Upon
Your Love
The Hill family saga concludes as loyalties are questioned,
faiths will be tested and undying love may come at a terrible cost…
Fara Hill, mother and faithful wife, is torn between
her family at home and her urge to be at sea. Soon, she learns some disturbing
truths. Was the past a fairy tale instead of reality?
Chloe Hill, loving wife and young mother, questions her
faith when her husband sets an ultimatum she cannot meet. Will she be able to
keep her marriage from falling apart?
Adrienne Bellamont Hill, born of a valiant captain
and a fiery redhead, is untamed to her core and will bow to no man. Then
Christian du Plessis enters her life with an offer she can’t refuse. Discovering
the man behind the polished gentleman, she is drawn to him in many ways.
Holding out for love is a family tradition, but can she resist the temptation
of passion?
Christian finds this young woman to be a fascinating
challenge, and is torn between keeping his distance from her and succumbing to
her charms. A fierce battle of wills ensues as he sees she is much more than he
ever imagined.
But danger lurks, threatening to destroy everything…
Can these two strong-willed individuals unite in the
cause before time runs out?
The neigh of a horse brought her out of
her reverie and she looked over, but her mare stood quietly beside the stream.
Adrienne’s instincts nagged at her and she stood up, her ears on alert. The
clomp of hoof beats came to her on the swift afternoon breeze. Was the rider coming from the estate or
perhaps it was simply a stranger? In any case, a sense of unease grew in
the pit of her stomach and she reached down to unearth a small dagger Gabriel
had gifted to her two summers ago. She kept it in a sheath around her thigh.
Gabe had always said that if she didn’t have a sword on hand, it was best to
have something. And she couldn’t agree more.
She
clucked her tongue to alert Persephone and led her quickly by the reins under
the cover of the trees. The rider was closer now and her mare shifted uneasily,
blowing a breath out of her nose. She must have heard the approaching horse as
well. “Shh. It’s all right,” Adrienne whispered, stroking her neck. She tied the
reins to a tree and waited.
When
the rider appeared from the forest, she couldn’t see him clearly. It was a man—that
much she was certain—but the lapels of his dark coat and the thicket of limbs
brushing her face kept her from placing his identity. He had dark hair and was
tall, his body lean and muscled. She watched as he got down from a fine, black
stallion and led it to the stream for a rest. The man took a drink from his
cupped hands. He wiped the remnants of the water from his chin, and then seemed
to search the area nearby. She shivered. Was
it possible the man had been tracking her? If that was the case, her dagger
would certainly come in handy. Adrienne crouched on alert, spying through her
vantage point in the trees. From behind, she observed as the tension eased from
his shoulders and he sighed.
A frisson of
unease ran through her again. Taking it as a sign, she confirmed he was still
faced away before she quietly eased out of her haven. Stepping up behind him,
she lifted her dagger to his throat. A smile of grim determination danced over
her lips as he stiffened.
“Who are you?
Why are you here? Are you following me?”
“What
if I was?”
Fine
shivers moved along the surface of her skin, caused by the deep timbre of his
voice.
“I
would have to ask for your reasons, Monsieur.”
“I
haven’t come to kidnap you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he sighed. “I
didn’t expect you’d be prepared. I commend the effort, of course.”
She
frowned. The compliment threw her for a moment, but she then brushed it off.
Surely, he ridiculed her, and thought he could overtake her somehow. She shook
her head. He would be gravely disappointed.
“You
will state your reasons for your presence and your identity, sir.”
“And
if I don’t?”
“You
will regret it, of course.”
“Indeed?
Do you intend to harm an unarmed man?”
She
scoffed. “Unarmed? No, I doubt that. With the way you appeared to be tracking
me, I am sure you’re quite armed.”
“Right
again. What will you do about it?”
She
shrugged. “This is Bellamont land. You’ve clearly trespassed. If I must, I will
drag you straight back to the house. You know, I believe the foreman has a Winchester
sporting rifle. He can be quite formidable when he puts his mind to the task.”
“I’m
sure,” he murmured.
“What
say you then?”
“I
say, Mademoiselle, that you have no
idea who you’re dealing with.”
Before
she could open her mouth to take him to task, she felt a blow to her arm and
the numbing pain caused her to drop the knife. Everything else happened in a
blur. As he turned, he caught her leg, which caused her to collapse. But,
before she landed, he grasped her up in his arms. He was too close, she
thought. Panic threatened inside of her, but she fought it by degrees. She was
a fighter, not some idiot who would succumb to a man’s power. Gabriel had
taught her many tricks, as had her father. She forced herself to go limp so
that he’d pull her closer. She let her eyes drift closed and pretended to have
swooned.
“Mon Dieu,” he whispered.
Then
she unmanned him with a swift rise of her knee. He coughed out a grunted
response, releasing her.
She
retreated from him, intent on finding her dagger, but did not see it. The
leaves in the grass crunched beneath her hands and knees as she struggled to
her feet. She would have to rely on the resources of the forest to save her if
he pursued further. Somehow, she doubted he’d be able to. She turned and her
mouth dropped open as she looked at her attacker.
His
dark hair had fallen over one eye and he was hardly doubled over in pain. No,
he scowled at her now and he seemed quite well. She’d missed her target, she
realized. His identity shocked her further. She felt quite stupid for not
recognizing him, even from behind. But,
why had Christian tried to attack her?
“How…,”
she whispered.
“You
are not as fast as I, Mademoiselle.”
Then he laughed, but there was no mirth in his expression. His eyes seemed
darker suddenly. “You little brat,” he bit out. “You almost had me.”
She
sucked in a breath and, when she saw him advance, she backed away. But, it
effectively put her back right up against a nearby tree. She cursed. Christian
closed in, blocking her in with his arms as he braced his hands on the tree
trunk. Her breaths came out in harsh pants and her stomach had fallen somewhere
at her feet. Dear God, what would he do?
She jerked her arms out to break his hold, but his muscles were like the
ratlines between the shrouds of a mast in a ship’s rigging. Solid. Struggling
with his obvious intimidation of her, she managed, “Why are you trying to
kidnap me?”
Some
of the arrogance left his face. “I’m not. I thought we already established
that.”
“Then
why… this?” she asked, weakly. And why
couldn’t she breathe? His clean, male scent caused her to feel lightheaded.
No, she thought. That just had to be terror.
“I
wanted to get you alone so that we could continue our plans. I didn’t mean for you
to see me as a threat. I certainly didn’t expect a dagger at my throat.” He reached
out and cupped her face, stroking the line of her jaw gently with his thumb.
Adrienne gazed
into his nearly black eyes. She thought she saw a hint of admiration and
something more, perhaps desire, in his gaze.
“P… plans?” she
stammered, annoyed with the hypnotic effect he had on her. And what was that strange, but wonderful scent coming off him? She
detected cologne which contained a hint of fresh pine. But then, she’d smelled
it before, both in her room and at the Broussard’s engagement party. Even
though the fragrance was pleasant, she tried to ignore it.
“Our
matchmaking endeavor, chére.”
“Oh.
That.”
“Yes,
that. Did you forget?”
She
cleared her throat. “No, of course not.” Her resolve returned in full force then.
She slapped his hand aside and sidestepped him. Stalking away to locate
Persephone, she unearthed her mare from the brush in no time. When she
returned, he still stood there, watching her. She shivered again.
Mon
Dieu,
she thought. Why was this happening to
her? Why did the man tie her in knots?
Heiresses
in Love Series Links
UPON
YOUR RETURN
Universal Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00I0D9LQ8
CreateSpace link: https://www.createspace.com/4284739
book trailer: http://youtu.be/tpwAq8YFdv8
UPON
YOUR HONOR
SmartURL (UNIVERSAL): http://smarturl.it/uponyourhonor
Universal Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00JTKTODG
CreateSpace link: https://www.createspace.com/4762748
book trailer: http://youtu.be/dLOteuscV04
UPON
YOUR LOVE
(to be sent when available)
OTHER
BOOKS
Barnes
& Noble: http://bit.ly/2kJ2wKW
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Bestselling multi-genre author of UPON YOUR RETURN
and 23 other books. March 2016 Empress of the Universe title - winner of the
"Broken Heart" themed contest and the "I Love You" themed
contest on Poetry Universe. SECOND CHANCE HEART and A LITTLE MAGICK placed in
the TOP 10 on the 2015 P&E Readers' Poll. Nominated in the TRR Readers'
Choice Awards for Winter 2015. Poetry winner of the 2015 PnPAuthors Contest.
The Versatile Blogger Award for 2015. Honorable Mention in the 2014 BTS Red
Carpet Book Awards. Finalist and Runner-up in the 2014 MARSocial's Author of
the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice
Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 10 Authors on
AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of
Published Authors.
Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 24 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. She has also contributed to several multi-author anthologies. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series, The Blood at First Sight Series and The Code of Endhivar Series.
Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 24 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. She has also contributed to several multi-author anthologies. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series, The Blood at First Sight Series and The Code of Endhivar Series.
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Amazon author page: Author.to/MarieLavender
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://www.pw.org/content/marie_lavender
http://manicreaders.com/marielavender/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJu8HjRVYCFOqcIoX6ZxdqQ/videos
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