Tag: Victorian romance

A Sudden Fortune

After a short break, I’ve started tackling my fifth novel, ‘A Sudden Fortune’. 

Abandoned in her youth, Claire Hastings has inherited a fortune from a guardian who rescued her from a convent. The riches are hers with one caveat – she must share the fortune with the impoverished Marquess of Kingston.

Of course, the new-found wealth is more of a burden than a blessing for a girl who has been a social pariah all her life. When the aristocratic family that abandoned her appears to claim the fortune, Claire’s troubles begin. A half-brother, step-brother, father, and a dowager Countess insinuate themselves into her life, and she discovers her origins and the reasons why she had been placed in a convent at an early age. 

Nelson Ridley had been holding his impoverished family together – just barely. With a mother, sister, and four nieces and nephews to support, he remains on the outskirts of society, earning a living writing stories for several popular periodicals. 

The Ridley household, with their unexpected fortune, find themselves thrown into the whirl of the Season, and Nelson is suddenly one of the most eligible bachelors in London.

None of the beautiful, wealthy debutantes tempt him. His heart is captured by the friendless, socially awkward woman whose inheritance has changed their lives. They become fast friends, and each yearns for more. . .

Inciting Incidents

In a writer’s forum not long ago, an author said that their approach to writing is simply creating ‘what if’ scenarios.

I suddenly realized thatI have exactly the same approach. 

For my first book, I wondered – what if your hopes and dreams are completely scuttled because of an incident beyond your control?  How do you get back on course? Or do you just give up?

For my second book, I wondered – what if you overhear a conversation that gives you an opportunity to change the course of your life? What happens if you seize the moment?

For the third book, I wondered – what if you walk into a room and see someone who could be your identical twin? It turns everything you knew about yourself into everything you didn’t know about yourself.

For the fourth book, I wondered – what if a family member’s reckless, narcissistic behavior changes the future you carefully planned for yourself? Do you make the difficult decision to cut ties with your family?

My next book will be – what if you suddenly inherit a fortune and discover tragedy and a deep, unsavory past? 

There are so many possibilities with ‘what if’ scenarios, and it is so much fun to create an inciting incident. 

A Rogue’s Progress

An enemies-to-lovers Victorian romance. 

She’s a debutante searching for a husband. He’s a gambler chasing redemption. When their worlds collide over a family inheritance, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and desires ignite. In a game of love, luck, and betrayal, who will come out on top—and at what cost?

After six long years of schooling, Eleanor Bucknell is more than ready to enjoy a London Season and a chance for flirtation, love, and marriage. There’s just one problem—her impulsive and greedy brother has gambled away the family properties and is bent on arranging a prosperous marriage for her. With her plans thwarted at every turn, Ellie determines to make her own way in life, all the while plagued by thoughts of the rakish son of an earl who now owns the Bucknell property.

Casper Whittaker is a gambler and a rogue who feels no remorse when relieving fools of their property at the gaming tables. Besides, he is on a mission to redeem himself in the eyes of his father for his role in the tragic event that took his older brother’s life. Winning the Bucknell properties was the chance he needed to make a new life for himself—even though the plight of the feisty young debutante tugs at his heartstrings. 

Ellie never expected her greatest adversary to be the one man who could steal her heart. When a fiery clash of wills ignites between her and Casper, their undeniable attraction becomes impossible to ignore. But with her brother’s devious schemes threatening to tear them apart, will love be enough to overcome the odds?

This is a closed-door, sweet romance.

Figuring Out The Romance

When I’m reading or writing a romance, I always try to figure out why I do or do not consider the relationship between the main characters to be ‘romantic’. Sometimes a novel will miss the mark completely, opting for lust rather than romance.

I realize that there are certain things I consider deeply romantic that don’t necessarily fit into the usual romance novel tropes- the biggest being open and honest communication. This is crucial in any romantic relationship and in a novel, must happen by the end of the book, in my opinion.

Miscommunication is the main driver of most plots. I confess that in the books I love best, the romantic duo should be on the same side and facing adversity together. Yet, in my first novel, I chose to show a potentially romantic relationship thwarted by a lack of honesty. In A Misalliance with Love, miscommunication comes about because the romantic duo are blinded by their own views and needs. in Marry Me, Duke, the female main character is honest, even though her honesty can be seen in a bad light. Her love interest is keeping secrets and suppressing his love for her.

The ability to express feelings, thoughts, and desires fosters a deep connection between partners, and it does happen at the end of the novels.

Check out A Misalliance with Love and Marry Me, Duke – available on Amazon.

Image generated using AI MIdjourney..

A Passion for Regency Romance

In the realm of literature and television, the allure of Regency romance has captured the hearts of so many, myself included. This genre, set in the early 19th century, holds an irresistible charm that transcends time. I have always had a love for history and an addiction to romance novels from an early age.

With the most popular time period being Regency, thanks to authors like Georgette Heyer and television shows like Brigerton, lovers of history and romance can immerse themselves in the Elegance and Etiquette of a bygone era.

The Regency era is synonymous with refined manners, elaborate balls, and intricate social codes of conduct. How did they master all of that? The current fascination with this time period is such that one can find many YouTube videos on how to dress in the style and exhaustive details about how people lived, what they ate, how they worked, courted, married, gave birth, and raised their children.

But back to the novels – my favorite form of escape. Regency and Victorian novels and shows transport me to a world where every gesture and word is laden with meaning: how one holds a fan to which flowers are given to a lady. Perhaps the allure is simply because it is a world that is so foreign to anything I have ever known. And the extraordinary has always held a fascination for me.

It is no wonder that is my preferred genre in my writing. A Misalliance with Love, Marry Me, Duke, and my work in progress, An Unexpected Lady, are all Victorian-era novels, and I look forward to starting a Regency series soon.

Image generated using AI – Midjourney.

Sir Gaylord-A Misalliance with Love

“It was a dangerous game. One that required reckless confidence and one he was bound to lose sooner or later. He must have chosen his victims carefully not to have found himself up against an enraged husband before now. Well, he made a grave mistake choosing Rosie as his next victim.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis.-A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

Approaching Sir Gaylord-A Misalliance with Love

“Gaylord’s was the type of grand country house built in the pleasing red brick style of the middle of the previous century. Sinclair had passed neatly tended formal gardens and spied numerous outbuildings as he approached the residence. The exterior was symmetrical, with a central front entrance and evenly spaced windows on either side. Modest in size but impressive, the home reflected the wealth and status of its owner.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

Temptation-A Misalliance with Love

“Gazing out over the water meadow and the reeds blowing in the gentle breeze, she picked up her brush. Dipping the brush into the water in her jar and then into a tiny cake of paint, she passed swift brushstrokes over the page filling in light and shadows on the face she had sketched. She glanced back at Philip under lowered lashes.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. A Misalliance with Love.

The Wedding-A Misalliance with Love

“After his eyes traced her movement down the aisle on her father’s arm, Alton seemed distracted and preoccupied, his attention wandering rather than focusing on the promise they were meant to share. Even when the exchange of vows and rings approached, his mind seemed elsewhere.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.

Sinclair sees Rosie for the first time-A Misalliance with Love

“His eyes swept the room, taking in the fetching bouquet of debutantes in their brightly colored afternoon party frocks. Their hues mimicked those in a garden—rose pink, mossy green, bluebell, lilac, sunflower yellow, and water blue. His eyes came to rest on the champagne curls of the girl sitting beside Lady Penelope Haverford.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.