Review - - An Heiress to Remember

An Heiress to Remember: The Gilded Age Girls Club

by Maya Rodale

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Reviewed by Hellie 

Can a scandalized heiress…

Beatrice Goodwin left Manhattan a duchess and has returned a divorcée, ready to seize control of her fate and the family business. Goodwin’s Department Store, once the pinnacle of fashion, has fallen from favor thanks to Dalton’s, its glamorous competitor across the street. But this rivalry has a distinctly personal edge…

And a self-made tycoon…

For Wes Dalton, Beatrice has always been the one—the one who broke his young heart by marrying a duke, and now, the one whose cherished store he plans to buy, just so he can destroy it. It’s the perfect revenge against a family who believed he’d never be good enough for their daughter—until Beatrice’s return complicates everything…

Find happily ever after at last?

While Goodwin’s and Dalton’s duel to be the finest store in Gilded Age Manhattan, Beatrice and Wes succumb to a desire that has only deepened with time. Adversaries by day, lovers by night, both will soon have to decide which is sweeter: winning the battle or thoroughly losing their hearts…

 

Hellie’s Heeds 

This book is AMAZEBALLS. You guys, the Gilded Age Girls’ Club series is a brilliant series; and I think Maya’s best series. But this series has it all: the era of women coming into their own and taking their power, the start (or so it feels) of all the best stuff women love being loved and appreciated, and happily ever afters.  

And yet there is something subversive about this particular story (and perhaps the whole series). Mind you, romance novels are already subversive in that they are books written by women for women for their pleasure and enrichment. (It’s why romance novels tend to be so maligned.) But Maya takes it a step further. Generally in a romance novel, the hero, as all rabid romance readers know (and I do, I’m a rabid reader), the hero is always someone rich, powerful, preferably titled so the heroine can be safe/truly loved. After all, you can’t believe in a happily ever after if you’re poor as church mice. Or can you?  

Wes Dalton--the love Beatrice, the heroine, left behind--is now the rich, powerful, most important man in New York City. He is clearly now Romance Novel Hero material, which he wasn’t sixteen years ago. Beatrice has just returned from England in a scandal because she just divorced a rich, powerful DUKE (the epitome of Romance Novel Hero material) to come back home. All Beatrice wants is to run her father’s store, to bring it back to its glory again. Wes wants to ruin the business of the family that destroyed the one wish he ever really had: to marry Beatrice. Revenge is always a delicious plot conflict device, yes?  

Yet it soon becomes clear that even though Wes is now worthy Romance Novel Hero material, it is not enough to win fair Beatrice. Why? Because as it is revealed in a humble few paragraphs right before Beatrice chooses love, a modern romance heroine needs to own her heart and mind, to know her heart and mind; and above all, she needs to be able to leave at any time and support herself respectfully because only then can she know she is choosing to stay because of Love and not anything else.  

Dude. Maya Rodale is my new romance author hero. I grant you the more modern romance novels from my favorite authors have given me similar themes and words of wisdom, but this particular story spoke to me. I could relate to Beatrice’s hesitancy to leap into another marriage, even for love, out of fear of losing herself. Women do it everyday. We’re even expected to, I believe; and we even expect it of ourselves. But this book...WOW. And in the end, Dalton becomes a modern day feminist in the best way. He truly is Romance Novel Hero material, all while trying to give all his wealth away. SUBVERSIVE. Well played, Maya, well played.  

And if you’re not like me and don’t want to write a master’s thesis particular to this series about feminism and the romance novel, you can totally enjoy this story on its own merits of being a story. There are complex loveable characters, plot points keeping people apart in a valid way (and when you realize why her mother doesn’t like Dalton--WOW! Just, wow!), and sexual tension and love galore. I hope Maya writes more stories in this era and location because I think there should be more romances about the New Woman, a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go, all while finding our Happily Ever After. 

 

Review - - Some Like it Scandalous

SOME LIKE IT SCANDALOUS

by Maya Rodale

Publisher: Avon 

Release Date: June 18, 2019

Reviewed by Hellie

They are sworn enemies...

Theodore Prescott the Third, one of Manhattan's Rogues of Millionaire Row, has really done it this time. The only way to survive his most recent, unspeakably outrageous scandal is to marry someone respectable. Someone sensible. Someone like Daisy Swann. Of all the girls in Gilded Age Manhattan, it had to be her.

...pretending to be lovers...

Daisy Swann has plans, and they do not involve a loveless marriage with anyone. But when a devastating family secret threatens to destroy her standing in society, suddenly, a fake engagement with Theo is just the thing to make all her dreams come true.

...and now it's time to kiss and make up....

Daisy Swann aspires to sell cosmetics that she has created, but this brainy scientist needs a smooth-talking charmer's flair for words and eye for beauty to make it a success. Before long, Daisy and Theo are trading kisses. And secrets. And discovering that despite appearances, they might be the perfect couple after all.

Hellie’s Heeds

I feel I’m slightly late to the game; and I feel everyone is already arriving (or has arrived) to my inevitable conclusion: we should form a protective cocoon around Maya Rodale so she can spend all her time writing and dreaming up these brilliant stories. Maya’s writing style is a balance of plausible modern sensibilities married with the backdrop of almost current history (hey, it’s only been 100 years since we’ve gotten the vote, ladies, and the country is twice as old) with a dollop of sassy tongue-in-cheek details that make a reader think, “Wait, I’m reading a historical and not stuff that’s still happening now, right? Wait, it’s still happening now!” I’m far enough removed from the particular historical era (“Thank God, I don’t have to wear corsets and a thousand layers...and no A/C”); yet some of the things women were fighting for then, we’re still fighting for now. This gumbo of storytelling is what I love best about romances, empowering women even now to advocate for themselves and others. 

I identified whole-heartedly with Daisy Swann, who is stuck with the unfortunate appellation of ‘Ugly Duck’ Daisy Swann due to a cruel, witty boy’s remark when she was thirteen. In the realm of her beautiful mother and siblings, as well as society, she is well aware her nose is too big, her eyes too close, her lips too thin, etc, etc, etc, quack, quack, quack. Being beautiful and fitting in are such key issues for women (and men), and Daisy’s way of dealing with it and finding her purpose and approval in creating beauty products to elevate the beauty in all women is just inspirational. Of course, this is the Turn of the Century--and women do NOT wear cosmetics. The historical detail and conflict was explored while also plausibly introducing a heroine who would nonetheless persist...because you know what? We’ve got lipstick now. And for many of us, makeup does feel empowering and we should feel empowered. 

I thoroughly enjoyed that the attraction between the hero and heroine was not ‘instantaneous.’ While I’m all about a love-at-first-sight (or lust), the fact these two do not like each other but slowly grow in attraction to each other until the lust is finally off the charts was heavenly. The first time Theo kisses Daisy, it wasn’t fireworks. The complete opposite. And when she politely pushes him off and he later asks why the kiss wasn’t working for her, she speaks up for what she wants. She says, “When a man kisses me, I want it to mean something. Desire for me. All of me, body and soul. And I want to feel the same way. That’s all.” Theo is a very beautiful man--which she comments on constantly--but we’re brought back to that truth that for most of us, there needs to be a connection, a click, to spark desire. Men are usually said to be more physical-visual creatures, but for women, we need someone to make love to our brain first or we’re getting nowhere else fast. 

This book explores beauty & what defines it, gender roles (especially what is masculine and acceptable in career choices), equality and access for all genders, fair equity practices in work and relationships, and women’s empowerment across all sectors. (I don’t think most readers are going to be as hung up on these points as much as I was, per se, but it was something I noticed, loved, and applauded.) If you have a friend who doesn’t read romances because they think “romances give women a false idea of love and expectations”, give them this one. It’s all about the empowerment. 

Review - - Lady Bridget's Diary

Lady Bridget’s Diary

Author: Maya Rodale

Keeping Up with the Cavendishes Book 1

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: February 23, 2016

Lady Bridget’s Diary is the first book in Maya Rodale’s new series about the Cavendish family-a family from America, who by a fluke and twist of fate, end up thrown into the midst of the British aristocracy when brother James ends up being the heir to the dukedom.

As the title may suggest, this book is the author’s homage and take on Bridget Jones’ Diary,  which is an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I really enjoyed the way Maya worked in lines from the movie and book, and the references become fun Easter eggs for the reader to discover. However, Lady Bridget’s Diary is not just a rehash of the same story that we all know and love.  Maya definitely puts her stamp on it and makes the story her own.

Lady Bridget is a character you root for and warm up to immediately. She is good hearted, earnest, spirited, has a good sense of humor, and isn’t afraid to stand up to the aloof and snobby Darcy. But most of all, I love the journey she goes through during the course of the book. At the beginning of the story, Bridget is insecure, awkward, and clumsy. She is convinced that everyone seems to get the trick of doing things right, but she’s all sixes and sevens. Her earnest attempts to fit in and be a proper British lady doesn’t go well.  But at the end, she finds inner confidence to see that she is wonderful just as she is, and that pigeon-holing herself to fit in isn’t worth giving up her peace and happiness. Also, she learns that everyone has flaws and insecurities just like her-some are just better at hiding it than others.

The Darcy character is one that is beloved by romance lovers everyone, and is one of the most recognizable and famous in Western literature. Who amongst us hasn’t dreamt and daydreamed about having our very own Mr. Darcy sweep us away? Well, the Darcy in Lady Bridget’s Diary will win your heart just as much as Colin Firth did in the 95 BBC adaptation. This Darcy has trouble expressing himself because he’s so used to bottling up his thoughts and emotions in the name of doing the right and proper thing, and to protect his brother Rupert. This Darcy actually has a sly sense of humor, is caring, loyal, and steadfast. It was a joy to see how being with Bridget lightened him up and brought out the best in him, as if he was just waiting for her to come along and bring joy, color, and life back to his existence. He needed someone like Bridget to help him express his feelings, see the lighter side of things, and not take himself so seriously.

One of my favorite aspects of the book is the theme of the importance of family. Darcy stands by his brother Rupert even when society may dictate he exile Rupert. It made me love and respect Darcy all the more because of it. Amelia and her family are also tight knit, and they become even closer as they are thrown into the unfamiliar world of the British aristocracy. The bond and camaraderie between the Cavendish siblings is truly lovely-they may tease, bicker, and squabble, but they are there for each other and support each other unquestionably. There are different kinds of love, and the love between family members and friends can be just as vital and sustaining as romantic/passionate love.

Maya also does a good job of laying the groundwork for future pairs/books in the series. Bridget’s sister Amelia gets her story next, and I have my suspicions as to who brother James will end up with! 

In Lady Bridget’s Diary, Maya had written a book that checks off everything I’m looking for in a romance-humor, lovable characters, warmth, engaging and well-paced plot, and witty prose. This book is laugh out loud funny. Literally. I was reading this on the train on my way to work, and kept cracking up. Yes, I got strange looks from my fellow commuters. No, I regret nothing.

I highly recommend Maya’s new release, and I can’t wait for Amelia’s book, Chasing Lady Amelia, coming out July 2016!

~Lisa

Review - - What a Wallflower Wants

What A Wallflower Wants

Wicked Wallflower Series-Book 3

By Maya Rodale

Publisher: Avon

Release Date:  September 30, 2014

I have been a fan of Maya Rodale and her books ever since I read her debut The Heir and the Spare back in 2007. From the start, I was taken by her smart writing and lively and entertaining characters. In her Wicked Wallflower series, we meet three best friends, Emma, Olivia, and Prudence who are running up against a deadline to find husbands.  So, in order to find and attract a husband in time, they engage in all sorts of schemes and shenanigans to get their happy ever afters. What A Wallflower Wants is the final book in the series, and we finally find out what Rodale has in store for Prudence. Rodale’s books are known for their humor, wit, and charm. But her latest book is a bit of a departure for her. What A Wallflower Wants is a bit darker in tone and deals with the painful and sensitive topic of rape and sexual violence.

Prudence Merryweather Payton has been deemed “Prude Prudence” and “London’s Least Likely To Be Caught In A Compromising Position” by the ton. But no one knows about the incident with The Beast that happened four years ago that haunts her still and rendered her “ruined” and “unmarriageable.” It has also left her deeply fearful and distrustful of men, and understandably so. But still, she is expected to marry and Prudence can’t figure out a solution to her dilemma. Until she meets John Roark, Viscount Castleton, and they end up stranded together at a rural inn.

What I love most about Rodale’s books are her heroines. Rodale heroines push the boundaries of “acceptable ladylike behavior” all in the name of love and living the best and most fulfilling lives they can. Rodale heroines learn to toss aside silly restrictive rules that don’t make sense, even if society deems it “shocking” and “scandalous” because love is worth it. Prudence definitely learns this lesson to wonderful effect. Prudence learns to reclaim her past and body. She learns to forgive herself and heap the shame and blame on the one who deserves it-the perpetrator. Prudence also learns that she is a woman of strength and courage who should give herself more credit.  I really loved the way Prudence gradually opens up to John and her friends, finds her voice, and learns to fight for what she wants, instead of passively letting life happen to her.  I admired Prudence’s strength and resilience, and you can’t help but want her to get the fairy tale happy ending she’s convinced isn’t in the cards for her.

John Roark, Viscount Castleton, is a man with a plan. He is determined to make it to the Great Exhibition to meet the men responsible for the Difference Engine in an effort to make secure his family’s future. He is also a man with secrets-huge secrets that have potentially devastating consequences. But despite that, we see from the beginning that he is a good man who is caring and sensitive. He sees into Prudence and can tell that she is wounded, and that rouses his protective instincts. His compassion, understanding, and sensitivity towards Prudence makes him hero-worthy for sure. His core of decency and goodness made him very attractive and appealing. John won me over with how hard he worked to gain Prudence’s trust, and showing her how a real man treats a woman.  I especially loved John teaching her self-defense. However, I will admit that the fallout from John’s deception was wrapped up in a neat little bow, perhaps a bit too neat for some. But, it is definitely not outside the realm of possibility, and thus it was believable to me.

As with all of Rodale’s book, What A Wallflower Wants is an excellent enjoyable read that I recommend highly. It is a sweet and tender love story that will definitely tug at your heartstrings. You can’t help but root for Prudence and John despite the overwhelming obstacles between them. These are two people who want more out of life, even though society tells them they can’t/shouldn’t have it. The fact that they overcome those odds together through faith, love, and trust makes their happy ending together all the sweeter. And in true romance tradition, the villain (and there is definitely a vile villain in this story) gets what’s coming to him.  

The Wicked Wallflower series also has three fun sexy contemporary novellas that tie into the books. If you haven’t read the Big Bad Billionaire novellas, I definitely recommend those too!

~Lisa  

The e-ARC of What a Wallflower Wants was received from Avon as part of the Avon Addicts program.

Wallflower Gone Wild Winner

The winner of a copy of Wallflower Gone Wild 

from PJ's review is:

Janice Hougland

Congratulations, Janice!  Please send your full name and mailing address to us at:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Review - - Wallflower Gone Wild

Wallflower Gone Wild
London's Least Likely - Book 2
By Maya Rodale
Publisher: Avon
Release Date:  March 25, 2014

All she wanted was to fall in love and get married but with her unfortunate nicknames of "Prissy Missy" and "London's Least Likely to Cause a Scandal" plus her overbearing mother dogging her through the ballrooms of London, it looks like Lady Olivia Archer's fourth season won't be bringing her any closer to her goal than her first. And now her parents have tired of waiting on her and have betrothed her to a man who terrifies her: Phinneas Cole, known as the Mad Baron, a man believed by all of society to have murdered both his first wife and his brother. True, he's handsome and there was a mutual fascination when Olivia encountered him at a ball but that was before she knew who he was and what he had done.  At Lady Penelope's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Fine Families, Olivia and her friends were told that if they followed The Rules they would find husbands and happy marriages. Since that's not happening maybe it's time to change the rules.

Phinneas Cole has come to London for two reasons: to complete the Difference Engine (an early type of computer) he's building in time for the Great Exhibition and find a sweet, biddable wife who will leave him in peace to continue his scientific endeavors.  He thinks he's found her when he encounters Lady Olivia Archer at a ball.  She's quiet, refined and elegant; the opposite of his late wife and exactly what he needs.  No need to waste time.  He contacts her father and Olivia is presented with a fait accompli.  But once engaged, the sweet, quiet woman disappears, to be replaced by a wallflower gone wild, flaunting the rules at every turn.

Olivia believes the rumors about Phinn and is determined to cause enough havoc to cause him to break the betrothal.  Phinn had enough drama in his first marriage to last a lifetime but the more mischief Olivia causes, the more fascinated he becomes.  He sets out to woo her though he's woefully inept at it and unfortunately the advice he receives from his well-meaning but clueless friend only reinforces Olivia's beliefs about him. But Phinn is determined and slowly Olivia comes to realize there's more to the man than meets the eye...if only there wasn't that pesky murder rumor in his past.

I really enjoyed this book.  Rodale has created characters that are complex, engaging and just plain fun. It was delightful to watch Olivia blossom as her betrothal rebellion slowly changes her from a quiet young woman who wouldn't dream of breaking her mother's or society's rules into a confident, strong woman who has learned to make rules of her own.  Phinn is a hero I'd take home any day. I adored him and while his efforts to woo Olivia often went off course, he finally got it right for a happy, sigh-worthy ending.

Wallflower Gone Wild is the second book in Rodale's London's Least Likely series. It reads well as a stand-alone although the primary couple from the first book, The Wicked Wallflower drop enough hints about their own journey that, like me, you'll probably want to start reading their story as soon as you turn the final page of Wallflower Gone Wild.  I'm now counting down the days until the release of the third book in this series.  What a Wallflower Wants will hit the shelves in September.

~PJ

Do you enjoy wallflower heroines?  How about nerdy heroes? Do you like to see them grow into strong, confident characters or do you prefer that they remain true to their roots?  Or can they be both? With the help of her friends, Olivia dreams up some crazy schemes in her attempts to convince Phinn to break their engagement.  If you were a wallflower gone wild in Regency England, how would you break the rules?

I have a print copy of Wallflower Gone Wild for one lucky person who leaves a comment today. 
(U.S. and Canadian addresses only)

Today's Special -- At the Duke's Wedding

June is considered the month for weddings, so what better way to celebrate that than to have four ladies who write historical romance and are experts at love tell their own wedding stories! Maya Rodale penned the popular Writing Girl Series and makes her home in New York City. Miranda Neville is in the midst of a new series, the Wild Quartet, and lives in beautiful rural Vermont. Caroline Linden's upcoming book, Love and Other Scandals (August), is already garnering rave reviews! Caroline lives with her family near Boston. Katharine Ashe starts a new series in September with the upcoming, I Married the Duke. Katharine resides in the wonderfully warm Southeast. Please welcome Maya, Miranda, Caroline, and Katharine!

Last year the four of us wrote short stories for a free promotion piece (Once Upon a Ballroom) and had a wonderful time. So wonderful that we had to do it again, this time on a larger scale. Brainstorming for a June release, naturally we thought of weddings. One wedding, at an English ducal estate 1813. But with four different heroes and heroines meeting, quarreling and reaching Happy Ever After during a two-week-long house party, ending up with four weddings, none of them expected. 

Each of us plotted her own novella, but we came up with a number of common threads and characters that appear in all our stories, notably the White Muslin Crew of Regency girls running wild, the wisecracking Lady Sophronia, and Hippolyta, the world’s greatest high perch phaeton. 

And then there was the timeline. Emails flew through cyberspace: “Can we have a cricket match on Day 7?” “Is it OK if your guy and mine meet in the stables on the morning of Day 10?” And gales of virtual laughter as we wrote little scenes for each other’s characters. We hope AT THE DUKE’S WEDDING will bring readers as much pleasure. Descriptions of the four novellas may be found at http://www.atthedukeswedding.com. 

We’d like to share some of our own wedding stories and pictures.

 

 

 

 

Maya: The bride and groom wore cowboy boots--even though he's a Brit! My sister the bridesmaid, who may or may not be taller than me, was forced to wear flats. But hey, it was my day! My perfect, lovely, totally romantic day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miranda: I was married in June in the English countryside but not at a ducal mansion. The reception was in the garden of my parents’ house. I wish I could tell you about the food and decorations but the details vanished into a blissful haze. I was attended by my five-year-old niece. As you can see by the “before and after” picture, her toilette deteriorated in the course of the day. The yellow satin sash was one I’d worn as a flower girl at the same age (my mother never threw anything away) and the elderly male cat was named Cleopatra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caroline: Here's a candid photo of me, getting photobombed by an irate junior usher! He was about 6 and wildly annoyed by all the photos being taken, when we could have been doing something much more important like getting to the food. My favorite comment on the ceremony was from my younger sister, who was a flower girl: "It was like going to church, but short and not boring."

 

 

 

Katharine: Right before we all went off to the church, my parents' house was full of crazily busy people: me and my sisters dressing, the stylist coiffing, the photographer grabbing us all for pictures, caterers running between the kitchen and the tent out back where the reception was to be held, and little nieces and nephews scampering through it all. And it was pouring rain: lovely, wet, steamy June in Pennsylvania.  

That's when our French baker called. In a torrent of irate Gallic syllables he lambasted the florist. She had apparently informed him that she would decorate the cake with fresh flowers (as planned) at our house rather than at the bakery where he could supervise. The florist (a truly amazing artist) thought he was a pipsqueak. Fifteen minutes before the ceremony, the baker refused to deliver the cake.  

Then someone summoned my husband. Fluent not only in the French language but also in the character of certain Frenchmen, he grasped the phone with confidence.  

First he told the baker that his cake was sans doute the most important part of the entire wedding. Then he agreed that the florist's demand was thoroughly outrageous. Finally he promised the baker that should anything happen to the cake other than the greatest artistry, he would hold himself personally accountable and write a condemnation of the florist and a formal apology to the baker. 

By the time my husband hung up, he and the baker were best friends. My hero. 

The cake was delicious–and beautiful, as you can see in the picture.

I used the baker as the model for the French baker in my novella HOW TO MARRY A HIGHLANDER (coming July 30). 

 

 

Please share your favorite wedding story, from your own or any other wedding. We have prizes for three commenters: a complete set of Caroline Linden’s Bow Street Agent trilogy (A View to A Kiss, For Your Arms Only, and You Only Love Twice); Miranda Neville’s The Importance of Being Wicked, plus the prequel novella The Second Seduction of a Lady; a digital download of Maya Rodales’s Seducing Mr. Knightly. (We forgot to ask Katharine about a prize before she left on vacation WITH NO INTERNET.) Sorry, US addresses only.

At The Duke's Wedding

            (A Regency Romance Anthology)            

As society gathers at Kingstag Castle for the wedding of the year, matrimony is in the air. But who will be the bride? With swoonworthy lords, witty ladies, eccentric relatives, a gaggle of free-spirited girls, not to mention the world’s best high perch phaeton, it’s a recipe for mayhem — and romance. Award winning, best-selling authors Katharine Ashe, Caroline Linden, Miranda Neville and Maya Rodale serve up delectable Regency fun and a sexy contemporary twist in this anthology of original novellas.

Four authors, four couples, four deliciously romantic surprises. When it comes to love, anything can happen…

That Rogue Jack  by Maya Rodale

Jack, Lord Willoughby is charming, handsome, and utterly irresponsible. In other words, he’s the worst person to entrust with the ducal wedding ring. Miss Henrietta Black is prim, proper and the ideal person to help find the priceless family heirloom that’s gone missing… as long as she isn’t distracted by Jack’s gorgeous smile and tantalizing attempts at seduction. They MUST find the ring before the wedding… if they aren’t too busy falling in love.  

PS. I Love You  by Miranda Neville

Handsome, inarticulate Frank Newnham asks his cousin Christian's help when he woos Rosanne Lacy by letter. Rosanne falls for Frank's delicious prose, but when they meet in person at the duke's wedding party, Rosanne can't understand why Frank seems so ... dull. And why is she drawn to the dark brooding Earl of Bruton, with his scarred face and air of melancholy?  

When I Met My Duchess  by Caroline Linden

Gareth Cavendish, Duke of Wessex, believes he’s chosen the perfect bride… until he meets her sister and lightning strikes—literally! Now he’s the only member of society dreading the wedding of the season. Or is he? Cleo Barrows can’t fathom why her knees weaken every time the handsome duke approaches, or why her sister isn’t in the clouds at the prospect of marrying him. But the more often wedding plans throw Cleo and Gareth intimately together, the faster time is running out to turn the celebration of the summer into the scandal of the year.

How Angela Got Her Rogue Back  by Katharine Ashe

When gorgeous Lord Trenton Ascot beckons to history grad student Angela Cowdrey from the pages of a comic book, she thinks she’s going crazy. When Trent rescues her from a lake and she claims she’s from the future, he knows he is. But a blackmailer is threatening Trent’s family and Angela is determined to help. While unraveling the mystery of her time-travel trip to the duke’s wedding, this modern girl and Regency lord just might discover a passion that defies centuries.

Total anthology length: 129,000 words/516 pages

Today's Special -- Maya Rodale

Historical romance author Maya Rodale began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence and it wasn’t long before she was writing her own. Maya is now the author of multiple Regency historical romances, including her latest, A Groom of One's Own, out tomorrow! She lives in New York City with her darling dog and a rogue of her own. Please help us welcome Maya to The Romance Dish as she talks about...


Weddings, weddings everywhere!

There are a lot of blog worthy topics in my new book, A Groom Of One’s Own: love quandrangles, dukes, female newspaper writers in Regency London, foreign princes, great schemes, big scandals….but today I wanted to chat about wedding planning.

First of all, that’s Groom as in bride and groom, not a stable boy (as one of my friends thought--I find the confusion funny). Planning the grand “Wedding of the Year” between the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon (our hero) and the daughter of the Duke of Richmond (the lovely and likeable female foil) forms the backdrop of the story. It’s also the subject of The London Weekly’s column, Miss Harlow’s Marriage in High Life, written by our heroine, Miss Sophie Harlow.

Wedding planning—smile with glee or cringe? I had no first hand experience with it when I was writing the book—I knew there was dress fittings and cake tasting involved, but that was about it. I did my research (thanks to my cousin, Shelbi!) but nothing compares to the real experience.

Speaking of A Groom Of One’s Own, my now-fiance proposed after I handed the book in. So now I’m knee deep in planning my own wedding and have an appreciation for the complexity of it—the guest list is fraught with opportunities to offend, the etiquette of invitations is outrageously intricate, and dress shopping loses its appeal after the 20th or so dress.

None of these things made it into the book—instead I focused on the romance between a betrothed duke and the scandalous young woman who writes for a newspaper. Or the romance between said duke’s fiancé and a dashing foreign prince. Or the Big Secret that complicates everything. Oh, and then you would not believe what actually happens at the Wedding of the Year.

But back to wedding planning and weddings—my fiancé and I are enjoying everyone else’s wedding stories and advice, as well as videos and tales about when things go wrong at weddings. Got any to share? Any favorite wedding scenes from romance novels?


*******


Miss Harlow's Marriage In High Life
London, 1823

A handsome duke. His beautiful soon-to-be duchess. A whirlwind courtship. It is this author's privilege to report on the event all of London is talking about: the upcoming wedding of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon to the only daughter of the Duke of Richmond. Every details of the "Wedding of the Year" will be reported in these pages as a London Weekly exclusive.

But I, Miss Sophie Harlow, must confess to a secret infatuation with this "double duke" that can only lead to trouble. It is impossible that this notoriously upstanding gentleman would ever jilt his bride for a scandalous female newspaper writer. And yet...the arrival of a foreign prince, the discovery of a shocking secret, and one passionate kiss could change everything. Will this perfect duke risk the scandal of the year to marry the woman his heart desires?

There are only just three more weeks until the wedding...


For more information about Maya and her books, please visit her at: http://www.mayarodale.com/