by Anne Gracie
So Christmas is over. The relatives and friends have gone home, you have a pile of leftovers in your fridge, you’re tired from all the preparation leading up to the festivities, the cleaning— because no matter how clean your house is, it has to be extra clean for all the visitors — and the cooking, the shopping, the sheer organization.
So now what do you do? Are you the kind who heads back out and dives happily into the post-Christmas sales — leaping into the mad shopping frenzy that follows the mad shopping frenzy that led up to Christmas?
Or do you prefer to savor the quiet, to let the family fend for themselves for a while — what are Christmas leftovers for, after all?— and curl up with a book.
I’m one hundred percent the curl-up-with-a-book kind. The post-Christmas sales are, for me, the equivalent of having a root canal just for fun.
So, right now, the TBR (To Be Read) pile is beckoning. So I wander across to check out what tempting morsel awaits me. . .
Hmm, the TBR is looking a bit small and lean and a bit shabby, actually. Mostly it’s books I started and didn’t finish. Not so tempting.
Poor little thing, I’ve neglected it shamefully in favor of all those frivolous time-wasters like shopping and cooking and cleaning. I haven’t fed it for ages.
But hey, there’s a stack of shiny new books coming out — the new Eloisa James, for a start. I have a new book out, too, on 3rd January — Bride By Mistake.
It’s a marriage of convenience story — with a twist. This is a marriage of inconvenience.
At the age of thirteen, in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars, Isabella was saved from a forced marriage to a man she hated when handsome young English Lieutenant Luke Ripton married her. Lieutenant Ripton, tall, dark, and as beautiful as an archangel. He placed her in a remote convent school, and left. She waited — like a princess in a tower dreaming of her prince — for eight years. Now those dreams have withered and Bella is taking charge of her life…
Here’s a short excerpt:
“I’m leaving the convent.” Bella’s announcement was followed by a stunned silence.
“Is he comi—” Paloma began.
“Nobody is coming for me, Paloma.” Bella glanced at Sister Beatriz, who was still asleep, and said in a lowered voice. “I’m leaving anyway.”
“I don’t believe you. What will you do? How will you support yourself? Who will protect you? It’s dangerous—”
“I will support myself, ” Bella said. “And I will protect myself. I won’t stay here, waiting forever for someone to rescue me. Life isn’t a fairy-tale.”
“Isabella Ripton,” said a voice from the doorway.
All the girls jumped guiltily.
“Isabella,” Sister Josefina repeated as she entered the door. She was the youngest and prettiest of the nuns, merry and lively and dedicated to her vocation. “Tidy yourself. Reverend Mother wants you in her office. You have a visitor!”
“A visitor? Who?” In eight years, Bella had never had a visitor.
Sister Josefina smiled. “Can’t you guess?”
Mystified, Bella shook her head.
“An Englishman.”
Bella froze.
Sister Josefina nodded. “Tall, dark, and as beautiful as an archangel.”
Bella couldn’t move a muscle. She couldn’t utter a word or marshall a single coherent thought.
“A very stern, very masculine archangel.” Sister Josefina sighed. And a blush rose on her cheeks.
* * * * *
There’s a longer excerpt here:
So I hope, when you’re replenishing your TBR pile, you’ll consider my book, BRIDE BY MISTAKE, in stores, January 3. And in the meantime, for those of you who don’t want to be out shopping but prefer to curl up with a book, here’s a little poem I penned, just for you:
‘Twas the lull after Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a spouse.
Leftovers are placed
On the fridge shelves with care
With instructions that
“You all can just graze from there.”
“Please do not disturb me
Unless there is blood.
‘Tis my time for reading
‘Bout a fictional stud.”
“Just leave me alone
With my books for a while
I’m a much nicer person
With the TBR pile.”
So . . . are you out in the frenzy of the sales, or curled up with a good book? What’s in your TBR pile? And what books are you looking forward to reading in the next month or two?
I’ll send a copy of BRIDE BY MISTAKE to someone who leaves a comment.
Thank you for letting me visit.
All the best for the holiday season.
Anne Gracie
Tags: guest blog, historicals
Cute post! Loved the poem and the excerpt! My TBR list just keeps growing. I did go to town yesterday and it was a mess. Didn’t really buy much besides groceries, then got out of dodge. I am really looking forward to Kaki Warners new book Colorado Dawn, also Emily March’s new book.
Hi Quilt Lady, thanks for dropping in. Don’t blame you for getting out of Dodge — that’s how that post-Christmas shopping frenzy feels to me, too. I know Kaki Warner, but I haven’t read Emily March, only a regency author called Emily May (Harl Historicals and highly recommended.)
All the best for 2012
I’m reading “The Duke Is Mine” right now.
I started reading it yesterday. I love it so far. I have a huge TBR pile because I work for a public library and the librarians are always recommending new books… Plus I read blogs like this, which give me even more ideas! I have no idea what I will read next, because the order of books in the pile is always changing!
Hi Monica. My Duke hasn’t arrived yet — I’m still reading paperbacks, not e-books. Working in a library was my second choice for career — it’s still a kind of dream job in my head, even though I know a lot of it is about shelving books and cataloguing and saying “Shh.”
But for a bookworm it’s a fabulous job. My eldest sister worked in a large public library when I was a kid and she brought me home a lot of the cancelled books — I still have those old Georgette Heyers and Mary Stewarts and Agatha Christies and many more kid’s stories — Call of the Wild, Kim and many many more. Like old friends on my bookshelf.
Happy reading.
Haha, what a cute poem. I can’t wait to read your new book. My own TBR pile is just growing and growing. I recently bought the collected works of Jane Austen and a Georgette Heyer novel so hopefully I can just dive into those soon!
Take care!
Hi Mina, which Georgette Heyer novel did you get? I was at a launch recently for the new Biography of Georgette Heyer and there were a few people there who hadn’t ever read her, so a friend and I were busy trying to find the best books to start with. It was such fun — other Heyer fans joined in, saying things like, “Yes The Quiet Gentleman is a lovely story, but not for your first Heyer.” LOL
Another writer you might enjoy is Eva Ibbotson, who wrote wonderful romances set between the two world wars, and you get a delightful portrait of the crumbling European aristocracy. Look for her adult romances, strangely reissued recently as YAs. She also wrote a lot of children’s books, but these are definitely adult romances, though without explicit sex scenes.
I’m going to start To Wed a Wild Lord by Sabrina Jeffries tonight, I’ve really liked her Hellions of Halstead Hall series. And then soon as I can I have to get my hands on How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long. Looking forward to reading your latest, too, Anne. One favorite theme for me is marriage of convenience romances.
Hi Pam, I’m very fond of a marriage of convenience story, myself — and I’ve written a lot of them.
Thanks for dropping in to chat.
Anne:
What a wonderful excerpt and oh, so true, poem, Anne. Bride by Mistake is definitely going to be in my TBR pile soon. The Duke is Mine and To Wed a Wild Lord along with a lot of others is on my TBR pile now. Haven’t read very much lately and it’s time to start doing it again. It will definitely make me a happier woman.
Cathy, I really think having time and leisure for reading is a mental health issue. Before I was started earning my living by writing, I had a very busy and stressful job, and while most people veg out in front of the TV, I read. An hour or two in someone else’s reality and world and I emerged, refreshed and ready to dive back into the fray.
Enjoy your reading holiday.
Oh, I love the poem lol. I am doing more reading and we are eating leftovers although I do have to fix them and NO shopping lol. I’m still doing cleanup and guess I will until the tree goes down and there’s New Year’s to prepare for! My duaghter got me a book named The Red Tent that I just started.
Hi Catslady, lovely to see you here. I’m glad you liked the poem. I think I’m almost on my last day of leftovers, here, and one big vacuum and dust and I should be right. The recycle bin went out on Tuesday and it was crammed full of paper, so I feel very virtuous.
All the best for 2012.
Cute poem! Like everyone else, my TBR pile has grown enormous so I first have to force myself to quit buying for a while until I can get that under control – and I better hurry because there are several new books coming out this year that I just must have! Sarah Macleans A Rogue By Any Other Name; Sabrina Jefferies A Lady Never Surrenders; Lyndsey Sands The Husband Hunt; Alexandra Hawkins Sunrise with a Notorious Lord; Julia London The Revenge of Lord Eberlin AND the Seduction of Lady X; Mary Jo Putney The Rake; and those are just the ones I have pre-ordered…need to make room on my ereader!!!!
Wendy, what a lovely pile of books waiting for you — I think our tastes overlap quite a bit. Don’t you wish you could just head off on a lazy long cruise and just read and talk books all evening with like minded people?
Thanks for dropping in.
I prefer to curl up with a good book from my HUGE TBR pile.
Me, too, Ella. Enjoy it.
Best wishes for 2012
I haven’t had a lot of free time yet but when I do I will be curled up with a book. Your new book looks wonderful and I am looking forward to reading new books from Courtney Milan and Julie Anne Long.
Hi Maureen, it’s great to see the success Courtney has had in going it alone in e-publishing. I have the new Julie Anne Long on order.
Have a wonderful new year.
Thanks LSUReader, you’re in the draw for it.
cheers!
My TBR is full of historical romance and paranormal books.
Sounds a lot like mine, Marjana.
Happy new year!
I really enjoy your books and they are all on my keeper self. I can’t wait to read Bride by Mistake.
Aww, thank you, Dani, very sweet of you to say so. I hope this one hits the spot as well.
All the very best for 2012.
anne
xx
I love your poem. It was adorable. I’m also hooked by the excerpt. I will have to track down this book on its release and read it.
Oops…forgot to mention the TBR. I’ve been slowly whittling it down, but it’s still packed with a good amount of historical romance, regencies, and fantasy – a lot of Laura Kinsale, Marsha Canham, and Carla Kelly, not to mention N.K. Jemisin, that much-loved HTF The Windflower, and a bunch of other good stuff.
I’ve finished my few Christmas returns – couldn’t face shopping for anything even with the sales. Now ready to cuddle under a blanket & start my winter reading season. Don’t know what I’ll pick from the pile first – I think it’s time for a Regency. Happy New Year to all!
Anne -
I love that Bride By Mistake is a story about a marriage of inconvenience. One thing I love about your books that your books always have that “ah-ha” moment when all the pieces fall into place at just the right time!
I always look forward to those days after Christmas as it is a time my husband and I re-arrange the family room so the chair face the fireplace, the wood is stacked with care and our “winter” books are arranged in the bookcases for a long winter’s read. Old favorite “real” books are chosen for times of power outages and just-released books downloaded and favorite authors books are pre-ordered to down-load automatically on our Kindle to enjoy on cold winters nights.
Since we live in New England for others this time of year may be one of inconvenience with the snow piling up outside but for us it’s a time to sit back, relax and enjoy a great book!
TBR is much too much to count, mostly historical!
Love your poem and your stories, thanks!
Happy New Year!
Definitely looking into replenishing my TBR pile!
For the holiday, I curled up with many good books, I read a whole bunch of old Diana Palmer one, staying up til 3 and 4 am each night!