Guest Author: Donna MacMeans & Giveaway!

The fabulous Donna MacMeans burst onto the historical romance writing scene with her first book, The Education of Mrs. Brimley.  Her debut book received tons of accolades, including this one from Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association:

“MacMeans writes with grace and wit, and her debut is certain to dazzle readers with its irresistible combination of complex characters and very sexy romance.”

I’m thrilled to have Donna guest blogging with me today, and I’m going to turn things right over to her as she tells us about her latest book.

            “Can you do it?” he asked.

            She hesitated, considering.  “Who are the Guardians?”

            “Why do you ask?”

            She lowered her voice.  “A coded message from them brought me to your library last night.  Now we’re attempting to decipher another message.  It seems to me that the two events are related.  If I’m to assist you in this, I want to know it’s for a worthy cause, or if it’s for…something not so worthy.”  As much as she wished to embark on this adventure, she needed to know the purpose was just.

            He tapped his fingers on her copy of Treasure Island.  “You wish to know if we are the pirates or the righteous crew.”

             She nodded, pleased with his analogy.  “You’ve read it?”

            “I believe I proved last night that I’m familiar with many books and many cultures.”  His finger slowly stroked the well-worn binding of the novel.  Her imagination transformed the  simple gesture into something of a more intimate nature.  A shiver slipped down her spine. 

            “While I can’t speak for the nature of the note,” Trewelyn said, “or the recipient for that matter, I can assure you that I’m not involved in any nefarious purposes.  I would think that if anything, we may have the opportunity to stop wrongdoing, not participate in it ourselves.” 

            He pulled his hand away from the book, severing that intimate connection.  Yet he seemed impervious to her thoughts.  “For all I know,” he continued, “this note could be a listing of the week’s menu prepared by my stepmother for the cook.”

            “Menus are rarely written in code, sir,” she said.  She narrowed her eyes.  “You are avoiding my question.  Who are the Guardians?”

Secret Societies abound in the Victorian Era.  Some secret societies were formed for religious purposes; others – more fraternal – were formed so members of one gender could escape the other for brief periods of time, and still others existed as threats to the political structure.

When Ashton Trewelyn, a notorious rake once known as Casanova – now reformed (or so he says), discovers a coded message in his father’s library, he wonders what sort of secret society has snared his disapproving father.  Is it a benign sort of gathering of old men in ridiculous hats, or the more dangerous sort involved in political intrigue?  For the safety of himself and his family, he decides to investigate the mystery.  Fortunately, he has recently made the acquaintance of a spirited young woman with the unusual ability to break code.

Edwina Hargrove longs for adventure.  To date, the only taste of adventure comes in the form of letters from her mischevious brothers who write in code to keep the nature of their adventures secret from their parents.  Thus Edwina dabbles in code-breaking.  A talent she uses to translate some of the coded messages that appear in the  personal ads in the paper.  Is it the promise of adventure or the temptation afforded by a rakishly handsome man that causes her to agree to translate a coded letter? And does it matter when the enigmatic code sweeps her into a nebulous web of intrigues, secret societies and Japanese art, gambling her reputation and secure future in the process…

To read an excerpt of The Casanova Code and sign up for my newsletter and an opportunity to perhaps win a cherry blossom pendant necklace from the Smithsonian (cherry blossoms play a role in the story), visit my website at www.DonnaMacMeans.com.

Someone leaving a comment today will receive a copy.  Just tell me if you’ve ever belonged to what you thought was a secret society or have experience with a secret language.  Pig-Latin and decoder rings discovered in the bottom of a cereal box count. 🙂


Guest Author: Sally MacKenzie & Giveaway!

I’m featuring one of my favorite historical romance authors – and people! – on the blog today.  She’s Sally MacKenzie, a USA Today bestseller who writes witty and sexy Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra.  Sally blasted onto the romance novel scene with the Naked Nobility Series, which has been translated into French, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, and a bunch of other languages.  The last book in that series, The Naked King, was named as one of the top ten romances of 2011 by Booklist, the prestigious review journal of the American Library Association.

Sally has a new series called Duchess of Love, which launched in May with the digital novella prequel, The Duchess of Love.

The series has a great high concept:  a matchmaking duchess determined to find the perfect wives for her three sons.  She, of course, is the Duchess of Love, and the prequel novella tells the story of how she met her Duke.

The first full-length book in the series, Bedding Lord Ned, is now in stores.  Not surprising to anyone who’s read Sally’s books, it received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly and four stars from RT Book Reviews:

“A pair of red drawers, a thieving cat, enchanting characters and the match-making Duchess of Love set the tone for MacKenzie’s new series.  With capable hands, she blends a touch of poignancy with just the right amount of humor into this delightful love story.”–RT Book Reviews

Here’s the blurb for Bedding Lord Ned:

Pleasure is in her future…

Ellie Bowman is determined: during this year’s Valentine house party, she will choose one of the men the matchmaking Duchess of Greycliffe–aka the Duchess of Love–has invited for her.  Unfortunately, that man will not be Lord Ned, the duchess’s second son.  Ned is still mourning his wife and will never see “trusty” Ellie as anything other than a childhood friend.  Now if only she could convince her heart of what her head already knows–and persuade the duchess’s thieving cat to stop stealing her red silk drawers and depositing them in Ned’s bed.

Lord Ned arrives at Greycliffe Castle vowing to finally cooperate with his mother’s matchmaking efforts.  He’s been a widower for four years; it’s time to put his past behind him.  He wants a family; he needs an heir.  Ergo, he must get a wife–and this year’s candidate even looks like his lost love.  But his old friend Ellie is behaving strangely, and Reggie, Mama’s cat, keeps bringing him a pair of shocking red underwear.  This outrageous, alluring scrap of silk couldn’t be Ellie’s, could it?  Suddenly his respectable old friend is invading his dreams in an utterly scandalous manner. 

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?  Readers, if you haven’t read Sally’s books then you must give her new series a try.  She’s a wonderful writer and her stories are funny, sexy, and full of heart.  What romance reader could ask for more?

For my readers today, Sally is giving away a copy of the last book in her previous series, The Naked King.  Let’s talk a bit about British History and pageantry.  Did any of you watch the Queen’s Jubilee this past weekend?  If so, what was your favorite part?  If you didn’t watch it, just tell me who your favorite member of the royal family is, and why.  One reader who comments will win a copy of Sally’s book.


On The Road Again

Today I’ll be participating in Joyfully Reviewed’s Author Chat Days, which is just what it sounds like – a chance to chat with me, and ask any questions you might have about my books or my writing.  I’ll be on from 2pm to 3pm, U.S. Eastern Standard Time.  The yahoo link for the chat group is here.

But you might want to check in earlier than 2pm, because there’s a great line-up of authors all day, including New York Times bestselling author, Kat Martin.  Rumor also has it that there might be some prizes given away!  Please stop by and join in the fun.

As you might know, my next Regency-set historical romance, My Favorite Countess, is set to be released on May 3rd.

The reviews for MFC are starting to come on, and I received two fabulous ones this week.  The first was from RT Book Reviews, the premier romance and mass market review publication.  RT gave MFC 4-1/2 stars – one of their highest ratings!  The reviewer had this to say:

Kelly’s well-written and powerful love story will keep readers entertained with a captivating plot. The strong protagonists, deep emotional intensity and rising sexual tension all make the fast-paced romance memorable.

Wow!  Pretty cool, right?

The other review came from Booklist, the review journal of the prestigious American Library Association.  The reviewer gave MFC a starred review, and had this to say:

In her latest sublimely sensual Regency historical, Kelly delivers wit, a tightly knit plot, a refreshingly different hero, and a realistically complicated heroine, who could give Scarlett O’Hara a good run for her money.

Scarlett O’Hara, no less!  Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled by both reviews.

If you want to talk about My Favorite Countess, please join me today at the Author Chat – 2pm!


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