Ireland!
Of course, that comes to no surprise to anyone who knows me. I have a huge fascination with the place and all its natural beauty. Just one look at its rolling hills, lush green meadows, and wind-swept rocky cliffs, and I'm moved to tears. Literally!
If you don't believe me, ask my husband. When I watched PS I LOVE YOU, I cried more over the fact that the movie took me to Ireland than when the guy (Gerry, played by my favorite actor, Gerard Butler) died. I kid you not!
And then while watching the movie LEAP YEAR, I bawled like baby when the couple stood on the cliffs of Inis Mor because that's where my very own hero and heroine (from Ræliksen) stood, amid a gorgeous sunset (just like in that movie) professing their love to each other.
Yes, I'm a total sucker for the Emerald Isle. But I digress....
Despite the fact that I'm of German decent from both sides of my family, I can't help but be drawn to Ireland and its forty shades of green. This revelation came to me in the years I spent researching the Vikings and all their exploits onto foreign soil, particularly those who landed on Ireland's shores.
Even though the Northmen traveled and raided all around the globe, I became immensely interested in the interactions they had with the Irish, whether peacefully or otherwise, during the 10th Century. Because of this, I decided to write a love story between an Irish princess and a Viking warrior in a time when most of the kings were in an uproar about the "blond foreigners" taking control of their ports. That's how my first Viking romance, Ræliksen, came to be.
Even though the Northmen traveled and raided all around the globe, I became immensely interested in the interactions they had with the Irish, whether peacefully or otherwise, during the 10th Century. Because of this, I decided to write a love story between an Irish princess and a Viking warrior in a time when most of the kings were in an uproar about the "blond foreigners" taking control of their ports. That's how my first Viking romance, Ræliksen, came to be.
Fast forward ten years later, and I have a whole series of Viking romances set around the Emerald Isle. So, when someone mentions the word emerald to me, I think Emerald Isle Trilogy!
And did you know that it's on sale right now for only 99¢? Again, I kid you not! It was supposed to go on sale for the month of June (as that's my birthday month) but I think my publisher made a mistake. Shhh...don't tell her.
And did you know that it's on sale right now for only 99¢? Again, I kid you not! It was supposed to go on sale for the month of June (as that's my birthday month) but I think my publisher made a mistake. Shhh...don't tell her.
Because the month of May's gemstone is a vividly colored emerald, I give to you an equally colorful—if not tantalizing—scene from one of the books in the EMERALD ISLE TRILOGY. This excerpt is one of my favorites, as it takes place in the bathhouse of a Viking settlement on the Aran Islands. I hope you enjoy it!
Excerpt from RÆLIKSEN, Book 1 (of the Emerald Isle Trilogy Boxed Set):
The door of the bathhouse flung open and the two staggered in from under Dægan’s cloak, locked in each other’s arms. Once inside, Dægan kicked the door closed while still delving into her eager kiss and fumbling to find the cursed lock on the door.
Mara already started feeling the warmth of the wood and stone room soak through her, grateful for the oddity of the Norse’s bathing habits as they had put a stagnant, sweltering atmosphere to good use.
Unable to leave her kiss, Dægan whipped his sodden cloak across the room and removed his boots and kirtle, heavy, too, with rain, dropping them carelessly on the bench behind him. The slapping collapse of his wet garment seemed to slow his wild spontaneity to an attentive act of seduction. The glow of the amber flame, in the corner of the room softened the rigid bones of his face, but it did nothing to ease the callousness of his smile as he circled her.
Her braid, he moved to the side and breathed in carefully the smell of her body, the way the oils from yesterday’s bath harmoniously mixed with the nostalgia of the Erin rain. His breath came soft and hot behind her ear, while his hands snaked tenderly around her throat and down below her chin to undo the two brooches at her chest.
Without her realizing, he had released the jeweled clasp and chain, and let the drenched fine cloak fall heavily to the ground. Then he went to work, undoing the laces of her dress. He was talented with his hands, being able to trace the thin vertical line of her spine that connected her slender neck to her finely widened hips with one, while stripping her from her gown with the other, letting it, too, fall to the floor.
He slowly turned her around to face him, not shy in dropping his eyes to her glistening chest. There was another smile on his face, one of kinder birth than before, as he intimately seemed to memorize each curve of her blushing body.
Likewise, Mara let her eyes plummet to his waist, seeing his arousal as visible as a winter moon. But her innocent glance must have become an inseparable stare, for he stepped closer, asking, “Do I frighten you?”
Mara lugged her eyes from his midriff to his face. “Nay, Dægan…”
Her voice trailed as he slowly neared her face, eye to eye, mouth to mouth, until suddenly his lips pressed so gingerly against hers, endearing at first, then greedily as the kiss lengthened. He coiled his arm around her back as his other hand slid over the silken skin of her buttocks, pulling her close enough to nestle his hardened body against the soft of hers.
Dægan fell away from her lips. “May I?”
Mara lifted her brows in wonder. “May you what?”
Without taking his eyes from her, he dragged a bucket of water across the floor with his foot. “May I show you how sufficient a few buckets of water can be?”
Mara hesitated at the thought of him bathing her. It was quite a personal thing to bathe another, more so between lovers, and how difficult it would be to stand there and let it happen. “Dægan…”
He dropped to his knees, sliding his hands down the back of her legs, tarrying around her thighs. “Please?”
A nervous smile crept in slowly. “You make it very hard for me to forbid you of anything.”
***An Amazon Bestseller for Viking Romance***
EMERALD ISLE TRILOGY Boxed Set
Read now at:
One man risks his life to save her.
Another risks his heart to love her.
Who will be the victor?
Three of Renee Vincent’s bestselling and critically acclaimed historical Viking romance novels are now available in one spellbinding bundle!
Full of fast-paced adventure, unforeseen plot twists, and courageous, to-die-for heroes like you’ve never read before, this extraordinary boxed set is sure to satisfy every readers’ craving for the ultimate in historical Viking romance.
* * * *
RENEE VINCENT is a bestselling Contemporary & Historical Romance author who also pens humorous, sweet contemporary romance (with a smidgen of spunk) under the name GRACIE LEE ROSE.
From the daunting, charismatic Vikings, to the charming, brazen Alpha male heroes of modern day, readers will be whisked away to a world filled with fast-paced adventure, unforgettable romance, and undying love.
Her books have earned numerous accolades, including #1 Amazon Bestseller for Viking Romance, countless 5 Star TOP PICKS by Night Owl Reviews, a "5 Hheart Sweetheart" Award by The Romance Studio, a "Best Book of the Year 2011" nomination from Long And Short Reviews, and a Readers Choice Award for "Best of TMP 2012."
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6 comments:
Great post, Renee. I can't wait to read your Emerald Island Trilogy.
Great post! Ireland does have something magical about it. I'm more of a Scottish girl though...Gotta go visit it someday!
Thanks Cara!!! I hope you enjoy it whenever you decide to sit down are read it! (((hugs)))
Thanks Melissa! I'm hoping to go to Ireland and Scotland on the same trip in a few years. I know that once I go over there, I won't want to come home. haha
Like you, Renee, I love the green of Ireland. And that was one hot excerpt!
Aw thank you so much Stanalei!!!! I"m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to read it and share your thoughts. ♥
Thanks for the great excerpt! I think I'd be tempted to make the same trip again, too:)
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