Anyone But the Marquess is due out October 17!
I’m happy to say that I got Book 5 in the Marriage by Obligation Series. It was a long time in coming, but at least it’s finally here.
I’ll make another blog post when this book is live because there are a few links that aren’t ready yet. And at that time, I’ll post the description. Suffice it to say that this is Felix’s romance. Remember Felix from Midnight Wedding? He was the one who ended up lying about a lady because she refused to dance with him at a ball. Then her angry brother came out to kill him. Well, in this book, Felix is going to make things right by arranging a marriage with the lady whose reputation he destroyed.
Right now, this is available on pre-order at these places:
***
The Wilderness Bride (Oregon Series: Book 1) is about halfway done.
I am hoping to have this out in January. Things are progressing along nicely, and I’m excited about where things are heading. This book has the same tone and feel as The Fugitive’s Bride and His Redeeming Bride.
I finally got the hero and heroine married, so now the real plot can develop. At this point, I can’t really say a whole lot about it without spoiling the book. All I’m going to say is that it’s fun when I can do a “compare and contrast” element in my work. One such example that comes to mind is Eye of the Beholder where I compared and contrasted the definition of beauty by inserting two characters (Mary and Cassie) who were opposites. In this case, I am looking at the perspective of alienation vs protection (or being thrown out in disgrace vs being taken in despite a fall from grace). I have found that the most meaningful books to me have been those with messages that dive deeper than the surface of the story. This one has many layers, and I love layers. They are fun to play with.
Alright, that probably doesn’t make any sense, but I promise it does play a part in the romance between the hero and the heroine.
***
I think I’m 1/3 of the way into this book
This is Book 2 in the Love Under Desert Skies Series:
If you’re wondering if this is a different cover (yet again), you are right. I believe this is my 4th attempt at coming up with a cover I can be happy with. It might be the 3rd I posted online. I hate being this way about covers. I wish all covers were simple to create.
But I am happy with the progress of the story. Our characters are chasing two outlaws who are worse than the ones we saw in Tagalong Bride. Bernadette (our heroine) has her choice between two men, one our dashing Blaze who is larger than life and Zeke who comes off as…well, he’s just not Blaze. I don’t know if everyone will be happy with the one she chooses. I already have one person who is rooting for Blaze and the other is rooting for Zeke. But the story is still young (19,000 words), and there’s another element I’m going to throw into the book that will change things quite a bit.
Meanwhile, Lucas has finally learned to take advantage of every moment he gets alone with Gail, and after the way he was acting at the beginning of Tagalong Bride, it’s nice to see that he appreciates what he has. 😉
***
I am at Chapter 4 in this one
My goal for this series is 10 books, but we’ll see how far we get into it before it’s ready to be wrapped up. It’d be fun to hit 10 books for one of my Regency series, and this one involves quite a few characters who overlap. I believe this will be the one.
The Earl’s Bluestocking Bride is turning out to be a lot of fun. Essentially, the hero is secretly a new but highly valued actor. At the beginning of the story, he takes one read through a play and says he will not endorse it. In fact, he insults the work. To make this story interesting, you know I have to make the playwright the heroine. If I didn’t do that, it wouldn’t be any fun. And to add more fun to the mix, I am disguising her real identity, too. And she is the playwright he has insulted. I can’t let the two know it right away. This one is going to take some time before the “big reveal”, and when the big reveal happens, this book is going to really take off.
Right now, the two just met as Lord Dayton and Miss Emma Ludlow, and they are falling in love. I figure by the halfway point, they will discover their secret identities.
***
I did not have time to enter a BookFunnel giveaway this month. I’m swamped with real life and trying to get writing in. I’m not sure if I can get something for November, either. We’ll just have to see. But I do hope everyone has a great October, and I’ll let you know when Anyone But the Marquess is out! 😀
Ruth Ann Nordin's Monthly Newsletter 