Title: Rogue’s Hostage
Author: Linda McLaughlin
Genre: Historical Romance
Book Blurb:
She wants her freedom. Her captor wants her. Can love survive a deadly war?
His hostage...
In 1758 the Pennsylvania frontier is wild, primitive and dangerous, where safety often lies at the end of a gun. Mara Dupré's life crumbles when a French and Indian war party attacks her cabin, kills her husband, and takes her captive. Marching through the wilderness strengthens her resolve to flee, but she doesn't count on her captor teaching her the meaning of courage and the tempting call of desire.
Her destiny...
French lieutenant Jacques Corbeau's desire for his captive threatens what little honor he has left. But when Mara desperately offers herself to him in exchange for her freedom, he finds the strength to refuse and reclaims his lost self-respect. As the shadows of his past catch up to him, Jacques realizes that Mara, despite the odds, is the one true key to reclaiming his soul and banishing his past misdeeds forever.
Excerpt:
(Note: This excerpt starts with Jacques lacing Mara’s bodice because she injured her wrist.)
When he’d finished lacing her bodice, Corbeau took her chin in his strong brown hand and tipped her face up to meet his gaze. “Do not be too proud to ask for help when you need it.”
She glared up at him, her eyes narrowed with anger. “I don’t want you touching me. Not after yesterday.”
Gently he stroked her face. “I never meant to hurt you.”
She pulled away from him and held up her bandaged wrist. “What do you call this?”
A spark of anger flashed in his eyes. “I call it self-defense. Have you forgotten that you tried to kill me?”
“You forced me to do it,” she said defiantly. “You should have let me go.”
“Never. Not if I have to sleep with my back to a tree from now on.”
He advanced on her and she retreated, her alarm growing.
“Will you try to stab me in the back next time?”
“No,” she insisted, shaking her head wildly. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to be free.”
He stalked her until she was backed up against a tree with no room to maneuver. He moved closer, looming over her, heat emanating from his body. “I have no wish to hurt you either, madame,” he said in a husky voice.
“Then what do you want?” The moment the words were out, Mara wished she could snatch them back. She saw his intent in his eyes as his gaze focused on her lips.
She pushed against the hard muscles of his chest but to no avail. Easily he encircled her in his arms, one hand at her waist, the other tangling in the hair at her nape, pulling her head back. She couldn’t miss his musky smell as he pressed closer to her. Her knees were weakened by the quivering of her limbs, and she fisted her hands in the rough linen of his shirt.
“What do I want,” he whispered as he lowered his head, his breath hot against her face. “This. This is what I want.”
Jacques stared at her through half-closed eyes. The anger, frustration, and desire that fired his blood merged into an overwhelming need to kiss her. He claimed her mouth with his own, smothering her lips, knowing the kiss was rough and aggressive, but unable to stop. He wanted to silence her, subdue her, and make love to her all at once.
Her hands beat against his chest in time with the wild drumming of his heart. Then she went still, enduring his embrace, lips clamped tightly together.
Desire won out over anger. He eased the pressure of the kiss, letting his tongue trace the fullness of her lower lip, coaxing her mouth to open. His hand loosened, let go of her hair, and stroked the back of her neck.
“No,” she whimpered, wrenching her mouth away from his
.
He drew his head back, his chest heaving, his breathing harsh and ragged.
“Why?” she asked. “What was that for?”
“That, madame, was my reward.”
Mara stared at him for a moment before finding her voice. “Reward? For what?”
Jacques glared at her. “For saving your life after being shot by your husband. For worrying about a woman stupid enough to run off into the wilderness and get lost.” He took a deep breath before adding. “In short, for behaving like a gentleman.”
Releasing her, he turned and walked away, but on hearing her hoot of laughter, he stopped, his shoulders stiff, and spun around to face her.
“Gentleman?” she sputtered. “Libertine, you mean.”
He glared at her until she quit laughing. “You would do well to guard your words, Madame Captive.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Rogue’s Hostage is an exciting, adventurous Enemies-to-Lovers romance set during the French and Indian War. The action moves from raids on the Pennsylvania frontier to the epic battle on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec City that decided the future of Canada would be British, not French. The book should appeal to both American and Canadian readers.
Best of all, you can grab a copy today for only 99 cents or read for free with Kindle Unlimited!
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) gift card:
Open Internationally. Runs July 1 – July 8, 2021. Winner will be drawn on July 9, 2021.
Author Biography:
Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of history fostered by her paternal grandmother and an incurable case of wanderlust inherited from her father. She has traveled extensively within the United States and has visited Mexico, Canada, Australia, Europe and Iceland. She now lives near the ocean in Orange County, California.
Linda writes historical and Regency romance under her real name and spicier romance under the pseudonym Lyndi Lamont.
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