Fall Into . . . Flight of the Raven by Judith Sterling and @WildRosePress #historicalromance #giveaw
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  • N. N. Light
    • Sep 6, 2018
    • 6 min read

Fall Into . . . Flight of the Raven by Judith Sterling and @WildRosePress #historicalromance #giveaw


Title: Flight of the Raven

Author: Judith Sterling

Genre: Medieval Romance

Book Blurb:

How eager would the bridegroom be if he knew he could never bed the bride? Lady Emma of Ravenwood Keep is prepared to give Sir William l’Orage land, wealth, and her hand in marriage. But her virginity? Not unless he loves her. The curse that claimed her mother is clear: unless a Ravenwood heir is conceived in love, the mother will die in childbirth. Emma is determined to dodge the curse. Then William arrives, brandishing raw sensuality which dares her to explore her own. William the Storm isn’t a man to be gainsaid. He’ll give her protection, loyalty, and as much tenderness as he can muster. But malignant memories quell the mere thought of love. To him, the curse is codswallop. He plans a seduction to breach Emma’s fears and raze her objections. What follows is a test of wills and an affirmation of the power of love.

Excerpt:

Toasts abounded, and the music soared. Yet Emma’s gaze kept straying to the gold ring on her finger. ʼTwas tangible proof she was a married woman, the property of William l’Orage. Soon, in the bedchamber they would share, she’d discover exactly what that meant.

She shuddered. Would he understand her predicament? He might laugh. He might even force her to betray her sense of self-preservation. ʼTwas his right, and she’d said the words: “to be bonny and buxom in bed and at board.” The board she could handle; bed was another matter.

Still, there were moments during the ceremony when he seemed softer somehow. When she entered the chapel, the look in his eyes stole her breath. It implied approval, pride.

And desire.

For the second time in as many minutes, she shivered. She looked to the high, vaulted ceiling and twisted her wedding band.

“Cold again?” her husband asked. The low, rich timber of his voice was seductive and becoming all too familiar.

She dropped her hands into her lap and cast a cautious glance his way. “Not especially.”

A pox on the man! He looked sinfully handsome today. It made him unduly appealing and far more dangerous. His eyes glittered like the dark jewels on his belt.

She squirmed in her high-backed chair. His belt! God save me from what lies below it.

“You’ll be warmer once we withdraw to our chamber,” he said.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Oh?”

“I told Tilda to have a fire waiting, and plenty of warm wine.”

“Oh.”

“Is that all you can say?”

“What more do you require?”

“If not words, how about a smile?”

“I’ve smiled overmuch the past few hours. My cheeks are numb.”

His grin was sensual by nature and mischievous by design. “Have you no enthusiasm for the coming festivities?”

She stifled a grimace. “Festivities. Is that what you call them? If you want a festive night, you’d do better to invite jugglers and mummers to prance about the chamber.”

His black eyes smoldered. “No, my bride. You and I will devise our own entertainment.”

The power of speech deserted her. Yet she kept her composure during the toasts and as the people cheered the bride and groom for the last time. Then William rose to his feet.

The dreaded moment had come. In a daze, she stood. Her eyes sought Meg, but the older woman was deep in conversation with Wulfstan and didn’t notice.

William guided Emma away from the table and out of the boisterous, oblivious hall. Once they were beyond observation, she pulled her hand from his arm and used her veil as an excuse to occupy her hands elsewhere.

She climbed the spiral, stone stairs as slowly as she dared, delaying the moment when the bedchamber door would close behind them. The stairwell torches were ablaze with flames that eagerly licked the shafts of wood. Behind her, William’s footsteps were as loud as thunder.

At the top of the stairs, the large, oak door stood wide open. There was no one inside the bedchamber, not a single soul to grant her one last pardon. Tilda had turned down the bed, and it loomed in the shadows, waiting.

On shaky legs, Emma crossed the rush-strewn floor and stood in front of the massive, arched fireplace. She studied the inferno roaring inside, refusing to look at William. Behind her, the door closed with a thud, and the bolt slid to with a scrape of finality. She heard and felt each crunching step as he came up behind her.

“My lady,” he murmured. “My wife.”

She couldn’t face him. “Aye,” her voice cracked. The fire looked wild, hungry.

“Would you like some wine?” His breath warmed the side of her neck. A second later, his lips sealed the tender flesh with a kiss.

“Wine.” She spun around. “Wine would be nice.”

His eyes blazed hotter than the fire. He hesitated, then smiled. “Then wine you shall have.” In two strides, he moved to the table where it waited. He grabbed the pitcher and poured dark liquid into one of two silver cups. Then he offered one to her.

Her fingers brushed his as she took the cup. She thanked him with a closed-mouth smile and took a sip of wine. The heady mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves tickled her tongue. The liquid warmed and soothed her throat.

“Good?” he asked.

She nodded and sipped again.

He grinned. “Perhaps ʼtwill loosen your tongue.”

“Perhaps.”

His grin deepened. “Though I see it’s had no effect yet.”

Hours of nervous tension crystalized. “I’ve better use for my tongue than to prattle the night away.”

“Really?” He inched closer. “Would you care to demonstrate?”

The cup froze midway to her lips. “I didn’t mean—”

“I know you didn’t, but the idea has merit.”

“The wine is delicious,” she stalled. “Won’t you have some?”

“I’ve had my fill.”

She gulped down the rest of hers. “I could use another cup.”

He stole the cup from her hand, placed it on the table, and returned without it. “You could use a kiss.”

“No, I think—”

His lips silenced her. They were strong, demanding. A heartbeat later, she returned his kiss. She blamed the wine and silently scolded herself, even as her hands slipped up his chest and encircled his neck.

With a groan, he thrust his tongue into her mouth, and she received it, willingly. Her tongue toyed with his in a game of cat and mouse. Her fingers slid into his dark, silken hair, and she clung to him as the kiss swept her beyond sense and reason.

ʼTwas a tempest. ʼTwas heaven.

His hands roved like the wind over her silk gown. His mouth rained hot kisses down her neck to the valley between her breasts. In another minute, she’d be gone, lost in a haze of sensation.

Buy Links:

Barnes and Noble http://buff.ly/2eWWIx3

The Wild Rose Press http://buff.ly/2eRuYXX

What makes this book a must-read and/or what inspired you to write this story:

While writing this story, I fell in love with both the hero, Sir William l’Orage (William the Storm) and heroine, Lady Emma. They’re passionate characters, and I reveled in my research into their world and their languages. Interestingly, my heroine’s name and that of her home—Ravenwood Keep—popped into my mind simultaneously when I first decided to write the book. Later, I learned the Anglo-Saxon word for “ravens” is hremmas. As you can see, “emma” is embedded in that word. Just one of many things which fell into place like magic!

Giveaway:

Enter to win a $150 Amazon (US) Gift Card

Open internationally

Runs September 1 – 30.

Drawing will be held on October 1.

Author Biography:

Judith Sterling’s love of history and passion for the paranormal infuse everything she writes. Flight of the Raven, Soul of the Wolf, and Shadow of the Swan are part of her medieval romance series, The Novels of Ravenwood. The Cauldron Stirred is the first book in her young adult paranormal series, Guardians of Erin. Written under Judith Marshall, her nonfiction books—My Conversations with Angels and Past Lives, Present Stories—have been translated into multiple languages. She has an MA in linguistics and a BA in history, with a minor in British Studies. Born in that sauna called Florida, she craved cooler climes, and once the travel bug bit, she lived in England, Scotland, Sweden, Wisconsin, Virginia, and on the island of Nantucket. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and their identical twin sons.

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