Hard to believe it's February 1st, but here we are. Today kicks off Romance Novel Month at BPM. We ran this special feature last year, and I think it went great. The focus is a tiny bit different this year than last, because being a family friendly site we don't feature anything but sweet or Christian and inspirational romances now.
Starting us off today is Kelly McClymer's book, The Impetuous Bride.
Rosaline Fenster has always been the black sheep of her proper Victorian family. Ros prefers to chart her own path, even if she must dress as a man on occasion to do what must be done. Escaping her life as an English lady by emigrating to America, Ros has found adventure helping runaway slaves find freedom. But now her path west has set her on a collision course with Wagonmaster Rob Lewis. Rob doesn't want anything to disrupt his wagon train's journey west. Not escaped slaves. Not his own daughter. And especially not his late wife's cousin -- a woman who dares to do what she thinks right, and damn the consequences.
Excerpt:
She reconsidered her approach and decided to let him come to her. When he walked into the kitchen with his shirt properly tucked and buttoned, she was ready for him. She had lined up Gwyn’s blackened, soggy biscuits and the plate of flour she’d swept from the floor and table, alongside a mug of strong coffee.
“What’s that? My dinner?” He looked at her as if he suspected she might actually expect him to eat the mess.
She handed him the coffee and dumped the pile of flour into the scraps she’d saved for the chickens. “Did you find anyone to keep Gwyneth until her grandparents can come for her?”
“No.”
Good. But she didn’t let herself smile, knowing that might make him uncooperative. “If you take me to San Francisco, I’ll keep Gwyneth out of trouble for the trip.”
“I’d be a fool to take you.” He said it baldly, unblinking.
“Why?” She didn’t pretend to misunderstand him.
“You’re trouble three ways to Sunday.”
She sighed and dumped out the bowl of biscuit dough she’d been mixing onto the table. “I won’t cause any problems. I’ll take care of myself and Gwyn. She’ll be happy. She’ll have her father. It’s a perfect solution. What else can you do?”
“Find a married woman already in the company to watch her.”
“I forgot your rule about unmarried women.” She took up the rolling pin and dusted it with flour. “Is that the only problem then, that I haven’t got a husband to keep me in line?” She didn’t look at him, just started rolling the dough.
He didn’t like her tone. The only problem. As if it weren’t a big enough problem it itself. “An unmarried woman is just a stick of dynamite waiting to be lit. Men don’t like her. Women don’t like her. That means I don’t like her.”
He expected her to argue, but she seemed to consider what he said. “True enough.” She put down the rolling pin and took the biscuit cutter in hand. “Most unmarried women are trouble. But that’s because they’re looking for a man. I’m not.”
Her reasonable tone took him off guard, but he quickly rallied. He’d seen the way she’d looked at him in the yard. “There’ll be plenty of men ogling you in those bloomer skirts of yours. Or are you planning to wear trousers now?”
“All my clothes are still in the wagon.” She cut out biscuits fiercely and he had a feeling that her inclination would have been to have his hide under her cutter. “So I won’t be wearing any bloomer skirts for awhile.”
She stopped suddenly. “Do you think Gwyneth would mind if I borrowed a few of Caroline’s dresses—just until I can buy new clothes of my own in St. Joe?”
He didn’t know which would be worse—Rosaline Fenster in trousers, or in skirts. “I suppose she’d understand. Even a seven year old knows trousers are no dress for a lady.”
“Well, I’m no lady. I can take care of myself—and that includes dealing with men who find my bloomer skirts a signal that I’d welcome their advances.”
He had a paralyzing flash of images—Miss Fenster with a man backed up against a scrub pine, shooting. And Miss Fenster with a man backed up against a scrub pine, riding him. Either one seemed completely possible. And either one was asking for trouble. “No.”
Reviews:
"In her Once Upon A Wedding series, Ms. McClymer has taken many standard plotlines (in this case, a single woman having to marry to go West) and given them a fresh twist. The unexpected turns combined with endearing characters will certainly garner her satisfied fans."
-- Kathe Robins, RT Reviews
PURCHASE THIS BOOK AT:
...In addition to her historical romance series, Once Upon a Wedding, Kelly also has five YA novels out with Simon & Schuster, including the Salem Witch Tryouts series featuring teen cheerleading witch Pru Stewart.
You can find her at:
Website: http://kellymcclymer.com
Twitter: @kellymcclymer
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://kellymcclymer.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51411.Kelly_McClymer
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006O0TZ6U/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theboocon-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B006O0TZ6U
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impetuous-bride-kelly-mcclymer/1005354484
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115904
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