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A Single Kiss, a Pair of Unicorns, a Trio of Brothers.... by Grace Burrowes

What is the difference between writing contemporary romance, and historical romance? 

I'm hearing that question a lot lately as A Single Kiss, the first novel in The Sweetest Kisses trilogy hits the shelves. Books two and three, The First Kiss and Kiss Me Hello, will follow in February and March respectively, and nearly every blog that has asked me to post has touched on this question. 

There are differences between a contemporary romance, and, say, a Regency. English dukes of Regency vintage don't speak the way I do. They don't drive cars, they can't pop a frozen vegetable samosa into the microwave for lunch. But the more I consider the differences, the more superficial they become, compared to the commonalities. 

Marriage was an institution in flux during the Regency... 
The role of women in society was changing, some thought for the better, some thought for the worse. 
The aristocracy's ability to run up enormous debts without suffering consequences grated increasingly on the common folks. 
Technology was changing at an ever increasing rate. 

And those parallels are all very interesting, but what I found as I explored the story of two single parents, both attorneys, and their very different views of the American legal system, is that falling in love doesn't change. It's still the good, big thing, still the game changer we often don't see coming.

Trenton Knightley thinks he'd doing just fine, thank you, raising his daughter and running the family law department at the legal firm he owns with his brothers James and MacKenzie. Hannah Stark isn't keen on family law, but she'll take that gig temporarily to pay the bills because she too, has a daughter to raise. These folks are successful professionals, well educated, competent in their fields--and about to get zapped by Cupid's arrow. 

Trenton's brothers offer color commentary, the daughters chime in as do their imaginary unicorns, the legal system throws various spanners in the works, but in the end, of course, true love conquers all. The good stuff doesn't change, and there's more of it coming in the next two books. 

You can read an excerpt from A Single Kiss here.
An excerpt from The First Kiss here.
An excerpt from Kiss Me Hello here

Where were you in life, the first time you got clobbered by the bluebird of true love? To two commenters, I'll send signed copies of A Single Kiss.  

Comments

  1. Love that the unicorns chime in because I have to voice unicorn opinions (and fairies' and princesses') all the time. I don't know when I was first clobbered by true love, but I know my daughter is "in love," and she's 5. If she's not talking unicorns, she's talking about Evan, oh Evan!

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    1. If she's not careful, Evan will end up in a book.... These unicorns were borrowed from my daughter's repertoire. She had one in particular as an imaginary friend when she was younger. I"m not sure if he's gone off to college with her or not, but I kinda hope he has...

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  2. Fifth grade and he liked my best friend. Ahhh, such is the heartache of love. Love the unicorn opinions, Grace. And I've preached the same sermon many times...it doesn't matter if it's contemporary, regency, paranormal or what...love is love and it has been since Adam and Eve. Your first contemporary looks like a great, fun read and the cover is so enticing!

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    1. My first boyfriend was in fifth grade too! We went steady for the duration of one high school football game, running under the bleachers and trying to steal popcorn (we weren't quite tall enough). Then we broke up and went home. The end. Wish it were always that simple.

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  3. I've had crushes since I was about 11. But the first time that true blue bird of love hit me was when I was in the seventh grade. Oh my gosh, that brown eyed, brown haired boy knocked the breathright out of me.

    I truly love this new series bye Ms. Burrowes.

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    1. I'm trying to think if I was ever smitten in junior high... never with a guy my own age. My sister was three years old, and her beaus seemed like the real thing, compared to the little boys my age. I also have a sister ten years my senior, and those college boys... well, maybe little sisters are destined to discontent with their peers.

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  4. Dinner at a lovely seaside restaurant in Martha's Vineyard, Mass.--never saw it coming!

    Am looking forward to Hannah and Trent's story!

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    1. That sounds soooooo romantic! Followed by a walk on the beach, or a moonrise on a shared bench, or a dance on the terrace...

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  5. I'm still thinking of the unicorns. :) Congratulations on the new contemporary romances! Great covers!

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    1. They just showed up, as unicorns are wont to do. I'm gnoshing through Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn now though, and really enjoying it.

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  6. at school

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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    1. Where we learn so many things that aren't on the syllabus...

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  7. I married my first real boyfriend lol. He was the new kid in town and had traveled the world (air force brat) and I had never left my home town. We are definite opposites. I was almost 16 and he was almost 18 and we met in high school. Looking forward to your newest books.

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    1. One of my brothers married his eleventh grade biology lab partner. She's working for a Nobel Prize winning scientist now, and but in some senses bro is still her, um, biology partner.

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  8. A SINGLE KISS was very emotional book for me. I seldom cry in one of Grace Burrowes's recency novels probably because I know it happened in the early nineteenth century but A SINGLE KISS could happen now. So I cried emotional tears. That is one of the reasons I read more historical romance than contemporary romance. I would be totally washed out. I can hardly wait for the next book.

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    1. Anon, I cried writing it. The scene where Hannah has to tell Trent about her upbringing was especially hard. She didn't have an awful foster care experience, but she had no one to share with it, nobody who WANTED to hear about it. That got to me... Oddly enough, in Regency England, there was no such legal process as adoption. Britain had no adoption statutes until the 1920s.

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  9. My first love was in junior high school - it was Michael with the lovely green eyes.

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  10. Mine was Michael with the lovely blue eyes, but I wasn't so crazy about that buzz cut... nice guy, though.

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  11. Our offices were across the alleyway from one another, and we had exchanged glances and nods for months, and then one day . . . . I was standing in line to pay for my carryout lunch. I turned around, and there he was right behind me, standing in line to pay for his carryout lunch. "You're the guy in the window," I blurted. "Excuse me," he said. Instant mortification. Then, about three interminable seconds late, he recognized me.

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  12. I had been going along with my friend to meet up with a group of guys that she knew. After a few times, I realized that one of them was interested in me. It wasn't too long after that it hit me that I really like this guy. We've been married for 35 years.

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  13. True love or just the thinking it was? Thinking it was true blue happened in 7th grade - it was a long distance relation ship (pen pals with visits once or twice a year). He went to my Grandmothers church and we met in Sunday school.

    Honest true love? Almost 24 years ago when I first arrived in town for a temporary job assignment. The first day I shared an office with this really cute guy..... The rest is history. :-)

    Very insightful post on the similarities between the times, Grace.

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  14. I was at college leaning out a window with my friend hollering at guys leaving the school dance. Saw a guy in a cowboy hat and asked him if he wanted to party!! He came up to my apartment behind the dorm. When he took my hand, I knew he was mine. We have been together ever since. 35 years on the 17th of this month.

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  15. My first love was at 15,boy with beautiful green eyes,ah that first love :D
    The covers are wonderful!
    Congrats on new release :)

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  16. Hmmm, there is the first kiss with whom I thought was true love, at 16. But alas, my dearest hubby three years later was definitely the true love that his me over the head. :)

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  17. With my husband at a favorite park they we often visited.
    Natalie's Mama

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