Review, Q&A, and Giveaway - - Brazen in Blue

 

Brazen in Blue 

by Rachael Miles 

The Muses' Salon - Book 5  

Publisher: Zebra  

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Reviewed by PJ

 

   

Lady Emmeline Hartley has overcome every obstacle life has thrown her way. A spinster, disappointed in love, Em is on the brink of a marriage of convenience, when the man who rejected her heart reappears in need of her help. It gives Em a chance to escape, put to use one her most unusual talents—and perhaps convince him once and for all to risk his heart . . .
Adam Montclair--one of the most successful agents at the Home Office--rubs elbows with the highest levels of society. Even so, he wasn’t to the manor born. No matter how much he desires Em, as a match he is completely unsuitable. While it pains him to be near her, it’s a punishment he richly deserves. Now on a mission to uncover a plot against the government, Adam knows Em's uncanny ability to recall voices will be essential. Yet as the two thwart the dangers in their path, it may become impossible to deny that Em is essential to happiness itself . . .

PJ's Thoughts:

I love second-chance romances and this one pulled me in with high emotional stakes from the get-go. Em is on the brink of a marriage to her childhood best friend, a marriage that is set to move forward the day this book opens even though both the bride and the groom are in love with other people. When Adam, the undercover Home Office agent Em believes is a criminal, is unable to stay away from watching the woman he loves marry his best friend, the sight of him outside the chapel gives the nervous bride the courage she needs to do the right thing. With Adam's help, Em runs, setting the groom free to marry the woman he loves. But while Em's heart still belongs to Adam, she's a long way from trusting him enough to put her feelings on the line again and Adam knows full well he's not worthy of her love. Especially with those secrets he's still keeping...

One of the things I most enjoy about Miles' books are her multi-layered, complex characters. Fully formed and vibrantly depicted, they leap from the page, pulling me into their emotions, their fears, their hopes, and love. The passionate push and pull between Adam and Em is visceral, immersing me in their adventure, and their relationship, almost immediately. I liked them individually and I loved them together. Em is a character to respect and admire (I love how she stands her ground, going toe to toe with Adam as well as his Home Office superiors) and Adam is her heart and mind match, if only he's able to put his class worries aside long enough to realize it, and if Em's willing to forgive him once all his secrets are revealed. 

Another aspect of this series that I've enjoyed is the ongoing search for the devious criminal known as Charters. The mystery continues in this book, with new leads to Charters' real identity and Em taking a pivotal role in the search. This is one nasty villain who keeps escaping the net of the Home Office. I am gleefully looking forward to him being caught and justice finally being served. 

The secondary cast in this book are much more than window dressing, propelling the story forward in a variety of ways. Adam's Home Office superior continues to pull strings in his agents' lives while maintaining anonymity. His story has been gradually unveiled over the course of the series and I am very curious to see what Miles has in store for him as revealing himself would cause ripple effects far and wide. Miles also introduces a group of new characters, six women, relatives of Adam's, who live a secluded life on a piece of property surrounded by water and with whom I am very intrigued. They have me hoping for more stories. I adored Em's majordomo, Mr. Jeffreys, who has been more father than employee to her since she was a child. And I fell head over heels in love with Em's faithful canine companion, Queen Bess. How she discovers the puppy, Persis who joins their little entourage had me in tears. In fact, Bess had me in tears multiple times. She is one special dog.

If you enjoy well-paced and impeccably researched historical romance with witty dialog, a mystery thread, cross-class romance, and plenty of adventure, give Brazen in Blue a try. Keep in mind, however, that this is the fifth book in a series that has a large cast of characters and a continually evolving mystery. For that reason, there may be some confusion jumping into the series in the middle. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q&A with Rachael Miles

Welcome to the blog, Rachael, and congratulations on tomorrow’s release of the newest book in your The Muses' Salon series. What should readers expect from Brazen in Blue? 

A runaway bride, a dangerous criminal, a retreat to an almost magical island, and a great big faithful dog.

Second-chance romance is one of my favorite tropes. What is it about this trope that you enjoy as an author?

In terms of plotting, second-chance romance gives me so much to work with. The characters have already been in a relationship before, and for whatever reason it didn’t work out. So immediately there’s a tension that it could fail again. This also solves the problem of making the attraction believable. When characters meet for the first time at the beginning of a book, I have to work really hard to convince the reader that their attraction is real or justified. But if the characters already know each other, if they have a history, then it also sets up a bit of a mystery: why didn’t it work out? who or what was at fault? And the reader can enjoy piecing that together as the plot progresses. As an author, it helps create tension if the characters have already wounded each other in some way, and part of the progress of the romance, then, is to heal that wound so that the characters can move forward.

I adored the dogs in this book, especially Queen Bess. Do you have pets? Are they your writing partners or writing distractions?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have animals—and all of my books have a critter of one sort or another in them. Since our ancient cat died, we have just the dogs now, a sweet pack of three, all rescues. The eldest, a terrier mix, is quite old and mostly deaf, so unless one of the other dogs alerts to her to something interesting outside, she sleeps on a bed next to my desk. The youngest—an incredibly smart (and devious) black lab mix—positions herself in the room outside my office where she can watch all the movement in the house. My middle dog—a gentle vizscla/hound mix—stays close by me, and she has a pretty infallible sense of when I need a break. She will stick her nose inside the bend of my elbow as I type and refuse to move until I stop and do what she wants. Though they are sometimes distractions (especially when they spot a chipmunk outside the window), they are more often lovely companions in a process that is by its nature solitary. I can’t imagine writing without them near.

I love the life philosophy of Adam’s female relatives. Do you have a skill (other than writing) that brings you pleasure?

I have a number of interests that give me pleasure, but which I wouldn’t call skills per se. This year, I dug a small pond outside my office and put koi and water plants in it, and I delight in watching them (and the several kind of frogs that now hang out there). I’ve been (slowly) learning how to identify birds and their songs, and I love listening and watching. I also have a garden every year, and for the last several seasons, I’ve been planting more intentionally for bees, birds, and butterflies. I can grow a pot of herbs (which —other than tarragon—are fairly indestructible), but this year, like many other people, I added vegetables. But that wasn’t much of a success. Other than a nice crop of potatoes and shallots, I mostly created a banquet for all the critters in my neighborhood. This week, I’ve been watching a baby groundhog eat an enormous gourd vine that has flowered too late to bear, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to stop her.

Speaking of Adam’s relatives, will we be seeing more of them in the future? In, perhaps, their own books (she begged, entreatingly)?  

I’m so glad you enjoyed them! It’s an interesting situation: six cousins (2 sets of 3 sisters) all living on a piece of land cut off by the tides. And they are all artists in some way—whether painting, or weaving, or embroidery, or cooking. And there’s a hint of magic surrounding their island. As I was writing, I kept discovering snippets of their individual stories (one even involving pirates!), and I’d like to pursue those. So, yes, I do think they deserve their own books.

What’s next for The Muses' Salon?

There’s one more book in this contract. Wicked in White picks up several months after Brazen in Blue.  Cecily, Duchess of Rokeby, recently widowed, has returned to London to settle her brother’s estate and to solve a puzzle he sent her shortly before his death. An antiquarian, her brother owned a vast collection of ancient artifacts, but when she arrives at his London home, they are gone, sold, she assumes, but there’s no record of when, why, or to whom. And without the artifacts she has little hope of solving his puzzle. For help, she turns to her brother’s best friend, Simon Worsham, a man who had, long ago, rejected her advances. The attraction still arcs between them. But shortly after she renews her acquaintance with Simon, Cecily is approached by her old teacher, Mrs. Flint and school chum Lady Olivia Walgrave (both from Tempting the Earl) who believe the man arrested for being the master criminal Charters has been framed. And who was the lead investigator in that case?  Simon. It’s a delicious conflict that leads to all sorts of misunderstandings…and opportunities for attraction.

Let’s play a quick round of complete this sentence.

On warm, summer days, I want to…dig in my garden.

When I need to quench my thirst, I reach for… a cool glass of water or an herbal iced tea. I’m particularly fond of a particular Peach Fruit tea—which is just chopped-up dried peaches. Yum.

The book I’m most eager to read is…Julia Spencer Fleming’s Hid from our Eyes, which came out a few months ago and is on the top of my to-be-read pile. It’s been seven years since Spencer-Fleming’s last Clare Fergusson mystery, and I’ve reread the series in anticipation.

My favorite summer treat is…a tie between peaches and blackberries.

The musical artist (or song) that can always get me dancing is…Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. My Daddy, a Fort Worth native, loved Texas swing, and I grew up listening to it. So while many other songs or artists pull me to my feet, I can’t resist a little two-step around the living room when I hear Bob Wills.

The characteristic a hero must have to win my heart is…kindness. For me, the hero must at some point set aside their own interests to care for another person’s.

Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Rachael. Would you like to add anything else or ask the readers a question?

I would love to know either about your readers’ animal companions or the books they love that have animals as characters.

One randomly chosen person who comments on this post before 11:00 PM (Eastern), August 25, will receive an e-book copy of Brazen in Blue.

*Must be 18 or older

*U.S. only

Review - - Reckless in Red

Reckless in Red
by Rachael Miles
The Muses' Salon - Book 4
Publisher: Zebra
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Reviewed by PJ
    

Lena Frost is a force to be reckoned with. A woman who has made her way in society without family or fortune, she’s about to realize her first big success as an artist. . . . Until her business partner makes off with her money, leaving her with little more than her hopes—and a dead body in her studio. Now Lena is at the mercy of a strikingly handsome stranger demanding answers she dare not reveal . . .
 
Is it her seductive eyes, or his suspicion that she’s up to no good that have Clive Somerville shadowing Lena’s every move? Either way, his secret investigation for the Home Office has him determined to uncover Lena’s hidden agenda.  But the closer he gets to her, the more he longs to be her protector. Is she a victim of circumstance? Or a dark force in a conspiracy that could destroy everything Clive holds dear?  Discovering the truth could have dire consequences, not only for Lena, but for his heart . . .

My thoughts:

It's been a while since my last Rachael Miles book and I had forgotten how very much I enjoy her writing. Her characters are complex and intriguing, engaging my emotions while ensuring my full investment in their lives and happiness.

In Reckless in Red, Miles returns to the Somerville family for the story of younger brother, Clive, a physician researcher and special agent for the Home Office, and Lena Frost, a gifted artist with a mysterious past. I really enjoyed these two. They are so perfect for one another. Miles gives them many layers that she unravels slowly and skillfully as the story progresses. With each reveal, I found myself caring more deeply for that character; more invested in them. In particular, my heart ached for what Lena had endured and I admired her strength and determination all the more.  

A talented storyteller, Miles also weaves an intricately crafted thread of mystery and danger that binds the couple even tighter together as they work to find Lena's missing partner, solve several mysterious murders, and, most importantly, stay alive themselves. I enjoy mystery mixed with my romance and this series has an enjoyable blend of it.

Another aspect of Miles' writing that I enjoy is her attention to detail. In this book, the technical and historical details relating to both Lena's and Clive's careers add an extra layer of richness to the story. I love finishing a novel, having been  entertained, emotionally engaged, and gaining new knowledge. 

Many of Clive's family members are prominently featured in this book along with some new characters and one persistent villain whose unmasking I am most eagerly anticipating. Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with the Somervilles while those new to Miles' books should have no difficulty jumping in with Reckless in Red.  

Rachael Miles Winner

The randomly chosen winners of a copy of 

Jilting the Duke by Rachael Miles are:

Erin

(print copy from Rachael Miles)

Stefany

(Kindle copy from PJ)

Congratulations!

Erin, please send your full name and mailing address to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Stefany, please send your email address to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Today's Special - - Rachael Miles

It's my pleasure to welcome debut author Rachael Miles to TRD today. Rachael writes romance novels set in the British Regency. Her debut series--The Muses' Salon--is being published in 2016 by Kensington Zebra Shout. Her first novel--Jilting the Duke--has been called a "cosily scrumptious historical romance' by Publisher's Weekly and is the recipient of a 4 star review by RT Book Reviews, which described it as "charming, sweet, and sensual." Cathy Maxwell praised her second novel, Chasing the Heiress, saying "Intrigue, romance, adventure, Chasing the Heiress has it all!" Identified as a 'strong new voice' by Mary Jo Putney for Omnivoracious.com, Miles is a former professor of book history and nineteenth-century literature. She edits the digital archives, Nineteenth-century Women Writers Reviewed and the internationally award-winning Texas Manuscript Cultures. A native Texan​, Miles lives ​in the woods ​with ​her indulgent husband, three rescued dogs,​ an ancient ​c​at​, and a herd of deer who love her vegetable garden​.  

Welcome, Rachael! Congratulations on the release of your debut book, Jilting the Duke.  What should readers expect from this historical romance?

I started Jilting the Duke with a question. What would you do if your worst enemy became guardian of your child? And what if that enemy used to be your best friend? It seemed to be a perfect starting point: all that intimacy gone awry, then brought back into contact, but with the addition of a power dynamic. That’s the situation Sophia Gardiner, Lady Wilmot, finds herself in at the beginning of the book, co-guardian with Aidan Somerville, Duke of Forster, a man she once loved and has never been able to forget. But Aidan sees the co-guardianship as a way to punish Sophia for deserting him all those years ago. So, the two come into contact again with very different motives, only to have those motives shift when it becomes clear that Sophia and her young son are in danger.

As you mentioned above, Jilting the Duke is a second-chance love story with a revenge twist. What is it about the combination of these two tropes that intrigues you as a writer?

I think these two tropes work so well together because they both require forgiveness. In revenge stories, society is fractured: justice has been denied—for whatever reason—to those who deserve it, and the hero or heroine is left to repair the fracture. But without justice, the fracture ripples wider and wider. Think of Hamlet. In gaining his revenge on the man who murdered his father, Hamlet kills or causes the death of his girlfriend, her brother and father, his mother, his uncle, himself, and two university friends. Only one thing can keep the fracture of injustice from erupting into revenge: love. But to love requires the characters to forgive the injustice that started the whole cycle.

A second-chance love story doesn’t necessarily start at the same spot as a revenge story—our characters may not want each other dead. But there is still a fracture that separates the characters: a breach left by whatever it is that kept them apart--family, obligation, ambition, misunderstanding, etc. But before the characters can love one another, they have to heal that breach, and that happens (again) through forgiveness.

In Jilting the Duke, then, when Aidan vows revenge for Sophia’s betrayal, that vow carries with it the threat of real destruction, even though the ‘death’ he imagines for her is a social one (rejection by the ton, scandal, etc). But revenge (as Aidan’s valet warns him) is insidious—and even when Aidan thinks he’s set revenge aside to take that second chance, until he forgives Sophia—and she him—the possibility for all sorts of unexpected fractures remains very real. And with a villain who wants Sophia dead, those fractures create opportunities for danger.

Our heroine, Sophia is an intelligent, educated woman with a passion for botany. Do you have a green thumb? What plants will be blooming in your garden this year?

I loved making Sophia a botanist. It was an acceptable pursuit for women in the period, but it also drew on my own love of plants and landscapes. As for me, though, my green thumb depends on the plant. Somehow I can keep an orchid alive and happy, but I can’t grow tarragon.

As for what will be blooming in my yard, I have no idea, and that’s great fun! We recently moved from a semi-arid flat desert (where everything we planted had to be drought and heat tolerant) to a hilly, water-rich landscape, and our new yard shows the remains of a past garden design. This year, then, I’m watching to discover what already lives in the yard. All day today, I enjoyed a lone yellow crocus with magenta stripes down the petals.

What led you to write historical romance?

My path to writing historical romance is a pretty wayward one. I read my first historical romance when I was in elementary school--Elizabeth Marie Pope’s The Perilous Gard. The book brought together history (Renaissance England) and magic (the faery folk) and the English ballad tradition (Tam Lin). But what made me read the book over and over again was its plain-faced heroine, Kate: smart, resourceful, and determined, Kate makes decisions that change the landscape of her world. I wanted to write stories like that—and over the years I wrote dribs and drabs of stories (always historical). But I had an academic career, teaching 19thC literature and book history, and I focused my energy into recovering the work of long-forgotten women writers and publishing about those women. And for a long time, I thought that was the place that my writing path ended up.

Then Jodi Thomas came to talk to my book history course about the contemporary book market, and at lunch (the closest thing I could offer to an honorarium), she asked, “Now, honey, what are you going to write?” It’s funny how a single sentence can reorient your whole world. And pretty soon, my brain—so full of 19thC details—began to reshape those pieces into stories. It’s been fascinating and oh-so-much fun.

I love a book that pulls me into its spell so completely that I end up reading well past my bedtime (as Jilting the Duke did). What’s the last book that kept you reading well into the night?

I have absolutely no discipline when it comes to reading. If I start reading a book, and it’s engaging, I will most often read until I finish. But I’ve been trying to reform. Right now, I’m trying not to read in one gulp Amanda Stevens’ The Visitor. I read the first three in her Graveyard Queen series several years ago, so I was excited to see this one come out.

What’s been the most fun part of being a published romance author? The most challenging? The most surprising?

Strangely, the most fun is the process—seeing a book move from idea to manuscript to a book in a reader’s hands. Along the way, you get these lovely bursts of pleasure: there’s an email with your cover image, then the fat package with your proofs (in which the MS suddenly looks like a book!), then the ARCs that you pet while mailing them out to reviewers, then the moment when you (gasp) see your book on a shelf at a bookstore. After that, you have lovely encounters with readers who have read your book. So, each successive pleasure gets replaced by the next—it’s really quite nice.

The most challenging. That’s harder. What’s most challenging depends on the place we are in the process. Since it’s been a difficult year—my father died unexpectedly in the fall and my mother has been in and out of the hospital since then—the most challenging thing with book 3 was finishing it. But now that Tempting the Earl is in production, I’m having more opportunity to engage with readers who have read Jilting, and that’s simply delightful. But every once in a while, I’m grateful that I spent almost 30 years teaching, so I’ve perfected (I hope) not visibly reacting when someone says something unexpected about romance in general or my book in particular or its cover. That unexpected thing isn’t always bad—it’s just the unexpectedness of it that is challenging.

The most surprising. I’m consistently surprised at how generous and kind and welcoming the community of romance writers is. Jodi Thomas and Cathy Maxwell have offered me very helpful advice on the business side of the industry. My agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan, has recently started her own agency—Handspun Literary—and one of her first acts was to throw all her clients together on a private facebook page. It’s a great collegial group with wide-ranging expertise and knowledge. A writer’s life can be very solitary, and the Handspinners (our name for ourselves) make me laugh every day.

Will you be attending any book signings this year where readers can meet you?

I’ll be at RWA in San Diego, but I’m also pretty flexible. If readers have a book club and want me to come talk, I can usually arrange it! I’ve already been to Albany, Chicago and Denver for signings, and it’s been great fun.

Where can readers find you online?

I love to hear from readers! My website is rachaelmiles.com, and in addition to my blog on topics historical, every week I release materials transcribed from 19thC magazines. I’m also on Goodreads (Rachael_Miles), Facebook (RachaelMilesAuthor), Twitter (rachael_miles1), and Pinterest (miles3275).

I'm eagerly anticipating your next book, Chasing the Heiress, which will be released on May 31^st. What can you tell us about this story?

Chasing the Heiress begins as a sick-room romance: our hero—Colin—and our heroine—Lucy--first meet at an inn. He’s been shot, and she becomes his nurse. Their attraction is immediate and unexpected and problematic. What I like most about these two is that they have secrets, but they are very open with each other about having them, and each one accepts that the other simply can’t, for whatever reasons, confide those secrets. And of course those secrets almost destroy them.

Thank you for visiting with us today, Rachael. Would you like to ask our readers a question?

I’d like to know what plant they love to grow and why. For me, it’s rosemary—which a dear friend who does aromatherapy tells me ‘reminds you of your true self’—isn’t that a lovely thought?

Rachael is generously offering a print copy of her debut historical romance, Jilting the Duke to one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's post. (U.S. only) And, because I enjoyed it so much, I'm giving away a Kindle copy of the book! 

Deadline for comments to be entered in the giveaway is 11:00 pm, April 23 (EST).