Title: If Ever in Love
Author: Ann M. Trader
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Book Blurb:
Camden, South Carolina 1783
Colonial Captain Harry Fleming wears his passions like badges of honor, a man considered by most as smart, decisive…even impulsive. With the Patriot victory and his fighting days behind him, his homecoming sours when he discovers his homestead in shambles and childhood sweetheart married to his cousin.
Most comfortable in breeches and with her trusty hound by her side, Olivia Parr is a half-white/half-native healer…a resourceful woman and no man’s puppet. Yet when her path collides with the dashing captain, his charm makes her dream of a life and home like none she has ever known.
Loathe to become a hermit, Harry proposes a marriage to Olivia based on devotion. Will she wager her heart to a man hardened to love? As unresolved feelings linger and enemies plot against them for greed and gain, will they risk all and unveil the truth of what lovers must do…if ever in love?
Excerpt:
Olivia swung around, shaking tiny water droplets from her feet before rising. Stuffing her stockings inside her shoes, she tossed them in her basket. She faced him, petticoat and bare toes peeking out from beneath her skirt.
“You, Captain Harry Fleming, are impulsive, hence you stand here with me rather than tending to your usual business. So…you must be after something.” She lifted her hand and rested it on her cheek. “You like to give orders, not take them. And yet I’ve seen how deeply you care for those who depend on you—like Tom.” They locked gazes. “I understand what it is to be sad, and I think something weighs heavy on your heart. Who or what caused the sadness, I don’t know—but I recognize the signs just the same.”
His heart filled to near bursting, and he pushed the air from his lungs. “God, I love your spirit. Marry me, Olivia Parr.” He blurted out the words without forethought, without preparation. They were borne out of some inexplicable emotion he knew was not love, but something almost as potent.
“What did you—"
“You heard me.” Harry inched closer.
“We—um, but—we hardly know each other, sir.” Her face flushed a crimson hue.
The corners of his lips turned up. “You summarized me quite well a moment ago.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
He scratched his chin, lips curving into a grin. “No…no, I believe the word you used was impulsive.”
“Either way, I won’t marry you.” She ducked under his arm, but his hand found hers.
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Special Giveaway:
On Saturday, January 7th, I will gift two e-book copies of If Ever in Love in a random drawing from all my current newsletter subscribers. Sign up for my newsletter at https://annmtrader.com/newsletter/ by midnight January 6th to be eligible. Thanks, and good luck!
Author Biography:
I enjoy spending time with my family, trying out new recipes, and relaxing on my back porch to read and write. These days I take walks around my neighborhood, but when I was sixteen, I hiked the Grand Canyon with a group of friends. I love watching television dramas (in no special order: Stranger Things, Succession, Bridgerton, The Gilded Age, The Last Kingdom, 1883, Outlander, Poldark, Yellowstone, Outer Banks, and Peaky Blinders) and reading a great romance book.
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