Her One True Love
by Rachel Brimble
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GENRE: Victorian romance
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BLURB:
Jane Charlotte Danes has loved the squire of her idyllic country town for as long as she can remember. He is good, kind, and alluring beyond words… and he chose to marry another. Tired of dwelling on her futile longings, Jane plans a move to Bath, where she dreams of a new beginning. But the man who has so imprisoned her heart is only a few steps behind…
Until now, Matthew Cleaves has endeavored to meet the responsibilities of his position with dignity and good spirits–including his dutiful marriage. But when his wife leaves him for another man, Matthew is at last free to pursue his one true love. Only one vital question remains: will the captivating, stubborn, beautiful Jane allow him the challenge, and the pleasure, of winning her back?
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Excerpt One:
Matthew turned and faced Jane. “When are you leaving for the city?”
She took another step back, her gaze darting over his face. “The day after tomorrow. Why?”
“Because I will escort you. We can travel together in my carriage.”
“No, I do not need your––”
“I will be going anyway. I planned to visit some contacts in the city in the hope of securing guaranteed trade for Biddestone in the coming year. It seems unnecessary for us to make the trip separately when I have a carriage plenty big enough for us both.”
“There is absolutely no need. Jeannie will be coming with me.”
“My offer still stands.”
She glared. “It’s my intention to start on the path of independence, of finding out what the world has to offer me on my own merit. I will hardly be carving out my own path when at the first step from my home, I lean on you.”
“You are being stubborn.”
She pulled back her shoulders. “And you are not?”
The longer he looked at her, the more Matthew saw the quiet beauty he’d desperately tried to ignore. He took a steadying breath. “Please, Jane. Let me escort you to Bath.”
The seconds passed, but Matthew held his tongue. It was imperative she spoke next, that she understood he didn’t mean to bully her but wanted to ensure her safety to a city ravaged by danger, as much as opportunity.
She sighed. “Fine. On one condition.”
He held her gaze. “Which is?”
Her eyes softened, slowly lighting with mischief. “You smile. Now. You smile at me like you did before she left.”
Heat rose to his face. “You want me to smile?”
“Yes. Smile for me, Matthew.”
Empathy and passion swirled in eyes, but they also bore a deep, painful awareness that scratched hard over his heart. The longer he stared, the more he wanted to make her happy.
He smiled, his gaze on hers…and was surprised to find the trade no effort at all.
Interview:
Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!
It’s great to be here! I was born in Bristol, England but now live with my husband of 18 years and our two teenage daughters near the famous city of Bath. When I’m not writing, I like to read, knit, watch far too much TV and walk the beautiful English countryside with my family and chocolate Labrador, Tyler.
Tell us about your book? How did it get started?
Her One True Love started with my heroine, Jane – she was a secondary character in my previous Victorian romance, What A Woman Desires (all books can be read stand-alone). The more she appeared, the more I knew she had her own story to tell and I couldn’t wait to get started. Her One True Love is about Jane’s quest to self-discovery and happiness…and the man who longs to be a part of that.
How do you create your characters?
I start most of my books with a premise or issue that I’d like to explore – once I know that, the characters tend to appear ready and willing to tell the story. Occasionally, I will hear a voice or piece of dialogue and know that the character is going to show herself/himself pretty quickly. More often than not, it’s a case of starting to write and letting the characters take over. I sometimes use a rough character sketch but it isn’t set in stone.
What inspires and what got your started in writing?
I’ve always wanted to write but put off my dream for many years for fear of failure – this is a bad thing and I recommend everyone to go after their dreams before it’s too late. To keep me going, inspiration comes from the many authors I admire. Inspiration for my stories often comes from places, news stories, real-life stories from the past or TV.
Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)
I am lucky enough to have a home office, which is my haven – in the summer I love to write on my laptop outside in the sunshine.
What do you like to read?
I read across the genres, but my favorites are romantic suspense, small-town romance, crime & historical fiction featuring past British monarchy.
What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Write, write, write! Also, give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft – this was the best advice I ever received and once I took it onboard, my output drastically increased overnight!
Anything else you’d like to share?
As well as writing Victorian romance, I also have a contemporary romance/romantic suspense series with Harlequin Superromance. The Templeton Cove Stories (Finding Justice/A Man Like Him/What Belongs To Her/Christmas At The Cove & Her Hometown Redemption) can all be read stand-alone and are set in a fictional English seaside town.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had five books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and recently signed a contract for three more. She also has three Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical with a fourth due for release in March 2016.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Links:
Website: http://rachelbrimble.com/
Blog: http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441?fref=ts
Facebook Street Team – Rachel’s Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelsReaders/?fref=ts
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GIVEAWAY
Rachel Brimble will be awarding $25 Amazon/BN to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
13 comments
Thanks for hosting!
Good morning! Thanks for having me here today – looking forward to chatting with your visitors 😀
I liked the interview.
Hi, Rita! Glad you enjoyed it – good luck with the contest:)
Enjoyed the excerpt and interview, sounds like a great book, thanks for sharing!
Hi, Rita! Glad you enjoyed it – good luck with the contest:)
Oops! Answered Rita twice, lol! So glad you liked the excerpt Eva!
I really loved this excerpt. This is my favorite genre, and this one sounds great.
That so good to hear! Hope you’ll give the book a try 🙂
Thanks for sharing the excerpt, I enjoyed reading it 🙂
Hi Victoria! Good luck with the contest 🙂
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
The hardest part for me with ANY book is the plotting – Her One True Love is my 16th novel and I still struggle. I have resorted to writing lengthly chapter plans before I start which helps…but writing is work, HARD work!