This November, we have three wonderful new Regency titles to check out, perfect if you’re a fan of the hit Bridgerton series!
Read on to find out the inspiration behind these stories from the authors themselves…
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The Duke’s Counterfeit Wife by Louise Allen
I am not certain where the idea for The Duke’s Counterfeit Wife came from, other than the image of Sarah Parrish in the cold early morning light, about to board a ship in the London docks that came to me when I was waking up one day. A collision with an arrogant gentleman – and off she went straight into trouble and not to the blandly respectable post as a lady’s companion she had been expecting. I was as surprised as Sarah when a short coastal sea voyage turned into a life and death adventure!
Piracy and smuggling were rife along the East coast well into the 19th century and I found a perfect location on land when, during a break in lockdown, I visited Horsey Gap on the Norfolk coast to see the seals. Intrigued by the wild marshes, the tiny villages and the huge sand dunes, I looked at the Georgian map of the area and realised it would be a perfect location for skulduggery.
I loved writing this book and I hope readers will enjoy, as I did, seeing Sarah and Nicholas discover their true feelings for each other, despite a very bad start, a huge inequality in rank and considerable pride (not to say prejudice) on both sides. And with the popularity of seaside holidays in the UK recently I also hope you’ll enjoy a visit to one of the very earliest seaside resorts in England – the tiny village of Saltfleet in Lincolnshire.
The Duke’s Counterfeit Wife by Louise Allen is out on November 25th.
Cinderella and the Scarred Viscount by Sarah Mallory
Cinderella and the Scarred Viscount is set in Regency England but its origins are much further afield. Spain in fact. The whole thing starts with the Spanish Armada! Let me explain….
I wanted a heroine who is not blond and willowy like her half-sisters, but has a curvaceous figure, chocolate brown eyes and luxurious dark hair. Even her name, Carenza, sounds exotic. In fact it is from the Cornish “Carenz,” meaning loving. Carenza has been waiting for her story for a while. It is such a lovely name and she just arrived, ready formed, in my head, complete with history!
Carenza’s ancestor was a Spanish nobleman, shipwrecked on the Cornish coast when The Spanish Armada was blown off course and those ships that escaped the British navy fled, only for many of them to be shipwrecked as they made the perilous journey around Britain and attempted to get back to Spain. Unfortunately, Carenza has inherited no Spanish gold and her dark colouring puts her at odds with her beautiful half-sisters and her stepmother, who convince the poor girl that she is no beauty. It takes a troubled and battle-scarred Prince Charming to discover her real worth, and value her as she deserves….
Cinderella and the Scarred Viscount by Sarah Mallory is out on November 25th.
The Captain’s Impossible Match by Laura Martin
The Captain’s Impossible Match is a friends-to-lovers Regency romance that sweeps from the ballrooms of the London Season to the beautiful rolling hills of Kent. The story begins with Lady Emma Westcombe reuniting with her closest friend, Captain Guy Fitzgerald, at her first ball after arriving in London from Egypt. Emma is a little too enthusiastic, not realising there are different rules for how she must behave now she is a debutante. This scene was the spark for the whole book, the place where the idea for Guy and Emma’s story started to grow. I had a picture of Emma throwing her arms around Guy whilst the other guests looked on aghast at her behaviour.
Both Guy and Emma are strong, likeable characters, but when I started writing The Captain’s Impossible Match I knew it was Guy that I would need to tread a fine line with. He is a decorated former army officer who built a successful business from scratch, but he also has a softer side, a side that has been in love with Emma for years but he hasn’t said anything as he felt he wasn’t the right choice for her at the time. He has such a mix of strength and warmth and it was lovely to write the scenes where Emma begins to see it too. I hope you enjoy it!
The Captain’s Impossible Match by Laura Martin is out on November 25th.
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