About two years ago, I had a fleeting idea for a book series. We're all used to reading about the beautiful barbie doll heroine, and the dashing, gorgeous hero in our romance novels, right? We're supposed to feel as if we ARE that heroine wooed by that dashing hero, and who wants to read about someone who isn't so perfect? Well, what if we can have physical imperfections, or even handicaps and limitations, and still be the most beautiful and desirable thing in that hunky, gorgeous hero's eye?
I finally wrote the first of, what I am calling the Blemished Brides Series, at the end of last year, and it was published this past February. That book, IN HIS EYES, was followed two months later by IN HIS TOUCH, and today, I'm proud to announce that the third in the series, IN HIS ARMS, just released today.
This series is quite a departure from my Yellowstone and Teton novels, which are set among spectacular wilderness backdrops, packed with action, adventure, survival, and history (and of course, lots of romance as well), or my time travel westerns in the Second Chances books. The Blemished Brides are all about evoking emotions, and overcoming the challenges and prejudices for being handicapped or different. While I had thought that the books would focus mainly on the heroines and their handicaps and/or limitations, it soon became obvious that the leading men were also overcoming their own personal challenges. The hero in each book needed the heroine as much as she needed him.
I'm having a blast writing this series, and one of the challenges has been researching and finding out about different handicaps, and how people in the nineteenth century were perceived and treated when they had physical limitations.
Excerpt from IN HIS EYES:
“Before we
go, there’s something you have to know about me, Trace.”
His palm
left the small of her back, and his hand guided her arm through his, as if he
were her beau and taking her for a Sunday stroll.
“I already
know you, Katie,” he said in a hushed tone, and led her down the steps.
When she
reached the gravel ground, her head shot up in the direction of his. She
laughed scornfully. “You don’t know anything about me.”
Trace
stopped. His body shifted slightly toward her.
“I know that
your mother tried to mold you into someone you’re not all those years ago, and
failed. I suspect that the folks at that school in New York tried to do the
same thing. I’ll bet they failed, too, even though you’re pretending that
you’ve conformed because you had no other choice.” He paused, and stepped
closer, the heat of him seeping straight through her. Katherine held her
breath.
“I know that
you missed this ranch, and the horses. And, I know without a doubt that you
want to run through the fields, and get into trouble, like you used to.”
Trace’s deep
voice, soft and caressing against her cheek, left her speechless. Katherine
continued to look up in the direction of Trace’s voice, her mouth open. He’d
never paid her any attention when they were kids, how could he guess all these
things about her so accurately?
“As much as
I want to, I can’t do any of those things anymore,” she stammered. “I can’t be
the person I was back then.”
Trace laughed.
He took a step back. “Why not? Because you’re all grown up and proper now? You
might act all stiff and formal around Wilma Rodgers, because it’s what you were
taught, but even the best trained horse will kick up its heels when given a
chance at freedom.”
Katherine
shook her head. “You don’t understand. I can’t see to do the things I used to.”
She pulled
her arm out from Trace’s. This was a mistake. As much as she wanted to go visit
Goldfinder, she couldn’t go with Trace. He wouldn’t want to be burdened with a
blind person.
Before she
had a chance to turn back toward the house, a warm hand clamped around her
upper arm and stopped her.
“I know that
you can’t see, Katie. I don’t understand why that would keep you from doing the
things you used to enjoy.”
Katherine
stood, speechless. She shook her head. Had he even understood what she’d said?
“I’m blind,
Trace.”
“So, you’ve
stopped living because you’ve lost your vision?” he challenged, his voice
adamant.
“I haven’t
stopped living,” Katherine argued heatedly. Her voice rose in anger. “I’ve
simply made a new life for myself. I’ve accepted my blindness, and I make do.”
“Make do?”
Trace laughed. “I’ve seen the way that handler of yours leads you around like
some dog on a leash. Is that what you call living?”
Katherine
wheeled to face him. Her hand shot to her hip, and she leaned forward. She
narrowed her eyes like a sighted person would do when riled, what she used to
do as a child, and focused them on the shadow in front of her.
“Wilma has
been my guardian and teacher since the day I arrived in New York. She taught me
how to manage without my eyes, and she’s always had my best interest in mind.”
“That may
very well be, Katie,” Trace replied calmly. “But I also think she’s holding you
back. Maybe not intentionally, but holding you back, nevertheless.”
“How can you
make such assumptions? You don’t even know her. And you certainly don’t know
me.”
Peggy L
Henderson
Western
Historical and Time Travel Romance
“Where Adventure Awaits and Love is Timeless”
Author of:
Yellowstone Romance
Series
Teton Romance Trilogy
Second Chances Time
Travel Romance Series
Blemished Brides
Western Historical Romance Series
Wonderful excerpt, Peggy! Congrats on your new release!
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