Fairest of Heart, the first book in my Texas Ever After series, releases in just five days! I can’t wait to share Titus and Penelope’s story with you.
As a young girl, I spent countless hours with my Fisher Price record player, listening to Disney storybooks and singing along with my favorite princesses on their journey to find their happily ever afters. Is it any wonder I grew up to be a romance writer? With my new Texas Ever After series, I get to mix my love for cowboys with my love for fairy tales, and Fairest of Heart gets things started with the reimagined tale of Snow White. Who needs a prince when you have Titus Kingsley, Texas Ranger? Add a mirror-loving villainess, some missing jewels, and seven retired drovers at the Diamond D Ranch, and we have all the makings for a page-turning western fairy tale.
I thought you might enjoy a short excerpt . . .
It took a moment for Titus to decipher that something other than a mound of brown dirt lay beneath the tree Rowdy indicated. Was that a face?
Titus crept closer.
Suddenly the mound moved. The men behind him sucked in a collective breath as a slender, pale arm poked out of the cocoon. Then a foot. A small foot. Wearing ladies’ stockings. But it was the face that captivated Titus and beckoned him closer. A face that seemed familiar even though reposed in sleep.
The girl from yesterday. The wood nymph who’d appeared out of nowhere, twirling, dancing, smiling. But this girl looked nothing like the one he’d met. Her dark hair hung in a wild, matted nest of twigs and leaves. Scratches marred the skin of her face and hands. Hands that led to bare arms with nothing but a mud-brown blanket to cover them.
What had happened to her? Had she been attacked after he left her? Titus’s jaw clenched. He should have escorted her back to her people. Maybe he could have prevented . . .
“Is she sleepin’ on a rope?”
“Poor thing.”
“What’s she doin’ out here?”
“And where are her clothes? You figure she’s one of them saloon gals?”
“What would a saloon gal be doing way out here?”
“I dunno. Maybe she got lost.”
“Your mind’s what got lost.”
Titus turned around and shushed the whisperers who’d crept in behind him. The last thing this young woman needed was to wake up to the sight of seven strange men hovering over her. He was about to suggest the others retreat to their original position when Dusty let out a sneeze loud enough to rival a gunshot.
The girl awoke in a flash, sat up, and waved a wicked-looking hunting knife at them.
***
“Stay back!” Penelope waved Hunt’s knife in front of her as if it had the power to stave off . . . five . . . no, six . . . good heavens . . . seven men.
She raised the blade in front of her face, noticed the sharpened side was aimed the wrong direction, and quickly twisted it around.
Maybe they didn’t notice.
“Ya probably want to fold yer thumb over yer fingers like a fist. It’ll give ya more control.”
So much for them not noticing.
A heavyset man elbowed the thinner fellow who’d offered the advice. “Shut up, Jeb,” he said in a stage whisper. “You’ll scare her.”
“I’m helpin’ by tellin’ her how to hold her knife. The way she’s got it now, she’ll prob’ly drop the thing before it can do any damage.”
Well, if he was willing to teach, she was willing to learn. Penelope corrected her grip on the knife and slowly rose to her feet. The blanket started to slip off her shoulders. Her heart lurched. She dropped the knife in order to grab the edges of the blanket and draw them closed beneath her chin. None of the men lunged at her. They kept their distance, waiting patiently for her to bend down and reclaim her knife before anyone said anything.
“We’re not going to hurt you.”
That voice. She jerked her gaze to the left, toward the only beardless man of the group. It was him.
Fairest of Heart officially releases next Tuesday, June 6. If you prefer print, it’s not too late to take advantage of the Baker Book House preorder sale. Can’t beat 40% off and free shipping! Or you can preorder from Amazon here.
What is your favorite fairy tale?
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So excited for this one! I’m just waiting on Baker to ship my copy.
Yay! Thanks for preordering, Joy. 🙂 Hope you love it!
I have preordered the audiobook on Audible, so I’ll wake up on Tuesday with it waiting for me to download. Very excited to read this one. Love fairy tales, and the cover designer captured so many little things that remind me of the Disney movie without it being Disney-like. Does that make sense? I think it is her dress and the colors that were used. Whatever, it draws me in.
Yes! That is exactly what we were going for with the cover. Hints of Disney, but unique and appropriate for the western setting. Hope you love it, Robin!
This is such a fun book. I enjoyed it so much! Like you, I spent hours immersed in fairy tales as a child, so it’s hard to pick a favorite.
Fairy tales just leave me so happy. I can’t resist.
Happy Book Birthday, Karen!! I’ve read this wonderful fairytale and I can’t wait for the next one in the series!!
Thanks, Rebecca! Book 2 should be coming in March. Yay!
Ooooh, I can hardly wait for my copy to arrive! I got an email yesterday saying it has shipped… YAY!!! 😀
One of my most memorable fairy tales from my childhood is Cinderella. My Daddie loved to get a laugh out of me, so he’d read the book to me & switch the first letters in certain words… he read to me about Rindercella who slopped her dripper & danced with the pransome hince. She lived with her step-mother & her three sisty uglers! 😀 😀 He passed away six years ago. I was a Daddy’s Girl always & I miss him, but he passed along his sense of humor to me & to my son, so he’s still very much alive in our hearts. <3
I also like the story of Snow White & Beauty & the Beast.
What sweet memories, Lori. Love that! I was a Daddy’s girl too. I lost him when I was 16, but those memories we keep close to our hearts. Book 2 will be a Cinder-fella tale. Can’t wait to share it with you.
I’m sorry you lost your Daddy at such a young age! I was 44 & had never lost anyone really close to me before. All my life, I just couldn’t imagine how I’d survive losing him… there’s no bond quite like a Daddy’s Girl… but God carried me through that time & has continued to. I love to talk about him & share stories with others & hear their memories about him. He was one-of-a-kind & if you met him once, you never forgot him!! 😀
I’m already looking forward to Book 2!!! How many will be in this series?
I can’t wait to read it, Karen! It looks so good. My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. Who doesn’t love a heroine obsessed with books? 🙂
Exactly! That’s my favorite too. Both for the books and the wounded hero healed by true love. 🙂
Love fairy tales and am so excited for this one!
Thanks, Betty. 🙂
I was excited to receive an email from Baker Book today saying my book has shipped. I can hardly wait!