Suzanne Ferrell Winner

The winner of an e-copy of Kidnapped by Suzanne Ferrell is

CONNIE

Congratulations, Connie!  Please send us an email at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com 

and let us know if you prefer Kindle or Nook.

Guest Review - - A Woman Entangled

A Woman Entangled

By Cecilia Grant

Publisher: Bantam

Release Date: June 25, 2013

Kate Westbrook knows that she is beautiful, and she intends to use her beauty to see that she marries someone who will give her the life she is entitled to as the granddaughter of an earl. From the time she was thirteen, Kate has been focused on the goal of reclaiming what should be hers. Her father, a younger son, was disowned by his family when he married an actress, whose profession placed her beyond the pale despite her beauty, accomplishments, and virtue. Kate knows that her parents enjoy a happy marriage and that her father, who has found professional success as a barrister, has no regrets about his choices. Her family may be content with their comfortable, middle-class life, but Kate wants more—not just for herself but also for her younger siblings. She even harbors hope that she can be instrumental in reconciling her father and his family and perhaps even see her mother accepted by them.

Nicholas Blackshear, second son of a respectable but untitled gentleman, is also ambitious. He hopes to win a seat in the House of Commons, and he believed he was making progress until a scandal in his family not only made a political career an immensely more difficult goal to attain but also affected his current work as a barrister. Solicitors were reluctant to refer cases to a man whose brother had married a courtesan after a duel with her protector (A Gentleman Undone). His sister, married to her viscount (A Lady Awakened) could ignore society’s strictures and continue her relationship with their unrepentant brother. Nick didn’t have that luxury. He rejects all contact with his brother, but even that is not enough to stop the hemorrhaging of his career.

One of the few bright spots in Nick’s present life is his relationship with the Westbrook family. One of the young barristers Mr. Westbrook befriends and mentors, Nick has been welcomed into the Westbrook home and treated almost as a member of the family. Three years ago, Nick, like many a young man before and after him, was stunned by Kate’s beauty and thought himself in love with her. But when he summoned the courage to tell Kate of his feelings, she made it impossible for him to speak, clearly communicating, without ever directly acknowledging his intentions, that he lacked the qualities she considered essential in her husband. Despite the blow to his pride, Nick accepts his role as family friend and brotherly confidant.

Kate has been working assiduously to win the approbation of Lady Harringdon, wife of her father’s oldest brother and the current earl. When her work finally pays off and she receives an invitation to pay her aunt a call, Kate is elated. Hoping that Lady Harringdon, who has successfully settled her own daughters in appropriate marriages, may be tempted by Kate’s beauty to do the same for her, Kate is dismayed when she learns that her aunt’s idea of help is to find Kate not a husband but work as a lady’s companion.

It is Nick who encourages Kate to turn the balls and card parties she will be attending as part of Lady Harringdon’s training her as a companion into a husband hunt, teasing her that she can surely capture a duke. Kate assures him that she will settle for a duke. Teasing aside, taking Nick’s advice soon brings Kate to the attention of a baron, the same lord who is considering hiring Nick to tutor him in argument and public speaking, a position that could serve as the first step on the political ladder Nick longs to climb. But as Kate’s long cherished plans have their best chance of reaching fruition, she comes to realize her heart is leading her in a different direction.

A Woman Entangled is a quieter, less dramatic book than Grant’s earlier offerings, but it has the same level of complexity, the same layered characterization, and the same rich prose that characterized her first two books. Kate and Nick may be more ordinary than the leads in the other books, but they are complicated, contradictory, flawed characters nonetheless. Kate’s social climbing ambition makes her a less than appealing character at points in the story, but underlying her desire to win acceptance from her father’s family is a conflict addressed by no less than Jane Austen, as Grant indicates with the Austen allusions.

Two passages are central to understanding Kate’s point of view. One comes early in the novel when Kate considers how unalike she and her sister Viola are:

Kate…loved her sister. Indeed she loved her whole family. But was it so unreasonable of her to crave a life in which people valued courtesy, consideration, and etiquette, and recognized that there was more to be thought of, when delivering a letter, than whether the person on the other end could afford to pay the postage? Was it so wrong for her to want to not be nothing to people who shared her name and her blood?

…if she were ever to write a novel, it would be the opposite of a love story. Her hero and heroine would choose duty over their hearts’ desire, that their children need never be taxed for a romantic indulgence that was none of their own.

… A beautiful woman did well to be heartless. And if she hadn’t quite attained the state herself, at least she could make such a show as would convince all the rest of the world.

Kate considers herself a pragmatist. She wants a “good marriage,” one based on sensible, rational choices, rather than a “happy marriage,” one based on feelings. She clearly demonstrates her understanding of the different kinds of marriages in a conversation with Nick.

Kate: “I’ve pinned all my hopes on making a good marriage.”

Nick: “You have stringent ideas of what constitutes a good marriage. Myself I know of no better union than the one to which you owe your existence.”

Kate: “My parents have a happy marriage. That’s not the same.”

If Kate seems shallow, Nick seems hard and unforgiving. He loves his brother Will. He admits that he and the rest of the family lived with fear while Will was risking his life on the battlefield. Yet in self-interest, he cuts Will out of his life in the same way that Westbrook’s family cut him off. But Nick is not a bad man. He is a good man who is forced to make a tough choice and chooses professional and social survival over family feeling. He wounds himself as well as his brother by his choice, and he feels guilty. Both Kate and Nick grow and change as the story moves toward its conclusion, as readers want their heroes and heroines to do. Only imperfect beings are capable of growth.

I would be remiss if I failed to add that Grant uses secondary characters to enrich and expand the world of her novel. The Westbrook family is particularly delightful, especially Viola, a disciple of Mary Wollstonecraft and an aspiring author passionate about her work in progress, an update of Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Viola deserves her own story. I also had great admiration for Baron Barclay and Louisa Smith, the aristocratic wallflower who befriends Kate. I’d love to see more of them as well.

Romance fiction is filled with tales of aristocrats who marry outside their class and somehow avoid the usual consequences of that choice. I have delighted in many such stories, quite willingly suspending disbelief. Many of these books are cherished keepers. But I think it’s worth taking note of a novel that shows a more realistic view, including the effects on the generations that follow of marriages that may be happy but may not be “good.” I highly recommend this book. It’s a beautifully written novel, a darn good story, and a different slant on an old trope.

~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com

Today's Special - - Suzanne Ferrell

It's always fun when Suzanne Ferrell drops in for a visit, especially when she's here to talk about a new book.  Whether it's straight contemporary, erotic historical or romantic suspense, I know I'm going to enjoy a good read when I pick up one of Suzanne's books.  

Today, Suzanne is blogging about SEIZED, the third story in her Edgars Family romantic suspense series.  Please give her a warm welcome!

When an author starts a new romance story she usually has brand new characters who are meeting for the first time, or perhaps meeting again after years apart. Their love story is new and exciting and unfolds as the book progresses. The author learns details that she brings out in little bits and lets the attraction turn to love throughout the pages.

But what happens when the characters are already married in a previous book?

This should be easy, right? I mean, the author already knows their names, some of their background, heck they’re already in love. Should be a slam dunk.

Yeah, I’m not much of a basketball fan, so slam dunks are not too impressive to me. And besides, only the really talented guys do the fancy ones. The rest of the players have to work at them. So, as I worked on the novella, SEIZED, the third installment in my Edgars’ family romantic suspense series, I realized there was nothing easy about it.

Problem #1: Dave and Judy Edgars are already married. They’ve been married 10 years and have three young children. They’ve already fallen in love. This isn’t a prequel. So, what’s an author to do?

I’ve seen authors kill off a much loved spouse and kids, just to give the hero something horrible to overcome on his/her way to a new love. I love books like this. But this isn’t that book.

I could give one of them an affair, then they either split apart or overcome it. Hmmm, doable but not too heroic for either character. This isn’t that book either.

How about if I give them a reason to find their love again. Say, put the heroine in jeopardy and the hero must try to save her?

AHA! I now have my premise.

They hit a rocky patch

Dave and Judy Edgars have always loved each other – they’ve been married ten years and have three kids. But ever since Dave, a SWAT team member, was shot on duty Judy can’t control the intense fear that grips her every time he heads out to work. It puts a strain on their relationship. Dave knows she’s scared, but damn it she knew he was a cop the day they met. His patience is wearing thin.

Until the tables are turned…

One icy winter night, Judy, an operating room nurse, is called into work. She's taken hostage by a crazed gunman with an agenda. Now with Judy’s life in danger and the SWAT team deployed elsewhere, Dave must face the same fear his wife does on a daily basis. Terrified he will lose her, he and his law enforcement family race to save Judy and stop her captor’s plans.

Problem #2: This is a romantic suspense. The suspense is there, but how the heck do I show the romance? After their first scene together, which is very rocky, my two protagonists aren’t in the same room for most of the book.

Okay. Now I’ve written myself into a hole. Perhaps if I let them each have brief glimpses of their life together, scenes that show how they met and fell in love? Intersperse this with their deadly situation in real time? What if Judy uses things she’s heard Dave say to help her deal with the gunman? What if Dave learns the fear of losing a loved one and the strength Judy shows in facing that daily?

Yeah, this might just work!

And that is how SEIZED came together. Hmm, wonder if it was a slam dunk after all?

Readers, what do you think of the story lines Suzanne considered?  

Do you like books where the couple is already together at the beginning of the story but face a crisis they must overcome to strengthen their love?  

What about couples separated by an affair who find their way back to one another?  Is an affair a deal breaker for you?  

Does killing off a much loved character make you want to throw the book against a wall or are you okay with this and the subsequent journey of the surviving character who has to learn to move on with life and find love again?

One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment will win a Kindle (or Nook) e-copy of KIDNAPPED, the first book in the Edgars Family series.  

Today's Special - - Tracy Brogan

I'm delighted to introduce you to contemporary author Tracy Brogan today.  Tracy is a newly published author who is already making a name for herself with great reviews and a 2013 RITA® nomination for Best First Book.  

Past or present, Tracy loves romance!  She writes fun and breezy modern stories about ordinary people finding extraordinary love, and also lush historical romance full of political intrigue, damsels causing distress, and the occasional man in a kilt.  (We ♥ men in kilts!)

She's a best-selling author in both contemporary and historical romance, as well as a Romance Writers of America (RWA) RITA® finalist in the Best First Book category for her debut novel, CRAZY LITTLE THING.  She is also a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist.

Tracy loves to hear from readers so send her a note via her website at tracybrogan.com!

Hi Tracy!  Welcome to the Romance Dish!  Congratulations on the upcoming release of HOLD ON MY HEART.  Will you please tell our readers what to expect from this story? 

Thanks so much for having me here today! I love to dish about romance!  Readers who read my first book, CRAZY LITTLE THING, know that humor is a big part of my stories. That’s true for HOLD ON MY HEART as well, but this book has a much deeper thread running through it. The hero, Tom Murphy, is a widower with a teenaged daughter. He’s not looking for drama, and he’s certainly not looking for love, but you know how that goes! Heroine Libby Hamilton has recently lost her job, and her fair-weather boyfriend has moved away and sublet their apartment. Now she’s back where she never expected to be – living at home with her parents. When Tom and Libby join forces to help her father turn an abandoned one-room schoolhouse into a vintage ice cream parlor, walls come down, hopes are built up, and Libby gets a hold on Tom’s heart that won’t let go. 

I fell hard for Tom (What can I say?  I’m a sucker for an emotionally wounded hero, especially if he’s well built and wearing a tool belt) and Libby had me laughing from the get-go.  Their introduction was my first clue that this book was going to be a fun ride.  What do you want readers to understand about Tom and Libby?

One could argue that this is really Tom’s story. He was a powerful presence in my head and I knew I had to tell the story the way he wanted it told. Sounds wackadoodle, doesn’t it? But those of you who listen to the voices know what I’m talking about! Libby was a good sport and open to anything. She started the book stuck in a bit of rut, but she knew she’d find her way out. I needed to keep her light to balance with his dark. My natural inclination is to take a sad situation and use humor to bring people through it. I think sharing laughter bonds people together as much as sharing misery, and in a much more enjoyable fashion!

Here’s a fun tid-bit. I love the cover of this book. I think it captures the essence of their relationship perfectly. But this is the second cover! The first one was in production and at the last minute, we realized we needed to use something different and I could not be happier that the first one didn’t work out. Fate interceded.

Would you like to share an excerpt for our readers?

Oh, I’d much rather share the trailer! It even has original music, and I confess, the trailer has made me fall in love with this story all over again. Here’s the link: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUB7zan3dCc&feature=youtu.be

We love call stories here at The Romance Dish.  Please tell us about yours. 

I’m incredibly lucky to have received a few nice “calls,” like when my agent called to tell me Montlake had made an offer. She said, “Did you ever think I’d be calling you with good news?”  Dubious me said, “Are you calling me with good news right now?”  Fortunately, she was!

My most recent “awesome call” came on March 26^th which is RITA and Golden Heart announcement day. My routine has been the same for the last three years and it seems to work. I drop my kids off at the bus stop. Then go to the drive through window of the nearest Starbucks. I get myself a vanilla latte, (decaf and sugar-free because I’m already wired enough,) and then I buy coffee for the person in the car behind me. I figure that way, even if I don’t get a call, at least I’ve done something useful with the day. Then I go home and stare at my phone while pretending to write.

It seems that every year on announcement day, my husband has just worked a night shift and is sleeping, so after my call, I have to hop around *not screaming* until he wakes up. When he finally wanders into my office, he’s inevitably in nothing but a tee shirt and boxers. This is part of the tradition I would like to change.

You’re a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist and a 2013 RITA® finalist for Best First Book for your debut contemporary, CRAZY LITTLE THING.  Congratulations!  Are you doing anything special to prepare for the hoopla of being a RITA finalist at this summer’s RWA National Conference?  Picked out a dress for the awards ceremony? 

I’m thrilled/humbled/amazed/giggly to be a RITA nominee this year! It hasn’t really sunk in. Mainly because I’m on deadline right now so all I can think about is getting this next book finished and off to my editor before July! In addition to that, immediately following the RWA conference (immediately as in Sunday morning!) I’m flying from Atlanta to North Carolina to join my family for a weeklong vacation – which means I have to pack for both the conference, and the vacation, before I can leave home. So while I should be kicking up my heels in pre-celebration, instead I’m mostly banging my head on the desk. But these are good problems to have – conference and vacation!

And I will confess I special ordered a lovely dress – which arrived too tight in the butt and too loose on the top. I’m considering wearing it upside down.

You’ve also published a historical romance.  What type of books do you write in this sub-genre?

My historical romance, HIGHLAND SURRENDER, just won first place in the 2013 Golden Quill contest, and is also a nominee in the Book Sellers Best contest so I’m really excited about that! It’s set in 1537 Scotland and is full of political intrigue, damsels causing distress, and yes, a few kilts. But my historical stories are all over the board as far as setting and time period. I have a World War 2 story coming up next, another story set in 16^th Century Scotland, and one that begins in Ireland and ends in America during the mid-1800’s. One common theme through each of them is a heroine who doesn’t quite fit the mold of her time period. She’s willing to defy expectations and follow her heart. 

We’re always looking for new books to read around here.  Any you’ve read lately that you would recommend? 

I’m a big fan of Joanna Bourne and Cecelia Grant. They are auto-buys for me, as is Kristan Higgins. And although I don’t typically read paranormal, I love the FIRST GRAVE series by Darynda Jones. Right now I’m working my way through the RITA nominees and loving every minute of that. What a wonderful group of authors we have!

What are you working on now?

I’m finishing up two more books set in Bell Harbor, the same location as CRAZY LITTLE THING. They’re not sequels but readers may “recognize” a few characters. This next one is about a female plastic surgeon who turns thirty-four and realizes, “Oh, crap! I forgot to get married.” So using all the scientific data available to her, she sets about to find the perfect husband. Things don’t go quite as she plans!

After that is a story about a beautiful, mysterious, young woman who shows up in town with a backpack full of money. Everyone wants to know who she is, and who the money belongs to, especially her sexy new landlord.

Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Tracy.  Would you like to add anything else?  Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?

I’d love to know what readers think of author newsletters? I’ve never sent one but am thinking about doing something quarterly. So what kinds of news would readers like to hear from me? Any burning questions they want me to answer? They can sign up for my newsletter at TracyBrogan.com.

Also, I’d also love to give some books away!!! Three lucky readers who leave a comment by June 21^st will win a swag bag full of goodies!

Okay, readers.  Let's get those comments coming.  There are some great prizes up for grabs!  

Today's Special - - Allie Burton

We're delighted to welcome Young Adult author, Allie Burton to the Romance Dish. Allie didn’t realize having so many jobs would become great research material for the stories she writes. She has been everything from a fitting room attendant to a bike police officer to a professional mascot escort. She has lived on three continents and in four states and has studied art, fashion design, marine biology, and advertising.

When her kids asked, “when are you going to write a story we can read?” she switched from adult novels to Young Adult and Middle Grade and hasn’t looked back.

Allie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Romance Writers of America including the Young Adult, Dallas Area Romance Writers and Heart of the Rockies chapters. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Currently, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.

www.allieburton.com

www.twitter.com/Allie_Burton

www.Facebook.com/AllieBurtonAuthor

Welcome, Allie!

Thank you, PJ for inviting me to be interviewed on the Romance Dish.

1   My pleasure, Allie.  Congratulations on the release of ATLANTIS RIPTIDE. Please tell our readers what they can expect from this book.

ATLANTIS RIPTIDE is the first in a Young Adult series called the LOST DAUGHTERS OF ATLANTIS. In each of the books, the heroines discover the secrets behind their underwater abilities and must decide whether to accept the additional responsibilities that come with the powers. All three books have strong heroines, adventure, and romance.      

A fascinating premise!  Growing up on a lake, I had many youthful fantasies about being able to breathe underwater like Pearl.  What do you want readers to understand about this character?  

Pearl is the main character in ATLANTIS RIPTIDE. She’s hard on the outside but soft on the inside. She’s been taken advantage of since she was little so she has a hard time trusting people. Her goal is to find a place where she belongs and she believes she’s found that in the mythical town of Mermaid Beach until her old life and her new life collide.

This is a Young Adult novel. For what ages is it appropriate?

ATLANTIS RIPTIDE is definitely on the younger side of the Young Adult scale. I’d say ages 12-18. The tone is light, but adventurous. The romance is intense like first love should be, but only goes as far as a few kisses.

Sounds perfect for the young teens in my life.  

We love call stories here at the Romance Dish.  Will you share yours?

My agent call story wasn’t a call at all. ATLANTIS RIPTIDE was a finalist in a local contest and the agent who judged was present. Right before I went up to accept the award, the agent whispered to me that I should announce I was just offered representation. I’m not great at public speaking, add in the shock value of her words and I was speechless!

Oh, my!  I can imagine!  I'm not sure I'd have been able to utter a word.  lol

Who (or what) do you enjoy reading when you’re not busy creating your own stories?

I love to read anything young adult and middle grade. I also enjoy romances and paranormal stories. Some of my favorite authors include Rachel Hawthorn, Sarah Mlynowski, JA London, Tera Lynn Childs, Addison Fox, Suzanne Ferrell, Jo Davis…I could go on and on.

A few of my favorites are in that list too.

      What can we look forward to from you next?

The second book in the series was just released called ATLANTIS RED TIDE. Coral, the heroine in this story, has been brought up to believe she’s an Atlantean Princess but she has her doubts because she’s never shown a special power. She decides to search for her two missing sisters, but before she can act she is kidnapped by a spy.

The third book in the series is ATLANTIS RISING TIDE featuring Maris, a girl who has been kept away from water and only just discovers she’s different from her friends and family. This book releases at the end of June.

That's great that we don't have to wait long for all three stories!  

     Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Allie.  Do you have a question for our readers?

Pearl’s special power is breathing into humans so they can breathe underwater. Coral can create or protect from earthquakes. Maris can heal. If you had a super power what would it be?

Allie has generously offered an e-copy of ATLANTIS RIPTIDE to one person who leaves a comment on today's blog.

ATLANTIS RIPTIDE

Sixteen-year-old Pearl Poseidon ran away from the circus tired of her adoptive parents’ abuse of her special skills. As a runaway, she craves anonymity but when she saves a small boy from drowning she draws attention to herself and her special abilities. Boardwalk employee and aspiring investigative reporter, Chase Thomas, helps her with the rescue and witnesses her amazing dive.

                Now, he has questions. And so do the police.

Unbeknownst to Pearl, a battle rages under the Pacific between Loyal and Non-Loyal Atlantean forces and each side wants to use her powers for their cause. Will the commotion in the ocean expose her secrets to the world? Will Chase’s reporter-determination ruin their chance for a real relationship? Will staying near the ocean she loves catapult into a battle royale?

ATLANTIS RED TIDE

Sixteen-year-old Atlantean, Princess Coral, secretly plans to find her lost sisters of legend. Before she can escape the palace to begin her quest, she is kidnapped by Finn Plankson, a Non-Loyal Atlantean.

A spy for the separatist movement, Finn knew Coral as a child. When he sees her being mistreated by Royal Guards he takes action.

As their adventure changes from antagonistic to a temporary truce, Coral must convince Finn to help her find her sisters before the battle between the Loyal and Non-Loyal forces erupts into a full scale war.

Coral fondly remembers Finn, her first crush, but can she trust him now that he’s aligned with her enemy? In the end, will Finn betray her and her sisters? And what are these strange sparks that go off whenever they’re together?

ATLANTIS RISING TIDE 

Junior lifeguard Maris Sanders thinks she’s a normal high school girl. In reality, she’s one of the lost princesses of Atlantis. At sixteen, she’s finally discovering her special powers.

Exiled from his community of Atlanteans, Cuda Fisher has taken a special interest in Maris. As he secretly tests her abilities, the two teens grow closer until Cuda realizes being with Maris is risking more than his heart.

An evil scientist is analyzing Maris’s skills and putting her in danger. Cuda realizes his father, a leader of the Separatist movement, is behind the scheme and Cuda will do anything to stop him even if it means breaking Maris’s heart.

Will Maris accept her real identity, or still hurt by Cuda’s betrayal, will she fall prey to the scheme? Will Maris be able to choose between the life she’s always known or a new dangerous adventure? And will the choice be hers?

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