I have a special place in my heart for Kieran Kramer. I recall picking up one of her bookmarks at RWA 2011 in Orlando. I sent her an email to praise the artwork and book title. Kieran responded back, noting her connection to the Navy. She has generously supported the SOS Military Tribute at the RT Booklovers' Conventions ... and she writes entertaining historicals!
Today Kieran is my guest as part of the SAY YES TO THE DUKE blog tour ...
FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT SAY YES TO THE DUKE
1) There’s a stove house in the story. It’s where the duke’s old servant cultivates orchids. Orchids were not a big cultural trend at the time—that came later, during the Victorian age. But there were definitely stove houses in England in which hobbyists attempted to grow them during the Regency period. It was a very difficult undertaking, attempting to create an environment in which the flowers could flourish. Many times, the orchid ventures failed.
2) There’s a mama dog and her puppies in this book. For accuracy’s sake, I had to find out exactly when puppy eyes open after birth. That was fun, looking into puppy development!
3) The setting is winter in a country setting. The snow kept everyone there for a while. I wanted to make sure my heroine couldn’t escape the uncomfortable circumstances she found herself in at the ducal manor. And I wanted her separated from her family and friends at home.
4) I took the inspiration for the heroine Janice from the character Jan Brady, the middle sister in The Brady Bunch TV series. Like Jan, Janice is also a middle sister, wedged between a stunning older sister and an adorable younger one. She’ll discover herself on her own terms in the story.
5) I found Luke’s inspiration in both Rhett Butler and Indiana Jones. I wanted a hero who had a sense of humor, who didn’t take himself very seriously, but who had a deep streak of romance in him.
1) There’s a stove house in the story. It’s where the duke’s old servant cultivates orchids. Orchids were not a big cultural trend at the time—that came later, during the Victorian age. But there were definitely stove houses in England in which hobbyists attempted to grow them during the Regency period. It was a very difficult undertaking, attempting to create an environment in which the flowers could flourish. Many times, the orchid ventures failed.
2) There’s a mama dog and her puppies in this book. For accuracy’s sake, I had to find out exactly when puppy eyes open after birth. That was fun, looking into puppy development!
3) The setting is winter in a country setting. The snow kept everyone there for a while. I wanted to make sure my heroine couldn’t escape the uncomfortable circumstances she found herself in at the ducal manor. And I wanted her separated from her family and friends at home.
4) I took the inspiration for the heroine Janice from the character Jan Brady, the middle sister in The Brady Bunch TV series. Like Jan, Janice is also a middle sister, wedged between a stunning older sister and an adorable younger one. She’ll discover herself on her own terms in the story.
5) I found Luke’s inspiration in both Rhett Butler and Indiana Jones. I wanted a hero who had a sense of humor, who didn’t take himself very seriously, but who had a deep streak of romance in him.
About Kieran:
Double Rita®-finalist and USA Today bestseller Kieran Kramer writes Regency historical romances and now contemporary romance for St. Martin’s Press. THE EARL IS MINE, the second in her House of Brady series, is her latest release. SAY YES TO THE DUKE premiers in August 2013. SWEET TALK ME, set in present-day South Carolina, comes out in March 2014. A former CIA employee, journalist, and English teacher, Kieran’s also a game show veteran, karaoke enthusiast, and general adventurer. She lives where she grew up--in the Lowcountry of South Carolina--with her Naval Reserve commander husband and their three children.
Links:
Author Site: www.kierankramerbooks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KieranKramer1
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kierankramer
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/3452785.Kieran_Kramer
Pinterest: pinterest.com/kierankramer
Group blog of writer moms: peanutbutteronthekeyboard.wordpress.com
CAN A SCANDALOUS BEGINNING ....
Janice Sherwood wants to marry for love, but she’s failed to make a match after two Seasons. Her parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Brady, arrange to send her to the Duke of Halsey’s country estate as a short-term guest of his grandmother, the dowager, in hopes that she might win the duke’s affections. What they never could have imagined is that Janice would fall for the ruggedly handsome servant Luke, who lives in the stables and carries an air of mystery and temptation.
LEAD TO A FAIRY-TALE ENDING?
When Luke Callahan learns that he is the legitimate heir to a dukedom, he will stop at nothing to claim what is his. But first, he must begin a game of disguise to secure his rightful inheritance. Janice isn’t part of his plan. But by engaging her in this dance of deception, might he lose her forever?
LEAD TO A FAIRY-TALE ENDING?
When Luke Callahan learns that he is the legitimate heir to a dukedom, he will stop at nothing to claim what is his. But first, he must begin a game of disguise to secure his rightful inheritance. Janice isn’t part of his plan. But by engaging her in this dance of deception, might he lose her forever?
Raves and Reviews for SAY YES TO THE DUKE
“Kramer’s gift is her innate ability to tell a story with unerring honesty, deep emotion and humor. Readers will laugh, cry and deeply sigh from beginning to end of this beautifully told, enchanting love story.” —4 1/2 stars RT Book Reviews Top Pick!
“The third book in Kramer’s “House of Brady” series offers everything this author’s fans have come to expect including a sinfully sexy romance between two perfectly matched protagonists, a richly amusing cast of unconventional secondary characters, and a lively plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously.” —Booklist
Buy Links:
Amazon: link
“Kramer’s gift is her innate ability to tell a story with unerring honesty, deep emotion and humor. Readers will laugh, cry and deeply sigh from beginning to end of this beautifully told, enchanting love story.” —4 1/2 stars RT Book Reviews Top Pick!
“The third book in Kramer’s “House of Brady” series offers everything this author’s fans have come to expect including a sinfully sexy romance between two perfectly matched protagonists, a richly amusing cast of unconventional secondary characters, and a lively plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously.” —Booklist
Buy Links:
Amazon: link
B&N: link
Indiebound: link
Book Depository: link
Books-A-Million: link
SAY YES TO THE DUKE Excerpt: link
More about the book: link
Kieran is giving away the following to one(1) lucky reader (US only)
● A Harlequin tote bag
● A Heroes and Heartbreakers tote bag
● THE EARL IS MINE by Kieran Kramer
● MIDNIGHT SPECIAL and COMING ON STRONG, (two novels in one) by Tawny Weber
● DANGEROUS REFUGE by Elizabeth Lowell (hardcover)
● THE MARRIAGE MERGER by Jennifer Probst
● IT HAD TO BE YOU by Jill Shalvis
● LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell
● DON'T CRY FOR ME by Sharon Sala
● THE LAST VICTIM by Karen Robards
● WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES by Sabrina Jeffries
● THE ARRANGEMENT by Mary Balogh
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August 19-
Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance
August 20-
The Romance Dish
August 21-
Ramblings From This Chick
August 22-
Romance Writer’s Revenge
August 23-
Jaunty Quills
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August 26-
Get Lost In A Story
August 27-
Herding Cats and Burning Soup
August 28-
Cocktails and Books
August 29-
SOS Aloha
August 30-
Urban Girl Reader
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Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City
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| Kieran (right) with Cathy Maxwell at the SOS Military Mixer RT 2012 in Chicago |
