HEARTS, HOMES AND HOLIDAYS ~ FEATURING: A NEW FAMILY by Author Rose Pearson

Welcome back to Romance Sweet Reads. This week and next we’ll be featuring the nine individual stories from the holiday anthology, Hearts, Homes and Holidays. The anthology is a currently available to pre-order for just 99¢ on all major ebook retailers. All proceeds from the sale of Hearts, Homes, and Holidays will benefit Reece’s Rainbow, an organization that assists with the adoption of special-needs children.

Today, we’ll look at the fifth of our nine stories, A New Family by author Rose Pearson, including an exclusive excerpt available only on Romance Sweet Reads.

So, sit back and enjoy a look at the fabulous collection of heartfelt holiday romances by some of your favorite authors.

Family Ever After

Longing hearts, loving homes, and lively holidays combine in this Romantique Treasury with new contributions from nine bestselling and award-winning authors. This warm-hearted romance anthology combines friends, families, and faith as hope blossoms in the lives of orphaned children.

A New Family by Rose Pearson

Adopted as a child by the benevolent Lord and Lady Winters, Miss Marianne Daltrey has never fit into high society. She never thought of marrying as her family was well-off. She had other adopted siblings but over time they either married or sadly, passed away. Just one brother is left, who requires considerable care. Their world is changed when their parents die in a tragic accident, leaving them with no money.

Eliot Graveney fought his entire life to be seen as the equal of those around him. Born into poverty, his brilliance won him a scholarship to attend a good school and become a solicitor. His struggle to be accepted has made him hide his past, and he became cold and distant. But a flash of fire enters his world, in the shape of Marianne Daltrey, and his life will never be the same again. She needs his help to challenge her father’s will. But nothing is certain when powerful people are involved.

Can Eliot outsmart a wealthy man to help Marianne get her inheritance? Will he lose his heart in the process?

Enjoy an Excerpt

18th November, 1819

Knolley Hall was unusually quiet. It had been that way for weeks now, since Alice had gotten married and left home to live with her new husband. Mama and Papa were in London, so Papa might attend the current session of Parliament. He hated it and only ever made an appearance when absolutely necessary, preferring to be peaceful in the country with his unusual family. Mama disliked the hustle and bustle of London, as well as the constant fashion parade and the condescending judgment of the Ton. And both hated leaving their children alone – but everyone bore it as best they could.

In their absence, Marianne felt a great pressure come down upon her shoulders, as the care of the Hall and all its inhabitants fell onto her young shoulders. She was old enough to have her own family now but had long since decided that such a path was not to be hers. Yet, she did not feel as if she had the skills, or the patience, required to fill her parents’ shoes in their absence. She was too volatile, too easily riled – though she tried with all her might not to be.

Yet, even given the absence of so many, it was still too quiet. The hall was rarely still. And so, Marianne was cautious as she walked down the grand oak staircase, her eyes darting from side to side, scouring the vast marble-floored expanse of the grand hall for signs of life. She knew, from hard-won experience, that this household was never less than chaotic.

The sound of her gown as it brushed against each carpeted step of the stairway grated a little on her nerves; it rustled and highlighted how stiff and unyielding the fabric was against her skin. Marianne had never liked crisp cotton and starched lace; it was too itchy and scratchy, and they made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She much preferred silks and velvets, things that were soft to the touch and gentle upon her skin. But Lady Caroline had requested in her most recent letter home, that Marianne should wear this gown today, as they were expecting important guests to return with them to Knolley - and Marianne wanted to please her adoptive mother, and so she would try and wear it without fidgeting.

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Meet the Author

 

I love to create stories set in the Regency period that are based in the drawing-room, not the bedroom! My teenage years were spent escaping into Regency and Victorian paperbacks, “borrowed” from my older sisters. I had to hide the covers from my mother, as I was certainly not permitted to read such steamy novels. Stepping back in time and finding a unique historical tidbit to meld into the story makes it fun.

I love chocolate, my Westie dog named Duffy, and reading anything and everything, including the backs of cereal boxes!

Rose'sWebsite ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page

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Adoption is another word for love, and proceeds from this collection of inspiring stories will benefit special-needs adoption grants through Reece’s Rainbow.

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Please come back again tomorrow when we’ll be featuring author Kirsten Osbourne’s contribution to this extraordinary anthology.

Blessings,

Nancy