One of the most fun things about both reading and writing historical romance is the blending of fact and fiction—finding those nuggets of truth amidst the earth of a novel. Some readers—especially Regency romance readers—expect there to be complete accuracy in the manners and forms of address mentioned in a novel. Fashion choices should align with what was really fashionable, and historical accuracy needs to be kept as close to reality as possible.
That is all well and good and I don’t have a problem with any of that, although, as a reader, I do allow for more discretion than many others (it is a novel after all, and if an author wants to move around bits of historical fact I don’t mind so long as they know the truth of it and put in an author’s note at the end). When I was in college and studying British History, I even wrote a paper on the historical accuracy found in one of the romance novels I was reading. To say that professor was shocked at how accurate it was would be to understate his response.
With all this in mind, when I set out to create a country for my new Royals & Rebels series, I wanted to stay as close to reality and historical accuracy as possible. First, I thought about where in Europe this country could be in the 18th and 19th centuries. As Germany only existed as a scattering of small principalities and duchies, I decided that no one would mind if I added one more to the mix. And having lived in Brussels for a while, where we regularly drove to Aachen, Germany (less than two hours away just across the Belgium-German border) to buy beer and mustard and enjoy the fantastic Christmas market and other delights the city had to offer, I decided to place my new country there. A close study of the map and my new “country” of Aachen-Duren was founded (Duren is actually another actual city close by to Aachen).
Being a Germanic country, I have my newfound royals speak German and adhere to German traditions when celebrating Christmas (in the prequel novella A Christmas Intrigue). This allowed me the fun of doing a lot of research into these traditions. Of course, there was the problem that I don’t actually speak German, so when I had my characters speak the language I had to use Google Translate to help. Luckily, the publisher of the series, Wolf Publishing, is owned and operated in Germany, so I also had my publisher’s expertise with the language to make sure everything was correct.
Now, onto the really fun part: the creation of a royal family for my new country and putting them in danger!
I created a prince and princess—siblings—and placed the prince, Nikolas, at Oxford and his younger sister, Louisa, at a school nearby. Of course, there had to be a major problem that they would need to face, so I chose the problem that so many royals have had to deal with throughout history—someone was trying to kill them to gain the throne for themselves.
The biggest dilemma that came with this plot is that it spans all three books of the series, which led to there being a cliffhanger at the end of books one and two. I have now learned that readers hate cliffhangers, even if a book ends with a happily ever after for the main couple. Sorry…but it was the only way the mystery could be spread out over the three books.
In the first book of the series, we learn that the prince has been declared dead—drowned when his ship sank crossing the English Channel on his way back home. His younger sister doesn’t believe a word of it. She is very close to her brother and would know if he were actually dead. She disappears to go find him, leaving her school in the middle of the night and her bodyguard and chaperone worried beyond belief. Not only that but after she disappears, the princess is suddenly called to make her curtsy to Queen Charlotte in London. Luckily, a young woman, Lucinda North, shows up at the school looking for a teaching job. She is the spitting image of the princess! She is immediately convinced to take the princess’s place and we get the fun and excitement of In Lieu of a Princess.
The real princess, of course, is out on an adventure of her own—a road trip to find her brother. A Princess on the Run has all of the excitement of any good road trip story, including men attempting to kidnap or kill our princess and a swoon-worthy romance with a rake trying to reform himself.
But what about the prince? Is he really dead? No, of course not! He’s having an adventure of his own, attempting to keep one step ahead of those who want to kill him while trying to discover who that might be. In A Prince Among Spies we have a fun spy novel and, of course, a happily ever after for our hero with a real lady spy.
The “country” of Aachen-Duren will continue to live on in my heart, and hopefully that of my readers and maybe, perhaps, some of them will be inspired to visit the true city of Aachen after reading these books. Blending fact and fiction couldn’t possibly be more fun!
PRINCESS ON THE RUN by Meredith Bond
Royals & Rebels #2
In this sweet, and thrilling Regency romance by USA Today bestselling author Meredith Bond, we follow a princess and a marquess on a road trip to escape a murderer and find a prince.
Princess Louisa of Aachen-Düren knows that her brother isn’t dead. She knows it deep in her heart, no matter what the newspapers say—and she’s going to prove it. But when Nik isn’t where he should be, she has no choice but to go out and search for him. How hard could it be to travel from Oxford to Dover… on her own… with no money and no means of transportation because her purse and horse have both been stolen? She’s never been on her own, but she’s not going to let these obstacles stop her. When she’s offered a ride by a handsome nobleman, she makes up a fake identity, certain her bodyguard will be sending men to find her.
Samuel, Lord Ranleigh, is off on his very last adventure before settling down and becoming respectable. He briefly stops in Oxford and discovers a clueless, beautiful foreign young woman trying to wheedle her way onto the mail coach. This might be the opportunity he needs to prove to his mother and the world he’s responsible. Ranleigh has no idea what he’s getting himself into when he offers the girl a ride.
Picking up strangers and stray animals is the least of his worries when men begin to follow them, trying to kidnap Isa. But when bullets begin to fly, he knows he must do everything within his power to protect this beautiful, if not entirely honest, young woman in his care.
In the Royals & Rebels series you’ll find hidden identities, a princess on the run, and three lives at stake… despite this, these royals and rebels must learn to trust and open themselves to a lifetime of love.
Beware: This book ends in a cliffhanger
Romance Historical [WOLF Publishing, On Sale: December 8, 2022, e-Book, ISBN: 9783985361281 / ]
Buy PRINCESS ON THE RUN: Kindle | BN.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Meredith Bond
Meredith Bond’s books straddle that beautiful line between historical romance and fantasy. An award-winning author, she writes fun, traditional Regency romances, medieval Arthurian romances, and Regency romances with a touch of magic. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart,” Meredith loves to take her readers on a journey they won’t soon forget. She is currently living in Europe enjoying the Bohemian life.
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