Today's Special - - Cathy Maxwell

New York Times bestselling author and good friend Cathy Maxwell joins us today with the first of two thought provoking blogs.  The author of more than thirty published novels, Cathy is one of my auto-buy authors with many titles on my keeper shelves.  Cathy is a woman of many talents. As stated in her website bio, in addition to writing, she also spent six years in the U.S. Navy - where she worked at the Pentagon and did a tour with Naval intelligence - managed a watch factory, was a news broadcaster and was in charge of costumes for a local theater.  She's also smart, savvy and is one of the kindest and funniest people I've had the pleasure of meeting.  Please give her a warm Romance Dish welcome!

Scarlett and Superwoman

by Cathy Maxwell

For some mysterious reason, the subject of Scarlett O’Hara has come up on the romance panels I’ve sat on over the past year. The question?  Is Scarlett a good romance heroine?

And the question annoys me in the same way I grow testy when people act as if Romance readers don’t read anything other than this one genre.  (Excuse me while I climb onto my soapbox.  No, don’t excuse me.  I’m glad to do it.) The truth, Romance readers are avid readers in general.  They eventually gravitate to Romance because 1) they need more books to read. They want great stories and lots of them and I’m proud to say my genre delivers.   2) Stories about relationships intrigue them (even murderous ones). Romance readers are discerning readers, but voracious ones.

So where does Scarlett come in to all of this?  Well, first, some people don’t get the Romance genre.  They think any female character who can attract males and knows what to do with them once she has them is a “Romance” heroine.  Not true.  The “happy ending” is a strong expectation but so is the honorable heroine.  However, honorable does not mean uncomplicated.  GONE WITH THE WIND is not a romance but I could see Scarlett as a heroine of a romance novel, with tweaking, of course.  GWTW is a story of survival; the Romance novel is a tale of commitment.  These are not mutually exclusive concepts.

A heroine is true to her own code of conduct—and this is very true of Scarlett.  I don’t mind a heroine who is feisty or who makes mistakes out of immaturity or who needs to grow into the woman she must become. My most memorable characters in literature, and also the people I most admire in life, are those who are willing to make mistakes.  It is one thing to save the world but it is even more important to learn how to save yourself.  And when do people truly become interesting—when they are doing what is expected?  Or when they risk being themselves flaws and all?

Or have we at some point homogenized our heroines?  Is there a one size fits all “fantasy” of what readers expect out of characters.  I believe it is important to honor the happy ending, but I’m not convinced readers have a carbon copy idea of the sort of heroine they want, especially in this genre.  Look at the Romance section.  This genre takes in vamps and vampires, shape-shifters and missionaries, nurses, teachers, PHDs, administrative assistants, Regency virgins, and nuclear physicists and these books are all bestsellers. 

I’ll warn you now that this is a two part blog.  I’ve written a character that has annoyed readers, and then I tried to redeem her in the second book of the series. In truth, I’ve actually played with heroines in several of my books.  You know that “Well behaved women rarely make history” adage?  I believe it.  However, I have had my strongest feedback ever over Tara from THE BRIDE SAYS NO and THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE.  I will have some numbers to add to the discussion when we yak next month.

In the meantime, let’s talk heroines.  I’m interested in your thoughts.  Feel free to disagree with me on Miss Scarlett or any of my ramblings.  When you think of the word “heroine,” what comes to mind?  Is she perfect?  Or is she perfect in her imperfections?  Does a reader have time to watch a character grow?  Even a character involved in a series of books?  What makes a character fresh and vibrant to you?  Who are the heroines that still resonate strongly with you?

Cathy Maxwell believes each and every one of us is the heroine of her own life.  She is the bestselling author of over thirty historical romances in which she celebrates men and women with a passion for life.  www.cathymaxwell.com

What happens when a bride says maybe?

She’d once been the toast of London, but now scandal has brought her down. Still, pretty, petted Lady Tara Davidson can’t believe her new fate. She had wanted to marry for love . . . but her profligate father has promised her hand to none other than Breccan Campbell, the “Beast of Aberfeldy” and laird of the valley’s most despised clan! Well, Tara may have to marry him, but Breccan can’t make her love him—can he?  

What happens when the groom insists?

Breccan Campbell is nobody's fool.  He knows that Tara is trouble.  Yet he's determined to reform the Campbell name even if it means forging an alliance with the arrogant beauty. There's no doubt that Tara is a challenge, and Breccan loves nothing more. For he's vowed to thoroughly seduce Tara--and make her his in more than name alone.

Cathy Maxwell Winner

The winner of a copy of The Bride Says Maybe from the February 27th spotlight blog is:

Diane D - Florida

Congratulations, Diane!

Please send us your full name and mailing address and choice of book format (print or digital).

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Spotlight - - The Bride Says Maybe

What happens when a bride says maybe?

She'd once been the toast of London, but now scandal has brought her down. Still, pretty, petted Lady Tara Davidson can't believe her new fate. She had wanted to marry for love . . . but her profligate father has promised her hand to none other than Breccan Campbell, the "Beast of Aberfeldy" and laird of the valley's most despised clan! Well, Tara may have to marry him, but Breccan can't make her love him—can he?

What happens when the groom insists?

Breccan Campbell is nobody's fool. He knows that Tara is trouble. Yet he's determined to reform the Campbell name even if it means forging an alliance with the arrogant beauty. There's no doubt that Tara is a challenge, and Breccan loves nothing more. For he's vowed to thoroughly seduce Tara—and make her his in more than name alone.

Castle Campbell
By Kim in Baltimore
SOS Aloha Book Blog


I once mentioned to my English mother that I wanted to visit castles.  She replied, “Go to Scotland.  It has more castles than any other country.”   Indeed, I have visited Scotland twice, hunting for castles.   The crumbling castles ignite my imagination.

Lady Tara Davidson, the pampered heroine in Cathy Maxwell’s THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE, does not share my perspective.    When she marries Laird Breccan Campbell, “Beast of Aberfeldy”, she accompanies him to his home, Wolfstone Castle, “at the shadow of Schiehallion, the mountain that was also known as The Constant Storm.”  As Tara would soon learn, Wolfstone Castle did not offer the comforts of the Regency Era.  Tara’s adventures in the castle, and her interactions with Breccan’s clansmen, are a highlight of THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE.

The Clan Campbell rose to prominence in Scottish History with Robert I.   Sir Neil Campbell (Niall ma Caile) supported The Bruce and married his sister Mary.   Their descendents became the Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll for their battlefield prowess and royal alliances.   To the victor go the spoils, including picturesque castles that capture the spirit of Scotland:

-       Castle Campbell, nicknamed Castle Gloom, was the seat of the chief of Clan Campbell until 1654.

-       Inverary Castle in Argyll is the current seat of the Chief of Clan Campbell.

-       Kilchurn Castle was the seat of the Campbell of Glenorchy and Breadalbane branch of the clan

My family visited Castle Campbell during our first trip to Scotland.   The imposing ruin sparked my imagination as I heard whispers of glory from a time past.    Cathy’s books continue to feed my imagination of Scotland. I invite you to join Tara, Breccan, and the Clan Campbell in THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE.  

Thanks, Kim!

Readers, have you ever been inspired by a place you've visited? Heard the whispers of glory from a time gone by?  One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment will win a copy of THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE ( winner's choice of format)

Review - - The Bride Says Maybe

The Bride Says Maybe

By Cathy Maxwell

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Lady Tara Davidson was once one of the London season’s most brightly shining diamonds. Now she is one of its most titillating scandals. Furthermore, she believes that she has lost the love of her life, the man for whom she forfeited her reputation and marriage to a wealthy, highly connected man. Tara is feeling sorry for herself when things get even worse. Her profligate father has gambled away the small fortune he gained from his new son-in-law (The Bride Says No) and is heavily in debt. All his debts have been bought up by Breccan Campbell, the Beast of Aberfeld, who has demanded marriage to Tara in exchange. Leaving Tara little time to protest, her father has arranged for the wedding to take place in an hour. But Tara refuses to accept her fate. She reverts to type, disguises herself as a boy, and runs away.

Breccan Campbell may be the powerful laird within his clan, but in the larger community, he is viewed as a big, dumb, graceless beast, the very opposite of his polished, gentlemanly cousin, Owen Campbell, and the last man expected to win the hand of an acclaimed beauty. But Breccan is far smarter and more determined than his critics can imagine. Fascinated by Tara from his first glimpse of her when she rode into his stables looking for Ruary Jamerson, he refuses to recognize obstacles. He is not only stirred by Tara’s beauty, but he also sees marriage to her as a way of assuring that his children will not share his awkwardness and become targets of mockery. When Tara runs away, he pursues her and persuades her to accept his bargain: marry him, give him a child or two, and he will fund her escape to London where she will be just another married woman living a life separate from her husband’s.

And so the two are married. What comes next is predictable, of course. After all, this is romance. But the journey to the HEA is filled with conflict, machinations of those with evil intent, sage advice from loyal relatives, advances and retreats, and surprising sweetness. In other words, it is one fine story.

I confess that I approached The Bride Says Maybe with some trepidation. I actively disliked Tara in the first Brides of Wishmore book, and I harbored doubts that she could be redeemed in my eyes. I should have trusted Cathy Maxwell. Not only did she reveal unexpected depths to Tara, but she also showed Tara’s growth into a person who truly loved and thus lost her self-centered modus operandi. To my surprise, I found Tara a sympathetic character, one whose HEA left me sighing blissfully.

Breccan had me from the beginning. I love variations of the Beauty and the Beast tale, and gentle giants are among my favorite heroes. I particularly loved the heart of Breccan, the man he was behind his rough exterior, a man with dreams, intelligence, and an underlying morality. The fact that Tara came to appreciate all that he was and to love him devotedly certainly raised my estimation of her.

There were so many things I loved about this book. I loved the conversations, sometimes beginning in contentiousness, that Tara and Breccan shared, conversations that resulted in revelations that allowed them to know one another beyond their preconceptions. I also loved the flashes of humor in this book. The incident with the broken bed and the erroneous conclusions left me laughing out loud, as did Tara’s relationship with Daphne, one of Breccan’s beloved dogs.

The result was that I liked this book even better than the first one. So if, like me, after book one, you have reservations about the redemption of the heroine, know that Cathy Maxwell proves fully capable of transforming Lady Tara into a heroine readers will understand, like, and root for. If you did not read the first book, Maxwell gives enough of the backstory early on that The Bride Says Maybe can effortlessly be read as a standalone. For readers who love Beauty and the Beast stories, this one offers a new twist. For readers whose hearts beat faster when the hero is a Scotsman, Breccan is a delight. For readers who enjoy historical romance that evokes a few laughs, inspires ample sighs, and reminds that characters are not always what they seem, I think you will love this book as much as I did.

~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com