Kirsty Ferry - Carol Thomas

As February is the month of love, I have a host of wonderful romance authors stopping by my blog to share flirty extracts from their novels! Well you know, any excuse 😉

Today I am delighted to welcome Kirsty Ferry who is #SharingTheLove with an extract from her novel, Spring at Taigh Fallon … over to you Kirsty!

Spring at Taigh Fallon

“They slid into two or three other dances at which they seemed to become less and less proficient, until, during the Lomond Waltz, they suddenly found their rhythm, Angel held firmly in Kyle’s arms.

It felt quite nice. She closed her eyes, and found herself moving easily, choreographed perfectly in a dance that seemed to be made for them. All thoughts of him spoiling Taigh Fallon drifted out of her mind, and she was in another place, another time…

‘Connor is watching,’ she said, giggling. ‘See him! Oh Alasdair, see your poor brother.’ She peeped over his shoulder and smiled at the man standing at the edge of the ballroom. Connor raised his glass at her as she was whisked away, turning circle after circle …

She snapped her eyes open, back in the church hall – or rather she wasn’t. She was being waltzed out of the door, into the cooler evening air. There was a little knot garden – some sort of apothecary’s garden, she assumed, filled with healing plants in little beds, and the scent of mint and rosemary tickled her nose.

‘At last. Fresh air. That was some workout,’ Kyle said. He released her and it was a moment before her head stopped spinning to match her body. ‘We seem to be the perfect dance partners, if nothing else.’

‘Yes. We were well-matched in there.’ She broke off a mint leaf and crumbled it between her fingers, inhaling its scent. ‘Neither of us were very good.’

‘Until the end.’ Amusement coloured his voice. ‘Anyway, the reason I brought you out here, was because I don’t beat about the bush. We didn’t get off to a good start. We don’t like each other and we barely tolerate one another. However—’ And before Angel could protest, he grabbed her to him and kissed her. Just as swiftly, he let her go and she stumbled a little, wondering whether she had dreamed it. But no – her lips felt hot and she was breathing in the tang of his aftershave, the scent overlaying the herbs that surrounded her.”

Kirsty Ferry says, “Spring at Taigh Fallon is the second book in my new Tempest Sisters series for Choc Lit. These stories are a bit of a departure from my normal novels, as they are, on the whole, contemporary – but this one, Angel’s story, has a touch of the Gothic and a wee bit of a timeslip involved. I couldn’t resist it, and when you meet Angel, and if you know how much I love Wuthering Heights, you’ll hopefully understand why the story has that sort of thread running through it! The extract above is when Angel forms a tentative truce with Kyle, her best friend’s cousin, and a man she has previously done nothing but argue with. But you know what they say; where passion is concerned, hate can be pretty close to love…”

OO the fine line between love and hate is always intriguing! Thank you for sharing your wonderful extract Kirsty!

Discover more about Spring at Taigh Fallon

From old secrets come new beginnings …

When Angel Tempest finds out that her best friend Zac has inherited a Scottish mansion, Taigh Fallon, from his great aunt, she immediately offers to go and visit it with him. It will mean closing up her jet jewellery shop in Whitby for a few days but the prospect of a spring trip to the Scottish Highlands is too tempting.

Then Kyle, Zac’s estranged and slightly grumpy Canadian cousin, unexpectedly turns up at Taigh Fallon, and events take a strange turn as the long-kept secrets of the old house begin to reveal themselves …

Part of the Tempest Sisters series, which can be read in any order.

Published by: Choc Lit.
Buy the book Amazon UK | Amazon.com

About the author:

Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition in 2009 with the ghostly tale ‘Enchantment’.

Her timeslip novel, ‘Some Veil Did Fall’, a paranormal romance set in Whitby, was published by Choc Lit in Autumn 2014. This was followed by another Choc Lit timeslip, ‘The Girl in the Painting’ in February 2016. ‘The Girl in the Photograph’, published in March 2017, completes the Rossetti Mysteries series. The experience of signing ‘Some Veil Did Fall’ in a quirky bookshop in the midst of Goth Weekend in Whitby, dressed as a recently undead person was one of the highlights of her writing career so far!

Kirsty’s first timeslip novel ‘The Memory of Snow’, commended in the Northern Writers’ Awards, is set on Hadrian’s Wall, with the vampire tale ‘Refuge’ set on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. She has also put together a collection of short stories, a non-fiction collection of articles and writes Gothic Fiction under the pen name Cathryn Ramsay.

Kirsty has had articles and short stories published in Your Cat, Peoples Friend, Ghost Voices, The Weekly News and It’s Fate, and her short stories appear in several anthologies. She was a judge in the Paws ‘n’ Claws ‘Wild and Free’ Children’s Story competition in 2011, 2013 and 2014, and graduated from Northumbria University in December 2016, having achieved a Masters with Distinction in Creative Writing.

You can follow Kirsty, and find out more about her work here: Facebook | Twitter | website | blog

Don’t miss author Morton S Gray #SharingTheLove with an extract from The Girl on the Beach on my blog tomorrow. xx

Carol Thomas writes contemporary romance novels, with relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads. Discover more here.

Looking for a blind date that won’t disappoint, this Valentine’s Day? Then look no further, as I have been doing a little research for you (honestly, it was entirely selfless) and I have discovered some wonderful book boyfriend, blind date prospects. In fact I have discovered so many, I am sharing them over two posts!

I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed watching my inbox fill up since I asked the lovely authors from Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction to answer these two, all important questions:

If I went on a blind date with the hero from your book, how would I recognise him and where would he take me?

Reading their answers, I felt like I had joined the most wonderful, and diverse, online dating agency! So get a drink, sit back and enjoy, as you join me, in considering which of these heroes you would choose from book boyfriend blind date round one:

Jack Penhale from The Thief’s Daughter by Victoria Cornwall

On your date, you would recognise Jack because he would be wearing a tricorn hat (like Ross Poldark) and leading a horse. For the date, he would take you for a horse ride along the North Cornish Coast, finally ending up in a secluded cove. There you will stroll, barefoot, along the water’s edge together and have a kiss or two … or three.

Harry Dixon from The Girl on the Beach by Morton S. Gray

You would recognise Harry by his huge brown eyes, short dark hair, just enough stubble and a cleft in his chin. He runs a lot, usually on the beach, so he has a well-toned body. For a blind date, he would take you to the wine bar near to the beach and the promenade in Borteen, the setting for the novel. He’d wear soft faded denim jeans and a dark blue shirt. He doesn’t drink alcohol due to events in his past, so he’d have orange juice but would order a good bottle of Chardonnay for you. He’d aim to get the seats near to the window of the wine bar so that you could both watch the light change over the bay as the sun went down.

Alex Aldrich from Watch for me by Moonlight by Kirsty Ferry

You’d recognise Alex by the haunted look in his eyes, a result of the fact he was actually yearning for his childhood sweetheart, Elodie Bright. He’s very handsome; tall, dark and has amazing cheekbones. But he’s got a few demons knocking around so don’t be surprised if he’s a bit quiet and doesn’t really give you his full attention. He’s got a lot on his mind – mainly how he can get Elodie back, as she’s just returned to the village after a messy divorce and a long absence. You’re his rebound. It’ll never work – sorry, but I think it’s best that you know in advance!

He’s pretty committed to pulling his old family estate around after his dad drove it to the brink of bankruptcy. He might not want to go too far afield as he’s got a million and one things to sort out at Hartsford Hall, but, if you catch him on a good day, he might take you to the West End. But again, that’s probably because he’s hoping he’ll bump into Elodie as she works as a costume designer in the London theatres…

Aiden Foster from Before You by Kathryn Freeman

With his dark hair, striking grey eyes and ridiculously handsome face it would be hard not to notice Aiden Foster. Then again, you wouldn’t need to, because this ladies’ man would notice you. Depending on where in the world he was working – he’s a Formula 1 driver – he might take you to his yacht in Monte Carlo, or perhaps the Ritz-Carlton in Singapore. Then again, he might just take you for a meal in his luxury trailer. That’s if he’s got ten-year-old Tom staying with him…

Daniel from Angela Barton’s Ruby Fiction debut

Daniel is an artist. He’ll be the man waiting a little self consciously while scratching a couple of paint splashes from his watch face. You’re meeting by the crackling log fire in the village restaurant; a table for two booked an hour later. Daniel’s tall and slim, his hair and eyes are conker-brown, but it’ll only be when you’re close enough to speak with him that you’ll notice the amber flecks in brown eyes and the fine laughter lines fanning from them. You’ll discover that you’re breathing a little faster – he’s gorgeous after all! He’ll smell of spice and citrus, and you’ll be thanking your lucky stars that you agreed to meet him.

Jake from Hannah Pearl’s Ruby Fiction debut

Jake, would probably invite you over for dinner because he would be looking after his sister and his niece. You would recognise him because he would be the one trying not to set the kitchen on fire!

So many lovely, interesting and intriguing prospects, but the good thing about picking a book boyfriend is, you don’t have to choose just one … Happy choosing, and don’t miss Book Boyfriend Blind Date 2, coming soon!

Carol Thomas

Author

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Book Boyfriend Blind Date 1