Erica Ridley's Blog, page 21
April 13, 2017
PreOrder Super Sale @lovekissedbooks @thenicknick
April Preorder Super Sale & Giveaway! Enter to win from 4/1-4/30 at:
http://lovekissedbookbargains.com/preorder-super-sale-giveaway/
The post PreOrder Super Sale @lovekissedbooks @thenicknick appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
April 12, 2017
Spring Romance Giveaway via @suzannejenkins3
Suzanne Jenkins has put together a Spring collection of free romance!
suzannejenkins.com/spring-romance-giveaway
The post Spring Romance Giveaway via @suzannejenkins3 appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
April 11, 2017
New Release: Lord of Chance
It’s release day for Lord of Chance!
Disguised as a country miss, Charlotte Devon flees London, desperate to leave her tattered reputation behind. In Scotland, her estranged father’s noble blood will finally make her a respectable debutante. Except she finds herself accidentally wed to a devil-may-care rogue with a sinful smile. He’s the last thing she needs…and everything her traitorous heart desires.
Charming rake Anthony Fairfax is on holiday to seek his fortune…and escape his creditors. When an irresistible Lady Luck wins him in a game of chance—and a slight mishap has them leg-shackled by dawn—the tables have finally turned in his favor. But when past demons catch up to them, holding on to new love will mean destroying their dreams forever.
In Rogues to Riches, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Lovable rogues sweep five strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind rags-to-riches romance with rollicking adventure.
Amazon Kindle | Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble Nook | Kobo | Google Play
The post New Release: Lord of Chance appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
April 6, 2017
Throwback Thursday: Napoleon’s Engagement Ring with K. C. Bateman @katebateman
Today, I’m thrilled to have K. C. Bateman here on the blog, sharing a fabulous historical tidbit with us!
Napoleon’s Engagement Ring
The importance of story (and history!)
Before I began writing Historical romances, I spent fifteen years as an antiques and fine art appraiser in the UK, and in both professions the idea of story is extremely important. In the antiques trade the history behind an object is the ‘provenance,’ and as an auctioneer I’d encourage vendors to tell me as much as possible about a piece. An interesting history can drastically affect the price. Stories are powerful things.
This was perfectly illustrated in an auction result I came across while researching my latest Napoleonic Regency, ‘A Raven’s Heart.’ An auction house in France was asked to sell a pretty two-stone diamond and sapphire ring. It wasn’t fancy. Each of the teardrop-shaped gems weighed just under a carat each, which gave it an estimated auction sale value of around $2,000, based on current market values for similar pieces of jewelry. So far, so ordinary.
But here’s where the story comes in. The vendors had evidence that this particular ring was none other than the engagement ring Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his Empress, Josephine de Beauharnais! Aware that this background would make it more appealing to collectors, the auctioneers set the pre-sale auction estimate at ten times the original valuation—$20,000—and crossed their fingers . . .
Can you guess how much it sold for? How much did the romance of that particular story add to two colored bits of rock and a thin sliver of shiny metal? It sold for $949,000, plus 25% buyer’s commission! That’s over a million dollars!
So I’m firmly convinced of the power and importance of story. As an auctioneer, I hope an interesting provenance will help an item sell for more than the composite sum of its parts. And as an author, I hope that readers will find value in the stories and characters I create. Stories can transport us to new worlds, introduce us to new people, teach us things we didn’t know, and even make us fall in love. And what could be more powerful than that?
Tell us something fun about the relationship conflict.
A Raven’s Heart includes the classic ‘best friend’s little sister’ trope between the hero and the heroine. Watching Raven and Heloise’s love-hate relationship as they (unsuccessfully) try to fight their simmering attraction to one another is great fun!
One of the themes I play with in the book concerns internal and external scars. Heloise has a scar on her face which she believes makes her unattractive, whereas Raven’s scars are all on the inside. He thinks he’s too emotionally damaged to love. In this respect they’re opposites—and perfect for one another; they both see past the damage and find something to love underneath.
Where do you get your ideas?
Lots of my ideas come from real historical people, events, or things. For example, in one of my favorite scenes Raven lets slip how much he cares for Heloise by referring to the ancient Japanese art of Kinstukuroi. It’s the use of molten gold to repair damaged pottery, with the understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken and lovingly repaired. I thought that was such a romantic idea that I had to include it in a book! Ostensibly Raven’s discussing his mother’s favorite piece of porcelain, but we all know he’s really talking about Heloise.
Do you have favorite historical romance comfort reads?
Absolutely! My keeper shelf includes anything by Laura Kinsale, some Old Skool classics like Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels, Georgette Heyer’s These Old Shades and Devil’s Cub, As You Desire by Connie Brockway, Pride & Prejudice (of course!), Joanna Bourne, Anne Stuart . . . the list goes on!
A Raven’s Heart
When a bookish codebreaker and a dashing spy are reunited in this steamy historical romance, their lives depend on their ability to resist temptation. In the war against France, Heloise Hampden is a high-value asset to the Crown. Someone is trying to kill her for cracking the enemy’s codes, but it’s the agent assigned to protect Heloise who poses the greatest threat to her heart. . .William de l’Isle, Viscount Ravenwood.
Series Name: Secrets & Spies
Genre: Regency / Napoleonic Romance
Heat level: One or two love scenes
ISBN: 9780804181518
Grab your copy at:
Apple iBooks (iTunes/iPhone/iPad)
Amazon USA | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble Nook
Kobo
Google Play (Android)
$3.99 USD – $4.99 CAN – £3.99 GBP
Find K. C. Bateman at: Facebook | Twitter | Website
We want to hear from you!
In A Raven’s Heart I play with the idea that Raven and Heloise are like the Greek gods Hades and Persephone. It’s one of my favorite stories; darkness drawn to light. A shadowed Hades kidnaps an unwilling Persephone and takes her down to the Underworld, but the two end up falling in love and learning to compromise. If you could host a dinner party and include any mythological couple, who would you choose?
Leave a comment below!
The post Throwback Thursday: Napoleon’s Engagement Ring with K. C. Bateman @katebateman appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
April 3, 2017
Free Historical Romance + Giveaway via @lovekissedbooks @thenicknick
Love Kissed has put together a giveaway and a collection of free historical romances!
http://lovekissedhistorical.com/free-for-all/
The post Free Historical Romance + Giveaway via @lovekissedbooks @thenicknick appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
March 30, 2017
Free Books via @JPhilipHorne
J. Philip Horne has put together a great list of free books!
http://jphiliphorne.com/free-fiction/
The post Free Books via @JPhilipHorne appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
March 23, 2017
Historical Romance Giveaway via @lovebooksloveauthors
Love Books, Love Authors has a great roundup of historical romance books for you!
The post Historical Romance Giveaway via @lovebooksloveauthors appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
March 21, 2017
New Release – Romancing the Rogue
It’s release day for Romancing the Rogue!
When the new earl inherits, poor relation Miss Rebecca Bond must wed immediately or be out on her ear. The only man she’s ever loved is summoned to hear the will—but he already rejected her so soundly that they haven’t spoken in years. Yet who better than a rakish Viscount to teach her how to snare a gentleman who appreciates her charms?
Daniel Goodenham, Lord North Barrows, regrets nothing more than the lost friendship with the one woman who treated him like a man, not a title. Fate has given him the perfect pretext to win her forgiveness—even if it means having to matchmake her to someone else. But now that she’s back in his life, he’ll do anything to convince her to choose him instead…
Amazon Kindle | Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble Nook | Kobo | Google Play
Romancing the Rogue was first featured as part of the Vexed anthology.
The post New Release – Romancing the Rogue appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
March 20, 2017
“Buy the Box” Giveaway!
Check out the “Buy The Box” Super Sale & Giveaway!
Enter to win a FREE Kindle just for subscribing.
The post “Buy the Box” Giveaway! appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
March 19, 2017
Anniversary Giveaway: The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress!
Two years ago this month, The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress released!
Want to win a paperback??
Leave a comment below with one of your favorite stories about a mistress heroine or a military hero. I can’t wait to hear your choices!!
Grab the paperback or ebook here:
Amazon/Kindle | Apple/iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play
The post Anniversary Giveaway: The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress! appeared first on Erica Ridley, New York Times Bestselling Historical Romance Books.
