Tag: romance

Dare she risk her secrets?

In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected
member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation
and sets her traitorous heart racing.

Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission – to bring evil men to justice
while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously
challenges his every order.

Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into
daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?

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Darcy McGuire is an award-winning New Zealand-born writer now living in the Pacific Northwest.
She will write a five-part Victorian romance series for Boldwood, focused on a group of ‘Deadly Damsels’.

Facebook: AuthorDarcyMcGuire
Instagram: @authordarcymcguire
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Bookbub profile: @meleemcguire

My thoughts: Queen Victoria’s Deadly Damsels are back, although Penny doesn’t start out as one. She’s genuinely a maid, from London’s tough streets, who gives as good as it gets, determined to get her mother out of debtors’ prison by exposing the Devil’s Sons, especially the Marquess of Stoneway, her current employer, and claim the reward money her police contact has promised her.

That’s before she meets the new Marquess. His father might have been rotten to the core, his brother heading the same way before his death, but Liam is not quite what Penny expected.

There’s an instant spark between them, but would it be right to take advantage of that? A lord seducing his maid would be as Penny expects, and might get her the information she needs, but what if it’s more? Can a Marquess marry a girl who grew up with nothing?

There’s lots of misunderstandings, double crossings, outright interference from familiar faces to fans of this series, a horrible butler, a secretly rather nice housekeeper, and Penny might just be my favourite.  She’s streetwise and brave, taking on potential rapists with a set of brass knuckles and her wits, thankfully Liam is pretty charming and a better man than she first believes.

And with some new friends, Penny might just be able to bring the Devil’s Sons and their kidnapping ways to an end.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

‘The Brandon blood is dark with lies and treachery and as it flows through my heart, my vow is this: they will all pay.’

Hampton Court Palace 1530s

Anne Brandon has always understood the power of a king’s patronage and, though the court of Henry VIII is a dangerous place for women, as the daughter of the king’s best friend, Anne feels safer than most. But Anne’s husband Lord Powis is tiring of her childlessness and when Henry VIII begins plotting to rid himself of a queen in his quest for an heir, suddenly Anne’s life is in danger. And as whispers of the name of her friend Anne Boleyn get ever louder, there is peril in every loose word, every forbidden conversation.

Pembrokshire Present Day

Caroline Harvey has spent years helping her grandfather, the reclusive bestselling novelist Dexter Blake, hide from his legions of fans in his home on the Pembrokshire coast. After his death, the
vultures begin to circle Dexter’s fortune. When Caroline’s ownership of the house she has inherited is called into question, her research into its history reveals it was once owned by Anne Brandon who had sought refuge there. Intrigued, Caroline is determined to discover why Anne fled the court of Henry VIII.

Two women divided by centuries but joined by secrets and courage. And when a twist in their histories threatens them both with the same fate – losing the man they love – their revenge will be the same too. Because there’s no one mightier than a woman underestimated or more powerful
than the need to save those they love.

Bestseller Alexandra Walsh is back with a compelling, captivating insight into the Tudor court through the eyes of a woman who had only her guile to keep her alive. Perfect for all fans of Barbara Erskine, Philippa Gregory, Anne O’Brien and Elena Collins.

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Alexandra Walsh is the bestselling author of dual timeline historical mysteries, previously published by Sapere. Her books range from the fifteenth century to the Victorian era and are inspired by the hidden voices of women that have been lost over the centuries. Formerly a journalist, writing for national newspapers, magazines and TV, her first book for Boldwood will be published in Spring 2023.

Facebook: @themarquesshousetrilogy
Twitter: @purplemermaid25
Instagram: @purplemermaid25

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Bookbub profile: @acwalsh69

My thoughts: I really like these dual narrative stories, especially when they bring a forgotten woman in history back to life. Anne Brandon was the daughter of Henry VIII’s best friend and stepdaughter to his sister, the Dowager Queen of France, she lived a life of privilege but in a time where daughters were traded in marriage to ensure fortunes and land, favours and heirs.

Married to a cold hearted man, who cares only about his legacy, unable to give him children, she is in love with another, and considering the emphasis placed on marriage, is somehow able to live with her lover, far from court, while her estranged husband openly takes his mistress with him.

She was also a contemporary and possibly a friend of Anne Boleyn – Henry’s ill-fated second wife, so would have seen the huge upheaval and turmoil during her life.

What links her story to our modern day heroine is a plot of woodland on the Pembrokshire coast. Here reclusive writer Dexter Blake created his incredible sci-fi series that became a worldwide sensation, and here his granddaughter Caroline has made her home. She has a lot of secrets, and with Blake’s death, she’s finally coming clean, at least to her oldest friends, Ben and Gideon.

As she researches the land her home stands on, she learns about Anne Brandon and her bravery in defying the norm and living with the man she loved, rather than the husband she had been made to marry. In finding her own safe and beloved home, she lived a quiet but safe life. Aunt to the tragic Lady Jane Grey, she could have been right at the heart of Tudor court life, and had been as a younger woman, but in choosing her own path, she is instead an inspiration and one who should not have been forgotten.

Caroline’s story weaves around Anne’s and as her secrets come to light, can she find a way back to her true love, just as Anne did?

Clever, enjoyable, moving and enthralling.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

Escape to a beautiful Italian island with this wonderfully romantic story, threaded with secrets and intrigue.

It’s time to return to Ischia…

Alessia knows her grandmother grew up on the beautiful Italian island off the coast from Naples. But Ornella seldom talks about her life there – or why she never went back.

So Alessia is amazed when Ornella reveals that, in the months before she left Ischia, she had worked on the set of a famous 1950s movie filmed on the island. Is there a link between the film set and the tragic death of Ornella’s teenage sister?
Ornella has kept her past – and the heart-wrenching promise she made – a secret for over sixty years. She has tried not to think about the love she gave up. But now, perhaps the truth should
finally be revealed…

Travelling to Ischia together, Alessia falls in love with the utterly captivating island. Meeting handsome journalist Roberto helps her dig deeper into her family’s past, too. Just what happened to Ornella’s sister? What heart-wrenching secret is her grandmother hiding?

This summer, can Alessia and Ornella put the past to rest and find the happy ending they both deserve?

A wonderfully escapist, romantic and compelling story of secrets and sacrifice, love and loyalty, that is perfect for fans of Karen Swan, Louise Douglas and Rosanna Ley.

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Victoria Springfield writes contemporary ‘wish you were here’ evocative women’s fiction set in Italy.
Her feel-good books follow unforgettable characters of all ages as they deal with love, loss, friendship and family secrets. Readers can feel the sunshine!

Facebook: VictoriaSpringfieldAuthor

Twitter: @VictoriaSwrites

Instagram: @victoriaswrites

My thoughts: This was a lovely, sun drenched read, perfect for chilly January, although it would work pretty much any time!

Ornella never talks about her past, or why she and her husband left Ischia to move to the UK when they did, so her apparently sudden decision to open up and then to return takes granddaughter Alessia by surprise. Triggered by the death of an Italian film star, Ornella’s story takes us back to the 1950s full of glamour and tragedy.

In the present day Alessia and journalist Roberto delve into the events of that past, searching for answers, the stories don’t add up and there has to be more to it. A tragic event throws their investigation into  relief as history seems to be repeating itself, but can something good come from so much sadness?

Romantic and sweeping, with the Mediterranean glistening in the background, this little island has a story to tell. Inspired by the truly glamorous film stars who once graced Italy’s southern coast and its unique history, this transported me to the warm glow of an Italian summer. Marvellous.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.