Romancing History

Tag: Regency Romance

Character Interview with Lord Henry Sedgwick

I’m so excited to introduce everyone to Hannah Linder. Hannah is a debut Regency Suspense author with Barbour Publishing. I had the privilege of meeting Hannah at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference last spring and knew I wanted to host this promising young author on Romancing History to help spread the word about Beneath His Silence.

Hannah is going to introduce us to the hero of Beneath His Silence, Lord Henry Sedgwick

Be sure to visit the Giveaway section at the bottom of the post to learn how you can enter to win a print copy of this intriguing debut.


Meet the Character

My name is Lord Henry Sedgwick of Wyckhorn Manor. I pray you have not heard whispers of me, though it is far more likely you have. Has not everyone? That is why I must remain in my manor, far from the rumormongers of the village, where I might raise my son without the torture of their speculations. But tortures reign here, too. The manor is cursed with silence. My son is motherless. Bloody shirtsleeves are hidden in my upstairs bedchamber, a painful reminder of all I must keep buried, even from the new and charming governess. That, however, may be harder than I realized. Especially when she begins unwinding my heart.

Fast Five

Lord Segwick, please tell us five things about yourself.

I Like . . .

  1. Brushing down and stabling my own horse, Miss Staverley
  2. Playing along the beach with my five-year-old son
  3. Avoiding balls and social obligations
  4. Assisting my tenants, especially those who are old or poor
  5. Accepting apologies from my son’s amusing governess

Character Q & A

RH: What is your greatest fear? What keeps you up at night?

LS: My greatest fear is that the lies will be uncovered and people will know the truth—that my son will know the truth.

RH: What is your biggest pet peeve?

LS: I detest coy, conniving, maidenly smiles that only mean to entrap me. I shall not be fooled again.

RH: What is your greatest achievement?

LS: Raising Peter, my son.

RH: What is your biggest secret?

LS: The bloody shirtsleeves hidden in my bedchamber. I pray to heaven no one ever knows what I have done.

RH: What book are you reading right now?

LS: The Bible. I have placed one outside Miss Woodhart’s bedchamber door, but I hardly know if she will read the book. I cannot help wondering why it should matter to me so much if she does.

RH: What does perfect happiness look like to you?

LS: A manor with no curse and no silence. A mother for my son. A heart that does not writhe in guilt. A woman, perhaps like Miss Woodhart, who could be true to me and love me and smile at me without pretense. But I do not know if such a woman exists. I do not know if I deserve her if she does.


About the Book

Will Seeking Justice Lead to Her Own Demise?

A Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author

Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.

Lord Sedgewick knows there’s blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more lies, but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son—and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.

Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him—just as her dead sister?

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About the Author

Hannah Linder resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Books & Such, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels. She is a double 2021 Selah Award winner, a 2022 Selah Award winner, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). In way of career, Hannah is a Graphic Design Associates Degree graduate who specializes in professional book cover design. She designs for both traditional publishing houses and individual authors, including New York Times, USA Today, National, and International bestsellers. She is also a local photographer and self-portrait photographer. When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing her instruments—piano, guitar, and ukulele—songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse. To follow her journey, visit hannahlinderbooks.com.

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Giveaway*

This giveaway is now CLOSED!

Congratulations to our winner, Cherie J.!!!

To enter the giveaway for a print copy of Beneath His Silence, let us know what era of history you’d like to visit if you could step into a time machine.

*Giveaway ends at midnight EDT, Wednesday, November 9, 2022.

Book Review: Midnight’s Budding Morrow and a Giveaway

Welcome to the I Read with Audra Book Tour for Midnight’s Budding Morrow, a Regency-era novel by new-to-me author, Carolyn Miller.

While most stories set in Regency England focus on the rich, the young, and the beautiful, award-winning author Carolyn Miller decided she wanted to give readers something different for a change. Her new Regency Wallflowers series follows the commoners, away from the hustle and bustle of 1810s London, out in the Lake District of England. She tells the stories of women who are slightly older and have few prospects for marriage, women who might be considered “wallflowers.”

Midnight’s Budding Morrow is the second book in the Regency Wallflowers series and reads fine as a stand alone. The first book in the series is Dusk’s Darkest Shores.

Don’t forget to visit the giveaway section to enter the drawing for a print copy of Midnight’s Budding Morrow.


About the Book

Title: Midnight’s Budding Morrow
Series Info: Regency Wallflowers, Book #2
Author: Carolyn Miller
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Book Info: Kregel Publications, May 31st 2022, 383 pages


Blurb

Can real love grow between a wallflower
and an unrepentant rogue?

Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend’s rakish brother.

When James Langley returns to his family’s estate, he can’t be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father’s stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.

Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn’t until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed?

When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope?

Click here to read an Excerpt

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My Thoughts

Midnight’s Budding Morrow is the first book I’ve read by author Carolyn Miller. This marriage of convenience story gripped me from the opening pages with its themes of forgiveness, mercy, and redemption, and never let me go.

Miller’s characters wound themselves into my heart. I adored sweet Sarah from first meeting her. It’s hard not to bond with a heroine who is a bit lost and longs to be loved and needed. It took a bit longer for me to warm up to James who agrees to marry Sarah to pay off his debt. The author did an excellent job flipping our rogue leading man into a swoon-worthy hero. I always like when characters are imperfect because it is more realistic, and I enjoy seeing their growth throughout the story.

I really liked that the author wove some deeper topics into the story, such as depression and alcoholism. Characters wrestle but don’t succumb. Instead, they learn to build deeper trust in one another and in their relationship with God. As the parent of two children who’ve struggled with depression, I found this hope-filled yet realistic aspect of the story line very encouraging.

I received a copy of the novel from Read with Audra. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.


About the Author

Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food.

Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.

Learn more about Carolyn at website, or find her on Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter.


Giveaway*

Use the Rafflecopter link below to enter the drawing for a print copy of Midnight’s Budding Morrow.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Giveaway ends 6/28/22.

Book Review: Never Past Hope

About the Book


Title: Never Past Hope

Series Info: Triangular Trade Trilogy, Book #2

Author: Janine Mendenhall

Genre & Book Info: Inspirational Regency Romance, 308 pages, Beacon Heritage Publishing

Back Cover Blurb

Miss Mary Hope Adsley always considered herself to be the sensible one. But now, her sensibilities are unraveling around a man she thought she knew. After he attempted to marry her best friend—for money, no less—authorities charge Sir Steven Likebridge with masquerading as a gentleman and abduction. With his execution days away, Mary Hope desperately seeks to learn the truth about the man she loves. 

Will the truth turn out to be worse than his lies? 


My Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the second installment of the Triangular Trade Trilogy. Once again, Mendenhall weaves amazing historical details into her story. If you’ve read my other reviews, you know I can be quite harsh on authors who do not do their research. I found the vivid, though horrid details of prison life in Stanley Tower Prison especially riveting as well as hints of social and prison reform movements.

If you have read the first book in the series, Starving Hearts (see my review, here), you’ll be delighted to see Peter, Annette and Turtle’s stories progress in the pages of Never Past Hope. I thought Annette to be a less impetuous and more a proper lady than in the first book, but after all she experienced, I can see her transformation as realistic. Peter struggles a bit to take the reigns of leadership of the property he has now inherited and still longs for the quieter pastor’s life he had once sought. Turtle is a truly a delightful character that made me chuckle in just about every scene in which he appeared.

My only complaint was that I felt the story started a bit slow and dealt with a great deal of character inner thoughts and reflection primarily on events that happened both on and off the pages of the last book. I found that a bit confusing and hard to follow and I had just finished Starving Hearts. I do not recommend Never Past Hope as a stand alone read for that reason. However, once I got past the initial chapters the story flowed beautifully and I was once again swept away in the Regency world Mendenhall creates for us.



Spiritual Takeaway

I loved Mendenhall’s theme of forgiveness and second chances. If anyone needs a second chance, it’s Mendenhall’s unlikely hero, Sir Steven Likebridge. And who better to lead him to that place of brokenness and redemption before God, than the very person he wronged the most, Peter Adsley. I truly treasured Mary. What a strong woman of faith. Her enduring belief that God can forgive anyone who is contrite was inspiring to me, personally.

I was provided a free copy of Never Past Hope by Lighthouse Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.


Links for purchase

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Other Books in the Series

Starving Hearts, Triangular Trade Book #1

BPlagued by nightmares, Annette yearns to find her anonymous rescuer — the man who saved her life from a near deadly assault. Deep inside she is starving for companionship and a mutually respectful relationship. When Mr. Peter Adsley, an abolitionist pastor dealing with his own emotional baggage, agrees to a clandestine meeting, the event appears providential. But self-doubt, deception, and the schemes of a mutual enemy threaten to keep the pair apart. A phantom adversary will stop at nothing to win Annette’s dowry for himself, even if it means killing Peter.

Carol Award Finalist & Selah Award Finalist

Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble



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