The Reluctant Marquess by Maggi Andersen

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop of The Reluctant Marquess. The Reluctant Marquess is a historical romance and it simply looks amazing! Today, Maggi will be joining us with a guest post about why she chooses to write historical romance. Do stay around for it! Oh and there will be a tour-wide giveaway at the end so do stick around for it! Without further ado, let's begin!

The Reluctant Marquess by Maggi Andersen

Charity Barlow wished to marry for love.

The rakish Lord Robert wishes only to tuck her away in the country once an heir is produced.

Maggi Andersen

Maggi Andersen is an Australian author. She lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales with her lawyer husband, their cat and the demanding wildlife. Maggi has two degrees, a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart were strong influences on her writing. She began her career when her children left the nest and writes in a variety of genres. Her historical romances are set in the Georgian, Regency and Victorian era.


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Time for a short excerpt!

“Nefarious dealings go on next door,” Robert commented almost to himself as he and Charity crossed the footpath to the front door.

Charity’s eyes widened. “What sort of dealings?”

He felt unsure whether to tell her and wished he hadn’t spoken. “A house of ill-repute,” he finally said.

“Is that all?”

He held the door open for her to enter the vestibule, annoyed that she wasn’t impressed or shocked by such a revelation. “They are said to charge barren couples quite a lot of money to assist them in their quest for a child. With the use of special beds.”
“Oh.” Charity bit her lip. She put her head down and continued walking.

Bemused, Robert wondered how an innocent comment could stir up a veritable nest of unspoken feelings. “It mainly serves as a brothel offering no end of delights,” he added striding to catch up with her. His somewhat callous remark was an endeavor to guide their conversation in a safer direction. But it only served to make him recall the night of passion they had shared. A glance in Charity’s direction confirmed she was thinking of something similar, for her footsteps had faltered, and her eyelid’s looked heavy as she flicked her bottom lip with her tongue. He suffered a strong urge to draw her into that dark corner and kiss her. He found himself seriously considering it, and far more. Raising her skirts and…

He took her arm. “Charity?”

“Yes?”

A door opened at the end of the corridor and a servant poked his head out. “Please come in, Lord and Lady St Malin.”

Robert took off his hat and held it somewhere near his groin. “Shall we go in, my dear?”

Charity nodded her eyes a little vague.

And now, let's welcome Maggi to the blog!

Why I write historical romance

I can’t remember when I didn’t want to be a writer. I wrote my first story when I was sick in bed aged eight. When I was a teenager I read all my mother’s Georgette Heyer books. I loved the characters, and the Georgian and Regency periods she captured so well. I re-read them over the years, plus other writers setting their books in the same period. I also read my father’s crime novels, Frederick Forsyth was a favorite, but I always liked a touch of romance. While raising my family, I completed two degrees, a BA in English and Fine Arts, and an MA in Creative Writing, with a view to taking up writing seriously. My first novel was a crime/ mystery, but I couldn’t get it published in Australia. I edited and rewrote it many times before I decided to put it aside. It was quite an ambitious story for a newbie writer to tackle, but writing it proved to be a great learning experience, although I didn’t appreciate it at the time. I then wrote a Regency romance novel Rules of Conduct, which I submitted to Mills & Boon. It didn’t fit their requirements, but they were very encouraging. But I still wasn’t published. I dashed off a Regency novella in a matter of weeks and was surprised when an American e-book publisher took Stirring Passions and asked for more. I like writing about alpha males and I’ve since written more Regencies and Victorian novels and novellas. I’m fascinated by the past, and enjoy the research and the period detail, the architecture, fashion, interiors and the mores of a society so different from my own.

The Reluctant Marquess is pure romance set in the Georgian era. But most of my stories have elements of crime, be it a murder or a mystery or an intrigue. At present, I’m working on a three book series, The Spies of Mayfair for Knox Robinson Publishing. Book One: A Baron in Her Bed comes out September 6th. Here’s the blurb:
London, 1816. A handsome baron. A faux betrothal. And Horatia's plan to join the London literary set takes a dangerous turn. Now that the war with France has ended, Baron Guy Fortescue arrives in England to claim his inheritance, abandoned over thirty years ago when his father fled to France after killing a man in a duel. When Guy is set upon by footpads in London, a stranger, Lord Strathairn, rescues and befriends him. But while travelling to his country estate, Guy is again attacked. He escapes only to knock himself out on a tree branch. Aspiring poet Horatia Cavendish has taken to riding her father's stallion, "The General", around the countryside of Digswell dressed as a groom. She has become bored of her country life and longs to escape to London to pursue her desire to become part of the London literary set. When she discovers Guy lying unconscious on the road, the two are forced to take shelter for the night in a hunting lodge. After Guy discovers her ruse, a friendship develops between them. Guy suspects his relative, Eustace Fennimore is behind the attacks on his life. He has been ensconced in Rosecroft Hall during the family's exile and will become the heir should Guy die. Horatia refuses to believe her godfather, Eustace, is responsible. But when Guy proposes a faux betrothal to give him more time to discover the truth, she agrees. Secure in the knowledge that his daughter will finally wed, Horatia's father allows her to visit her blue-stocking aunt in London. But Horatia's time spent in London proves to be anything but a literary feast, for a dangerous foe plots Guy's demise. She is determined to keep alive her handsome fiance, who has proven more than willing to play the part of her lover even as he resists her attempts to save him.

My late Victorian romantic suspense novel The Folly at Falconbridge Hall is released on 6th December.
The novelists writing in the Regency and Victorian periods that I enjoy reading are C.S Harris, M.M.Bennett, Deanna Raybourne, Tasha Alexander and Joanna Bourne.

Thank you for featuring me on your blog.

Maggi

Maggi will be giving away a $10 Amazon GC to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour. So do leave a comment and possibly win a prize! To leave a comment, just click on the title or the comments button at the top of the post! Thanks:)

So yep, that's about it for today! Go here to check out the other tour stops! You'll find loads of awesome stuff on the other tour sites too! :D