by Kate Noble

Have you ever had a crush?  Well, of course you have, we are all human.  And I’m willing to bet that the crush that you remember most fondly is that first crush. The one that woke you up to the possibilities of romance and adventure.  The one that had you practicing kissing on your pillow.  For me, it was Indiana Jones.  For Sarah Forrester, it was the Blue Raven.

The Blue Raven is the infamous, anonymous British spy – one whose exploits in the Peninsular Wars were turned into adventure stories in the newspaper.  Which, thusly, turned the Blue Raven into a legend.

And Miss Sarah Forrester is madly in love with him.  Or at least, she was when she was a girl.  Nowadays, Sarah is the leading light of the ton.  After she was cruelly dumped by her Duke ex-fiance, she reinvented herself as the Golden Lady – the sparkling, shining leader of all things fashionable.  A creature very far removed from the sweet, kind girl who had played pirates with her sisters and mooned over the Blue Raven – or is she?

When Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher returns home from his time at sea, he is shocked to find that his childhood friend Sarah has turned into this cruel, cutting creature of society.  It seems as if only he can see beyond the façade to the pain that created it.  But just how is he supposed to go about bringing the happy, selfless Sarah Forrester back out from hiding?  After all, nothing seems to pique her interest… nothing that is, except for when Jackson, at the end of his tether, pretends to be the Blue Raven.

Too bad the real Blue Raven doesn’t find the disguise all that funny.

If I Fall is a tale of friends who become enemies, lovers who don’t know they’re in love, secret identities, intrigue, mute Burmese aristocrats, mysterious paintings, murder, and finding the one who will be there to catch you when you fall.  No matter what.

Not bad for a first crush, eh?

If I Fall

Every great romance comes with a risk…

After a duke’s betrayal, the resilient Sarah Forrester reinvents herself as the Golden Lady: society’s leading light, the beautiful and witty life of the party. It’s all a façade of course-one that protects her from another intimate disloyalty. When her old friend, Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher, returns to London, he is determined to rediscover the true and trusting Sarah he once knew. It’ll take more than a kiss and a promise. It might even call for an innocent and necessary deception.

Then Jackson is enlisted to help capture the lead suspect in a murder— a man who happens to be Sarah’s most ardent suitor. Jack must continue the deception, and weathering this newest and gravest betrayal will be Sarah’s ultimate test. But as Jack’s passion for her grows, he must also reveal his own secrets. And as the killer turns his attention to his pursuers, more than love and trust is put at risk.

So tell me about your first crush!  Leave a comment below and we’ll chose one lucky winner to receive an autographed copy of IF I FALL!

Comment to enter to win a copy of THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE and please welcome Simone St. James (a fellow Canadian) to the blog. I’m also going to throw in the second season of Downton Abbey–love it, have it, watch it often; can’t wait until third season.

~*~*~

Why the 1920′s?

Having set my gothic historical ghost story romance, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, in 1920s England, I sometimes get the question asked – why set my story in the 1920s? What is it about that era that readers should be interested in?

A lot! I think the popularity of Downton Abbey speaks for itself – though the first seasons were set in the pre-World War I and World War I years, it’s easy to see the appeal of the early 20^th century for today’s audience.

First – it’s modern, but not too modern. We recognize a world with radios, cars, and telephones, but we can still be swept away to an era in without relentless cell phones, video games, airport security, traffic jams, and blaring TV’s. (Personally, I read historicals just to get away from these things!)

Second – the clothes. Dresses, heels, and stockings for women, topped with gorgeous cloche hats. Spunky bobbed hairdos, dark eyes, and bright lipstick. For men – oh my. Who can resist a man in a suit and hat? Yum.

Third – The role of women in society. Times were changing, and with all the men away at war, more women worked for a living. With so many men who never came home, thousands of women were left single or widowed, supporting themselves, sometimes with children. Women got the vote, learned to be independent, and built careers – a great opportunity to create heroines.

Fourth – Did I mention the clothes?

Fifth – The aftermath of the Great War. The war had a far-reaching effect on almost every aspect of society. An entire generation of men – the ones who came home at all, that is – was left with injuries both physical and psychological, and terrible memories that none of them could ever speak of. The women who loved these heroes were just as brave. Courage, heroism, cowardice, fear, and sacrifice – it’s a deep, rewarding well for any writer or reader to jump into.

I love this era, and it’s been wonderful to see Downtown Abbey bring it to the forefront, helping lots of other people discover it too. Here’s hoping for lots more early twentieth century settings!

About the Author:

Simone St. James wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school.  Unaware that real people actually became writers, she pursued a career behind the scenes in the television business. She now writes in her off hours and lives with her husband just outside Toronto, Canada.  To learn more about the author, visit her website at www.simonestjames.com.

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

www.annegracie.com