Lucinda Brant’s MIDNIGHT MARRIAGE – It could have been a great story...

In the 18^th century, two teenagers (Deb and Julian) with noble heritages are secretly married off at midnight when she is 12 (and drugged) and he is 16 (and drunk), then immediately separated. Nine years later, Julian returns from the Continent to England to claim the bride he doesn’t know because his father is ill (in France where he lives) and Julian must have an heir. Poor Deb is just the proper broodmare. When she first encounters him, Deb has no idea he is her husband. He claims to be a commoner of another name and intentionally charms her with the thought of a second marriage to seal the deal. Thus we have deception at the outset as he proposes and she accepts early on in their relationship.

 

On a positive note, I liked the tension between the leads when it was there. Often it was lacking. And when he suddenly turns cold and cruel to his “new” bride after their honeymoon, I was shocked. There was no reason for it. She rightly gets angry when she realizes she has married the debauched Marquis of Roxton. And when she later turns to mush when she should still have been angry, again I was amazed. Very inconsistent. So, I went looking at other reviews to see if they agreed. They did. Here are some I found helpful:

 

“Heroine annoyed me. At first, I was rooting for her, all independent with a you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do attitude. Go heroine! Then after the hero tells her they are to marry (actually, it's remarry but she doesn't realize it), she just goes, "Ok...coz' I'm following my heart...even when he doesn't tell me anything about him & he's such a bully". Ack! Wtf happened to my strong gal? Then I applauded her later on once she discovered his deceit & stayed away from him for a while. Whew, I thought, thank goodness she's awakened from her lapse of stupidity...NOT! She then succumbs to him after taking one walk with him. Huh?”

 

“How could the duke be throwing a welcoming party [a major ball in Paris] for his son's bride the night they first meet her when they didn't know she was coming?”

 

 “The introduction of so many characters in the beginning of the book and the lack of clear identification of these characters made it hard to understand who was who.”

 

“It was confusing due to an undefined flow in the story. It had a tendency to ramble repeatedly describing non essential items pertinent to the plot as though filling space.”

 

“...the lack of fight in Deb where it concerned Julian made me want to bash my head against the wall. She carries a gun, can match men wit for wit, has mouth for her sister, goes against her older brother in favor of helping out a child and loses her bite where it counts? Forgive me but it’s too convenient.”

 

And since I’m a Georgette Heyer fan, I found this review interesting. “...if you’ve ever read Georgette Heyer’s ‘These Old Shades’ you will find that Julian’s parents (Reynard and Antonia) are highly evocative of Heyer’s Justin and Léonie: elderly English duke married to a ravishingly beautiful French noblewoman half his age who was briefly his ward, in an obvious love-match that reformed his previously dissolute character and turned him into a devoted spouse. Even the description of the duke’s elegant white, long-fingered hands is similar.”

 

The Irish Yankee as reviewed by The Feathered Quill - An Absorbing Mix of Early Revolutionary War Tension, Heartfelt Romance, and Small-town Resilience

Historical fiction has to feel authentic but still pull you into a good story that will make you care about the people, not just the facts. Regan Walker seems to understand that instinctively. Her newest novel, The Irish Yankee, is the first in "The Dawn of America Series," and it’s an absorbing mix of early Revolutionary War tension, heartfelt romance, and small-town resilience. Set in 1775 in the rugged coastal village of Machias, Maine (then still part of the Massachusetts colony), the story follows Jeremiah O’Brien, a steady, big-hearted Irish-American lumberman who ends up becoming an early naval hero in the fight for independence. Alongside him is Elizabeth “Lizzy” Fitzpatrick, a young woman with a haunted past and a fierce loyalty to her family, especially her younger siblings.

Walker writes historical fiction with romantic threads woven in, and the balance in this book feels just right. Jeremiah isn’t just a patriot with sea salt in his blood. He’s a son, a brother and a man trying to protect his community. Lizzy is equally compelling, as she’s strong and you can feel the weight she carries - her grief, her responsibility, her protectiveness over her younger brother Sean. Her bravery isn’t about sword fights but more about holding things together.

The book opens with a kind of quiet urgency - smoky candlelit taverns, talk of rebellion, muskets tucked under pews - and that atmosphere never really lets up. But it’s not all fire and speeches either. There’s a real sense of daily life here: river mills grinding, fish being caught, stew being served. That grounded, day-to-day rhythm keeps the story from floating off into abstraction. It all feels lived in.

One of the things I appreciated most was how Walker handles the relationship between Jeremiah and Lizzy. They don’t fall for each other instantly, and there’s real tension, especially from Lizzy’s side. She’s wary of getting swept up in patriotic fervor when she’s just trying to keep her brother safe. Their connection builds slowly, out of trust and mutual respect. I wasn’t sure at first if the romance would feel like too much in the middle of a war story, or if the war would overshadow the romance, but honestly, it felt like both were supporting each other.

Walker’s prose is clean and confident. She doesn’t overdo it with flowery language, but she’s great at atmosphere creation. The river scenes in particular had this quiet strength to them, almost like the land itself was a character. And when the fighting finally happens, it’s not flashy or cinematic. It feels risky and tense, people get scared, and families are on edge.

I also really liked how the women were portrayed. Even though this is a story about mostly male-driven rebellion, the women are right there casting bullets, managing homes, and supporting the cause in their own way. Lizzy and her sister Annie aren’t passive. They have their own fire, and it’s believable.

If you haven’t read Regan Walker before, she’s known for her deeply researched historical novels that bring real historical figures into conversation with fictional ones. You can tell she’s done her homework, but she never lets the research drown the story. Her background in law shows up in how carefully everything is structured, but her heart is clearly in the characters. She isn’t afraid of tenderness or emotional complexity, and that’s what makes her stories stand out.

Quill says: The Irish Yankee by Regan Walker isn’t just about a town on the edge of war, but also about loyalty, legacy, and the slow, stubborn kind of love that grows when people choose each other over and over again. I’ll definitely be reading the next in the series.

 

 

Bliss Bennet’s NOT QUITE A COUNTESS – A Novella to Kick off a Series!

This is the story of Arabella Audley who inherited her father’s Scottish barony, but was denied his English earldom because of her sex. Shuffled between five guardians for six long years while Parliament dithers over determining the Earl of Audley’s rightful heir, Belle’s tired of being reduced to the role of pawn.

She wants the Earldom and her beloved Audley Priory. And she just might get it if she can arrange a betrothal to one of her rivals for the earldom (two real losers). But then a handsome cavalry officer appears on the scene.

 

There are many characters in this short story, I assume to lay a foundation for the rest of the series. The author cleverly addresses them with humorous titles and Belle finds a solution to her problem. All ends well when the cavalry officer insists on love.

 

“Making Love” in Georgian and Victorian Novels, post by Regan Walker

 

What did the Georgians and Victorians mean by "making love"?

Research on this issue was the project of Dr. Clelia Duel Mosher, a hygiene academic who, between 1892 and 1920, persuaded 45 women to fill out questionnaires on their experiences of sex, marriage and contraception.

Not surprisingly, the results show that most women knew little about sex before marriage with some admitting they only picked up the facts of life by observing the habits of farm animals. But once married, most women said that their sex lives were active and they enjoyed the “habitual bodily expression of love”.

As Fraser Sutherland notes in his essay Why Making Love Isn’t What It Used to Be, where he examines the writing of Victorian men of letters, the term “make love” has undergone change over the last several centuries. Early on, the phrase referred to both wooing and sexual intercourse.

 

The Oxford English Dictionary lists the first date for the term “to make love” as 1567, citing Certaine Tragicall Discourses of Bandello with many Georgian and Victorian uses listed as well:

 

1768, L. Sterne Sentimental Journey “You have been making love to me all this while.”

1784, R. Bage Barham Downs “You..may make love, and play your pitty patties.”

1829, W. Cobbett Advice to Young Men “It is an old saying, ‘Praise the child, and you make love to the mother’.”

1845, T. Hood Poems (1846) “Oh there's nothing in life like making love.”

 

Thus, the term’s euphemistic usage was firmly entrenched by the early seventeenth century, and remained so into the early twentieth century. Take a look at the Award-winning Donet Trilogy of Georgian novels set in England and France. On Amazon.

Elizabeth Ellen Carter’s LIVE AND LET SPY – Early Regency set in Cornwall

The story begins in 1804 when Adam Hardacre, a seaman in the Royal Navy, is refused a promotion to officer he well deserves. He quits in disgust and is then approached by a senior spy who wants him to serve his country undercover. It was all a setup to put Adam in the place the government agents want him.

 

Adam takes up his work as a spy and is assigned to Cornwall where he spent his youth. There he is to ferret out traitors plotting a French invasion of England. While about this task, he meets a governess between jobs, Olivia Collins. Interested in Adam, she finds a secret from his past—a youthful summer love affair with the local squire’s daughter that led to a child he is not aware of.

 

Olivia gets tangled up in Adam’s spying and both end up in trouble. The story is well-written and has enough twists to hold your attention. While the hero is a seaman turned spy, there are no scenes aboard a ship. It’s more of an early Regency, but the Cornwall setting adds flavor. The characters are well drawn and the bad guy(s) deceptive.

 

 

Danelle Harmon’s THE WILD ONE – Exciting Georgian Romance, the 1st in a Series

It’s 1776 and Lord Gareth de Montforte is up to his usual antics as a irresponsible rake. But when he takes a bullet to thwart a stagecoach robbery, he discovers that the beautiful young woman he has rescued, Juliet Paige, his his deceased brother’s American fiancée, accompanied by her infant daughter.

 

 While Gareth’s older brother, the duke, treats Julia with indifference, Gareth is determined to do right by her and her baby. But Juliet is wary of marrying Gareth yet she has few options. Her fiancé is dead and she is alone.

 

Harmon does a splendid job of weaving an exciting tale packed with emotion and angst. Gareth is a loveable character who will win your heart (along with Julia’s). He is determined to make it on his own without his brother’s help even if it kills him to do it.

 

A great story, well-told. Highly recommended.

 

The de Montforte Series:

 

The Wild One

The Beloved One

The Defiant One

The Wicked One

The Wayward One

 

Victoria Cornwall’s THE THIEF’S DAUGHTER – Smuggling on the Cornwall Coast in the Georgian Era

Set in Cornwall in Georgian England, beginning in 1779 (with a prologue set in 1765),  this is the story of Jenna Cartwright Kestle, the virtuous daughter of thieving parents and a sister to brothers who were always in trouble with the authorities.

 

When Jenna is only four, the thief-takers carry off her older brothers and her parents, leaving only Silas, her last brother. She lives in fear of thief-takers ever after.

 

As the story begins, Silas is in debtor’s prison and asks for Jenna’s help to pay his creditors. He lies to her about his wife and children being in prison with him to gain her sympathy. Silas is an altogether bad actor but Jenna doesn’t yet realize it so she decides to get a job to pay her brother’s debts.

 

Jack Penhale, a thief-taker, hunts down the smuggling gangs thriving on Cornwall’s coast. The author vividly portrays the mood of the time as to the smugglers and men in prison for debt. Jack is particularly interested in the smuggling gang led by Ames and Job Blake because they took his father’s life.

 

When Jenna comes to the job market, he hires her for his housekeeper to tend the Captain’s Cabin he’s rented for its proximity to the coast. Jack is a noble character who only means good to Jenna. She is a bit clueless when it comes to her brother, allowing Silas to lure her into a smuggling scheme.

 

The author developed the characters and their conflicting emotions well. Though life for them was hard and bad things happened, the ending is sweetly romantic.

 

Penelope Williamson’s HEARTS BEGUILED – Superb Pre French Revolution Romance!

 

September is Georgian and Regency month so that’s late 18^th century and early 19^th century. This story takes place in the 1780s so it’s a Georgian but the setting is Paris, France and its environs, at the dawn of the French Revolution. It’s the story of Gabrielle, who is poor, but endowed with noble blood and beauty all men admire. At the tender age of 16, she loses her young husband and her mother on the same day.

 

Pregnant and alone, she runs from her husband's father the duc de Nevers who would take her child and banish her to a cloister—or should she refuse, he will send her to prison. She escapes from him and his lackey, a creepy lawyer named Louvois, and manages to barely scrape out a living until she is rescued from life in the slums of Paris by a kind pawnshop owner who becomes a father of sorts to her.

 

Through her work for the pawnbroker, she meets the dashing and mysterious Maximilian de Saint-Just, a brilliant scientist and bastard son of the comte de Saint-Just. Max has turned his apartment into a science lab and is blowing things up as he seeks to discover a fuel for his hot air balloon. In addition to all that, Max has devoted his life to casting dirt on his father's name and is involved in spying for the cabal, an underground network of smugglers out for their own profit.

 

Max’s growing love for Gabrielle makes him want to be a different man.

 

They will face many challenges and both hide secrets that will tear at their love—all the while the country is plunging into revolution and Max is uncovering new scientific discoveries.

 

It's a compelling story, and an early Steampunk if you will, that will sweep you away to 18^th century France—an important time in history. Oh, yeah…it’s also a classic keeper!

Susanna Kearsley’s THE WINTER SEA – A Brilliant Story of Scotland’s Past Affecting its Future & Two Intertwined Love Stories. A Keeper!

This was an unusual story for me. With a few notable exceptions, I don’t generally read time travel historical novels. And it’s difficult to characterize this one. It’s not straight historical romance, nor is it historical fiction, nor is it paranormal/fantasy or even time travel as such, yet it has elements of all these.

 

Part of the story is set in modern Scotland and part in early 18^th century Scotland where, in the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. The story is also told in two voices, one in the first person (Carrie, the writer in modern times) and the other in the 3^rd person, the voice of the heroine from Carrie’s family’s past and Scotland’s, Sophia Paterson.

 

Key in the telling of both stories is Slains Castle, a ruined castle in Aberdeenshire, overlooking the North Sea from its cliff-top site east of Cruden Bay (pictured below as it was).

 

As her writing proceeds, Carrie begins to realize she is not just inventing a story set in history but experiencing the memories of her long ago relative. Sophia meets and falls in love with Mr. Moray, the Jacobite who works to bring the king back to Scotland. And Carrie develops a tendre for Graham Keith, the oldest son of her landlord. The parallels of the two stories and the two romances are uncanny and add to the intrigue. Both are well told and had me turning pages. Even though the ending dawned on me early on, the author kept me in suspense, wondering if it would be.

 

The characters are richly drawn, Graham (Carrie’s love interest) and Sophia being my favorites. I relished the thought that those who loved both Sophia and Moray were pulling strings for them. The language is beautiful, the descriptions vivid and all are woven together in marvelous fashion.

 

This is one for the keeper shelf.

 

Georgette Heyer’s THESE OLD SHADES – Wonderful Story of a Jaded Duke and a Feisty Urchin he “Buys” for His Page

 

This has to be one of my favorites by Heyer. Set in the 18^th century in the time of Louis XV, this is the story of Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon, who, because of this reputation as a debauched rake, is dubbed “Satanas”.

Late one evening, the Duke stumbles across Leon, a red headed urchin fleeing a certain beating from his brother who is a tavern owner in a bad part of town. Finding the urchin of keen interest, Avon buys the boy and makes him his page. But it soon becomes clear to Avon that Leon is not what he seems. For one thing, 19-year-old “Leon” can read and write and he speaks very well. His features are refined, too.

The duke has a score to settle with an enemy and knows this redheaded page is somehow tied into that family. Avon must unravel the mystery. But the jaded duke doesn’t count on falling in love with the waif who turns out to be a beautiful young woman named Leonie.

 

A well-told, clever and, at times, funny story I really enjoyed. Witty dialog, intrigue and treachery abound. Great characters populate the pages. The only thing I kept asking myself is how everyone missed that Leonie had to be menstruating by this time in her life. (And what the title had to do with the story.) But, oh well, those are minor points. Highly recommended.

Christopher Nicole’s OLD GLORY - Irish Hero and the Forming of the Young American Navy and Love Amidst War

This is the first book in The McGann saga. The story begins in 1769 when young Harry McGann, an excellent seaman engaging in smuggling along with his village, gets into a fight with the squire’s son (a very arrogant young man) while trying to save the man’s daughter from a fall. Harry is told to get out of town for a while and he goes to sea, bound for New York. That was a terrible experience but just before he left, he met Elizabeth Bartlett, the daughter of a wealthy New York merchant. He vows to return, well dressed and with coin in his pocket.

 

No matter his good intentions, Harry is forever involved in fights with despicable men. He even experiences treachery from his fellow sailors whose allegiances change quickly. But in all he encounters, he comes to love America. And, once Harry he hooks up with John Paul Jones, he becomes involved in the formation of the American Navy. But he never forgets Elizabeth.

 

It’s an engaging tale well told (though the wealth of typos need to be corrected) with some exciting battles at sea. Harry is a flawed but loveable hero and Elizabeth, though constant in her affection for him, also makes some bad decisions. Still, all comes right in the end and we are given a glimpse of America’s early naval ventures.

 

This is historical romance at its roughest.

 

Victoria Cornwall’s THE THIEF’S DAUGHTER – Smuggling on the Cornwall Coast in the Georgian Era

Set in Cornwall in Georgian England, beginning in 1779 (with a prologue set in 1765),  this is the story of Jenna Cartwright Kestle, the virtuous daughter of thieving parents and a sister to brothers who were always in trouble with the authorities.

When Jenna is only four, the thief-takers carry off her older brothers and her parents, leaving only Silas, her last brother. She lives in fear of thief-takers ever after.

As the story begins, Silas is in debtor’s prison and asks for Jenna’s help to pay his creditors. He lies to her about his wife and children being in prison with him to gain her sympathy. Silas is an altogether bad actor but Jenna doesn’t yet realize it so she decides to get a job to pay her brother’s debts.

Jack Penhale, a thief-taker, hunts down the smuggling gangs thriving on Cornwall’s coast. The author vividly portrays the mood of the time as to the smugglers and men in prison for debt. Jack is particularly interested in the smuggling gang led by Ames and Job Blake because they took his father’s life.

When Jenna comes to the job market, he hires her for his housekeeper to tend the Captain’s Cabin he’s rented for its proximity to the coast. Jack is a noble character who only means good to Jenna. She is a bit clueless when it comes to her brother, allowing Silas to lure her into a smuggling scheme.

The author developed well the characters and their conflicting emotions. Though life for them was hard and bad things happened, the ending is sweetly romantic.

Laura Kinsale’s UNCERTAIN MAGIC – A Dark Irish Lord with a Jaded Past and a Brave Young Woman who Reads Minds…a Keeper!

Set in the last 18^th century, this is the story of Roderica (“Roddy”) Delamore, an English heiress from a family that raises and races horses. At one such race, she meets Faelan Savigar, the impoverished Earl of Iveragh, who thinks to earn the money to take care of his estate in Ireland through prize money. Roddy interferes with that plan to save the horse’s life and a partnership is formed when she presents herself as a candidate for marriage to him. For his is the only mind she cannot read and he needs her money.

Brilliantly written with mystery and intrigue, it kept me turning pages. I love Faelan who, despite his ugly reputation, does the right thing for Roddy and his tenants in Ireland. He has a dream to rebuild his estate and his life and Roddy is key in that. And she is a wonderful heroine, full of spunk and courage. But the fairies want Roddy. After all, she is one of them with her gift. And Faelan knows it, too.

Images of war in Ireland are brilliantly told as rebels rise against the oppressive English rule. And Faelan and Roddy get caught up in it as their passion for each other grows and each harbors deep love for the other. The only negative in the telling is a rushed ending. Other than that, it’s a keeper that lover of Irish romances will not want to miss!!

Kathleen Woodiwiss’ A ROSE IN WINTER – A Choice Between Love and Honor in a Great Georgian Romance!

Kathleen Woodiwiss has written some truly great romances. She was a great storyteller. This one at well over 500 pages is no exception. A rose in winter...a flower blooming out of time...a sign of true love to come. Ah yes...how we love it.

Set in late 18th century England, this is the story of the Sexton noble family, whose lord and his eldest son were killed for their wealth and lands. Now the young lord, who succeeded his father, has supposedly died in a fire purposely set to end his life, the same fire that burned a wing of their mansion.

Years later, a wealthy Yankee merchant seaman, Christopher Seton, has come to the village of Mawbry seeking a place to live while he settles a debt owed him. He makes inquiries about the old Saxton Hall, still vacant after the death of the young lord.

Living in the same village is Erienne, a beauty whose only value to her father (the Mayor) is to be sold to the highest bidder among her many suitors. Her father needs the money to pay his debts, including the one he owes to Seton, who has taken a fancy to Erienne.

At the sale, the highest bidder is an agent for a mysterious "Lord Saxton," supposedly the very same lord who was thought burned in the fire. He wears a mask to hide his deformed face and walks with a deep limp. Now wed to the man, Erienne initially fears him, but he is kind and generous to her. She holds him at bay as to their physical relationship. Slowly, she comes to respect and care for him, but alongside this growing feeling for her husband is a growing attraction to the Yankee Seton.

Woodiwiss deals us a fast moving hand as the players hide their true motives and their true characters from each other. As we follow along, we are not disappointed. Like her other romances, she weaves a complex tale and provides a rich tapestry of characters. Her descriptions will put you in the scene and leave you wanting more.

If you're a Woodiwiss fan, you'll love this one.

Georgette Heyer’s DEVIL’S CUB – A Very Bad Boy Meets His Match!

This might be a Georgian set romance (late 18^th century) as there is much talk of wigs and powdered hair. It’s the story of Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal, the “Devil’s Cub” and a rake and seducer, good with sword and pistols and happy to duel. As the handsome and wealthy heir to a dukedom, he is still a coveted prospect on the marriage market. Vidal currently has his eye on the lovely and vacuous Sophia Challoner, thinking to sweep her away to France and make her his mistress.

When Sophia’s sister, the straight-laced, brown-haired Mary Challoner, discovers his intent and her sister’s willing participation, Mary intervenes to deceive them both and take her sister’s place. When Dominic discovers the ruse, he is very angry and decides to take Mary to France instead, instantly ruining her. Soon, he discovers this sister is not like the other and her intelligence, calm demeanor and courage win his admiration and, eventually, his heart. He insists on marrying her but Mary will have none of it.

Like many of Heyer’s romances, it is rich in characters who love to talk. The descriptions might be few and the dialog sometimes overwhelming with many Regency-era words that you’ll not recognize. But the tale will draw you in and you’ll want to see how a man like Dominic can win the heart of Mary who is determined to avoid him. But Dominic has his charm and his rough ways are winning.

Note: Dominic is the son of the Duke of Avon from Heyer’s earlier novel, These Old Shades, and the Duke and Duchess of Avon are characters in this book.

The Alastair Trilogy:

These Old Shades

Devil’s Cub

Regency Buck

Victoria Cornwall’s THE THIEF’S DAUGHTER – Smuggling on the Cornwall Coast

Set in Cornwall in Georgian England, beginning in 1779 (with a prologue set in 1765),  this is the story of Jenna Cartwright Kestle, the virtuous daughter of thieving parents and a sister to brothers who were always in trouble with the authorities.

When Jenna is only four, the thief-takers carry off her older brothers and her parents, leaving only Silas, her last brother. She lives in fear of thief-takers ever after.

As the story begins, Silas is in debtor’s prison and asks for Jenna’s help to pay his creditors. He lies to her about his wife and children being in prison with him to gain her sympathy. Silas is an altogether bad actor but Jenna doesn’t yet realize it so she decides to get a job to pay her brother’s debts.

Jack Penhale, a thief-taker, hunts down the smuggling gangs thriving on Cornwall’s coast. The author vividly portrays the mood of the time as to the smugglers and men in prison for debt. Jack is particularly interested in the smuggling gang led by Ames and Job Blake because they took his father’s life.

When Jenna comes to the job market, he hires her for his housekeeper to tend the Captain’s Cabin he’s rented for its proximity to the coast. Jack is a noble character who only means good to Jenna. She is a bit clueless when it comes to her brother, allowing Silas to lure her into a smuggling scheme.

The author developed well the characters and their conflicting emotions. Though life for them was hard and bad things happened, the ending is sweetly romantic.

Regan's new release!

                              

I'm so excited to announce the release of my newest book... A Fierce Wind, book 3 in the award-winning Donett Trilogy. This one is set in the French Revolution on the Isle of Guernsey and in France and England. It's an exciting story of love in time of war when loyalties are torn and love is tested and when the boy Zoé Donet knew as a child turns out to be the man of her dreams. 

In celebration of the new release, To Tame the Wind, book 1 in the series, will be ON SALE in the US and UK August 22-24 for 99¢... grab it! (To Tame the Wind on Amazon US & UK)  

A Fierce Wind:                           

France 1794

Zoé Ariane Donet was in love with love until she met the commander of the royalist army fighting the revolutionaries tearing apart France. When the dashing young general is killed, she joins the royalist cause, rescuing émigrés fleeing France.

One man watches over her: Frederick West, the brother of an English earl, who has known Zoé since she was a precocious ten-year-old child. At sixteen, she promised great beauty, the flower of French womanhood about to bloom. Now, four years later, as Robespierre’s Terror seizes France by the throat, Zoé has become a beautiful temptress Freddie vows to protect with his life.

But English spies don’t live long in revolutionary France.

Read a short excerpt:

     Freddie paced the deck, glancing toward shore, wishing the fog would miraculously part to reveal the skiff he awaited. He had tried to convince Zoé of the foolhardy nature of her excursions into the ports to gather the refugees like a mother hen gathers her chicks. Stubborn as always and determined to save as many as she could, she would hear none of it. While he could admire her courage, he feared for her safety.
     Standing amidships,Bequel nervously chewed on a bit of broom straw, bespeaking his unease at the vulnerable state of the ship idling in Granville’s harbor for so long.
     The crew, silently going about their tasks, kept glancing toward shore.
     Except for the occasional band of drunken men, loud in their goodbyes as they left the taverns, silence reigned on the quay some fifty yards away.
     Freddie’s anxiety reached a crescendo. “She should have returned by now. Something must have gone wrong.” He facedBequel. “Spare me a few of the crew. I’m going after her.”
     That the quartermaster motioned two of the crew forward and ordered them to lower the boat and take Freddie ashore betrayed his worry for thecapitaine’s niece.
     Moments later, the rowing boat moved silently through the fog-shrouded waters. Freddie’s stomach churned, his eyes fixed on the wharf emerging from the dense mist.
     What could have happened to her?

 The award-winning Donet Trilogy has its own series page on Amazon. 

See it HERE.

The Challenge of Setting a Story on a Ship by Regan Walker

I love the sea and the ships that sail upon it. I also love a romance with a sea captain hero. So, in writing my Georgian and Regency romances, it was inevitable one or more would be set on a ship. So far, I have three seafaring romances: To Tame the Wind and Echo in the Wind, books 1 & 2 in the Donet trilogy of Georgian romances, and Wind Raven, the third in my Agents of the Crown trilogy.

When I began to do the research for these stories—that is, the part set on the ship—I had no idea what was involved.

Since I’m committed to making my stories historically authentic, I dove into all the ship terminology, pouring over my new 4-inch thick Sailor’s Word Book until late at night. But I realized just having the vocabulary was not enough. I wanted to be able to describe a storm at sea as huge waves crashed onto the deck and a battle that had shot from guns bringing down the sails around the characters.

For To Tame the Wind and Echo in the Wind I had to describe battles raging in the English Channel. For Wind Raven it would be a fight with pirates in the Caribbean. And I wanted to do it all while getting the ship terminology correct. So, I did hundreds of hours of research and studied diagrams of schooners and sail configurations until I was seeing them in my dreams. But even that was not enough.

I had to get the feel of the ship. I decided it was essential to take a ride on an actual schooner and that is just what I did.

Californian Hard Driving by William Lowe, used with permission

The schooner pictured above, painted by artist William Lowe, is the Californian, a reproduction of a topsail schooner of the period that, fortunately for me, is berthed in San Diego where I live. It is the type of schooner Capt. Jean Nicholas Powell sails in Wind Raven and his father Capt. Simon Powell sails in To Tame the Wind.

This is the ship I experienced under sail. It was thrilling to hear the sails luffing, feel the wind on my face as the ship’s bow cut through the waves and the deck moving beneath my feet. (And, yes, it does move a lot.)

While on board, I soon exhausted the knowledge of the docent, at least as to the Georgian and Regency era ships. However, I found a jewel in the gunner, who became my technical consultant, and now my good friend. She led me through the things my research could not tell me. Even a simple question like whether the quarterdeck should be raised. You’d be surprised at how complicated the answer is. Some schooners were flush-decked, that is everything on the main deck is on one level, like the Wind Raven and the Fairwinds in my stories, so that you could walk from the bow to the stern without going up or down any ladders. The ship still has a “quarterdeck”; it’s just not raised.

If you compound this kind of issue many times over with everything from windows in the captain’s cabin (side windows existed in larger schooners), to what the captain might read (it’s in Wind Raven), to how a fast schooner can avoid the guns of a larger brig-sloop (it’s in To Tame the Wind) or how a brig-sloop outruns a Royal Navy frigate (it’s in Echo in the Wind), you begin to get a picture of the depth of research required to “get it right.” But the end result, I believe, is a story that puts you on the ship and gives you an exciting tale of love on the high seas.

The Donet Trilogy comprises three stories set in the Georgian era (late 18th century) with ship captain heroes and feisty heroines.

 

“A sea adventure like no other, a riveting romance!”
— Shirlee Busbee, NY Times Bestselling Author

 

In Wind Raven, a story in the Agents of the Crown Regency series, a British privateer and an American hoyden clash on the high seas as they tangle with a notorious pirate, face a terrible storm and attempt to resist the rising tide of passion between them.

“A salty, sweeping, evocative tale of romance on the high seas—and a good old-fashioned love story that will keep you up far, far past your bedtime.” 

— Danelle Harmon, New York Times Bestselling Author

                          See all my stories on my Amazon Author Page.