It has been said that the romance community is the most supportive and generous of all the genre communities. I believe that’s true. Last week one of our beloved authors, Jackie Barbosa, lost her seventeen-year-old son in a car accident. Although most of us will never be able to understand the depth of her and her family’s pain, Jackie’s loss is also our loss. We grieve for her and with her.
Today, in support of Jackie, the very talented author, I want to feature some of her books. She’s an accomplished writer of historical, contemporary, and erotic romance, but it’s her historical romances I particularly want to feature today–starting with Hot Under the Collar, one of her Lords of Lancashire novellas.
I love the premise of this story–a rogue of a younger son who must take up clerical orders as his new career. Here’s the blurb:
Despite the old saw about third sons being destined for the church, no one ever expected the rakish, irresponsible Walter Langston to take up the collar, least of all himself. After an accident renders him unfit for military service, however, he has few other options. When he’s given the post of vicar at a parish church in a sleepy, coastal village, he’s convinced he’ll molder in obscurity. Instead, his arrival brings a sudden resurgence in church attendance…or at least, the attendance of female parishioners. As word of the eligible young vicar spreads, every well-heeled family for miles with a marriageable daughter fills his pews, aiming to catch his eye. Unfortunately for these hopeful members of his flock, Walter’s eye has already been caught—by the one woman who doesn’t come to church on Sundays.
Artemisia Finch left a lucrative career as a celebrated member of London’s demimondaine to care for her ailing father. Returning home hasn’t been easy, though, as her past isn’t even a well-kept secret in the village. When the new vicar arrives on her doorstep, Artemisia is determined to send him on his merry, pious way. But Walter Langston is nothing like any man of the cloth she’s ever known—he’s funny, irreverent, handsome, and tempting as sin. Falling in love with a vicar would be a very bad idea for a former courtesan. Why does this one have to be so hot under the collar?
I love historical romances that take old tropes and make them new, and Jackie has a real talent for doing that. You can read up on all her books on her website. BTW, Kensington Books, one of her publishers, has put one of Jackie’s lovely anthologies on sale. You can grab a digital copy of Behind the Red Door for only $2.99 until April 1.
Jackie also has some great free reads on her website, so I urge you to check them out, too. I also want to draw your attention to a memorial fund that has been set up in her son’s name. Details to donate can be found here. Any and all donation amounts are greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
