LOVE MATCHED by Laney Hatcher & Smartypants Romance BLOG TOUR

 

Love Matched, an all-new charming opposites attract historical romance from Laney Hatcher, is available now in Kindle Unlimited!

There are three things you need to know about Lady Cassandra Fields:

1. Despite being beloved, this diamond of the first water has yet to land a husband.

2. Her bold personality and giving heart help fuel her charitable endeavors.

3. She’s looking for adventure--something beyond ballgowns, drawing rooms, and her ladylike skill with needle and thread.

Thus far, Cassandra’s abysmal luck has kept her from reaching her goals. With no husband and no household, she’s beginning to wonder if she has a future at all. A surprising encounter with a cunning thief brings more to light than Cassandra is prepared to handle. But the lady has never backed down from a challenge, and it seems this mystery man might have finally met his match.

When circumstances, once again, threaten Lady Cassandra’s dreams, she must decide if she’s willing to risk her careful plans for the thief who has stolen her heart.

‘Love Matched’, a Penny Reid Universe Reimagining, is a full-length historical romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #3 in the London Ladies Embroidery series, Smartypants Romance Out of this World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Grab your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/47q1yu8

Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/3QxFTtW

Amazon CA: https://bit.ly/3ON8uKt

Amazon AU: https://bit.ly/3QBPXCo

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3OZkRmG

Audible: https://bit.ly/3LgseUu

Excerpt

The fire was banked but my bedchamber was warm. I wandered in the relative darkness over to my dressing table and deposited my elaborate mask. Folding my shawl, I placed it on the cushioned seat before hearing a quiet tap on my balcony doors.

Something instinctual within told me who I would find. My heart accelerated with expectation rather than fear.

Moving cautiously, I went to the closed window overlooking the garden and down into the mews. I peered sidelong at the dark form standing just outside my exterior doors, on the second floor of my home.

Anticipation bloomed eager and hopeful, and I threw open the latch. Alexander stood sentry on the small balcony, his hair slightly tousled, expression guarded. His eyes dipped once again to my bodice, but returned admirably after just a moment.

“I was not ready to say good night,” he admitted, finally acknowledging his presence here in my home.

“Somehow I don’t imagine the lock would have posed a challenge for you.”

“I thought it better to ask permission rather than forgiveness.”

“That doesn’t sound like you at all,” I quipped.

He smiled, a weak and wounded thing. “Perhaps I am trying to be more respectable.”

I reached forward and tugged the lapels of his jacket. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

As we moved within, I felt him smile against my lips before he reached low around my thighs and hoisted me up. His boot lifted and he pushed the balcony door gently shut. Then we were shuffling, in the dark, toward my bed. Alexander didn’t bother turning down the coverlet. My back landed softly and he followed, lips still caressing mine.

His weight was a delicious press in the darkness. I felt both bound and safely ensconced. My legs were wide but the bunch of my skirts inhibited full contact between us. I felt his tongue ease forward and lick into my mouth, the heat and movements slow and seductive. One large hand still clutched my outer thigh while the other supported his upper body where he hovered above me.

I broke away from his mouth and squirmed in his arms, reaching for a candle and a match on my bedside table.

“Leave it,” he begged, voice rough and strained. “If I clearly see your face, your body, I’ll come to my senses and climb down your trellis, calling myself every kind of fool for forgetting my place.”

“Your place,” I said, “is right here. With me.” 

About Laney Hatcher

Laney Hatcher is a firm believer that there is a spreadsheet for every occasion and pie is always the answer. She is an author of stories that have a past, in a language of love that’s universal. Often too practical for her own good, Laney enjoys her life in the southern United States with her husband, children, and incredibly entitled cat.

Find Laney online

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Website: https://laneyhatcher.com/

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BLOG TOUR: NEANDERTHAL SEEKS DUCHESS by Laney Hatcher & Smartypants Romance

 

“Full of all the swoons, a dash of mystery, and punches of humor, you are going to fall head over heels with Neanderthal Seeks Duchess." - Catherine Cowles, author of Tattered Stars

Neanderthal Seeks Duchess, an all-new charming historical romance from debut author Laney Hatcher, is available now in Kindle Unlimited! Laney introduces readers to Smartypants Romance’s new and exciting Out of This World imprint with her Penny Reid universe re-imagining.

There are three things you need to know about Lady Jane Morrison:

1. She frequently finds herself the talk of the ton and for all the wrong reasons.

2. A dashingly mysterious gentleman has caught her attention and even more dangerous...she has caught his. 

3. She’s rubbish at embroidery. 

After scandalous events during the London season, Lady Jane is attracting the wrong kind of attention. Her reputation is at risk as well as all her carefully laid plans for the future. And for better or worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious lord sets forth a series of events that will change their lives forever.  

‘Neanderthal Seeks Duchess’, a Penny Reid Universe Reimagining, is a full-length historical romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #1 in the London Ladies Embroidery series, Smartypants Romance Out of this World, Penny Reid Book Universe. 

Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3h0HoOb

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3ByTl7t

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3I0hWo6

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3H4csre

Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/3FhHTi9

Audiobook: Coming this summer! 

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/33Yj8cQ

Excerpt

“You desire the life of a spy then?” I could tell he was teasing, but it didn’t seem the mean sort of mocking I was so often accustomed to.

“Oh, of course. I am definitely spy material. I’m sure the War Office will come calling any day now,” I managed to tease back, indulging in a mirthful laugh. Were we having a flirtation? I wondered if I was doing it right.

I was suddenly struck with a bout of nerves. I didn’t know how to carry on a flirtation with a man. Being with John didn’t require flirting on my part. We simply conversed. I never made a concentrated effort to amuse John and be amused in return. Coy and coquettish were more in line with Cassandra and her interactions in a ballroom. She laughed loudly and often, usually flapping her eyelashes in a pleasing manner. Lords were simply drawn to her. Now that I considered it, it was likely just her outgoing personality. I was… not like that.

This bantering, the back-and-forth with Q in the garden, was multifaceted. I warred between self-consciousness and butterflies erupting behind my sternum.

His eyebrows remained amused and my pulse leaped once more. “Well, I hope the crown doesn’t steal you away just yet.” Warmth pooled low in my belly at Q’s admiring look. Those butterflies were approaching maximum velocity.

In a show of sheer survival instinct, I straightened on the bench. “I should probably get back to work.”

Q’s gaze was questioning. Perhaps signs of self-preservation weren’t evident in my expression, but I felt certain he could read some inner turmoil there. Q stood slowly and held out an arm. “I’ll escort you back to the library, if that’s all right?”

I nodded and felt grateful I hadn’t ruined our time together with my abrupt decision to depart. These feelings were so new and utterly overwhelming.

We made our way along the gravel path, through the kitchens, and up the service staircase in quiet contemplation before emerging in the long hallway of the third floor. His heat and nearness were addicting. The simple act of walking by his side was fraught with tension—the good kind. The best kind.

“Perhaps you could enjoy a picnic in the gardens another day. I could let Betty know in advance and she could pack a few items for you. So you wouldn’t feel like an imposition,” Q said as he slowed our progress outside the library doorway.

I appreciated his consideration for my concerns and for Mrs. Hooper’s time and energy. “If it’s not too much trouble, that sounds lovely. Thank you.” Genuine pleasure sufficed my demeanor, chasing away my previous doubts.

“And perhaps I could join you.” At these quietly uttered words, my head snapped up abruptly to meet Lord Dashing’s patented intense stare. “If that’s agreeable, that is,” he murmured, seemingly unsure of his welcome.

I smiled then. Full and wide. I often had difficulty interpreting the reactions of others, their hidden smiles and secretive expressions. Conversing with nobility was often an exercise in subterfuge and subtlety. Both elements I struggled with and didn’t see the need for. I preferred honesty and directness. Therefore, I wanted Q to read the authenticity in my smile when I replied, “I’d like that very much.”

Lord Dashing escorted me the remaining distance to the library before lifting my hand from his arm. I assumed he’d simply deposit me at my desk and be on his way, but he lingered. Twining our fingers together, Q raised my hand to his lips. Slowly and quite deliberately, he rotated my hand and placed a kiss on the inside of my wrist just beyond the fabric of my kid gloves. The heat from his mouth was deliciously obscene and I felt my breath stutter on an inhale. I should have been shocked by his behavior and scandalized by his forwardness. And yet… All I could muster was a sense of regret that I’d cut our afternoon short in a moment of weakness.

Eyes locked, Q pulled away from my skin. Lowering my hand to my side, he retreated a pace before turning slowly and exiting the room. I stood frozen in place, staring after his departed form. With my opposite hand covering my inner wrist, I could feel the heat from his scandalous touch and sought to trap it within.

What was happening?

I spent the afternoon mostly absorbed by the ledgers lining my desk, but couldn’t help but allow my attention to stray to the gardens a time or two, remembering the sun on my face, the man at my side, and the butterflies wreaking havoc on my carefully laid plans.

About Laney Hatcher

Laney Hatcher is a firm believer that there is a spreadsheet for every occasion and pie is always the answer. She is an author of stories that have a past, in a language of love that’s universal. Often too practical for her own good, Laney enjoys her life in the southern United States with her husband, children, and incredibly entitled cat.

Find Laney online

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3HkhbFE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laney.hatcher/

Website: https://laneyhatcher.com/

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3EHkQeN

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/32G5BG8

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/laneyhatcher

Connect with Smartypants Romance

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Review: Neanderthal Seeks Duchess by Laney Hatcher

Neanderthal Seeks Duchess by Laney Hatcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

This is the first reimagining and the first historical romance we've seen from the Smartypants collection. All of the other books are set in the Pennyverse, but this one is a retelling inspired by the Knitting in the City series set in London. If you haven't read Knitting in the City have no fear this reads as a standalone. It does share similarities with the original work Neanderthal Seeks Human as all retellings do, but this offers a unique take on the story and characters.

I very much enjoyed this imagining. I thought the author did a good job taking the original story and characters and moving them to regency London. She did a good job staying true to the original premise and characters while putting her own spin on things. I adored the original and it was so fun to relive Jane and Q's romance all over again through this different lens. My guess is she is going to continue on with the rest of the ladies in a similar fashion and I can't wait to see what she does with the rest of the embroidery circle!

I will say there were times where the author broke from the very proper language of the time and used common day language. Jane would be speaking or thinking in a very proper way then she would say/think "That was weird". While it fit the original Janie, it felt out of place in this book. Then again I'm not a big reader of regency romance, so that might be completely normal. Overall, I thought this was a really fun concept and I can't wait to see what the author has in store for the rest of the ladies of the "ton".

View all my reviews

RELEASE BLITZ: NEANDERTHAL SEEKS DUCHESS by Laney Hatcher & Smartypants Romance

 

“Full of all the swoons, a dash of mystery, and punches of humor, you are going to fall head over heels with Neanderthal Seeks Duchess." - Catherine Cowles, author of Tattered Stars

Neanderthal Seeks Duchess, an all-new charming historical romance from debut author Laney Hatcher, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!

Laney introduces readers to Smartypants Romance’s new and exciting Out of This World imprint with her Penny Reid universe re-imagining.

There are three things you need to know about Lady Jane Morrison:

1. She frequently finds herself the talk of the ton and for all the wrong reasons.

2. A dashingly mysterious gentleman has caught her attention and even more dangerous...she has caught his. 

3. She’s rubbish at embroidery. 

After scandalous events during the London season, Lady Jane is attracting the wrong kind of attention. Her reputation is at risk as well as all her carefully laid plans for the future. And for better or worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious lord sets forth a series of events that will change their lives forever.  

‘Neanderthal Seeks Duchess’, a Penny Reid Universe Reimagining, is a full-length historical romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #1 in the London Ladies Embroidery series, Smartypants Romance Out of this World, Penny Reid Book Universe. 

Grab your copy today!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3h0HoOb

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3ByTl7t

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3I0hWo6

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3H4csre

Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/3FhHTi9

Audiobook: Coming this summer! 

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/33Yj8cQ

About Laney Hatcher

Laney Hatcher is a firm believer that there is a spreadsheet for every occasion and pie is always the answer. She is an author of stories that have a past, in a language of love that’s universal. Often too practical for her own good, Laney enjoys her life in the southern United States with her husband, children, and incredibly entitled cat.

Find Laney online

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3HkhbFE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laney.hatcher/

Website: https://laneyhatcher.com/

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3EHkQeN

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/32G5BG8

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/laneyhatcher

Connect with Smartypants Romance

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kvDnb4

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2lzyduO

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lGdIMQ

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kwKsYK

Website: https://smartypantsromance.com/ 

Newsletter: https://smartypantsromance.com/newsletter/