Most likely to seek adventure? ANSWER: Michael – Michael is the hero of FOOLISH BRIDE. He’s a war hero who takes one last mission before getting married. Only the mission goes wrong. He’s fiercely loyal to his friends and can strategize a plan in moments. He’s also very good at not being seen when that’s his desire. Most likely to not settle or sell herself short? ANSWER: Dory – Dory or Dorothea is the heroine of DESPERATE BRIDE. The title may suggest that she lacks self-esteem, but that’s not the case. She’s a brilliant musician in search of a way to keep playing after a required marriage. She’s really quite wonderful.   Most likely to be underestimated? ANSWER: Elinor – Elinor is the heroine of FOOLISH BRIDE. Finding it easier to seem simple and unaware, she’s played the fool all her life. When her father ends her engagement just before the wedding and Michael makes no attempt to fight for her, we see the real Elinor. She’s magnificent! Most likely to play go after what she/he wants? ANSWER: Daniel – Daniel is an earl and the hero of TAINTED BRIDE. He’s been putting off marriage for years. When he meets Sophia, he tries to…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Susanna Allen!   Writes: I write Regency era historical + shapeshifter romance: think Bridgerton but with werewolves (and werebears and werelions) A DUKE AT THE DOOR is the third in my Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde series, featuring a lion Shifter who refuses to Change out of his human skin, and the lady apothecary who is charged with restoring him to health. If Alwyn, Duke of Llewellyn doesn’t Change he will die; since this is the first Miss Tabitha Barrington has ever heard of verispelles (‘two skins’) she doesn’t know where to begin… but it all ends with an expanded found family, love and happily ever after.   About: I grew up in New Jersey, went to art school in Brooklyn and lived in Brooklyn and NYC (with a short sojourn in Paris) before moving to Dublin. Her feet still itch on occasion, but I counter that urge with long visits home at the holidays and the occasional short city break. I took up horseback riding as…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jane Ashford!   Writes: Jane Ashford writes historical romances set in the Regency period. She would love to make readers laugh out loud. She likes to delve into the foundations of relationships and how true love is rooted in the depths of personality, along with wild physical attraction, of course. Her couples challenge each other and reveal their real selves through action before they find their happy endings.   About: Born in Ohio, I’ve lived in New York, Boston, LA, and London. Reading has been my favorite thing ever since I could. I read more mysteries and science fiction than romance because I love them and I don’t want to risk lifting ideas. I’m particularly fond of exploring new worlds or alternate versions of ordinary reality such as those in Charles de Lint’s Newford books, the Fallow Sisters trilogy, and Elizabeth Moon’s Remnant Population.   My ideal reader Loves language and interesting expressions Is looking for a vacation from current events and some laughs Appreciates kindness and characters…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BENEATH THE BENDING SKIES 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A coming-of-age story of real-life Mollie Sheehan dealing with the challenges of Montana landscapes and a loving but controlling father. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I write about actual historical women, so Mollie’s story takes place in Montana and California so that’s where my book takes place too. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would. Her kind persistence in dealing with various kinds of losses parallels many of life’s challenges and especially as we try to do right by our parents while reaching out to find our own paths. Chatting with her over tea about her choices would be a grand afternoon. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Smart, kind, faithful 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? A greater appreciation for the struggles of young parents tending their little ones while also caring for aging parents. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Both!  I’m always editing as I go but then also let it sit for a…

Extract from How to Woo a Wallflower by Virginia Heath Book 1 in the Society’s Most Scandalous series   Text reproduced by kind permission of Harlequin Books S.A Copyright © 2022   After a horrific accident which nearly killed her, Lady Harriet Fitzroy is finally being launched into the London Season two years later than she should have where she is resigned to being bored stiff in the Wallflower chairs. Except a chance meeting with her over-protective elder brother’s best friend leads to an unlikely new friendship of her own…     ‘Are you taken for this dance, Lady Anne?’ The third besotted gentleman in a row edged towards Hattie’s sister as the pair of them perused the refreshment table. Lord Pickering was a handsome devil and knew it. He was also one of the gentlemen her twin had had her eye on. ‘For if you are not…’ ‘She’s not,’ said Hattie before a beholden Annie felt obliged to turn him down for her sister’s sake as she already had with two others. Just because Hattie couldn’t dance thanks to her dratted leg didn’t mean she expected her sister to sit with her in the wallflower chairs as she had…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TEMPTING THE SENSIBLE LADY VIOLET 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s a new twist on Shakespeare’s Taming the Shrew, where the so-called shrew is the one to do the taming, and the rake who sets out to change her, falls under her spell and discovers she is perfect just as she is. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love English stately homes, so that’s where most of this book is set, with its elegant drawing rooms, a river for the rowing scene, acres of woodlands and gardens for the couple to get lost in, plus a quaint nearby village where Violet and Jake first meet, and their love-hate battle begins. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. Violet is my feistiest heroine so far and I loved writing her. She’s also loyal to her skittish little sister, kind to her absent-minded father, and her sensible, somewhat serious exterior has been developed to hide a vulnerable core. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Sexy, fun-loving and good-hearted – I know that technically that’s five words but I’m…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Heather McCollum! Writes: Heather McCollum is a USA Today bestselling author of 16th and 17th-century Scottish romances full of adventure and intrigue, sprinkled with humor, history, and spice. Brawny Highlanders and feisty heroines are her favorite characters! Wrap yourself in fun adventures that take you from sea to misty forests to castles and across moors covered in Scottish thistle. Live the romance that flares between her mighty warriors and their heroines, knowing you will always be given the happily-ever-after you deserve. About: Hello Romance Lover! On top of writing romantic adventures set in 16th century Britain, I’m also a mom of three kids (ages 15, 21, and 23), dog-mom of one rescued geriatric golden retriever, and wife of one 6-foot 4-inch Highlander. When I’m not trying to help my kids make it through the day, baking things I see on The Great British Baking Show, or writing, I’m usually educating women on ovarian cancer (I’m an 11-year survivor). I love kilted heroes, dragonflies, watching birds, chai tea lattes,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? KIT MCBRIDE GETS A WIFE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Without telling him, Junebug McBride decides to order up a mail order wife for her backwoodsman of an older brother. But she’s not going to sell some poor woman a false bill of goods – in her ad, she’s going to tell the TRUTH (poor Kit!) 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? KIT MCBRIDE is set in the Elkhorn Mountains of Montana in 1886. I knew I wanted somewhere remote and somewhere starkly beautiful. Bucks Creek is a town consisting entirely of McBrides. It’s a small and extremely isolated place. When the heroine, Maddy, arrives, she’s the only woman for miles around. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? I wouldn’t just hang out with her; I’d drag her off to have some fun! She’s been a housemaid since she was twelve and hasn’t had enough fun in her life! 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Big. Brawny. Sweet. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot of new words – not least of…

1–What is the title of your latest release? FLORA FLOWERDEW AND THE MYSTERY OF THE DUKE’S DIAMONDS!  A bit of a mouthful, but it suits this first in a new mystery series—a bit silly, a bit romantic, a bit caper-ish.  I loved writing it! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Flora Flowerdew has a secret. The former Florrie Gubbins, music hall dancer, is now Madame Flowerdew, one of London’s most renowned spirit mediums. But it’s actually her beloved Pomeranian dog, Chou-Chou, who can see the ghosts. One of her most lucrative seances, for the wealthy Petrie family whose daughter is about to marry a handsome young duke, goes chaotically awry. The duke’s late, and very irate, grandfather demands Flora and his grandson Benedict find the long-missing family diamonds—even the search becomes littered with mayhem and murder! Can Flora discover the jewels before she loses her career, her sanity—and her heart? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve always been a big fan of reading steampunk stories!  And even though “Flora…” isn’t steampunk (she lives in a very real Victorian London) I thought some of that foggy, gaslit atmosphere was just right 4–Would…

When I made my first Facebook ads for my Gilded Age MM series, The Slippery Slope, I used the tagline, “Romance in the Gay Club Scene of the 1890s!”. And almost immediately, I had someone comment saying “Are you kidding? Or do you mean the 1980s?” Fortunately, I was able to reply and say, “It’s not a typo! There was a thriving gay club scene in The Bowery in the 1890s and earlier.” And guys, there was! The neighborhood of Bowery was famous for being a little slice of New York City where all the rules were broken and where men and women of all inclinations could live as their most authentic selves. It was so famous for the wild lives people lived that “going slumming” by visiting the Bowery clubs was considered to be one of the not-to-be-missed tourist attractions of New York before the twentieth century. The idea of social clubs and bars wasn’t new to the twentieth century. Neither was the concept of dance halls or public houses of ill-repute. By the end of the nineteenth century in large cities around the world, that hangout spot where everybody knew your name and was always glad you came…