The Romance Dish: Kate Noble

Showing posts with label Kate Noble. Show all posts

Monday, November 28, 2016

Kate Noble Winner

The winner of a full set of Kate Noble's

Winner Takes All series (three books) is:

librarypat

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Today's Special - - Kate Noble Review & Giveaway Tour

The Dare and the Doctor

By Kate Noble

Publisher: Pocket

Release Date: November 22, 2016

The Dare and the Doctor, the third novel in Kate Noble’s Winner Takes All series, appears to be an epistolary novel in the first chapter as the reader shares in letters between Miss Margaret Babcock, the socially awkward daughter of Sir Barty Babcock, and Dr. Rhys Gray. Margaret grew up helping her mother make things grow in the garden and in the greenhouse. Her mother died when Margaret was sixteen, and four years later Margaret finds making things grow is both rewarding for its own sake and as a way of feeling connected to her mother. A skilled amateur horticulturalist, Margaret is particularly pleased with the results of hybridizing her mother’s cherished China rose with a sturdier English variety. Her excitement increases when Rhys writes to tell her that he has shared the news of her hybrid rose with a member of the Horticultural Society of London who extended an invitation to Margaret to present her hybrid to the society. Margaret is leery of change and of society beyond her limited circle, but the chance to present her rose and to see Rhys prove temptation enough to lure her from her Lincolnshire greenhouse to London for a visit.

Rhys is delighted that Margaret has agreed to visit London. Even as he assures himself and his friends Phoebe and Ned, the Earl and Countess of Ashby (The Game and the Governess), that his correspondence with Margaret had been academic in nature and that their relationship is strictly platonic, Rhys is making plans to spend as much time as possible with Margaret. He has all but forgotten his mother’s scheme for a marriage between Rhys, her dependable doctor son, and Sylvia Morton, the pretty daughter of a neighbor, a marriage that will end a feud and restore the reputations of Rhys’s father and elder brother sufficiently to allow them to return to England from their exile on the Continent. Despite Rhys’s repeated insistence that he has not agreed to the marriage, everyone else acts as if the betrothal is a certainty.

As Margaret and Rhys spend more time together, a growing attraction adds to their firm friendship, but a romance between them seems hopeless. Rhys may be reluctant to do his duty to redeem his family’s standing in society, but clearly he cares for them and cannot ignore the problem that is within his power to remedy. Margaret understands his dilemma and is eager to return to her father’s estate and the safety of her greenhouse. When Rhys continues to postpone acting, someone else acts for him. Has his own indecision separated him and Margaret forever, or will he find a way to free himself from a deceiver’s trap?

I am one of the readers of The Lie and the Lady (Book 2, Winner Takes All) who longed for Margaret and Rhys’s story. I loved both these characters in that book and believed that the relationship between these two science-obsessed introverts contained the seeds of an HEA. The Dare and the Doctor satisfied all my expectations and offered a friends-to-lovers tale in which both the friendship and the romance are persuasively developed. The opening chapter shows a year in the lives of Margaret and Rhys through the letters they exchange. The growth of their friendship is documented through these letters, moving from genuine liking and respect based on mutual interests to the intimacy of deep friendship. The reader is prepared to see the friendship progress to romantic love when the two are reunited in London. The elation both Margaret and Rhys experience at the thought of seeing one another reveals that feelings other than friendship are present even if they are too shy to admit to them.

This is a quiet book, and some readers may find Rhys and to a lesser degree, Margaret too passive. However, if you prefer your romances character-driven and appreciate a story in which the protagonists are more at home in environs related to professional interests than in ballrooms and other sites of social gatherings and if you have an affection for romances that are more tender than tempestuous, I think you will like this book as much as I did. As a Kate Noble fan since her first historical romance, I recommend the full series, but The Dare and the Doctor can be read as a standalone. I recommend you add this one to your TBR list.

~Janga

WINNER TAKES ALL GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate the third in the Winner Takes All series, The Dare and the Doctor, we are hosting a giveaway and the WINNER will TAKE ALL books in the series: The Game and the Governess, The Lie and the Lady and The Dare and the Doctor!

Please note, you can enter at all participating blogs but you can only win once. The Romance Dish winner will be announced November 26th from all comments posted before 11:00 PM, November 25th. (US addresses only)

Do you enjoy stories that are, as Janga notes in her review, "more tender than tempestuous?"

Are you reading Kate Noble's Winner Takes All series?

THE DARE AND THE DOCTOR

Kate Noble

Pocket Books

Pub date: November 22, 2016

ISBN: 9781476749402

Price: $7.99

Mass Market Paperbound

A Winner Takes All Novel (#3)

National bestselling author Kate Noble’s THE DARE AND THE DOCTOR lures readers back to the dazzling, irresistible Winner Takes All Regency Romance series. Margaret Babcock has always been content with her quiet life in the country. But every now and then, she feels the urge to spread her wings. Her late mother used to whisper, “What’s the worst that could happen?” at the start of an adventure, and now Margaret’s continuing the tradition. So when Dr. Rhys Gray, her longtime correspondent on matters botanical, invites her to speak to the London Horticultural Society about her new rose hybrid, she accepts. She’s excited about her first visit to London, but even more so about getting to see her friend Dr. Gray. When she arrives, Rhys is eager to show her the wonders of the city, and the two spend many happy hours together just as friends, of course! But would friends miss each other quite as fiercely when they’re apart; or feel such a spark when they’re together? Margaret finds that friendship with Rhys is much more complicated than she’d imagined…especially when it turns out her friend has forgotten that he may be promised to another woman.

Kate Noble is the national bestselling author of The Lie and the Lady, The Game and the Governess, third in the witty, sexy Winner Takes All Regency Series, and the critically acclaimed, RITA Award-nominated Blue Raven series. Under the name Kate Rorick, she writes for television, as well as novels based on the Emmy Award-winning web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, for which she is also a writer and producer. She lives in Los Angeles. Visit Kate at katenoble.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Kate Noble Winner

The randomly chosen winner of a copy of

The Game and the Governess by Kate Noble is:

Raquel Muniz

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address (U.S. addresses only) to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Friday, January 8, 2016

Review - - The Lie and the Lady

The Lie and the Lady

By Kate Noble

Publisher: Pocket

Release Date: December 29, 2015

The Lie and the Lady picks up with the story of Letitia Herzog, the widowed Countess Churzy, and John Turner, who is NOT the Earl of Ashby, two secondary characters from The Game and the Governess who did not get their HEA in that book. Letty’s sister has refused to allow Letty to continue to live with her until the scandal surrounding Letty’s relationship to the man who lied dies down. Letty moves to London then on to Brighton, Manchester, York, and north to Edinburgh in an effort to escape the gossip that is destroying her chance for remarriage, but the scandalmongers are relentless. As a last resort, she leaves for the Continent. In Paris, at the Louvre, she meets Sir Bartholomew Babcock, an older English widower. Letty plays Sir Barty like an expert angler until he proposes. Thrilled to accompany Sir Barty to Lincolnshire as his affianced bride, Letty is unprepared for what she finds there. First, Sir Barty’s daughter, Margaret, is no child but an Amazonian nineteen-year-old who loathes Letty at first sight. Moreover, John Turner is a neighbor and friend of Sir Barty. Perhaps Letty has not found the security she sought.

The Turner Grain Mill is almost ready to begin operating again, the goal for which John has long worked and the reason he spent three years as secretary to his friend the Earl of Ashby. John has no wish to be distracted by Letty. The last time he saw her, on a Dover dock, she insisted that she never wanted to see him again. Since then, he has thrown himself into getting the mill rebuilt, working so hard that he has had no time to think of Letty. But she is more difficult to ignore when he sees her in the churchyard, across the sitting room in Sir Barty’s home, and in her room where he tracks her down for a much needed talk. Letty fears John will tell Sir Barty about her past. John fears Letty will turn Sir Barty against him. Between their suspicions of one another and their feelings that refuse to fade, life is interesting, made more interesting by a lively cast of secondary characters.

Noble does an amazing job of turning a heroine who at first seems quite shallow into a pragmatic character with a broad streak of kindness and her own sense of honor. The taciturn Turner from the first book is an interesting and unusual hero, a miller in a subgenre rife with assorted aristocrats in that role. I thought it delightful that Letty, the miller’s daughter, finds happiness as Mrs. Turner, the miller’s wife, her title becoming merely a memory. The villain of the piece might comfortably fit into a classic melodrama, but the appealing humor and intelligence that characterize Noble’s voice makes him work in this story. I also found Rhys Gray an immensely engaging character. I hope Noble writes his story next.

The Lie and the Lady lacks the rave-worthiness that made The Game and the Governess (read Janga's review) one of my top ten romance novels of 2014, but on its own merits, it is an entertaining book with some surprises and characters I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a must-read for anyone who liked the earlier book, but Noble provides sufficient detail about “the lie” and Letty and John’s relationship in the first book to read this one as a standalone. I recommend historical romance readers give it a try.

~Janga

Have you read any of Kate Noble's books yet? Do you have a favorite?

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The Game and the Governess. (U.S. only)

Kate Noble is the national bestselling author of The Game and the Governess and the critically acclaimed, RITA Award-nominated Blue Raven series. Under the name Kate Rorick, she writes for television, as well as novels based on the Emmy Award-winning web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, for which she is also a writer and producer. She lives in Los Angeles.

Visit katenoble.com, @NobleRorick,

facebook.com/katenoblewriter.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Today's Special - - A Gentleman for all Seasons

I'm a self-proclaimed Christmas elf. My season of joy kicks off around mid-November and it's full speed ahead through the end of December. Unfortunately, all those fun elf activities don't leave a lot of time for reading over the holidays so I'm thrilled when new novellas and anthologies hit my Kindle. Give me four (short) stories by four of my favorite historical romance authors and I'm over the moon with delight! Theresa Romain joins us today to talk about A Gentleman For All Seasons, her new anthology with Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly and Kate Noble.

For more information about all four authors, see the links at the bottom of this post.

To read Janga's review of A Gentleman For All Seasons, click here.

Please give Theresa a warm welcome!

Hi, everyone! I’m Theresa Romain, historical romance author. PJ, thanks for the chance to visit The Romance Dish today to talk about my new release with Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly, and Kate Noble: the historical romance anthology A Gentleman for All Seasons.

This anthology includes four all-new novellas, each set (as you might guess from the anthology title!) in a different season of the year. All the stories take place in the small village of Hemshawe after a pair of siblings lease a nearby manor house. Think of the Bingleys coming to town in Pride and Prejudice—only both of the Gage siblings, Betram and Georgette, are kind. And Georgette has a matchmaking streak a mile wide…

A Gentleman for All Seasons covers a year in the life of a village as well as the continuing characters, and my fellow authors and I each brought the flavor of the season into our novellas.

“Spring is a time of awakening,” begins Kate Noble’s A Madness in Spring. In her novella, two long-sparring enemies awaken to their truer, deeper feelings. In Shana Galen’s The Summer of Wine and Scandal, a sultry affair begins between a London dandy and a local vintner’s daughter—both of whom are, they realize, more than they thought.

My own novella, Those Autumn Nights, is a second chance at love romance for an ex-soldier and his formerly wealthy former betrothed. The passage of time allows them to begin anew, with a love as rich and bright as turning leaves. And in Vanessa Kelly’s A Season for Loving, a cold-souled Highlander finds the warmth of unexpected love during a holiday house party.

We had a great time planning this anthology and writing our stories, and we hope you’ll enjoy reading them! A Gentleman for All Seasons is available at all major ebook retailers.

kindle • nook • kobo • ibooks • google

And you know I wouldn’t come to visit without offering a giveaway! I’d love to know: What’s your favorite season of the year, and why? Mine is autumn, which is why I begged the others to let me have that novella. I love the cooling weather and the changing color of the leaves.

To one commenter, my fellow authors and I will send the following books.
(US addresses only, please.)

Revealed—Kate Noble

The Pirate Takes a Bride—Shana Galen

Season for Surrender—Theresa Romain

My Favorite Countess—Vanessa Kelly

Shana Galen
Website
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Vanessa Kelly
Website

Facebook
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Pinterest

Kate Noble
Website
Facebook
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Theresa Romain
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Review - - A Gentleman for All Seasons

A Gentleman for All Seasons

By Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly, Kate Noble,

and Theresa Romain

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Life has a way of continuing on an ordinary pace until some small change serves as a catalyst to provoke significant change. One day three new arrivals stir the placidity of life in the village of Hemshaw in Kent. Bertram Gage has leased the Friar’s House for a year hoping that a quiet, country life and the waters at nearby Tunbridge Wells will help his younger sister, Georgette, recover her health. The brother and sister are accompanied by Georgie’s loyal companion, Mrs. Clotworthy. And, as season flows into season, changes come to Hemshaw.

In “A Madness in Spring” by Kate Noble, Georgie sees the situation between Adam Sturridge, younger brother of John, Lord Sturridge, and Belinda Leonard, the orphaned niece of a neighbor, with fresh eyes. While those who know them best have accepted the verbal sparring that Adam and Belinda engage in whenever they are in one another’s company as proof positive that the two dislike one another, Georgie sees it as a cover up for the fact that they are in love with one another. She plays matchmaker with help from the initially skeptical Francesca, Lady Sturridge. Everything may not go according to plan, but Adam and Belinda are forced to take a new look at their feelings for one another and have to admit in all honesty that those feelings are much warmer than either has suspected. If they can just stop jumping to conclusions, they may find their HEA.

In “The Summer of Wine and Scandal” by Shana Galen, Peregrine Lochley, youngest son of a viscount, a dandy whose propensity for behavior unacceptable to his father has led to Lochley’s being exiled to the country. His dislike of his Aunt Uriana in Shropshire has led him to pay a visit to his friend Bertie Gage in Hemshaw. When he gets stuck in the mud, literally—or at least his curricle does--he meets the unconventional Miss Caroline Martin. Lochley, a connoisseur of both wine and women, will soon discover, with a little help from Georgie, that Hemshaw possesses a vintage selection of both perfect for his discerning taste. But when Caro’s secret is revealed, can even a seasoned veteran of scandal continue to view her as a lady, much less the one lady who can claim his heart?

In “Those Autumn Nights” by Theresa Romain, Bertram Gage has chosen the Friar’s House over any other country house he might have leased because he finds a certain satisfaction in living in the house he was thought not fit to enter a decade earlier. He tells himself that he has forgotten Eliza Greenleaf, the young woman who broke his heart when she chose obedience to her father’s wishes over her pledge to wed Bertram, but when, again due to Georgie’s machinations, Eliza moves into the Friar’s House, his former love proves to be a distraction Bertie cannot ignore. When Eliza appears to return his feelings, happiness lies within their grasp—until Bertie finds out that marriage to him is merely a means to an end. Will even Georgie’s skills be enough to make her prideful brother reconsider before he loses his second chance at love?

In “The Season for Loving” by Vanessa Kelly, the matchmaker meets her match, with an abundance of help from assorted matchmakers. Bertie and Eliza are still newlyweds when an old friend from his army days, Will Endicott, along with Will’s wife, mother-in-law, and Fergus Haddon, a cousin of Will’s cousin Alasdair Gilbride, join the Gages at the Friar’s House for a Christmas visit. Georgie, already restless under Bertie’s overprotective guardianship, is longing for her independence with a new intensity since Eliza is now the chatelaine of the Friar’s House. But she is most pleasantly distracted from her goal by Fergus. However, Fergus believes he can never marry. Can Georgie change his mind?

A Gentleman for All Seasons offers readers four charming stories filled with likeable characters, scenes rich in humor, and happily-ever-afters for each of the four seasons. Whether your favorite trope is enemies to lovers, fallen heroines, second chance at love, or Highlander heroes, you will find something to delight a romance reader’s heart in this collection of connected stories. I enjoyed them all, although I confess that Georgie was an early favorite character. And when I realized that she was going to find her hero in Fergus, who fared so poorly in Vanessa Kelly’s How to Marry a Royal Highlander, I was particularly pleased. I also loved seeing Lady Reese again.

If you are a fan of historical romance, I recommend you add this one to your list. If you have not yet read the novels of these talented authors, the collection also serves as a great introduction to any or all of them. I can almost guarantee that you will finish with a smile on your face and an urge to add books to your TBR mountain.

~Janga

Monday, July 28, 2014

Review - - The Game and the Governess

Morning, Dish friends! I finally made it home from RWA last night - hot, sweaty, exhausted and five hours later than originally scheduled. I dragged my luggage (filled with books and other goodies we'll be giving away here at the Dish) into the condo, sat down on the couch, promptly fell asleep...and didn't wake up until 9:30 this morning. So, while I upload photos, write RWA blogs and give my poor, neglected dog the attention she deserves, please enjoy this review by Janga of The Game and the Governess by Kate Noble. It's the first book in what looks to be a terrific new series and, like Janga, I loved it. Don't forget to check back later for installment one of What Happens in San Antonio!

The Game and the Governess

By Kate Noble

Publisher: Pocket

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Ned Granville, Earl of Ashby, is known as “Lucky Ned” because of his phenomenal luck. He has proved lucky with cards, lucky with women, lucky in inheriting a title that, barring a tragic accident, should never have been his, and lucky to have returned from the Napoleonic Wars a hero. So confident is he of his luck that when his friend and secretary proposes a wager, Ned, after some hesitation accepts. If Ned can persuade a lady of good breeding to fall in love with him, not as the Earl of Ashby but as Mr. Turner, the Earl’s secretary, within two weeks, he will win the family mill that Turner has dedicated himself to restoring. If Ned fails, he will pay Turner 5000 pounds. The proof of Ned’s success is to be a dance, a token of affection, and intimate knowledge of the lady. The need to make a decision about the cottage and land he inherited from his mother provides a setting far enough from London to make the exchange possible. The two men, having exchanged identities for two weeks, set out for Hollyhock, a small town in Leicestershire where Ned lived in genteel poverty with his mother until at the age of twelve he became heir to his present title.

Ned’s life moved from poverty to privilege; Phoebe Baker’s journey was the reverse. She was only seventeen, still a student at an exclusive school for girls, when her father’s death left her destitute. No longer a cherished, sheltered young lady looking forward to a London season, she was suddenly a young woman on her own with no money, no family, and only references and the name of a family in need of a governess as a means of survival. Before she is forced to leave the school, Phoebe writes a letter to the man she holds responsible for her plight, an aristocrat who allowed a thief free to prey on others rather than appearing foolish in the eyes of his peers. Phoebe’s father was one of his victims. Phoebe swears if the opportunity ever affords, she will see that the aristocrat suffers the consequences of his action. The letter is addressed to the Earl of Ashby.

When Ned and Turner arrive at Puffington Arms, the home of Sir Nathan and Lady Widcoate, where they are to stay for their two-week visit to Hollyhock, they find a house filled with ladies, all of them interested in the Earl of Ashby and none of them interested in his secretary. When it becomes clear that Ned’s contact with the ladies in the party will be severely restricted, he focuses his attention on the thin, plain governess, particularly after he discovers that she once attended a prestigious school for girls, thus qualifying her as a lady and the likeliest candidate to help him win his wager. Phoebe does her best to avoid attention and blend into the background, but Ned’s persistence and charm gradually erode her defenses. Even more gradually, Ned finds himself captivated by Phoebe’s humor, courage, and quiet beauty. But the more deeply Ned falls in love, the more he recognizes the consequences of the deceit in which he has chosen to engage. A careless wager may cost him what he wants most.

Noble gives her readers an intricate plot and a sizeable cast of characters in a story that is part romantic romp, part moral tale. The switched identities predictably lead to some humorous moments, and the secondary characters from the Widcoates and their guests to the townspeople are generally amusing. Ned is totally unprepared for the realities of life without the privileges that he takes for granted. Noble takes something as simple as bath water to draw chuckles and to make her reader aware of how encompassing the hierarchical structure of her world is. The taciturn, introverted Turner is no more prepared for the social responsibilities and lack of solitude that comes with Ned’s title than Ned is for the lack of status his secretary is given. Both men learn from the experience.

Phoebe is a wonderful heroine. She possesses intelligence, strength of character, a lively sense of the ridiculous, and integrity in the fullest sense of that word. She has a rare wholeness in that there is little distance between the beliefs she espouses and the way she conducts her life. The reader first sees her as a hurting, angry young woman who is given sound advice by one of the teachers as she leaves the school where she has spent five years of her life. Phoebe’s decision to follow the advice rather than surrender to bitterness occurs offstage. What the reader sees is Phoebe putting the advice into practice. She is not perfect (Thank goodness!), but she is an interesting, appealing, admirable heroine.

In the early chapters, Ned is an arrogant, self-absorbed young aristocrat bored with life. He is a man who lives on the surface, using self-indulgence to avoid thinking deeply about anything. While experiencing life as an earl’s secretary increases his awareness, it is his relationship with Phoebe that truly changes him. Although it happens in a way far different from that which the young Phoebe had envisioned, she does indeed show him that choices have consequences. Frankly, I found the first part of the book rough going because I disliked the hero, but the hero’s growth is central to this story. Ned grows into a man with a keener mind, a sharper conscience, and a larger heart, and I loved watching his growth.

If you like romance that combines the light and the substantive, I highly recommend this book. I have added it to my list of the Best of 2014, and I eagerly await John Turner’s story and hope for the story of Ned and Turner’s doctor friend, Rhys Gray, as well.

~Janga

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Today's Special - - Kate Noble

I discovered historical romance author Kate Noble early in her romance writing career and have happily devoured each new book she writes. Several of them occupy places on my keeper shelves and her newest, The Game and the Governess is destined to join them. A national bestselling author as well as a RITA finalist, Kate has also earned coveted starred reviews from Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly. You can find more information about Kate at her website and connect with her online at Facebook and Twitter.

Welcome back, Kate! It’s always a pleasure to host you here at the Romance Dish, especially since that usually means you have a new book out, something that makes Andrea and me very happy! Speaking of your new book, will you please share with our readers what they can expect from The Game and the Governess?

-- Thank you so much for having me! What readers can expect from The Game and the Governess is a little bit of silliness and a whole lot of luck. (And some sexy times.) The book starts off with the Earl of Ashby, known as “Lucky Ned” making a wager with his best friend and secretary John Turner, to see if Ned can get any young lady to fall in love with him without the benefit of his title. Thus, on a two-week trip to the country, Ned and Turner switch places. Nothing after that goes according to plan. It’s my version of the Prince and the Pauper, and I enjoyed the hell out of writing it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

Phoebe and Ned both have lessons to learn on their journeys of growth and discovery. What do you want readers to understand about each of these characters?

-- That the surface they wear is not who they are. Ned presents himself to the world as “Lucky Ned”, but he’s hiding a lot of pain from his past. And Phoebe, while reduced to the hard life of a governess, is determined to be optimistic, no matter what life dishes out to her. They both can learn a lot from each other, in that sense.

What was your greatest challenge in writing this book?

-- Finding the right balance between silliness and seriousness. Something I’m certain all us authors struggle with.

What was the most fun?

-- Finding those scenes with Ned and Phoebe together and being delighted by what they discover.

Would you like to share an excerpt from The Game and the Governess?

Certainly! Here’s a short excerpt about splitting a blackberry tart…

“There are no forks, so, by all means, you go first.”

She moved the plate closer to her, and picked up her half a tart, taking the smallest of bites.

It was delicious.

She made a small, throaty sound, a sigh of appreciation. Her eyes closed, and she let the blackberry juices fill the inside of her mouth, savoring.

When she opened her eyes, he was giving her the most curious look, his own mouth hanging open.

And he didn’t stop staring.

A self-conscious hand flew to her mouth. “I’m sorry, did I… am I a mess?” she asked.

“No!” he cried. “Not at all –” he remarked with a smile, one so wide it reminded Phoebe of a few short hours ago, when he had thought he had something stuck in his teeth. “I am pleased to see you enjoying the tart. It really must be exceptional.”

Are you able to give us a glimpse into the next book in the series? When might we expect that book?

-- The next book is John Turner’s story. And since it follows directly from the events of The Game and the Governess, I can’t tell you too much about it without too many spoilers. But I will say this – where Ned has always been lucky, Turner has always been unlucky – but he’s determined to change that, especially since a certain countess has now entered his life.

I'm looking forward to seeing how he accomplishes that!

You have a lot of writing irons in the fire, Kate. Romance readers may not be aware that as Kate Rorick you have written for television, the Emmy Award winning transmedia series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and the recently published book, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet. How did you come to be a part of the Lizzie Bennet writing team and did you have any idea that it would become such a mega-hit?

-- Well, my friend Margaret Dunlap is sitting right next to me as I answer this question. Margaret was co-executive producer on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and having worked together before on a different TV show, she knows about my secret life as a romance novelist (and devoted Austenite). When they decided to expand the writing staff of the web series, she suggested me and a meeting or two later, I was hired.

I understand that you’re also working on an upcoming television series. Are you able to share any information about that project?

-- I’m a writer for the upcoming television show The Librarians, on TNT (a 10-episode drama series scheduled to premier in December). It’s based on the incredibly popular series of “The Librarian” movies, starring Noah Wyle. It’s a mix of Indiana Jones, Doctor Who and the fun episodes of the X-Files, and it’s a total blast.

Okay, so you have a book that released in June, a book coming out in July, a new television series you’re working on and, if that weren’t enough, you’re expecting a baby any day. When do you sleep? LOL! No, really, how do you keep all those balls in the air? Any helpful tips for the rest of us multi-taskers?

-- Survive and advance. All you can do is what you need to get done that day, and move on to the next one.

Let’s turn the focus away from writing for a bit. Summer has arrived which means I give myself permission to turn off the calorie counter every now and then to indulge in some special warm weather treats. My favorites are root beer floats and frozen chocolate dipped bananas. What summer treats do you give yourself permission to eat or drink?

-- Well, if I wasn’t expecting a baby any day, I would be enjoying a good beer at the ballpark right now. But I love summer because it’s when all the delicious fruits come into the grocery store, which means the variety of pies I can consume goes up dramatically. Anything with cherries is my kryptonite.

As I type this question, I’m looking out my window at beautiful potted geraniums, a deep pink crepe myrtle tree, green grass and a bright white fence. What’s the view from your window?

-- My window looks out onto the balcony, where my husband is in full summer gardening mode. There are 3 different tomato plants, strawberries, multiple herbs, pepper plants and for some reason, marigolds. All grown from seed. Mind you, I do none of the work, but I partake in the deliciousness.

Your fairy godmother waves her magic wand and gives you one week in any place of your choice and an unlimited supply of books to read. Where do you go and what books (or authors) do you reach for first?

-- I would kill for a week at a lakeside cottage. Nothing to do but enjoy the view and go swimming. As for books, I would grab my massive TBR pile, and let it surprise me J

Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to visit with us today, Kate. It’s always a pleasure to host you here at TRD. We wish you all the best with your many projects. Would you like to ask our readers a question today?

-- Of course! Since The Game and the Governess is all about trading places – who would you trade places with (temporarily!) and why?

Leave your answer in the comments and someone will win a signed copy of The Game and The Governess! (US only, please)

Monday, April 8, 2013

Today's Special - - Kate Noble

It's always a pleasure to welcome Kate Noble to The Romance Dish. Andrea and I both enjoy Kate's books and have been looking forward to her new release, Let It Be Me. Apparently, we're not the only ones who think Kate writes terrific historical romances. Her books have earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly. The Summer of You (one of my favorites) placed on Kirkus Reviews' Best Romance list and Revealed was a RITA finalist for best Regency Historical Romance.

Find more information about Kate and her books at her website, like her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and become a fan at Goodreads.

Welcome, Kate! Congratulations on the release of Let It Be Me. Please tell our readers what they can expect from this book.

-- A history of the geography of Venice and a comprehensive lesson on how to play a Beethoven sonata. ;) Seriously though, Let It Be Me is the story of Bridget Forrester, who is a brilliant pianist with a bad case of stage fright. When she gets the chance to study with renowned composer Vincenzo Carpenini, she doesn’t hesitate to hop on a boat and sail for Venice. But when she arrives, Carpenini’s never hear of her! But Carpenini’s friend Oliver Merrick has, and actually was the one who sought her out. When the men become embroiled in a musical wager, they need Bridget’s help – and more than money is at stake.

I love the opening lines of the prologue: Before there were ever words, there was music. A

language in and of itself, music is the background to life, where emotion dwells. What beautiful words, evoking a swell of emotion in my own heart and setting the stage for the story to come. Music plays a significant role in the lives of your main characters. Does it in your life as well?

-- I studied music growing up, being forced into piano lessons, and eventually moving onto an instrument more my speed (the trumpet. It only has 3 keys.) While I was involved in musicals and marching band all the way through college, it was never as wholly engrossing for me as it is for Bridget. I sort of wish it was. There is something very brave and vulnerable about being so deeply passionate about something, as Bridget is about music. It’s one of the many things that I admire about her.

You’ve taken the setting of this story out of the traditional London and moved it to Venice, Italy. (which happens to be one of my favorite cities) What made you choose Venice as the setting and do you plan to use other non-traditional settings for future books?

-- I knew I had to get Bridget out of London – she needed a blank slate, and not have to deal with the prejudices that had emerged against her in her previous season (she did not fare well in comparison to her sister Sarah in If I Fall). And Venice – Venice exists like a dream to me. An island city where you travel by gondola? What could be a more perfect place to fall in love?

This is not the first time I’ve ventured outside of England – my novel Follow My Lead takes place mostly in Germany and Austria. I find it refreshing – while I love the ballroom manners of Regency London, its nice to be reminded that the world is wide and with a very rich history, ready to be mined.

What is the one thing you’d like our readers to know about Bridget and Oliver, the heroine and hero of Let It Be Me?

-- Well, it doesn’t hurt to mention that Oliver is a tall, strong former actor who studied boxing in his youth with dark hair and light, laughing eyes. But the most important thing about Bridget and Oliver is the support they give each other – Oliver especially is someone Bridget, who is under immense pressure can lean on. All the flashy, flirting men in the world cannot compare to the steadiness Oliver gives her without question.

Without giving away any spoilers, what is the one scene you would never cut from this book?

-- oh goodness! I don’t know if I could cut any. But I would never cut the prologue. And that might be considered controversial, because it could easily go, without affecting the general story. But it means too much to me, showing how music has been a constant in Bridget and Oliver’s lives and how it has come to represent love to them both.

Let’s talk about you for a minute. How do you relax when you’re not busy writing? Do you have any favorite hobbies or activities?

-- I haven’t not been busy with writing in… too long to mention. But on those rare occasions I cobble a weekend together, I like to explore new places. I live in southern California, so there are many options, where I can sightsee, hike, wine-taste, etc.

This book reminded me of how much I love traveling, especially in Italy. What’s your favorite travel destination? Is there a place on your bucket list that you haven’t visited yet?

-- I love travelling in Europe, spent part of college in England, and recently took my first trip to South America. But one thing I’ve never done is a cross-country road trip! I’m planning on remedying that soon.

We all have our favorite comfort reads around here. To what books or authors do you turn when you’re in need of a little fictional comfort?

-- Pride and Prejudice is the only book I’ve read over a dozen times. It puts me exactly where I want to be when I need it. But I also will seek out anything by JK Rowling or John Green when I need to lose myself for a few days.

If you were doing a self-interview, what question would you ask yourself that’s never been asked of you before? How would you answer?

-- I would probably ask myself where I want to be in five years time. Granted this is a question that has been asked, but generally by my mother. In five years time, I would love to have hit the NYT list, with a Rita in hand and a couple personal accomplishments under my belt.

What’s next?

-- I’m working on a new trilogy, the first of which will be out in 2014. I’m also working on a comic book about an Edwardian superhero with Javier Grillo-Marxuach (creator of the Middleman) and artist Kel McDonald, and I am unabashedly excited about it. And finally, I’m also working on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries spinoff, Welcome to Sanditon. (see, I told you I haven’t had free time in too long to mention.)

Thank you for graciously answering my questions today, Kate. Do you have a question for our readers?

-- Sure! Since we talked a great deal about travel, tell me, what’s your favorite place you’ve ever been? Or what city do you think is the best place to fall in love? One lucky commenter will win a copy of Let It Be Me! (US only)