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.