It’s that time of year when I share my favorite heroes and heroines--my Christmas gift to you! I have read and reviewed 1000 romances, most of them historicals. In those novels that I have rated 5-stars there are some wonderful heroes and heroines. Noble men who overcome tortured pasts, flaws and the odds against them to pursue love and heroines who persist against great obstacles to be with the man to whom they would give their heart—strong, intelligent women of character. Every one a worthy hero and heroine. See the list HERE.

The new list is up! It's a a fairly new list, hence it is shorter than my others. It features romances set in the Victorian era, generally from 1837 (the year Victoria became Queen) to 1901 (the year of her death). The common perception of the period is that the Victorians were “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy and narrow-minded”.  But these perceptions are not always accurate, particularly when the British characters were traveling and learning much about other cultures. See the list!

One of my readers asked me about the colors of the medieval era (from the 5th through 15th centuries). And this got me to thinking. For my own medieval stories, my research told me the people preferred bright colors and scarlet was often the color of nobility, including the English, French, Scots and Danes. But now I look to the source of those colors. See more.

Ever wonder what a daunting task it would be to set a romance in the time of revolution? What was I thinking, setting a romance in the French Revolution? Egads.

That bloody episode in France’s history saw thousands of people executed, not just Marie Antoinette, King Louis XVI and Maximilien de Robespierre’s political rivals, but also nobles, clergy, bourgeoisie and peasants lost their heads to the guillotine.

Well, to begin with, I had no choice.

​See the post on USAToday's HEA HERE.

I have read many Georgian and Regency romances over the years, so it was inevitable that I should have a “best list” on my blog, Historical Romance Review, that would include those I've rated 4 and 5 stars.

The Georgian era covers the period from 1714 to 1830, with the sub-period of the Regency, 1811-1820, when George, Prince of Wales (‘the Prince Regent”) reigned during the mental illness of his father George III, so all these stories are set in that era. See the list HERE.

Empress Josephine’s Love Affair with Roses

Many of us Regency authors and readers know that Napoleon’s wife, Empress Josephine contributed to establishing the slim, high-waisted, chemise dress as the dominant fashion in Regency England, but did you know that Josephine is also known for her passionate love of roses? 

She was born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie in 1763 on the Caribbean island of Martinique where her wealthy family owned a sugar plantation. The island is a lush, tropical paradise with beautiful flowering plants. Perhaps it was there she first developed a love for beautiful, fragrant plants, for she was to introduce many to France.

After she married Napoleon and became Empress of France, Josephine spent vast sums of money collecting new varieties of plants, including roses, from all over the world for her garden at Chateau Malmaison outside of Paris. See MORE.

Frederick West, the hero in my new novel, A Fierce Wind, wasn’t the only British spy in France during the French Revolution. There were many. Paris, of course, was a central target because of the centralization by the revolutionary government. The city became the French center of politics, power, intrigue, commerce and the army. The royalists and the British both established agents there. Money opened the doors to most of the ministries and government institutions, especially if one could pay in hard currency or gold as opposed to the rapidly deflating French assignats.
 
The most influential group of the period was the Paris Agency. Known as “La Manufacture” and “Les Amis de Paris”, it was created in 1791 by the Spanish ambassador to provide intelligence for the Spanish government. In 1793, the comte d’Antraigues used the information their letters contained to produce his own reports for his master Simon de Las Casas, the Spanish ambassador to Venice, which he also sent to the comte de Provence, who eventually returned to France as Louis XVIII.
 
The Paris Agency established a direct line of communication with the British government through Jean François Dutheil, the comte d’Artois’s representative in London. See MORE.

Get the award-winning Georgian romance that is both the prequel to the Agents of the Crown Regency series and book 1 in the Donet Trilogy of Georgian romances! 
 
It’s On Sale in the US and UK today through Friday in celebration of the release of A Fierce Wind, book 3 in the Donet Trilogy.
 
Amazon US and UK

A Fierce Wind, book 3 in the Donet trilogy is set in England and France during the French Revolution. It's an exciting story of love in time of war when loyalties are torn and love is tested and when the boy Zoé Donet knew as a child turns out to be the man of her dreams.

It's available for preorder for 99¢/99p until Release Day on August 23, 2018. Grab it on Amazon!