Author post and Giveaway: Elizabeth Michels

Today I have Elizabeth Michels over for a post :)

Welcome!
At the end you can win a copy of her previous novel.

Don’t you just love curling up with a good book and disappearing into another world for a while?

My favorite world to escape into is England in the 1800s! I love getting to experience the life of ladies as they twirl the night away at a ball, to see the sights through their eyes, to *hopefully* sidestep at least a few of the dangers of the time, and to find love with a handsome gentleman along the way.

I’ve always been a bit of a history and architecture geek. I remember telling my parents when I was a kid that I wanted to be an archeologist *and* one of the Rockettes when I grew up…at the same time. I would dig to find pieces of ancient civilizations by day and high kick with my red lipstick on by night. Life hasn’t quite turned out the way I envisioned it at age 5. But I am excited that I get to write historical romance and submerge myself in my favorite period of history every day. And, I get to do it while wearing red lipstick if I want to. (Kick line not included.)

How did I stumble into this career path? I became interested in writing historical romance after years of being an avid reader of the genre. I still remember the day I stepped into my local bookstore in search of a new book. Of course I’d walked through those doors many times before, but that day in 2006 I found a book that changed my life.

Until then I wasn’t a romance reader, and certainly not an avid historical romance reader. I’ve always been one to have a book around, but I read across multiple genres without any particular favorite. Whatever caught my eye, I would pick up and dive into. I blame this entirely on growing up in the country. In a home where my only choices in books were my brother’s science fiction novels, and my mom’s cozy murder mysteries, I was just happy to have something to read, anything to read. But then when I was in my late 20s, I saw a book with a cover depicting a ship at sea. Bold blue skies, sails billowing in the wind, and a lady in a pink dress all seemed to beg me to pick up the book to investigate. It was Johanna Lindsey’s Captive of My Desires. That was the day I dove into historical romance novels and I’ve never looked back. I fell in love with the escape these stories provide in a location close to my heart—England!

When it was time to choose a place to set my stories I couldn’t think of a better place to submerge myself on a daily basis than England’s Regency Era. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in an early 1800s world? …A fictional world, that is. Every day, I get to enjoy the setting, entertainment and fashion of the Regency Era while in front of my laptop, in my air conditioned house, after having used my hair dryer. It’s the life!

The romanticism of carriage rides, ball gowns, and dashing gentlemen! This a world I could live within forever. I hope you enjoy the 3^rd book in the Spare Heirs series, THE WICKED HEIR—carriage rides, ball gowns and dashing gentlemen included at no extra cost. *Big smiles and a Rockette inspired high kick*

What is your favorite genre of romance novel?

Giveaway:
A copy of The rebel heir
US only
Ends June 8th
To enter answer her question
And yes remember to leave your info or make sure I can find it on your page or profile

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Michels is the award-winning author of the Tricks of the Ton series and the new Spare Heirs series. She attended Park University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Interior Design.  This Historical Romance author enjoys living in a lake-side town in North Carolina with her husband and son. Elizabeth is a lover of happily-ever-afters, laughter, and things that are sparkly. Tiara optional while reading, but highly recommended. 

Find her online!

Website: http://www.elizabethmichels.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/e.michels.novels

Twitter: @SouthernTart

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6986143.Elizabeth_Michels

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Wicked Heir

Author: Elizabeth Michels

Series: Spare Heirs, #3

ISBN: 9781492621393

Pub Date: July 4, 2017

Genre: Historical Romance

The Spare Heirs Society Cordially Invites You to Meet Fallon St. James: The Mastermind

When the love of Lady Isabelle Fairlyn’s life is betrothed to her twin sister, Isabelle vows to find a suitable replacement before the end of the season. He must be a talented dancer, have a keen fashion sense, and be perfectly dashing in every way.

Fallon St. James is the farthest thing from perfectly anything. As head of the secretive Spare Heirs Society, he must stick to the shadows…even as Isabelle’s friendship pulls him reluctantly into the light. But when Isabelle gets involved with the one man who could destroy Spares, Fallon must decide between protecting his life’s work—or risking everything to save the woman whose warm smile leaves him breathless.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |iBooks | Kobo | IndieBound

Author Interview and giveaway: Elizabeth Michels

Today I interview Elisabeth Michels, and there is a giveaway of her new book :)

Welcome!

1.If you have to pick a heroine that you are most like from your books, who would that be?

Oh my goodness, that’s a hard question.  There are little pieces of me in all of my characters, but I’m probably most like Sue Green from DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA.  I tend to talk too much and get myself into trouble and so does she.  Of course, I share a similar family background to Lily from MUST LOVE DUKES, as well as her interest in gardening.  And, then there’s Katie from my latest release, HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS...She is probably the exact opposite of me in every way possible except for her hatred of itchy lace on dresses—that we have in common. 

2. Tell me about your new book How to lose a Lord in 10 days or less...

I’m so excited about this book! It’s the 3rd book in the Tricks of the Ton series and follows one of my favorite misguided characters from MUST LOVE DUKES, Andrew Clifton, Lord Amberstall.  He literally crashes into Katie Moore’s quiet life when his horse jumps the hedgerow of her property and almost lands on her.  Now, with an injured horse, he’s forced to stay on her estate until he’s able to journey south and what a stay it will be! The two are opposed on every subject imaginable except the ones that matter—those deep under the surface. The more time they spend together, the deeper their friendship grows until it grows into something more.  But, the danger that nipped at Andrew’s heels on the road, grows closer.  When it arrives, will they face failure in life again or choose to save each other?

3. We have met Andrew before, and I can't say I fell for him then (too much in love with horses ;) But he is changed now. Was it hard to make him change?

It was difficult.  When we last saw Andrew in book 1 of the series, he was obsessed with his horse breeding career, to a ridiculous degree.  But, then, his life took an unfortunate turn and when we catch up with him, he has spent the past 2 years in Scotland, trying to escape talk in town and scrape together the pieces of his personal life.  In those 2 years, he’s changed.  He begins this book on the road back to England and his home, unsure of what awaits him there.  Although he’s had time to simmer a bit in Scotland, he starts this story still pretty rough around the edges.  He is one of the more difficult caracters I’ve written so far, simply because he is trying to find his place in life after all the carefully constructed pieces were assembled, and then torn apart.  If you’ve ever seen a head strong alpha male fall, it takes some effort to put them back together.  And, to do it in 10 days or less?  Well, that’s even more difficult. LOL

4. And we have also met Katie before. When did you want to make her your heroine?

Katie was always meant for Andrew. The inspiration for her character came from my grandmother.  She lost her mother when she was young and was forced to figure out everything of a femanine nature by herself.  In my grandmother’s case this meant that her cooking wasn’t something she was known for, but for Katie, her mother’s disappearance had a far greater impact on her life.  She’s driven away by her father’s rage to live in a cottage on her property estranged from her family.  Because of this, she has a wild quality to her personality that grates on Andrew’s need for organization and perfection.  I knew when I first thought of Andrew that he needed a lady in his life who was the opposite of everything he placed on a pedistal.  And so, Katie was born—breeches wearing, swearing, freckle cheeked, wild red headed, bagpipe playing Katie.  And, I adore them together.

5. What is coming next from you?

I’m currently writing Roselyn Grey’s story.  She’s the younger sister to the Duke of Thornwood.  Her story fits into the gap in time between the books in the Tricks of the Ton series and she is referenced in HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS.  With this story, we begin on Katie Moore’s, (and her older brother, Ethan’s) estate and travel back to London where we find Evangeline Green and Isabelle and Victoria Fairlyn. I’m having a great time with these characters and I can’t wait to share them with you!  

Thanks!

Thank you so much for hosting me today on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell! I hope you enjoy HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS. Have any other questions for me? Let’s chat! 

Giveaway

1 copy of How to Lose a Lord in 10 days or less.

1 Open to US and Canada

2. Ends July 26

3. To enter, please ask a question, or tell me what you think of the book :)

Good luck!

And if you want the book at once:

Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/VTHThF

BAM: http://bit.ly/1zu2l84

B&N: http://bit.ly/1qrD1cS

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1kdVJ3L

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1rehIwM

How to lose a Lord in 10 days or less - Elizabeth Michels

He's the perfect gentleman...

After years hidden away from the mockery of the Ton, proud Andrew Clifton, Lord Amberstall, is finally ready to face Society again. But when his horse is injured on the road to London, Andrew finds himself literally thrown at the feet of the beautiful, infuriating, and undeniably eccentric Katie Moore.

...she's anything but a lady.

Katie always preferred the stables to society, so when she was badly injured in a riding accident, she was more than happy to retreat to the countryside and give up the marriage mart for good. She never expected an infuriatingly proper lord to come tumbling into her life - and she certainly never expected to find herself wondering what it would be like to rejoin the world at his side.

They couldn't be more different, and soon Andrew and Katie find themselves at odds about everything but the growing passion between them... and a keen awareness of a threat that may end their unconventional romance before it has even begun.

My thoughts:

You can read this one as a standalone, it works. But yes it is book 3 and we have met them both before. With Katie it was an aha moment. But Andrew I remember well. 

Oh Andrew. In book 1, I was on the hero and heroine's side, even if they did something bad. Now I realised how bad and really felt for him. Poor poor Andrew. In an era when appearance was everything he was humiliated and fled the country. And after a year in exile he is back and the book can start.

Andrew loves horses. He grows in this book too when he realised that no, appearances is not everything. He sure said some dumb things in book 1, so I am glad he changed.

Katie is, oh she is different. She dresses in pants (which Andrew is not happy about). She lives alone in a cottage and she is just, different. Together they make no sense, which means they make perfect sense :)

So all while these two slowly are getting to be friends, and then falling in love, something sinister is going on. Someone is after Andrew, but why? You will find out.

Conclusion:

Love, suspense and a different sort of couple

Cover

Not how I would see her

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Published July 1st 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Tricks Of The Ton #3
Historical romance
For review

Author Interview and Giveaway: Elizabeth Michels

Please help me welcome Elizabeth Michels to my blog today :)

1. Tell me about yourself Elizabeth.

EM: First of all, thank you for hosting me on your lovely blog.  I’m excited to be here to celebrate the release of Desperately Seeking Suzanna! Before yesterday, I would have called myself a debut author, but I suppose I’m now whatever you call a new author with 2 books on the self over the span of 4 weeks.  Is there a word for that? Debut-ish?  The thesaurus app on my phone says I am either unweathered or new-sprung, but I can’t say that I’m a fan of either option.  I’ve been writing for 4 years.  I squeeze it into the spaces of time when I’m not chasing my little boy around the house as we play super heroes and when I’m not cooking dinner for my family.  Sometimes I even write while I’m cooking which always makes eating at my house an adventure.  I love shoes, sparkly things, books, coffee, laughter, flowers, books, and writing stories...wait, did I say books twice? 

2. What was the inspiration behind your new book Desperately Seeking Suzanna?

EM: I’ve always called this story my ”Evil mother book.” So, you would think the inspiration would have come from an evil mother, but my mother was a wonderful person and I couldn’t ask for a better mother-in-law.  *shrugs and laughs* I’m not sure where all the evil mothers came from.  This book actually grew out of a conversation I had with a friend a few years ago.  She thought it was odd that she had been married to her husband for almost a year and yet she’d never been to his parent’s home.  His family had come to visit her, but she hadn’t received an invitation to go to his childhood home.  Now, I happen to know her husband and while he wasn’t hiding anything more than a meager upbringing, I began to wonder.  What if he was hiding something terrible?  What if his secret past could destroy his own life and endanger hers as well?  And that was when Holden Ellis, Lord Steelings began to take shape.  He seems like a charming rake, but that’s not entirely true. As for Sue Green, she simply wandered into book 1, Must Love Dukes, and started talking too much.  But, I’m glad she did.

3. I am going to give my readers a chance to get to know the characters. Tell me something fun, something sad, something normal about Sue.

EM: Something fun about Sue: She is an artist.  She paints landscapes, usually has paint on her hands, face or clothes and sells her paintings anonymously in London. The only time she’s ever quiet is when she’s busy painting—she’s quite loquatious. 

Something sad about Sue: She lives in the shadow of her beautiful younger sister and no matter what she does, has never been able to gain the favor of her mother.

Something normal about Sue: She is an emotional eater and when she’s upset, she goes straight for the carbs.  Bread, cake and anything sweet are her weaknesses.

4. And the same thing with Lord Steelings.

EM: Something fun about Lord Steelings: He hired his cook based solely on her ability to bake chocolate cake and always has cakes and candy on hand in his home. 

Something sad about Lord Steelings: He blames himself for the childhood death of his older brother.

Something normal about Lord Steelings: He adores his cousins and spends most of his free time with his aunt, uncle and their unconventional family.

5. And now to make us see them, who would play them in a movie?

EM: If I could choose anyone to play Sue’s role for a movie, I would cast Scarlett Johansson, but with no makeup and no hair dye allowed.  Sorry, Scarlett.  I’m evil like that.  Sue’s hair is not brown enough to be dark and dramatic and not blond enough to be light and fun.  She’s never considered herself to be beautiful and often gets overlooked as people turn their attention to her younger sister, Evangeline.  Of course, that’s before the champagne, the makeover and the masquerade ball…

For Lord Steelings’ role, I would cast Bradley Cooper.  Holden

Ellis, Lord Steelings is a joville rake.  He always has a smile on his face and a charming word for the ladies.  And, all will remain pleasant on the surface as long as no one discovers his family’s dark past that threatens to destroy his future...

6. What are you working on right now?

EM: Now that How to Lose a Lord in 10 Days or Less is mostly out of my hands, I’m working on the next 3 books.  I don’t know at this point if they will be under the umbrella of Tricks of the Ton or not, but the story follows characters you’ll recognize from Must Love Dukes and Desperately Seeking Suzanna.  I’m really excited about these 3 ladies getting to tell their sides of the story.  I hope you will be too, since I’m working on Evangeline Green’s book now, with Isabelle and Victoria to follow...just writing that sentence makes me chuckle since Victoria would never agree to follow anyone.  *grins* 

Thank you so much for hosting me here on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell! What’s something fun or normal about you? 

Giveaway

1 copy of Desperately Seeking Suzanna

1. US and Canada only.

2. Ends March 15th

3. Answer Elizabeth's question to enter.

DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA BY ELIZABETH MICHELS – IN STORES MARCH 2014 

Her Cinderella Moment…

Sue Green just wanted one night to be the pretty one. But a few glasses of champagne and one wild disguise later, she's in some serious trouble. Who knew the devastatingly handsome face of Lord Holden Ellis would get in the way of her foot? And how exactly did all that high-kick dancing start in the first place? At least she blamed it on her new persona—Suzanna—so Society's most eligible bachelor will never find out the truth.

All Holden wants is the truth. Who was that vixen who seduced him so thoroughly, then disappeared? The only one who seems to have any answers about Suzanna is Miss Sue Green. She's promised to help him find his mystery woman, but she's not being all that helpful. And the more time Holden spends with Sue—witty, pretty, and disarmingly honest—the more he realizes he may have found exactly what he's been looking for all along...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Michels grew up on a Christmas tree farm in rural South Carolina. After tip-toeing her way through school with her focus on ballet steps and her nose in a book, she met a boy and followed him a thousand miles away from home to Kansas City, Missouri, before settling down in North Carolina. She attended Park University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Interior Design. Elizabeth is a lover of happily-ever-afters; she invites you to read her stories, get lost, and enjoy. For more information, please visit 

http://www.elizabethmichels.com

To Purchase Desperately Seeking Suzanna:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-a-Million

Chapters/Indigo

IndieBound

iBooks

Sourcebooks

Desperately Seeking Suzanna - Elizabeth Michels

Sue Green just wanted one night to be the pretty one. But a few glasses of champagne and one wild disguise later, she’s in some serious trouble. Who knew the devastatingly handsome face of Lord Holden Ellis would get in the way of her foot? And how exactly did all that high-kick dancing start in the first place? At least she blamed it all on her new persona—Suzanna. So Society’s most eligible bachelor will never find out the truth.

All Holden wants is the truth. Who was that vixen who seduced him so thoroughly, then disappeared? The only one who seems to have any answers about Suzanna is Miss Sue Green. She’s promised to help him find his mystery woman, but in truth she’s not being all that helpful. And in truth, the more time Holden spends with Sue—witty, pretty, and disarmingly honest—the more he realizes he may have found exactly what he’s been looking for all along…

My thoughts:

I do confess that most of the time this premise does annoy me. Boy meets girl, girl wears a mask, there is kissing and she disappears. When they do meet again, and talk he does not know it's her. I would think at least the voice would do it. Oh well it does bring the drama...

Sue is invisible and with the worst mother ever. Trust me, I want to strangle her mother. What a wicked old cow! I am still angry at her and I just want to see Sue walk up to her and give her the finger. Ok ok, moving on. Sue was so sweet, nice, she wanted to do things, wanted to paint, but if you have someone holding you down it's hard.

Holden is a rake. And he becomes obsessed with Suzanna after what they have shared. There is a secret in his life that I can't tell, but it does bring some danger.

When they meet again they find each other amusing..sort of. She argues with him. But he does one thing later on that made me want to kick him. Bad Holden. Still it all ended happily, of course ;)

Conclusion:

Oh and there was an intriguing character in it that I hope is in the next book.

Cover

ok

Paperback, 342 pages
Published March 4th 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Tricks of the Ton #2
Historical romance
for review

Must Love Dukes - Elizabeth Michels

Lillian Phillips could not imagine how her quiet, simple life had come to this. Blackmailed by the Mad Duke of Thornwood into accepting one wild dare after another...all because of a pocket watch. Desperate to recover her beloved father's pawned timepiece, Lily did something reckless and dangerous and delicious—something that led to a night she'd never forget.

When Devon Grey, Duke of Thornwood, runs into a mesmerizing, intoxicating, thieving woman who literally stole from his bedchamber—with his new pocket watch—Devon plots his revenge. If the daring wench likes to play games, he's happy to oblige. After all, what's the use of being the Mad Duke if you can't have some fun? But the last laugh might just be on him...

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this one, oh that Duke! It was silly and fun.

I was a bit surprised how things happened in this book. I know that all have their ways of causing scandal but Lily, she sure does something else. And one year later she meets Devon again. I can't say he is happy and that leads to one fun book. He blackmails her into doing things .... get your minds out of the gutter. Not that! Other kind of games. But things will get serious as her idiot brother wants to marry her away, to a man of his choosing.

Lily was a breath of fresh air, mostly cos of the thing she did a year before. Sure she was lucky, but she took a chance. She is brave.

Devon is called the mad duke because his father was mad. And Devon does say and do outrageous things when he is annoyed at everyone. It was funny, because it's not things you say. But I got him, I would not want everyone calling me mad either.

Conclusion:

Fun, sassy, a bit mad and cute too. I want to read more.

cover thoughts...hurry!
His face, omg his face

Mass Market, 352 pages
Published February 4th 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Tricks of the Ton #1
Historical romance
For review