Spotlight
with author Ute Carbone
Hey
everyone! We are back with a historical romance to share. You all
know how much I adore this genre so I try to share as many of them as
I can. And, part of it takes place on a ship, another component to
several HR reads that love. I hope you all enjoy getting to know Ms.
Carbone as well as a bit about her latest release, SWEET LENORA.
Please allow me to introduce to the blog:
**UTE
CARBONE**
**BIO**
Ute
(who pronounces her name Oooh-tah) Carbone is a multi-published
author of women’s fiction and romance. Her romantic comedy, The
P-Town Queen, was selected as Champagne Books novel of the year for
2012. She and her husband reside in Nashua, NH. They have two grown
sons.
You
can find out more about Ms. Carbone in the following places:
**SWEET
LENORA**
**Anton
and Lenora, Book 1**
Historical
Romance
Categories:
Action/Adventure
Publisher:
Champagne
Books
Release
Date:
July 1,
2013
Heat
Level:
Sensual
Word
Count/Length:
20,000
words/54 pages
**BLURB**
Lenora
Brewer’s family owns the largest shipyard in Salem Massachusetts
and Lenora, as her father’s only living child, is given free rein
to learn the business. When Lenora’s father is killed in a carriage
accident, her relatives arrange a marriage to a wealthy investor who
is rumored to have beaten his first wife to death.
Lenora
devises a scheme to stowaway on The Sweet Lenora, a ship named
for her.
The
last thing Anton Boudreaux needs is a naïve young woman stowing away
on his ship. The dark and daring captain has secrets of his own to
protect.
When
Sweet Lenora encounters a dangerous storm off the coast of
Brazil, Lenora and Anton find in each other the courage and tenacity
to brave the elements. As their love for one another grows it becomes
a force to be reckoned with—and it will be sorely tested.
Buy
Links
**TRAILER**
**EXCERPT**
By
reading any further you are stating you are at least 18 years of age.
If
you are under the age of 18, it is necessary for you to exit this
site.
I
stayed in my hidey spot as long as I dared. When I could stand it no
longer, I raised a prayer to the heavens that we were far enough
embarked on our journey and made my way up the stairs. The light on
deck was strong, blinding me as I opened my tomb. A voice came upon
me before I could see clearly.
“What
witchery is this?”
“’Tis
a lass.” My nose endured sour sweat as my eyes began to comprehend
my surroundings. Four rough men circled about me. “She’s a fine
young pet, aye, boys?”
“Puss,
what do you on this ship?” The one who had spoken first drew a
dagger and held it to my throat.
I
swallowed deeply and prayed my fear would not be visible. “Put your
weapon away, please.” I said meekly, hoping that these men had some
little sense of propriety.
It
was not to be. The rapscallion with the knife grinned at me. He had
few teeth and a malodorous smell came from the open cavity of his
mouth. “What? And have you run off, little puss?”
“Where
would I run to?” My body shook at the folly of my coming above
board. Would I had stayed in the safety of the hold!
The
rapscallion pulled his weapon back from my throat as another grabbed
me round the waist. “Shall we unwrap our pretty present, boys?”
So close, he smelled of onions and leftover dregs of rum. I kicked
back hard as I could. With a yelp, he dropped me, giving me the
opportunity to run.
The
question I had posed earlier was an apt one. I knew Sweet Lenora’s
dimensions by heart; she was two hundred twenty four feet in length
and forty in width. There was, indeed, nowhere to run. Still, I
scurried this way and that, but the ruffians soon caught me. In the
commotion, their number had grown to half a dozen. One pinned my arms
while another ripped the laces of my bodice. I kicked, yelled, and
bit, which only served to amuse them.
I
thought my fate sealed when a shot was fired into the air. The arms
that had grasped me dropped me and I fell to the deck like a bundle
of rags. On my knees I stayed, my legs unwilling to carry me. I
looked about, and there gazing down at me was the dark man I had
spied yesterday. The men made a wide circle now. “Bring her to my
cabin,” the dark man said. The voice that came from his throat had
a lilt to it, an accent unlike the flat vowels of my native New
England.
One
of the ruffians grabbed my arm and raised me to my feet. He dragged
me off into a well- appointed cabin. A narrow berth stood against one
wall and a spindle desk with a log laid open upon it rested opposite.
The ruffian shoved me inside and slammed shut the door in his wake.
I
was in the captain’s quarters, of that I had no doubt. Which meant
that the dark haired man was none other than the infamous Captain
Anton Boudreaux. Curious to find out more, I went to the log. Not
much was writ on the page, merely records of what the ship carried
and the weather when she had set sail. Frustrated by such a lack, I
sat back in the chair then bolted out again as the cabin door flew
open. The black haired man stood on the threshold, examining me with
his coal dark eyes. His look suggested he would like nothing better
than to tear me limb to limb, and I shrank back against the wall. He
stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind him.
Adventure
and love on the high seas! Love it! I was a bit confused at forst
because the blurb does not indicate that the book is written in first
person POV. It took me a second to adjust to the excerpt. But it was
a good one. Just enough to give me a hint of Ms. Carbone's writing
style. But I really want to hear what you all thought. Do you enjoy
HR? What about the setting taking place on ships? What did you think
of the excerpt? Would be likely to read this book? Are you familiar
with Ms. Carbone's work? Your feedback is valued and your comments
are always welcome. Please feel free to let me know what you thought.
I
want to thank Ms. Carbone for spending some time with us today. I
hope that you all enjoyed getting to know a bit about her and her
book. If you enjoyed your experience here today, please consider
purchasing copy of the book for yourself, or at least adding it to
your TBR list. Support is key to ensuring future reading pleasure
from the authors we enjoy. I wish everyone a fabulous rest of the day
and will see you all again soon. Until then ...
HAPPY
READING!!!
Click
for link to tour schedule
Thanks for featuring Lenora today, Edyn!
ReplyDeleteAnytime! Best of luck to you on the release. I wish you much success.
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