I have a very talented historical romance author featured on the blog today. She’s Margo Maguire, and she’s got seventeen novels published in twelve different languages, including manga-animated books in Japan. How cool is that?
After several years as a nurse—during which she says she drew enough blood to keep the hungriest vampire satisfied—Margo decided to go back to college to study history. She fell in love with her studies, which eventually led to the creation of her own fictional characters placed in historical settings. Her first books were Medieval romances, released by Harlequin Publishing. Margo even has some cool paranormal books, featuring sorcerer-warriors who must time-travel to England to save their race. Fun!
You can check out all the details on Margo’s Book Page.
Margo’s more recent books are published by Avon, and with those she’s moved into the Regency era. Her Regencies have gotten lots of acclaim and one of those, Seducing The Governess, was recently nominated for Best Regency-Era Romance of 2011 by RT Book Reviews.
Seducing The Governess was the first of Margo’s two releases in 2011. The heroines of these books are the granddaughters of the Duke of Windermere. Their mother was disowned by the hard-hearted old duke years before, so they’ve never met him. Now that the duke is on his deathbed he wants to make amends, and sends out Captain Gavin Briggs, a trusted former army officer, to find them.
Margo’s second book in this series, Brazen, has just come out, and it’s already getting great reviews. Publisher’s Weekly had this to say about it:
“With affable characters and plenty of emotional tension, this sizzling, suspenseful Regency will hold great appeal for fans of the genre.”
RT Book Reviews called it “an exhilarating tale,” and gave it a K.I.S.S. designation (Knight In Shining Armor). Here’s the blurb for Brazen:
Lady Christina Fairhaven is devoted to her adoptive family – and most protective of her wayward brother. So when a battle-scarred and world-weary Captain Gavin Briggs arrives at her cottage bearing shocking news – that she is the granddaughter of an aged, bad-tempered duke, Christina is stunned… temporarily.
She will not meet the duke who abandoned her when she was a child; Gavin will not receive his significant – and much needed – reward. However, should the good Captain agree to help her locate and rescue her endangered sibling, then perhaps…
But with a fortune at stake, the road to London is paved with peril. Treachery awaits them… not to mention attraction, temptation, and a most unanticipated passion.
To regain his soul, to protect his lady, Gavin must be more than brave.
To win his love, Chrtistina must be positively… Brazen.
Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? You can find all the details on Margo’s website, including an excerpt.While you’re visiting Margo’s website, make sure to stop by her media link to watch her video, which features her beautiful covers and the stirring music from that uber-romantic move, Last of the Mohicans.
For my readers today, Margo will donate a copy of one of her wonderful books. Since Margo has such great, sexy covers, let’s talk about that. What’s your favorite kind of book cover—clinch, manly chest, or something a little more discrete? One person who comments will win a copy of one of Margo’s books.
A couple’s embrace.. Really LOVE those covers!:) Margo’s are just beautiful & sexy at the same time!
They are beautiful and sexy, aren’t they? I love Margo’s video showing her cover.
Thanks for this post! I really enjoyed Seducing the governess can’t wait to read Brazen.. 🙂
Have a nice week & Happy Holidays, Vanessa & Margo!:*
Thanks! Have a great holiday!
It’s the same guy on both covers! Do you know his name (because I’ve been calling him “Eyebrow Guy”)?
I prefer a manly chest, preferably that of one of my favorite male models (Paul Marron, Steve Kuchinsky, Jed Hill). However, if there must be a woman on the cover with the guy, you can’t go wrong with Ewa da Cruz (on SEDUCING THE GOVERNESS).
We love Paul Marron, don’t we?!
Sexy sculpted chests… and arms… and abs… and waist! Showing just enough to bug your eyes but not enough to make you drool!lol Okay don’t let my Hubby now I check out book cover men! =D
My lips are sealed!
Love couples, with the lady a little bit more dishabelled and the man mostly dressed. Yours are great. But also like ones with an air of mystery to them, for example “Just Like Heaven’ by Julia Quinn.
Thanks, Sue. I have great covers!
For me, definitely I prefer a little more discretion. Not because I’m anti-manly chest and hot clinch, but because they’re sooooo overdone these days. It’s much more of a tease if there’s more discretion. Does that make sense?
Absolutely, Tory. Some of the covers are very explicit today.
Quite fond of a manly chest. Alternatively, a picture relevant to the story on the cover with the couple embracing on the stepback.I really don’t mind, it’s all about the story for me. Although a cover might lure me to read the blurb, I wouldn’t buy/not buy a book based on the cover.
Beebs, I’m glad to hear you say that. Authors usually have no control over their covers, and if they get a bad one it can hurt sales.
I’ve always stuck to the old maxim. “Can’t judge a book by it’s cover’ *g*
Happy holidays!
I like to see the man and woman on the cover. That includes their faces. I can’t understand all these covers now with no faces. I don’t care about the pose. I do like a step back pose with the cover too.
Shelley, I think the philosophy about only showing part of the face is to let the reader’s imagination do the work of visualizing the characters. Some readers feel very strongly about how a certain character looks, and that technique allows them to visualize however they want. I’m not a huge fan of it either, frankly.
I am always drawn to covers with the man on front but where you cant see his face. I like wondering what his features look like exactly, leave a little extra allure that way.
The cover for Brazen is pretty hot!
Lexi, you just proved my point in the previous post – thank you!
Discreet designs are my favorite. I don’t want a mostly naked body sitting on the coffee table with my kids and hubby looking at it and rolling there eyes. I like how some of the authors have a picturesque scene on the front & for those who want naked pics have it on the inside front flap. One thing about ebooks is I don’t have to worry about it. 🙂
Very true about e-books, Tammy!
There’s something to be said for a hot cover, right? But I remember the days when my kids were small and I preferred something more discreet. That’s when book covers were handy!
I like the cover of Seducing the Governess. The manly chest covers are always nice. I don’t know how realistic it is, though; did they wax chests during the Regency? 😉
LOL, Molly. good point! But I think what the art dept is going for is the fantasy. 🙂
The covers that draw me in most are those with a bit a nice landscape and a couple in the background. They’re very common in romantic suspense books. It’s the detail that drawn me in. I also like covers of the woman in a beautiful dress especially in historical romances because the time period made for such beautiful fashions.
Na, I love the beautiful dresses, too.
Oh my favorite covers are just like the two of yours shown above. My next choice is when faces are partially shown (just because sometime the covers don’t match how I would imagine them but when they’re right on, they’re wonderful).
catslady, Margo’s covers are gorgeous!
I prefer a little less showing.. just so I don’t get the ‘rolling eye’ from the family…
I hear you, Cate!
What it bothers me sometimes is when the cover model doesn’t match the character.. Like when the book says the hero has black hair and blue eyes and the model in the cover’s blonde, u know? Or the heroine’s a red-hair and the cover has a blonde girl! I don’t really like that but I do rather have the couple at the cover!:)
Monika, it’s another example of the author not having any control over the cover!
Who doesn’t like a bit of eye candy 😛
but i admit i quite like covers showing the couple embracing or looking into each other’s eyes.
Me too, Linda!
You know, I never thought about what covers I like. Ones that leave a little something to the imagination, really.
A little mystery, perhaps?
I like all kinds of covers – I just want them to reflect the style of the book, and if they show the characters have them match the descriptions in the book.
Totally agree, Diane.
I’m a big fan of The Clinch. She swoons, he swoops. It’s all good. Of course, the heroine is wearing a ‘to die for’ gown & the hero is bare chested.
My EXACT kind of cover!
I’m one of those who “judges a book by it’s cover” so book covers that grab my attention are those of the H&H in some kind of embrace and in the early stages of “undress”!
LOL! I like the way you put it, Laura.
I like something a little more discreet, so I can read them in public!
i love all cover : clinch, manly chest, or something a little more discrete but the most is clinch 😉
I really like the old fashioned clinch covers the best. It says ROMANCE to me in a big way!
My favorite kind of cover is the clinch. I love seeing the hero and heroine together, especially if she’s wearing a gorgeous gown and he has some manly chest showing.