Posts Tagged ‘regency romance’

Congratulations to Ella Quinn for winning a copy of Kieran Kramer’s The Earl is Mine. And a huge thank you to Kieran for being such a wonderful week-long Duchess.

Please join us next week, Monday, April 29th, as Duchess Jennifer McQuiston hosts Donna Thorland, author of the wonderful new historical romance The Turncoat!

Today I am honored to (re)introduce Kieran Kramer (who happens to be my sister-in-law!), the award-winning, best-selling author of my favorite Regency romances including the Impossible Bachelor series and her new House of Brady series. But as I set out the tea and cakes, looking forward to a cozy chat, she arrives with two tall, muscular men.

Me (whispering): Kieran? Why are there two hot men standing behind you?

Kieran (shrugging): The heroes in my two recent books love attention! And I have to admit, I love to give it to them. So when they asked to come along, I said yes.

Me: I’m not one to complain, but won’t your brother (my DH) have something to say about this?

Kieran (tosses away my concern with a regal wave): We just won’t tell him! So let me do the formal introductions. She nods to the more rakish of the two, with blue eyes and dark, wavy hair.  Read the rest of this entry »

Never in my wildest dreams had it occurred to me that I would one day live in Budapest. Little old me, a girl from Minnesota, living in Hungary? A former Communist country? Eastern Europe?

What a remarkable and beautiful city Budapest is. What fascinating history. I have fallen in love with it all. It just so happens that my favorite royal fell in love with this country as well. The Empress learned the language, considered to be the second most difficult language in the world, and was so loved by the Hungarians, she became a historical icon. They built a summer palace for her just outside Budapest. One can find any number of statues bearing her likeness throughout the city, and one of the bridges crossing the Danube that connects Buda to Pest is named after her.

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Happy (nearly) New Year Ladies and Gentlemen! May 2013 find you and your families in good health and good sprits. I, myself, have spent the last week a bit under the weather but realized about halfway through my bout of illness that sleeping, reading, and eating was actually a fantastic vacation after all. I quickly got over my melancholia at being bedridden.

Tomorrow is a big day for me! My first ever novella, A SECRET PROPOSAL, will be released on 1/1/13 by St. Martin’s Press and I’m so excited to share this story with everyone. It’s the tale of Amelia Templeton. Amelia was introduced as a minor character in my debut novel, SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT, and in the novella, you finally get to find out what happened to her.

Amelia’s story is set against the backdrop of a Regency-era boxing saloon. I did a bit of research on the sport  to ensure that my premise was sound. The Regency did, in fact, have a great love of pugilism and pugilists, the most famous of the lot being John Jackson or “Gentleman Jack.” He owned and operated a boxing school of sorts from rented rooms on Bond Street and this is the inspiration for the boxing saloon operated by the hero of A SECRET PROPOSAL, Thaddeus Hammond. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is the day I’ve been dreaming of for eight years! THE TROUBLE WITH BEING WICKED is available in the US at all of the major e-tailers, and will soon be available at The Book Depository for those of you outside the US. I hope this is a story you fall in love with!

THE TROUBLE WITH BEING WICKED is my debut novel and the first book in my Naughty Girls series. The Naughty Girls is a six-book series set to be released over the next two years, and can be summarized as a double trilogy featuring three courtesans and three country hoydens who marry into the notorious Alexander family. These five charming Alexander rogues (and their deliciously starchy neighbor) give my girls six excellent reasons for behaving badly. Read the rest of this entry »

Hooray! This week is such a happy time in my house. I’m proud to announce the birth, er, debut of my Regency romance novel, Secrets of a Wedding Night.

Ever see a book dressed up like a baby? You’re about to!

Ok, so here she is. My baby, I mean, book. Humor me, people, I’ve got no actual kids.

Her birthday is tomorrow, 9/25/12.  Her name is Secrets of a Wedding Night, I call her SOWN for short and she was a twinkle in my eye back on June 3, 2007 when I started typing my very first story.

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Find a cool bit of shade on the terrace, Dear Readers, and ring for a glass of lemonade. We extend a warm Duchess welcome to Her Grace Heather Snow today. You will not wish to miss the pictures of her lovely library, nor the chance to win a copy of her latest novel, SWEET DECEPTION.

Heather burst upon the historical romance scene earlier this year with the release of her debut, SWEET ENEMY. RT Bookreviews says “newcomer Snow makes a mark on the genre” and BookPage boasts “Readers will be delighted to add Ms. Snow to their list of must-read authors.”

Not to be outdone by the glowing reception of her first book, SWEET DECEPTION is garnering stellar reviews of its own. The Reading Reviewer writes ”Heather Snow is a genius with plot, characters, and intricate information. Readers must embrace the magic that is the romance of her words, and appreciate the brilliance of her ability to write a mystery no one can figure out.” Read the rest of this entry »

Today I am so pleased to welcome honorary Duchess Mary Jo Putney.

A New York Times bestselling author, Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition with no known cure.  Her entire writing career is an accidental byproduct of buying a computer for other purposes.  Most of her books contain history, romance, and cats.  Her current releases are No Longer a Gentleman, fourth in her Lost Lords series.  April also saw the reissue of The Rake, her classic, RITA winning story of alcoholism and recovery.  Her third young adult paranormal historical written as M. J. Putney, Dark Destiny,will be released in July.

SW:  Thank you so much for joining us today, Mary Jo. We’re honored to have you and since I have the same reading addiction you suffer  from, I can’t wait to hear more about your newest releases.  

MJP:  I have two books in that category!  No Longer a Gentleman is fourth in my Lost Lords historical romance series.  The hero, Grey Sommers, Lord Wyndham, never met a predicament he couldn’t charm his way out of until recklessness condemns him to a decade in a dungeon. Read the rest of this entry »

The Duchesses are thrilled to receive Regency Author Bronwen Evans for what promises to be a delightful morning call.

Last year, Bronwen made her debut with Invitation to Ruin, an eloquently and expressively written book I adored. I wasn’t the only one. Invitation to Ruin was given a coveted 4.5 star review by Romantic Times Book Reviews and nominated for Best First Historical by RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards.

Duchess Wendy: Welcome, Duchess Bronwen. Tell us a little about your latest releases.

Duchess Bronwyn Evans: Thanks for having me here today, ladies. I’ve had a few releases in the last two months. May 2012 saw the release of my second Regency romance with Kensington Brava, Invitation to Scandal.

Invitation to Scandal is the story about love and honor and what happens when a man has to choose between the two. Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore’s late father was accused of treason and so Rufus lives his life focused on atoning for his father’s sin, while trying to restore his family’s honor.  He hides his true self from the world in order to gain approval for his mother and sister.  He sees the world in black and white. So, when he finally falls in love, what happens when he’s forced to choose between the woman he loves and clearing his father’s name?

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