An Intense Excerpt, the Major faces his past, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

To purchase Outcast Artist in Bretagne, click HERE

Can a damaged Englishwoman find love with her worst enemy, or will the brutal war rip them apart?

Read an excerpt, the reason for August's nightmares, the disaster of Germany under Hitler. August tries to save innocent people and nearly loses his life.

Will he tell Norah, the woman he's starting to love? How can the two of them help the resistance and undermine the Reich?

https://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-major-faces-his-nightmares-in-my.html

A Wonderful Review of Outcast Artist, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

To purchase the book, click HERE 

Anita Davison (the Bookstore Mysteries) reviewed Outcast Artist in Bretagne:

With war on the horizon, Norah Cooper fled to France to escape personal tragedy and make a fresh start in the home of her cousin Loeiza, her husband Yann and their children in the picturesque coastal village of Saint Guénolé where she spends her time wandering the cliffs and drawing sea birds.

Within months of her arrival, German troops occupy the village and Norah finds herself trapped; unable to return to England and living under the suspicion of both the locals and German soldiers. Conscious she is putting her cousin and her family in danger, she is always on the verge of being arrested and sent to an internment camp or the wrath of suspicious villagers; Norah treads a dangerous path, when all she wants is to heal her damaged emotions and draw.

Norah juggles village life with hostile soldiers until she meets the Commandant, Major August von Gottlieb, a widower with three adult children. August has his own demons in that his lacklustre devotion to the Fuhrer has resulted in his being sent to a lesser command of Saint Guénolé instead a more prestigious command in Paris.

His first meeting with Norah is unremarkable, but as their paths cross, they both find themselves unable to ignore the spark between them until admiration becomes passion. As their illicit relationship develops, August starts to make allowances for Norah’s nationality and protecting her, which does not go unnoticed by his more fervent junior officers.

August is also under scrutiny by his Wehrmacht superiors to treat the locals harshly for small crimes. A compassionate man, August finds this increasingly untenable, but he must maintain a semblance of uncompromising power or risk being replaced by a more dedicated officer willing to wreak cruel vengeance on the villagers.

August and Norah’s relationship progresses and rumours abound, and Norah, in her attempt to prove she is not a collaborator to the village that she has grown to love, agrees to help the local resistance group.

Can Norah keep all her secrets and forge a future with the man she loves in occupied France? Or will their positions on opposite sides not only keep them apart, but destroy them both?

Ms Scott Lewis’ novel is extensively researched on the location and period during the early years of WWII. An emotional tale of forbidden love with the couple determined to conquer every obstacle. August is a worthy hero, walking a fine line between protecting the woman he loves and his loyalty to his country without compromising his morals. I can see why Norah could not resist him, despite living under harsh invaders, I found myself rooting for these two, hoping they could overcome what stood between them. An excellent story to read on a sun lounger with a drink beside you.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

New Release, Outcast Artist in Bretagne WWII heartbreak and forbidden love, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Just released, paperback and Kindle: click HERE

“Diane Scott Lewis has written a beautifully evoked, thought-provoking, war romance filled with suspense. It kept me hooked to the last page.” Maggi Andersen, USA Today Bestselling Author.

Read an excerpt:
Norah faces August after the execution of a resistance fighter.

Norah balled her hands, tears welling in her eyes. “I see the reasoning, the rules of war. But I have all this anger and sorrow I don’t know what to do with.”

August clasped her upper arms as if to keep her from running off. “I understand your misery. However, it was my responsibility.”

“Why did it have to happen?” She pressed a fist against his chest. “I know, that’s rhetorical. But I’m—”

“I wish it hadn’t. I really do, though the outcome was inevitable given the sentry’s death. And if Kerguelen hadn’t bragged about the shooting.” August kissed her forehead. “Meine Liebe, please understand.”

“I can’t forgive what this war has done to us all.” She pushed at him with the heel of her hand, but not overly hard.

“This war has torn apart the world. We are in a storm, trying to be normal.” He traced a finger under her chin. “I missed you.”

“I…missed you.” She thumped her knuckles on his collarbone. “Dammit. My instincts are a mess. And I’m caught between two worlds.”

“You’re in an untenable position. Don’t let this tragedy change what we have.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and opened the summerhouse’s back door. “Let’s go inside.”

“Everyone… The villagers, my cousins. I’m condemned, marked as your woman.”

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

Available for pre-order, Outcast Artist in Bretagne - WWII heartbreak and forbidden love, by Diane Scott Lewis

 E-book, ready for pre-order: click HERE

Can a damaged Englishwoman find love with her worst enemy, or will the brutality of war rip them apart? Is she a spy? Will he retaliate against Hitler? A dangerous love affair.

Read an excerpt:

August confronts Norah in the summerhouse.

But he still yearned to know; it had been so long since someone cared—if she cared. “Tell me what is in your heart.”

She turned and met his gaze. “I’m not one to mince words. I’m rather blunt, as you’ve pointed out.”

“Then let’s be honest, please.” His throat felt raw. He should let it go, allow her to dismiss him.

She sighed and blinked quickly. “I have feelings I shouldn’t have.”

“Ja. As do I.” Two lonely people, or something more? Silence followed, punctuated by rain and the whistle of wind around the building. Her eyes looked huge, and startled, even in the shadows. A woodland creature; but was he a savior or a predator?

Finally, he said, desperate to say something, “May I see what you’ve done so far on the portrait?”

She smiled, looking relieved by the change in subject. “No, not yet. I want it to be completed first.”

He moved toward her, playfully. “Just a peek won’t hurt.”

She spread her arms as if protecting her masterpiece. “Mais non. I’ll tell you when.”

August took a long step toward her. Fräulein Cooper came forward at the same time. They bumped into one another, her breasts right below his chest. He clasped her upper arms. She stared up at him, lips parted, inviting, yet wary. Past helping himself, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. A tightening started low in his body.

She quivered beneath his hands, but didn’t move away, her breath warm on him.

Thunder boomed and rattled the windows. The rain pounded like drumbeats on the roof. The gunshot sounds from his nightmares faded.

“This is wrong, especially for you,” he whispered into her mouth.

“I know. Terribly improper. We shouldn’t.” She remained in place, her form delicate under his fingers, and kissed him back with a tiny moan.

“Norah.” Her name felt right, sounded poetic. He pulled her snug into his arms, their kiss deepening. She tasted sweet and verboten at the same time. The heat of desire radiated through him.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund. 

An Excerpt from my upcoming release! Outcast Artist in Bretagne, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Blurb:

Unwed and pregnant, Norah Cooper flees England to hide with her cousin in Brittany just before Germany’s 1940 invasion of France. After her baby is stillborn, she's trapped under the Occupation as war expands across Europe. Norah grieves and consoles herself by sketching wildlife. When she’s caught too near the coast, she comes under scrutiny of the German commandant, Major August von Gottlieb.

August loathes what Hitler is doing to his country and France but is duty-bound to control the people in his jurisdiction. The lively young Englishwoman piques his interest. Is she a spy? He questions her and asks her to sketch his portrait so he might uncover the truth.

Soon, their relationship evolves into a passion neither of them can deny. She endures taunts from the villagers. His superiors warn him of not being harsh enough—he could be transferred or worse. He plans to sabotage a major war machine of the Reich, while she secretly helps the Resistance. Both acts are fraught with danger while kept secret from one another. Will their love ruin her and end in heartbreak? Or will they overcome the odds and survive the surging threats on all sides?

Read an excerpt: Norah confronts the Commandant for the first time.

https://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/2023/03/a-frightening-encounter-from-my.html

 

Excerpt from Hostage to the Revolution, sequel to Escape the Revolution, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Continuing Bettina's misadventures from Escape the Revolution, will she find her lover or be kidnapped by the revengeful revolutionaries?
An excerpt.

The woman lowered her Carnival mask to reveal the perfect, glacial features of Lucrece Bardou, Geralde’s former fiancée.

Lucrece raised her elegant brows. “Very well, we’ll talk here. Are you seeing my Geralde? You have been noticed with him these past months.” She swatted her fan. “And you were dancing with him out front, like two peasants.”

Bettina half-expected this and stifled a laugh. The wine seeped into her muscles, calming her. “We have spent time together, yes. Why is it your business? I heard you were involved with someone else.”

Lucrece tipped up her perfect chin. “That didn’t work out. Geralde and I were practically married. I plan to convince him to change his profession and settle down, with me.” She poked her fan into Bettina’s face. “Without you underfoot.”

Bettina swiped the fan aside. “If he wants to court me, that is our affair.” She grew irritated, yet the idea of his courting her again sent excited quivers along her body. But what about Everett? Could she banish the idea of cheating on a man declared dead? Would the deep hollow in her heart finally heal? “I have nothing more to say to you, Madame.”

“You stay away from him, I’m warning you.” Lucrece turned. A masked man bowed in her path. She jabbed her fan into his chest. “You had better not be a Negro, sir. The law forbids you to mask.” She tossed her curls in superiority and flounced off.

Bettina laughed at the woman’s haughtiness and walked in the other direction from the shrew. She looked around for Geralde, unsure if she should warn him about Lucrece. He may not even want to court Bettina again, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d find him and ask him to dance with the others, under the gigantic crystal chandelier that shimmered and reflected candlelight in sprinkles across the ceiling and walls.

Someone tugged on her sleeve. Bettina glanced down to a Negro child dressed in white cap and apron. “Yes, dear?”

“Pardon, Madame. A man wishes to speak to you.” The girl stared up with large black eyes. “He is on the side gallery.”

Was it Geralde, hiding from Lucrece? “Show me where. Is he a handsome man in buckskins?” She followed the child down a short hallway to a set of long windows. Then she hesitated, uneasy in the shadows. “Can you ask him to come inside?”

“He says he has news about your children.” The girl opened the windows.

Could Fred be here? Were the children ill? Bettina winced and poked her head out to scan the dark porch. “Who is here?” Now she wished she’d brought someone with her.

A man stepped forward, and waved the girl off. The long windows clicked shut. “I have news from your nephew. You must return to the cottage.”

“What has happened? Are my children all right?” She hurried out, thoughts confused.

He clasped her arm. “Come with me, Madame, and I will explain.”

“Tell me who you are first.” She resisted his tug on her arm, her skin prickling.

His grip tightened and he shuffled her toward the steps. “Do not fight me, I have a gun.”

“Mais non. How dare you. Let me go!” Bettina gasped and struggled. A pistol barrel stabbed into her side.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

A young woman running from French assassins, Escape the Revolution, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Purchase Escape the Revolution HERE

Read an excerpt: 

Around a corner, Lisbette started when a figure emerged from an alley and blocked their path. Armand halted, twitching his shoulders before the huge man who trudged into their lantern’s glow. Lisbette cringed at his filthy clothes. His face looked as if someone had tried to carve their initials into his cheeks. A stench rolled off him, like the slime washed up from beneath the sea.

“So, this is the one?” The giant tugged a frayed hat low on his forehead. Water dripping off the roof behind him smacked the cobbles and stirred the mist around his bulky frame.

“Certainement. This is she, and please be gentle.” Armand glanced at her, his eyes droopy above gaunt cheeks, sadder than she’d ever seen them. “Is it quiet down there, at the harbor?”

“Quiet enough for what we need. Only one from customs. I’ll be there.” The man turned around and in a splat of footfalls the gloom swallowed him up once more.

Lisbette shivered and bunched together the edges of her cloak, already damp from the increasing rain. “Who is that dirty man, Armand? I still don’t understand why you insist on sending me off at this hour and with no decent companion.”

“I’ve explained that it’s too late to engage anyone. But I promised your mother I’d keep you from harm.” He averted his eyes when he mentioned her mother, then coughed into his hand. “Let’s keep walking, my dear.”

“Maman will not approve of this. We should go back to the house. You’re ill. I feel the heat in your arm.” Lisbette wondered if his fever had confused him. The shock of being dragged from bed, her interrupted sleep, scrambled for reason in her head. But the cold air sharpened her fears like a needle. “Ma foi, why is my leaving so urgent?”

Follow Lisbette on her frightening journey to England. Will she find solace or more danger?

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.