Barbara Bettis Talks Mercenaries and Silverhawk on Amazon #FREE! #TWRP

Today is a special day! The Wild Rose Press author Barbara Bettis is here, chatting about her medieval romance, Silverhawk. We also get a little background on mercenaries and life in that era. I'm so excited since this is a favorite historical era for me. She's also got a little contest for comment leavers! 

Enjoy! 

~Mia 

~*~

Hello, Mia. Thanks so much for having me on your blog today. It’s a Special Day. Today marks the first free day for my book. Yep, SILVERHAWK is FREE for download from Amazon. 

Here’s the link: Amazon Link for Silverhawk

And to celebrate, I’m offering a $10 Amazon Gift Card for one commenter.

Giles and Emelin are very special to me. The story grew out of research I’d done for another project. I was fascinated by mercenaries, and the wide range in backgrounds of the men who made up those soldiers for hire. The majority of them had no land, no money except for what they earned fighting or, when the years allowed, tournaments. Sources report that mercenaries were generally regarded with suspicion by many people. Not all mercenaries were violent renegades, by far. Richard I (the Lionheart) put a great deal of trust in his mercenary captain Mercadier. 

Sir Giles, an orphan whose father abandoned his mother, was destined to become a leader in Mercadier’s troop. Giles’ eventual fame as a fighter gave him a notoriety that transcended countries (even without paparazzi and tabloids. LOL)

Equally fascinating—sad, actually—was the limited opportunities for ladies in that era. Most were at the mercy of the men in the lives, from fathers to brothers to husbands. Any one of those men could consign them to a convent (or other such religious place for women), there to finish their lives. Unless a rescue occurred, as happened with Lady Emelin, who was offered an unexpected marriage. She had been consigned to a convent by her brother after her first betrothed died in the crusade. Only the desire by an old—and rich—lord for a male heir prompted her brother to recall her existence.

It seemed inevitable these two unlikely people, Giles and Emelin, be thrown together. 

I grew to like them so much, I was actually sorry to see their story end. LOL. 

Here’s the blurb for Silverhawk:

He’s everything a proper lady should never want; she’s everything a bastard mercenary can never have.

Sir Giles has come to England to kill his father, who seduced and betrayed his mother. First, however, he’ll seek sweet revenge—kidnap the old lord’s new betrothed. But when Giles uncovers a plot against King Richard, he faces a dilemma: take the lady or track the traitors. What’s a good mercenary to do? Both, of course.

Lady Emelin has had enough. Abandoned in a convent by her brother, she finally has a chance for home and family. Yet now she’s been abducted. Her kidnapper may be the image of her dream knight, but she won’t allow him to spoil this betrothal. Her only solution: escape

Rescuing the intrepid lady—while hunting traitors—is a challenge Giles couldn’t anticipate. But the greatest challenge to Giles and Emelin is the fire blazing between them. For he’s everything a proper lady should never want, and she’s everything a bastard mercenary can never have.

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Of course, the story has an HEA. It’s a romance, after all. But it’s a pretty close race, all the same. J

What about you? Do you have favorite characters? Do you have trouble letting them go?

Don’t forget the drawing—please leave your email address when you comment.

~*~

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