I'm delighted to host two of my favorite historical romance authors: Lenora Bell and Eva Leigh, Avon authors who both have a new book publishing today! It's always fun to ask authors about their characters but wouldn't it be even more fun to ask questions of those characters? Lenora and Eva have brought along the heroes and heroines of their new books, What a Difference a Duke Makes and Counting on a Countess to do just that. Having recently read - and loved - both of these books, I can't wait to hear what they have to say! Please welcome Lenora, Eva, Kit, Edgar, Mari, and Tamsyn!
Book Two in The London Underground series
By Eva Leigh
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Eva Leigh is the pen name of a RITA® Award-nominated romance author who writes novels chock-full of smart women and sexy men. She enjoys baking, Tweeting about boots, and listening to music from the ’80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.
Book One in the School for Dukes series
By Lenora
Bell
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Lenora Bell is a USA Today bestselling,
RITA® Award-nominated
author of historical romances. A teacher with an MFA in Creative Writing who
has lived on five continents, Lenora currently shares an old farmhouse in the
Pacific Northwest with her carpenter husband and two tiger-striped rescue
kitties. She loves to hear from readers!
HEROES:
Eva Leigh -- Christopher “Kit” Ellingsworth, Earl of Blakemere
Lenora Bell -- Edgar Rochester, Duke of Banksford
HEROINES:
Eva Leigh – Miss Tamsyn Pearce
Lenora Bell – Miss Mari Perkins
Edgar to Kit
Society balls are never more irritating than
when looking for a prospective bride. There’s an abundance of women, but none
of them set my campfire to blazing. Which was why I noticed Tamsyn right
away—after we collided by the dance floor. That bright red hair of hers was
like a fire in the depths of night, and it’s not every day I meet a lady with
the Cornish accent of a pirate, though, thank heavens, she’d never engage in
anything illegal like piracy.
Since
I've been living like a monk, I'm curious about what's it like to be known as a
shameless libertine.
Oh, it’s terrible. Just awful. I wouldn’t
recommend it to anyone. Except everything I just said to you is a lie.
What were
the first thoughts that went through your head when you heard your sizable
inheritance came with the stipulation that you must marry within a month?
Somebody get me a drink.
Whiskey,
brandy, or wine?
Yes.
Chopin or
Beethoven?
Whatever they play at the theater where the
dancers come out and show their legs.
What do
you plan to do with all that money?
This is strictly entre nous, but when I was fighting on the Peninsula, surrounded by
chaos, death, and boredom, I kept myself sane by fantasizing about building my
very own pleasure garden that would rival Vauxhall. I told myself that if I
made it back to England alive, I’d make that dream a reality. Gambled deep to
make it happen, but to no avail. Now that dream doesn’t have to be a fantasy
anymore...so long as Tamsyn doesn’t empty out my coffers.
Mari to Tamsyn
What did
you think about Kit when you met him for the first time?
He’s a shameless libertine who will make a truly
terrible husband. I have to marry him.
I've
never left England. Are you really a smuggler? Have you had any thrilling high
seas adventures?
Shh! Don’t tell anyone! But yes, I do smuggle
contraband French brandy and lace. For a good reason! We had a few close calls
with the customs officers, and there have been a few nights where I found
myself hiding behind rocks as the customs men ride past in pursuit. But I’ve
always been shore-bound, and until I went looking for a husband in London, I’d
never left Cornwall before.
When you
found out that you had control over Kit's fortune what did all that power feel
like?
It’s not a little unlike being handed a giant
cake and being told you have to eat it all, and you can’t give any to the
starving man in front of you.
What is
the best thing about London for you? The worst thing?
I’m only here to find a husband and use his
wealth to buy my ancestral home from my uncle. Oh, and I need to locate a new
buyer for my smuggled goods so that my village back in Cornwall doesn’t starve.
But I suppose going to the theatre is nice...
What's a
childhood memory that has stayed with you throughout your life?
My father used to buy me boiled sweets and we’d
sit at the end of the pier, watching the sea. I miss him so much.
What do
you do for entertainment/relaxation?
When do I have time to relax? Yet after a
smuggling run, nothing is better than going to the pub with my fellow smugglers
and having a little drop of brandy. I suppose that’s not a very ladylike thing
to say. Playing pianoforte and doing embroidery are just heavenly! (Is that
better?)
Questions for Edgar from Kit
So, wait,
you used to work? What on Earth possessed you to
voluntarily do that?
There was an...incident. I couldn’t stay in
London. I ran away, renounced my heritage, went deep underground as a foundry
worker in Birmingham. It was backbreaking work but it was honest.
Fisticuffs
or fencing?
I’m not one for special outfits and rules and
regulations. I’ll take fists over foils any day.
What kind
of person were you expecting when you hired a governess for the twins?
I asked for an experienced governess with nerves
of steel. A stomach of iron. Eyes like a hawk. Shoulders as brawny as a
boxer’s.
What was
the first thing you noticed about Mari when she arrived from the agency?
Her shoulders were insufficiently brawny.
If you
could teach your children one lesson, what would it be?
Don’t make the same mistake I made. Don’t get
too set in your ways...always leave room for discovery and change.
Would you
rather waltz or wrestle?
I’d rather wrestle a dozen alligators than waltz
at a society ball.
You’ve
been celibate? For God’s sake, why?
You sound like my friend the Duke of Westbury.
The other day he tried to drag me to the opera and I told him I was far too
busy designing steam engines to dally with songbirds. Of course then he said
something rude about a certain part of me withering away and falling off, but I
can assure you that all my parts are in exemplary working order...far too
exemplary when it comes to thoughts of redheaded governesses.
Questions for Mari from Tamsyn
What
would your ideal home look like?
I was raised in a charity school orphanage so an
ideal home would be one filled with family, laughter, and love--all of the
things I never had.
What’s
your favorite thing to eat?
My new favorite thing to eat is grapes. I had
some the other day with the duke and let me tell you that I could become
accustomed to being fed grapes from silver platters like the ancient Romans. Of
course if we were ancient Romans we would have been lounging about on the carpet
half naked. Oh dear. There I go again having forbidden thoughts...
Have you
ever done anything that wasn’t precisely legal?
Well, I did bluster my way into the position as
the duke’s governess. I was promised a position by Mrs. Trilby’s Agency for
Superior Governesses. Just not this one.
When you
first met Edgar, what did you notice about him right away?
That he didn’t look pliable in the least.
If you
could trade places with anybody, who would it be?
Edgar’s sister, Lady India Rochester, certainly leads
an interesting life. She’s an adventurer who travels the globe on
archaeological expeditions. I think it would be thrilling to see what she sees,
if only for a day.
Is there
such a thing as “happily ever after?”
Oh, Tamsyn, have you been reading the same
romantic novels I have? The ones where the star-crossed lovers surmount nearly
impossible obstacles and everything works out beautifully in the end? I do want
to believe it’s possible. With all my heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Readers, if you could trade places with anyone (real or fictional) for a day, who would you choose?
What was the first thing you noticed about your husband/partner?
What's a childhood memory that's stayed with you?
Do you have any questions for Eva or Lenora? Questions for Kit, Edgar, Mari, or Tamsyn?
GIVEAWAY:
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM, March 28 will receive a signed copy of What a Difference a Duke Makes and a $15 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. (U.S. shipping only)
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM, March 28 will receive a signed copy of Counting on a Countess and a $15 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble (U.S. shipping only)
