Hi, everyone. I’m Samantha Grace, RITA-nominated author of
the historical romance series, Rival Rogues. I’m thrilled to be here to
celebrate my upcoming release THE BEST OF BOTH ROGUES with my Casablanca
sisters and brothers. (Yes, Sourcebooks has a couple of male romance authors.
How cool is that?!?)
Before we start talking about the characters in this third
book in the series, may I whine a little? Writing is my second job, and when I
don’t have on my author hat, I work in a health care setting that’s stuck in
the 1950s. Well, not medically speaking. My employer is on the cutting edge
when it comes to everything except the dress code. Women must wear stockings
with dresses.
Okay. It’s not that bad. It’s not en vogue these days to
wear panty hose, but I don’t mind the look. My biggest complaint is I can’t
find any stockings without control top, active leg support. Even the non-control
top hose have a band around the waist that rolls down every time I sit. Thank
you, but I don’t want a hug, spandex. Stop being so clingy! If someone would
make OUT OF CONTROL top, lazy, and indifferent leg panty hose, I’d buy the
whole stock. Seriously, I despise today’s stockings.
Of course, not everyone follows the dress code at my other
job, which I admire. I’ve always liked the spunky heroine who thumbs her nose
at society. That just isn’t me, so I continue to search the limited selection
of hose available in my smaller community and curse the inventor of spandex.
So what do panty hose and THE BEST OF BOTH ROGUES have to do
with each other? Nothing directly, but I was thinking about Miss Eve Thorne,
the heroine in the story and how she’s a lot like me. She values a peaceful
existence and follows the rules as long as no one is hurt in the process. All
she has ever wanted was to fall in love, marry, have a family, and to be a
partner to her husband. Then through no fault of her own, her reputation was
ruined when Mr. Benjamin Hillary jilted her on their wedding day and ran away
to India.
For two years, she has held her head high despite the nasty
whispers behind her back, because kindness and a desire for a life free of
conflict doesn’t mean she is weak. Finally, she encounters Sir Jonathan
Hackberry, a delightfully eccentric gentleman with an interest in ancient drums
and fascinating tales from his travel around the world. He is smitten and
begins courting her. Soon they are betrothed and Eve appears to be on the path
to having almost everything she wants, until Ben returns from India and she
realizes she is sacrificing her heart’s truest desire—LOVE! Unfortunately, she
has already given her word to marry Sir Jonathan, and she can’t bring herself
to hurt him by calling off the wedding. She knows what it’s like to be
rejected.
Sir Jonathan, however, has a secret past that demands he
leave England. Therefore, he and Ben team up to make Eve regret her choice to
marry Sir Jonathan with the hope she will cry off. Once Ben’s rival is out of
the way, he’ll do anything to win Eve’s heart again. Anything except allow her
to help him with his own troubled past or to be the partner she always wanted
to be to her man.
I think this story is one of the more romantic ones I’ve
written, and I really hope readers enjoy Ben and Eve’s love story. And as
always, every rogue will have his day. I’m sure Sir Jonathan will meet a lovely
young meant just for him some day.
So, I’m curious what type of heroine you would be. Are you
the proper miss who follows the rules, or are you the hoyden who ignores society’s
expectations?
***
The worst thing Mr. Benjamin Hillary ever did was abandon his bride-to-be on their wedding day. The hardest thing he will ever have to do is watch her marry another man.
After two long years abroad, Ben finds Eve every bit as captivating as she was the first time he saw her, and he vows to set things right.
Lady Eve Thorne has a new man in her life, and Ben is nothing but trouble. She is no longer a starry-eyed young woman, and now that he’s back, he can go hang for all she cares. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself…
Historical romance author Samantha Grace discovered the appeal of a great love story when she was just a young girl, thanks to Disney’s Robin Hood. She didn’t care that Robin Hood and Maid Marian were cartoon animals. It was her first happily-ever-after experience and she didn’t want the warm fuzzies to end. Now Samantha enjoys creating her own happy endings for characters that spring from her imagination. Publishers Weekly describes her stories as “fresh and romantic” with subtle humor and charm. Samantha describes romance writing as the best job ever.
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Kate Middleton wears pantyhose, so you are like the Duchess of Cambridge. Pretty much no one else wears them, though, for the reasons you mention. Maybe you can find out where Kate gets hers!
ReplyDeleteI know I posted a reply this morning. Very strange. I'm sure the duchess's pantyhose are luxurious. :)
DeleteSounds like you should wear thigh highs, lol. Sorry for your discomfort, I know exactly what you mean...which is why I don't wear pantyhose!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new book Samantha! It looks as fabulous as all the rest. I can't wait to dive in :)
ReplyDelete