Teaser Tuesday <3
Hello, wonderful people of the internet!
Today, I'm starting what will *hopefully* be a weekly series. I say hopefully, because we all know what a scatter brain I am.
Sometimes, the truth hurts, especially when you're having to admit to yourself that you're not as "on the ball" as you'd like to be, haha!
Anyway, back to Teaser Tuesday!
I have a lot of stories in the works, and I would love to share some snippets with you along the way! I also read a lot and really like sharing pieces of books that I've really enjoyed. I don't know if this is still a big trend on reading blogs like it was a few years ago, but I don't care! We're doing this :)
This week's teaser is from a book I've already released, as I'm between projects at the moment. I hope you enjoy it!
This week's pick: Carried Away (The Swept Away Saga, #2)
Mark Bell is being haunted. Ever since his friend, Samantha, drowned in the Treasure Pit, he’s been running from her ghost. When his path takes him to a historical site and shipwreck in Texas, he hopes the past will stay where it belongs. However, the more he uncovers, the clearer it becomes that something is not right. Old friends need his help, and he doesn’t know if he’s the man to get the job done. Samantha O’Rourke is a time traveler trying to survive in the past. Trapped in the social pyramid of the French Court and the secret society her husband, Tristan, defends, she feels more out of place than ever before. Nothing ever stops a treasure hunter for long, though, and she soon finds herself caught up in another mystery, only to have life yanked to a precarious perch, where only the truly strong will survive. Can the future be changed? Or is everything set in stone, destined to follow only one course?
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“Do you dance much, dear?”
Ripped from my anxious perusal of the French countryside, I turned and stared at Madame Bevard with wide eyes. She was a heavyset woman, adorned with the largest and frilliest dress I’d yet to see during my time in the past. The red fabric practically screamed elegance, though, and it matched her pale skin color beautifully. Her dark hair, streaked with gray around her temples, had been curled and piled into the latest fashion. She must have been at least thirty years older than me, but her personality was proving to be more around my own age. She sat across from me, flanked by her daughter and husband, all of them waiting patiently for my answer.
“Dance?”
“Yes! I thought you might, since we are on our way to His Majesty’s ball, but upon meeting you, I felt I needed to adjust my initial thoughts towards you.”
“Oh.” What was that supposed to mean?
Next to me, Abella hastily converted her laugh into a cough, her gaze turned out the window of the carriage. Her light yellow gown seemed to mock me with its brightness as she left me to fend for myself.
“I’m afraid that I know very little about dancing,” I stated carefully, smoothing the fabric of my own blue dress over my knees. The skirt was much larger than I was used to, which was apparently how things were done at Court. Everything was bigger and brighter, no matter the cost.
She nodded, seeming to accept my answer without question, and then turned to Tristan, who sat on my other side. “And you, Monsieur?”
“I know enough to get by.” He offered his most dashing smile and I practically heard her sigh at the sight, along with her daughter.
“We should have dance lessons when we arrive!” The daughter—Gloria, I think was her name—clapped her hands in excitement, leaning over her mother to address her father. “Oh, please! It would be so much fun! The ball doesn’t start until tomorrow. We could do it after dinner. You can get us a room, can’t you, Father?”
“We’ll see,” Grand Master Bevard responded cryptically. Something about his tone made me think he would rather do anything but conduct dance lessons after dinner.
“His Majesty is very fond of dancing,” Madame Bevard told me, casually. “He’s been in a few ballets himself! I was at Court for one of them and it was simply magnificent. The theater at the palace is splendid; I hope we get to attend another show while we are there.”
“Yes, the Sun King is quite fond of the arts,” her husband stated. “He’s started a school for dance and an opera company, as well as the projects he’s had carried out to help beautify his palace and Paris. Though, he isn’t too fond of the city itself, which is a shame. That’s why he had the entire Court moved to Versailles, you know. So he wouldn’t have to come into the city.”
“And he loves dancing,” Madame Bevard added again, coming back around to her original point. “So much that he’s even had the entire Court take lessons. You need to have a lesson or two yourself before tomorrow, or you’ll stick out of the crowd.”
“Samantha can follow well enough.” Tristan grinned, coming to my rescue. “As fate would have it, neither of us are much of a dancer, but together we manage.” Taking my hand in his, he squeezed it gently and smiled the smile he saved just for me. The sighs on the other side of the coach were clearly audible this time, but I ignored them.
“I’ll see if I can get us into one of the smaller ballrooms tonight,” Bevard offered, much to the delight of the women he had in his life. “But I make no promises. I may be a Royal Advisor on certain subjects, but I wouldn’t say I hold much sway at Court.”
“How exciting!” Gloria was positively beaming.
“We should arrive just before dinner. There will be hardly any time to unpack before we’ll have to set off.” The mother and daughter started their own lively conversation, leaving me room to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
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You can buy Carried Away (as well as the other two books in The Swept Away Saga) wherever books are sold! Check out the Books tab at the top of the page for links :)
#teasertuesday #kamerysolomonbooks #thesweptawaysaga #carriedaway #timetravelromance #historicalromance
