Title: The Kissing Ball, A Christmas and Other Regency Stories
Author: GL Robinson
Genre: Regency Romance
Book Blurb:
Christmas, and an unexpected visitor. She claims to be the fiancée of the son of the house. But he knows nothing about it. This muddle has to be sorted out, or it's not only Christmas that will be ruined.
This story, along with four other Regencies and a bonus contemporary short, are in this collection. A gentleman retired from the East India Company is troubled by ghosts when he comes to move into his country home; a young woman finds a buyer for her father's chemistry laboratory, but gets more than she bargained for; Sir Robert befriends a homely governess and her charge and conveys them to London, where his future is changed forever by a dog and a dimple; a young woman with an extraordinarily beautiful best friend discovers that she isn't necessarily cast into the shade by her. Then in present-day London, Ginny finds out her new next-door neighbor is not quite what she expected. These charming and cozy stories are perfect for curling up next to the fire.
Excerpt:
In spite of its allure, the even quite recently married ladies sailed under it on the arm of their husbands without apparently giving it a thought, and the older married ones seemed so far from expecting any show of affection that being on the arm of their husbands appeared contact enough. It was seldom indeed that it occurred to any of the gentlemen in either case to kiss their wives.
There must be something about marriage, thought Quentin Stapleton as he watched the arrivals, that makes a man impervious to his wife’s charms. Only two or three years before, he reflected, the younger men and women, then still sighing on the altar of unrequited love, had doubtless looked upon it as the occasion to steal a normally forbidden embrace. Now, all passion past, the kissing ball might as well be a cabbage.
But it was still always fun, he chuckled to himself, to see how the unwed maidens handled it. The more timid of them tended to scuttle to one side of the wide doorway, thus avoiding the perilous center and the chance that a waiting gentleman might take the opportunity to plant a kiss upon their cheek. Not that they would so dislike being kissed. Most of them had never felt the lips of any man but their father or possibly other older male family member, and the thought of the warm imprint of those belonging to a younger member of the opposite sex did indeed cause a flutter in their chaste bosoms. But they were so afraid the matrons clustered around the edges of the large room watching the comings and goings with eagle eyes would stigmatize them as fast, that they dared not appear to court such an eventuality.
The bolder young ladies walked quite slowly straight through the middle of the doorway and might possibly even slow their steps just a little when the crucial moment was reached. Not to encourage any available gentleman, you understand, but merely to show they didn’t give a fig for the old-fashioned notions of the tabbies observing them narrowly through their lorgnettes. If a young man did take the opportunity to snatch a kiss, well, it always came as such a shock that the young lady in question would utter a shriek and tap the kisser sharply on the chest with her fan, before opening it and fanning herself as if she were on the brink of a faint.
What none of the beauties did was to walk slowly into the center of the doorway, right under the green and white ball with its red ribbons, and stand there, immobile, scanning the room, while her pink cheek, framed by a mass of copper curls held back by a diamond clip, presented itself deliciously to any comer. But this one did. Quentin Stapleton was certain he had never seen her before in his life. He would have remembered. She was rather above average height with a delicious figure over which her golden gown shimmered as if over the top of a very firm jelly. The lure was irresistible. He took three long strides and was by her side and placing his lips on the aforementioned cheek, so wonderfully soft and cool, before either she or anyone else could move.
Buy Link:
On sale until Wednesday, November 11!
Why is your featured book a must-read?
This year more than ever we need a happy ending! These short stories will have you imagining you’re in a fashionable ballroom or drawing room in 1815 London, where the men are handsome and the ladies not only pretty but feisty. They’re sure to bring a smile to your face, I promise!
Enter to win an e-book bundle of all 40 books featured in the Kindle Unlimited Bookish Event: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db775085
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Author Biography:
GL Robinson was born and educated in the south of England, but has lived for over forty years in the USA with her American husband. She is a retired French professor, and loves flowers in the garden, eating with friends and reading to her grandchildren.
She was inspired to start writing after the unexpected death of her dear sister in July 2018. They were educated in a convent boarding school and would giggle at historical Romances after lights-out under the covers. They were, and are, a life-long passion for them both. She has six books on Amazon so far.
For more information about the author, to listen to her read from her books, or receive a free short story, go to:
Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gl_robinson
Instagram: https://instagram.com/glrobinsonnovelist