A Duke for Christmas: Victorian Christmas Romance

She has gifts of premonitions, and going into the Amazon rainforest with the grumpy duke is not safe. This is his last trip as the guide before he takes over his title, but the spoiled little rich girl is making it impossible to keep a clear head.

The gift she never wanted…

Since Katrina Landon was a young girl, she has always had the gift of forewarnings. Usually this sight has never disrupted her life. Until now. The wealthy father she has never known wants to meet her, but she has to travel from the slums of London through the Amazon rainforest to his plantation in order to get an inheritance. But her premonitions are warning her of the dangers ahead. If only her gift could tell her more about the handsome guide, Mr. Knightly, who immediately stirs her temper…and her interest.

Felix Knightly isn't looking forward to escorting a spoiled rich girl through the jungle no matter how much her father pays, especially since it's so close to Christmas. Yet when he meets her, he finds Katrina's distracting innocence and charming demeanor unsettling. He is not certain what to think about the sudden forewarnings she keeps giving. He'd rather fight off the fire ants, howler monkeys, and crocodiles than risk losing his heart to her, since he's never met a wealthy woman who is honest.

As they delve deeper into the shadows of the rainforest, they discover they weren't just wrong about each other, they were wrong about the dangers of the jungle. Someone wants them dead and they have to find out who and why before it's too late.

Will they find what their heart truly desires before Christmas?

Experience the charm of this sweet and wholesome Christmas Historical Romance, where tender passion is softly woven, inviting your imagination to bring the rest to life.

Macapá, Brazil


Brazil was just a polite word replacement for welcome to Hades.

Katrina Landon dabbed a white, lace handkerchief at her moist neck for the umpteenth time, uncomfortable with the smoldering heat in this country. Why people lived in temperatures that were so blasted hot, she certainly didn’t know. She had gone from the cold winter temperatures of England and jumped into the fire.

In the two days since she arrived, she had seen women wearing lightweight clothes. At first, she thought it scandalous, but now she wished she could trade places with them just long enough to cool down. Even the shoes she wore seemed too stuffy for her feet. And why, in heaven’s name, had she worn her warmest dress? Then again, she had never been to this country and didn’t know what to expect.

She and her mother had been walking for at least ten minutes after leaving the inn where they were staying. She’d already had enough of this heat and she wanted to return home to London. If not for her frail mother who grasped Katrina’s elbow tightly as they moved down the cobblestone road, she would have insisted they return home and forget about this place, and especially the reason for coming.

Unfortunately, Katrina couldn’t do that. There were two reasons she was here. One, to meet the absentee father who had never cared about her as a child, and two… to try and stop the terrible tragedy that would happen soon. If not for the inheritance her father promised Katrina if she came, she might night had wasted her time. Now she just wanted it over with so she and Mother could return home.

“Where did the innkeeper say that building was?” she asked her mother. Katrina scanned both sides of the busy street, but she couldn’t see any building that was fancy enough to be a solicitor’s office.

Her mother paused, placed a hand on the bodice of her baby blue day dress, and took a deep breath. Fatigue from the walk was evident on her pale face and the way she struggled for her next breath. If the innkeeper would have told them the solicitor’s office was this far away, Katrina would have hailed down a hackney for them to travel in.

She gently patted her mother’s hand. “Are you going to be able to make it?”

A weary smile tugged on the corners of her mother’s mouth. “Allow me to catch my breath first.”

Katrina took another quick glance at the nearby buildings. One was a milliner’s shop. “Look.” She pointed to the store. “Let me take you there. I’m certain they will have a place for you to sit. I can look for the solicitor’s office—”

“I won’t hear of it.” Her mother’s voice was strong considering how ill she appeared. “We shall go together. All I need is another minute or so to collect my strength before we move on.”

Leaning her slender body against the nearest tree, her mother patted a shaky hand to her tight bun her hair was coiled in to. A few strands of light brown hair, lightly streaked with gray, had fallen loose from their walk. In the past ten years, their lowly situation had taken its toll on Katrina’s mother, which caused more wrinkles on the mid forty-year-old woman’s face. She had been a very handsome woman in her youth.

Katrina wished she could convince her parent to hire a hackney, but they were very low on funds. She didn’t dare argue with her mother for fear it would take too much of the woman’s energy.

Once more, Katrina took in their surroundings. The buildings were not as close together as what she was used to in London. Some were even slightly nicer in this small town.

It surprised Katrina that more of the Brazilian people didn’t gape at them as if they had accidentally entered the wrong country, especially since they wore more fashionable gowns in London than in this country.
She dabbed the handkerchief at her neck again. For certain the material of her day dress was too thick.
Laughter from children pulled Katrina’s attention to across the street. Three little girls, who she suspected were between six and eight years of age, were kicking a leather ball back and forth to each other near the main road. It appeared they were trying to keep it in their circle as they moved slowly up the street.