#Holiday Romance & #Recipe with Lady @KatherineBone

Pirate Lady Katherine Bone is here with a Holiday Recipe and an excerpt from her latest historical romance, The Pirate’s Debt.

Christmas treats

Photo by belchonock from depositphotos.com

Thanks for welcoming me aboard ship, Lady Linda. The holidays ARR a perfect time to celebrate romance and try out new things, especially recipes. Special thanks to Author Tina Gayle for organizing this #Holiday Romance and #Recipe Exchange. I’m looking forward to the tasty additions I’ll be adding to my recipe file! Huzzah!

As you can see, I love the holidays. ’Tis the season for sharing and I’m especially happy to reveal one of my all-time FAVorite recipes, one that comes from my days as an Army wife. This salad is a healthy and delicious addition to any meal, any time of the year. The reds and greens are super festive and punch up the color at the dinner table. I get loads of compliments on this one!

Dewitt Salad

Ingredients:

Head of Broccoli (small pieces)
1 cup Celery, chopped
1 cup Onion, chopped
½ cup Green Pepper, sliced
1 cup Red Grapes, halved
1 cup Green Grapes, halved
½ lb. Bacon, fried crisp
½ cup Pecan, optional

Dressing:

1/3 cup Sugar
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 tsp. Vinegar

Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Best to prepare ingredients then add dressing closer to serving time.

kb-dewitt-salad

When your feet are too tired to walk, your shopping is done, and you’ve got spare time on your hands, there’s nothing like diving into a good book. Here’s a peak at my latest release, The Pirate’s Debt, the continuing story of the Black Regent in my Regent’s Revenge Series.

Pirate's Debt coverLady 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.

Available at Amazon, Nook, Kobo & Apple

~ Excerpt ~

Seated in Markwick’s cutter, cloaked in his clothing, Chloe felt incredibly shallow. To think that she’d cast all inhibitions to the wind and sailed off for an enterprising adventure, only to need to be rescued by the very man she’d set out to find. Though she hadn’t known she’d be finding the Black Regent.

Regent sightings were rare for the average villager. She’d never known anyone who’d actually met the gallant hero that stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

Oh, to be sitting so near to him now, to have touched him, to be in love with him, is even more exceptional than I imagined it would be!

She fought to curb the jubilation pulsing through her veins, igniting her headstrong passions, and forced herself to remember this was all about her devotion to Markwick and the lives lost on the very ship on which she’d obtained passage. To anyone else, the Black Regent might be a dashing pirate who’d just plucked her off the Mohegan’s decks and saved her from certain death, but Markwick was also the man she loved.

She sighed, half trembling, half in despair. Unable to tear her gaze away, she desired to stretch out her fingers and touch the man, to assure herself that he wasn’t a figment of her imagination. What kind of nightmare would that be, to discover she was dreaming and that Markwick really wasn’t there?

Oh, but the blackguard truly was just as she’d envisioned! In her mind’s eye, he’d been a swashbuckling champion born from the pages of fiction and fantasy. Now, sitting before her, was the living man whose very existence defied her infatuations because he was the man she loved. Broad-shouldered, lean, with a firm authoritarian profile, he stood a head taller than she did, and oh . . . when he’d held her in his arms on board the Mohegan, a lightheaded euphoria had immediately stunned her. Markwick had stood behind her before but only to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow. Not like this. Never like this!

Her gaze lowered to his upper arms. They were thick, flexing muscular limbs capable of sweeping her off her feet at a moment’s whim. And oh, she wanted to be his Matilda. She wanted him to be her Theodore.

Bother. Matilda and Theodore were Horace Walpole’s creations. She and Markwick lived in the real world. She inhaled a breath of frigid, moist, salty air.

Admit the truth, you silly girl. Markwick triggered breathless exhilaration and the unbridled beat fluttering within her breast, not the Black Regent. For her, there had always only been the Earl of Markwick.

About the Author:

Katherine BoneNational 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:

Website,  Facebook- Official Fan Page, Twitter, Amazon Author Page,    Goodreads

Thank you for allowing me to share one of my all-time FAVorite holiday recipes with you and your readers, Lady Linda. I wish you all a very tasty and hearty holiday season!

Blessings,

Katherine

Pirate’s Debt + #RomanticTravel with Author @katherinelbone

Historical Author Katherine Bone is here to share her choice for Fall #RomanticTravel and an excerpt from her latest release, The Pirate’s Debt. Welcome, Lady Katherine.

Fall Romantic Travel

Copyright:jurajkovac; Licensed from depositphotos.com

Thank you for welcoming me aboard, Lady Linda! 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.

Biltmore EstateThe 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!

Pirate's Debt coverBlurb:

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.

Amazon           Nook           Kobo           Apple

~ 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.”

Katherine BoneAbout the Author:

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:

Website, Facebook- Official Fan Page, Twitter, Amazon Author Page, Goodreads