#RomanticTravel
~ Katherine Bone
Thank you for welcoming me aboard, Lady Tina!
There’s nothing I’d rather do than share the one place I’d like to plan a
romantic getaway, the Biltmore Estate
in Asheville, NC. Built between 1889 and 1895 by George Washington Vanderbilt
II, and still owned by his descendants, the Biltmore is a 12,000 square foot,
luxurious mansion-like castle situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The
sprawling grounds cover 8,000 acres, sure to rival any working European estate.
Built in the Châteauesque
style, the Biltmore is one of the most sought after romantic getaways in the
southern US and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. What could
be more romantic than a stroll through the Biltmore’s gardens and grounds? How
about sampling vintage wines at the Biltmore Winery
while observing spectacular autumn foliage? For more information or to arrange
your romantic tour, click here.
Can’t travel to the Biltmore? Books are the most
affordable way to travel to luxurious getaways like the one in Asheville, NC.
I’m happy to share my next book, The Pirate's Debt, Regent’s Revenge
book 2, released September 13th and takes place along the Cornwall
coast! If you like second chances, pirates, and romance, this is a great escape
for you!
Lady Chloe Walsingham is an enthusiastic gothic romance reader and
hopeless romantic focused solely on finding her perfect hero. She also happens
to have a penchant for getting into trouble. So when the man she loves
disappears after a scandalous duel, she decides to follow him to the ends of
the Earth. To do so, however, Chloe must evade her brother, an infamous revenue
man, and board a ship bound for Penzance. And nothing in her beloved books can
prepare her for the harsh realities of wreckers who ply the coast.
After his father destroyed the lives of countless innocent people,
Basil Halford, Earl of Markwick is willing to do anything to earn back his
honor. Betrayed by his blood and his reputation ruined, Markwick answers the
request of a well-heeled duke and dons the Black Regent’s mask to repay the debt.
His task? Rescuing a young woman who is chasing down a ghost of a man.
But a pirate has plenty of enemies, and Markwick isn’t any
different. No matter how diligent a captain he may be, sailing to Lady Chloe’s
rescue involves risking not only the Regent’s legacy but the last thing he can
afford to lose…his heart.
~ Excerpt ~
Markwick stiffened.
Blackmoor’s reasons for enlisting Markwick’s help were triggered by love for
his wife. Markwick’s sense of responsibility went deeper, to a place he’d never
allowed himself to go out of respect for Walsingham. While it was true that
Chloe had exceeded many levels of Markwick’s patience when she was younger,
since his engagement to Prudence, she’d shown herself to be intelligent,
talented, loyal, and a most beloved sister and friend. She was also enamored by
the Black Regent, which put his identity at even greater risk.
What could he do? How
far was he willing to go to bring Chloe home safe and sound?
“For the duchess’s
sake,” he began, “I will do my best to find Chloe. You have my word.”
“Remember, her willful
head is in the clouds. That, dear friend, makes her dangerous. If she spies her
brother, she will most likely flee to avoid facing his ire. But if you find her
. . . well, that is a trap well laid.”
“Surely you place too
much—”
“I’ve promised my wife
that you will find her before Walsingham does.”
Markwick bowed. “I shall
strive to earn your confidence.”
He gazed at the missive
in Blackmoor’s hand once more, suspecting something else was responsible for
the duke’s persistence that Markwick should be the one to locate Chloe. “What’s
in the letter?”
Blackmoor handed him the
missive, then strode to the door. “Have a care for your soul, Markwick. While
the Fury demands forte, females rein
a tempest of emotions sure to drown better men.”
Markwick straightened.
“Aye, sir,” he said, gazing down at the note.
The screen door slammed.
When he looked up again, Blackmoor was gone.
Markwick opened the
note, then leaned back on the desk. His jaw slackened at the words on the page.
My dearest friend,
I ask you one question:
is a body unhappy about another unless she is in love? I fear we both know the
answer to that now, and a gentle violence thrills my soul as I share with you
that I intend to sail with the tide. I cannot face the snares and wiles of this
world without love to recommend me. Therefore, I beseech you to keep my secret,
for you are the only one I trust.
Markwick has
disappeared. As you are no longer betrothed, I am finally at liberty to confess
to you that I love him. I have always loved him, and I cannot bear for him to
suffer alone. Sources close to my brother inform me that a man fitting
Markwick’s description has been seen in Torquay. Therefore, I’ve attained
passage for myself and my maid aboard the Valerian.
Do not be alarmed for my
person or harden your heart against me. Dry your earnest tears. My virtuous
intentions steer me toward a higher destiny.
Resourcefully yours,
Chloe Walsingham
Markwick shut his gaping
mouth, then crumpled the letter in his hand.
It couldn’t be true.
Blackmoor was right? Chloe loved him? How was that possible? Why? Until now, he
had always perceived her attention as infatuation because he’d been the only
man her brother allowed around her.
He dropped the foolscap
and swiped his fingers through his hair. If he failed to rescue Chloe from
another one of her outlandish adventures, Prudence would blame him. Which meant
Blackmoor would blame him. Not to mention Chloe’s brother. If Walsingham found
out Markwick had known where Chloe was bound and hadn’t alerted him, the bond
between friends would be severed for good, making his stint as the Black Regent
even more perilous. If anything happened to her, Walsingham would not rest
until Markwick was hunted down. That endangered the Regent’s whole design. And
a dead Regent could not help the people of Cornwall and Devon.
Markwick hopped forward
and yanked open the cabin’s screen door.
Pye stood there, just
outside the door, waiting. “What be your orders, Cap’n?”
Had Blackmoor ordered
the one-legged pirate to stand there? “Notify the crew that we have a target in
our sights. We make way with the tide.”
“Aye, sir.” The salty
pirate grinned. “As soon as I’d seen the ol’ cap’n, I knew we’d have us an adventure
ahead.”
“Spare me your excitement,”
Markwick grumbled. “This adventure
may very well lead to my bloody end.”
National best-selling
historical romance author Katherine Bone
has been passionate about history since she had the opportunity to travel to
various Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals as an Army brat
turned officer’s wife. Who knew that an Army wife’s passion for romance novels
would lead to pirates? Certainly not her rogue, whose Alma Mater’s adage is “Go
Army. Beat Navy!” Now enjoying the best of both worlds, Katherine lives with
her rogue in the south where she writes about rogues, rebels, and rakes—aka
pirates, lords, captains, duty, honor, and country—and the happily-ever-afters
that every alpha male and damsel deserve.
Ports of Call:
Official FAN Links for Katherine Bone:
Here are some hard
links, if you need them.
Website: www.katherinebone.com
Facebook- Official Fan
Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Katherine-Bones-Official-Fan-Page/134578253291785
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Katherine-Bone/e/B009MO30MU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6535406.Katherine_Bone
Buy Links for The Pirate’s Debt:
