The Hostage Bride

Dear Reader,

Here is the first of my new "Brides" trilogy, in which three unconventional young women vow they will never marry--only to be overtaken by destiny.??Bride #1 is the outspoken Portia....

It's bad enough that seventeen-year-old Portia Worth is taken in by her uncle, the marquis of Granville, after her father dies.??As the bastard niece, Portia knows she can expect little beyond a roof over her head and a place at the table.

But it truly adds insult to injury when the Granvilles' archenemy, the outlaw Rufus Decatur, hatches a scheme to abduct the marquis's daughter--only to kidnap Portia by accident.

Portia, who possesses more than a streak of independence as well as a talent for resistance, does not take kindly to being abducted--mistakenly or otherwise.

Decatur will soon find himself facing the challenge of his life, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom, as he contends with this misfit of a girl who has the audacity to believe herself the equal of any man....

Warmest wishes,

Jane Feather


P.S.??Phoebe, the "awkward" one, will be next, in The Accidental Bride.??Watch for it in early 1999.

Prolific Jane Feather launches another lively trilogy, this one set during the English Civil War (mid-17th century) and featuring the first of three misfit girls who pledge their friendship and mutual distrust of men. Portia Worth, a bastard offshoot now dependent on the marquis of Granville for support, is mistaken for Granville's daughter and accidentally abducted by Rufus Decatur, Granville's archenemy and leader of a militia group whose purpose is to support the king against Parliament and avenge the wrong done to Rufus's family years ago. Both outcasts, Portia and Rufus develop a mutual understanding and admiration that blossoms into heartfelt passion. But Rufus's need for revenge puts Portia precariously on the opposite side of a battle he's determined to see through to the death. Readers will love the well-drawn characters, both major and minor; action scenes that move swiftly and vividly; and Portia's humorous plot to vanquish a particularly vile male villain, which may leave readers laughing out loud. An especially appealing tale that's sure to raise anticipation for the next book in the Brides series. --Ellen Edwards