Hi peeps
I’m super
stoked to announce SILK & SCARS, book 3 in my Silk Series, is now
available!
This book was a bit of a nightmare to write. It took me f o r e v e r to understand Gwen and Edward’s story, and this book was definitely a case of how my original idea morphed into something completely unrecognizable by the end. Originally, I wanted Edward to be a gruff, blustery kind of duke, growling at Gwen, who would refuse to allow him to treat her that way. However, as I wrote, Edward suddenly loved Gothic novels, became an introvert and before I knew it, I had a sensitive, shy duke who desperately wanted to talk with Gwen but had no idea how.
This book was a bit of a nightmare to write. It took me f o r e v e r to understand Gwen and Edward’s story, and this book was definitely a case of how my original idea morphed into something completely unrecognizable by the end. Originally, I wanted Edward to be a gruff, blustery kind of duke, growling at Gwen, who would refuse to allow him to treat her that way. However, as I wrote, Edward suddenly loved Gothic novels, became an introvert and before I knew it, I had a sensitive, shy duke who desperately wanted to talk with Gwen but had no idea how.
Gwen herself
was hard to get a handle on as well. I just couldn’t figure her out. Why did
she dare to write letters to a duke? What was her motivation? What were her
internal fears that drove her to be the person she was? Finally, I discovered
who she was and...Welp, I’d love the say the story flowed from that point on,
but it totally didn’t. It was still a tough slog, but I got there in the end
and I’m really proud of how it turned out.
I hope you
enjoy!
Cassandra
xx
For
over a year, Miss Gwendolyn Parkes and the Duke of Sowrith have corresponded.
At first an error, the letters quickly became something much more, a friendship
forged on like minds and perhaps the hope of something more…
When
Gwen is compelled by her employer to attend the duke at his Dartmoor estate,
she is devastated to find her beloved friend cold and imperious, even if he is
the most handsome man she’s ever seen – despite his scars.
Edward,
Duke of Sowrith, has longed to meet Gwen. Arranging her passage to his estate,
he is tongue-tied when confronted with her quiet beauty. All too aware of the
twisted ruin of his face, he allows fear to hold him silent…until Gwen’s safety
is threatened.
Finally
together, they grow closer until it seems they can never again be apart – but
can a commoner and a duke find a happily ever after?
Decadent
Publishing ||Amazon: AU | US | UK || ARe | iTunes | Google Play | B&N
Excerpt:
Crossing
her arms over her stomach, Gwen leaned forward, pressing deep. Good heavens,
she was nervous, and excited, and nervous. She was going to meet Edward. One
moment soon, he was going to open that door, and she would see him. She would
see the man she’d corresponded with for over a year, to whom she’d expressed
every thought, and who had expressed his to her. It did not matter that he was
a duke, so far above her in consequence as to be laughable. He was her friend,
and, at last, they would meet.
Foot
tapping wildly, she leaned her head back against the wall. This was all so
ridiculous. She was ridiculous to have this unbridled excitement rioting
through her. Exhaling, she caught the stare of the gargoyle. The gargoyle knew
how ridiculous her thoughts. Its stone features laughed at her, and in a fit of
pique, she poked her tongue out.
The
study door opened. Leaping to her feet, she swayed as the blood rushed from her
head.
Lord
Beecham appeared in the door way and, his eyes lighting upon her, crooked a
finger. “Miss Parkes. Come.”
Heart
beating a rapid tattoo, she bent to grip the handle of her carpet bag. Lord
Beecham had abandoned the door by the time she had gathered herself enough to
approach, the worn wooden handle of the bag pressing deep into her palm.
Passing
through the doorway, Gwen stopped, her jaw slack as she looked about the
chamber. Lit only by the flame of the massive fireplace dominating one wall and
the wan flicker of a lamp seated on the enormous desk, the room was huge,
cavernous even, and dark. So dark. The faint light picked up rows upon rows of
books while heavy drapes of an unidentifiable fabric covered what she could
only presume were windows. The floor was the same stone as the hall, the only
carpet appearing before the fire under the clawed feet of a large armchair.
Her
gaze returned to the fireplace. A man stood before it, his back to her, right
hand held by his left.
Her
heart, already racing, started a wild thud against her ribs. That was him. The
duke. Edward.
He
did not turn, though she willed him to. Willed him to turn so she could utter
that most important of phrases, the one she’d longed to say for an age now.
Hello, Edward.
Cassandra Dean is a best-selling,
multi-published author of historical and fantasy romance. Her latest novel,
SILK & SCARS, is part of her popular Silk Series featuring law-loving peeps
and their happily ever afters. Her next novel will be THE DIAMOND SERIES BOX
SET, which gathers together stories from her Diamond Series, romances set in
the Old West.
Cassandra is proud to call South Australia her home, where she
regularly cheers on her AFL football team and creates her next tale.
Follow Cassandra on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraDean and on Twitter @authorCassDean
Contact Cassandra at cassandra@cassandradean.com
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