Melissa asked Erica Ridley:

What drew you to write a series of books about war heroes?

Erica Ridley Great question, Melissa! A lot of people (including me!) love military heroes. As a historical romance writer, I especially loved the idea of soldier coming home from war and doing his best to return to normal, when normal in his case means Regency England.

I asked myself: After years of marching and living in tents and killing enemy soldiers, do you care about the color of Beau Brummel’s waistcoat or whether the patronesses of Almack’s will grant you permission to waltz? How do you reconcile these two very different forms of survival?

With this series, I'm trying to show all sides of what it means to be soldier—the ones who feel they did the right thing, the ones who don't, the ones who didn't make it home with all their pieces intact (physically or emotionally), the ones who do make it home whole only to find out home is no longer how they left it.

I enjoy writing about strong men and women with difficult obstacles to overcome. Even (or especially!) when they don't realize that they've become their own worst enemy, and must learn to accept themselves and their past before they can find love and build a future.

I hope readers love the Dukes of War as much as I do!

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