Not My Idea by Bethany Swafford - Book Tour + Giveaway
"Lucas, you must return
home."
home."
Twenty two year old Lucas Bywood abandons his Grand Tour in
response to those words from his father. Everything is not well at home and he
finds himself in a bit of a fix. A little warning that his father had made
tentative arrangements for his marriage would have been nice but Luke really
wishes it had been anyone other than the young lady chosen. After all, Phoebe
Ramsey had always been an annoyance and any time they had spent together had resulted in physical injuries for one of them.
Just when Luke thinks he's escaped that particular future, he
finds himself courting a young woman he doesn’t want, a furious best friend who wants a duel to satisfy honor, and the responsibility of finding who and why someone had caused an accident for his mother.
response to those words from his father. Everything is not well at home and he
finds himself in a bit of a fix. A little warning that his father had made
tentative arrangements for his marriage would have been nice but Luke really
wishes it had been anyone other than the young lady chosen. After all, Phoebe
Ramsey had always been an annoyance and any time they had spent together had resulted in physical injuries for one of them.
Just when Luke thinks he's escaped that particular future, he
finds himself courting a young woman he doesn’t want, a furious best friend who wants a duel to satisfy honor, and the responsibility of finding who and why someone had caused an accident for his mother.
has loved reading books. That love of words extended to writing as she grew
older and when it became more difficult to find a ‘clean’ book, she determined
to write her own. Among her favorite authors is Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle, and Georgette Heyer.
When she doesn’t have pen to paper (or fingertips
to laptop keyboard), she can generally be found with a book in hand. In her
spare time, Bethany reviews books for a book site called More Than A Review.
to laptop keyboard), she can generally be found with a book in hand. In her
spare time, Bethany reviews books for a book site called More Than A Review.
Connect with the Author here:
Excerpt
“Luke, you finally came!” Philippa
said, squeezing tightly. Her wispy brown hair tickled my cheek. “I thought you
must have been killed in France. It was too cruel of you to stay away for so
long!”
“Hello, Philly.” After a few seconds,
I disentangled myself from her. “That’s enough of that. It’s good to see you,
brat.”
Philippa scowled at me. “I am
eighteen now, Luke. You have no right to say I’m a brat.” She smacked my arm,
causing me no pain at all but the action seemed to make her feel better. “What
took you so long to get here? It’s been ages since I sent you the letter
telling you Mama was ill.”
I raised an eyebrow. I had not been
told this. “Father said you wrote the letter after Mama and Sprite fell.” She
opened her mouth, no doubt to argue the point, but I kept talking. “I did not
receive your letter, and this afternoon was the first I have heard of Mama’s
accident and illness. Are you certain you sent the letter at all?”
“Certainly I sent it! You cannot
blame me for the lack of reliable mail delivery in foreign lands if you’re the
one who chooses to go there.”
Waving my hand, I decided to let the
matter pass. “I’m here now,” I said. She wrinkled her nose, surveying my
appearance. “Do I pass muster, or do you find me wanting?”
“You have not washed from your
travels,” she said, her tone judgmental. Her eyes widened with horror. “Please
tell me you did not go into Mama smelling like a stable!”
“Our mama is not about to object to
the smell of animals, sister of mine. But if I am so offensive to your nose, I
will go to my room now.”
Apparently forgiving me for any
offense I had given her, Philippa looped her arm around mine and walked with me
down the hallway. “I am so glad you are here, Luke,” she said magnanimously.
“My first Season was such a success, and you will never guess what happened!”
Even if I had not been told, what she
wished to reveal would not have been difficult to discern. “Let me guess. You
wore a pretty dress of fine muslin and you gossiped to all hours of the night?
Or was it that you danced until dawn every night?”
“I’m not a gossip! No, Luke. I had no
less than four offers, and I accepted one of them. I am to be married!”
“I am glad you accepted only one of
those offers,” I told her. “Imagine what would happen if word got around you
had consented to marry all of them!”
Philly scoffed at my teasing. “You
are ridiculous,” she said. “His name is Mr. Bartholomew Talbot, and he is quite
the nicest gentleman I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I have high hopes of
him joining the party, and then you will be able to meet him.”
“Party? What party is this?” I asked,
reaching the door of my room. I paused, my hand on the doorknob as I glanced
back at her.
“Phoebe told me all about it. Her
parents are having a grand house party in a week. They have invited several of
our friends from London. Phoebe is thrilled about it.”
I chuckled. Phoebe Ramsey was a year
older than Philippa and was one of the silliest girls I had the misfortune of
knowing. Growing up, she and I had done nothing but fight if we were left
together for longer than a few minutes. As the older one, I had been scolded
for not behaving better, an injustice I had never forgotten.
“Did you even tell her you were
coming?”
Startled by the question, I frowned
at Philippa. “No, why would I?”
“I was going to say you must not
have. Heaven knows Phoebe cannot keep a secret,” Philippa said with a laugh.
“She will be pleased when you visit, though she may not appreciate the
surprise. It was badly done of you, Luke.”
Blinking, I tried to make sense of
her words. “I doubt Phoebe Ramsey cares about my comings and goings, Philly,” I
finally said, giving up on understanding her. “Run along.”
My sister frowned at me for a moment
and then shrugged in an unladylike manner. “Brothers,” she said with a huff.
She spun on her heel and called over her shoulder as she walked away, “You have
no idea what a lady expects from you!”
Shaking my head at her
incomprehensibleness, I put the matter from my mind and entered my room.
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