Book review: When Love Comes Knocking by Sarah J. McNeal

 

Blurb:

Penelope Witherspoon was charmed into marriage by Evan Thoroughgood only to learn she loved a philanderer, who gambled away his inheritance and drank too heavily. It came as no surprise that four months after their marriage, Evan was shot dead for cheating at cards. Since his death, Penelope has come to depend on his older brother, Gil. In fact, she has come to love and respect him. No two men could be further apart in character. But, if Gil learns of her secret indiscretion, he will want nothing further to do with her. What is Penelope to do?

My review:

When Love Comes Knocking is a short and sweet story that delivers quite a bit of feels, and I'm not talking the winter's chill on a hot August afternoon.

Emotions are high and rolling as Penelope and Gil finally decide it's time to own up to their desires - even as fear and jealousy grip tight. I just felt bad that it took as long as it did for both of them to find their bravery... all that time lost! However, with thoughts like this from Gil: He would love her until the stars burned out, the wait was obviously well worth it. I was smiling as things finally got sorted out.

One other fun nugget: The way to love a woman can be a mysterious undertaking. Isn't that the truth! lol 

Purchase link:

Gold, Gold, Gold - plus excerpts from "Sir Conrad and the Christmas Treasure" by Lindsay Townsend

I am fascinated by gold. People in the past were also inspired by it and made many beautiful objects with the metal. One of these ancient treasures is a torc and in my latest historical romance, "Sir Conrad and the Christmas Treasure" I have a torc as a precious relic at a northern church.

I had in mind the magnificent Snettisham gold torc as my relic. Here it is.

From the British Museum

Here's an excerpt from my sweet Christmas romance, "Sir Conrad and the Christmas Treasure" where we see Sir Conrad and Maggie together.

Chapter 2

                                             

A gathering of horses, war-chargers, palfreys and spare mounts, a hasty bringing together of men, weapons and supplies, and they were off. They pounded out of the bailey, through the village and onto the track to the old Roman road. Sunrise to sunset they rode and then on through the night, sunset to sunrise. Riding in front of Conrad, his thick arms braced on her either side, Maggie felt her world shrink down to her heartbeat, the scalding ache of her thighs, the glare of snow and the relentless drum of the galloping horses.

Had she ever imagined the recovery of Michael would be an adventure? Wishing she could clasp her aching head but not daring to relinquish her grip on the horse’s mane, Maggie longed to stop.

   “You awake there?” Conrad growled, his lips close to her ear. She shook her head as if he was a bothersome fly and forced her wind-chapped lips to reply.

  “Doing well,” she said, determined her teeth would not chatter. In truth she was not so frozen. Sir Conrad had supplied her with a thick cloak and a woollen cap, cloths to wrap round her boots and rags to bind her hair. If I could only have some eastern cushions for my hips, perched on this bony nag. Who knew horses had such a spine? Glancing sidelong she caught a knowing gleam in her companion’s deep eyes, as if he expected her to complain. But I shall not.

“Yourself?” She tried a smile, the cold light of the coming dawn piercing her cheeks.

 “We make camp soon, rest the horses.”

“Naturally. The horses. And the pack mules,” she added, wondering why she was teasing him as she might have done Michael. The truth was, she had ridden with this man for hours, her back snug against his chest, her legs pressed against his long shanks. It was hard not to feel a kind of closeness to him.

Now, she felt rather than heard Conrad’s rumble of a chuckle and knew a fleeting lightness in her soul as his arms tightened briefly about her.

“You will not be outdone, will you?” He guided their mount onto an unpaved section of road that did not jolt her bones, which was overall a blessed relief.         

“Is this a contest?” she replied, catching her wind-sore mouth in a yawn before she could stop it.

He smiled against her woollen cap and Maggie closed her eyes. The great horse moved beneath her, smooth now as a sailing ship on a calm river, the beat of its hooves strangely soothing, like a lullaby. I wonder how Michael is faring, she thought as she slid slowly, inexorably into sleep.

                                                                   ****                                        

Conrad gently lowered the sleeping girl onto the rough pallet of bracken and hay that he had set before the new fire. She had done well, he decided, nodding to Davie, a silent reminder that the man guard her, before he checked on the horses and men. A palfrey had picked up a gorse or bramble tear on her flank. Conrad was conferring with a groomsman how to treat the wound when the weary peace of the camp shattered.

Lurching out of the darkness, Maggie staggered back to the fire, plucked out a burning branch and brandished it at the figure coming after her.

“Back!” she cried, stabbing the flaming brand at her would-be attacker, “You will get none of what you want from me!”

Conrad thrust the salve at the nearest groom and began striding back, to hear the farrier, Brian, say, without shame or apology,

“Come on, goldie, I can give you a sweet time—”

“What is happening here?” Conrad pushed between the pair, scenting the mead on the farrier’s breath.

“A bit of sport.” Brian swayed on his feet, squinting past the taller man as he gave the girl a wave.  Has this fool been drinking all night? Supping while on horseback?

“I do not expect to be set upon when I slip into the hazels to pass water!”

“You take on so, goldie, not fair—”

She took a deep breath that would have fit a dragon, clearly ready to light into the fellow afresh, when Sir David with his uncanny ill-luck, stepped out of the trees where he had been setting guards and said drily, “Women following soldiers are usually bed-mates.”

“I am not following anyone!” snapped Maggie, as red-faced as a dragon’s fiery breath, “I am seeking my brother and your lord is meant to be aiding me! Or do such courtesies only count for knights and ladies?”

Conrad sensed the camp about them stiffen and knew his men were leaning in to listen.

“Ladies do not bawl like market criers,” he drawled.

The bright stare cut towards him. “How else am I supposed to be heard?”

“Enough!” He made a cutting motion with his arm, tired of the whole squabble, and addressed his men. “The girl is with me, mine, and you all know it. Brian, get yourself a pail of water and dunk your head. We move on in two hours, when the sun tops that pine tree. Get on!”

He caught the girl’s arm and led her, none too gently, back to the pallet by the fire. “You stay,” he ordered, ignoring her look of utter betrayal.

He turned to leave, go back to the horses, when a narrow wiry hand grabbed his cloak. Looking back, he almost flinched at the flinty glare which stabbed him.

“You need the farrier, yes? But mark this, my lord, you also need me.”

His temper bridled at her insolence. He leaned down into her face, part of him amazed at how very blue her eyes were, in her anger. “I just saved you from a mauling or worse. Why did you not wait for me to escort you? Are you so naive?”

If she could, she would have shot poison like a snake, he guessed, though her words were pin sharp. “I did not know such courtesy was required in your own camp.”

Not even a gesture of thanks, the ungrateful little wench. Did she think they were equals? “You do not tell me how to govern,” he began afresh, but she interrupted,

“Then rule yourself first. I thought you, sir, were different.”

With the I was wrong hanging between them, she stepped aside and flounced down on the pallet with such force that a puff of hay-dust rose in the air between them. Sensing he had made a mistake, loathing that feeling, Conrad stamped back to the horse lines.

Later, too brief a time to be truly rested, they rode on, into the forest of Galtres. The girl sat before him, silent as a stone. I thought you were different. “What happened to you?” he growled, too low for her to hear. He disliked her being so stiff, that was all.

I do need my farrier. She had no right to complain. As for Brian approaching her, it is the way of the world. In a war-band, everyone expects it.

So why did these reasonable justifications seem hollow?

Here's another excerpt, where we see the golden treasure of Ormingham church.

Inside the church Conrad noted that his brother and the earl were most keen to see the treasures within its crypt. In contrast, Maggie—or Margaret—was intent on the stout door of the underground chamber, the narrow stone steps leading down to it and the huge key the priest produced from his surplice to unlock the sanctuary.

“No one has ventured here for a while, thank our holy mother,” she observed, as the priest shouldered open the thick door and Richard and Earl John jammed together in the small opening in their haste to be first into the crypt.

Would be funny, I vow, were my girl’s plight not so serious.              

“Why do you say that?” Conrad asked aloud, interested in her and her reasons rather than the costly trinkets stashed within.

Maggie smiled, her eyes less strained than he had seen them for two days, and pointed down. “Dust and cobwebs on the steps, before the holy father walked down,” she answered, “which means no thieves, either, so we can set a trap for them here.”

“Snares have no places in the house of God!” protested the priest, while Conrad could only think she said we. She is glad we work together. In that instant his joy burned as fierce as the newly-lit torches.

“By all the saints, look at this!” Richard’s loud excitement over-rode the cleric’s disgust and the earl rocked back and forth on the heels of his two-tone coloured shoes, murmuring, “My, my, such handsome works.”

Curious where he had not been greatly intrigued before, merely staying with Maggie to ensure she was safe, Conrad waited for the smoke of the priest’s spitting, damp torch to settle, and then looked for himself.

So much bright gold, was his first thought, while Richard, naturally stretched out sticky fingers to paw at the pieces and Earl John intoned, “Roman, or earlier, and fit for a king.”

“This is the holy moon torc of Saint Oswald!” snapped the priest, keen to put the church’s ownership beyond doubt, “Discovered in a pond near here by my great-grandfather!”

“I have heard tell of such sacred wonders before,” said Conrad, hoping to prevent the priest and earl from saying more in anger or gold-greed that they could not take back.

“It was a woman’s,” said Maggie softly beside him, glancing once at him to share her thought.

“Why do you say that?” asked Conrad.

She pointed. “Because of the safety chain.”

Here's a picture of the gold torc with safety chain that inspired me.

From YouTube

My sweet medieval historical romance, SIR CONRAD AND THE CHRISTMAS TREASURE, is now out. You can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited.

On Amazon. Com here
And Amazon UK here  

WELCOME TO PRP'S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS SALE!

Christmas is headed our way at break-neck speed and Prairie Rose Publications is doing our part to make this A VERY MERRY PRP CHRISTMAS with a gigantic sale. Yep, we are talking GIGANTIC—with many books and BOXED SETS priced at .99 and some books being offered for FREE!

But snap them up NOW because this sale only lasts for three days---December 14-16. This weekend is when the magic happens at PRP and Imprints for some excellent bargains--not only for yourself, but for those on your gift list, as well, and you won’t have to break the bank to give the gift of reading some fantastic stories!

We’ve got stories in all genres, for every reader on your list! Each day we’ll feature a few with their blurbs and covers, but every one of these thirty-six selections will ALL BE ON SALE FROM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, THROUGH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16! So stock up and save – and get your gifts bought right here, right now! What a choice--and you can't get any better than .99 and FREE!

Let’s start off with a BANG! How about FOUR books for only .99? MAIL-ORDER BRIDES FOR SALE: THE REMINGTON SISTERS is a boxed set of four books about four sisters who must run for their lives—but who are they running to? As mail-order brides, they don’t have much choice! This set is penned by Livia Washburn Reasoner, Jacquie Rogers, Celia Yeary, and Cheryl Pierson—and you won’t find a better bargain anywhere!



Brought up in the wealth and comfort of Eastern “old money” in staid and proper Philadelphia, the Remington sisters are forced to scatter to the four winds and become mail-order brides. In order to gain a fortune, their sinister step-father, Josiah Bloodworth, has made plans to marry them off in loveless marriages. Time is running out, and no matter what lies ahead in their uncertain futures, it has to be better than the evil they’re running from…

And speaking of debutantes, how about this story from PRP author Becky Lower, THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE? This is the 1st book of Becky’s “Cotillion Ball” series—a page-turner you won’t want to put down until you reach the very end. And it’s all yours for only .99!

Beautiful Ginger Fitzpatrick wants nothing to do with New York City’s conventional society— after all, she is a bloomer-wearing suffragette who holds a position in her father’s bank! Her mother is determined her willful daughter must go to the popular Cotillion ball and look for a suitable husband during the “season”—and Ginger is given no choice. But when she meets her brother’s best friend, handsome Joseph Lafontaine, the mysterious man sets Ginger ablaze with a mere glance—and gives her second thoughts about remaining single.


Have you ever read one of Kaye Spencer's stories? Well, buckle up for a wonderful, emotional ride in A GIFT OF CHRISTMAS HOPE! Give it a try--it's FREE!

A shooting over a poker game, a family seeking revenge, a blizzard sweeping across the Texas Panhandle—it’s more than the world-weary gambler known as Lady Sapphire can handle without help. Determined to make it to her childhood home by Christmas Eve with her stagecoach full of treasure, she needs an escort, and there’s no time to be choosy.

Neal Behlen, a drifting gambler and occasional lady’s man—depending upon the size of the lady’s bank account—has his eye on the contents of Lady Sapphire’s mysterious steamer trunks. Taking on the job as her temporary bodyguard seems a lucrative venture and a pleasant diversion, since he plans to work in bedroom benefits along the way.

The price of their business arrangement is steep—their hearts—and both are reluctant to pay. What they need is a gift of Christmas hope, but will it arrive before it’s too late for love?

Do you love medieval stories? How about an entire collection of them for only .99? ONE WINTER KNIGHT is a wonderful anthology of romantic holiday stories about knights and their ladies!

You’ll be held spellbound by this boxed set of captivating stories from some of today’s top medieval authors, as well as some rising stars in this up-and-coming genre. Lindsay Townsend, Deborah Macgillivray, Cynthia Breeding, Keena Kincaid, Cheryl Pierson, Beverly Wells, Patti Sherry-Crews, and Linda Carroll-Bradd have woven eight excellent Yuletide tales of love lost and found that are sure to keep you reading far into the night.

This collection of novellas makes a wonderful holiday gift for hours of entertaining reading—for others, or for yourself! These stories are certain to keep you enthralled as you read on to find out how these knights and ladies find their very own “happily-ever-after” endings ONE WINTER KNIGHT…

And now from medieval days of yore to present day contemporary times, Diana Tobin offers up a truly heartwarming story, SANTA NICK that’s guaranteed to give you that “warm fuzzy” holiday feeling—and for only .99!




With Christmas on the way, six-year-old Faith Reynolds is determined to get the very best present ever for her widowed mother—a new husband—but one that would be a nice daddy, too. Though Faith’s mother, Jenny, is not a big believer in Santa, a chance meeting with handsome high school teacher Nick St. Clair might just change everything.

Have you been NAUGHTY OR MICE? In Livia Washburn’s novelette, there’s a chance for true love to be wrapped up under the tree…maybe. Snap it up for FREE from December 14-16!

Dan Callahan's daughter was supposed to take care of her fourth grade class's pet mice over the Christmas vacation—or so she claimed. Melissa Logan, the little girl's teacher, wondered why she had gotten close with the handsome single dad, only to have him back off unexpectedly. But when the mice went missing, the truth about everything came out, and the search for the elusive creatures led not only to unexpected secrets from the past but also to the answers that two lonely people had been seeking without even knowing it.

NAUGHTY OR MICE is a heartwarming Christmas novelette from award-winning author Livia J. Washburn. Funny, poignant, and romantic, it's a charming "tail" you won't soon forget.

Got a Young Adult (YA) reader on your list? You can’t go wrong with C.A. Jamison’s POLARITY--CHILDREN OF THE ORB: BOOK 1. For ages 13 through adult, this story is the first of a series that will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way from start to finish—all that for only .99!

Rush James and his brother, Chris, are “plasmetric” people—a unique life form born of human parents. Their blood cells are alive with alien electronic energy—and living a normal life in the human world creates havoc for those of their kind.

But Rush and Chris aren’t alone—there are others. The Children of the Orb must find one another to survive. Trulie Morgan is the positive to Rush’s negative. When they touch, polarity moves energy, their passion grows, and the battle of opposites begins.

But the danger is very real for all of them--both from humans and from others of their kind. As they search for the answers they're desperate to find, someone is killing humans and animals. When an attempt is made on Trulie's life, Rush is determined to get to the bottom of it--even if it means it could be one of their own--one of the CHILDREN OF THE ORB.

For a Young Adult story with a “retro” theme (and this is one that all ages will enjoy), try out Randy Lee Eickhoff’s THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER – it’s FREE!

Christmas promises to be a bitter time of change for Samantha “Sam” McCaslin following the death of her mother. At thirteen years old, tomboyish Sam tries to fill her mother’s place on the family’s South Dakota ranch, the Bar X. Pressure from her grandparents forces her father to choose between sending Sam to live with them, or seeking a housekeeper to help at the ranch.

When Mrs. Six Feathers and her two children, Sarah and Timmy, arrive at the Bar X, Sam deeply resents their coming. She chooses to ignore them as much as possible. But when Sarah and Sam become the victims of Billy Kincaid’s vicious bullying, a bond begins to develop between them as they fight back.

As Kincaid’s behavior becomes dangerously psychopathic, Sam’s very life is threatened. With only her quick wits to survive Kincaid’s ruthless cruelty, every second counts. Will her friends be able to help her in time, or will she become a victim of Billy’s deadly vendetta? At what should be the happiest season of the year, Sam will learn just how important family really is…

Who loves Westerns? Especially westerns that are only .99? Try PUSHED TOO FAR, the first in J. L. Guin’s series! Here’s the scoop!

James Stone has been on his own almost all his life after the death of his parents early on. Kindly neighbor Eldon Greyson takes young James under his wing, making him a partner in his freighting business—until the fateful night when they’re robbed, and Greyson is murdered by “Laird” a mysterious man James vows to find and bring to justice.

Though years have passed, James has not given up on finding his mentor’s murderer. When he is caught in the middle of a train robbery, he sets out after the outlaws to recover the money they’ve stolen from him. Tracking them leads him to the small town of Eaton, where a bank robbery takes place minutes after he rides in.

With the town’s lawmen killed and wounded, Stone takes over temporarily, but all hell breaks loose with the arrival of Ike Langley’s gang of thieves—and James Stone finds he’s been PUSHED TOO FAR…

How about an entire volume of short stories for that western reader on your list? Here’s one that can by yours for FREE right now! TRIPLE SHOT WESTERNS is a collection of three stories from each of three of the best western authors in the field that will take you back to the days when men settled their differences with their fists and guns on the dusty streets of Small Town America. Mountain men, miners, lawmen, outlaws and drifters come alive in these stories that create this great collection of tales for lovers of the Old West.

Authors John D. Nesbitt, Kevin Crisp, and Les Williams offer up an assortment of nine stories of western action that will keep you turning the pages until you finish every last exciting tale! Settle back in your easy chair and snag your copy of TRIPLE SHOT WESTERNS for some mighty fine western reading.

Calling all Science Fiction lovers! Michael E. Gonzales has a wonderful series out, and DARK MOON RISING is the first of the set. Right now, it’s only .99! Be sure to snag this one for the sci-fi readers on your list!

When a quake cracks the Moon apart and swallows a habitat with eight people inside, their survival is in question. Sergeant Hugh Pacherd takes command of the group, his primary goal to protect the woman he loves. Hugh discovers he’s on shaky footing, battling not only the elements, but the many powerful emotions at play within the band of survivors—envy, hatred, insanity, and the love between himself and Dr. Mary Eddington.

Inside the Earth’s satellite, they discover an alien base and a moldering spacecraft. Awakening the still-conscious but disembodied minds of ancient visitors could be their salvation—or the death of planet Earth.

An alliance is formed that both groups may return home. But there is a murderer loose—one of the humans—and Hugh believes the aliens can’t be trusted, either.

Deadly secrets threaten to destroy all life on Earth. Hugh Pacherd is the only man who might stop humanity’s destruction—but will he have to give up Mary to do it?

Nothing is as it seems—not even the valiant soldier, determined to save the woman he loves and the band of humans from a DARK MOON RISING…

One last wonderfully romantic story before we leave our features for today--HARMONICA JOE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE, by Sarah J. McNeal! This is the story that started her Wilding series--a fabulous time travel story you will not want to miss, and it's FREE!

When Lola Barton inherits a rundown plantation, she believes her life has finally taken a positive turn. But, when she finds a mysterious trunk in the attic, it takes her into the past and to a man with dark secrets—and she’s married to him.

Be sure to join us tomorrow and Sunday to see our featured selections for .99 and FREE, but remember, you can purchase all these books from December 14-16 for these unheard-of prices. See the list of links below!

                       

    

         

New Release — Sir Conrad and the Christmas Treasure by Lindsay Townsend

Maggie’s younger brother, Michael, is kidnapped by outlaws, and it’s up to her to rescue him. Appealing to Sir Conrad, the grim steward of the northern English high lands, is the very last thing she wants to do. With the very real possibility that the outlaws know of Michael’s talent—the ability to open any lock, to reveal any treasure—Maggie races against time to find him before his usefulness to the outlaws is ended.

Sir Conrad desires Maggie from the minute he sees her—she makes him feel alive again—and that has not happened since the death of his wife. Though he hasn’t known Maggie before, a strange feeling of familiarity nags, and he agrees to aid the beautiful peasant girl in this quest of finding her brother. 

Joining forces, Maggie and Sir Conrad form a tenuous bond. When an assassin attacks Maggie, the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit, and Conrad realizes that even Maggie doesn’t know the power she holds. But Conrad not only must keep Maggie safe, he must thwart the dangerous devices of his spiteful older brother, Richard, who has lately returned from crusade. 

As love blossoms, Maggie and Conrad must protect one another. Evil is all around them, and doubt is a cruel enemy. Will their faith in each other keep them united? In the world of dangerous courtly intrigue, who is saving whom? Love is all that matters…but can that be enough?

EXCERPT

     Sir Conrad, the steward of the forest high lands, glowered at the latest miscreant to be dragged before him in the great hall of the northern sheriff’s castle. A castle that has never felt like my own, for all I am reluctant steward here.  
     Despite his instructions, Sir David, his under-reeve, would bring the wretches up in chains, even the women. Conrad gripped his sword hilt to stop himself from punching David, and rose from his chair to approach the small, slight figure before him.
     “What, where, and who?” he snapped at his shorter, stockier, second-in-command. The woman—girl, really—did not flinch, which surprised him. 
     Conrad knew he was harsh, unsmiling in his manner. Since Joan had died three winters ago, leaving him a widower and bereft at the age of twenty-four, he had been unable to be anything but cold to anyone. He had no interest in brief affairs. I witnessed too much heartbreak from my father and brother and their parade of mistresses to do the same. Although this girl—
     Now he was looking at her properly, he recognized two things at once. The first was that he wanted her, wanted her badly, with a raw force he had not experienced since he was a squire. Is it the chains? I would chain her to my bed, if I could. She was delicate, with a fragile profile, sweetly upcurving lips, masses of glossy blonde hair and eyes as blue and big as a summer sky. She seemed both graceful and slender, and at the same time, determined—standing straight, poised as a dancer, facing life head on. 
     That was the second thing he realized. The girl was brave. Dressed in her mud-coloured gown, her dirt-spattered, travel-stained tunic and threadbare cloak, in rough leather boots that were splitting at the seams and looked too small for her, she watched him with the poise of a cat, all barely-hidden fire. 

     If she smiles at me I will be lost, and yes, I would certainly like to chain her to my bed. But why did she seem familiar?