RWA/NYC Celebrates Historical Romance.
Medieval Times. Regency. Roaring 20s. Jazz Age,
etc.
Visit us daily for excerpts from our members’
historical novels.
Happy Reading!
SUCH A DANCE
By Kate McMurray
Kensington Books
NOTE: This book will be published in October
2015. Here’s a sneak peek!
SUMMARY: When
a vaudeville dancer meets a sexy mobster in a speakeasy for men, the sparks
fly, the gin flows, the jazz sizzles—and the heat is on…
Eddie Cotton is a talented song-and-dance man with a sassy sidekick, a crowd-pleasing act, and a promising future on Broadway. What he doesn’t have is someone to love. Being gay in an era of prohibition and police raids, Eddie doesn’t have many opportunities to meet men like himself—until he discovers a hot new jazz club for gentlemen of a certain bent…and sets eyes on the most seductive, and dangerous, man he’s ever seen.
Lane Carillo is a handsome
young Sicilian who looks like Valentino—and works for the Mob. He’s
never hidden his sexuality from his boss, which is why he was chosen to
run a private night club for men. When Lane spots Eddie at the bar, it’s
lust at first sight. Soon, the unlikely pair are falling hard and fast—in
love. But when their whirlwind romance starts raising eyebrows all across
town, Lane and Eddie have to decide if their relationship is doomed…or
something special worth fighting for.
Left, right, left.
Left, left, right, right, hop. Step forward, step back, hop, tip hat, blow
the lady a kiss.
The steps were easy
enough, the routine so committed to memory that Eddie could let a dozen
other things swim through his mind without missing a beat.
He tossed his cane
in the air and let it twirl. Light bounced off the polished silver shaft
of it as the audience murmured appreciatively. Eddie
caught it deftly, bowed a little, and moved his feet to the left,
right, right, left, left, hop. He grinned at Marian, who stretched her
arms above her head with grace, betraying her ballet training. Then
she shuffled over to him, evidence of her years spent on the vaudeville
circuit. She sang her lines in her trademark style, which sounded a
bit like a goose honking, and the audience roared with laughter. She
smiled and winked at him, and he grinned back and sang the end of the
song. Left, right, forward, together, a flourish from the horn section of
the orchestra. Then there were deep bows before the curtain fell.
Applause erupted throughout the James Theater. Eddie and Marian did
their goofy curtain call before retreating backstage.
Thus ended Eddie
Cotton and Marian France’s act in Le Tumulte de Broadway, more informally Jimmy Blanchard’s
Doozies of 1927, the variety act that was competing with George White
and Flo Ziegfeld for ticket dollars and popularity. The song-and-dance
team of Cotton and France was among the more popular acts. They were
a comedy duo who told jokes, danced their way through physical comedy, and
sang funny songs in funny voices. That year, they preceded the Doozy
Dolls, fourteen barely-dressed chorines hired more for their looks
than their dancing or singing skills.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: RWA/NYC Vice President Kate McMurray is an
award-winning romance author and an unabashed romance fan. When she’s not
writing, she works as a nonfiction editor, dabbles in various crafts, and
is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. For more information on the book visit: http://www.katemcmurray.com/books/such-a-dance/
REMEMBER TO COME BACK
TOMORROW
FOR ANOTHER HISTORICAL ROMANCE EXCERPT.
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