19 February 2015

Excerpt Thursday: FORGOTTEN FRAGRANCE by Téa Cooper

This week, we're welcoming author Téa Cooper again, whose latest title is FORGOTTEN FRAGRANCE - From the Ocean to the Outback - Book IJoin us again on Sunday for an author interview, with more details about the story behind the story. One lucky visitor will get a free copy of Forgotten FragranceBe sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's post or Sunday's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb. 

Only one woman can confirm his innocence, and release him from the torments of his past.

 Determined to throw off the shackles of her convict past, Charlotte Oliver accepts her employer’s marriage proposal, even though she does not love him, and together they board a refitted whaling schooner bound for Sydney to begin their new life.

But life has a way of disrupting plans, and during the voyage the Zephyrus undergoes a mutiny. Captain Christian Charity loses his ship, but he also risks losing so much more. Charlotte has, in her possession, a tiny blue bottle and an Angel coin. On their own, they mean nothing more than a keepsake, but to Christian, they could mean everything – a past remade and a future with love. 

** An Excerpt from Forgotten Fragrance**

Craning her head back Charlotte peered up at the imposing figure standing amidships, arms akimbo, studying their little boat as it bumped alongside the immaculate black hull. A rope snaked down and the young sailor caught it and, as Marcus predicted, a ladder was lowered.
The sailor offered his hand, steadying her while she took a firm grasp on the lower rungs, then averted his eyes as she began her ascent. Before she had time to worry about her modesty a huge pair of roughened hands reached out and reefed her unceremoniously over the rail. She landed on the deck with a thump. Rearranging her skirts she nodded her thanks and moved aside to make way for Marcus.
His head appeared level with the deck rail and they hauled him aboard in a torrent of snorts and grumbles. He smoothed his topcoat, shrugged and eyed the forbidding giant who had watched the entire proceedings with a studied indifference.
‘Captain Charity, I presume.’ Marcus offered his hand and with a degree of reluctance the man unfolded his immense hairless forearms, exposed by the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt.
Charlotte bit back the laugh building in her throat. The man looked more like a pirate with his large glittering earring and red neckerchief than the captain of this neat little craft.
‘Nah! Henk, First Mate, Capt'n's gone ashore. Business to conduct.’ The corpulent pirate withdrew his hand and wiped it down his stained trousers, then resumed his belligerent stance.
Marcus’ Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed his intimidation and pulled his shoulders back. ‘Marcus Wainwright. I've arranged passage to Sydney aboard the Zephyrus.’
‘Don't hold with no passengers, meself. Zephyrus is a working ship, whaler not a bloody transporter.’ The pirate’s flat green eyes raked her. ‘And not a bleedin’ hen frigate.’

Learn more about author Téa Cooper
Best-selling Australian author, Téa Cooper lives in a stone cottage on one hundred acres of bushland, just outside the time-warp village of Wollombi, New South Wales. Although Téa was born and raised in England the majority of her books, both contemporary and historical, are set in Australia, the country she now calls home. When she isn’t writing Téa can usually be found haunting the local museum or chatting to the locals, who provide her with a never-ending source of inspiration. She is a member of Romance Writers Australia and Hunter Romance Writers and is a 2014 finalist in the Australian Romance Readers Awards for her historical romance, Jazz Baby.


ASIN: B00S493CS6              Publication Date: February, 2015

http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/author/téa-cooper  
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