Theresa Romain is the bestselling author of historical romances, including the Matchmaker trilogy, the Holiday Pleasures series, the Royal Rewards series, and the Romance of the Turf trilogy. Praised as “one of the rising stars of Regency historical romance” (Booklist), she has received a starred review from Booklist and was a 2016 RITA® finalist. A member of Romance Writers of America® and its Regency specialty chapter The Beau Monde, Theresa is hard at work on her next novel from her home in the Midwest. To keep up with all her book-release news, please visit her online at theresaromain.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter.
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“I want to be loved. I don’t think there could ever be
too many people in the world who love me. Certainly there are not too many
now.”
So says our heroine to our hero in my new historical romance
novella, My Scandalous Duke. In this friends to lovers romance, young
widow Lady Eleanor Palmer is giving an earful to Nicholas, Duke of Hampshire.
It’s not the first time. Spoiler: it’s not the last, either.
Nicholas is one of her oldest friends, a rock on whom she
can lean, and who leans right back when he needs someone to put his head on
straight. Eleanor wants to remarry; Nicholas is prepared to wed for the first
time. With her first marriage an adventurous disaster, Eleanor is looking for a
calm and sensible husband. Nicholas, a warmhearted but careless duke, does what
he wants to and worries about the consequences later. To him, the perfect wife
would leave him alone to pursue his own interests in Parliament—which, in 1801,
was going through the growing pains of unifying the Irish government with Great
Britain’s.
Being friends of such long standing, Nicholas and Eleanor
agree to help each other find the perfect
spouse. But an unusual card party, a
surprise pianoforte, a punching bag and a slippery slope later, they both
realize that what they thought they wanted isn’t what will truly make them
happy. They’ll both have to change and grow before they can reach their HEA
together. Spoiler part 2: they will. :)
In this contentious election year, I’ve drawn great comfort
from reading and writing romance. In romance novels, HEAs are for everyone, and
love wins. To paraphrase Eleanor, I don’t think there could ever be too much
love in the world. Writing a friends to lovers story was particularly fun,
because characters who already know each other well get to know each other in
an entirely new way. Neither of them is perfect, but they always find something
new to love in each other anyway.
Today I’m curious to know: do you have a favorite romance
plot, like friends to lovers? Or have you ever gotten to know someone in an
unexpected way—friend, family, or significant other? Or if those questions
don’t float your boat, just tell me about your favorite dessert. I’m eager to
get to know all of you a bit better.
One random commenter will receive print or Kindle copies of
two of my backlist books: A Gentleman’s Game
and Fortune
Favors the Wicked. (Winner gets to choose format.) International
entries welcome.
Lady Eleanor Palmer, a practical young widow, wants a family
of her own. Her first marriage was an adventurous disaster, so this time,
nothing but the most proper sort of man will do. Absolutely not who she’s
looking for? The impulsive, roguish Duke of Hampshire…even though she has
secretly loved him as long as she can remember.
Nicholas Langford, the Duke of Hampshire, has always relied
on Eleanor’s humor and good sense. Who else would guide him through a scandal
with laughter and grace? He would do anything to ensure his old friend’s
happiness—even help Eleanor find a suitable new husband.
As Eleanor makes plans for a new life without him at its
center, Nicholas realizes the depth of his own feelings. But he can offer
Eleanor nothing that she thinks she wants. How can he convince her that he is
everything she truly desires?
Book
order links:
Amazon
* Kobo * iBooks * Barnes & Noble
