Guest Post: The Winds of Change by Amelia Grey

I happened to note that Ms. Grey has been writing romance for over twenty years and of course I have been reading romance for longer than that. ;-)  I am so pleased to share her thoughts on this subject that many of us can relate to! See the section in blue below to see how you can comment to win a copy of A Little Mischief.

The Winds of Change

Good morning! Thank you for having me today at Martha’s Bookshelf. I’m thrilled to be here with you to share my thoughts on how the romance writing industry has changed over the past twenty years.

I published my first book in 1990 so I’ve been around to see many changes in the past twenty plus years. There were less than three thousand members of Romance Writers of America when I started writing and I think there are over ten thousand now. Romantic Times was published like a newspaper not the slick magazine it is today. Conferences were small and big names like Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts were not only there, they gave workshops. You could even take a recorder into the workshops and tape them. Now you have to buy the dvd from RWA, if the author allows it to be recorded. Some don’t.

I think Romantic Times deserves the credit for helping authors learn how to promote their books. Brenda Joyce was the pioneer of self-promotion with her "hunk" bookmarks and splashy RT ades. To use today’s terminology, they went viral and set the bar for authors to compete with that caliber of promotion and thus began the years of mailing "flyers" and bookmarks to fans, bookstores, and other authors. That led to adding workshops on how to promote along with the ones on how to plot, create sexual tension write in the active voice. I think most publishers now expect authors to take a more vital and active role in the publishing and promoting their books.

 Back in the 1980s and 90s, everyone wanted to publish with major publishers. We felt we had made it if our books were in Walmart, the airport, and the grocery store. Now, with the birth of the e-book, there’s a whole new competitiveness. The 90s held a revolutionary self-promo tool that would change the face of publishing forever: The Internet. For the first time, romance authors could go online and talk to other romance writers and post on bulletin boards. You were no long home alone, with your thoughts and plot. You could post questions, inter-act with other authors, hook up with people who shared your same interest. Authors and writers’ groups initiated "loops" for members to chat with each other and with their fans. The internet was transforming in how readers and writers connected. 

By the 2000s publishers started taking notice of erotica books because of e-publishers such as Ellora’s Cave. Suddenly there were sexier and more graphic romance books. Many authors today aren’t even going to the traditional publishers to be published in print. They are saying, “I’ll just publish it myself,” and are going straight to e-books. Many are doing well. Recently there have been notable successes from authors who have retained their backlist and reissued them online as e-books. 

So in my opinion, the romance genre has changed greatly from its infancy in the early 1980s, and I can hardly wait to see what the future holds for the romance writing industry.

For a chance to win a copy of my latest book, the re-issue of A Little Mischief, tell me if you think I left out any of the major changes on how the romance industry has changed over the past twenty years? 

This giveaway will close 10PM on August 24, 2012. I will pick a winner with Random.org and announce on August 25, 2012.

I hope you’ll pick up a copy of the reissue of A Little Mischief if you missed it when it was first published in 2003. It won the Booksellers Best Award and Aspen Gold Award for best Historical.

I love to hear from readers! Please email me at ameliagrey@comcast.net, follow me at Facebook.com/ameliagreybooks, or visit my website at ameliagrey.com

Book Review: A Little Mischief by Amelia Grey

This is quick and light reading.

A Little Mischief

by Amelia Grey

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Reprint edition (August 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402239807
• ISBN-13: 978-1402239809

Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: August 1, 2012

How can a lady avoid a scandal...

Just as Miss Isabella Winslowe is finally achieving comfortable respectability, the fascinating and decidedly unrespectable Earl of Colebrooke inconveniently appears...

When a gentleman is so determined to flirt...

The darkly handsome Daniel Colebrooke is intrigued and alarmed when an alluring young lady arrives at his door in need of assistance. In a moment of impetuosity, Daniel decides he must keep a close watch on Isabella, and what better way than to strike up a not–so–innocent fliration...

Together they'll cook up more than a little mischief when a disappearing dead body and a lascivious scandal spins their reckless game entirely out of control.

Review:
Isabella currently lives with her vivacious spinster Aunt enjoying the society life and freedom of living in London. Her father has been off with his new wife and Isabella hopes she can remain in London another few months until she is 21.  Then she will not have to return to the country as she will receive her own allowance.  She plans to live with some independence like her Aunt rather than seeking marriage and living under the thumb of a man.

Isabella was a wallflower her first season in London but she watched her self assured Aunt and decided to emulate her, developing her own confidence. She has taken a group of misfit young ladies under her wing. These girls are not the diamonds of first water but still lovely girls. Isabella invites them into her reading group where she shares tips on building confidence while sharing the fun of reading too.

Isabella’s plans and reading group are at risk when one of the young ladies, Gretchen, plans a clandestine meeting with a suitor and fears she has killed him in Isabella’s garden.  Isabella takes the hysterical girl to her brother, the imperious Earl of Colebrooke.  He scoffs at the story especially when they return to the garden and find no body.

Daniel was a rakish and disreputable younger son until his father and brother died and thrust him into the role of responsibility. Now he has returned to town to find a respectable wife to settle down with as he manages the family estates. Daniel doesn’t need a free spirited young woman who seems to be up to some mischief that he hasn’t figured out yet. When they discover Gretchen standing over the body again Daniel admits concern but wants Isabella to stay out of the investigations.

The immediate conflict and intensity between these two makes for a fun romance. The story is somewhat predictable but charmingly presented. The romance develops nicely with a warm acknowledgment of their love in the end.  The writing is light and this makes an easy, enjoyable read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isabella’s initial reaction to Daniel:

“He is positively arrogant, scornful, impatient, judgmental, and formidable.” ... “I forgot infuriating.” Location 488.

Daniel’s thoughts about Isabella:

She was too open -minded. He needed a woman who would obey him and be a proper Countess, not a woman who wanted to chase after a murderer.  Location 2150.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing this title through NetGalley. Please check the next post for an interesting Guest Post from Ms. Grey and a chance to win this charming tale.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey

This is a regency treat!

A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (July 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402239750
• ISBN-13: 978-1402239755

Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Product Description
When a lady is in a predicament...
Beautiful, clever and courageous Lady Gabrielle thwarts the shackles of her arranged betrothal by kissing a stranger in the park. But who is this man? Finding herself stuck in yet another forced engagement Gabrielle needs another strategy that isn’t so dangerous. A gentleman may find himself in deep trouble...
Viscount Brentwood is walking in the park early one morning when a beautiful, enchanting young lady walks out of the mist and into his arms. Now Brent has no choice but to marry the delightful Lady Gabrielle.
Unfortunately his intended bride has other ideas, and the determined Viscount finds himself plunging into one scandal after another.

Review: This book reminds me why I love Historical Romance: a little mystery, a lot of banter, a lot of humorous charm and a passionate romance.
Lady Gabrielle is the beautiful, kind and ‘good’ eldest daughter of a Duke.  She was prepared to enter the marriage her father arranged for her until one night a week before the wedding when she witnessed her fiancé in a passionate kiss with another woman. Gabrielle goes for a walk in the park with her faithful, elderly mastiff, Brutus, and runs into a handsome man who is walking a little Pomeranian type dog.

She recognizes that this man, Lord Brentwood, is kind and courteous. He is willing to walk his mother’s small dog, Prissy, at early hours of the morning and he expresses concern for her welfare in walking alone in the park. She also realizes that this is the first time she has been drawn to a man and on a sudden impulse she kisses him.  Brent gets lost in the kiss from this beauty of the mist until the angry voice of the Duke/father challenges him. With the Duke is another gentleman who turns out to be the father of the man that Lady Gabrielle is affianced to.  In the resulting confusion, Prissy disappears.

By the end of the day Brent finds himself coerced into agreeing to marry Lady Gabrielle. Brent is 30 years old and had been contemplating finding a suitable wife.  Although unhappy about being used, Brent determines that Lady Gabrielle may suit him just fine.

Gabrielle on the other hand has had quite enough of men determining her choices. She doesn’t want to be forced into marriage and she had not intended to trap Brentwood. It is quite fun to read all of the things Gabrielle tries to convince him that she would make a terrible wife. While their conflict continues they try to locate Prissy and some other small dogs who are suddenly going missing.

I felt the story fell short in resolving two areas. The elopement of Gabrielle’s ex-fiancé did not really make sense considering the attitude he expressed toward women. Also, the author missed a perfect opportunity in the end to correct Gabrielle’s fun misunderstanding of “golden orbs.”  Nonetheless, I completely enjoyed the romance that developed between Gabrielle and Brent and I enjoyed the mystery involving the dogs. This is a fast read with a heart for dogs and a lot of charm.

###

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to read and review. This is a part of the Rogue's Dynasty series but there is little connection other than the heroes being rogues, which IMHO, Lord Brentwood really isn't.  So feel free to read this as a stand alone and not worry about the order of the series. See my reviews for two other stories by Amelia Grey.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:
1. Visit the Author's Website and tell me something of interest you found there. This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For two entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Four total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

* Limit one win per household.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on August 12, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on AUGUST 13 and will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Winner of Never a Bride by Amelia Grey

CONGRATULATIONS 

to the Winner of

Never a Bride

by Amelia Grey

The random number pick is #6 which makes the winner:

I will email debp for her snail mail info.
Thank you to all who entered.

Review and Giveaway - Never a Bride by Amelia Grey

Can a woman trust a fiancé who has abandoned her for six years? Can a man trust a betrothed he finds kissing another man?  Never a Bride by Amelia Grey.

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Reprint edition (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402239785
• ISBN-13: 978-1402239786

Genre: Historical Romance

My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Her name is on everyone’s lips . . .
When he left for America six years ago, the handsome Viscount Stonehurst never suspected that he would return home to England to find his lovely fiancé embroiled in the scandal of the decade. The woman he planned on making his wife has been kissing every man in London . . . except him!

But scandal doesn’t matter in search of the truth . . .
Engaged and then abandoned, Mirabella Wittingham is determined to find the man who drove her cousin to suicide, even if it means ruining her reputation and disgracing herself in the process . . .

When her plans go awry, Mirabella has no choice but to turn to her long-lost fiancé for help. But can she trust the man who deserted her so many years ago, or is he destined to fail her yet again?

Review:
I really liked the concept of this story although I didn’t feel it quite made top of the line in execution. Still, a good paced, sensual, easy read historical romance.

Mirabella determined that the best way she can find the rouge who ruined her cousin is to allow certain men to kiss her while she checks for a telltale mark. I liked Mirabella’s character but she is almost too reckless and too flippant about her reputation as she tries to find the seducer she seeks. Perhaps she really thinks she is on the shelf since her fiancé, who never even met her, has been gone six years.

Viscount Camden Stonehurst set off to America not just to avoid an unwanted betrothal but to get away from a scandal from a prior betrothal and also to make his own fortune. He returns to a family summons with a threat that the engagement will be broken because of his delay.  He would not particularly care until he discovers that his family desperately needs the marriage settlements. As a result of his first lost love Camden doesn’t trust women and is only looking for a biddable wife. He isn’t inclined to risk marriage with a strong-headed, independent young woman, no matter how enchanting.  Particularly he isn’t going to go through with wedding a girl he catches kissing at the first social event he attends hoping to meet her.

The pair agree to pretend to continue the engagement for the sake of their families. The subterfuge creates an opportunity for some fun bantering and for friendship and romance to develop. I loved their first meeting which occurred before they knew who each other was. That created an air of mystery and an elemental attraction. Unfortunately, even there, Mirabella was reckless with her behavior.

The whole kissing and reputation scandal seemed to not ring right to me - maybe because it doesn't match the blurb.  It would be bad enough that the young bucks were talking in the clubs about a girl they kissed in the garden but to get caught in such a situation by her chaperon and her fiancé seemed a bit too contrived.  Her investigative kissing had only been going on for a few weeks before Camden’s return and it apparently never became a full blown scandal.  Yet there were hints in the gossip sheets, the talk among the men and snubs by some of the respectable matrons.  I suppose it was just on the brink of becoming exposed when Camden returned to put an end to her kissing forays.  Although that didn’t end some of her other adventures.

The story moved along well with a lot of charm in the relationship. I liked how sweetly honest and open Mirabella is in her encounters with Camden and I really liked how Camden succumbed to the intelligence and natural innocence of Mirabella. All in all this is a solid romance read if not completely enchanting for me.

xxx

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to read and review.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE BOOK:
1. Visit the author's website and tell me something you learned there.
Alternative comment:  Comment on the review or tell me what you think is a reasonable length of time for an engagement in Regency times.
Please leave your e-mail!

2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For another entry, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Three total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open US and Canada only.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on October 11, 2010. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.

Review and Giveaway - An Earl to Enchant by Amelia Grey

Title: An Earl to Enchant: The Rogues' Dynasty
Author: Amelia Grey
Genre: Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402217617
ISBN-13: 978-1402217616

Rating: 4.75
Description:

He’s determined not to be a hero…
Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist the lure of her fascinating personality, exotic wardrobe, and tempting green eyes…
She has a deadly secret…
Arianna Sweet never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, one that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately…

Review: This historical has rich characters to enhance a mystery that twists till the end!

Arianna is a British young woman who was raised in India in the care of her scientist father. While he studied herbs and plants, Arianna convinced her maid to teach her belly dance among other rebellious and not so British behaviors. Unfortunately Arianna’s father is murdered for an important formula and the murderer escapes under her nose. Arianna returns to Britain seeking help to recreate the formula. Instead of finding her father’s distant relative to take her in she finds the grand dame’s notorious grandson, Lord Morgandale.

Imagine Morgandale’s surprise when he is expecting a beautiful courtesan for a weekend rendezvous and instead finds an exotic waif who proceeds to faint in his arms. Morgandale really wants nothing to do with a “good” woman as he has no inclination to get leg shackled. He isn’t thrilled with becoming guardian to this outspoken and strange young woman who is unlike any woman he has known.

The antagonism and bantering between these protagonists is intertwined with the unwanted attraction and chemistry. The characters are well developed with wonderful quirks and hidden depths. Morgandale allows Arianna to recuperate at his estate while trying to avoid the urge to spend time with her. He suspects she has withheld some information from him but he is moving as quickly as he can to get her off his hands before he is tempted to succumb to her (unintentionally?) sensual innocence. I enjoyed the age-old conflict of a man fighting cupid’s arrow.

Morgandale’s protective instincts finally take control when danger stalks Arianna. The push-pull relationship of the hero and heroine kept me delightfully engaged while the threats to Arianna heated up to a surprising end. The writing and descriptions flowed making this a wonderful, easy read and sultry romantic entertainment. I was only sorry when it ended!

***************************************************

Thank you to Danielle at Sourcebook for this ARC.  I was tempted to keep it but ---- no more room to keep books I have read so I am offering this to a lucky winner!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THIS BOOK:
1. Comment on the review telling me if you have ever studied bellydance or if you like something else about India.  Please leave your e-mail!

2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For another entry, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Three total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reason.
* This contest will close Midnight (Central) on April 30, 2010. The winners will be randomly selected from all entries.