#Interview #QandA By Lou with #author of Conveniently Married To A Laird By Jeanine Englert @JeanineWrites @HarlequinBooks @MillsandBoon @rararesources #RomanticFiction #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalFiction

Conveniently Married To A Laird
By Jeanine Englert
Interview/Q&A conducted by Louise (Lou) Bookmarks and Stages blog

Today I have the great pleasure to share with you, an interview with the author of Conveniently Married To A Laird – Jeanine Englert, published by Harlequin, Mills & Boon as part of the blog tour by Rachel Random Tours. Discover more about Jeanine Englert’s inspiration and more as I probe into the darker themes, history and characters within Conveniently Wed to the Laird. Find out why book she is reading, one is which I reviewed and enjoyed… First, take a look the romance oozing from the cover. Discover if all will be as it seems in the eye-catching blurb (no spoilers though). Then, you’ll be all ready for the fascinating interview I have conducted and have ready to present to you, just after the short blurb.

Conveniently Wed to the Laird

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Without further ado, onto the interview.

1. Who or what inspired you to write?

I have been writing since I was 8 years old. It was mostly poetry until I went to get my master’s degree in writing that I expanded into short stories and later novels. My first novel took me 11 years to complete and will never see the light of day, as it is horrendous. To quote Karina Gioertz: “I write because in the end it’s the only thing I don’t know how not to do.”

What inspired you to write Historical Romance and set it in Scotland, showing not only a bit of the class system, but also the selling of people, in this case, a wife in the Grassmarket, whom you have Ewan Stewart coming across and how and where did you research this?

I have always loved reading historical romance. Some of my early favourite historical romance authors were Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught.

I fell in love with Scotland when I studied abroad in England for a semester when I was in college. One weekend in late November, we took a train to Inverness and stayed the weekend. It was a magical experience that I often draw upon when I write my books set in the Highlands.

Much of my research is done from reading books, finding historical articles or letters online, exploring maps, as well as watching modern day videos on YouTube of the places my books are set in since I can’t visit. Having digital access to so many historical documents online has really helped my process.

Conveniently Wed to A Laird is darker than the title suggests, with flashbacks of losing a loved one and references to abuse from a previous husband and foster parent, how did that feel writing about such deep, dark topics and did you do anything after writing them to be in the next moment of your life outside writing?

I think I am naturally drawn to write about these topics based on my original desire and hope to be a social worker and the experiences I had during internships working with survivors of abuse. I suppose I don’t even think of them as dark or deep, but merely part of our society.

I also tend to write in the early hours of the morning before I go to work, so it is quite easy to jump back into my day. As a teacher, I am always busy, on the move, and in the moment when I am at school.

The characters Ewan Stewart and Catriona marry out of convenience to save the Stewart clan, before their romance evolves. Do you think this was commonplace and what inspired you to take this particular angle?

Marriage of convenience is such a uniquely historical trope that I am often drawn to it. The idea of marrying someone out of necessity or convenience rather than love has always interested me. And while I don’t think such marriages were entirely commonplace at the time, I do believe they were at times necessary for both parties involved. I also believe it served Ewan and Catriona’s characters well as they were both disappointed by their past experiences with love and reluctant to the idea of marriage.

What’s next for you, in terms of writing?

I’m currently editing book 1 in The Secrets of Clan Cameron series for Harlequin/Mills & Boon which is titled A Laird without a Past. It will be out in late July of 2023. I am also starting to draft book 2 in that same series.

Are you reading anything at the moment and if so, what?

I just finished Lenora Worth’s Deadly Holiday Reunion as I always love a good suspense, and I’ll be starting The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston next.

#Interview #QA By Lou with @kathylwheeler, an author of Gaming Hell Christmas Vol 2 @rararesources #BlogTour #Regency #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalFiction #Christmas #ChristmasRead

Interview/Q&A with Kathy L. Wheeler about her and Amanda Cabe’s book Gaming Hell Christmas (vol.2)
Conducted by Louise Cannon (Lou) – Bookmarks and Stages

Recently I had the great pleasure of conducting an interview/Q&A session with Kathy L. Wheeler, an author of Gaming Hell Christmas, volume two. There are 2 mysteries set in fashionable Regency, London, one by Amanda Cabe, the other by Kathy L. Wheeler.
Readers, after discovering the blurb, can find out from Kathy herself, what to expect from the book, her inspiration and find out whether she would live in the regency period or not, rule breaking and Christmas, all in 6 questions and answers. Her answers are illuminating and there’s no holding back…
Thanks first to Kathy L. Wheeler for taking part and allowing me to interview you for my blog and as part of Rachel’s Random Resources blog tour, to whom I thank for inviting me on to close the blog tour.
Without further ado, onto discover the delights of the book and what was said by the author…

GAMING HELL CHRISTMAS – VOLUME 2: Mysteries abound at London’s most fashionable Hell.

The Thief Who Stole Christmas – Amanda McCabe
A man who has never broken the rules, and a woman who just might break his heart! But Christmas is always a time for second chances…

As one of Miss Greensley’s Girls, a member of the exclusive club la Sous Rose, and famous author Lady L, Victoria Lanford moves easily through Society ballrooms. Few people know how her unhappy childhood and anxiety led her to pickpocketing (yet, she did return the jewels)! When she comes face-to-face with old flame Rhys Neville, Earl of Hammond, she knows the kind-hearted, straight-laced, devilishly handsome lord is not for her—especially once the past comes back to haunt them. Why, then, can’t she stop thinking about their kisses?

The Kerse Who Saved Christmas – Kathy L Wheeler
Kerse: He, of the no nonsense approach, is stymied by She, a woman considered long past prime marriageability who needs a keeper more than he requires a wife. Yet the dreamy-eyed, impractical, and much too optimistic Philomena still manages to steal his heart despite her unrealistic beliefs and trust in fortune tellers.

What can readers expect from your book?

Readers can expect a fun group of characters who attended school together from a young age.
Each young woman is her own person and craves their own independence and love story, which Amanda and I strive to provide.

You have a man who has never broken the rules before. If you were to break a rule, what would it be and why?
This is an easy question for us in the twenty-first century compared to the 18^th and 19^th centuries where things were much more stringent for women. Even men were held to a higher standard. I think those of us who write historical romance are always having our characters “break the rules”. It’s just a matter of degree and what they do when they get caught.

Your book is historical romance? What is your favourite time period to write about it and would you want to live in it yourself?
I love writing the Regency era romance. Would I want to live in that period? Hell, no. Not without a ton of money and great resources to good water and decent medical care.

Who inspired you to write?
I think I was mostly inspired to write by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I’m a huge NFL fan and she wrote the Chicago Stars series. I once met her and asked if she watched (like me). Her answer was a resounding no! I was shocked! And thought, yeah, I could write. Of course, she is miles beyond me, above me, etc. etc.

5. What research into historical exclusive clubs did you need to do and have you ever been to one in present times?

Mostly, it comes from reading the period. It was a fun idea we came up with. Nothing about La Sous Rose would be legit in the period, but it was still fun.

6. How do you like to celebrate Christmas?

My husband and I moved to Western Washington about six years ago. We would spend Christmas at his family’s, but they were real big on my family attending when they were in town—sad but true. Since we’ve moved to Washington, we spend the holidays with my family where there are always extra people to be found.

Happy Holidays!

Kathy L Wheeler

#Author #Interview Conducted By Lou for The Gentleman of Holly Street By Lotte R. James @lottejamesbooks @HarlequinBooks @rararesources #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #Christmas #ChristmasReads

The Gentleman of Holly Street
By Lotte R. James

Today I am delighted to be closing the blog tour with an interview session with Lotte R. James about her new historical fiction book – The Gentleman of Holly Street. Discover why she writes in this genre, but not always, the inspiration to themes and the rags to riches tale of her book, what’s coming next and more in 5 questions. I thank Lotte R. James, Mills and Boon and Rachel Random Resources for this opportunity. Without further ado, follow down to the blurb and then the interview.

Will this Christmas…
Change Their Lives Again…

When self-made gentleman Freddie Walton rescued penniless Philomena Nichols at Christmas eight years ago, he never imagined that he would build his empire with her. Yet whilst they have created a life together as friends, Freddie can’t let their special connection become more than that. Not when his dangerous past continues to haunt him… But what happens when Freddie’s feelings for Philomena also refuse to stay hidden?

Welcome to my blog Lotte. Thank you for agreeing to take part in a Q&A session with me about your book and what’s next for you.

What inspired you to write Historical Romance and choose Mills and Boon as your publisher, or did they choose you?

I’ve always loved history, and I think that prompted my interest as a reader in Historical Romance. From there, it was really just wanting to write something in the genre that I loved so much. I did write my debut with Harlequin/Mills & Boon specifically with the Historical line in mind, as it was a literal dream to be part of that collection of incredible authors. It went through quite a few revisions and rewrites, but then I was lucky enough to get the call!

You chose to work with some fairly strong themes – Anxiety, Houselessness, Childhood trauma, Mild violence, Mention of suicidal ideation. What inspired you to write about them?

I think all my books feature fairly strong themes to be honest. Merely because we face some very difficult things in life, and it’s important to me to represent that in what I write. I don’t believe all art should be a mirror of reality, don’t get me wrong, but I do feel that I am, and always have been, personally drawn to exploring the grey areas, of people, and of life. To exploring the challenges we all face, and I think to an extent, showing just how incredible humans are.

What sort of empire does your main character – Freddie build up and what inspires you to a rags to riches story?

Freddie builds up a sustainable and ethical shipping empire. I’ve always loved rags-to-riches stories myself, and I think that’s why subconsciously, when I first introduced Freddie in The Housekeeper of Thornhallow Hall, I introduced him as a self-made man. Throughout history, you have incredible stories of people who succeeded – in a myriad of ways, I don’t mean success here to be merely financial – by being at the forefront of change, and I think that’s an aspect I am often drawn to as well. People who have the vision to make change happen.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to write in the Historical Fiction genre?

Be passionate about the period you want to write in, and of course, about the genre itself. It isn’t merely about loving old-time clothes, or more polite ways of courting. It’s about finding why you have to write Historical, rather than any other genre; what you want to say, and represent.

What book are you currently reading and are you working on a new book?

I’m currently reading Rogue by Jennifer Bernard – which I’m enjoying very much so far – and yes, I am always working on a new book. Currently, I am juggling three main projects – one Historical and two Contemporary – because my brain will not let me stop… Though I haven’t started my next Harlequin/Mills & Boon yet – that will likely be how I start off 2023!

About the Author

Lotte James trained as an actor and theatre director, but spent most of her life working day jobs crunching numbers whilst dreaming up stories of love and adventure. She’s thrilled to finally be writing those stories, and when she’s not scribbling on tiny pieces of paper, she can usually be found wandering the countryside for inspiration, or nestling with coffee and a book.

#Review By Lou of The Echoes of Love By Jenny Ashcroft @Jenny_Ashcroft @HQstories #HistoricalFiction #WartimeFiction #WW2 #1970s #1930s #1940s #RomanticFiction

The Echoes of Love
By Jenny Ashcroft

Echoes of Love is a historical fiction novel that transports readers between the mid to late 1930’s to the 1940’s and then to 1970’s. It takes readers into the depths of love and war and how it reverberates years later. It’s a book I highly recommend. Find out more in the blurb and my thoughts in my review below. I also thank HQ Stories for the book and extra gifts of delicious Baklava.

Blurb

Under the Cretan sun, in the summer of 1936, two young people fall in love…

Eleni has been coming to Crete her entire life, swapping her English home for cherished sun-baked summers with her grandfather in his idyllic shoreside villa. When she arrives in 1936, she believes the long, hot weeks ahead will be no different to so many that have gone before.

But someone else is visiting the island that year too: a young German man called Otto. And so begins a summer of innocence lost, and love discovered; one that is finite, but not the end.

When, in 1941, the island falls to a Nazi invasion, Eleni and Otto meet there once more. But this time Eleni has returned to fight for her home, and Otto to occupy it. They are enemies, and their love is not only treacherous, but also dangerous. But will it destroy them, or prove strong enough to overcome the ravages of war?

An epic tale of secrets, love, loyalty, family and how far you’d go to keep those you love safe, The Echoes of Love is an exquisite and deeply moving love letter to Crete – one that will move every reader to tears.

Review

Beginning with a transcript in 1974 about Eleni Adams at Broadcasting House. It is an interesting way to start and leads back to the events in 1936, Crete, with the transcript intercepting the main story, giving extra insights. A dangerous time and not far off the cusp of war as Hitler is on the march and the likes of Punch Magazine depicting the road to war in satirical cartoons and trips through Italy with Mussolini in charge have to be made. The book is set between Portsmouth in the UK and Crete, a Greek island. There’s almost an innocence of how this time must have been, against the ensuing darkness that looms, with Hitler being more in the news reels and then an innocent kitten being around and the emotion surrounding that. The characters do enter war times and everything changes as he begins his invasions and what he thinks of the Jews and of Jazz and Swing music.
It, however, never loses sight of it being a war-time story of love and how things change and how it is remembered. Not everything where love is concerned is simple as the book slips through the three very different time eras with great fluidity.

The book is poignant with the reverberations of love and atrocities of war and what the German Nazis had created can be felt deeply and yet it has beautiful writing that has a truth, and yet a softness and not a coarseness surrounding all the events of the day and the people affected in so many different ways.

At the end is an author’s note about how the book was, in part inspired by her own family and about Crete and more… This is a book I highly recommend you lose yourself in.

#Bookreview by Lou When The Earth Stood Still by Kate Eastham @eastham_kate @bookouture #HistoricalFiction

When The Earth Stood Still
By Kate Eastham
Rated: 5 stars *****

A tremendous historical fiction book that fits in perfectly for these present times…
When The Earth Stood Still will show human strength, make you cry and a smile a bit too.
Follow onto the blurb and my review below that and find out where and how you can purchase such an emotionally driven book that yet shows glimmers of hope…
Firstly find out more about the author, blurb and then review and follow onto who else is on this tour…
Thanks to Sarah Hardy and the publishers – Bookouture for inviting me on this first day of the blog tour and for the book.

About the author

A change in circumstance meant Kate Eastham made the shift from a career in nursing to being a carer for her partner. Determined to make the most of this new role ‘working from home’ and inspired by an in-depth study of the origins of nursing, she wrote her first novel at the kitchen table. Miss Nightingale’s Nurses was published by Penguin in 2018, closely followed by three more in the series. With her passion for history, Kate aims to make visible the lives of ordinary yet extraordinary women from the past. Her current historical fiction is set during the World Wars and will be published by Bookouture.

https://twitter.com/eastham_kate

Blurb

The nurses were putting in twelve-hour shifts now, day and night. Emily felt broken inside, dried out, not even capable of tears. They were short-staffed after a softly spoken Irish nurse, who’d only been with them for four days, had died from the deadly flu and two more had fallen ill. And more patients were coming in every hour, though the hospital beds were already full…

1918. Twenty-year-old Emily Burdon has been training as a nurse in London, learning on the job as she tends to patients from the crowded poorhouses that ring the hospital as well as wounded soldiers returning from the war. She pours her heart into her nursing while she waits for happier times – peace in Europe and the return of her childhood sweetheart Lewis from the Western Front.

But when the deadly Spanish Flu arrives in London on the heels of the war, Emily’s faith and courage are put to the test. All around her men and women in the prime of their lives are wasting away, and until a cure is found there is nothing for Emily and her colleagues to do except make them comfortable, treat them as best they can… and, eventually, ease the pain of their passing.

But then Lewis catches the deadly flu himself on his way back home, just as a new doctor is transferred to head up Emily’s ward. From the distant land of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Dr James Cantor is the first of a generations-old farming family to have left the island, and wartime London feels a long way away from the rugged beauty of his homeland. But despite their differences, he and Emily find common ground in their passion for helping patients and stopping the spread of the disease. But with life forever changed around her and Lewis’ future hanging by a thread, can Emily survive the most terrible epidemic in the history with her life – and heart – intact?

A heartbreaking historical novel based on true history – emotional and unforgettable. Perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, The Beantown Girls and Diney Costeloe.

Review

The Spanish Flu was absolutely devastating as is Covid-19 today. It makes me think of what we are living today and how much worse it would be, living in the times of Spanish Flu (no technology and even less medical know-how and equipment). It’s a rather timely historical fiction book, that deals with such a subject matter well and takes it seriously and yet provides a gripping read with character’s lives you can care about, in particular Emily’s life.

It is an emotional read that tells a story relevant of that time and any time of a pandemic. It’s about having passion, perseverance and carrying on, even in the toughest times, even when a loved one is hit by it and you feel almost broken like Emily. It shows how lives change quite dramatically and it’s dealt with in a realistic manner, with a certain strength of character. There is wonderful strength of friendship and comaraderie amongst some of the staff too, that has tremendous care and compassion within it. There is the care of the patients and what is happening to the soldiers as well, who were in service. It’s a well plotted book that has heart and soul within it, even in the toughest of times that the characters are all living through.

This book, although set within historic times, serves well for people living today and shows how people can be in their manner. It also reminds people too of the Spanish Flu pandemic and gives hope too and that people do come through it and it was even tougher then, so it is thought-provoking for today’s generations and I come at this, having lost someone to Covid-19 and working in another keyworking sector.

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2ZkWWn7

A Ration Book Wedding By Jean Fullerton reviewers agree #arationbookwedding is #5stars all the way. #ARationBookWedding #review @AtlanticBooks @CorvusBooks #HistoricalRomance #WW2 #EastEnd #London #nostalgia #saga #NewRelease #blitzspirit #familyseries #HistFic #RationBookSeries amzn.to/2RFkaRw

A Ration Book Wedding
By Jean Fullerton

Today I am on a blog tour for Jean Fullerton, thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources book tours. Today I present some info about A Ration Book Wedding. A book that early reviewers have been rating highly and simply have a lot of love for.

About the Author

Rationbook wedding Portrait_Jean-1022 RNA resized Jean Fullerton is the author of thirteen novels all set in East London where she was born. She also a retired district nurse and university lecturer. She won the Harry Bowling prise in 2006 and after initially signing for two East London historical series with Orion she moved to Corvus, part of Atlantic Publishing and is halfway through her WW2 East London series featuring the Brogan family.

Social Media Links –

Website: http://jeanfullerton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jean-Fullerton-202631736433230/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @JeanFullerton_

rationwedding2 pic

Blurb

A Ration Book Wedding

Because in the darkest days of the Blitz, love is more important than ever.

It’s February 1942 and the Americans have finally joined Britain and its allies. Meanwhile, twenty-three-year-old Francesca Fabrino, like thousands of other women, is doing her bit for the war effort in a factory in East London. But her thoughts are constantly occupied by her unrequited love for Charlie Brogan, who has recently married a woman of questionable reputation, before being shipped out to North Africa with the Eighth Army.

When Francesca starts a new job as an Italian translator for the BBC Overseas Department, she meets handsome Count Leonardo D’Angelo. Just as Francesca has begun to put her hopeless love for Charlie to one side and embrace the affections of this charming and impressive man, Charlie returns from the front, his marriage in ruins and his heart burning for Francesca at last. Could she, a good Catholic girl, countenance an illicit affair with the man she has always longed for? Or should she choose a different, less dangerous path?

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ration-Book-Wedding-Perfect-Gibson-ebook/dp/B081DDLWQD

US – https://www.amazon.com/Ration-Book-Wedding-Perfect-Gibson-ebook/dp/B081DDLWQD

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