Showing posts with label Edwardian Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edwardian Romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Aloha to Sherri Browning and AN AFFAIR DOWNSTAIRS

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The attraction of the forbidden cannot be suppressed…

Lady Alice Emerson is entirely unsatisfied with the endless stream of boring suitors her family finds appropriate. She wants something more. Something daring. Something real. Each tiresome new suitor only serves to further inflame Lady Alice’s combustible attraction to Thornbrook Park’s rugged, manly estate manager, Logan Winthrop. Despite Logan’s stubborn attempts to avoid her, Lady Alice is irresistible, and so is the forbidden desire exploding between them…

If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, don’t miss the fascinating Edwardian world of Thornbrook Park.


Amazon: link
Apple: link
BAM: link
B&N: link
Chapters: link
Indiebound: link

Sherri Browning writes historical and contemporary romance fiction, sometimes with a paranormal twist. She is the author of critically acclaimed classic mash-ups Jane Slayreand Grave Expectations. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Sherri has lived in western Massachusetts and Greater Detroit Michigan, but is now settled with her family in Simsbury, Connecticut. Find her online at sherribrowningerwin.com.



An Excerpt:

“The countess enjoys a bit of matchmaking. Before you came along, she tried to pair me with her maid.”

“Mrs. Jenks?” Alice wrinkled her nose at the idea. Jenks was a mousy slip of a woman, no match for a robust, vigorous man like Winthrop.

“No, the one before her. Mrs. Bowles.”

“Dear, no.” Worse than Jenks, Bowles was a snip-nosed shrew and certainly far too old for Mr. Winthrop. “I’m sorry. Sophia clearly has no talent for making matches.”

“Perhaps not. You were wise to run away instead of sitting through another conversation about yet another bachelor. I don’t blame you a bit.”

“You—you don’t?” Ah, a man of sense. She knew she could rely on his sound judgment, at least. And she appreciated it, though it would make seducing him more of a challenge.

“Any pretty girl in her right mind dreams of a dashing suitor to sweep her away, doesn’t she? Alas, Lady Averford’s only suitable choice for you so far had eyes for another.”

“Captain Thorne.” Alice rolled her eyes. “He’s better off with Eve Kendal. They’re perfectly suited. I didn’t care for him much myself, if you must know.”

“I mustn’t.” He shrugged. “It’s none of my affair.”

Alice bit the inside of her cheek. How she wanted it to be his affair. “There isn’t a suitable choice. I’ll never marry.”

“Don’t despair, Lady Alice. There’s someone out there for you. Your sister simply hasn’t found him yet.”

“It’s not despair.” Defensive, she crossed her arms. “I’ve no interest in marriage. None.”

His eyes narrowed as if he tried to peer inside her soul. “I shouldn’t have said anything. You might like Lord Brumley. I must go.”

“No.” She reached out, eager to stop him, and ended up with her hand on his sleeve, over the thick muscles of his upper arm that she had seen in full daylight, bared to the sun, when he’d removed his coat, undid his collar, and rolled up his sleeves while out raking the early autumn leaves. “Please, tell me about Brumley. You know him?”

His gaze went to her hand and trailed back to her face. “We were at Harrow together. I believe he made Lord Averford’s acquaintance later, at Oxford. He might have changed considerably in so many years.”

“Fourteen years?” She did the math. “If you’re the same age as the earl, then it has been fourteen years since you were at Harrow.”

“In fourteen years, a man can go through remarkable changes in his life.” His full lips drew to a grim line. “In our youth, Brumley was a bit of an oaf. To be fair, I’ve no idea what kind of man he has become.”

“I suppose we’re about to find out. Sophia is probably already making out the invitation. But just in case, our mission should be to see the lemon trees replanted and thriving as soon as possible to send him on his way.” Our mission. She liked the idea of them sharing in something. It was a start.

“Agreed, Lady Alice, on that point. I’m not looking forward to seeing the man any more than you are, I suspect. Perhaps much less.”

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Check out my pictures from the Downton Abbey Costume Exhibition at the Winterthur Museum at this link.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Aloha to Sherri Browning and THORNBROOK PARK - Book Review

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I featured Sherri Browning earlier this month (link) to celebrate the release of THORNBROOK PARK:

Fans of Downton Abbey will adore this brand-new Edwardian-period romance series set at the grand estate of Thornbrook Park, seat of the Earl of Averford.

In a world poised for epic change...

Disowned for marrying beneath her, Eve Kendal has returned to England destitute after her husband's death and the mysterious disappearance of their savings. She's looking for survival, not romance. But from London to the Yorkshire countryside to the elegant estate of Thornbrook Park, Eve's path seems destined to cross that of the dashing but violent Captain Marcus Thorne.

Anything can happen

For Marcus, a return home means facing the demons that drove him to war in the first place. As he and Eve begin a steamy affair, tensions that had been simmering just beneath the surface threaten to explode and shake the very foundations of Thornbrook Park.

Praise for Sherri Browning:

"Browning gives the reader a most beguiling story and a classic plotline while capturing the atmosphere of the era." —RT Book Reviews

The 1908 Olympics in London - the games are referenced as a
"sign of the modern times" in THORNBROOK PARK.
Image released to Public Domain.

“First electricity, now telephones. Sometimes I feel as if I’m living in an H.G. Wells novel.” - Lady Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham

Given the current fever for DOWNTON ABBEY, it is inevitable to compare THORNBROOK PARK to the Edwardian drama.  THORNBROOK PARK delivers the enticing elements:  an aristocratic home tucked away in the country; a titled family embracing the modern era; and the emotional baggage from distant wars.   As much as I enjoy DOWNTON ABBEY, each episode tends to abruptly resolve one plot line and launch another.  In contrast, Browning's writing flows effortlessly as she introduce the denizens of THORNBROOK PARK, the ancestral home of the Earl of Averford. 


The hero, Marcus Thorne, is the earl's younger brother who bought an Army commission like most second sons.  He returns home from South Africa grieving that that his fellow officer, with a family, died while he lived.  Marcus seeks to provide for the family beyond his military pension. To do so, he must reconcile with his older brother, Gabriel.

Marcus considers courting Lady Alice to secure a new home for his comrade's family.  Alice is the younger sister of Lady Sophia, Gabriel's wife.  Such a match would make Sophia happy.  If Sophia is happy, then Gabriel is happy.  If Gabriel is happy, he might lease an estate farm to the struggling family, allowing Marcus to fulfill his battlefield promise.   But fate intervenes and delivers Mrs. Eve Kendall to Thornbrook Park.  Returning from India as an Army Widow, she seeks refuge with her childhood friend, Lady Sophia, until she can secure her husband's investments.   Eve is ready to embrace the independence that such savings would offer.  Yet she finds herself attracted to Marcus although he is intended for another. 

Browning successfully balances the celebrated pomp of historical romance with the looming changes to this structured society.  The budding romance between Marcus and Eve is sweet and passionate as they help each other recover from war's wounds.  Browning adds a mystery surrounding Eve's investments which brings hero and heroine closer to understanding that they have a future together.

I received an ARC from Sourcebooks for an honest review.

King Edward VII
Public Domain

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash, stocked with other Sourcebooks titles, to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about the Edwardian Era - what would be exciting (or frightening) about the turn of the 20th century?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 5, 10 pm in Baltimore. 

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Sherri Browning and her books at sherribrowningerwin.com.

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