Book Covers Matter - or do they?

“Book Covers Matter - Book Covers Matter”

The above is the age-old Mantra of publishers, book designers, and authors alike.

Then there’s the Secondary Mantra for Historical Novels!

“Historical Accuracy is a Must- Historical Accuracy is a Must”

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And one would suppose that in the sphere of Historical Romance the Accuracy Mantra would be essential to depict accurately a Genre, Period in History, and Theme.

Not so, Not so... Anything goes!

Sadly, Historical Romance novels have transitioned across the years from the early days of elegant covers with inanimate objects or sensual painted pose.

 

to the Bodice-Ripper era

to the Headless or semi-headless Heroine era

to the now Fantasy era of women bare-backed/half stripped, and those models in modern shirts. 

Ahhhhhhhhh The shirt is all Wrong!

Effectively covers have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous with supposed Historical Heroines depicted wearing modern Prom dresses or Fancy Dress Disneyesque frocks instead of Period Perfect Gowns. If that wasn’t enough to have officiandos of Historical accuracy cringing as they peruse book lists at Amazon, the mens' shirts can cause outrage amidst re-enactor communities and the Period Specific nerds, the latter of which I am one of many!

A shirtless hero is by far preferable to one wearing incorrect attire for the period depicted within the pages of the novel.

  Nap-Shirt 

Lace Jabot

 And it should be remembered button-through shirts didn’t exist prior to the 18^th and throughout the Georgian period as a whole - inclusive the Regency period. But true enough, during the late Victorian era button-through shirts gradually came to fruition. So do not have your hero or heroine unbuttoning his shirt, unless you are writing a late-Victorian/Edwardian era novel. And remember smock shirts were still customary wear for the average Joe, as were nightshirts. It may also surprise readers and authors to learn ready-made attachments, such as frilled cuffs and a jabot - the former affixed with looped-through ties and the latter with back-buttons.

Button-Through Victorian Dress shirt!

Don't you just love that moustache... Tickle me, do...

True life Vs Romantic Fiction

What fan of the Georgian era fails to recognise this portrait of Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire?

And almost all fans of the Georgian period and relatively short era of the Regency (1811-1820)  recognise Chatsworth House depicted as Mr. Darcy's rural estate in Derbyshire, the house the turning point in Elizabeth Bennet's estimation of Darcy as a man of landed substance, and eminently worthwhile catch for any woman. After all, what was a little brusque (rudeness) if but a standard of his financial flag and sense of superiority over such as she? But a lady with wile could turn, could she not, and embrace a man of substance and forgive him his former sins!  

Life for Georgiana was far from the romantic tale in which Darcy and Elizabeth resolved their differences and presumably lived a relatively happy existence at Pemberley. Whereas, Georgiana's story is extremely sad, and a secondary lesser known portrait inspired the writing of The Reluctant Duchess. 

There is sense of inner sadness to this portrait of Georgiana, and that sadness was revealed within her letters, which differing biographers have interpreted in differing ways. Some paint Georgiana as the victim of an arranged marriage, an unhappy marriage, in which her husband's mistress reigned alongside the duke at Georgiana's expense (akin to Diana, Princess of Wales). Whilst other biographers view her as a manipulative socialite who lived within a harmonious menage et trois, her friend Elizabeth (Bess) far from a backstabbing mistress to the husband (Duke) and indeed her best friend. As a writer one can read others assumptions, opinions, and then look to the eyes of the person in question, and portraits are a great medium to the person behind a smile, whether that be a faint smile or mere quirk of the lip, for the eyes most definitely reveal much about the inner person. I am not attempting to imply Georgiana was either of the above, but will add that her life involved humiliation of a loveless marriage that was anything but heaven, she nonetheless experienced joy (birth of children), she experienced love with another man, suffered tremendous heartache in having to give away a child, she became a fashion icon, and politically minded socialite. In effect she sought escape from tragedy and deep heartache and put her all in to becoming Georgiana, fiercely independent in spirit albeit tied to a marriage she was as good as forced into.  Her mother was overbearing, manipulative, and seeking to better her daughter's and her family standing within the upper echelons of the aristocracy, and she achieved her aim!          

Unfortunately young women in the past were subject to parental whim, many self-seeking parents with no desire but to better their fortunes with family alliances by way of marriage. Often substantial dowries purchased titles for daughters, or daughters were as good as sold to satisfy the whim of a suitor who required little more than a virgin bride to provide the heir and a spare to a vast fortune and landed estate. I shall leave you the reader to make of latter as you will, and I shall move on to The Reluctant Duchess. 

Indeed The Reluctant Duchess mirrors a little of the humiliation Georgiana was subjected to, but Liliana has a happier outcome from her experience of a duke and mistress cavorting and holding court at Summer and Winter balls. I set TRD within the Regency era, the setting is the West Country, Devon to be precise. It therefore has a dark Gothic edge to it, with added adventure and murder and mystery as described below in the premise.

The Reluctant Duchess (Steamy Content) - a Regency Gothic tale of romance, abduction, mystery and murder.

Devon Howard, the Duke of Malchester, acquires a bride by dubious means. Well aware Liliana is a reluctant duchess, and although his new wife submits to his ardent advances on the wedding night, he cannot be sure, that even if given time, she will ever surrender her heart to him. While his past continues to damn him, he sets out to win Liliana by inciting jealousy and rivalry ‘twixt her and Serenity: a would-be mistress?

Amazon UK   Amazon US

A Prequel to my English Civil War Series.

Prequel to The Royal Series



Debt of Honour

Book Blurb:



A 17^th century prequel (novella) set in the year 1642 when Civil War in England is no longer mere rumour, it has become reality with muskets primed and swords drawn. Death or Glory is the motto of the Earl of Axbridge, his men at arms likewise and all in the name of King Charles I.

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The earl – handsome, virile, a courtier and the King’s Emissary to the Low Countries has long since harnessed and hidden his passionate nature from his wife. Sadly upon his return to Axebury Hall with an orphaned child at his side, hell rains as he never thought to encounter. Nonetheless, betrayal comes in many guises. Who then has betrayed his King and, the master of Axebury Hall? There is only one way the earl will defeat the enemy from within the family fold and that is by the sword. Unfortunately he cannot avoid hurting a woman who is as close to his heart as his son and that of the girl who has lately become his ward. Thus, I give you the earl, his son and a young lady who will bind them in ways that will one day present the greatest challenge to the earl’s credibility as a man of honour.

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