Maggi Andersen's Blog, page 62

I'm beginning my Virtual Blog Tour for A Baron in Her Bed with a great review!

REVIEW
AMAZON

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.

REVIEW - A REGIMENTAL MURDER (Captain Lacey Regency mysteries)

AUTHOR; ASHLEY GARDNER GENRE: REGENCY MYSTERYPUBLISHER: JA / AG Publishing
Print Length: 260 pagesHeat level: 1 star Review by Maggi
Publisher's blurb:London 1816

Returning home through a sticky London night in July 1816, Captain Gabriel Lacey is surprised to spy a well-dressed, elegant woman stride to the middle of an unfinished bridge. Following her in curiosity, Lacey is on hand to rescue her from an attack by a footpad. As grateful as she is for the help, the lady refuses to give her name and direction, and so Lacey takes her to his own rooms in a street off Covent Garden to rest.

He discovers that she is one Lydia Westin, wife of Colonel Roehampton Westin, who has recently been accused of murdering an English officer in Portugal during the Peninsular War. Before he could come to trial, however, Colonel Westin was found dead at the foot of the staircase in his own house.

Lydia Westin, to Lacey's surprise, declares he was murdered and that she knows the culprits' identities. Intrigued, Lacey begins to investigate, and soon finds himself mired in scandals past and present, with a journalist dogging his footsteps, eager to print Lacey's latest adventure.

Lacey also becomes embroiled with Lydia, a lady with many secrets, and with James Denis, who continues his quest to bring Lacey under his thumb.

Lucius Grenville returns in this installment, the rich man-about-town who has become Lacey's sidekick. The story also contains the first appearance of Lady Breckenridge.

Book 2 of the Captain Lacey Regency mysteries. For fans of Anne Perry, Kate Ross, and C.S. Harris. This is a full-length novel.come to trial, however, Colonel Westin was found dead at the foot of the staircase in his own house.

Lydia Westin, to Lacey's surprise, declares he was murdered and that she knows the culprits' identities. Intrigued, Lacey begins to investigate, and soon finds himself mired in scandals past and present, with a journalist dogging his footsteps, eager to print Lacey's latest adventure.

Lacey also becomes embroiled with Lydia, a lady with many secrets, and with James Denis, who continues his quest to bring Lacey under his thumb.

Lucius Grenville returns in this installment, the rich man-about-town who has become Lacey's sidekick. The story also contains the first appearance of Lady Breckenridge.

Book 2 of the Captain Lacey Regency mysteries. For fans of Anne Perry, Kate Ross, and C.S. Harris. This is a full-length novel.

Review: Captivated by the writing skills and knowledge of the era that Ashley Gardner exhibited in her first novel of this series, I've been following it with utter delight! I read this one out of context, but that didn't spoil it for me.
 Captain Gabriel Lacey, the wounded hero from "The Hanover Square Affair" is back again to solve a new murder and right a dead man's lost honour. He's a very well drawn character, suffering from what he describes as melancholy, and with a painful knee badly injured in the Napoleonic war in Spain. There's an interesting story behind that too!
 Unable to sleep one night, Captain Gabriel Lacey walks the streets. He finds himself rescuing a lady when she's attacked by a beggar. Something about this sad and desperate beauty touches a cord in Captain Lacey, and he gallantly responds to her plea for help.  Mrs. Lydia Westin, is the widow of Colonel Westin, who has been accused of murdering Captain Algernon Spenser during the rioting at Badajoz in Spain in 1812. Four years later, for some unknown reason, Colonel Westin confesses to the crime. But his wife is positive she knows her husband too well to believe he did commit the murder. Why he did it and who killed him, is up to Captain Lacey to find out.
All the books I have read are clever, intriguing and compelling, and this one is no different. I thought the mystery plot excellent. The characters exceedingly well-drawn. England and especially London, is a dark place where evil lurks at every turn and Gardner maintains that air of suspense and intrigue right to the end. No happy ending here for Captain Lacey, but one hopes that in the future, the poverty stricken anguished hero (and an attractive one at that - honest and moral, passionate, strong, a little reckless), will find happiness. Who can resist such a hero? I couldn't! Every book in this series is a pleasure and joy to read. 
The e-book is very well priced at $ 1.99 at the time of reading.
Maggi Andersen Australian author of A Baron in Her Bed - The Spies of Mayfair Series, Book One.
http://www.maggiandersenauthor.com
Tags: Regency mystery, kindle book, Ashley Gardner, historical, dark mystery.

My next Book tour for A BARON IN HER BED begins on the 20th! Giveaways!!

A Baron in Her Bed- The Spies of Mayfair, Book One  BUY LINKS:  
AMAZON UK
AMAZON
KOBO

Follow my blog tour to win  a $20 Amazon Gift Card or a choice of two of my other Historical romances: Hostage to Fortune and The Reluctant Marquess.

March 20 Review KY Bunnies Blog http://www.blog.kybunnies.com/
March 22 Review My Reading Obsession  http://4myreadingobsession.blogspot.com/March 25 Interview  S.J. Maylee  http://SJMaylee.comMarch 28 Review Lynnareynolds http://lynnareynolds.wordpress.com/April 1 Interview My World   www.xxxxmyworldxxxx.blogspot.com
April 2 Interview "A Writer's Thoughts" http://kathrynrblake.blogspot.com
April 4 SnifferWalk  Review  http://snifferwalk.com
April 5 Interview   Grinelda Markowitz Erotic Writing    http://grineldamarkowitz.wordpress.com/

Release Day! WITH MURDEROUS INTENT

AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
BARNES & NOBLE
KOBO

She fled Ireland because her life was in danger, now her troubles are worse…

To escape a deadly stalker, Caitlin Fitzgerald flees her home in Ireland and takes a governess job in the top end of Australia. In her chosen safe haven, she has poisonous snakes, spiders, and crocodiles to contend with. And the very handsome and moody station owner, Jake Monterey, to keep her awake at night. But not only is Caitlin at risk of losing her heart to Jake and his two adorable children, the danger she thought she’d left behind has found her again. Has she unwittingly placed the lives of those she loves in jeopardy?

Excerpt:


Dublin, Ireland:
I n ten hours she would leave Ireland, possibly forever. Caitlin Fitzgerald eased her stiff shoulders and stirred the froth in her coffee with a spoon. The café was overheated, the air stuffy with the scents of the overdressed crowd, sheltering from the weather. A heavy downpour reduced the view through the window to a blur of moving shapes.Caitlin’s best friend, Rebecca Dunton, a teacher at the school where Caitlin had taught until last week, furled her umbrella as she entered through the door, her short brown hair curling damply around her face.She ordered a drink at the counter and came and sat down.“It’s bad news,” she said without preamble.Caitlin huffed out a breath. Somehow she’d convinced herself there was nothing seriously wrong with Becky. “Tell me.”“It’s breast cancer.”“Oh my God, Becky!” Caitlin leapt up to hug her. “They’re sure?”Becky nodded and, with a shaky hand, picked up the coffee cup just delivered to the table. “They plan to remove the lump. I go into the hospital next week.”“I can’t leave now. I’ll cancel.”Becky slammed the cup down, spilling froth onto the table. She reached over the table and grabbed Caitlin’s hand. “You will go. You must.”“But you need support through this.” Caitlin swiped away a tear. “I want to be here for you.”Becky adjusted her glasses with a finger, a gesture so familiar it tore at Caitlin’s heart. “No, my sweet. You will go as planned. You know you can’t stay here.”“But—”“If you stayed in Dublin, I’d be worried about you the whole time. Now that wouldn’t be good for me, would it?”“I guess not,” Caitlin said doubtfully.“Good, then it’s settled. We’ll keep in touch.”“I believe there’s some mobile reception there, although it’s unreliable. I’ll ring you every day.”“You won’t. It would cost you a king’s ransom. Text me whenever you can.”“You can believe it. I’m there at the end of the phone, anytime you want to talk.”Becky gave a wan smile. “I know you will be, Cat. And God bless you for it. But I won’t relax until you’re on that plane and safe.”

Reviews of WITH MURDEROUS INTENT published 16th March!

Two reviews have come in for my romantic suspense novel published in 8 days. TAYLOR JONES SAYS: With Murderous Intent is suspense/thriller by Maggi Andersen. Much like her first book, Murder in Devon, the story is well-written and intense. The story revolves around Caitlin, who flees her home in Ireland to escape her stalker ex-boyfriend, Max. Caitlin runs to Australia and takes a job as a governess for two adorable children on a cattle station in the Outback.Caitlin quickly falls in love with the two children, and sadly with her boss, the children’s widowed hunk of a father, Jake. Unfortunately, Jake is engaged to a woman, who not only doesn’t like his kids, she doesn’t like the Outback. And she certainly doesn’t like the competition that Caitlin represents. But just as Caitlin adjusts to all of the problems and obstacles her new life throws at her, Max shows up in Australia.Andersen tells a chilling tale, one with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you reading through dinner. And bedtime. Truth be told, I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading it. I’m giving With Murderous Intent 4.6 stars.
REGAN MURPHY SAYS: Finally a book about Australia. I love reading about Australia, yet there seem to be so few novels out there about it. Even ones written by Australian authors are about other countries besides Australia. A case in point, Maggi Andersen’s last book Murder in Devon was about England rather than Australia. So I was extremely pleased to get a chance to review With Murderous Intent. Andersen’s descriptions of the Australian Outback are wonderful. Made me feel like I’ve been there. And her characterizations are equally impressive. I didn’t have a single moment when I shook my head and said, “Oh come on, he wouldn’t do that.” And for me that is rare. Even the plot was totally believable. It really kept me on my toes. I give the book 4.7 stars.Cheers,Maggihttp://www.maggiandersenauthor.com

Anne Brear's new book!

Anne Brear always delivers a tale to tug at the heart-strings and this is no exception.

The Day Embroidered blurb:1899. A life altering event led Catrina Davies to hide from her family and society. Alone in The Highlands she exists in a lonely world cared for only by her saviour, a kind old gentleman. When she receives a surprise visitor, Travis Millard, the man she used to love, her head and heart are thrown into turmoil. Travis is determined to save her from this poor life and return her to her family where she belongs. No one is more surprised than he when she agrees to marry him. When Catrina arrives back at her family estate, Davmoor Court in Yorkshire, she is stunned to see the changes. While her father clings to life, Davmoor is nearly ruined by her brother's gambling obsession, and there is something strange about his new wife. As Catrina adjusts to her regained position in society and being with Travis, her marriage comes under attack from Travis's grandmother, who has her own secrets and reason for loathing the Davies family. When one of her brother's adversaries comes to stake his claim on the estate, the resulting chaos threatens not only Catrina's home, but the very lives of those she loves the most. Can she find the strength to fight once more for the right to be happy?
Available in ebook or paperback:Amazon USA and Amazon UK and at The Book Depository, which always has good deals and free postage around the world. It's my favourite place to book shop! It currently has 25% off my books, including The Day Embroidered! Good value.http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=anne+brear&search=Find+book 
 

Book Tour for A Baron in Her Bed - The Spies of Mayfair

The stops on my virtual book tour! Prizes to be won!


March 4:  The Book Maven
March 5:  Reader Girls
March 6:  Christy McKee Writes for Women in the Sweet Spot of Life
March 7:  Ramblings From This Chick
March 8:  Cathie Dunn writes
March 8:  STOP 2  It's Raining Books
March 11:  Love Saves the World
March 11:  Reviews by Molly
March 12:  Rachel Brimble Romance
March 13:  Samantha Holt
March 14:  Queen of the Night Reviews
March 15:  Christine Young Romance Writer
March 15:  STOP 2  Welcome to My World of Dreams

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR FOR A BARON IN HER BED HAS BEGUN!

Guy, Lord Fortescue and Miss Horatia Cavendish invite you to attend the virtual blog tour for A Baron in Her Bed,  published in print and e-book on Wednesday! Join me and comment. Prizes to be won! First stop:  THE BOOK MAVIN
AMAZON BUY LINKKNOX ROBINSON PUBLISHING   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. When Guy is set upon in London, a stranger, Lord Strathairn, rescues and befriends him. But while traveling to his country estate, Guy is again attacked. Guy suspects his relative, Eustace Fennimore, is behind the attacks on his life. Horatia refuses to believe her godfather, Eustace, is responsible. 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 fiancé, who has proven more than willing to play the part of her lover even as he resists her attempts to save him.


 EXCERPT
At least two hours had passed before Horatia guided the horse back towards the road. Distracted by her thoughts, she had ridden farther than she intended. A glance at the skies told her the storm bank was almost upon them.
They would have to take their chances and return by the road. She urged The General into a gallop.
They came to the road that led to Malforth Manor but were still some miles away. She would be lucky to reach home before the storm hit. She eased the horse into a trot as they approached a sharp bend in the road, the way ahead hidden by a stand of oaks. Once round the corner, she gasped and pulled the horse up hard.
A body lay in the road.
Highwaymen tried this ruse she’d heard. She edged her horse closer.
With a quick search of the landscape, she saw a horse disappear over a hill with its reins trailing. She dismounted and approached the man with caution. Barely a leaf stirred. It was oddly still, and the air seemed hushed and quiet as death before the coming storm. It matched her mood as she stood wondering what to do about the problem before her.
The man sprawled on his side. Judging by his clothes, he was a gentleman. Beneath his multi-caped greatcoat his brown coat revealed the skill of the tailor. His cream double-breasted waistcoat was of very fine silk. Long legs were encased in tight-fitting buff-colored suede pantaloons. His mud-splattered top boots showed evidence of loving care.
He moaned.
Horatia knelt beside him and grasped his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
When he didn’t answer, she struggled to roll him onto his back. A nasty gash trickled blood over his forehead where a bruise would surely form.
The man’s dark hair was sticky with blood. “Can you hear me, sir?” His eyelids fluttered. She shouldn’t stare at him while he remained unconscious, but she couldn’t draw her eyes away. He had remarkable cheekbones. His dark looks reminded her of Lord Byron. More rugged perhaps, but an undeniably handsome face, his skin more swarthy than one usually saw in an English winter. There was a dimple in his chin and a hint of shadow darkened his strong jaw line. She gingerly picked up his wrist and peeled back the soft leather glove, glad to find his pulse strong. An expensive gold watch had fallen from his pocket. So, he hadn’t been robbed. It must have been an accident. She looked around for some sign of what had happened but could see nothing.
A gust of chill wind made her shiver, and she glanced up at the sky. Ashgrey snow clouds now hovered overhead. “I have to move you, sir.”
Horatia stood and looked around. The road ran along the boundary of the Fortescue estate. Over the hill among the trees was a tiny hunting lodge.
She’d passed it many times when she roamed the woods, although she hadn’t been there for years. Her godfather, Eustace, lived for a part of the year in the Fortescue mansion, but it was some distance away and the snow had begun to fall.
It was by far the closest shelter, but trying to get the motionless man onto a horse unaided would be impossible. She sighed. That was not an option.
Horatia looked back at him. He was large, tall, and broad shouldered.
How on earth could she move him? And what would she do with him if she did? She looked up and down the deserted road with the hope that someone–preferably someone with big, strong arms–would appear to help her, and yet, she dreaded to be found in this invidious position. This was a quiet back road; most folk preferred the more direct route, so she couldn’t expect to be rescued soon.
She wondered if she should drag him under a tree and ride for help. As she considered this, the snow grew heavier. It settled over the ground and the prone man and touched her face like icy fingers. She couldn’t leave him out in the open, prey to the elements while she went for help. In bad weather it would take ages to ride to Digswell village. By the time she located the apothecary and brought him here, the man would be near death. Somehow she had to move him off the road and under shelter, although in the dead of winter, there was little to be had.
Horatia bent down, wrapped his limp arm around her shoulders, and caught a whiff of expensive bergamot. She took hold of his firm waist and tried to pull him towards the trees, but he was too heavy. She eased him down again.
Horatia pulled off her coat and shuddered at the cold. She tucked it around him. The snow had begun to fall in earnest, and worse, the prospect of a blizzard loomed. The wind gathered force. It stirred the tops of the trees around them and whipped the snowflakes into chaotic spirals of white.
Panic forced her to act. She took hold of the man’s arms and tried again to drag him. In small spurts she edged him closer to the scant shelter of the nearest tree, an oak whose dead leaves remained, curled and brown. Forced to pause, she took several deep breaths. He was quite a weight. She broke into a sweat despite the absence of her coat and the frigid air.
Horatia was severely winded and gasping by the time she reached the tree. It was a victory of sorts but afforded very little protection. She propped him against the trunk.
His eyelids rose. Startling pale blue eyes stared uncomprehendingly into hers.

Regency Spies - James Bond - The Secret Service and Romance!

Domestic secret service in Britain has a long pedigree, but I find the history surrounding spies operating in the Napoleonic Wars and later during the Regency era,  fascinating. Spies feature in several of my romances.


Ian Fleming's fictional character, James Bond, a suave, charming and handsome spy, survived dangers which were in some instances hardly more amazing than some of his predecessors during the Peninsular War. Spies during the Napoleonic Wars were professors, poets, diplomats and MP's. They lived double lives shrouded in mystery. While Sidmouth's spies often came from far humbler origins. Viscount Sidmouth was made Home Secretary in 1812. He countered revolutionary opposition, being responsible for the temporary suspense of habeas corpus in 1817 and the passage of the Six Acts in 1819. His tenure also saw the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. Sidmouth's spies often recruited themselves and the information they supplied wasn't always reliable. The system lacked structure and the government acted on false information at times. Even though it lacked sophistication, it was a framework the government continued to build upon.

The informers and intelligence gathers working for Wellington  were not always treated well. Wellington soon realized that the French outnumbered his forces. In a war such as the Peninsular War, communication was difficult. A general could be ignorant of a battle taking place only forty miles away. He therefore needed to have as much advance information as possible and he developed a network of intelligence officers and local spies. He valued both strategic information, gathered by the interception of enemy letters, and tactical intelligence, gathered by men in the field such as ‘exploring officers’.

LOVE AND WARIn LOVE AND WAR, my hero, Gyles Devereaux, the Earl of Halcrow has just returned to England from fighting in Spain. His spymaster was George Scovell, the chief codebreaker for the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War of 1808-1814. Scovell, a gifted linguist, developed a system of military communications and intelligence gathering for the British that intercepted French letters and dispatches to and from the battlefield, and cracked their code.

Under Wellington’s command, codebreaking and intelligence gathering played an important role in British victories such as Oporto (1809), Salamanca (1812) and Vittoria (1813). But Wellington's dismissive treatment of his spies, placed Gyles life in danger.

It is to Scovell that Lady Selena turns when her mysterious husband, Lord Gyles disappears again. And, unwittingly, she places him in great danger.

STIRRING PASSIONSIn my novella, STIRRING PASSIONS, Miss Katherine Kilgarth finds herself in danger when she attempts to solve the mystery surrounding  Broughton Hall. 









Exploring officers in Wellington’s army were under the command of the Quartermaster General. They operated on their own or with one or two local guides. Their task was to collect first-hand tactical intelligence by riding to enemy positions, observing and noting movements and making sketch maps of uncharted land. It was a dangerous job and they had to be fit, good horsemen, and ready to escape at any moment.

Three men served in Wellington's army, one English, two Scotsmen, strikingly different in character. They each left first-hand accounts:

Loquacious and known to be pompous, Sir Andrew Leith-Hay, inherited the estate of Rannes from a relative. He joined the army as an ensign in the 72nd Foot on 8 January 1806 and went to the Peninsular in 1808 as aide-de-camp to his uncle, General Sir James Leith, and saw action at Corunna and the storming of San Sebastian.  Where cameras were still unknown, he gathered intelligence and provided sketches of both landscapes and towns. His keen eye for detail in his drawings and written descriptions are found in his two volumes entitled Narrative of the Peninsular War published in 1831.

The quiet and reserved Colquhoun Grant also came from north-east of Scotland, and was one of the Duke of Wellington’s most famous intelligence officers, he was extremely clever and had a quick ear for languages, but he never thought of himself as a spy. In the nineteenth century spying was still considered an underhand and dishonest way of warfare. To brand Grant a spy would have been to cast doubt on his status as an officer and a gentleman.

Impetuous and courageous, Charles Cocks, was born with the proverbial "silver spoon in his mouth" as the scion of a noble family - his father was the second Lord Somers. Tall and handsome, and with all the advantages of wealth, he could have had a political career, but his ambition lay in reaching the heights of his profession in the army. 

Wellington relied upon these spies to bring him: positions of the enemy, estimations of troop movements, the number of soldiers, both infantry and cavalry, the number and size of his guns, and above all the directions and the state of the roads on which they were to travel. 


AMAZON US Print & e-book released March 6th.
In A BARON IN HER BED - THE SPIES OF MAYFAIR SERIES, Book One, Guy Truesdale, Baron Fortescue is a reluctant spy, thrown into a dangerous situation, driven by the desire to help the government of his newly adopted country.

In Book Two, TAMING A GENTLEMAN SPY, John Haldane, Earl of Strathairn returns from the war to continue working as a military spy during peace time. He is thrown into the midst of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester.
Source: Wellington's Spies, March McGrigor
The National Archives 
PLOTS AND PARANOIA, Bernard Porter.
Wikipedia
More coming: Spies during peacetime. 

Another good review for The Folly at Falconbridge Hall

Score: 4.00 / 5

The Folly at Falconbridge Hall by Maggi Andersen is a satisfying historical romance with characters that you can’t help but care about. The pace of the novel builds slowly and the mystery simmers in the background throughout. The governess heroine, Vanessa Ashley, is a particularly admirable character who acts sensibly and comes to truly care for her charge, Blythe, who is another memorable character. If you like your romance with a relationship that builds gradually between heroine and hero—a slow burn rather than a raging fire—then you will enjoy this story. In some ways, the mystery didn’t feel essential to the novel, but it was an element that made many of the characters even more interesting and vital, as they were cast under the shadow of suspicion.
When Vanessa Ashley takes on her role as governess to Lord Falconbridge’s daughter, she finds more than she bargained for at Falconbridge Hall. Secrets and questions abound related to the death of Julian, Lord Falconbridge’s, wife and the hasty departure of the previous governess. Lord Falconbridge himself is also mysterious, at times surprisingly demanding and other times a doting father to his daughter, Blythe. When Julian departs on one of his foreign expeditions, Vanessa acknowledges her growing affection for him, but she is left to uncover the mystery of Falconbridge Hall alone in order to protect herself, Blythe, and their future as a family.

Happy Reading,

Christy Carlyle

The Night Owl Reviews Team
WEtap Media, LLC
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