Breaking
Ties
Lost
Colony Series
Book
One
by Jo
Grafford
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher:
Astraea Press
Date of
Publication: October 16, 2013
Number of pages:
404
Word Count:
121,390
Cover Artist:
Mande Matthews
Book
Description:
Intelligent and
well ahead of her times, ROSE PAYNE'S world is shattered after a secret
betrothal to the duke’s son costs her job as a clerk in his father's household.
Without a letter of recommendation, she becomes an easy target for recruiters
to the Colonies. Desperate for work, she signs up for a risky overseas venture
and sails for the New World, vowing never again fall for a wealthy gentleman.
Returning from a
diplomatic tour in London, CHIEF MANTEO is bewitched by the elusive,
fiery-haired ship clerk and determined to overcome her distrust. He contrives a
daring plan to win her heart – a plan he prays will protect her from a chilling
conspiracy involving murder, blood money, and a betrayal of their fledgling
colony so terrifying it can only be revealed in BREAKING TIES.
Special
Note: BREAKING TIES is the never-before-told rest of the story of the Lost
Colony.
Buy Links:
Excerpt from Breaking Ties
"You want
my help." 'Twas an accusation.
"Aye."
His eyes darkened. "I save your life.
I give gifts. I offer marriage." He closed the remaining distance between
us, his eyes burning into mine.
I stumbled back.
"You give nothing in return," he
snarled. "You only ask for more."
"I would had I something to
offer," I whispered. "But I have nothing. I am nothing."
"Then what use are you to me?"
He wheeled away.
I sagged against the door, eyes stinging.
I blinked rapidly and pressed a hand to my stomach. Nausea rolled at the
thought of informing the others of my failure.
Manteo circled the cabin like a hawk
stalking its prey. 'Twas a fine room with ornately carved shelves lining one
wall. Bunks were built into the next wall. A generous desk jutted from the
third, overflowing with maps and navigational devices. I recognized the compass
and hourglass but could not identify the other instruments. I jerked in
surprise when Manteo swooped down upon me.
"I know our location." His arms
shot out and slapped the wall on either side of me, hemming me to the door.
"I could swim ashore from here."
"Then why do ye stay if ye can leave
and save yourself?"
"Governor White gave his word to
deliver me home."
"We are going to starve, Manteo. 'Tis
only a matter of days now."
"Nay. You alone starve. The others
eat."
"I have no appetite."
"You act as one already dead."
I straightened my back. "I accept
what I cannot change."
"And I change what I cannot
accept." He shifted his weight to the wall, one arm propped over my head.
He drew his fingertips down the side of my face in a feather-light caress.
I closed my eyes against the rush of
unbearable sweetness. He made me long for things forbidden. "'Tis within
your power to help us. I am begging you."
"Very well."
My eyes flew open. "Ye will do this
for us."
"For you." His voice was silken,
his features as hard as granite.
I smiled tremulously. "I thank thee,
Manteo. Chief Manteo, that is." The new title felt strange on my lips. I
beheld him with a mixture of awe and pride.
"I have yet to name my price."
I stared, confused.
He grunted in disgust. "You refuse me
as both husband and lover, so you are left with the hiring of my
services."
I worried my lower lip between my teeth.
At least he was willing to negotiate. His eyes flashed with lust as he followed
my movements.
"I will entreat the Dares for
payment."
"Nay. You are the one in my
debt."
I raised and dropped my hands helplessly.
"You serve this company, no? You can
serve my people, too."
"Ye would hire me as clerk?"
Hope leaped in my chest at the possibilities. I would not have to part from him
so soon.
"My people have no clerks." His
eyes narrowed. "We have slaves."
My breath hitched. "Ye wish to punish
me, humiliate me?"
"Nay, I only wish to marry you."
I briefly closed my eyes against the pain.
He already knew the reason for my refusal.
"Rose."
"Say no more. I will do it. 'Twill be
punishment enough to see you so often and—“ I clamped my lips.
Exultation flickered briefly across his
face. "You would give up your freedom to save your friends?"
"Without question."
"Swear it," he said grimly.
"I swear it."
His eyes flared with emotion. He bent
slowly 'til his breath stirred my lips. My eyelids fluttered closed. Heaven
help me, for I had no will left to resist him.
"Now you will eat," Manteo
commanded hoarsely. He stepped back, surveying me from head to feet.
"Eat?"
"I have no slaves so thin and weak.
Go. Collect your rations." He turned from me and bent to pore over a map
on the table.
I reached for the door handle,
disbelieving at the curt dismissal.
"And send for Anthony. I have need of
him."
I glared at his back. Faith, should I
press my face to the floor as well? "Aye, master." I bit the words
out and fled.
Trail
of Crosses
Lost
Colony Series
Book
Two
by Jo
Grafford
Genre:
historical romance
Publisher:
Astraea Press
Word Count:
112,300
Cover Artist:
Mande Matthews
Book
Description:
Jane Mannering
can shoot a rifle and handle a knife as well as any Englishman. However, she is
no match for the red-painted warriors who ambush her section of a Colonial
caravan the moment she and her comrades reach the shores of Virginia.
Jane plots their
escape during a forced march inland, leaving a trail of maltese crosses carved
on the trees – their pre-agreed upon signal of distress. All the while, she
fumes over what interest their captors could possibly have in a
twenty-three-year-old spinster and a rugged band of brick masons, sawyers, and
farmers.
When the
ruthless Chief Wanchese intercepts them at the crossroads of the Great Trading
Path, Jane is shaken to discover their greatest enemy plans to keep her for
himself. It’s a pity he’s the only man on two continents who’s ever stirred her
heart. Alas, she has an entire colony to save, and capturing his attentions is
not part of their escape plan.
Special
Note: The Lost Colony Seires is the never-before-told rest of the story of the
Lost Colony on Roanoke Island.
Excerpt from Trail of Crosses
My
eyes drank in the massive arms and broad chest that tapered down to a narrow
torso. He was nothing like the slender dandies in London who paraded about in
excessive amounts of clothing. Nay, this man required no starched shirts and
ruffs or padded doublets to enhance his frame. Silk hosiery and buckled shoes
would have made a mockery of such unfettered male strength. The sun-bleached
buckskins and well-worn moccasins were the only adornments a man of his ilk
would ever require.
“You
take pleasure in what you see, no?” He leaned towards me again. I backed up
until the wall of the cavern pressed into my shoulder blades.
Of
course, I liked what I saw, but ‘twould be unladylike in the extreme to admit
it and grossly conceited of him to question me in such a manner. I straightened
and returned stare for stare. The intensity of his gaze unsettled me. Though
unsmiling, a wealth of emotions radiated from him. Curiosity. Interest. Desire.
And ironclad determination.
“You
mean to take me for yourself,” I stated in a dull voice.
Wanchese
placed his hands against the wall on either side of me. “When I am ready, aye.”
I
sniffed. “Then you are no better than the rest of those savages who —”
“Heathen
and savage,” he corrected tersely. “A phrase I’ve heard oft enough in your own
Queen’s Court.”
I
scowled at the reference to his stint as a diplomat in my homeland. A fine time
it was to rub my nose in his superior social status. Born into a life of
servitude, ’twas ironic how my lot had not changed one whit on the other side
of the world.
My
chest heaved with the effort to control my alarm. Too tired to fight him off, I
searched his face for any sign of compassion beneath the hard outer shell.
Humor
deepened the color of his eyes as he rolled to his back in one swift movement
and cradled his head in clasped hands. “You will come to me.”
“Indeed
I will not,” I gasped, both relieved at the distance between us and puzzled by
the game he played, a game for which I knew not the rules. “’Twould be
unseemly.”
“Aye,
you will,” he retorted, clearly enjoying himself. “Beneath your…” He nodded at
the remnants of my gown. “… finery…is a passionate woman who is accustomed to
taking what she wants. ’Tis I, methinks, who will be taken by you and not the
other way around.”
About the Author
Jo is a mega
reader of all genres and loves to indulge in marathon showings of Big Bang
Theory, NCIS, and Castle. Her favorite books are rich in Colonial and
Elizabethan history, romance, strong women, alpha males, Native Americans, and
creatures from the paranormal - an occasional dragon, vampire, or time
traveler.
From St. Louis,
Missouri, Jo moves a lot with her soldier husband. She has lived in the
Midwest, the deep South, and now resides in Bavaria. Jo holds an M.B.A. and has
served as a banker, college finance instructor, and high school business
teacher. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, From the Heart Romance
Writers RWA Chapter, and the Writers Group of Ansbach/Katterbach/Illesheim.
Author Links:
Website ¦ Facebook ¦ Twitter ¦ Goodreads ¦ Google+ ¦ Youtube ¦ Highlighted Author ¦ Amazon ¦ Pinterest
***GIVEAWAY***
2 dropcard gift cards with six free eBooks on each card (including Breaking Ties).
1 grand prize – a reader’s tote bag with a Lost Colony t-shirt, signed paperback of Breaking Ties, and signed bookmark.
***GIVEAWAY***
2 dropcard gift cards with six free eBooks on each card (including Breaking Ties).
1 grand prize – a reader’s tote bag with a Lost Colony t-shirt, signed paperback of Breaking Ties, and signed bookmark.
Blog Tour Organised by:
Thank you for hosting me at CBY Book Club today, Alecia!
ReplyDeleteCheerio,
Jo