FAIR BORDER BRIDE

[Jen Black]

This is my first entry on the Book Bazaar Board, so I hope I get it right.
 
It's a historical romance, as you might have figured out from the cover, and it's set in the the Borders between England and Scotland in the year 1543, when Henry VIII is getting old and tetchy. Harry Wharton sets off on a mission, stops in Corbridge and gets distracted by Alina Carnaby, daughter of a local landowner. On the spur of the moment he adopts an alias, and Alina is shocked when she learns he calls himself Harry Scott, for her father has a running feud with the Scott family across the Border. He won't listen to how Harry saved Alina's life, but throws him into the dungeon and threatens he must take The Leap next morning. Alina knows men don't survive The Leap, and Henry thinks his last night on earth has arrived.
It's an exciting story that ducks and weaves around the running feuds of the borders. Alina must face an arranged marriage to John Errington when the only man she wants is Harry. Standing in the church on her wedding day, she hears the words every bride and groom dread...

[lisarusczyk]

I love your cover and historicals. How's your book doing?

[Ann in Arlington]

Welcome to KindleBoards, Jen, and congratulations on your book! 

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[Jen Black]

Hi lisarusczyk,
thanks, I think it's doing OK, but what do I know? I'm very new here, and the volume of posts is overwhelming, Jen

[Jen Black]

Here's a link to a review for Fair Border Bride on Historical Novel Review - http://historicalnovelreview.blogspot.com/ The reviewer is Anita Davison, and she seems to like it! when I get a moment I'll put it on my blog, but at the moment I'm showing lots of pics of a recent visit to the North west highlands of Scotland http://jenblackauthor.blogspot.com
Oh, and there's a book trailer, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyui1kfCd_8

[Jen Black]

  Well, there's another review gone up on the Kindle site today, so thank you Nora! another 5 stars.

There's a review also on http://disorganisedauthor.blogspot.com as well, just up today. I'm hoping people will like Harry and Alina, and also the light, slightly tongue-in-cheek style. Let me know what you think!

Jen
still putting pics of Scotland on her blog at http://jenblackauthor.blogspot.com

[Jen Black]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyui1kfCd_8

FAIR BORDER BRIDE - a historical romance, set in the the Borders between England and Scotland in the year 1543, when Henry VIII is getting old and tetchy. Harry Wharton gets distracted by Alina Carnaby, daughter of a local landowner. On the spur of the moment he adopts an alias, and Alina is shocked when she learns he calls himself Harry Scott, for her father has a running feud with the Scott family across the Border. He won't listen to how Harry saved Alina's life, but throws him into the dungeon and threatens he must take The Leap next morning. Alina knows men don't survive The Leap, and Henry thinks his last night on earth has arrived.
It's an exciting story that ducks and weaves around the running feuds of the borders. Alina must face an arranged marriage to John Errington when the only man she wants is Harry. Standing in the church on her wedding day, she hears the words every bride and groom dread...

[Jen Black]

The cover features Aydon Castle, first built as a farmhouse around 1246 and then fortified to repell the attacks from Scotland. For the last forty years it has belonged to English Heritage and you can visit and walk around ancient hall and wall walk. Maybe not today, as the exterior will be covered in Frost.
We had a very cold night, and the temperature won't rise beyond 3C today - but Aydon Will look very pretty capped in white!

Jen

[Jen Black]

Short Excerpt from Fair Border Bride:

“Tell me,” he said, before he forgot all practical things in the delight of her presence. “Your father threatens me with something called the Leap. What is it?”
“She dipped her head, and he heard her sharp intake of breath. “It’s the ravine, Harry.” She pointed towards the dark bulk of the hall. “On the other side is a ravine. It is deep, with the Ay burn at the bottom. Father…he makes prisoners jump from the precipice outside the hall.”

“Ah.” He raised her knuckles to his mouth, and kissed them to dispel the shadowy presence of Death looming in the darkness behind him. He remembered looking into the ravine the night he rode up here. His tongue probed the cleft between her fingers. She gasped. Harry’s blood sang through his body, and he kissed her knuckles again. “How deep, do you think?”

“Twenty times the height of a man, they say.” She shivered and frowned as she watched him nuzzle her fingers. “There are rocks and trees…”
“And no one survives?”

Her face crumpled. “Oh, Harry, sometimes they do, but they are broken, twisted creatures—”

A deep voice sounded from above, and Alina flung up her head. “Matho, please!”

Matho must have agreed, for she turned back to Harry. Her hand had warmed in his and when he kissed it once more, her other hand snaked through the bars and stroked his face, crept to the back of his neck.

“Ah, Alina,” he murmured. “Would that we had no iron bars between us.”
His flesh hardened. If this was his last night on earth, he wanted some pleasure to beguile his thoughts. He reached both hands through the grill and drew her close against the iron bars and in truth she was not reluctant, even when his hand roamed beneath her cloak, caught a ribbon and her nightgown gaped from neck to waist. His palm found the firm weight and curve of her breast and nestled around it.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyui1kfCd_8

[Jen Black]

I'm happy to say people seem to like Harry and Alina, and a lot of people fall for Matho. I kind of like him myself, and I've started a novel about where Matho goes from the end of Fair Border Bride. One day, it would be good to see him on the bookshelves in his own right!

Jen

[Jen Black]

If Harry, Alina and Matho were alive today, they'd be zooming around the same countryside as me and wishing  the weather was better. We have sunshine, wind and rain all at the same time this morning! Google Aydon Castle http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/87/aydoncastle.htm if you want to see where they had their adventures. The final scenes are at Bewcastle - a very quiet place today!  http://www.visitcumbria.com/car/bewcastle.htm

Jen