Skip to main content

GUEST LAUNCH PARTY and GIVEAWAY: Just One Season in London by Leigh Michaels


Please give a warm welcome to Leigh Michaels, who is back to party with the Casababes to celebrate the release of her second book with Sourcebooks, Just One Season in London!

Thank you to the fantastic company here at the Casablanca Authors blog, for inviting me back to celebrate the launch this month of Just One Season in London, my second historical novel.

After writing 80 sweet traditional contemporary novels, I was ready for a change – that’s why my most recent books are historical romances instead. But with every book I write, I try to do something different – to push just a little harder, to see if there’s something extra I can do to make the story spectacular for readers. So though Just One Season (like my first historical, The Mistress’ House) is a triple story, it’s a tale with a difference.

This time the three stories are woven together. The three romances of the Ryecroft family – young Viscount Ryecroft, his sister Sophie, and their mother Miranda – are going on at the same time, with the characters falling in love in front of, because of, and sometimes despite the other members of the family.

Of course, Rye, Sophie and Miranda don’t exactly set out to fall in love – their motivation for going to London is much more mundane and practical. If Rye can find an heiress to wed, then he can save the family estate, assure his mother’s comfort, and afford to give his beautiful sister the London Season she deserves. If Sophie can use her beauty to land a wealthy man, she can help her brother fulfill his obligations. And their mother, Miranda, will do anything in her power to secure the future for her children, even if that costs her own virtue and reputation.

But Rye, Sophie, and Miranda find that marrying for money is even more difficult than they’d expected, because other entanglements (and other people) keep getting in the way…

Four Fun Facts about Just One Season in London

1. Gossipy Lady Stone, who first appeared in The Mistress’ House, is a central secondary character in Just One Season. Though the books are not part of a series, Lady Stone appears in all three of my historicals – including The Wedding Affair which will be published in September.

2. Lady Stone’s house is located on Grosvenor Square in London, just around the corner from the present location of the US Embassy (though the Embassy will be moving in 2017). When built in the 1950s, the Embassy displaced an entire row of Georgian, Regency and Victorian houses.

3. Though the city was not as densely populated as today, land was already valuable and townhouses of the Regency period tended to be tall and narrow. That’s why Lady Stone’s overworked, elderly butler has to run up and down the stairs to escort the callers who come to greet Sophie after her first appearance in Society.

4. When I first thought up the idea of Just One Season, I thought it was the story of a mother and two daughters… but it wasn’t long before Rye rose up off the page and told me that he wanted a full share in this story!

Thank you for joining me for the launch of Just One Season in London. I hope you’ll enjoy meeting Rye, Sophie, and Miranda as much as I enjoyed writing about them!

Thanks very much to Leigh for joining us today! To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment, telling us your favorite historical era to read about. US and Canada addresses only, and please leave an email address so we can contact you. Two winners will be chosen on Monday morning!

Comments

  1. Leigh--I can't wait to read this book. I'm so intrigued by the way you've woven three stories together. Congrats on your release!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it when family motivations cross, tangle, and catch our characters in trying moments. Congratulations on this release and ALL your previous ones too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations on your new release! I love stories where the characters are all tangled up together like a ball of baling twine. It's so true to real life. My very favorite historical era to read and write about is (of course)post Civil War.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Count me in Leigh. Very intriguing how the three family members are tied together like that. I'd love to read Just One Season In London. Thanks for the opportunity.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the warm welcome, ladies. I hope you'll have as much fun reading Just One Season in London as much as I had in writing it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks like a fantastic book to read. I don't have one favorite historical period but I do prefer either Regency historicals or books that take place during the Victorian era...something about the world during those two specific times really intrigues me.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Leigh,

    Thank you for such an enjoyable interview and for giving us all a chance to read a little bit about "Just One Season in London".

    I absolutely adore and love a good love story. This story appeals to me a lot as it is not just about one person but three different family members. I do enjoy a book with a different twist to it. I would dearly love to read this story as it appears to contain everything that I love, passion, intrigue and romance. I want to be carried away to another time and place where people lived, loved, and were finding their way to each other.

    I love Historical Romance books with a passion. I always get into the story and feel myself going back in time to play that part. I'm grateful for being so delightfully entertained whilst being enriched and enlightened at the same time.

    Congratulations on your new release and, for this awesome opportunity.

    dpd333 AT aol. dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for the great comments! I love a good comedy of errors, and Just One Season let me have a great deal of fun in mixing up the six main characters into all different combinations. And the Regency period is my favorite -- I like Georgian and Victorian too, and even Edwardian -- but it's Regency which really speaks to me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ohh thank you for coming on and sharing about your book. I am quite intrigued. My fav historical era would have to be the Regency Era.

    terilhack at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congrats on your new release!! I love the cover and it sounds like a fabulous read. I guess my favorite historical era would have to be during the Civil War, love books set in this time period. I read a little of everything so I enjoy about any time period.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sorry forgot to leave email.


    lead[at]hotsheet[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love those little tidbits. And I love your character names and the cover. Looking forward to this book!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey Leigh!

    So happy for you! I don't think I would have ever gotten a chance to read your work if you didn't venture into the Historical genre! I'm glad you did, and now that I've totally fallen in love with this series, I'm sure to read more of your work :)

    I read an ARC of One Season, and posted a review of it at

    http://romancereaderatheart.com/pubsandpromos/2011/jul11/JOSL_LM.html

    As to the question, my fave genre is Regency! I would have loved to have been born at that time :)

    Looking forward to your next Historical :)

    Melanie

    ReplyDelete
  14. So glad you are now writing historicals. I truly love all the eras. They all have something special and they are all so different than the world I live in now. I'm looking forward to your books and what a great cover!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations on the release. The stories sound amazing, I can't wait to dive into the book... Off to download it now!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Leigh. The story sounds great, and the cover is wonderful. Love the red. And I'm already fascinated by Lady Stone. I love those secondary characters who jump up and demand to be noticed.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I adore both Victorian and Regency :-)
    Congratulations on your new book!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats, Leigh! I've been a Regency fan from way back and never really enjoyed any other historical period anywhere near as much.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I can't really say that I have a favorite era to read about. I love all things historical romance and I'm open to trying books set in just about any time period.

    Congrats on your new release!

    marieimy (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Can I just say that I love this cover! It's just so pretty. I've actually had this book on my wish list for sometime now and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. I love reading about the Regency or Victorian eras. Oh, and the Edwardian.

    iqb99@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am so excited about this book! I just finished reading the Mistress's House and it was fantastic. I love the regency era. The beautiful clothes, pretty manners, and the nobility.

    heather.scarboroATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  22. I really enjoy historical romances set in the Old West. I like the lawlessness of the unsettled territories. Cowboys and outlaws are always fun to read about.

    user1123 AT comcast DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow, your book sounds good. My favorite eras to read are Regency England and American Old West.
    Crystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you, everyone, for stopping by and making this a great launch party! My congratulations to the winners, and I hope you'll enjoy the book...

    ReplyDelete
  25. The winners of this giveaway are

    Diane D
    AND
    Heather S

    I'll send you emails shortly for more info :)

    Congrats and Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Many thanks Danielle. I've sent you an email with my details and, apologize for the delay. Have been in hospital and just released yesterday.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment