Aloha to Regina Scott and THE BRIDE SHIP

 

From Regency Rakes to Rugged Frontiersmen

I have a confession to make. All the while I’ve been writing Regency romances (more than 25 to date), I’ve had a secret passion for another sort of gentleman entirely. I have written about fine lords, dashing scoundrels, and witty dandies. I’ve even dressed the part! But, ever since I was a girl, my heart has belonged to feisty frontiersmen of early Seattle.

Anyone remember the TV series, Here Come the Brides? It chronicled the adventures of 100 women brought to Seattle by timber baron Jason Bolt to keep local workers from leaving the area because of its lack of women. I couldn’t decide who to crush on more--the fast-talking devil-may-care Jason Bolt (played by Robert Brown), the more serious yet still dashing younger brother Joshua Bolt (played by David Soul), or the shy, sweet-natured baby brother Jeremy (Bobby Sherman). In the end, Bobby won the day. Here’s the fan letter I wrote to him when I was twelve:

“Dear Mr. Sherman, may I call you Bobby? Are you married? If not, wait for me. I mean, still have birthdays, but keep saying you’re the same age as now. I watch ‘Here Come the Brides’ whenever I can. I wish I were Bridget Hanley [the actress who played Sherman’s love interest on the show]. Then I could kiss you most of the time.”

With such an, ahem, devotion to the story, it isn’t surprising that I should dig a little deeper into Seattle’s history. Low and behold, women did indeed come by ship to settle the area. You see, following the Civil War, there was a host of widows and orphans on the East Coast, and a hoard of lonely bachelors out West. The ladies came under the escort of a single gentleman, not a timber baron and two handsome brothers, worse luck, but their adventures were no less fascinating. I promised myself then and there that one day, I would write how they came to Seattle and what happened to them when they arrived.

This month sees the publication of The Bride Ship from Love Inspired Historical, the first in my Frontier Bachelors series. It tells the tale of widowed Boston Belle Allegra Banks Howard, who joins the ladies traveling to Seattle not to find a husband, but to chart a new future for her and her little girl. What she doesn’t count on is the arrival of her first love, Clay Howard, intent on “rescuing” her. Maybe this rugged frontiersman is the one whose heart needs a little rescuing.

All I can say is that I hope I did the ladies proud. I’m sure Bobby Sherman won’t mind.

The Bride Ship

What was his brother's widow, his first love, doing on a ship full of prospective brides headed out West? Clay Howard had been tasked with escorting the Boston belle home, but he didn't anticipate Allegra being so strong-willed, or that he'd wind up traveling with her just to keep her from leaving without him!

Allegra Banks Howard isn't going to let Clay interfere with her plans for a new life with her daughter on the frontier. True, Allegra needs his wilderness savvy, but if Clay thinks he can rekindle what they once shared, he had better think again. Because risking her heart for a second chance at being his bride isn't something she'll undertake lightly….

Frontier Bachelors: Bold, rugged—and bound to be grooms

You can learn more about the book on Regina’s website at reginascott.com/brideship.  Discover tidbits of history on her blog at www.nineteenteen.com or connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/authorreginascott.

I am giving away Regency swag to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you have a childhood crush?  I have an adult crush on Alex O'Loughlin.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 15, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 16.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Cathy Maxwell and THE GROOM SAYS YES - Review and Giveaway

New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell continues her dazzling series, The Brides of Wishmore...

He had a noose around his neck and a price on his head...

Sabrina Davidson, dutiful daughter, avowed spinster, thought she'd secured a place for herself in Aberfeldy society—until her hard-earned acceptance of her fate is challenged by the arrival of Cormac Enright, Earl of Ballin, trained physician, soldier of fortune, and convicted felon.

A prim and proper miss was the last thing he needed...

Mac is determined to clear his name, but first he has to find the man whose testimony sentenced him to a hangman's noose. Of course, Robert Davidson is missing and protecting Mac is Davidson's daughter, the most entrancing, frustrating, beguiling, stubborn woman Mac has ever met.

And it doesn't help that he has already tasted her kisses. Or that he has found in her a passion for life and adventure to rival his own.

Mac has turned Sabrina's world inside out—but what will happen when he leaves?

Or will the Groom Say Yes?

Wade's Bridge over the Tay
Released to Public Domain (link)

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.  - Sophocles

THE GROOM SAYS YES is Book Three in Maxwell's Wishmore Brides Series.  Its heroine, Sabrina Davidson, welcomed home her cousin, Aileen Davidson, after a scandalous divorce in Book 1, THE BRIDE SAYS NO.   Sabrina then advised Aileen's sister, Tara Davidson, on proper behavior in Book 2, THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE.   Now Sabrina faces the same challenges as her cousins as she struggles with a brewing scandal.  First her sensible father shocks Sabrina with his engagement to the Widow Bosley ... and then he disappears.   His departure coincides with her discovery of a sick man in a shepherd's hut.   As she nurses the handsome but rugged man back to health, she learns he is wanted for murder ... and he wants her father to clear his name.   

THE GROOM SAYS YES is a fast paced, non stop action adventure in Regency Scotland.  Sabrina barely has time to register her shock of her father's engagement when Mac drops into her life.  Her structured life is shattered ... and Mac responds with passionate kisses.  Maxwell delivers all that readers love about the Regency Era with the majesty of the Scottish Highlands as the backdrop.   She enables hero and heroine to find redemption as they face an uncertain future.   Maxwell adds an unexpected "Lucy and Ethel" moment between unlikely freinds that ultimately brings the fated lovers together.   THE GROOM SAYS YES is memorable end to the series, even if I didn't want the series to end.

Recommended read for fans of heartwarming romances with laugh out loud moments.   

I received a print copy from Mary Gramlich, the Reading Reviewer.  

Check out Mary's review of THE GROOM SAYS YES at this link.

My picture of Culzean Castle in Scotland

I am giving away Regency swag to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Scotland, Regency, or Romance!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Cathy and her books at cathymaxwell.com.

Check out my review of THE BRIDE SAYS NO at this link and THE BRIDE SAYS MAYBE at this link.