The Romance Reviews

Monday 20 November 2017

"The Gift" Novella in the "One Yuletide Knight" anthology. Excerpt and blurb by Beverly Wells

As part of the series of excerpts from the "One Yuletide Knight" anthology, today we have Beverly Wells and her apt Christmas novella "The Gift". Here's a blurb:

Blurb 
Sir Geoffrey Eton, captain of Sir Royce’s regiment is a hardened, gruff warrior. All his life he served England, protected others, and trained men. Tavern wenches satisfied his occasional needs. There simply was no necessity for a wife. Orphan, Heather Douglas grew up in an abbey in Scotland, loving life. When she joins her best friend at the Scotland castle granted to Royce, she brings her smiles and laughter. She also brings her flawed leg, her stubbornness and determination. Will her bright smile and charm be the weapons to finally take down the mighty warrior Geoffrey’s resistance?     

Here’s an excerpt from THE GIFT that will hopefully tickle your fancy. Enjoy!

“He will no’ harm me. We be the best of friends as long as I bring him a wee bit of apple ever’ day. He loves it when I pet or cuddle him too, he does.” Disregarding his words, she reached up to pat his muzzle and cheek. Thank the good Lord, Darktonian remained a statue. Geoff thought he might swallow his tongue at her blatant disregard for her safety and his order. 
 Pet or cuddle? Lord grant me strength not to strangle the irresponsible, foolish woman.
“He is a warhorse, trained to bite, strike with his hooves and batter or ram to
kill. You are foolish to think otherwise.” His bellow shook the rafters. “He could remove your head in one split second if he felt like it. Now step back so I may approach. Now!”  She would suffer much more than her lopsided limp if the horse became skittish. He fought to gain his senses, to protect the foolish woman. He took a deep breath and bellowed, “Darktonian hold!”
The horse instantly responded, arching his neck which pulled him back away from her. He held perfectly still to the command. “Step back away from him.”
Expecting her to follow the curt order as if she was one of his men he captained, he planned to approach her and give her a harsh reprimand for endangering herself so foolishly. Instead, she turned her head, graced him with a wide smile and followed it with a husky chuckle.
He felt like an oaf, an ignorant oaf, yet she needed to understand the danger of her coddling such a temperamental, huge beast. He sighed in relief as she took several uneven steps back. He also noted how her lips tightened and her glare threatened to cook him to a charred cinder if she had any witchy powers in her control.


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11 comments:

Deborah Macgillivray said...

Congrats!!! This is such a wonderful anthology. Perfect Christmas gift!!

Beverly Wells author said...

Thanks so much for stopping by, Deborah. I'm again thrilled to be included in the Christmastime anthology. I so look forward to reading all the other stories, including yours as all the excerpts are so intriguing. Happy writing and holidays.

Renaissance Women said...

I truly do believe it's the flaws that create the beauty. I'm slowly working my way through the stories in this anthology, and loving every second. Thanks for this one. Doris

Patti Sherry-Crews said...

Hi, Bev. What wonderful characters you've created! This anthology is a winner!

TracyG said...

Congratulations on the release, Bev!

Beverly Wells author said...

Doris, Thanks so much for stopping by. I just got my print copies so now I can start to read the others and know I'll enjoy each and every one of them. Hope you enjoy THE GIFT along with the rest. I also believe that sometimes a flaw or two or three just make that persson all the more special.
Bev

Beverly Wells author said...

Patti, I appreciate you stopping by to say hi. I so enjoyed your excerpt and look forward to now reading the full story as I just got my copies in the mail. Horrah! Again, it's so much fun when we're included in anthologies together and feed off each other along the way. Wishing you the best. Bev

Beverly Wells author said...

TracyG, Thank you for the congratulations and also for taking the time to say hi. I must tell you I so enjoyed your WILD TEXAS HEARTS. I was glued to that story till the very end. Very nice job. Hope you enjoy THE GIFT and all the others in ONE YULETIDE KNIGHT if you're into Medievals. Wishing you the best and happy holidays.

Cheryl Pierson said...

Bev, I really loved your story. I was glad to see some characters I knew from your previous tale included, too!

Beverly Wells author said...

Cheryl, thank you so much for stopping over. Yes THE GIFT is a sequel to THE CHALICE that I wrote for the 2016 anthology ONE WINTER KNIGHT. It was my first venture into a sequel and I found it so rewarding and fun to return Ahna, Royce, plus two children from THE GIFT as well as introduce my new characters Ahna's friend, Heather Douglas and the gruff knight, Sir Geoffrey. I might enjoy writing my usual historical romances set in the American West, but am thoroughly enjoying stepping back to the medieval period not only reading them (I've always loved reading that period)but to put my words down.

Beverly Wells author said...

Lindsay, Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. Loved talking to others. And look forward to reading your story in ONE YULETIDE KNIGHT.