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A Victorian Christmas

It may feel like Christmas is already over – after all, the presents are wrapped, you’re still finding bits of glitter everywhere, and the last Christmas day food shop is being put together.

But for the Victorian, and for many generations before that, Christmas was just getting started!

So I thought I’d take you on a quick Victorian Christmas adventure! After all, so much that we love about Christmas today isn’t that old. The traditions that we think go back to the medieval time are actually relatively modern.

Here’s a short (and not exhaustive list!) of Christmas Victorian inventions:

  • Christmas trees! The tradition of bringing a live tree into the house (which when you think about it, is kind of weird) was transferred to England from Germany by Queen Victoria’s husband, Albert
  • Decorating the tree! See above
  • Candles/lights on the tree – see above again!
  • Having a turkey, or another bird, at the centre of the dining table! A goose was most popular, even though they were expensive. Even relatively well off people joined a subscription club throughout the year, putting in a little each month to ‘earn’ a goose in December
  • Plum pudding! The ancestor of today’s Christmas pudding, this was an incredibly rich and sweet dish
  • Christmas presents on…Christmas Eve? Yup, Christmas Day was a day for church and good food, so presents were enjoyed the day before
  • Christmas cards! With greater spending power came the option to send it on something you’d throw out within days, and artistic styles grew around this super cute, Christmas card style.

This example is a Christmas card, published by C. Goodall & Son, 19th Century, England. Museum no. Buday/1/1/25. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

I hope you have enjoyed a few of these Victorian Christmas traditions, if not all of them. If you haven’t, there’s still plenty of time – the Twelve Days of Christmas don’t end until the 5th January!

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Get in your kindle today! Curiosity Killed the Duke

It’s here! Samuel’s story – and honestly, I had so much fun writing him, and my editor simply adored him!

Are you ready to go to Edinburgh and fall in love?

Samuel Dellamore, Duke of Chantmarle, is on a mission. Well. Two. Sort of.

The “mission” Society is gossiping about? He’s turned up in Edinburgh on the hunt for a wife.

The mission he’s actually on? To discover the traitor spilling secrets to the French.

Samuel’s natural curiosity, good looks, and title are usually enough to get what he wants—but a chance encounter with a Miss Lucy Finch proves to be far too much of a distraction.

Unfortunately for Lucy.

The last thing she needs is the attention of a duke. She’s trying desperately to pay off her blackmailers, and she’s determined to warn off this Samuel from her.

She’s dangerous. Bad news.

But the Duke’s curiosity and the growing attraction between them launches them into a scandalous situation which only a marriage of convenience will solve.

Will Lucy accept the offer of respectability just when she needs it—and can she keep the scandal of her past away from the devastatingly handsome Duke she may just be falling in love with?

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

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Treat a loved one with these Christmas romances!

If you’re stressing about finding the perfect gift, then don’t worry: the reader in your life will adore these Christmas historical romances.

Christmas is a common theme in my writing, probably because it’s one of my favourite times of year! In fact, I have officially lost count of how many Christmas books I’ve written. At the last count, it was almost twenty.

I know that sounds like a lot, but twelve of them are all in one series, TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, which is exactly what you’d expect! Follow each of the Fitzroy women as they cause nothing but scandal and intrigue across the ton and try to keep their exploits quiet...

Here’s book 1 to give you a little taste!

It’s 1813, and twelve drummers drumming are about to bring love into Jemima’s life…

Jemima Fitzroy is tired of being ignored by her loud, rambunctious family – especially as she attempts to campaign for veterans in a world that doesn’t appreciate them.

Captain Hugh Rotherham knows he will never be the same again. Not just because of war, but because of a startlingly beautiful woman who stirs something so passionate in it, the drumming of his heart matches that of his regiment.

Jemima knows she shouldn’t be meeting this soldier without her family’s knowledge. Hugh knows he cannot cross the line from respectability to scandal.

Twelve drummers drumming will change their lives – and the rhythm that can tease out exquisite pleasure…

If a long series isn’t your thing, then why not try this boxset? It’s the collection of the three Christmas specials from my Ravishing Regencies series, and are interconnected standalones.

Each of these books has spice at its heart and a heart ready to lose, heroes in pain and heroines acting out of the ordinary. There are no ballrooms here… This collected stories promises hours and hours of steamy hot reading…

Kidnapped with a Knight
A man disowned by his family and a woman with absolutely no interest in him – and their kidnappers have left them all alone…

Christmas with a Czar
A man who claims to be a prince and a woman forced to play along – but the real secret must be revealed before Christmas Day…

Advent with an Archduke
A man who disappeared a year ago – and the woman forced to welcome a stranger at Christmas…

And just in case that wasn’t enough to tempt your appetite, my wonderful publishers at Dragonblade have re-released two short novellas which were parts of Christmas boxsets from years ago. Make sure to grab them!

Always under mistletoe but never the bride – but not this Christmas…

Lady Prudence Lennox is of age, and tired of being treated like a child. Her brothers are married and settled but they still think of her as their baby sister, which is growing increasingly irritating.

Especially when the Reverend Michaels is visiting for Christmas.

He’s only four years older than her but has never seen her as a woman before – and she’s determined that this Christmas as they meet under the mistletoe, all that is going to change…read for 0.99 now!

Always the reverend but never the groom – but not this Christmas…

Joseph never thought that becoming a vicar would separate him completely from his flock – and all marital prospects.
But this Christmas, he’s back with his sister and thinking wistfully of the lady in his congregation that he cannot take his eyes off.

Who has suddenly appeared in Bristol.

Will he be able to escape the trappings of his position, and speak openly to the woman he loves?…read for 0.99 now!

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PRE-ORDER: Play with Dukes, Get Burned…

Twin brothers, mistresses, debts owed…there was a huge amount of fun in writing this book, and I think you’ll adore my hero’s terrible puns!

You can pre-order for just 0.99, and I highly recommend you do ASAP…

Daniel Vaughn, Duke of Thornfalcone, never expected to be a duke.

Now he’s attempting to pay off his dead brother’s mistress, Nora Harvey, who is absolutely refusing to accept anything from him.

His whole life has changed, people won’t stop bowing when he approaches, and even his sister refuses to stop calling him “Your Grace”. Daniel needs to just fix something, as he used to do in his old spying life.

So Nora Harvey, his brother’s old mistress, will accept his beneficence. Whether she likes it or not.

But Nora doesn’t want this bizarrely kind Duke’s help. She knows what men really want, and she’s waiting for this Daniel to suddenly demand what every man demands.

You know. That.

But though his natural shyness keeps him back, the heat growing between them threatens to burn through all their good intentions and cross all of Society’s lines.

Such a shame that Nora’s has more than one secret which will soon radically alter Daniel’s life and put them both in danger…

Can Daniel restrain himself from kissing his brother’s ex-mistress—and will Nora ever tell him that she never actually accepted his brother’s attentions?

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

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PRE-ORDER: Curiosity Killed the Duke…

I adored including a sneak peek of Samuel Dellamore, Duke of Chantmarle, in earlier books in my Dukes in Danger series – and now he gets a book all of his own!

You can pre-order for just 0.99, and I highly recommend you do ASAP…

Samuel Dellamore, Duke of Chantmarle, is on a mission. Well. Two. Sort of.

The “mission” Society is gossiping about? He’s turned up in Edinburgh on the hunt for a wife.

The mission he’s actually on? To discover the traitor spilling secrets to the French.

Samuel’s natural curiosity, good looks, and title are usually enough to get what he wants—but a chance encounter with a Miss Lucy Finch proves to be far too much of a distraction.

Unfortunately for Lucy.

The last thing she needs is the attention of a duke. She’s trying desperately to pay off her blackmailers, and she’s determined to warn off this Samuel from her.

She’s dangerous. Bad news.

But the Duke’s curiosity and the growing attraction between them launches them into a scandalous situation which only a marriage of convenience will solve.

Will Lucy accept the offer of respectability just when she needs it—and can she keep the scandal of her past away from the devastatingly handsome Duke she may just be falling in love with?

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

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Fill your stocking with these Christmas romances!

It’s time to start thinking about Christmas!

I adore it! The food, the sense of excitement in the air, the joy at seeing my loved ones…and of course, the excuse to treat yourself to a bunch of Christmas books. And I have lots!

Twelve of them are my new series, TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, which is exactly what you’d expect! Aren’t these covers absolutely gorgeous?

Follow each of the Fitzroy women as they cause nothing but scandal and intrigue across the ton and try to keep their exploits quiet...

Here’s book 1 to give you a little taste!

It’s 1813, and twelve drummers drumming are about to bring love into Jemima’s life…

Jemima Fitzroy is tired of being ignored by her loud, rambunctious family – especially as she attempts to campaign for veterans in a world that doesn’t appreciate them.

Captain Hugh Rotherham knows he will never be the same again. Not just because of war, but because of a startlingly beautiful woman who stirs something so passionate in it, the drumming of his heart matches that of his regiment.

Jemima knows she shouldn’t be meeting this soldier without her family’s knowledge. Hugh knows he cannot cross the line from respectability to scandal.

Twelve drummers drumming will change their lives – and the rhythm that can tease out exquisite pleasure…

If a long series isn’t your thing, then why not try this boxset? It’s the collection of the three Christmas specials from my Ravishing Regencies series, and are interconnected standalones.

Each of these books has spice at its heart and a heart ready to lose, heroes in pain and heroines acting out of the ordinary. There are no ballrooms here… This collected stories promises hours and hours of steamy hot reading…

Kidnapped with a Knight
A man disowned by his family and a woman with absolutely no interest in him – and their kidnappers have left them all alone…

Christmas with a Czar
A man who claims to be a prince and a woman forced to play along – but the real secret must be revealed before Christmas Day…

Advent with an Archduke
A man who disappeared a year ago – and the woman forced to welcome a stranger at Christmas…

And just in case that wasn’t enough to tempt your appetite, my wonderful publishers at Dragonblade have re-released two short novellas which were parts of Christmas boxsets from years ago. Make sure to grab them!

Always under mistletoe but never the bride – but not this Christmas…

Lady Prudence Lennox is of age, and tired of being treated like a child. Her brothers are married and settled but they still think of her as their baby sister, which is growing increasingly irritating.

Especially when the Reverend Michaels is visiting for Christmas.

He’s only four years older than her but has never seen her as a woman before – and she’s determined that this Christmas as they meet under the mistletoe, all that is going to change…read for 0.99 now!

Always the reverend but never the groom – but not this Christmas…

Joseph never thought that becoming a vicar would separate him completely from his flock – and all marital prospects.
But this Christmas, he’s back with his sister and thinking wistfully of the lady in his congregation that he cannot take his eyes off.

Who has suddenly appeared in Bristol.

Will he be able to escape the trappings of his position, and speak openly to the woman he loves?…read for 0.99 now!

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Launch day! Where There’s a Duke, There’s a Way

It’s here! The rascal has been living in my head and heart for months, so I’m relieved that you can share my characters with me…

Arthur Hebblethwaite, Duke of Fitzpaine is in rather a pinch. Firstly, he’s not actually a Duke.

It was such a clever idea. Pretend to be a duke, go to France, and live on the scraping and bowing of those desperate to impress a nobleman.

All well and good, until someone recognizes him. Until he grabs a woman and uses her as a hostage to escape a French encampment. Until he looks at the woman and…oh, hell.

Joanna Bettencourt doesn’t know what’s worse: being a shy heiress with a father desperate to marry her off, being captured by the French and held prisoner, or being dragged onto a horse by a maniac by the name of the Duke of Fitzpaine.

Pretending to have a husband ready to protect her seemed the obvious option.

But as the “Duke of Fitzpaine” and the “penniless Mrs. Epwin” arrive at the coast, desperate to return to England, they are faced with a problem: there’s only one cabin.

Cue a little pretence that this time they both share. A fake marriage.

They’re both lying to each other, and they both don’t know it—but they can’t lie for long about the heat searing between them, the affection growing as they slowly open up to each other.

When the truth finally comes out, will there be a way for this “Duke” and this secret heiress to find happiness?

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

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Love a rake? Let me introduce you…

Rakes are the heroes we love to hate to love – and I’ve certainly written my fair share. If you adore a dashing rake, a misunderstood rake, a charming rake, or a cad rake, I have them all here!

Following a humiliating divorce, he’s just about managed to keep quiet, Robert sees something in Emerald that no one else does. Wallflower, yes—but there’s something deep and passionate in those shy green eyes. Robert begins to realize his teasing flirtation is becoming so much more, there’ll be scandal despite both their best efforts before long.

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

If you adore Christmas…same! This book features a Mr. Guy Partridge, a shockingly bold rake who decides he rather likes the look of a woman. So he clambers up a tree and into her bedchamber. High jinks ensue!

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

Micah de Petras finds solace in one place: the arms of his mistresses. Though at the moment, it’s one mistress in particular – and she has decided to make him fall in love with her. Micah bets her that she cannot, and the war of true love is on.

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

One man who laughs in the face of bluestockings is Patrick O’Leary, Viscount Donal. He knows the woman’s place, and that is most certainly in the home. Until, that is, he sees Mariah attending a lecture. A woman – at university. A battle of intellect storms while a battle of desire fights under the surface.

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

The Duke of Kendal, according to the latest scandal, has lost his entire fortune. So when John (Jack to the ladies), the Duke of Kendal suddenly arrives at the Fitzroy home and starts inexpertly wooing her, Esther knows precisely what he wants, her dowry. But she wants his heart.

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

Just in case there wasn’t enough Christmas on this list – here’s the last! Orlando Dunbar does not take no for an answer. Infamous for seducing ladies across the ton, his three French hens or mistresses are not enough to satisfy him—not now that he’s got Sophia in his sights.

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

Albemarle Howard, Earl of Lenskeyn. He’s rude, he’s arrogant, he’s overly confident, and nothing his matchmaker, Theodosia, can do makes a difference. Albemarle has found his match though: and he is sure it is Theodosia.

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

The Crown Prince of Austria, Rupert is in London for one night only before visiting his royal relatives in Brighton, and has been utterly captivated by the spirited, fiery young woman. This is his chance. One evening alone, trapped in a library, where scandal abounds and Lady Elizabeth might give into the temptation of pleasure…

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

Luke, the Marquis of Dewsbury, is a complete rogue. Bested by none and adored by many, he finds himself sent away from town by his embarrassed father where he discovers the young and innocent Miss Adena Garland…

This book is 2.99, and is in Kindle Unlimited.

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You Can Write More if you want to be an author!

I’m so delighted that so many people have been enjoying my course, “You Can Write More” – it’s so mind-blowing!

Being a full time author comes with a huge number of perks, which of course I would never want to take for granted…but there are things that I miss from my previous day jobs. One of those is teaching. Mentoring, equipping, speaking, leading workshops – you name it, I did it!

And I miss it. So what did I do?

I created a course!

I am not perfect (or even good!) at everything, but there are a few things I am really good at, and that’s what I’ve worked to capture in this course. It’s designed to help people write more words in a shorter amount of time: either because they want to get more words down on the page, or because they want to reclaim their time.

And it’s not just craft! (I mean, a lot of it is craft). But the course also covers a bunch of things you might not consider, like:

– goals and motivation

– incentivisation and goal setting

– mental and physical health

– craft expertise

…and more!

Make sure that you check it out here to see if it’s the sort of course for you!

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PRE-ORDER: Where There’s a Duke, There’s a Way…

For those readers who have been reading along with my Dukes in Danger series, you’re going to be surprised at this hero…he’s not really a duke!

You can pre-order for just 0.99, and I highly recommend you do ASAP...

Arthur Hebblethwaite, Duke of Fitzpaine is in rather a pinch. Firstly, he’s not actually a Duke.

It was such a clever idea. Pretend to be a duke, go to France, and live on the scraping and bowing of those desperate to impress a nobleman.

All well and good, until someone recognizes him. Until he grabs a woman and uses her as a hostage to escape a French encampment. Until he looks at the woman and…oh, hell.

Joanna Bettencourt doesn’t know what’s worse: being a shy heiress with a father desperate to marry her off, being captured by the French and held prisoner, or being dragged onto a horse by a maniac by the name of the Duke of Fitzpaine.

Pretending to have a husband ready to protect her seemed the obvious option.

But as the “Duke of Fitzpaine” and the “penniless Mrs. Epwin” arrive at the coast, desperate to return to England, they are faced with a problem: there’s only one cabin.

Cue a little pretence that this time they both share. A fake marriage.

They’re both lying to each other, and they both don’t know it—but they can’t lie for long about the heat searing between them, the affection growing as they slowly open up to each other.

When the truth finally comes out, will there be a way for this “Duke” and this secret heiress to find happiness?

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

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Have you checked out my Patreon?

If you have never heard of Patreon, you are not alone. Not everyone has! I hope this short blog will give you an idea of how you can support me in a new and exciting way.

So first off, what is Patreon?

Patreon is a website where anyone can sign up to support a creative person for just a few dollars a month, in exchange for rewards. It is a modern re-imagining of the medieval and renaissance idea of a ‘patron’, a wealthy person who pays the salary of an artist, creative, or engineer, so that they can get the prestige of being their supporter.

But thanks to Patreon, you don’t need to be rich to be a Patreon supporter, and you’ll still get a whole ton of rewards!

On my Patreon page, which you can find here, there are three different levels of support. Each level costs a different amount a month, and as you would expect, the higher the financial support, the more rewards.

I’d really encourage you, if you want exclusive insights, behind the scenes, early access to chapters, and free books, my Patreon is the place to be.

Please check out my Patreon and consider whether you’d like to take your support of me to the next level!

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I’m writing for Harlequin/Mills & Boon!

Well, it’s finally here: I can share with you my pre-order for my first Harlequin/Mills & Boon historical romance!

I poured my heart into this one, as I always do, but I particularly put quite a bit of myself into my heroine, Gwen – and I can’t wait for you to meet her. Writing for Harlequin/Mills & Boon is such a career achievement for me, and I would love your support by pre-ordering this book.

A most unlikely match

For a most unlikely wallflower!

Miss Pike’s finishing school might be designed to find the most unconventional of debutantes a husband, but Gwendoline Knox didn’t expect to literally bump into a duke on her first day! Let alone one as distractingly charming as Percy Deveraux. Gwen knows nothing can come of their flirtations, not with their different stations—or her scandalous secret! Still, she can’t help wishing for more, even if that means confronting her past… 

Make sure you pre-order now!