Have a sneak peek at A Bachelor's Pledge – a delightful romantic adventure by Penny Hampson #RegencyRomance #RomanticAdventure #RecommendedReading

A Bachelor’s Pledge

Gentlemen

by Penny Hampson

Secrets, Scandals, and Spies

Secret agent Phil Cullen is surprised to find the intriguing young lady he rescued from a house of ill-repute is now living as a respectable lady’s companion in Cornwall. This distraction by a captivating female is not welcome when he’s on the trail of a ruthless French spy.

Dismayed at the reappearance of the handsome gentleman who rescued her from a scandalous situation, Sophia Turner is relieved when he promises not to threaten her new-found security. Alarmingly, the brothel-keeper who entrapped her has also tracked her down. Does Sophia’s mysterious past hold the key to this relentless pursuit?

With danger lurking everywhere, Phil decides that a fake betrothal is the solution to keeping Sophia safe. But as the threats to their lives increase, their counterfeit feelings for each other turn into real ones.

Even if Phil and Sophia manage to survive everything that their enemies throw at them, will the revelation of Sophia’s shameful family secrets put an end to any hopes of a happy ever after?

Heart-warming romance combined with action-filled adventure makes this third book in Penny Hampson’s Gentlemen Series a must-read for all lovers of classic Regency fiction.

Read all the books in the Gentlemen Series:

A Gentleman’s Promise

An Officer’s Vow

A Bachelor’s Pledge

An Adventurer's Contract

A few moments later, Sophia’s nose began to twitch, and her throat began to catch. What was that awful smell?

Through water-filled, stinging eyes and a haze of smoke, she saw the burning feather being held under her nose.

‘There, there. Stay still a moment, dear, until your head settles,’ came Emmaline’s soothing voice. ‘It’s my fault for bringing you out too early. You’ve not got a strong constitution, have you, Sophia?’

Guilt swept through Sophia at these words. She had felt faint, but she was nowhere near as frail as Emmaline believed.

A maid’s head bobbed over Emmaline’s shoulder. ‘Is she all right now, ma’am? Do you still need me to fetch the hartshorn?’

Emmaline shooed the maid away. ‘No, I think we will be quite all right now, thank you, although I have ruined a perfectly good hat.’

Sophia groaned at the trouble her subterfuge was causing.

Mistaking the reason, Emmaline chuckled and said in a bracing tone, ‘Come along, Sophia. It was my poor attempt at a jest. Feathers are easy to come by – good companions are not.’ She squinted down at Sophia, a frown creasing her brow. ‘But we must get you home. I knew I should have dosed you with more Daffy’s elixir. You’re still not quite recovered, are you?’

‘Is the young lady feeling better?’ a horribly familiar husky voice inquired from across the room, sending Sophia’s insides curling in terror.

Emmaline stood up. ‘Admiral, I’m afraid I must take Sophia home. I think our little venture today was too much for her, as she is not quite recovered from her recent illness. I’m sorry to leave you so abruptly, Mrs Harris, but needs must, as you’ll agree.’

‘Of course, my dear.’ It was the admiral who spoke. ‘I’ll go and call the carriage.’

A rustling of silk was heard, and Sophia peered at the face looming above her. The woman was definitely Ruth Newbody, but Emmaline had called her Mrs Harris. Their eyes locked.

‘She does look rather under the weather.’ Mrs Newbody’s mouth curled up into a smile, but her glittering eyes remained hard. ‘I hope you feel better soon, my dear.’ She turned to Emmaline. ‘Such a pity. I was so pleased when Admiral Pridham invited me to join you. We spent such a short time conversing the other evening, and I was hoping to get to know you better.’

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Penny Hampson

Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel and the first of her Gentlemen Series. There are now three novels in the series, with the fourth, An Adventurer’s Contract, due to be released by the end of 2024. 

Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

Connect with Penny:

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Shining a fabulous Halloween book spotlight on The Phantom Archer – a riveting historical fantasy adventure by N. A. Shaw #HistoricalFantasy #YA #Adventure #RecommendedReading

The Phantom Archer

The Phantom Archer Series, Book #1

by N. A. Shaw

"Exciting historical fantasy adventure with twist of fairy tales, mythology, and magical creatures."

 

“Fables and fairytales are for silly hearts and children...”

When Gwen witnesses her friends death by a creature she didn't think existed she finds herself accused of his murder. On the run from the very beast that killed her friend, she finds an ally in the ghostly vigilante The Phantom Archer.

He protects her and together they discover that there is a reason the beast is hunting her and far more monsters are going to be on her trail...

Praise for The Phantom Archer:

"A cleverly plotted mystery / adventure packed full of twists and turns. A FINALIST and highly recommended!" 
~ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

"Absolutely brilliant book. Really enjoyed it, great story and compelling characters."
~ Amazon 5* Review

"A beautifully written novel, with a strong compelling story and characters. Part historical fiction, part supernatural, part murder mystery, it's a perfect blend of all three." 
~ Amazon 5* Review

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N. A. Shaw

N. A. Shaw lives in Hampshire, where she works full time while fitting her writing around her day.

She loves history, folklore, and the supernatural and enjoys weaving these themes together in her novels. 

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Have a sneak peek between the pages of The White Deer – a compelling literary novel by Regina McBride #HistoricalFiction #LiteraryFiction #RecommendedReading

The White Deer

A Novel of Anton Chekhov

by Regina McBride

In the summer of 1879, on his way to Moscow to study medicine, 19-year-old Anton Chekhov, from a bankrupt merchant class family, stops to spend a restful few weeks in the Ukrainian countryside, staying with his friend, Dr. Mitrofan, who is worried about Anton’s lingering bronchitis. It is here that Anton meets Vera Denisova, also 19, a budding actress, the daughter of theater aristocrats from Volkhov, a neighboring estate. The two spend much of their time wandering Volkhov’s vast property, hoping for a glimpse of a white deer that has been spotted in the back acreage.

As they grow closer, Vera confides in Anton about her secret romance and heartbreak over Petya, a servant her age who was gifted at drawing and who she helped to acquire an apprenticeship as a draughtsman in order to leave servitude for good. Anton is fascinated by her obsession, and a triangle forms between Vera, Anton, and the absent Petya. Anton, too, shares his secrets with her, his conflicted relationship with his indigent family and his frustrated wish to publish stories. Surreptitiously through Anton, Vera learns the truth about her family’s declining financial situation and the impending loss of her beloved childhood estate. Together in the long, extended light of summer days, Vera and Anton struggle to come to terms with their feelings for each other and the new profoundly changed world that is waiting for each of them at summer’s end.

The final section of the novel charts the correspondence between Vera and Anton over the next two decades. Vera has become a successful actress and Anton, a doctor who treats peasants for free, has more than realized his ambition as a writer.

In a final letter to Vera before his death at 44 of tuberculosis, Anton reveals that his play, The Cherry Orchard, was inspired by his time with her at Volkhov.

Praise for The White Deer:

"In this stirring tale, McBride evokes a sense of place with lush depictions of birch stands and daisy fields along with a soundtrack of Tchaikovsky and folk tunes, creating a backdrop for Vera’s tender and chaste friendship with Anton. It’s an evocative portrait of a vanishing way of life."

~ Publishers Weekly

"This transportive novel sweeps the reader up into a vivid, melancholic dream set on a nineteenth century Russian estate. Regina McBride creates her own Chekhovian tragi-comedy that delights as it captures a lost world frozen in time. The White Deer is a gripping must-read for anyone who loves literature and a love story gone awry."

~ Virginia Pye, author of Marriage and Other Monuments

The house was quiet. Anton and the doctor had probably not yet returned from fishing. I wandered up the hall looking into rooms, then climbed the stairs and knocked softly on doors, opening them and looking in. In one room I spotted Anton’s shirt from the day before, draped over a chair. A large window overlooking the gardens was open and morning sunlight came spilling in. Everything in the room seemed to be stirring, from the white covers on the unmade bed, to an errant sheet of the Evening Gazette that rose up like a cobra with every new breeze, crackling and writhing, before collapsing again onto the rug.  I stepped in and quietly closed the door.

On the nightstand I found a novel: In the Land of Mantillas and Castanets, by Bezetsky. I sat down on the bed and opened it. Inside was an unsealed letter, the envelope not yet addressed. I resisted taking out the pages, but my curiosity was too great. The letter was not yet signed, clearly left unfinished. It was dated the night before, 11:45 PM. 

My dear brothers, it began. Much of the first long paragraph was about the area of the river that ran through Dr. Mitrofan’s property. He mentioned a huge pike he had seen eyeing him from the shallows. I am after him in the morning, he wrote. That grandfather’s hour is about to come. 

In the next paragraph he described the neighboring acreage, Volkhov, as the grand, though dilapidated and doomed estate of a theatrical family. My heart paused at the word doomed. 

Once great orchards are sad, run down now and neglected though everything that grows wild is thriving in the summer weather. Old trees of every kind, an Eden of sorts, only waiting for the apple to fall and the appearance of the serpent.

The matriarch, now dead, was the bombastic actress, Dashkova. She came through Taganrog in a Schiller play before any of us were born but left her reputation behind her, the worst kind of mannered actress, it is reported, with all the grace and sensitivity of an alligator. 

The room went four shades darker. 

Anton’s character here was so at odds with his gentle, earnestly polite manner.

I thought of folding the letter and putting it back, afraid if I kept reading, he might fall further in my estimation. But I took a breath and continued.

The squire of Volkhov, Sergei Denisov is reportedly a talented actor who hasn’t worked in more than a decade. An overly sentimental man, so sincere I find myself suffering for him. When praising Anatoly Slezkine, who performed on their summer stage, he froze in a deep, spasmodic bow, bent so far forward I thought he might touch his forehead to the ground. 

My heart raced with indignation and my throat tightened. But the sentence that followed was even worse.

 He is a handsome figure of a man and I am told that he is quite the hound with the women and travels about living the life of a playboy. 

I stared at the words and they smeared together on the paper.

I threw the letter onto the bed beside me and waited for my heart to slow down. When I picked it up again my eyes were drawn to the mention of my mother.

Sergei’s wife is a mysterious soprano who lives like a hermit in some unknown area of the house and who I have heard vocalizing in the distance but have yet to glimpse. Her brother, who spent years in a Siberian prison camp, wanders the back acres in turn-of-the century military regalia, carrying a rifle. 

There are two delightful young women in that house, Sergei’s daughter, Vera, and his stepdaughter, Sasha. Sasha is the older of the two, though it is difficult to say how old she is. I cannot quite describe the effect her beauty had upon me when I first saw her. I felt a painful though pleasant sadness, undefined as if in a dream. But she is not somehow at ease with her beauty and tries in strenuous ways to show it to effect, and I am afraid I find that tiring, as if she’s attempting to use any man she engages with as a mirror to somehow see herself.

The younger girl, Vera, is quite different. 

I watched Vera and Sasha perform a scene from Shakespeare on an outdoor stage. The breathtaking Sasha delivers her lines with adequate charm, but Vera is a genuine actress. There were a few moments as she stood there when I would have cast her as Joan of Arc having a vision, a radiance about her head. There were no false notes.

Any sense of wonder I may have felt over Anton’s words about my performance was eclipsed by the sensation of nausea over everything else I’d read. Polite, gentle Anton had been judging us every moment. We were transparent to him and apparently, ridiculous, and the worst was what he’d said about my father, which caused a hard, pulsating pain in my chest and stomach.

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Regina McBride

Regina McBride is the author of eight books. The White Deer ~ a novel of Anton Chekhov is her sixth novel. She is also the author of one memoir, Ghost Songs, and one book of poetry.

Her novel, The Nature of Water and Air, was a Booksense Pick (Independent Book Stores Selection), a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers book, and a Borders Original Voices choice. It was optioned for a film. Her books have been translated into five languages.

A recipient of fellowships from the NEA and the New York Foundation for the Arts, Regina lives in New York City, where she taught fiction writing for thirty years at Hunter College and continues to teach privately.

Connect with Regina:

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