The Nettle Bracelet

Medieval Short Story

English Tea Rose Line

Rosette

The Wild Rose Press

$1.50 US

 

Available Now!

5 Champagne Flutes

“Wonderful dialogue transported me back in time. The scenery brought to mind was of such excellent quality that I lost myself in The
Nettle Bracelet. Now I wish
I’d snagged One Knight to Cherish—a longer read that I imagine was truly fabulous.”
—Wilga, Cocktail Reviews

 

“A quick, fun read suitable for women of any age.”

—Lianne, The Long and Short of It

Blurb:

 

Lady Emmeline Deschartres refuses to marry the crusading knight—a complete stranger—to whom she’s betrothed, vowing she’ll only marry for love.  When she runs away to a nearby stream to think of a way to break her betrothal, she finds a handsome rogue who is also engaged to a stranger.  By fashioning her a bracelet from a stinging nettle, he demonstrates that arranged marriages can lead to binding love, after all.  Wise words from the man she later discovers is her husband-to-be. 

 

Excerpt:

 

Not breaking her gaze, the man set aside his cloth-wrapped meal, and then pushed to his feet.  Further in the shadows, a huge roan grazed.

A nervous blush warmed Emmeline’s face.  Her fingers tightened their hold on her horse’s reins.  Who was this man?  Was he friend or foe?

How stupid not to have brought a dagger.

He brushed crumbs from his tunic and hose before he dropped into a bow.  “Good day, lovely damsel.”

“Good day.”  Pleasure fluttered inside her at his compliment, but his gaze skimming over her was entirely too bold.  Admiration gleamed in his brown eyes fringed by thick lashes.  His strong eyebrows were the same dark-oak brown as his tousled, shoulder length hair.  There was proud strength, too, in his straight nose and full mouth that crooked up at one corner.

Indeed, he had a most seductive smile.  No doubt he had charmed women all over England, leaving them completely besotted while he sauntered away.

A peculiar little shiver tingled through Emmeline, a sensation she could not recall ever experiencing before.

She fought the overwhelming urge to stumble back like a flustered child.  Nay.  She was no wilting rose.  Arching one eyebrow, she glanced over him in return, noting the stretch of his tunic over his broad chest, the leather belt at his waist, and his scuffed boots.

A sheathed sword lay on the ground by his feet, along with chain mail armor.

Was he a knight, then?  Or a murderous ruffian?

Oh, God, she hoped he was a knight, and a chivalrous one at that.

Blurb:

 

Lady Roselyn Descharme thought her beloved Lucian died on crusade.  But one night, he returns and spirits her away.  He says he knows who kidnapped her blind sister—and why.  Is he the rogue responsible for her sister’s abduction, or can Roselyn trust this scarred knight to whom she once promised her body and heart?

 

Excerpt:

 

With a groan, the last of her guards slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The ruffians advanced upon her.

Another scream burning her throat, Roselyn raised her stone.

“Rose.”  The endearment came from the shadows, the voice of a ghost.

Hurt jolted through her.  The man was not Lucian.

Lucian was dead.

“Stay away,” she shrieked at the men.

“Rose.”  The voice was gentler this time.  How vividly she remembered Lucian whispering her name, his lips the barest breath from hers, before his hungry, warm mouth claimed her for his own.

A moan ripped from inside her.  Lucian was dead.

A man wearing a long cloak broke through the semi-circle of strangers and came toward her.  His stride bore an unfamiliar limp, yet she had known him since she was a child.

“Lucian!”  The rock fell from her shaking hand and thudded in the grass.

His strides slowed.  He stood close enough to touch.  Tears filled her eyes as she took in the familiar tangle of shoulder-length blond hair, proud nose, and squared jaw.  He smelled of leather and night air, blended with his own masculine scent.  Awareness raced through her, rousing desires and dreams from long ago.

He was the same man who had kissed her and vowed his love—but he seemed hardened now, his youthful innocence brutally scarred like his right cheek.

“Do not be afraid,” he murmured.  “’Tis I, Lucian.”

He reached out to trail his fingers down her face.  A horrible scar disfigured his right hand.

Gasping, she jerked away.  “How . . . ?  I was told you died.”

Anguish shadowed his gaze.  “I lived.  And I have come for you.”

 

One Knight To Cherish

Medieval Short Story

English Tea Rose Line

Miniature Rose

The Wild Rose Press

$3.00 US

Available Now!

 

5 Angels and
a Recommended Read!

“The characters are realistic, the setting so detailed it grows clearer with each word and the plot, although short, is well thought out and intricate.  I loved every minute of this story.”
—Marlene, Fallen Angel Reviews

 

4-1/2 stars!

“Beautifully written and sure to please, be sure and pick this one up. Catherine Kean’s talent as a writer shines from the pages of One Knight to Cherish.”

—Debby, Ecataromance.com

 

4 Champagne Flutes

“One Knight To Cherish was a thoroughly enjoyable read.  If you like your historical romance in bite-size nibbles, I’d recommend this.”
—Singapore Sling, Cocktail Reviews

 

“I thoroughly believe anyone who likes stories of the knight-in-shining armor variety would enjoy this read.”

—Shauna Sturge, The Long and Short of It

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