Meet the Characters: These two are off to the races, literally.

Today, I’ve got a couple of paintings paired with the book description for Other Pens, book 5, Addie: To Wager on Her Future. I decided not to do an excerpt today because next Tuesday, I plan to start sharing chapters of the book on a weekly basis here on my blog. I’ve shared all the other books at one time or another on the blog, but not book five. So, since my Thursday story has completed, I thought it would be a good time to give Addie and Robert’s story a read-through.

So, without further ado, here is what the book is about:

Whoever said nothing ventured, nothing gained never had her heart on the line…

Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a trainer, a jockey and a stable lad. George Stubbs, 1765. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Adela Atwood grew up immersed in the world of horse breeding and racing. She comes from a family of risk-takers. Ignoring the usual rearing for a girl, her father allowed Addie to take the reins of her own destiny, and she has sat in life’s saddle ever since. Unfortunately, her brother is also a gambler and, unlike Addie, is no stranger to losing. This time, however, it is more than mere pounds at stake as Addie’s beloved horse and maybe even her brother’s life are caught up in the bargain.

Robert Eldridge was also raised surrounded by horses. In fact, he is the owner of a stable of animals which have often placed well in the races at Newcastle. When his friend nearly died the previous year, he learned that sometimes when you gamble, you lose, and some things are more precious than money.

With her father lying at death’s door and her brother facing a formidable adversary, Addie’s life is set on end. Robert, who is visiting the Atwood’s neighbors at Mansfield Park, feels compelled to offer his assistance in helping sort out the mess Addie’s brother has created.

What should have been a simple scheme to rid the Atwoods of a problem, draws Robert in and places him in a precarious position that will require them to combine their talents if they hope to have a chance at success against their foe. However, Addie knows all too well that losses are part of the gamble. Many things are irreplaceable in life, but her heart would be the most precious thing of all to lose.

Lord Portmore, Watching Racehorses at Exercise on Newmarket Heath. John Wootton, circa 1735. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I hope you’ll join me as I re-read and share Addie’s story on Tuesdays.


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Leenie Brown

Leenie Brown fell in love with Jane Austen's works when she first read Sense and Sensibility followed immediately by Pride and Prejudice in her early teens. As the second of five daughters and an avid reader, she has always loved to see where her imagination takes her and to play with and write about the characters she meets along the way. In 2013, these two loves collided when she stumbled upon the world of Jane Austen Fan Fiction. A year later, in 2014, she began writing her own Austen-inspired stories and began publishing them in 2015. Leenie lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her two teenage boys and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley and Edmund with healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tillney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).