and sent you along. One of his pranks. Well, madam, you’re a pretty thing, and I mean you no offense, but I’m not going to be sidetracked tonight. I’m not interested.”

A wave of misery stilled her tongue and drove the breath from her. She’d loved Simon Clayding since her brother George brought him home from school that first holiday fifteen years ago when she’d been not much more than a baby.

In the dim light of a wall sconce, his gaze darkened and held hers, despite his proclaimed lack of interest.

Perhaps… Simon hadn’t seen her in nine years. He didn’t recognize her. He had her confused with someone else.

Reasoning trickled back into her senses, bringing along the strong scent of brandy.

Of course. He was completely foxed.

She licked her lips, preparing to set him straight, but as she opened her mouth, a spark lit his eyes and turned up the corners of his mouth.

And then he tugged her, pressing his lips to hers, pressing his chest to her… to her…

Breath left her in a whoosh as he angled his mouth over hers, nibbling and then entering her with his tongue, inflaming desire, demanding surrender.

COLLAPSE
Reviews:N.N. Light's Book Heaven on N.N. Light's Book Heaven wrote:

My Review:

Simon made Nancy a laughingstock amongst the gentry during her first season, but now it’s her opportunity for revenge. When the tables are turned, will Nancy see the love in Simon’s eyes? A Wallflower’s Midsummer Night’s Caper is a Regency romance even Shakespeare would applaud. The romance may be a mixture of tropes (brother’s best friend, age gap, friends to enemies to lovers, etc.) but it flows flawlessly. The dialogue is quick witted with comedic timing. The descriptive narration is immersive. It’s the characters, though, that make A Wallflower’s Midsummer Night’s Caper impossible to put down.

Let’s start with the characters. Nancy is our brave heroine. She’s got immense strength to deal with such a horrid experience. I admire her as a woman. If I was her, I would’ve told my brothers and there would’ve been a duel at daybreak. She’s written in a compassionate way that readers will love.

Simon is our fallible hero. He doesn’t remember what he did to poor Nancy, but he tries to make amends. It doesn’t work so he takes up the challenge. When confronted with the truth, his reaction redeems him. Alina K. Field writes a fallen hero who works hard to show the woman he’s come to love how much she means to him.

The rest of the characters are historically accurate, colorful, and fun. I especially enjoyed Nancy’s family, particularly her mother.

The scenes for the Midsummer party are the high point of the whole book. It has a Shakespearean feel but set in Regency times. Emotions are high and revenge is the star.

If you’re looking for a delightful Regency romance featuring a wallflower heroine exacting revenge on the one man she’s loved/hated with a fiery passion, pick up A Wallflower’s Midsummer Night’s Caper. It’s the finest written book of Alina K. Field’s prolific catalog.

My Rating: 5++ stars


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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

View all posts by Alina K. Field

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A Wallflower’s Midsummer Night’s Caper →

LADY TWISDEN’S PICTURE PERFECT MATCH

Simply Romance Posted on January 29, 2023 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: LADY TWISDEN'S PICTURE PERFECT MATCH
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After years of tolerating her late husband’s rowdy friends, Honoria, Lady Twisden, has escaped to York where she can paint, investigate antiquities, and enjoy her freedom. Then her stepson appears with a long-lost cousin in tow, the perfect image of an ancestor whose fierce portrait made her shiver with mad imaginings.

Promised York’s marriage mart and the hospitality of his cousin’s doddering stepmother, Major August Kellborn is shocked to find that his fetching hostess is the one woman who stirs his heart. To win her heart and hand, however, he must convince her he’s not just a perfect image of his ancestor, but her perfect match.

Previously published in the Desperate Daughters Bluestocking Belles Collection

Published: January 17, 2023
Publisher: Havenlock Press (http://alinakfield.com/?page_id=2897)
Excerpt:

As she crossed the battered black and white tiles of the hall, the knocker resounded.

Her blood spiked with a mix of apprehension and anticipation, and just a tad of annoyance. She had callers. Her painting must wait—and thank heavens they’d made the house presentable.

Meg was upstairs dusting. Mrs. Dunscombe was below stairs. Honoria smoothed her hair, ran her hands down the sides of her old day gown, and heaved the heavy door open.

“Mother?”

Wes was here, on her doorstep. Unexpected.

“Good heavens.” She mustered a welcoming tone. “What a surprise.”

“A pleasant one, I hope.” A grin split his handsome face.

He had his father’s blue eyes and dark blond hair, and none of his corpulence. She shoved the uncharitable thought aside and extended her hands.

READ MORE

He reached her first and lifted her, planting a kiss on her forehead, with all the exuberance of the six-year-old she’d taken into her heart.

Laughing, she told him to put her down.

“Why ever are you answering your own door?”

Here comes the scold. Having reached his majority and taken over the responsibility of the estate, the dear lad had begun trying to manage her. That was but one of the reasons she’d left Twisden Manor.

“Where is the footman? We need him to fetch in our trunks.”

We?

Looking past the broad shoulder she saw another figure approaching and…

Good God. Heat swamped her and flamed in her cheeks. Dark eyes shot darts at her over a grimly set, thin-lipped mouth. The palpable sternness of Wes’s companion sent a shiver of awareness through her. It was a familiar shiver, one she’d indulged during her tedious days at Twisden Manor when she’d found herself fighting off mad imaginings.

Wes’s laughter shook her tongue loose. “My goodness, sir,” she said. “You bear an uncanny resemblance to—”

“Old Ebenezer Twisden,” Wes said. “Yes, it is as if the old Warden has come back to life, Mother. As soon as I laid eyes on him in Brampton, I knew he must be a relation. And do you know who he is, Mother?” He laughed again. “I’ve written to Granny to tell her. She’ll be in alt when she reads the news.”

A man of perhaps forty, he was about the same age as Wes’s ancestor, the Warden in the painting at Twisden Hall who’d been in the King’s service for many years when that portrait was done. This new incarnation of Ebenezer wasn’t a particularly tall man, not as tall as Wes, but he still towered over her.

Old Ebenezer cleared his throat.

“But of course,” Wes said. “Where are my manners? Mother, may I present my cousin, Major Augustus Kellborn. Gus, this is my dear stepmother, Lady Twisden.”

While she curtsied, managing not to wobble, he dipped his head, never taking his gaze away.

Good holy heavens.

“We had a good meal at the last inn stop,” Wes said, “but a cup of tea and a few biscuits wouldn’t go amiss while the servants ready our rooms.”

“Your rooms.” She blinked. Wes expected her to take in him and this handsome cousin who made her skin tingle but... There is no way. This was her home. It was true that Wes had stepped in and helped her with the estate agent when he fussed about leasing the house to a widow living alone, but she’d made it clear to Wes that she paid the rent. He knew, too, that she wanted…needed some time away. She’d explained all that when she concocted this plan to spend the season in York.

Sighing, she led them into the drawing room. “I fear I have no spirits to offer you, but I can bring up some of my elderberry wine, or if you have a flask, you must feel free to imbibe. Make yourself comfortable and I shall return directly.”

Fleeing the parlor, she paused on the backstairs, pressing a hand to her pounding heart. Augustus Kellborn was the stuff of every naughty dream she’d entertained about Ebenezer Twisden. Attired in his flowing dark wig, long coat, breeches and high boots, Ebenezer Twisden had pinned his gaze on her through countless dinners with Sir Melton and his endless stream of tiresome, rowdy guests. Long ago, Ebenezer had served one of the Border Wardens, rounding up rievers and imposing the Crown’s law. Family legend said he was a fierce and brutal warrior. One could see it in his eyes.

She had, at first, been intimidated by Ebenezer’s image, and then intrigued, and then she’d begun imagining the virile fighter stepping out of the painting and shoving his sword into Jeremiah Ripton’s belly. Repeatedly.

One could see a similar strength of will in Major Kellborn, and she knew of his heroism from tales told by her mother-in-law.

What a ninny she’d been, and what a ninny she was being now. She’d give the men tea and the names of the best inns in York. Cousin to her late husband though he may be, Major Ebenezer could not give her household of women countenance, and she’d rather he took his skin-tingling, heart-hammering, cheek-heating virile male presence elsewhere. It would be harder to turn Wes away, but she must at least try.

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Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

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THE NABOB’S DESIGNING DAUGHTER

Simply Romance Posted on December 12, 2022 by Alina K. FieldDecember 22, 2024
Book Cover: THE NABOB'S DESIGNING DAUGHTER
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Part of the The Upstart Christmas Brides series:
  • THE NABOB’S DESIGNING DAUGHTER
  • The Impetuous Heiress
  • Convincing the Countess
  • The Duke She Despised
  • The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden

A wealthy nabob’s daughter has designs on a handsome young doctor, but not the romantic sort, despite the one kiss he stole from her ages ago. The poor crofters she’s been tending behind her father’s back need more than a rich miss’s potions, they need a real doctor. And fortunately, she has the leverage to provide one.

Ripped from his prestigious London practice to deliver a Highland duke’s heir, a young doctor finds there are more snares awaiting than a risky birth, including a surprise—and worthless—bequest. There’s also his best friend’s cousin, who’s blossomed from mousey to heart-stirringly beautiful, with enough wiles to convince an ambitious man that his heart belongs in the Highlands.

Published: December 20, 2022
Publisher: Havenlock Press (http://alinakfield.com/?page_id=2897)
Excerpt:

The weather the next morning had been as weepy as the mourners inside the respectable townhouse that was the home of the late Horace Beecham.

The funeral reception had ended; friends and business associates had left the widow and her large brood to their private grief. They’d all departed, except for himself, Errol Robillard, but then he was more than a friend or business associate. At Beecham’s behest and expense, Errol had attended a day school with the man’s two eldest boys, William and Peter, and, when not studying or laboring at his father’s inn, he’d worked hard at Beecham’s textile warehouse.

William Beecham was his best friend. Whether he was a good enough friend to continue paying Errol’s schooling was a question he hadn’t yet raised, and his university fees were due.

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He needed to speak to William, later, when Mrs. Beecham and the rest of the family had retired. But first, a breath of air, damp though it might be, was in order, before he made his vulgar but necessary inquiry.

In the garden, the herb-scented air filled his lungs but didn’t clear his head or comfort his heart. Beecham’s death followed too closely on his own father’s passing two years earlier. In fact, he still grieved his mother’s passing several years before that.

A rain-slicked flagstone path snaked through well-tended beds of herbs, vegetables, and flowers to the shed at the back, partially concealed by an overgrown elm tree. He moved toward a sheltered bench on the small patch of grass, passing the raised beds filled with vegetables and the medicinal plants the Beechams’ eccentric cousin, Ann Strachney, raised for her concoctions of tisanes and teas.

A plop of water landed upon his nose, and the heavens suddenly reopened with gusto. Before he could retreat inside a sudden cry from the vicinity of a tall elm had him rushing there.

A ladder teetered, a half-booted foot searching for purchase under a black skirt.

“Stay still.” He reached, but the ladder teetered again, and an armful of skirts plopped onto him, knocking him flat on his back, almost knocking the wind from him.

A grubby hand pushed back a wet tangle of light brown hair. Ann Strachney’s eyes widened, her already pink cheeks darkened, and her lips—just as pink, surprisingly lush—formed a perfect O.

Gad, she was lovely. An oval face, porcelain skin, and eyes the color of a stormy sea. How had he not noticed? Another lock of hair fell, she wriggled, and his male parts stirred. He clamped a hand on her to get her to stop.

“Oh,” she said, getting the word out. “I’m so sorry. I was…” She waved a hand. “The tree branch. The green house…”

He lifted his head and stopped her chatter, his lips soft against her own.

The wind gusted and glass exploded. He yanked her head down and cradled it in his hand and inhaled the scents of flowers and springtime, honey and bees. The hot breaths on his neck, the press of her breasts against his chest roused him more.

She mumbled, tickling him.

“What did you say?” he asked. “Are you alright?”

***

A battle raged within Ann Strachney, or a strange, unfamiliar mêlée of nerves and blood, tingles and shivers, and a hot pooling of… what was this? She was stretched atop a muscled chest, her nose buried against hot flesh that smelled of starch and shaving soap, and a large weight pressed against her back. A tree branch or… oh. It was a hand and it had started to move, and she didn’t want it to stop. Steam ought to be rising from her wet hair and gown. She ought to be melting.

Errol was holding her. Errol Robillard, the handsome, teasing boy who’d grown into a braw charming man. He was stroking her back. And a minute before he’d looked into her eyes and… what she saw there she didn’t recognize.

But she liked how it felt. She didn’t want it to stop.

“Are you injured?” he asked, sounding more himself.

Was she? How could she possibly tell when she was lying atop a gentleman…

“No,” she said, pushing herself up on her forearms. Errol grinned up at her, eyelids drooping wolfishly over eyes that had gone impossibly black. He’d lost his hat, and his tawny curls stuck out like the start of a lion’s mane.

Heat flooded her cheeks yet again. He was, as usual, impossibly handsome, but this was something more.

“I beg your pardon. But thank you for… for breaking my fall. Are you injured?”

He raised up on his elbows. “How could I be injured by you falling on me, Mouse?”

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About Alina K. Field

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field writes historical romance.

View all posts by Alina K. Field

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← The Impetuous Heiress
LADY TWISDEN’S PICTURE PERFECT MATCH →
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