I’m so happy to have my good friend and fellow historical romance author Mia Marlowe on the blog today. Mia writes wonderfully romantic, award-winning books full of color, wit, and emotion. She has a brand new one just out, a collaboration with the great Connie Mason called Between a Rake and a Hard Place. Great title, eh?
Here’s the blurb:
Lady Serena’s List of Forbidden Pleasures:
Attend an exclusively male club.
Smoke a cigar.
Have a fortune told by gypsies.
Dance the scandalous waltz.
Sir Jonah Sharp thinks Lady Serena Osbourne will be just like any other debutante, and seducing her will be one of the easiest services he’s ever done for the Crown. Then he catches her wearing trousers and a mustache in his gentleman’s club and she demands he teach her to smoke a cigar. But what will truly be Jonah’s undoing is finding out he’s an item on her list too, which makes him determined to bring her all the forbidden pleasures she can handle.
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Mia has provided us with an exclusive excerpt today, and she explains the set up:
Lady Serena has done it! She’s been admitted to Boodles, and exclusive male club, but her clever disguise hasn’t fooled Sir Jonah for a second!
Sir Jonah Sharp settled back into his chair and grinned at her. When she didn’t return his smile, his gaze wandered over her head toward the open door. Bracing cold rushed over them as someone entered. “I say, Osbourne, have you a brother I don’t know about?”
“No.” The Osbournes were notorious for small but hearty families. Few children were born to them, but those who were tended to live to maturity and a ripe old age. At eighty-two, Serena’s Grand-mère Osbourne could still cut a respectable reel, but even she had been an only child. “I have no brother,” Serena said.
“Then you have a doppelganger, my friend. That fellow yonder has a wispy attempt at a mustache, but otherwise, your twin just walked in the door.”
Serena twisted to peek around the tall wing of her chair. Drat! It was her cousin Rowland. He wasn’t supposed to be in Town until the Season started. She shrank back into the chair, wishing she could seep into the tufted cushions.
“Looks like the doorkeeper is reluctant about admitting him,” Sir Jonah said calmly. “As he should be. One Osbourne at a time is enough for any establishment. Well, my lady, how would you like to play this?”
“My lady? I’m not—”
“Spare me your denials. You haven’t time. If you wish to quit this place without being found out, follow me.” He rose and began walking toward the door to the kitchen where servants were coming and going, bearing trays heaped with steaming caffeinated bliss and small glass bowls of the club’s famous Orange Fool.
If she were apprehended in Boodles and exposed as herself, she could kiss any chance of a royal betrothal good-bye.
Serena scrambled to her feet and broke into a trot after Sir Jonah Sharp.
For my readers today, Mia and her publisher are graciously giving away a copy of Between a Rake and a Hard Place (US & Canada only). All you have to do to enter the drawing is answer this question: Lady Serena went to great lengths to impersonate her cousin Rowland. Have you ever worn a costume? Did it let you have an adventure you didn’t expect?
Wait, folks – there’s more! Another one of Mia’s lovely stories, Plaid to the Bone, is free right now in digital at these e-retailers:
Kindle: http://bit.ly/15sQGYS
B&N: http://bit.ly/1aZfUxx
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1aZg2Nv
To Purchase Between a Rake and a Hard Place: Amazon | Kindle |Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | Chapters/Indigo | iBookstore |IndieBound | Kobo | Discover a New Love | Sourcebooks
I had never worn a costume before. It’s really sad because not even for Halloween. I’ve always wanted to wear one but just seems to never have the chance to.
Maybe this year is your year! One of the reasons there are so many costume parties in novels is that it allows people to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t. Perhaps, they’re actually more true to their real selves when that happens. 😉
Mia’s book just sounds like so much fun. As for me, I’ve never worn a costume besides for Halloween. So I’m definitely not as adventurous as Lady Serena! Can’t wait to find out what happens in Lady Serena and Sir Jonah’s story!
It was a fun story to write, Anita.
No, can’t say I have wore a custom. But believe me I would of been just like Serena if I lived during that time. Men had all freedom and women had limited freedom.
Unfortunately, the men owned everything then too.
Yes, one time I dressed up as a Man…looking like Charlie Chaplin. It was a little freaky because I could not see me anymore. But then no one else did either 😉
I got a chance to do a “pants role” in an opera once–Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. It was great fun to strut about in knee britches and a tricorn hat!
Sad to say, I am just not that adventurous.
That’s ok. That’s why I read, Kim, so I can do things I wouldn’t normally do through the heroine!
When I was younger, i used to dressed up for Halloween. I was a witch, a Native American, Princess, and Ballerina. When I grew up all my Halloween adventures stopped unfortunately 🙁
Since I did some stagework, my costume drama days extended into adulthood. One of the things I learned is that clothing changes how we move and how we feel about ourselves.
Looking forward to reading Between A Rake And A Hard Place. Please count me in for the print copy. I have Dragon Song and loved it as well as the series. I’d probably have been just like Lady Serena since all the fum went to the men back then and women were so very restricted in just about everything. I once dressed as Charlie Chaplin and my brother’s fiance at the time dressed as an old lady. We went to my sister’s home on Halloween of course and my BIL answered. lol He was so impressed with our costumes and made a big show of it to the family members who were there, calling everyone’s attention to us. This went on for about 15 minutes until we both started laughing and they knew by our laughs it was us. But just seeing their faces and truly not having a clue was priceless to us.But the best or the worst was seeing the look on my my boyfriend and my brother’s faces staring at us as an old man and women. Very funny because they were almost frozen in shock. lol lol
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Sounds like you had fun as Charlie Chaplin. Thanks for those kinds words about Dragonsong & the whole Songs of the North series.
No, I can’t say that I’ve worn a costume. The book looks great, by the way.
Thanks, Tammy! Good luck in the drawing.
This book sounds great!
I went a couple of costume parties years ago.
Give you the opportunity to dress up and pretend you are some one else for a night.
I think that’s part of the lure of Mardi Gras and any place where you might wear a mask.
I dress up Halloween for our badminton club: French maid (always enjoyed by all), woman in the shower (with a towel over my shorts/T-shirt, a shower curtain like a cape, and a Styrofoam cup in a halo as the shower nozzle), rabbit, Christmas Tree (with ornaments taped to big green garbage bags), Santa Claus, Paper Bag Princess, etc. Alas, I’ve had the costumes but none of those adventures, LOL!
Sounds like you had some fun costumes!
hahaha… I can’t pull off a costume very well, so I don’t even try 🙂 Especially for that kind of adventure! Congrats to Mia on the newest release! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Erin!
Hi Mia and Vanessa!
Well, of course I’ve worn costumes….I am totally into get-ups of any kind. 🙂
I dress up with friends when we throw goofy get together’s. I’ve been a pirate, a can-can dancer, a princess, a bum, a witch, a cop, a nurse and a clown, that’s just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. I even went dressed as a giant Q-Tip for one Halloween party at my bosses house years ago! LOL!! Everyone there told me that it was a great costume, only problem with it was that I couldn’t sit down at all!!
I really enjoy your books Mia, they’re wonderful reads! Big congrats on your new release!
P.S. ~ please do not enter me in giveaway, already have book. 🙂
yes, not really
No… I haven’t really… Just Halloween basic face painting and that’s it.
As a child, I dressed up for Halloween every year and loved it but seldom have as an adult. However, I remember one time I took my young sons Trick or Treating and put on my husband’s plaid jacket and a hat so as not to give my boys away. It worked so well that my neighbor who knew me thought I was a trick or treater too and tried to give me candy also!!! Ha, ha, ha!
I haven’t worn a costume since Halloween as a kid, but I’ve been thinking it would be fun to get a fun costume to wear when handing out candy – so not costume wearing adventure yet!
I’ve worn the usual Halloween costumes, of course, and I’ve dressed up in my Star Trek uniform for conventions and other appropriate events. I’ve never had any adventures, but I have had some interesting interactions!
The only times I wore costumes was for Halloween or school plays. No adventures.
Only Halloween costumes, nothing exciting and filled with adventure. Thanks for asking.
Aside from Halloween, the only time I dressed up was during drama productions when I was in high school. It was fun becoming someone else but I’m not much for dressing up/disguises for any other reason.
I’ve never worn a costume as a person, except a witch and a clown. But I’ve been a duck before…does that count? LOL