Quote of the day

"The meek shall inherit the earth, of course, but the brazen are sure to contest the will."

~ Adam Freedman

My new cover for THE PROMISE!

Thought you folks might like a sneak peek of my cover for my next historical romance, The Promise. Isn't it lovely? This one is a connected book with The Legacy in that it is about the middle Behaim brother, but instead of Germany, it takes place in the Italian city states of Pavia and Genoa. The book is scheduled for release in another year, May 2009 (yes, it seems like FOREVER). Here's the back cover copy on it and some (very) early reviews:

In a dangerous world, sometimes the greatest risk is love ...

In 1525, Günter Behaim is a Landsknecht (a professional soldier in the service of Emperor Charles V). Günter has been betrayed by love and promises not kept. As a result, he has sworn to make few promises of his own and keep those unto death. However, when his friend is mortally wounded while saving Günter’s life, he gives a pledge to marry his betrothed. To keep his promise, Günter must use every weapon in his romantic arsenal to convince the reluctant woman to marry him. As his passion for her grows, he realizes he is falling in love. Is he prepared to risk his worst fear: having his heart rejected once more?

The Spanish beauty Alonsa García de Aranjuéz is determined to withstand Günter’s relentless pursuit. Haunted by a gypsy’s curse on any man who loves her, Alonsa yearns for Günter, but fear for his safety forces her to rebuff him. As she struggles to deny the growing attraction between them, she begins to realize that fate may have other plans. With danger surrounding them, will Alonsa bite from the forbidden fruit? Or will Günter be bitten instead by the mysterious misfortune that seems to plague any with the courage to become ... Alonsa’s love?

Reviews

“Lush, sexy and exciting, The Promise offers a fascinating glimpse into a rarely visited age!”
~ Victoria Dahl, author of To Tempt a Scotsman and A Rake’s Guide to Pleasure

“A delightful breath of fresh air in historical romance! With a unique setting and memorable characters, TJ Bennett delivers a gripping romantic adventure that will leave you breathless for more.”
~ Monica McCarty, New York Times Bestselling Author of Highlander Unchained

“A romantic adventure with a devastating hero that you’re sure to love. T.J. Bennett’s The Promise is a breath of fresh air in the Regency-heavy historical market.”
~ Kahlen Hughes, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Nominee; author of Lord Sin and Lord Scandal

Happy Mother's Day

I hope those of you who are mothers or are celebrating your mothers are having a wonderful day. My mom isn't with us anymore, sadly, so I miss that part of picking out the card myself and sending it to her, calling her on the phone, etc. However, I'm also a mom, and my husband is an absent-minded professor type, so I normally wind up planning most family related events myself. And I've years ago given up hope of him ever taking the initiative and remembering the details of such events in advance. I've grown accustomed to suggesting gifts, restaurants to celebrate events, mementos for special occasions, and the like, for both my birthday/Christmas and Mother's Day and his family's events as well. I take it in stride because I know he's not thoughtless; it just doesn't occur to him to try to handle those details since I do it so well.

However, what he did for Mother's Day this year just goes to show how a man can still surprise his woman after 15 years of marriage. I came home yesterday a little distraught because I'd forgotten to remind him to send his mother flowers, and I feared it would be too late. Nothing about celebrations or the upcoming Mother's Day had been mentioned, so I assumed he'd forgotten, too. I thought to remind him to order the flowers and then suggest we go to my favorite restaurant for dinner because I knew he'd be upset if the day slipped by without us celebrating because he'd forgotten what day it was. When I got home, however, he greeted me with a kiss, informed me we had reservations at my favorite restaurant for 5:30pm Sunday, and by the way he'd ordered his mother's flowers that morning. All this while he was squiring our son to Urgent Care for a severe cut on his finger.

Then, with a gleam in his eye, he left, only to return an hour later with eleven blushing pink "bubble gum" colored roses and one red one in a vase brimming with greenery. He went out again to find the perfect Mother's Day cards, which he gave me today not only from him, but from our two sons as well. He spent an hour picking out the cards, and each one was perfect and in character--one containing a beautiful bookmark with a little gem on it from him, and the other two from our sons in perfect character with my relationship with each of them. Finally, the boys gave me handmade cards with their answers to the question "What is a mom?" I'll quote from one of them (although they were both wonderful):

"She's brave enough to risk anything for my life.
She's loving enough to punish me.
She's silly enough to make me laugh.
She's nice enough to feed me.
And, finally, she's caring enough to help cure our injuries.
That's my mom!"

Now, this from a middle-school boy. Is he smart, or what? Takes after his dad, I think. LOL!

Happy Mother's Day, all. I hope yours has been as nice as mine.

TJB