Miss
Compton’s Christmas Romance Blurb:
Sometimes playing pretend can lead to the
perfect romance…
When Miss Leonora Compton decides to go to Sheffield and spend Christmas with her sister, she finds herself travelling with a man she cannot afford to like. But as their journey progresses she enters an unexpected partnership with him and realizes that things aren't what they seem. Because Mr. Dalton is not only tempting. He may in fact be precisely what she needs.
When Philip believes his travel companion requires protection, he immediately steps in to help by pretending to be her husband. For although the last thing he wants is to form an attachment, Philip is irrevocably drawn to the stunning red-head. And as they become better acquainted and their paths increasingly intertwined, he must decide if risking heartache again is worth the chance of finding true love.
When Miss Leonora Compton decides to go to Sheffield and spend Christmas with her sister, she finds herself travelling with a man she cannot afford to like. But as their journey progresses she enters an unexpected partnership with him and realizes that things aren't what they seem. Because Mr. Dalton is not only tempting. He may in fact be precisely what she needs.
When Philip believes his travel companion requires protection, he immediately steps in to help by pretending to be her husband. For although the last thing he wants is to form an attachment, Philip is irrevocably drawn to the stunning red-head. And as they become better acquainted and their paths increasingly intertwined, he must decide if risking heartache again is worth the chance of finding true love.
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Excerpt
The
Bull and Mouth coaching house was bustling with travelers buying tickets and
preparing for departure while others climbed out of newly arrived coaches.
Horses neighed and people shouted, pushing and shoving their way past each
other, the loud noise occasionally drowned out by the sound of a horn.
Her
mother would likely have a fit if she ever found out that her daughter had
chosen to travel alone on public transportation. In the past, Leonora had
always taken a hired carriage, but that was before she’d become aware of the
need to save every penny – back when her parents had paid the expense. In
hindsight, she should perhaps have asked one of her parents’ maids to accompany
her as chaperone. Except she’d been leading an independent life for the past eight
months and had little desire to suffer the constant presence of someone
insistent on making her follow a long list of rules.
So
Leonora clasped her belongings and wove her way through the crowd on her own.
She’d purchased her ticket a week earlier just to be sure she would get one.
“Where’s the coach for Sheffield?” she asked a team of hostlers who were in the
process of switching out horses.
One
of the men pointed toward a coach on the opposite side of the courtyard, and
Leonora thanked him before hurrying toward it. Her breath misted in the chill
morning air as she stepped around the vehicle and prepared to show the coachman
her ticket. But then she spotted him,
and her entire body froze in place. Mr. Becker was here, and he was standing
next to her coach, which only made Leonora’s heart beat harder. Because if
there was one person she did not wish to spend one more second with, it was
him. Least of all if they were to be confined to a place from which there could
be no escape.
Her
chest tightened and she realized then that she was holding her breath. She
inhaled sharply, the frigid air rushed down her throat and into her lungs where
it started to burn. She hesitated briefly, torn between choosing to face him
and walking away. He was speaking with a younger and much taller gentleman with
dark brown hair. Mr. Becker smiled, his countenance far more pleasant than when
he’d come to call on her earlier. The younger gentleman nodded politely and
offered his hand which Mr. Becker promptly shook before tipping his hat, adding
a comment, and walking away. The younger man watched him go before turning
toward the coachman. The two exchanged a few words, and the younger man pulled
out his pocket watch to check on the time.
Leonora
stepped forward. Thankfully, it did not seem as though she would have to endure
Mr. Becker’s company. Just that of his friend. Determined to ignore him, she
walked straight past the spot where he stood, her entire focus on the coachman.
Reaching him, she set down her valise and retrieved her ticket from her
reticule.
“Thank
you, miss,” the coachman said when she handed it to him. He glanced at her
luggage. “That will have to go on top of the carriage or in the boot. Which do
you prefer?”
“I’ll
put it in the boot,” Leonora told him. She picked up her valise and turned,
only to find her path blocked by what had to be over six feet of solid
masculinity. Leonora looked up and immediately bristled upon realizing not only
that the man was Mr. Becker’s friend, but that he, upon further inspection, had
eyes that weakened her knees and lips that quickened her pulse. He was, as it
were, impossibly handsome, and that was almost more annoying than anything else
that had happened that morning.
“May
I help you with that?” he inquired.
Oh
Lord, his voice was lovely too – like plush velvet sliding over her skin.
Leonora
squared her shoulders. “No thank you. I can manage perfectly well on my own.”
She stepped around him quickly, before his angular jaw and broad shoulders
could cause her to change her mind, and went to the boot. It already contained
a trunk and a couple of other valises, which meant she would have to heft her
own up and over in order to secure it. She glanced around. Surely there must be
some Bull and Mouth employee available to help?
If
they were, none came to offer assistance. Leonora blew out a breath and
proceeded to lift her valise, bringing her other hand underneath it while her
reticule dangled back and forth from her wrist. Feeling the weight in her arms,
she steadied herself against the carriage, bracing her body while struggling to
push the darn thing toward the top of the boot.
“Are
you sure you don’t need help?” the handsomest man in the world inquired.
“Absolutely,”
Leonora panted. She was now holding her valise at shoulder level, supporting it
against another valise that was in her way. Just a few more inches…
“Have
you always been this stubborn?”
“I
am not stubborn…just…” Ugh! She managed to wedge her shoulder underneath the
valise, but its size and shape made it unstable, and before she could manage to
steady herself properly, she felt the entire thing lean to one side. Oh no. She reached up attempting to grab
it, but that only quickened the inevitable outcome.
Her
valise slipped from her shoulder and started to fall, until it was caught by a
pair of large hands.
Like
Thor wielding his mighty hammer with seemingly little effort, Mr. Becker’s
friend lifted the piece of luggage with infuriating ease and placed it securely
in the boot. He stepped back and turned to face her, his toffee-colored eyes
catching a ray of rare winter sunshine in the process. The effect was dazzling.
More so when the edge of his mouth lifted to form a crooked smile with a
perfect dimple placed right at the corner.
Leonora
swallowed. For heaven’s sake, her hands were trembling, though she quickly
decided that this was from her recent exertion and not at all because of this
handsome man’s attentions. She had no interest in him, she reminded herself.
Not when he kept company with the sort of man who would happily force a woman
from her home and place of business during Christmas.
Deciding
she would not allow him to divest her of her manners, she raised her chin and
met his gaze boldly. “Thank you, sir.”
His
smile broadened. “Mr. Dalton.” He glanced aside for a second before returning
his attention to her. “Mr. Philip Dalton. How do you do?”
Auhor
Bio:
Born in Denmark, Sophie has
spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the
world. She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor's degree
from Parson's School of design, but most impressive of all - she's been married
to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three
different dresses.
While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion - writing. She currently lives on the East Coast.
While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion - writing. She currently lives on the East Coast.
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Link
to giveway: https://promosimple.com/ps/d9d5/miss-compton-s-christmas-romance
My Review
5 Stars
Miss Compton's Christmas Romance by Sophie Barnes is the story of Philip Dalton and Leonora Compton.
Leonora has settled into the life of a spinster and with her dowry money, she opened her own shop. Phillip too is of the working class but he did marry when he was young but it didn't go well. So for him he is settled into never marrying again. But when Leonora and Philip happen to be traveling together he tries to protect Leonora which leads them into getting to know one another better. This starts them changing how the feel about love and marriage.
I really enjoyed their story and Ms. Barnes writing.
My Review
5 Stars
Miss Compton's Christmas Romance by Sophie Barnes is the story of Philip Dalton and Leonora Compton.
Leonora has settled into the life of a spinster and with her dowry money, she opened her own shop. Phillip too is of the working class but he did marry when he was young but it didn't go well. So for him he is settled into never marrying again. But when Leonora and Philip happen to be traveling together he tries to protect Leonora which leads them into getting to know one another better. This starts them changing how the feel about love and marriage.
I really enjoyed their story and Ms. Barnes writing.
Thank you so much for participating in the tour!
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