This is a banner week at Sourcebooks with the release of many enticing titles. Emily Greenwood is celebrating the release of MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT, Book 3 in the Regency Mischief series:
With the night so full of romance...
Colin Pearce, the Earl of Ivorwood, never dreamed he'd desire another man's fiancée, but when his best friend goes off to war and asks Colin to look after the bewitching Josie Cardworthy, he falls under her sparkling spell.
Who can resist mischief?
Josie can't wait for the return of her long-absent fiancé. If only her beloved sister might find someone, too...someone like the handsome, reserved Colin. A gypsy's love potion gives Josie the chance to matchmake, but the wild results reveal her own growing passion for the earl. And though fate offers them a chance, a steely honor may force him to reject what her reckless heart is offering...
I asked Emily what are the top five things she would like to see in London for her own season ...
Hello, and what a treat to be back at SOS Aloha! Thank you, Kim, for having me here to celebrate the release of MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT. What a wonderful idea! Without further ado I shall tie on my enchanted time-travel scarf & let the magic whisk me back to the early 1800s…
And here I am! Dressed in a blue muslin gown, just like Miss
Josie Cardworthy, the heroine of MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT. She has a sometimes-disastrous
tendency to do the impulsive thing, which gets her into trouble when she makes
her very first visit to London. I wonder what trouble I’ll find? The London
spots I’ll definitely visit will be…
1. Mr. Darcy’s townhouse. I know…but he seems so real J What I mean is I’d want to be invited into the home of an upper-class gentleman, perhaps for a dinner party. I’d want to hear my leather slippers tapping softly on his polished floors and see the moonlight coming through the tall windows of his drawing room to fall on luxurious furnishings that I could actually touch (unlike what happens when you tour historical homes in the 21st century and everything’s roped off.) And I’d want to sit at his dining room table to partake of the roast beef and wine and conversation. In short, I’d want to be his guest!
2. The Tower of London, which my heroine Josie visits during her trip to London. The Tower reminds her of her friend Colin, the Earl of Ivorwood, (the hero of MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT), who’s an amateur historian. Many famous people were imprisoned in this old castle on the banks of the Thames, including Elizabeth I before she was queen. Some prisoners were unfortunately tortured, the two main methods being the rack, which stretched the body painfully, and manacles, which torturers used to hang victims by their wrists. I’m not certain how much I’d have been able to see of such implements in the Regency era, but I could have visited the Royal Menagerie, which was housed in the Tower and opened to the public in 1804.
3. Bond Street, where many of the best shops were. I love looking at old clothes on museum mannequins, but imagine being able to see–and wear!—all the latest Regency fashions when they were new. The Turkey reds, the fine patterned muslins, the silvery silks—all the fabrics that would have made up the morning gowns and ball gowns for a Regency lady, along with the gloves and hats and shoes…sigh.
4. Brooks’s Club. It was for gentlemen only, so wouldn’t it be pretty darn interesting to visit? I’d sneak in disguised as a man, of course, so I could hear just what all those gentlemen talked about when the constraints of feminine companionship were lifted.
5. Almack’s. Well, you apparently didn’t go for the food— puny offerings of bread and butter and bad lemonade— but if you wanted to be in a room full of fashionable people dancing, this was this place. If I went there, maybe it would feel like being inside one of my favorite BBC productions, like this lovely dance scene from the Emma miniseries -- link. On the other hand, Almack’s would have been very crowded, and I imagine that, like Colin, my MISCHIEF hero (who’s a reserved man), I would at the end of my Town visit have been happy to return to the country.
1. Mr. Darcy’s townhouse. I know…but he seems so real J What I mean is I’d want to be invited into the home of an upper-class gentleman, perhaps for a dinner party. I’d want to hear my leather slippers tapping softly on his polished floors and see the moonlight coming through the tall windows of his drawing room to fall on luxurious furnishings that I could actually touch (unlike what happens when you tour historical homes in the 21st century and everything’s roped off.) And I’d want to sit at his dining room table to partake of the roast beef and wine and conversation. In short, I’d want to be his guest!
2. The Tower of London, which my heroine Josie visits during her trip to London. The Tower reminds her of her friend Colin, the Earl of Ivorwood, (the hero of MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT), who’s an amateur historian. Many famous people were imprisoned in this old castle on the banks of the Thames, including Elizabeth I before she was queen. Some prisoners were unfortunately tortured, the two main methods being the rack, which stretched the body painfully, and manacles, which torturers used to hang victims by their wrists. I’m not certain how much I’d have been able to see of such implements in the Regency era, but I could have visited the Royal Menagerie, which was housed in the Tower and opened to the public in 1804.
3. Bond Street, where many of the best shops were. I love looking at old clothes on museum mannequins, but imagine being able to see–and wear!—all the latest Regency fashions when they were new. The Turkey reds, the fine patterned muslins, the silvery silks—all the fabrics that would have made up the morning gowns and ball gowns for a Regency lady, along with the gloves and hats and shoes…sigh.
4. Brooks’s Club. It was for gentlemen only, so wouldn’t it be pretty darn interesting to visit? I’d sneak in disguised as a man, of course, so I could hear just what all those gentlemen talked about when the constraints of feminine companionship were lifted.
5. Almack’s. Well, you apparently didn’t go for the food— puny offerings of bread and butter and bad lemonade— but if you wanted to be in a room full of fashionable people dancing, this was this place. If I went there, maybe it would feel like being inside one of my favorite BBC productions, like this lovely dance scene from the Emma miniseries -- link. On the other hand, Almack’s would have been very crowded, and I imagine that, like Colin, my MISCHIEF hero (who’s a reserved man), I would at the end of my Town visit have been happy to return to the country.
 |
| My picture of the White Tower / Tower of London It is the old keep built by William the Conqueror. |
About the Author:
Emily Greenwood worked for a number of years as a writer, crafting newsletters and fundraising brochures, but she far prefers writing playful love stories set in Regency England, and she thinks romance novels are the chocolate of literature. A Golden Heart finalist, she lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.
Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,
1. What would you like to do in your own London season?
2. Comments are open through Saturday, June 7, 10 pm in Baltimore.
3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 8.
Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City
i'd have to say almacks and Bond St :) Congrats to Emily on the new release! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely want to shop at some exclusive Bond Street shops, go on some morning calls, take tea, and dance at a few balls.
ReplyDeleteI'd want to visit Bond St. and Almack's. I'm a wallflower so I'd do a lot of people watching instead of dancing.
ReplyDeleteMarcy Shuler
I'd love to visit some shops on Bond Street, go out for morning calls, be courted by handsome and sexy gentlemen, and go to some balls.
ReplyDeleteOh love to go to a ball and dance the night away. Possibly go off into a garden with a dashing young man. I know scandalous. Lol
ReplyDeleteI would love to dance at a fabulous ball, maybe meet a few dashing Dukes :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have a wardrobe of beautiful gowns made up. Throw in some fabulous hats & shoes. Off to the balls I would go.
ReplyDeleteShopping on Bond Street, the lending library and dancing at several balls..
ReplyDeleteI'd love to attend a ball in a beautiful gown & dance a waltz with a handsome young gentleman!
ReplyDeleteAlmacks. for sure, maybe take a turn thru Hyde Park, down Rotten Row :)
ReplyDeleteBalls and Hyde Park for sure.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to balls and ride a horse down Rotten Row.
ReplyDeleteI love reading all these comments--feel right at home among all of you! The dancing, the clothes, the places, the people-watching, the tea, the hints of scandal...it was a fabulous time, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteI would want to do as much as possible during "the season". I would be going to the mantau maker, to get beautiful gowns made up for me to wear during the daytime, and for the balls I would attend at night. I would also go riding in Hyde Park, (I've actually done that). I would also make sure that i visited Hatchards to buy some books, and then go to Gunthers for an ice.
ReplyDeleteWhat they said! LOL! Be fitted for beautiful gowns, attend balls, ride or walk in the park!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all.... I would have a wonderful and very expensive...extensive wardrobe! AND then I would attend all 'the best' parties and balls and dance the night away with gorgeous personable men!! (Its my dream, right?) lol
ReplyDeleteDance the night away in the arms of a handsome Duke :)
ReplyDeleteAnd a personal dressmaker to fit us perfectly in our gowns, right?
ReplyDeleteI would love to cause a scandal. LOL
ReplyDeletevisit parties
ReplyDeleteLearn to dance fancy-like. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not one for fancy dresses or parties, so I would enjoy sightseeing, especially the Tower of London.
ReplyDeleteDancing lessons…they could be lovely with a handsome, patient dancing master.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go to a ball or two, to say I've gone, but mostly I'd love to go sight seeing and definitely see Vauxhall Gardens!
ReplyDeleteWear beautiful gowns and go to all the balls and parties. Dance with the men, and wander through the gardens.
ReplyDeleteI would love to dress up in beautiful gowns and jewels and go to a ball.
ReplyDelete