Book Read Free

The Jade Lioness

Page 33

by Christina Courtenay


  The Jade Lioness is Christina’s tenth novel with Choc Lit. She also has a number of novellas published under the Choc Lit Lite imprint, which are available online.

  Christina’s novels have won many awards, including the Big Red Reads Fiction Award for The Scarlet Kimono and Historical Romantic Novel of the Year awards for both Highland Storms and The Gilded Fan. The Silent Touch of Shadows won a Best Historical Read award and Christina’s debut novel, Trade Winds, was also short-listed for the Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction.

  To find out more visit:

  www.christinacourtenay.com

  www.twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

  www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor

  More Choc Lit

  From Christina Courtenay

  The Silent Touch of Shadows

  Book 1 in the Shadows from the Past series

  Winner of the 2012 Best Historical Read from the Festival of Romance

  What will it take to put the past to rest?

  Professional genealogist Melissa Grantham receives an invitation to visit her family’s ancestral home, Ashleigh Manor. From the moment she arrives, life-like dreams and visions haunt her. The spiritual connection to a medieval young woman and her forbidden lover have her questioning her sanity, but Melissa is determined to solve the mystery.

  Jake Precy, owner of a nearby cottage, has disturbing dreams too, but it’s not until he meets Melissa that they begin to make sense. He hires her to research his family’s history, unaware their lives are already entwined. Is the mutual attraction real or the result of ghostly interference?

  A haunting love story set partly in the present and partly in fifteenth century Kent.

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  The Secret Kiss of Darkness

  Book 2 in the Shadows from the Past Series

  Must forbidden love end in heartbreak?

  Kayla Sinclair knows she’s in big trouble when she almost bankrupts herself to buy a life-size portrait of a mysterious eighteenth century man at an auction.

  Jago Kerswell, inn-keeper and smuggler, knows there is danger in those stolen moments with Lady Eliza Marcombe, but he’ll take any risk to be with her.

  Over two centuries separate Kayla and Jago, but, when Kayla’s jealous fiancé presents her with an ultimatum, and Jago and Eliza’s affair is tragically discovered, their lives become inextricably linked thanks to a gypsy’s spell.

  Kayla finds herself on a quest that could heal the past, but what she cannot foresee is the danger in her own future.

  Will Kayla find heartache or happiness?

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  The Soft Whisper of Dreams

  Book 3 in the Shadows from the Past Series

  Some dreams shouldn’t come true …

  Maddie Browne thought she’d grown out of the recurring nightmare that plagued her as a child, but after a shocking family secret is revealed, it comes back to haunt her – the same swing in the same garden, the kind red-haired giant and the swarthy arms which grab her from behind and try to take her away …

  In an attempt to forget her troubles, Maddie travels to Devon to spend time with her friends, Kayla and Wes. However, it becomes clear that relaxation will not be on the agenda after a disturbing encounter with a gypsy fortune teller. Not to mention the presence of Wes’s dangerously handsome brother, Alex.

  And then there’s the fact that Maddie’s dream seems to be coming true …

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Trade Winds

  Book 1 in the Kinross Series

  Shortlisted for the 2011 Pure Passion Award for Best Romantic Historical Fiction

  Marriage of convenience – or a love for life?

  It’s 1732 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and strong-willed Jess van Sandt knows only too well that it’s a man’s world. She believes she’s being swindled out of her inheritance by her stepfather – and she’s determined to stop it.

  When help appears in the unlikely form of handsome Scotsman Killian Kinross, himself disinherited by his grandfather, Jess finds herself both intrigued and infuriated by him. In an attempt to recover her fortune, she proposes a marriage of convenience. Then Killian is offered the chance of a lifetime with the Swedish East India Company’s Expedition and he’s determined that nothing will stand in his way, not even his new bride.

  He sets sail on a daring voyage to the Far East, believing he’s put his feelings and past behind him. But the journey doesn’t quite work out as he expects …

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Highland Storms

  Book 2 in the Kinross Series

  Winner of the 2012 Best Historical Romantic Novel of the year

  Who can you trust?

  Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate.

  But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate’s in ruin and money is disappearing. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?

  Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being a housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone.

  And the young laird has more than romance on his mind. His investigations are stirring up an enemy. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants – including Marsaili – even if that means destroying Brice’s life forever …

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Monsoon Mists

  Book 3 in the Kinross Series

  Sometimes the most precious things cannot be bought …

  It’s 1759 and Jamie Kinross has travelled far to escape his troubled past – from the pine forests of Sweden to the bustling streets of India.

  In India he starts a new life as a gem trader, but when his mentor’s family are kidnapped as part of a criminal plot, he vows to save them and embarks on a dangerous mission to the city of Surat, carrying the stolen talisman of an Indian Rajah.

  There he encounters Zarmina Miller. She is rich and beautiful, but her infamous haughtiness has earned her a nickname: The Ice Widow. Jamie is instantly tempted by the challenge she presents.

  But when it becomes clear that Zarmina’s step-son is involved in the plot, he begins to see another side to her – a dark past to rival his own and a heart just waiting to be thawed. But is it too late?

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  The Scarlet Kimono

  Book 1 in the Kumashiro Series

  Winner of the 2011 Big Red Read’s Best Historical Fiction Award

  Abducted by a Samurai warlord in 17th-century Japan – what happens when fear turns to love?

  England, 1611, and young Hannah Marston envies her brother’s adventurous life. But when she stows away on his merchant ship, her powers of endurance are stretched to their limit. Then they reach Japan and all her suffering seems worthwhile – until she is abducted by Taro Kumashiro’s warriors.

  In the far north of the country,
warlord Kumashiro is waiting to see the girl who he has been warned about by a seer. When at last they meet, it’s a clash of cultures and wills, but they’re also fighting an instant attraction to each other.

  With her brother desperate to find her and the jealous Lady Reiko equally desperate to kill her, Hannah faces the greatest adventure of her life. And Kumashiro has to choose between love and honour …

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  The Gilded Fan

  Book 2 in the Kumashiro Series

  Winner of the 2014 Romantic Historical Novel Award

  How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?

  It’s 1641, and when Midori Kumashiro, the orphaned daughter of a warlord, is told she has to leave Japan or die, she has no choice but to flee to England. Midori is trained in the arts of war, but is that enough to help her survive a journey, with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn’t trust?

  Having come to Nagasaki to trade, the last thing Captain Nico Noordholt wants is a female passenger, especially a beautiful one. How can he protect her from his crew when he can’t keep his own eyes off her?

  During their journey, Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both have secrets that can change everything. When they arrive in England, a civil war is brewing, and only by standing together can they hope to survive …

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  New England Rocks

  Book 1 in the Northbrooke High series

  First impressions, how wrong can you get?

  When Rain Mackenzie is expelled from her British boarding school, she can’t believe her bad luck. Not only is she forced to move to New England, USA, she’s also sent to the local high school, as a punishment.

  Rain makes it her mission to dislike everything about Northbrooke High, but what she doesn’t bank on is meeting Jesse Devlin …

  Jesse is the hottest guy Rain’s ever seen and he plays guitar in an awesome rock band!

  There’s just one small problem … Jesse already has a girlfriend, little miss perfect Amber Lawrence, who looks set to cause trouble as Rain and Jesse grow closer.

  But, what does it matter? New England sucks anyway, and Rain doesn’t plan on sticking around …

  Does she?

  A young adult novel.

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Marry in Haste

  Book 1 in the Regency Romance Collection

  ‘I need to marry, and I need to marry at once’

  When James, Viscount Demarr confides in an acquaintance at a ball one evening, he has no idea that the potential solution to his problems stands so close at hand …

  Amelia Ravenscroft is the granddaughter of a earl and is desperate to escape her aunt’s home where she has endured a life of drudgery, whilst fighting off the increasingly bold advances of her lecherous cousin. She boldly proposes a marriage of convenience.

  And Amelia soon proves herself a perfect fit for the role of Lady Demarr. But James has doubts and his blossoming feelings are blighted by suspicions regarding Amelia’s past.

  Will they find, all too painfully, that if you marry in haste you repent at leisure?

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Once Bitten, Twice Shy

  Book 2 in the Regency Romance Collection

  ‘Once was more than enough!’

  Jason Warwycke, Marquess of Wyckeham, has vowed never to wed again after his disastrous first marriage, which left him with nothing but a tarnished reputation and a rather unfortunate nickname − ‘Lord Wicked’.

  That is, until he sets eyes on Ianthe Templeton …

  Ianthe lives in the shadow of her beautiful twin sister, Serena, and longs to escape the ‘mindless entertainments’ she is forced to endure in London. She soon finds herself captivated by the enigmatic Wyckeham and tempted by his promises of a new life in the idyllic English countryside …

  But can Wyckeham and Ianthe overcome the malicious schemes of spiteful siblings and evil stepmothers to find wedded bliss? Or will Wyckeham discover, all too painfully, that the past has come back to bite him for a second time?

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Desperate Remedies

  Book 3 in the Regency Romance Collection

  ‘She would never forget the day her heart broke …’

  Lexie Holloway falls desperately in love with the devastatingly handsome Earl of Synley after a brief encounter at a ball. But Synley is already engaged to be married and scandal surrounds his unlikely match with the ageing, but incredibly wealthy, Lady Catherine Downes.

  Heartbroken, Lexie resolves to remain a spinster and allows circumstance to carry her far away from England to a new life in Italy. However, the dashing Earl is never far from her thoughts.

  Years later, she returns home to find that much has changed – including the marital status of Synley. Whilst the once notorious Earl is a reformed character, the problems caused by his first marriage continue to plague him and it appears that his life may be in danger.

  Can Lexie help Synley outwit those who wish to harm him and rekindle the flame ignited all those years ago, or will her associations with the Earl bring her nothing but trouble?

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Never Too Late

  Book 4 in the Regency Romance Collection

  Can true love be rekindled?

  Maude is devastated when the interference of her strict father prevents her from eloping with Luke Hexham. It is not long before she is married off to Edward, Luke’s cousin – a good match in her father’s eyes but an abhorrent one to his daughter.

  Eight years later, Edward is dead. Maude, now Lady Hexham, is appalled to find his entire estate is to go to Luke – the man she still loves – with no provision for either herself or her young daughter. Luke has never forgotten Maude’s apparent betrayal, but he has the means to help her.

  Soon Maude and Luke realise that perhaps it is never too late for true love. But, even after eight years, there is still somebody who would stop at nothing to keep them apart …

  Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

  Kindle UK

  Kindle US

  Kindle Australia

  Kindle Canada

  Introducing Choc Lit

  We’re an independent publisher creating

  a delicious selection of fiction.

  Where heroes are like chocolate – irresistible!

  Quality stories with a romance at the heart.

  See our selection here:

  www.choc-lit.com

  We’d love to hear how you enjoyed The Jade Lioness. Please visit www.choc-lit.com and give your feedback or leave a review where you purchased this eBook.

  Choc Lit novels are selected by genuine readers like yourself. We only publish stories our Choc Lit Tasting Panel want to see in print. Our reviews and awards speak for themselves.

  Could you be a Star Selector

  and join our Tasting Panel?

  Would you like to play a role in choosing which novels we decide to publish? Do you enjoy reading romance novels? Then you could be perfect for our Choc Lit Tasting Panel.

  Visit here for more details…

  www.choc-lit.com/joi
n-the-choc-lit-tasting-panel

  Keep in touch:

  Sign up for our monthly newsletter Choc Lit Spread for all the latest news and offers: www.spread.choc-lit.com. Follow us on Twitter: @ChocLituk and Facebook: Choc Lit.

 

 

 


‹ Prev