Get the FREE short story set in the same world as the Sisters of Kilbride series!

Wednesday 6 April 2016

Book review: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale

A powerful love story about two very unlikely individuals. I love romances that are a bit different, ones that challenge the genre a bit. The 'rake and the innocent' has been done to death in historical romance - but never like this!

Our hero, the Duke of Jervaulx is a reckless womanizer - until the day he suffers a stroke. Our heroine, Maddy Timms, is a Quaker spinster who has dedicated her life to helping her blind father with his work.

Uptight and judgmental, but also passionate and brave, Maddy is both drawn to and repulsed by the Duke. She volunteers in the mental asylum where Jervaulx has been incarcerated, and is the only one who does not believe he is mad. However, it is not long before her growing attraction to him gets the better of her...

What happens to Jervaulx after he has his stroke is appalling, but also historically accurate. The 'treatment' for mental illness was once barbaric. The reader really experiences his frustration and anger at being labelled 'mad' when he has merely lost his ability to speak. His stroke strips Jervaulx of everything - status, money and power. He must rebuild his life, stone by stone.

I love Laura Kinsale's writing, her evocation of time and place is beautiful, as is the way she depicts the developing relationship between Jervaulx and Maddy. Both characters begin the tale with some serious character flaws but the story sees them grow enormously. The sexual tension between them is scorching and beautifully written.

Loved it!

Purchase a copy of this book from Amazon.

Guest author post at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee pots

I'm over at Mary Anne Yarde's blog today, as a guest author. 

Mary asked me to write about the inspiration behind my latest novel: DARKEST BEFORE DAWN.

Check out the blog post.

Mary writes historical fiction in a time period very close to my own. Her debut novel: THE DU LAC CHRONICLES has just been released!


Tuesday 5 April 2016

BOOK TRAILER: DAWN OF WOLVES

Work on my next novel, DAWN OF WOLVES (Book #3 The Kingdom of Mercia), is steaming ahead. It's the last installment of the series...and an exciting finale!

This story tells of a marriage between two seemingly incompatible people: a ruthless young king and a pious princess who wishes to devote her life to god.

This novel is about the power love wields over us all - and how it can change us for the better.

Wulfhere of Mercia and Ermenilda of Kent were an actual couple who lived in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England... and there are a few legends and stories centered around them.

However, this version of their love story is entirely my own.

Watch this new book trailer to find out more about DAWN OF WOLVES.