From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Happy Monday after the Thanksgiving holidays to my US readers. I took a few days off and enjoyed myself with lots of turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. …
Challenge your knowledge and see how well you know the beloved Netflix series " Bridgerton".Let’s get started!
The Duke of Huntington has no interest in an eccentric redhead who frowns at him over her spectacles . . . until he realizes that she is the only possible duchess for him, in this dazzling enemies-to-lovers romance by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James. Readers give Not That Duke ? ? ? ? ?! 'What a fantastic book! Truly in love with Silvester and Stella!' 'What a joy this book was to read! I laughed my head off at the camaraderie! The intensity between the two main characters was amazing' 'Eloisa James has done it again . . . another addictive, entertaining, and thoroughly joyful romance' 'I found this book an absolute joy to read' ....................... She'd rather marry any other duke. Bespeckled and freckled, Lady Stella Corsham at least has a dowry that has attracted a crowd of fortune-hunting suitors - which definitely doesn't include the sinfully handsome Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, who laughingly calls her 'Specs' as he chases after elegant rivals. And then . . . The worst happens. Marriage. To the duke. To a man marrying her for all the wrong reasons. How can Silvester possibly convince Stella that he's fallen in love with the quirky woman he married? Especially after she laughingly announces that she's in love - but not with that duke. Not with her husband. ....................... Praise for Eloisa James: 'Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love. Her style is exquisite, her prose pure magic' Julia Quinn 'The romance galaxy is filled with luminous stars, but few twinkle as brightly as James, who . . . once again dazzles readers with superbly conceived characters, a sublimely sensual love story, and sparkling wit' Booklist (starred review)
A Regency History guide to dukes, marquesses and other titles
In the wake of another ho-hum Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to curl up with a Regency romance and scream “Bingo” repeatedly.
Milly Jane Maven is a writer of playful and sensual historical romance, a nature lover, and amateur photographer
Milly Jane Maven is a writer of playful and sensual historical romance, a nature lover, and amateur photographer
My Roommate Is a Vampire : Levine Jenna: Amazon.nl: Boeken
I’ve spent the better part of eight years resisting my best friend’s little sister. What’s one more week? The hardest week ever when it includes a proposition to be her dating coach. Eight years ago I fell into a secret summer fling with the bright, big-hearted Juliet before our lives went in diff
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In the 19th century, intercourse was a dangerous business. For starters, venereal diseases were rife. The risk of catching syphilis from a partner, or above all, from a prostitute, was extremely high. Even intimacy within marriage wasn’t exactly safe if you think about the lack of reliable contraceptives and the…
It is amazing how much the human perspective has changed in the last fifty years. Before the expansion of modern medicine and psychiatric care, people were exposed to brutal procedures and morbid beliefs. In the last 500 years, many strange political ideals have been adopted all over the world.
During the second world war, people found solace in the formulaic narratives of historical romances and during the pandemic they could once again provide readers comfort.
The plot of my novel, A Debt Paid in Marriage, book #1 in my Business of Marriage series, involves the daily lives of the middle class of London. The middle class consisted of prosperous tradesmen, merchants, bankers, solicitors, shop owners and anyone else who wasn’t among the laboring classes, the poor or the aristocracy. It wasn’t easy doing research, or uncovering the details of their everyday lives. The public’s fascination with the rich and titled, which hasn’t changed much in the two hundred years since the Regency, meant the scandals and habits of the ton were well documented in letters, newspaper articles, diaries and biographies. The newspapers weren’t as interested in the lives of drapers, unless there was something scandalous going on, which wasn’t usually the case. Teasing out the details of how the merchants of London spent their days was difficult but fun. In many ways, the habits of the upper echelons of the middle class mimicked those of the wealthy. They had nice houses, they sent their sons to school, owned fancy coaches, and employed servants including footmen, cooks and a butler. It wasn’t just the manners of the upper class they mimicked but their vices too. Prosperous merchants were known to frequent the gambling house of George Smith, George Po and Co in St. James’ Street. Here they could spend their hard earned money and risk landing themselves in debtor’s prison. In a time when ruin could mean a severe drop in the quality of life, or death by jail fever, and without the great manor houses, land and titles to prop up their fortunes, gambling was a risky habit for a merchant to acquire. Another expensive pastime was keeping a mistress, which men of the upper middle class, and sometimes even a solicitor’s apprentice, sometimes did. While the above pastimes were enjoyed by those of the middle class who possessed a great deal of money, the more middling sort lived much simpler lives. They worked for a living and had to concern themselves with matters of business if they wanted to remain in the middle class and not slip into poverty. Women played a much larger role in the merchant class, helping their husbands at the counters of shops and often running the business in the event of his death. The famous wine merchant Berry Bros. and Rudd was not only founded by a woman, but her daughter, Elizabeth Pickering, ran the business after her husband’s death. Men who owned and ran inns expected their wives and daughters to help, as the famed country beauty Mary Butterworth in the North of England did before she fell prey to the charms of a bigamist. A merchant’s life could be an arduous one. Those in trade often began their careers at a young age, somewhere between eleven and fourteen, through an apprenticeship which could last up to seven years. This wasn’t an idyllic time, but one of hard work and toil where they not only learned the business but did most of the menial dirty work. The tradesmen who took in apprentices had to look after them and provide room and board. These duties were on top of their numerous other responsibilities and worries, and they had a lot to worry about. Clients often failed to pay their bills, thieves were a constant problem and bankruptcy an ever present threat. Even if all went well where bills and shoplifters were concerned, the merchant’s day was a long one. Shops often opened early and might remain open until nearly ten o’clock at night. It wasn’t an easy life, but it offered more prosperity than those in previous generations had known. Industrious people in the middle class could do well for themselves and their families, provide opportunities for women, and if they made enough money, allow them to live like the other half. If you are interested in the middle class in Regency England, check out my novels A Debt Paid in Marriage or A Too Convenient Marriage.
A Spy’s Devotion Written by: Melanie Dickerson Publisher: Waterfall Press Month, Year: February, 2016 A brief summary from Melanie Dickerson: In England’s Regency era, manners and elegance re…
What was the Georgian equivalent to today’s disposable lighter? Well, back today with us is the lovely Laurie Benson, host of the fascinating blog The Cozy Drawing Room which you may wish t…
