Amanda Hughes’ BEYOND THE CLIFFS OF KERRY – Absorbing tale from old Ireland and the American Frontier with an Irish Heroine to Admire and a Frontiersman to Love!

This was Hughes' debut novel and it is a great story! Set in Ireland and America, beginning in 1755, this is a captivating tale of a beautiful young Irish girl, Darcy McBride, who has a thirst for knowledge and a spirit of adventure.

 

Darcy survived The Hunger in Ireland that claimed most of her family and when the story opens, she is keeping house for her embittered brother. To pay taxes and put food on the table, Darcy and the young men of County Kerry take to smuggling, illegally trading their wool with the French for brandy. In one shipment, they also smuggle in a Jesuit priest who befriends Darcy and teaches her to read and write.

 

When British soldiers discover the smuggling, Darcy is transported to the English Colonies for 7 years of indentured service, which for a beautiful young woman meant sexual servitude to her owner. One day at Fort Lawrence, Darcy meets Jean Michel Lupe, a surveyor for the Crown and an educated man, who will change her life.

 

This is a romance, to be sure, but quite unusual in that the hero isn't introduced until half way through the book, a characteristic of Hughes’ stories. Much of what would be "back story" in other historical romances becomes an intense, well-told tale that at times is heart rending. For example, we experience the brutality of cruel English soldiers and savage Indians on the American frontier. But there are many warm, charming moments and we see how times of great hardship affect people for both good and bad.

 

There are some truly, desperately sad moments that will tear at your heart since both life in Ireland and on the frontier was hard. Darcy is a wonderful heroine with a strong heart, a giving nature and great courage.

 

Hughes brings to life a cast of wonderful characters, including the wise and kind-hearted Father Etienne (a kind of hero).

 

Darcy's story has great realism and I highly recommend it.

Amanda Hughes’s THE PRIDE OF THE KING – Absorbing Tale From 18th Century America—a Heroine to Love and a Ship of Pirates!

Set in French New Orleans in 1748, this is the story of Lauren De Beauville, daughter of French aristocrats who died leaving her and her sister orphans to be raised by nuns. When she is 15, her sister joins the order and Lauren is forced to marry an old man from the English colonies who doesn’t speak French. She is rescued from that marriage before it’s begun by a hurricane that sweeps her away on her wedding day to another life. Eventually she is forced to leave that other life, too, and ends up in New England, where she joins with con artists who use her as bait to lure aristocrats into business ventures.

 

There are many twists and turns in this complex story that finally sees Lauren onboard a ship of pirates and misfits who serve a master criminal, their captain, who smuggles guns and other goods, selling them to both the French and the English. Captain James St. Clare wants Lauren to be his contact with the French, but it’s a very dangerous assignment and she will have to sell herself to accomplish it. But St. Clare, an enigmatic figure, watches over her.

 

Most of the story is told through the heroine’s point of view with the exception of short snippets in the minds of other characters. And there is a huge cast of characters as you can imagine from the different “lives” Lauren experiences. You feel for Lauren as a young innocent with an adventurer’s heart who faces one crisis after another and yet always manages to triumph. When the black moment comes—and there is a black moment—it is very real and very believable. I loved Lauren’s courage and her determination—and her kindness. No wonder the hero will not give her up.

 

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I don’t want to give away the mystery by saying more about the story except that she peels back the layers like an onion—expertly.

New Review: Amanda Hughes’ VAGABOND WIND – Great Civil War Adventure!

The story begins in 1853 in West Virginia as we meet Zya Lazar, a woman of Cherokee, Portuguese and African blood (a “Melungeon”—a person of tri-racial heritage) who was orphaned as a young child and raised by Romani gypsies. Her gypsy father is a kind man but her gypsy uncle is ruthless, cruel and uses her as well as his own sons for his raids that bring terror to the countryside.

Zya, trained up to be a part of the raids, marries one of her uncle’s sons when she is 14 and becomes “bait” to lure the unsuspecting settlers to the gypsies’ trap. Only later does Zya discover that her gypsy uncle murdered her father who was a free black and her family. When she learns this, she leaves to live in the wild for years.

When War Between the States breaks out, Capt. Davis Wyndham comes to Western Virginia where Zya is living in the woods and in trouble with the law (through no fault of her own). Davis gets the charges dropped on the condition she becomes his guide as he travels about the countryside raising a brigade of Confederates to harass the enemy. She agrees and becomes a part of his most unusual band of raiders.

Some wonderful characters in this well-written tale will hold you captive as you are plunged into the Civil War and Davis sets his band to interfering with the B&O Railroad. Zya and Davis soon find they are attracted to each other and love takes its course. But there are many obstacles and much they must overcome to be together.

New Review: Amanda Hughes’s THE PRIDE OF THE KING – Absorbing Tale From 18th Century America—a Heroine to Love and a Ship of Pirates!

Set in French New Orleans in 1748, this is the story of Lauren De Beauville, daughter of French aristocrats who died leaving her and her sister orphans to be raised by nuns. When she is 15, her sister joins the order and Lauren is forced to marry an old man from the English colonies who doesn’t speak French. She is rescued from that marriage before it’s begun by a hurricane that sweeps her away on her wedding day to another life. Eventually she is forced to leave that other life, too, and ends up in New England, where she joins with con artists who use her as bait to lure aristocrats into business ventures.

There are many twists and turns in this complex story that finally sees Lauren onboard a ship of pirates and misfits who serve a master criminal, their captain, who smuggles guns and other goods, selling them to both the French and the English. Captain James St. Clare wants Lauren to be his contact with the French, but it’s a very dangerous assignment and she will have to sell herself to accomplish it. But St. Clare, an enigmatic figure, watches over her.

Most of the story is told through the heroine’s point of view with the exception of short snippets in the minds of other characters. And there is a huge cast of characters as you can imagine from the different “lives” Lauren experiences. You feel for Lauren as a young innocent with an adventurer’s heart who faces one crisis after another and yet always manages to triumph. When the black moment comes—and there is a black moment—it is very real and very believable. I loved Lauren’s courage and her determination—and her kindness. No wonder the hero will not give her up.

I can’t say enough good things about this book or about Hughes’ writing. Just take my word for it and get it and you’ll understand. I don’t want to give away the mystery by saying more about the story except that she peels back the layers like an onion—expertly. I have become one of Hughes’ committed fans.

Buy on Amazon.

Interview with Favorite Author Amanda Hughes

There is one name you will see frequently on my best lists and her heroines are on my Favorite Heroes & Heroines list... Amanda Hughes, author of historical romance with a different approach. 

I invited Amanda to be on my blog today to talk about her different style for her stories set in America's past. She tells me that all her life, she has been a "Walter Mitty", spending more time in heroic daydreams than the real world. As a child, she would light tapers, decorate the basement with her mother's pewter and act out elaborate adventures with imaginary playmates. To this day, the characters in her novels are shadows whispering their stories to her. As an adult, she found an outlet writing adventures about audacious women in the 18th and 19th century, and much of her writing today is a grown-up documentation of her childhood fantasies.

The Interview:

Thank you, Regan for having me on your blog today. It is a wonderful resource for historical romance junkies everywhere! I have been following your writing career as well. Congratulations on your success and all of the awards.

What kind of books do you write, Amanda?

I write novels about gutsy, risk-taking women called, “The Bold Women Series.” They crossover between historical romance and historical fiction. I think you called me an “outlier” once, Regan, and that’s true. For a long time I could not decide which genre was the most appropriate fit for my books since they do not fit the standard format of either genre. I have since given up. 

What is it about your content that make your novels crossover books?

I try to balance history equally with the romance. My books always describe historical settings in detail; the clothing, the food, the furnishings, the landscape and the times. The character, background and upbringing of my “bold women” is always established in the first half of the book and not until the second half of the book do I introduce the love story. My novels are an adventure about the main character’s life. Love is just one component.

Why did you choose to write this way?

It was never a conscious choice. I never studied a genre and wrote to fit within those boundaries. The books were inside me and I wrote them. I have always felt my stories are accurate reflections of life. We all have many experiences in this world and love is just one of them.

So your content is different. Are your characters unusual as well?

Yes, they are quite different from mainstream historical romance novels. My characters are always involved in some way with the gritty and sometimes seamy side of life. I always portray people that live on the fringes of society. Many authors write historical romances that are a form of escapism heavily laden with beauty and charm, and many readers prefer this style. But I think they are missing so many opportunities to meet varied and edgy characters. After all, these are the people really that shaped our history, particularly in this country. Again this reflects my outlier attitude!

In what time and place are you books set?

                            

All of my books are set in America in the 18^th or 19^th century. Although several start out in another country, frequently Ireland, my main characters always end up here in America.

Why do you choose America’s past for settings?

Without question I choose America because of our rich and varied heritage. Nowhere on earth is there a culture as diverse as ours. This melting pot in which we live provides a writer with endless opportunities to tell stories, from the Salem witch trials to the Oklahoma land rush, to riding the rails during the Great Depression. The subjects are endless and I wish I had time to write about it all of them.

What do your readers tell you they like best about your books?

The one comment I receive time and again is that my books are page-turners. Some of my readers blame me for not getting their errands or housework done. I’m happy to oblige.

What are you working on now?

My sixth historical romance is about a bold woman in 19^th Century San Francisco. To support her young siblings, this Chinese American woman runs an opium den catering to the very rich in Chinatown. Amid the squalor and danger of a city bursting at the seams, she partners with a man who has many secrets and who may endanger her life.  

Thanks, Amanda, for helping the readers understand the difference between your wonderful stories and others. For my followers, Amanda has a question to ask you:

Since this is Favorite Heroes and Heroines Month, I would like to know if readers prefer seeing a heroine saved by the hero, or if they prefer the heroine saving herself.

One lucky commenter will win my latest ebook set in the time of
America's Civil War, Vagabond Wind. 

Keep up with Amanda:

Website, Facebook, Amazon.

New Review: Amanda Hughes’s THE PRIDE OF THE KING – Absorbing Tale From 18th Century America—a Heroine to Love and a Ship of Pirates!

Set in French New Orleans in 1748, this is the story of Lauren De Beauville, daughter of French aristocrats who died leaving her and her sister orphans to be raised by nuns. When she is 15, her sister joins the order and Lauren is forced to marry an old man from the English colonies who doesn’t speak French. She is rescued from that marriage before it’s begun by a hurricane that sweeps her away on her wedding day to another life. Eventually she is forced to leave that other life, too, and ends up in New England, where she joins with con artists who use her as bait to lure aristocrats into business ventures.

There are many twists and turns in this complex story that finally sees Lauren onboard a ship of pirates and misfits who serve a master criminal, their captain, who smuggles guns and other goods, selling them to both the French and the English. Captain James St. Clare wants Lauren to be his contact with the French, but it’s a very dangerous assignment and she will have to sell herself to accomplish it. But St. Clare, an enigmatic figure, watches over her.

Most of the story is told through the heroine’s point of view with the exception of short snippets in the minds of other characters. And there is a huge cast of characters as you can imagine from the different “lives” Lauren experiences. You feel for Lauren as a young innocent with an adventurer’s heart who faces one crisis after another and yet always manages to triumph. When the black moment comes—and there is a black moment—it is very real and very believable. I loved Lauren’s courage and her determination—and her kindness. No wonder the hero will not give her up.

I can’t say enough good things about this book or about Hughes’ writing. Just take my word for it and get it and you’ll understand. I don’t want to give away the mystery by saying more about the story except that she peels back the layers like an onion—expertly. I have become one of Hughes’ committed fans.

Buy on Amazon.