Title: Georgian Romance Revolt
What a fun read! I'm all for Georgian romances in general, but what a fun book to sort of turn the genre all on its head! Elaine/Aurelia is our leading lady, and through a sort of twisted virtual reality, she's able to be the heroine who gets swept off her feet in a Georgian mystery caper that goes off the rails! Only the book isn't turning out like she remembers it should...or can she even remember how it's supposed to end? The characters are acting drastically out of sorts, and everyone's going off script so what is Elaine supposed to do and how can she escape?
When the character from one of Charlotte Cray’s novels appeared in her study, she knew him at once as the anti-hero from The Pledge.
He was half dressed, in his shirt sleeves and breeches, without a wig, with his black hair casually caught back in a queue. He brandished a ring like a weapon.
Even in her shock, she was pleased that he looked exactly as she had imagined him, tall, lean, dark and wickedly handsome, exactly as she had pictured Rinaldo Rinaldini.
As Charlotte put down her pen, blinking, she realised that she had no idea of what she had been writing.
“Curse it: I’ve taken too many of those pills. I suppose it had to happen sometime.” She decided to be philosophical and try to enjoy the hallucination.
Besides, she had a vague memory that it had happened once before. That vision had faded soon enough. It had been of one of her Golden and Cheerfully Reckless heroes, incongruously dressed in servants’ garb. She had been in a bad mood at the time, plagued by tax troubles, and had taken it out on the hallucination. She had said that seeing he was playing the role of lackey, he might as well do some chores for her. She couldn’t recall his reaction, though she thought that it had been engaging.
By contrast, the earl highwayman scowled at her. This, though typical of his arrogance, was a nerve in a figment of her imagination.
“Who the Devil are you, ma’am?” His sparkling black eyes scanned her disapprovingly, dwelling incredulously on her legs.
Although he didn’t exist, this was humiliating. She realised that a skirt a couple of inches above the knee, respectability itself for this era, with all the girls in miniskirts, was indecent by the standards of the eighteenth century. Yet it was absurd that her creation should have any independent notions about her dress or anything else.
She knew hallucinations to be one of the side effects of Maxidream. One person she’d heard of had imagined a voice coming from what she had termed ‘the toilet’. Charlotte had turned up her nose at the vulgar genteel term and the coarseness of such an illusion.
Now the ’Grande Dame of Georgian Romance’ answered as boldly as one of her heroines. “I see no reason why I should account for myself to one of my own characters.”
He drew back. “Your character?” His voice came as almost a groan. “Damn it, it cannot be true.”
“I am sorry to distress you, My Lord; pray take a seat while you collect yourself.” It was only polite to address him in language that he could understand. Still, she hoped that he would soon disappear.
Lucinda Elliot, four times winner of the BRAG medallion for outstanding self published fiction, was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. When she was growing up, her family lived in various large, isolated old houses in various parts of the UK as they used to renovate such places in the days before it became fashionable. She lived for many years in London and now lives in Mid Wales with her family. She loves a laugh above anything.Lucinda will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. a Rafflecopter giveaway
What a fabulous concept.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteLucinda Elliot is a new author to me, but I look forward to reading this. I always love meeting new authors. Thanks to this blog for the introduction.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and giveaway. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good book.
ReplyDelete