Romancing The Hop

Click on the date button to open full post.

 

 

See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven,
If it disdained it's brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;--
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

From Love's Philosophy

by Percy Bysshe Shelley
(1803-1822)

Well, after such beautiful words one is tempted to say – ‘Enough Said,’ but then it would be a very short blog indeed. Was this sentiment meant for Mary Shelley, I don’t know. But these words have always made me sigh. I can only imagine the original recipient’s reaction.

So this poem and the title of Romancing the Hop got me thinking about romance, love and kissing. Sometimes in this day and age we can lose sight of just how important a kiss is. It can represent so many things, love, friendship, affection and promise. A promise that things will work out, a promise that things have just begun or maybe, it’s a promise of a future together.

When I was seven years old I kissed Roland in our classroom. He was the son of a diplomat and was returning to France. I was shy so this kind of impulse was totally unexpected. I remember that he didn’t pull away even when the other kids started laughing, which was kind of sweet. I never saw Roland again but I hope he is well. *blows a kiss*

Can you remember your first kiss?

There’s a tightening of the stomach muscles as the anticipation rises. He nears and you can feel the heat from his body even though he’s not touching you. A thousand butterflies begin to spiral and dance in your tummy and your heart seems to quicken and beats as loud as a drum. As his lips come closer... and closer....

Kisses can surprise us and take us along paths we never thought we would travel.

They can be fleeting or sometimes lead to a lifetime...

But then occasionally they just don’t quite work...

                                                                    ... And your prince turns out to be just a toad.

But sometimes... just sometimes, the right kiss will linger forever.

 

 

I’m giving away a pdf copy of my medieval novella, ‘Capturing Bliss’. So leave a comment and your email address and go into the draw. I will choose a winner at the end of the hop. In addition to that, there are three grand prizes up for grabs -:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Large Swag Pack

Now to be eligible to win you have to leave comments and email addresses on the hop stops. Each comment equals another chance to win! Carrie Ann who is Romancing the Hop’s supreme leader will choose the winners at the end of the hop. For non U.S residents the 1^st & 2^nd are available in the form of Amazon or B&N Gift cards but the 3^rd prize of swag is not (as you can see from the picture...too much international postage, guys!) The 'comment' button for this blog is right at the very bottom of the post.

 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to drop by and I hope you enjoy Romancing the Hop!

Click on the link below to take you back .

http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com.au/p/romancing-blog-hop.html 

Nicole xx

Capturing Bliss

 

In 12th-century England, love isn't part of the marriage equation. But Lady Blissot de Woodville adores her younger sister too much to see her suffer such a fate. Instead, Bliss recklessly switches places with her sister—and marries a total stranger under false pretenses! Fortunately, she soon discovers she shares a rare passion and genuine love with her new husband, the ardent Lord William Reynard. Yet the happier Bliss becomes, the more her secret weighs heavily on her heart...because one desperate lie could destroy everything she's come to cherish.

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Sho

So in the spirit of kissing, I thought I would share Lady Blissot de Woodville’s first kiss from ‘Capturing Bliss’.

In a blink of an eye Lord William Reynard had caught her hand and gently pushed the large amethyst ring on her finger. Then with no urging from the monk, William caught her in his arms and slowly brought his lips down on hers. Bliss had no illusions, the kiss was merely a sealing of the marriage contract - it would be a cool and chaste token gesture. No doubt that William would be congratulating himself on the acquisition of her lands and coin that she brought to the union. No doubt he would be thinking of the heirs she would give him and the dynasty he would create.  Only a very few were lucky enough to marry for love and at least her sister, Ivetta could count herself among the privileged, Bliss thought as she felt William tilt her head back. She was expecting detachment and was surprised when it did not come. She felt William’s hand lightly cradling the back of her head as his lips gently touched hers; they were warm and soft and insistent. Bliss felt her mouth soften against his, he smelt of spice and wood smoke and the cold breeze that blows through the dark green wood. Her heart raced and her stomach fluttered as William deepened their kiss and before she could stop herself she instinctively wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him back.

 

 http://www.amazon.com/Capturing-Bliss-ebook/dp/B0078V5DYC/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343911111&sr=1-2

www.nicolehurley-moore.com  

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/nicole.hurleymoore

My new time travel romance, Until The Stars Burn Cold will be released on the 20th September!

Forbidden love.

 In ancient Persia, in the town of Adwan, Jinn is ripped from his beloved Shuri’s side. He is cursed into a ring as punishment for daring to love the wrong woman. Empires crumble, centuries pass and Jinn is still captive. That is until present day antiques dealer, Mia Templeton accidentally releases him.

 

The Trinket Seller's Daughter

Lost in the forest, Emelin runs for her life after her traveling party is massacred by outlaws. Sir Allard de Gerril is in pursuit of the ruthless band when he finds Emelin. Bound by vengeance the pair seek out the outlaws, but as they journey through the dark woods revenge gives way to passion. With each passing day, Emelin dares to dream that there is a place for a lowly trinket seller’s daughter by the knight’s side. But soon Emelin & Allard become the hunted. Emelin fears that she and Allard will not have a future together as they may never escape the tangled wood alive.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Trinket-Sellers-Daughter-ebook/dp/B005Z8IWH0/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346477467&sr=1-2 

 

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