Tag: regency

‘Always the Best Friend’ is out!

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I am so excited to announce that Always the Best Friend is now out! This is the fourth book of my Never the Bride series, and the 5* reviews are pouring in!

Make sure you grab this gorgeous Regency romance and let me know what you think!

Always the best friend and never the bride – it was a trap she never saw coming…

Book 4 in the Never the Bride series is now available. Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Lady Harriet Stanhope grew up with her twin brother and his friends, never questioning their laughter or their games – but now she’s a young lady, she’s desperate for one friend in particular to see her in a different light.

But after twenty years of knowing each other, she’s just the best friend, not a serious contender for the Duke of Devonshire’s heart.

Montague Cavendish knows what is due to him and his family name, and he is not fool enough to wish for a love match. He’ll find a pretty young thing with plenty of money, and that will be that.

Until Harriet – Harriet – breaks into his rooms to seduce him. He should resist her, he knows he should. But Montague had never imagined such perfection lay beneath the gown of his best friend.

He’s determined to resist. She’s sure that he will fall in love with her after one night of passion.

Mistakes will be made and confusion abound as friendship is put to the ultimate test.

Is it possible for two people raised as siblings to become lovers – and if it all goes wrong, what will be left of their friendship?

The reviews are in!

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I’ll admit it: I was a little worried what my lovely readers would think of my latest book, Always the Courtesan. It’s very different from my other books, and I was concerned that people wouldn’t want to read about a young Regency lady who was abducted and forced to work in a brothel.

Well, the reviews are in: and you love it!

“Enjoyable and yes, a little different, but that is always a surprise. Another great additional to this series!” – Lori Dykes

“Emily takes this story in a totally different direction than the usual HEA…and brings them to a happy ending in a story worth reading.” – Betty H

“I loved this story. I’ve been waiting for Honora’s story, and I was not disappointed.” Beth Meador

“A very unusual historical romance that looks impossible to have a happy ending.” Petula Winmill

“Definitely a different romance than the norm, something you will definitely want to read! You will fall in love with Josiah and Honora.” S. Standefer

“This book has a story line from a completely different perspective than I have read before.” Calfborn

“Emily definitely did not write your standard romantic plot with this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series, but Emily outdid herself with this one.” C. Clar

So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Always the Courtesan and see what you think of this different Regency romance…

Always the Courtesan is on pre-order!

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You know that book I mentioned that I’d finished? It’s now available for pre-order!

ATCgraphic

Always the courtesan and never the bride – it’s a life she never chose and cannot escape…

Indulge yourself in book 3 of the bestselling Never the Bride series. Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Lady Honora Lennox hasn’t gone by that name in three years – not since she was abducted and forced to work in a brothel.
She’s but nineteen and has given up on the world offering her anything of kindness. Until he walks through her door.

Josiah Stanhope, Earl of Chester, is exhausted with politics and games, deceit and lies – it’s time for simplicity, and there’s nothing simpler than the clear cut exchange of coin for pleasure. And yet there’s something different about this girl. She knows how to please a man, certainly, but there’s more to her. Something refined.

He’s determined to find out the truth. She’s terrified of destroying her family name. Tensions mount as wills clash and there can only be one victor.

Can Josiah ever prove himself as trustworthy, or will he fall back to old habits? Can Honora ever return to society after her fall from grace – or is his bed far more inviting?

Make sure you pre-order this delicious Regency romance now!

Completing a book in lockdown

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In my last blog, I talked about the weirdness of trying to write in lockdown, and how hard I was finding that. I am always honest with my readers, and so I wanted to share some of the process that went on behind the scenes. You can read it here.

So many people reached out and shared that they, too, were finding it a challenge to do normal activities while lockdown was in place. Our whole routines have been completely disrupted, and it’s hard to think of another event in recent memory that has been like this. The only thing I can think of is the Blitz, and sadly that’s almost beyond living memory now.

I wanted to update you with the joyous news that I finished a book yesterday! Not just written, but edited twice, proofread, and sent over to my editor.

I experienced such a huge sense of relief when I clicked ‘send’, because it’s been a real struggle for me to focus on writing. Ther are so many things going on in the world, and my day job interacts with the NHS (the UK National Health Service) on an hourly basis. It’s hard for me to mentally separate myself from the pandemic, and that’s been really hard on me emotionally.

It is thanks to amazing authors who I speak to on a regular basis, and thanks to you, my wonderful readers (thank you, those who got in touch!) that I am able to keep going.

And you know what? I think I’ve broken my funk. I woke up this morning wanting to edit the next book – and I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt like that.

It’s challenging to think about normal life, and what the world will be like when this is all over. But whatever that world looks like, we’re going to work it out together – and with some amazing books by our sides.

New book! Always the Chaperone

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Have you ever been left on the sidelines? Completely ignored? Passed over for another?

Then you know exactly how my latest heroine feels. Lady Charlotte St. Maur, spinster and chaperone, is tired of society and is ready to stop agreeing the chaperone the next generation – until she catches the eye of a rather dashing Major who has now ascended to a title…

The reviews for Always the Chaperone have been pouring it and I am so thrilled to see that so many of you love this book! I put much of myself into Lady Charlotte, and it’s an honour to see so many of you loving it.

Want to read it for yourself? Well hurry up – it’s just 0.99 at the moment!

Emily E K Murdoch's next book 'Always the Bridesmaid' is out now. A woman in a white dress carrying flowers is looking into the distance as though waiting for someone

New Emily Murdoch book on pre-order!

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The news is finally out: I have a new SIX BOOK series publishing contract with Dragonblade Publishing!

Bridesmaid

Isn’t she absolutely GORGEOUS? It has been so difficult keeping this secret to myself, and I know you’ll all forgive me for keeping schtum until the very last moment.

This beauty is on pre-order right now for just $0.99, so grab her while you can – and you don’t have long to wait to read her. She’s launched on Thursday 16th January!

Just click here to pre-order at this bargain price!

Always the bridesmaid and never the bride – but not if the Duke of Axwick has anything to do with it…

Miss Tabitha Chesworth is walking down the aisle for the third time, but never as the bride. Frustrated with being passed over, there’s nothing that a well-born lady can do about it. But at four and twenty, she’s starting to worry that this is her lot in life – until a fiery encounter with the Duke of Axwick.

Richard St Maur, sixteenth in his line, has sworn an oath never to marry. He’s seen the damage of the male Axwick line, and he won’t bring another gambler or drunkard into the world. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little fun and there’s no one he’d like to play with more than Miss Tabitha Chesworth. He’s determined to have her. She’s determined to hold out until a ring is on her finger. Sparks fly as this repeat bridesmaid takes on one of the most determined men of the ton.

Whose offer will eventually be accepted? Will the Duke of Axwick find his way into Tabitha’s bed – or her heart?

Pre-order now!

Dukes, Viscounts, Earls oh my!

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It’s difficult to read a historical romance these days without getting utterly overwhelmed by titles.

Dukes, Earls, Viscounts, Counts: every single man seems to need a title to be attractive, and that can make things complicated.

Take William Lennox, Duke of Mercia, for example (spoilers: he’s a character in a new book that will be published next year!).

To his brother, he’s Will.

To his sister, he’s Bill.

To his friends who knew him before he ascended the title, he’s Lennox.

To his friends who knew him after he ascended the title, he’s Mercia.

This can mean that in one simple scene, depending on who is in the room, he can be addressed as Will, Bill, Lennox, and Mercia…and everyone in the room will understand what is going on.

The question is, do my readers?!?

It’s a constant challenge to make sure that my books are historically accurate but at the same time, understandable to those who are reading them. I don’t want to compromise too often, but there’s no point in writing a book if no one can enjoy it!

So yes: I’ve tried to simplify things. When my characters have titles (and yes, they have them rather often!), I focus on keeping the storytelling simple. They have enough complications with the wild heroines I send them…

Make sure you catch up with all my books here!

The best historical romances

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What makes a truly great historical romance? It’s something that (as you can imagine) I think about almost continuously. What’s missing from this? What’s going to make it the best book my readers have ever read? What’s going to make it stick in their minds, stay on their bookshelf, be recommended to friends?

Some say it’s characters

A truly great character, a hero or heroine that stays with you after you’ve put the book down. Foibles and failures, dreams and dangers, surely taking your time over creating memorable characters has got to be the secret, right?

Others say it’s setting

Many readers prefer to stay within a particular time period, so you’ve got to be careful and see what the market is doing. Are readers loving Regency or medieval, is it cowboys or dukes, or has the alpha hero beat them all out?

It could even be a massive twist

Some readers like their romances to follow the same sort of pattern: a meet cute, a disagreement, growing to know each other, starting to fight feelings, a sudden shock which reveals emotions, and the happily ever after. Others want to see a twist, reveal, or shock right at the end.

If you ask me though, it’s all three and so much more. I personally love it when authors naturally bring historical details into the narrative without it feeling like I’m sitting in a lecture. Others like strong female secondary characters, or pets, or an element of mystery.

Whatever it is you love, I’m probably writing it. Why not check out my latest steamy Regency series, my first ever medieval series, or my bestselling sweet Western series?