Welcome to Book Fun Friday with this week's guest: Marlow Kelly
Author Bio:
Special Blog Post:
What Do You Look for in a Romance heroine?
Personally,
I don’t like it when the heroine is too perfect, especially physically. It’s
easier, for me, to relate to a woman who’s plump, or has a big nose, or ears
that stick out. She doesn’t have to be beautiful as long as the hero can see
the beauty in her. I do need her to be a good person. She has to believe she’s
doing the right thing. It might be wrong at the time and her reasoning can be
way off base, but she has to have some sense of integrity I can relate to.
My
heroine, Isabel, in A Woman of Honour
is over six feet tall and extremely thin. Set in medieval Scotland at a time
when the average woman was five feet, two inches and the average man was five
feet, seven inches. She stands a head taller than most men. She is all too
aware of her own shortcomings, and that’s one of the reasons she has such a
hard time believing that my hero, Duncan, is attracted to her. But when they
meet in a dungeon Duncan can’t see her. His first impression is of a woman
who’s wholesome and good. He’s attracted to her decency and kindness, by the
time he sets eyes on her it’s too late, he knows she’s beautiful, no matter how
much she argues the fact.
I
like to read about a woman whose hair is a mess, who can’t wear lipstick
without smudging it, who twists her ankle if she tries to walk in high heels,
and who always sneezes at an inappropriate moment.
QUESTION FOR YOU:
What about you? What do you look for in a heroine?
What about you? What do you look for in a heroine?
Book Title:
Book Blurb:
Duncan Campbell wakes to discover he is imprisoned with a woman in his enemy's dungeon in the Highlands of Scotland. The disenchanted warrior hopes his last few moments on earth will be spent in the arms of the sweet-voiced Isabel. If only she will cooperate.
Isabel Douglas has no intention of obliging the crude captive. The penniless noblewoman considers herself too tall and thin to be desirable. She intends to become a nun. But first, disguised as a boy, she must deliver an important letter to Scotland's hero in hiding, King Robert the Bruce.
Together, the pair make a daring escape that plunges them into the bleak countryside in the middle of winter. In the struggle to survive, they learn the true strength of their feelings for each other. But when Duncan's animosity towards the king becomes evident, Isabel must decide between her heart and her country.
Excerpt:
Duncan Campbell drifted into
consciousness and opened his eyes to absolute blackness. He lay perfectly still
on the cold, dirt floor listening. A small rustle of fabric echoed in the
darkness. He cocked his head, getting a sense of the sound’s location, then
rose to his feet.
“Tell me who you
are before I tear you apart,” he roared, seizing his opponent. Whoever it was
didn’t answer, just silence. A fist punched him on the nose. Pain ricocheted
through him, and he grabbed his face. In the dark, he lost his balance and fell
in the dirt, cradling his head in his hands.
“Oh my, are you
all right?” asked a small voice.
“No, I’m not.”
“You threatened
me, and I wanted to give you fair warning I will fight back if you touch me.”
The lyrical
voice stunned him. A woman? She spoke Gaelic with a strong, lowland accent. He
shook off the pain and asked,
“Where am I?”
“Dunstaffnage
Castle. Don’t you remember your capture? I’ve heard of people getting a bump on
the head and not remembering their own name. Is that what happened to you? Did
you bump your head?”
“Is it?”
“I remember I
was hit from behind scouting the bast….Are we in the dungeon?” He rose to his
feet.
“Yes.”
He grunted. On
the bright side he hadn’t gone blind. On the other hand they were in a dank,
windowless cell with no hope of escape. There wasn’t even a sliver of light
coming through the door.
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