Author Interview; A Chat With….Heather King

I have the greatest pleasure of chatting with best selling author, Heather King. Author of A Sense of the Ridiculous, Devil’s Hoof and one of the authors of the fantastic Heart of a Hero Series. So get your cuppa, take a seat and lets get to know a little more about Heather.

A confessed romantic and bookworm, Heather King has always made up stories. Discovering Georgette Heyer’s Regency novels began a lifelong love of the era, although she enjoys well-written books from other times too. Heather’s stories are traditional romps – light-hearted and witty, with bags of emotion. You walk with her characters through the world they inhabit. She also writes Paranormal Shape Shifter romance.

Visiting her Dark Side as Vandalia Black, she wrote Vampires Don’t Drink Coffee and Other Stories which includes a novella set during the English Civil War.

When not looking after her two hairy ponies, three cats and boisterous Staffie X, or frowning over keypad or notebook, she likes nothing better than taking long walks and curling up with a good book.

Frankie Hi Heather, Welcome to Chicks, Rogues and Scandals! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today.

Firstly what five words would you use to describe yourself?

Heather Persevering (it sounds better than stubborn), loyal, considerate, protective, honest. I could add boring, tea-dog-and-horse-loving windbag, but that wouldn’t sound as good… and it’s more than five words!

Frankie LOL! Brilliant, If you could live in any era and place, when and where would it be? and why?

Heather Oh, golly. I’m pretty happy where I am. I would love the quieter pace of life; the elegance, the courtesy and respect, the furnishings and carriages of the Regency, but I don’t think I would like to live there, not even for men in breeches and neckcloths! I like my creature comforts and modern appliances too much. I also like modern jodhpurs!

If I had to choose, I would be a squire’s daughter, perhaps, like Jocasta in my novel A Sense of the Ridiculous, who is not hedged about by strict rules and pretty much does as she pleases. She also has a beautiful grey hunter, who leads her to her hero, the knee-meltingly gorgeous Richard.

Frankie I love the sound of that, Who was your childhood hero?

Heather After Champion the Wonder Horse, you mean? Sad child that I was, there were various fictional heroes, usually good looking actors! Although a legend, I devoured anything I could find about Robin Hood… can you tell I spent a lot of time in a dream world? Ahem; still do, for that matter.

My real-life hero will always be my Mum. She worked so hard throughout my childhood and was always there for us.

Frankie Aww, lovely! What is your favourite time of the year?

Heather It’s a tie between spring and autumn. I love the world coming to life after winter, the warming of the weather (perhaps), the blossom, bright blue skies (maybe) and lambs in the fields – the usual clichés. However, although it means the onset of winter, I love a crisp autumn day with leaves crunching underfoot and being able to take a long walk without melting into a puddle of sweat at the end of it. I love the autumn colours and that tingle of pleasure in the veins when you exhale a cloud of breath into a bright October or November morning.

Frankie Out of all your work, who is your favourite character and why?

Heather Ooh… puffs out cheeks. Whichever one I am writing at the time usually takes pride of place, but I have a very soft spot for Richard in A Sense of the Ridiculous and also my hero in my paranormal romance, Devil’s Hoof. Matt is a soldier, struggling to make sense of life after war and also battling a disease more usually associated with horses. Furthermore, he has a family secret which threatens to put everyone he loves in danger. He is a sexy Alpha male with a heart of gold and is just waiting for the right woman with whom to rebuild his life.

Frankie Now he sounds fabulous, where does your inspiration for your books come from?

Heather All over the place! My mother’s favourite story came about through a snippet of information about the Prince Regent she found in a country magazine. Other times, inspiration has come from an overheard conversation, a picture, a line of prose or a poem, something which has happened to me (that was the case with Ridiculous), a tiny piece of historical fact (Copenhagen’s Last Charge came from a little-known gem I discovered about the Duke of Wellington’s horse). Even smells can trigger creativity!

Frankie What three tips would you pass on to an aspiring author?

Heather Read as much as you can, especially about your proposed subject or era. This is particularly important for historical works. An author needs to be able in immerse him or herself in the era: clothes, foods, décor, fabrics, furnishings etc. and above all, dialogue.

Write, write, write. Keep on writing. Write every day, even if only for a few minutes. You have to develop your ‘writing muscle’, as it were. Something will grow from it, even from only five minutes a day. Write, even if you think it’s rubbish. Out of the fustian there will be a single thread of gold you can develop.

Carry a notebook with you everywhere. Record smells, flowers at different seasons, birds, snippets of conversations, buildings, people, way of speech… EVERYTHING!

Frankie If you were hosting a dinner party, what three people would you invite? (They can be real/fictional, from any era)

Heather Hugh Jackman, Richard Armitage and Colin O’Donaghue, she says at once, waggling eyebrows.

Seriously, I would love to chat with Jane Austen about real life in the Regency. I would also love to be a fly on the wall to a conversation between the great French riding master, Francois Robichon de la Guerinière and our own British King of Dressage, Carl Hester. That would be fascinating! De la Guerinière earned recognition as a rider and instructor at the renowned Riding Academy of Paris, became Director of Manège at the Tuileries and invented the unrivalled suppling school movements of shoulder-in, renvers and travers (head or tail to the wall). His aim, through systematic training, was to produce a horse which was calm, supple, obedient and pleasurable to ride. Carl Hester also follows these classical precepts and is the force behind the Dressage Super Horse, Valegro. He is also a thoroughly nice chap who unstintingly gives his time to support lesser riders and his fans.

Frankie That is a dinner party I would love to attend, Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today. I have just one more cheeky question, just for fun…

What is your all-time favourite naughty but nice food?

Heather The easy answer is chocolate… but the truth is it changes as my tastes change. I adore raspberries and don’t buy them very often because you get so few for your money. Raspberries in a meringue nest, with ice cream and cream… scrummy yummy! And then I also adore chocolate fudge, shortbread, Victoria sponge cake, egg and chips, bangers and mash… the list goes on. Oink.

Yumm! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me, its been a pleasure.

💜💜💜

The Missing Duke

When his father dies, Lord Adam Bateman refuses to succeed to the dukedom which rightly belongs to his missing elder brother. Whilst performing secret and sensitive missions for the Duke of Wellington, he continues his efforts to find his twin. The search has become Adam’s all-consuming passion, leaving no time for affairs of the heart.

Miss Lucy Mercier is also seeking answers. Her father, a tailor, had been used to make hot air balloons for various noble patrons, including Lord Adam’s sire. Believing the deceased Duke of Wardley had been involved in her papa’s failure to return from the Continent, she takes employment in Lord Adam’s household in order to discover the truth. Then she accompanies him on an important commission for the Allied Army, and finds herself having to guard against a growing attraction for a man she knows she can never have.

Are the two disappearances connected and will two heads prove better than one in the pursuit of answers? Will Adam and Lucy find true happiness together or will the past – and their different stations – rise to keep them apart?

Amazon UK
Amazon US

A Sense of the Ridiculous

When a prank goes wrong, headstrong squire’s daughter Jocasta Stanyon wakes up in the bedchamber of an inn with no memory of who she is. The inn is owned by widow Meg Cowley and her handsome son Richard, who proves to be more than a match for the unconventional Miss Stanyon.

Having enjoyed a carefree childhood, Jocasta has refused all offers for her hand in the hopes of one day finding a soul mate who shares her sense of the ridiculous. She is drawn to Richard, but their stations in life are far apart and despite prolonging her stay by devious means, the idyll cannot last. When, by chance, her brother Harry turns up at the Holly Tree Inn, Jocasta has no choice but to return home. She hopes to persuade her father of Richard’s qualities, but then she is summoned to receive the addresses of a fashionable stranger…

Amazon

Devil’s Hoof

Laminitis or fever of the feet is crippling for horses. What must it be like for a man?

Matthew Swift, Special Forces veteran of the Iraq wars and invalided out of the army following an act of heroism, is struggling to adjust to civilian life. Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he is a loose cannon ready to explode, beset by horrific flashbacks and images. If that were not enough, Matt has broken up with his girlfriend and his father is fighting a hostile takeover, in the process hiding a heart problem from his family.

Sparks fly when Matt meets alternative therapist Shani Stevens, but then they become stranded in Rhandor Forest by unprecedented storms and have no choice but to help each other.

Both have scars, yet slowly they learn to trust. Mutual sympathy and understanding soon grow into an abiding passion, but Matt has a secret he cannot reveal…
A powerful love story and a poignant insight into the equine psyche, with a bit of mystery and adventure thrown in, Devil’s Hoof will grab your heart.

Amazon

Copenhagen’s Last Charge

When Meg Lacy encounters a broodingly handsome Light Dragoon at the Duchess of Richmond’s grand ball, she little expects that in the hours following the Battle of Waterloo she will be accompanying him around the streets of Brussels. Romance is the last thing on her mind as they seek a lost and valuable item belonging to the Duke of Wellington himself.

Lieutenant James Cooper is surly and unhelpful, but Meg senses the Dragoon will need her help if they are to succeed. As they bicker their way around the narrow streets, a strange empathy begins to develop as gradually glimpses of the man beneath start to be revealed. Meg finds herself drawn to that person, but when they finally recover and then return the item to the Duke, Cooper makes a grave error of judgement which jeopardizes their budding friendship…

When Meg Lacy finds herself riding through the streets of Brussels only hours after the Battle of Waterloo, romance is the last thing on her mind, especially with surly Lieutenant James Cooper. However, their bickering uncovers a strange empathy – until, that is, the lieutenant makes a grave error of judgement which jeopardizes their budding friendship…

Amazon

If you want to find more about Heather and her work then check out the links below. Heather loves hearing from her readers so why not connect with her via social media.

Blog / Website / Facebook : Author Page / Facebook : Blog Page / Goodreads / Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Twitter

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A Chat With…Author Charlie Laidlaw

Today on Chick’s Rogue’s and Scandal’s I have the great pleasure of chatting with Charlie Laidlaw, author of Herbal Detective and The Things We Learn When We Are Dead. Have a seat and lets get to know a bit more about Charlie.

I was born in Paisley, central Scotland, which wasn’t my fault.  That week, Eddie Calvert with Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra were Top of the Pops, with Oh, Mein Papa, as sung by a young German woman remembering her once-famous clown father.  That gives a clue to my age, not my musical taste.

I was brought up in the west of Scotland (quite near Paisley, but thankfully not too close) and graduated from the University of Edinburgh.  I still have the scroll, but it’s in Latin, so it could say anything.

I then worked briefly as a street actor, baby photographer, puppeteer and restaurant dogsbody before becoming a journalist.  I started in Glasgow and ended up in London, covering news, features and politics.  I interviewed motorbike ace Barry Sheene, Noel Edmonds threatened me with legal action and, because of a bureaucratic muddle, I was ordered out of Greece.

I then took a year to travel round the world, visiting 19 countries.  Highlights included being threatened by a man with a gun in Dubai, being given an armed bodyguard by the PLO in Beirut (not the same person with a gun), and visiting Robert Louis Stevenson’s grave in Samoa.  What I did for the rest of the year I can’t quite remember.

Surprisingly, I was approached by a government agency to work in intelligence, which just shows how shoddy government recruitment was back then.  However, it turned out to be very boring and I don’t like vodka martini.

Craving excitement and adventure, I ended up as a PR consultant, which is the fate of all journalists who haven’t won a Pulitzer Prize, and I’ve still to listen to Oh, Mein Papa.

Frankie – Hi Charlie, Welcome to Chicks, Rogues and Scandals! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today, Firstly, what five words would you use to describe yourself?

Charlie – Relaxed, stressed, intelligent, stupid, confused.

Frankie – If you could live in any era and place, when and where would it be? And why?

Charlie – I would choose to live exactly where I am now, because I like it here. But, maybe, sometime into the future. I know what the past looks like, and I don’t want to go there. But the future is an unexplored country.

Frankie – Who was your childhood hero?

Charlie – James Bond.

Frankie – What is your favourite time of the year?

Charlie – Spring, because it’s full of promise.

Frankie – Out of all your work, who is your favourite character and why?

Charlie – I think that would be Lorna, the central character in my latest book, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead. All books involve resolving conflict, and hers is all inside her head – she’s idealistic but driven also by ambition. The book is all about her coming to terms with herself.

Frankie – Where does your inspiration for your books come from?

Charlie – I’ve absolutely no idea. The inspiration for this book came on a train journey from Edinburgh to London, which was apt as Edinburgh is the only city in the world to have named its main railway station after a book. When I got home, I write the first and last chapters. That first chapter has changed out of all recognition, but the last chapter is pretty much unchanged.

Frankie – Fascinating. What three tips would you pass on to an aspiring author?

Charlie – First, read everything you can in the genre you want to write in. If you don’t read, you can’t write.

Second, practice, practice and practice. Writing is like anything else: the more you do it, the better you become.

Third, don’t be put off by failure or rejection. Keep faith in yourself.

Frankie – Thank you, Charlie for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today, I have just one more cheeky question, just for fun . . . What is your all-time favourite naughty but nice food?

Charlie -Chocolate croissants.

Thank you again for taking the time to chat with me today.

💚💚💚

The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is a modern fairytale of love and loss.  It’s about the subtle ways in which we change, and how the small decisions that we make can have profound and unintended consequences.

On one level, the book is a simple story of a young woman’s life.  But, for those readers who want to make the connection, The Things We Learn is also a retelling of The Wizard of Oz: how a young woman in ultimately tragic circumstances comes to reassess her life and find a new beginning.

 

Charlie’s first novel, written under the name, Charles Gray

Rosie McLeod, pub proprietor and a gifted herbalist of some renown, is thirty-nine and holding, but only just.  The talons of her fortieth birthday are in her back and her bloody, bloody husband hasn’t laid a lustful hand on her for months. She sets out to discover whether her husband is having an affair and, as the story unfolds, to solve a murder – before she becomes the next victim.

 

 

If you want to find out more about Charlie and his work then check out the links below.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon 

 

In The Spotlight – Bastards of London Series by Anabelle Bryant

I have a very special post, I have been a huge fan of Anabelle Bryant’s “Bastards of London” Series since beginning and today I wanted to share this wonderful Series with you all. This is such a fantastic series, the stories are different and fresh and the characters are like nothing else you will read, heroes that you will fall head over heels in love with, while at the same time you want wrap your arms around them and hug them. Heroines that are strong, independent and know exactly who they are and what they want and more importantly they are the only women who can tame these rogues.

So what is the “Bastards of London”? Simple it is three sinfully handsome, roguish men; Max, Cole and Luke who have all been born on the wrong side of the blanket and through sheer determination, intelligence and a uncanny skill to manipulate a gaming hell to their advantage these three best friends created the most exclusive of all of London’s gaming hells “The Underworld”. Here they are king’s, they answer to no one but their own volatile thoughts, here they are the well respected men that they should be in “Proper Society” but due to their birth they never get treated in any other way but with scorn and greed.

Welcome to The Underworld

“This new series takes the reader to the darker, more dangerous side of London. Into the streets of St. Giles, Seven Dials and Charing Cross, where three bastards form an alliance and create the most exclusive gaming hell, “The Underworld”. Though these gentlemen are surrounded by earls, viscounts and the like who squander their plentiful coin, Max, Cole and Luke are bastards, born on the wrong side of the blanket and each with a heavy secret…so the last thing they need in their lives is emotion or the threat of falling in love”

Book 1; THE DEN OF INIQUITY
Meet Max and Vivienne

Welcome to the most notorious address in London…
Beneath the airs and graces of the Ton lies The Underworld – London’s most scandalous gambling hall.

The only thing darker and more debauched that the hall itself? The proprietor, Max Sinclair. As mysterious as the corners of the city he stalks, Max has vowed to take revenge against the men who murdered his mother. And The Underworld attracts London’s darkest characters – the perfect partners in crime.

But when Lady Vivienne Beaumont enters The Underworld, Max’s life becomes more dangerous than he ever thought possible.Enter a world of lust, lawlessness and obsession with The Den of Iniquity, the first in Anabelle Bryant’s Bastards of London series.

Den of Iniquity is a smart, sexy and engaging Historical Romance, that is entwined with a compelling sub plot of vengeance and loss, the story just rolls along flawlessly there is no let up. The characters are fabulously developed, they jump off the page and demand attention, that keep you hooked right up to the very last page.

Its fun and witty and it just sizzles! Max and Vivienne are two of the most compelling characters you will find. Both have their own hidden past, both in need of love and both so sexually charged that when they are together the atmosphere changes to a sensual, smoulder and you know that you are going to have a lot of fun as they to and fro. She invokes a gentleness in him whereas he brings out the smoking hot vixen that is buried deep down.

Bryant has got The Underworld’s owners spot on, they are the perfect amount of viciousness, deadly charm and sensitivity. They really are lovable rogues they may want to come across as hard men but all three are so cute and lovable.

This is a marvellous start to a new series, and one that I am really looking forward to reading. It is flawless and I can’t wait to start book two; Into The Hall of Vise, featuring lovely Cole.

A thrilling and intriguing romance and one I highly recommend. ~ Chick’s Rogue’s and Scandal’s.

Book 2; Into the Hall of Vice
Meet Cole and Gemma

As joint owner of London’s most notorious gambling hall, The Underworld, Cole Hewitt spends his days surrounded by wealth – and looks every inch the debonair. But, unknown to most, he was born a bastard – and knows better than anyone the fine line between the elite and the slums.

When he falls for the beautiful Lady Gemma Amberson, sister to the Duke of Kent, Cole knows that his past means he will never be considered worthy of her. But Cole has no intention of being cast aside again.

However Cole’s attraction to Gemma hasn’t gone unnoticed – and there are those who wish to thwart his plans, for the darkest of reasons. Cole may be used to getting his own way. But the question is: how far will he go to get it?

I think Bryant has done a marvellous job with these two, matching the suave, poetry reading charmer who was born on the wrong side of the sheets with the aristocratic daughter of a mighty Duke is a stroke of genius. It’s very Romeo and Juliet!

Now, I adored Max Sinclair from the first book, but I have to say Cole has inched his way past. He is a sensitive, tender and highly protective man, who treats everyone equally from the lowest street urchin right up to Rosalinde, if they are good people then they are blessed with Cole Hewitt’s love but just don’t get on the wrong side of him.

Just as with the first book, Into The Hall of Vise is an edge of your seat thrilling romp. It is so sexy, the chemistry between Cole and Gemma just sizzles right off the page, they are a fascinating couple and I love them to bits, the way their lives and personal stories entwine together to create a fabulously charming, intricate and fast paced story is a triumph.

I am really getting into The Bastards of London and yet again I am looking forward to reading the next instalment.

A hugely enjoyable, sophisticated Historical Romance and I cannot recommend it enough. ~ Chick’s Rogue’s and Scandal’s

Book 3; The Last Gamble
Meet Luke and Georgina

As one of the owners of London’s most infamous and scandalous gambling hall, The Underworld, Luke Reese looks like a man who has it all. But underneath his swagger lies a pain which no amount of liquor, women or card games can ease. Because, nine months ago, Luke’s son was stolen by his half-brother, Lord Dursley.

Luke knows the agony of growing up without a family, and he will not allow his son to suffer the same fate. So when evidence leads him to Coventry and a mysterious governess named Georgina, Luke doesn’t hesitate in tracking her down.

But nothing is ever as simple as it seems in the London ton. And soon, Luke is facing his most dangerous gamble yet. Dare he risk losing his heart to find his son?

This series caught my attention from day one and it’s gone from strength to strength, Bryant has yet again created an entertaining, thrilling and sensuously attractive story. The thing that does set this one apart from the others has to be Luke, we have had snippets of this shadowy man’s turmoil in the previous two books “The Den of Iniquity” and “Into The Hall of Vice” and to finally get to see his story unfold and see his Happy Ever After is very satisfying.

I cannot say how much I enjoyed this one and I am so pleased that Bryant is taking this series further with book four, I can’t wait to see in which direction she is going to take this wonderful series in.

Simply perfect! ~ Chick’s Rogue’s and Scandal’s

About Anabelle Bryant

Anabelle began reading at age three and never stopped. Her passion for reading soon turned into a passion for writing and an author was born.

Happy to grab a suitcase if it ensures a new adventure, Anabelle finds endless inspiration in travel, especially imaginary jaunts into Regency England, a far cry from her home in New Jersey. Instead, her clever characters live out her daydreams because really, who wouldn’t want to dance with a handsome duke or kiss a wicked earl?

Though teaching keeps her grounded, photography, running and writing, counterbalance her wanderlust. Often found with her nose in a book, Anabelle earned her Master’s Degree and is completing her Doctorate Degree in education. Thrilled to be an author for Harlequin’s Carina line, Anabelle’s historical romances are character driven. She strives to provide a heartfelt connection between her hero, heroine, and the reader, believing the emotional journey on the path to true love is the most important bond. Clever secondary characters and lively conversation keep the pages turning.

Anabelle knows sometimes life doesn’t provide a happily ever after, but her novels always do.

Anabelle loves hearing from her readers so why not drop her a line, follow her on social Media and check out her website for all information on her work. (Links Below)

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon / Goodreads 

 

New Review – Scandal and Miss Markham (Beauchamps Betrophal’s #2) by Janice Preston

A scandalous journey…

Glassmaker’s daughter Thea Markham is devastated when her brother Daniel goes missing. Then a mysterious lord turns up asking questions about Daniel and offers to find him. Unsure she can trust the handsome peer, Thea dresses up as a boy and follows him!

Lord Vernon Beauchamp feels his life lacks direction. Meeting Thea gives him a renewed purpose. And when they are thrown together on their scandalous adventure, friendship soon gives way to desire…

My View

This is book two in “The Beauchamp Betrothals” the new series by the talented Ms Preston and it is a doozy this time we are getting to know the roguish and charming Vernon, younger brother to Leo Beauchamp from book one. Preston has come out with a real winner with this one and it has definitely become my favourite book out of her work.

Dorothea or Thea (isn’t that a gorgeous name?) Markham’s brother Daniel has gone missing, it isn’t like her brother to just do a bunk without telling her. They have been inseparable since their father had his stroke, they have had to single-handedly run the family glass-making business. Thea has this suspicion that something must have happened to him other-wise he would have come back, and she is desperate to find him but there is a problem she doesn’t want word to get back to her parents about Daniel’s disappearance, her father isn’t well enough and her mother still hasn’t forgiven her for what happened all those years ago that resulted in her father’s stroke.

So how on earth does she find her brother? Right on cue, the answer to her problem turn’s up or should that be adding extra problems!

He was a handsome aristocrat, experienced in the art of flirtation and accustomed to having his own way…well, he would soon find she was too shrewd to allow weasel words and admiring glances to fool her….

Vernon’s brother the Duke received a letter from Daniel Markham which was full of intrigue and not a lot else, and it also mentioned that him and the Beauchamp’s cousin are embroiled in something to find out what the hell is going on Vernon sets out to confront the young buck. So, he sets out to the Markham’s cottage only to find that on arriving he finds only Markham’s insanely intelligent and beautiful sister Thea.

Vernon has never met anyone – especially as young woman to be as plucky and down-right irritating as Thea, she gets under his skin with just a scathing look she tells him in no uncertain terms that she hates him and his kind. He is mesmerized by her intelligence and her vulnerability even as she is cutting him with an icy stare that could fell a forest.

He finds that Thea is there running things single-handedly the business, her father’s ill health and her mother – well she really doesn’t like Thea, she blames her daughter for everything that has happened. Vernon see’s for himself how Thea’s cold fish of a mother treat’s her daughter he see’s how she resents Thea in just one glance. He is instantly drawn to her, he want’s to help this little spitfire and he agrees to look for her brother for her.

She put him in mind of a cornered kitten, fur fluffed up and claws out, ready for a fight.
‘There is no need to stand every time I do,’ she said, placing her fists on the desk and leaning on them. ‘I am not one of your fine ladies, ready to take affront at imagined slights.’
‘Maybe you are not,’ Vernon said, quashing down the laugh that tickled his throat. That really would infuriate her. ‘But I, you see, am a gentleman. And I therefore stand when a lady does. Whether she considers herself a lady or no. And taking affront, I quite see that particular emotion is alien to your sunny nature.’

Vernon is an interesting man and, yes we have met him before in the previous book and he had always come across as a rake, but I see so much more to him that. You see that his behaviour is just a cover, a mask so to speak to hide his unsettled mind. Being the so-called “spare to the heir” he feels like no one needs him and he wants to be useful and he wants to be able to do something other than bed hop and be the side kick for his powerful brother. He wants to prove that he is his own man who I don’t think he has anything to prove you see instantly that he is a good man.

I really like Vernon he such an interesting man, he has so many layer’s and the more you strip away one layer another more surprising one comes out into the open. What Preston has done with him is a stroke of pure genius, pairing this vulnerable, if slightly naive to the real world, aristocrat with an aristocrat-hating, working class normal lass is just brilliance and it also mean that you get a lot of fun with them along the way.

She needed reassurance that this man was precisely what he appeared to be: a charming, cultured gentleman. She recalled her fanciful notion that she had glimpsed a wolf beneath his surface: a wolf that watched and waited. What if he had a hidden agenda?

After being burnt by his people Thea wants nothing to do with his kind, she sees them as nothing but a useless waste of space. People who wouldn’t know the concept of good honest, hard work if it danced naked in front of them, and I can relate to her. Thea is cut from the same cloth as so many in the present day and I absolutely believe that like myself and thousands of other working-class women we can all relate and understand Thea in a way that you can’t an aristocratic.

She is a breath of fresh air she is pure and principled and she knows the value of a day’s good honest toil, the bitter sniping that she constantly does at him is so very funny and his reaction to her is of sometimes shock and bemusement. She is not one to think first, she says what’s on her mind and damn the consequences. So, when Vernon tells her that yes, he will help her look for her brother she is jumping for joy and can’t wait to get going, until he informs her that she is not going too. He has said no and she must stay at home while the men do the job.

Well obviously, she is fuming that this arrogant aristocrat dare tell her what she can and can’t do, she is not letting this man go without her so she cuts her hair, dresses like a boy and follows. That is where the fun really starts as these two get tangled in everything from attempted highway robbery to the tortures of having to share a room under the disguise as uncle and nephew.

‘I am not one of your fine ladies who needs mollycoddling. I have dealt with hard reality and survived. Please do not patronise me. Do me the courtesy of dealing with me as an intelligent adult, not a child.’ He sighed.

I hugely enjoyed the last book with Vernon’s brother Leo, but I think The Scandal of Miss Markham outshines its predecessor. I have always liked stories where the heroes/heroines are normal people, regular, run of the mill people who are trying to forge out a life of themselves, and this is absolutely spot on. I think Preston has done a very clever thing at putting two completely different people together, they are from different worlds and so watching the way they interact with one another is very lovely.

The way they show each other their way of life, Thea shows him her way of life in the working class and Vernon shows her his glitzy and privileged world. It is an intelligent, thoughtful and quite poignant piece of writing.

This is sexually charged smooth and enticing, the writing is beyond flawless but it’s the characters that bring this to life they are two beautifully written people who both need love and it is a pure joy to read and I can’t wait to see where Preston is going to take this series.

This was an ARC copy from the author in return for an honest review.

Scandal and Miss Markham is released from 1st October and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.

 

Introducing The Unlaced Ladies.

Just over a year ago nine incredible Historical Romance author’s banded together to create the hugely popular Facebook based; Unlaced Book Club, a very special place where authors, readers and like-minded individuals all get together to discuss Romance, History and have a lot of cheeky fun in between.

Now a year on and with enough books to fill a library and with over two hundred members this club is going from strength to strength and I feel very privileged to be a part of it and be able to experience the fun and good-natured banter that makes this Book Club so special.

So, who are these nine women who brought all this fun and hilarity to the world?

Each one of them are extraordinary writers with the best Romance brain’s in the business, between the nine of them they have brought to the world Rugged Medieval Knight’s, Sinfully Handsome Rakes, Roguish Agent’s, Tormented Military Men, Scandalous Dukes and Gorgeously Brave Vikings. Plus some one the strongest and resilient heroine’s that are the only women in the world that can put up with theses adorable heroes.

Let me introduce you to nine of the best women you will ever meet.

“We are a group of authors who write sassy and sexy historical romance. If you like good books, giggles, and giveaways you’ve come to the right place! At The Unlaced Book Club, we adore heroes that wear breeches or wield a broadsword. We love to chat and have fun, the only thing we ask is that members are respectful of each other and if you’d like to post promotional material, you check with one of the administrators first.
So, dive right in and join the conversation. You know you want to…”

 

Virginia Heath

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Fortunately, the lovely people at Harlequin Mills & Boon took pity on her and decided to publish her romances, but it still takes her forever to fall asleep. Virginia is the author of the incredible Wild Warriners series.

Reading List

That Despicable Rogue
The Discerning Gentleman’s Guide
Miss Bradshaw’s Bought Betrothal
Her Enemy at The Alter
A Warriner to Protect Her
A Warriner to Rescue Her
His Mistletoe Wager

If you want to find out more check out virginiaheathromance.com or follow her on Twitter @VirginiaHeath_ Click Here

 

Laurie Benson

Laurie Benson is an award-winning historical romance author who writes books about men in boots and the women who fall for them. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, where she learned more than you could ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. Her interest in history began when she was in elementary school, and that interest was fueled by many visits to many museums. In 2015 Laurie was honored to become a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist. When she isn’t at her laptop avoiding laundry, Laurie can be found browsing antique shops, going on ridiculously long hikes, or sitting in her car on the school pickup line. She lives with her husband and two sons in a house filled with testosterone—even her bunny is a boy.

Reading List

The Unsuitable Duchess
The Uncommon Duke
The Unexpected Countess

Learn more about Laurie by visiting her website at lauriebenson.net. You can also follow her on Twitter at @lauriebwrites and like her on Facebook Click Here

 

Lara Temple

When Lara was fifteen she found a very grubby copy of Georgette Heyer’s Faro’s Daughter in an equally grubby book store. Several blissful hours later she emerged, blinking, into the light of day completely in love with Max Ravenscar and with Regency Romance. Lara writes strong, sexy, and suspenseful regency romances about complex individuals who give no quarter but deliver plenty of passion. Lara recently went back to look for that grubby crowded little bookstore but couldn’t quite remember around what corner it was…hopefully it is still there and another girl is in the corner by the window, reading and dreaming…

Reading List

Lord Crayles Secret World
The Reluctant Viscount
The Dukes Unexpected Bride
His Cinderella Heiress

To learn more about Lara Click Here

 

Nicole Locke

Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother’s closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If she isn’t working on the next book in the Lovers and Legends historical series.

Reading List

Her Enemy Highlander
The Knights Broken Promise
In Debt to the Enemy Lord
The Highland Brides Laird
The Knights Scarred Maiden

She can be reached at NicoleLocke.com, on Facebook, or Twitter as @NicoleLockeNews. Click Here

 

Harper St George

Harper was raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was a setting filled with stories of the old days that instilled in her a love of history, romance, and adventure. By high school, she had discovered the historical romance novel which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She has been hooked ever since. Harper is the author of the fabulous Viking Warrior series and the Outs of The WildWest series.

Reading List

Enslave by the Viking
One Night With The Viking
The Innocent and the Outlaw
In Bed With The Viking Warrior
Marriage Deal with the Outlaw

She would love to hear from you. Please visit her website at http://www.harperstgeorge.com or find her on Facebook Click Here

 

Catherine Tinley

Catherine writes witty, heartwarming Regency love stories for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, NHS management, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now works in Sure Start.

Reading List

Waltzing With The Earl

She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, and dog and can be reached at catherinetinley.com, and @CatherineTinley on twitter. Click Here

 

Janice Preston

Janice Preston writes emotional, sensual and satisfying Regency romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She grew up in Wembley with a love of reading, writing stories and animals and has worked as a dairy farmer, a police call-handler and a university administrator. She has two children, two step-children (all now adult) and a gorgeous, cheeky grandson. She now lives in the West Midlands with her husband and two cats and enjoys swimming, yoga and pottering about the garden when the sun is shining.

Reading List

Mary and the Marquess
Cinderella and the Duke
The Governesses Secret Baby
Saved by the Scandal’s Heir

If you’d like to know more, please visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicepreston.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @janicegpreston or Click Here

 

Jenni Fletcher

Jenni was born on the north coast of Scotland and now lives in Yorkshire, where she writes historical romance novels set in the Medieval and Victorian eras. She studied English at Clare College, Cambridge and Hull University, before starting to write books of her own Combining her love of history and literature with a special emphasis on alpha males and feisty heroines.

Reading List

Married to Her Enemy
The Convenient Felstone Marriage

Jenni loves hearing from her readers so why not get in touch Click Here

 

Elisabeth Hobbes

Elisabeth grew up in York where she spent most of my teenage years wandering around the city looking for a handsome Roman or Viking to sweep her off her feet. Sadly it never happened but Elisabeth developed a love of the past and went on to read History and Art History at university before venturing into the world of teaching. These days she holds down jobs as a teacher and mum. She lives in Cheshire with her husband, two young children and two cats with ridiculous names. Elisabeth loves historical fiction and has a fondness for dark haired, bearded heroes. When she’s not writing, she spends a lot of her spare time reading and has become something of a pro at cooking one-handed while holding a book!

Reading List

The Saxon outlaws Revenge
Redeeming the Rogue Knight
The Blacksmiths Wife
Falling for her Captor
A Wager for the Widow

You can find Elisabeth on Facebook and Twitter Click Here

Aren’t they fabulous?

So why not check out each of these author’s work and follow the Unlaced Book Club on Twitter to keep up to date with all their comings and goings. I can guarantee that getting to know these fine women will be the best thing that you will do today. TheUnlacedBookClub

 

Review – The Last Gamble (Bastards of London #3) by Anabelle Bryant

As one of the owners of London’s most infamous and scandalous gambling hall, The Underworld, Luke Reese looks like a man who has it all. But underneath his swagger lies a pain which no amount of liquor, women or card games can ease. Because, nine months ago, Luke’s son was stolen by his half-brother, Lord Dursley.

Luke knows the agony of growing up without a family, and he will not allow his son to suffer the same fate. So when evidence leads him to Coventry and a mysterious governess named Georgina, Luke doesn’t hesitate in tracking her down.

But nothing is ever as simple as it seems in the London ton. And soon, Luke is facing his most dangerous gamble yet. Dare he risk losing his heart to find his son?

My View

This is the third instalment of “The Bastards of London Series” and I do think this is the best one yet. I have been really looking forward to reading this one, after meeting the dark and shadowy Luke Reece in the previous book’s he intrigued me. I wanted to know his story, his past and what in the hell his happening with his lost son and Bryant doesn’t disappoint.

She looked up to find him bedside. His bare chest a breath away, his silver-grey eyes as sharp as ever. “ Ours is a timeless love….”

Luke is the third owner of the Scandalous and powerful gaming hell; The Underworld. Along with his brother owners Cole and Max, he was born on the wrong side of the blanket. Which in all doesn’t bother him, just because he’s a bastard and has lived his life on the fringes of so-called “better society” doesn’t mean he isn’t a good, intelligent and charming man. Far beyond it, he is the sexiest man who you will come across with the brains to match.

One day while at work his then four-year-old son; Nathanial was kidnapped by non-other than his half-brother, Lord Dursley for some unknown reason. Luke has tried and failed for a year now to find out where his son has been taken, but time and time again he gets doors closed in his face and the trail grows cold. He knows that, even though he is Nate’s father he hasn’t got a chance with the authorities, as being who and what he is; a by blow won’t stand up in court next to his charming aristocratic brother. Because of his parentage and his occupation, he is never taken seriously and he knows too well that the courts will always side with own of their own, his half-brother.

So he is left to find his son by his own means, but after a year Luke doesn’t know in which direction to look next, his only clue resides in Dursley’s journal which Luke stole and that is a name. Georgina Smith, governess. He sets out to Coventry to speak to this governess for himself and hopefully find either where his son or the clue that he desperately needs. But what he finds instead turns his life upside down.

‘I need your help.’ His admission tempted for all the right reasons and set her heartbeat into an anxious gallop for all the wrong ones…..

He finds an exceedingly beautiful, too smart for her own good and kind young woman who, yes did look after Nate for a time and she could be the answer to all his prayers. She could be the means to end his year of agony and finally find his son. The only problem is she point-blank refuses to go to London with him, she is hiding something and she is as scared as hell of something. He knows that she is hiding from something, but what? But more importantly can he gain her trust to help him find Nate before he loses himself in her kind, blue eyes?

Georgina is hiding from scandal, she fled London and society, left her family behind after a mistake. She has been burnt, her heart and trust of men in general has been broken and she now finds it incredibly difficult to find herself trusting again. She has vowed never to step foot in London, she would never bring shame and scandal on to her family. So the only way to protect them and herself is to stay in her idyllic little country life, where no one knows her true identity or her past.

She has set up again in her quiet little Coventry village, she lives modestly as a governess with her temperamental Pug; Biscuit. But, even though from the outside she appears to have everything, she is constantly looking over her shoulder wondering when the day will come that her parent’s will find her and force her back to London and live by their strict society rules once again.

So when a sinfully handsome man knocks on her door and asks for her by name she is instantly on guard, who is this silver-eyed, silver-tongued rogue with dimples that could make the iciest heart melt? And more importantly what does he want with her? She realises that he isn’t going to anywhere until she hears him, once she does she soon learn’s that he hasn’t been sent by anyone and he doesn’t know her, he only wants to know where is son is.

Now, his eyes glinted silver, daring her in a dozen wicked ways, suggesting things and evoking desire with nothing more than a glance…..

…… He smiled , that dimple at work to weaken her knees…..

She sees how deeply hurt and worried he is about his son being taken from him and she instinctively knows that he is a good father, she doesn’t know him as a man but she knows that he has a good caring heart. But can she in all honesty do what he needs her to do? Can she find herself going back to London to face her past and help Luke with his future?

I adore Georgina and Luke they are both wounded souls in their own way, both hurt by what has happened in each of their past’s. Yet together they make the cutest couple, they heal each other, they bring light and happiness into each other’s dark lives. And by some of the best scenes comes when it’s just Georgina and Luke getting to know each other – or when poor Luke gets bitten by that little hell raiser; Biscuit.

Luke is such an incredible character, not just that fact that he is sinfully handsome with the ability to seductively charm the birds from the tree’s, he’s got a fabulous mind and personality. He is a very intriguing and interesting man and by far the best thing about this series. I knew there was something special about him, but it’s not until you get to know him and his back ground that you get a real sense of just what a fascinating and complex man he is. He lives in the shadow’s and on the edges of society he feels like he doesn’t quite and belong anywhere, except at the helm of “The Underworld” he is the Captain of the gaming hell.

Again, like at the coaching inn, he reminded of a wolf under a moonlit sky, tensed and at the ready to pounce…..

….. If he was the wolf on the hunt, she realized belatedly, he’d made her his prey…..

This series caught my attention from day one and it’s gone from strength to strength, Bryant has yet again created an entertaining, thrilling and sensuously attractive story. The thing that does set this one apart from the others has to be Luke, we have had snippets of this shadowy man’s turmoil in the previous two books “The Den of Iniquity” and “Into The Hall of Vice” and to finally get to see his story unfold and see his Happy Ever After is very satisfying.

I cannot say how much I enjoyed this one and I am so pleased that Bryant is taking this series further with book four, I can’t wait to see in which direction she is going to take this wonderful series in.

Simply perfect!

  

The Last Gamble is out now and can be found at Amazon.