Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Under A Cloud by Luv Lubker

 

Vicky's father, Albert, the Prince Consort, has just died, leaving her and her family under a heavy cloud of grief, without their dearest friend and advisor, at a most critical time: The political horizon grows dark with storm clouds at the entry of Bismarck to Germany's political stage in 1862.

Will Fritz's courage stand the test as he confronts the spider in its web? Is Prussia really fighting for the rights of the Schleswig people, or is so much blood being shed for the sake of Prussia's aggrandizement?

Join Vicky and Fritz on their journeys under the blue cloudless skies of the Mediterranean to the peaceful heather-clad hills of the Highlands of Scotland; to the burning heat of the North African desert to the raging blizzards of a winter war in Denmark.

When Vicky's closest friend disappears, will she be able to keep the secret? Will old enemies prove to be friends, and old friends prove to be enemies?

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 Excerpt

Bang! Fritz broke the surface of the water, looking about, startled. He had gone out for a swim daily since their arrival at Putbus. He had been under water, when he was sure he had heard the firing of a gun.

There it was again. Bang! Bang! He scrambled ashore, water streaming over his face as he ran his hand over his hair, and hurried up the beach towards the castle, forgetting his state of undress. He must know what this was about. He crouched down, stepping carefully through the underbrush, not wishing to be seen.

Bang! “Yes! I hit the top one!” he heard Vicky cry. “Can you?” He paused, watching the scene. Vicky had said she would teach Princess Putbus to shoot. He had forgotten about it. Bang! Bang! He watched, feeling a burst of pride as Vicky hit nearly impossible targets.

He was about to call out to her, when he became suddenly very aware of the twigs and brambles scratching at his legs and his bare chest as he crouched in the undergrowth. Water pooled at his feet, dripping heavily from his Schwimmhosen.

“Vicky?” he called softly. She looked around, obviously puzzled where his voice came from. “Vicky!” he called a little louder. She turned in the direction of the path to the beach, obviously expecting his voice to be coming from that direction. “Over here,” he called again.

“Fritz?” she called, hurrying towards him.

“Vicky, tell Princess Putbus not to come,” he said. Vicky paused, returning to her friend who was just starting towards them. She whispered something in her ear, and the Princess returned to the castle.

“Fritz, where are you?” Vicky cried, running back towards the thicket.

“Here.” He waved his arm, making the bush he knelt behind wave about. “I heard your shooting, and had forgotten what you said you would be doing, and wondered what was going on. And – ach! I think I need help getting up. These are digging into my legs. You have a sword with you, too, I see. Will you lend it to me?”

The sword hilt protruded through the bush, and he took it carefully, quickly cutting away some of the sharp branches. He rose, stepping out from behind the bush, but not fully. “I must go back to the beach.”

Vicky doubled over with laughter. “Fritz, it is not like you to forget your clothes,” she giggled.

Luv Lubker

Luv Lubker has lived in the Victorian era half her life, making friends with the Brontë sisters and the extended family of Queen Victoria. Now she knows them quite as well as her own family.

Born in a cattle trough in the Appalachian mountains, Luv lives in Texas – when she comes to the modern world.

When she isn't living in the Victorian era, she enjoys being with her family; making and eating delicious raw food, riding her bike (which she only learned to ride at 25, though she has ridden a unicycle since she was 7), and watching animals – the passion of her childhood.

 

Luv Lubker

 

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Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Under His Spell, The Rival Courts by Luv Lubker

 

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A beautiful love story between the Princess Royal Victoria and Fritz Wilhelm, Frederick III of Prussia

A lonely young man attends the first World’s Fair – the Great Exhibition of 1851 – and meets a family who changes his life forever.

Follow the young Prince Fritz – later Friedrich III – of Prussia and his wife, Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Vicky, (parents of Kaiser Wilhelm II) through their courtship and the joys and struggles of their first four years of marriage.

Fritz and Vicky dream of a peaceful united Germany, but Fritz’s uncle Karl has his own dreams of power…

Discover often hinted at but unrevealed secrets of the Prussian Royal court…

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 EXCERPT

“It is Papa’s home… and yours.” She looked down, blushing slightly and speaking the last words more softly. “Shouldn’t we be going? Mama is probably waiting for us.” She looked around. “Here is Lady Flora Macdonald. She will be joining Mama. We should go on soon.”

“Vicky!” She had again been gazing at the heather-covered mountains, but turned to face him at the sound of his voice. It must have been strange, he thought; it hadn’t sounded like his own voice. He knelt, picking a bunch of white heather. “Would you like to go to Germany, always… always…?” He couldn’t speak any more, his throat had gone dry; his hands shook so much that he nearly dropped the flowers before he pressed them into her hand.

She looked at him, her eyes growing wider, her face turning bright red. “I didn’t say anything to offend you, did I, Vicky?”

She shook her head. “Would you like to come to Germany, with me?” She nodded, still blushing deeply, and buried her face in the bunch of heather. She pressed it to her heart, then, separating a few stems, kissed them, and held them out to him. Her hand trembled visibly, and her fingers felt hot as they touched his. She squeezed his fingers as he took the flowers back.

“Meine Vicky.” His voice wouldn’t come out above a whisper, as he held up his arms to help her dismount. She swung down gracefully and stood before him, her face still crimson, her eyes on the flowers on the ground.

He stepped closer. He gently put his right arm around her to draw her to him, but hesitated, letting her stand where she was. He put his hand on her shoulder; with the fingers of his left hand he touched her cheek for the first time, running his thumb over her lips. He stroked her chin, hoping she would look up at him.

She glanced up, and then down again, blushing more deeply than ever, then looked up to meet his eye, her lips parting slightly. The wind blew coldly, but he felt warmth flood through him as he closed his eyes and gently touched her lips with his.

He felt her hand on his chest. He opened his eyes. Several of the little heather-bells clung in her hair, and her face smelled sweet from the flowers. She was smiling, but looking down again. She stepped closer and hid her face against his chest. He felt her hand on his back; her arms were around him. He felt her shiver as the wind blew harder. Finally, the space between them had closed, and he embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head.

“Vicky,” he whispered, as he stroked her cheek again. She raised her head, and he bent down to kiss her again. Their lips had barely touched, when she turned her head.

“Oh!” It was not really speech, but something between a sigh and a sob.

Luv Lubker

Luv Lubker has lived in the Victorian era half her life, making friends with the Brontë sisters and the extended family of Queen Victoria. Now she knows them quite as well as her own family.

Born in a cattle trough in the Appalachian mountains, Luv lives in Texas - when she comes to the modern world.

 

When she isn’t living in the Victorian era, she enjoys being with her family, making and eating delicious raw food, riding her bike (which she only learned to ride at 25, though she’d ridden a unicycle since she was 7), and watching animals - the passion of her childhood.

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