Is anything in
your book based on real life experiences or is it all purely
imagination?
When my first book was published I was
so proud to have my mom read it for the first time. Only later I
realized the mother character in the book was a complete shrew, which
might have made my mom wonder. I had to reassure it had nothing to
do with her. My books are pretty much out of my own head and any
similarity to real life is purely coincidental.
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An
Excerpt
“Are you ready for this?” asked her
brother, pulling on his worn wool greatcoat.
“Quite.” Lady Kate chose to
misinterpret his meaning. “I have prepared an accounting for each
one of our investors, providing details of their original investment
and return.”
Robert Ashton, Earl of Darington, took
the large ledgers from her hands. “Not what I meant.”
“I shall never be ready. But let us do
it anyway,” she said crisply. She had developed a keen accounting
for each one of their investors, but such a meeting brought the
prospect of seeing one particular investor. A man she never wanted to
see again.
Ever.
Would he be there? Would he dare come?
Lady Katherine has no beauty, no
fashion, no conversation, and no accomplishments save being the
sister to an earl, and an impoverished one at that.
Years later, his voice still rang in her head.
It had begun innocently enough. While at
university, Robert had become acquainted with Tristan Arlington, the
second son of the Earl of Wynbrook, who had invited them to spend the
Christmas holidays with his family. Tristan’s mother had been
particularly kind, and for a brief moment Kate had thought she had
finally been accepted. But it was not to last.
Kate closed her eyes and remembered her
fateful visit. She had heard voices coming from the open library door
and stopped. She knew she ought not to eavesdrop, but she could not
help pausing outside the door and listening to the conversation
between Tristan and his elder brother.
“Darington might not be so bad—one
can forgive lack of conversation in a gentleman—but you must admit
the sister is poor company indeed,” drawled Tristan’s elder
brother.
“Dash it, John! What a gudgeon you
are,” exclaimed Tristan. “Kate’s not had the advantages of
feminine company is all. Their mother died bringing them into the
world.”
“Perhaps, but is that any reason for
Mother to sponsor her coming out with Jane this spring?”
“Why should Mother not bring out
Kate with our sister?” cried Tristan. “Quite kind of her.”
“Because it may prove an
embarrassment to Mother. I do not mean to offend, but your friend’s
earldom was only recently created. Darington’s father must have
done something quite heroic in his naval career to rise from a
baronet to an earl. You know how society disdains social climbers.”
Social climbers!
Six years later, the words still ground
like grit in her teeth. How she had hated him!
They came to a stop with a jolt and Kate
opened her eyes to the intimidating sight of rising colonnades of the
Bank of London. Her pulse pounded in her temples as they were led to
a sitting room designed for meetings of the rich and the even richer.
Dark mahogany paneling lined the hall, and all the furnishings from
the curtains to the chairs were resplendent in rich jewel tones.
Everything around her spoke of wealth and power.
Surely he would not be here. He would
send his solicitor, not come in person. There was no need. She had
almost convinced herself of his certain absence when they entered the
room.
He was there.
The bastion of society stood warming
himself by the fire, dressed impeccably in a dark blue,
double-breasted suit that was tailored to perfection. She could not
help but drink in his form. His broad, square shoulders revealed a
powerful build, yet he had a trim waist and muscular thighs that were
on the edge of indecent in his skintight buckskin breeches. With his
chestnut hair, green eyes, and square jaw he was the very definition
of a handsome man.
It was him.
John Arlington, the Earl of Wynbrook.
The only man she had ever kissed.
Title: If the Earl Only Knew
Series: The Daring Marriages, #1
Author: Amanda Forester
Pubdate: July 5th, 2016
ISBN: 9781492605492
The chase is on in award-winning author Amanda Forester’s brand-new Regency romance series!
A sizzling scandal just waiting to happen…
Orphaned at a young age, Lady Katherine Ashton and her brother have spent most of their lives on the high seas, seeking to restore their family fortune through somewhat dubious means. After that kind of adventure, Kate knows she won’t ever be accepted as a proper society lady.
To the annoyingly clever, temptingly handsome, and altogether troublesome Earl of Wynbrook, society ladies are a dead bore. Kate, on the other hand, is scandalous, alluring, and altogether fascinating. And Kate can’t decide which she relishes more, the thrill of chasing fearsome pirates, or having Wynbrook chase after her…
Amanda Forester holds a PhD in psychology and worked many years in academia before discovering that writing historical romance was way more fun. A Publishers Weekly Top Ten author, her books have been given starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews. Whether in the rugged Highlands of medieval Scotland or the decadent ballrooms of Regency England, her novels offer fast-paced adventures filled with wit, intrigue, and romance. You can visit her at www.amandaforester.com.
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