There’s nothing more satisfying than good reviews for a new book! Here are the first few for Arthur and Patience’s story. I also created a trope graphic for this story.
Patience Carruthers is a bluestocking with no interest in the fleeting uncertainty of love. Her passion is for books, knowledge, and the improvement of the world. When she learns of Mrs. Oliver’s work, instructing ladies in intimate matters to better their marriages, she is resolved to see that volume published for the public good—and will even accept an agreement to wed a notorious rake to accomplish her goal.
Thanks to his uncle’s reckless wager, Arthur Beckham has immediate need of a wife. Insisting he has an understanding with Miss Carruthers, a lady of good sense and practicality, may provide an escape from his predicament—assuming the lady in question can be persuaded to agree. He proposes a marriage of convenience to Miss Carruthers, vowing he will do whatever she desires in exchange for one son—even ensure the publication of such an uncommon volume.
Arthur is intrigued by this lady and her ability to surprise him. Her commitment to honesty tempts him to abandon the disguise that has defined his life for decades—though Arthur fears that admitting his deception might turn Patience against him forever. Can the book help him to capture the heart of his pragmatic bride before his secret is revealed?
Today’s the day for Arthur and Patience’s story. My plan with these Regency romances is that they would be shorter reads, but they keep getting longer. This one is 85,000 words, and the paperback is 320 pages. I’m just not good at writing short books. LOL
Patience Carruthers is a bluestocking with no interest in the fleeting uncertainty of love. Her passion is for books, knowledge, and the improvement of the world. When she learns of Mrs. Oliver’s work, instructing ladies in intimate matters to better their marriages, she is resolved to see that volume published for the public good—and will even accept an agreement to wed a notorious rake to accomplish her goal.
Thanks to his uncle’s reckless wager, Arthur Beckham has immediate need of a wife. Insisting he has an understanding with Miss Carruthers, a lady of good sense and practicality, may provide an escape from his predicament—assuming the lady in question can be persuaded to agree. He proposes a marriage of convenience to Miss Carruthers, vowing he will do whatever she desires in exchange for one son—even ensure the publication of such an uncommon volume.
Arthur is intrigued by this lady and her ability to surprise him. Her commitment to honesty tempts him to abandon the disguise that has defined his life for decades—though Arthur fears that admitting his deception might turn Patience against him forever. Can the book help him to capture the heart of his pragmatic bride before his secret is revealed?
I moved out the publication date for The Bluestocking’s Bargain by a week this morning. It will now be published on October 29 instead of October 22. There are a number of details behind the scenes that weren’t coming together, so I added that week for breathing room. I’m hoping this means the print edition will be available on the same day as the ebook. It does mean that I won’t be awake half the night trying to figure out how to make everything come together on time.
If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy, please do. You won’t want to miss Patience and Arthur’s story!
Patience Carruthers is a bluestocking with no interest in marriage, much less the fleeting uncertainty of love. Her passion is for books, knowledge, and the improvement of the world. When she learns of Mrs. Oliver’s work, instructing ladies in intimate matters to better their marriages, she is resolved to see that volume published—and will even accept an agreement to wed a notorious rake to see that accomplished.
Thanks to his uncle’s reckless wager, Arthur Beckham has immediate need of a wife. Insisting he has an understanding with Miss Carruthers, a lady of good sense and practicality, may provide an escape the unfortunate match his uncle has tried to arrange–assuming the lady in question is agreeable. He proposes a marriage of convenience to Miss Carruthers, vowing he will do whatever she desires in exchange for one son.
Arthur does not anticipate the lady’s scheme to publish a book, much less his bride’s apparent need to verify every detail of the remarkable volume’s amorous advice. He does not anticipate that he will be seduced and enchanted by his new wife—much less that he will lose his heart completely. Can Arthur convince Patience of the merit of love and convince her to make their marriage more than an arrangement?
The Christmas Conquest, book one of the Ladies’ Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction Regency romance series, is a free series starter – but only through September 29. Don’t miss your chance to begin my Regency romance series with Catherine and Rhys’ holiday second-chance romance!
Love was not part of the plan when this marriage was arranged…
Rhys Bettencourt, Baron Trevelaine, had every intention of avoiding his family’s curse. An arranged marriage to a plain bluestocking of fortune should have ensured the provision of at least one heir. After all, it was beloved Bettencourt wives who always died in childbirth. But practical Catherine undermined her husband’s scheme by stealing his heart. The only way for Rhys to protect her is to deny them both physical satisfaction, against his own desires.
Catherine Carruthers was content to wed for practical considerations and accept an arranged marriage to please her family. Two years later, though, Catherine is certain that her dashing aristocrat of a husband regrets his choice and that her marriage will never be more. She accepts an invitation to Rockmorton Manor for Christmas to decide whether to leave Rhys and return to her father’s house. Upon arrival, though, Catherine discovers pages of sensual advice left in her room—as well as Rhys determined to convince her to stay. Can their marriage be saved?
Armed with information and with little to lose, Catherine embarks upon a campaign of seduction that Rhys is powerless to resist—even as he fears for Catherine’s fate if he surrenders to temptation. Caught between love and the wretched curse, can Rhys find a way to keep his cherished wife safely by his side?
Rhys and Catherine’s story has a bonus epilogue, which was originally available to my newsletter subscribers, called Upon a Midnight Clear. On September 28, 2023, the bonus epilogue was added into the ebook of The Christmas Conquest.
If you bought The Christmas Conquest after that date, you’ll get both.
If you bought The Christmas Conquest before that date, your portal of choice might offer an updated version, or you can download if from BookFunnel using the link below.
Yesterday, I had a BookBub Featured Deal for The Christmas Conquest as a free read.
This book has never been free before and it’s a series starter, so the results were great.
At Amazon.com, the book rose to #1 in three categories and #6 overall in the store:
By the time I grabbed a screen shot of the top free books, it had slipped to #6 overall. It always makes me happy to see historical romances break into the top ten listings. 🙂
Here it is at #1 in Regency Romance:
It was also #1 in Holiday Romance:
And #1 in Victorian Romance:
At Apple, results were also impressive. The Christmas Conquest rose to #7 overall in the Apple store.
And it was #5 free in Romance in the Apple store. Once again, it’s great to see an historical romance that high in the rankings:
Nook and GooglePlay don’t feature a ranking for free reads, while KOBO’s free reads are chosen by their editors, not determined by rank. The book did well yesterday at those portals, too, although I can’t show you any pictures to illustrate results. It did really well at KOBO, actually.
The Christmas Conquest is free through the end of September, so if you haven’t grabbed your free copy of Rhys and Catherine’s story, be sure you don’t miss this deal.
Love was not part of the plan when this marriage was arranged…
Rhys Bettencourt, Baron Trevelaine, had every intention of avoiding his family’s curse. An arranged marriage to a plain bluestocking of fortune should have ensured the provision of at least one heir. After all, it was beloved Bettencourt wives who always died in childbirth. But practical Catherine undermined her husband’s scheme by stealing his heart. The only way for Rhys to protect her is to deny them both physical satisfaction, against his own desires.
Catherine Carruthers was content to wed for practical considerations and accept an arranged marriage to please her family. Two years later, though, Catherine is certain that her dashing aristocrat of a husband regrets his choice and that her marriage will never be more. She accepts an invitation to Rockmorton Manor for Christmas to decide whether to leave Rhys and return to her father’s house. Upon arrival, though, Catherine discovers pages of sensual advice left in her room—as well as Rhys determined to convince her to stay. Can their marriage be saved?
Armed with information and with little to lose, Catherine embarks upon a campaign of seduction that Rhys is powerless to resist—even as he fears for Catherine’s fate if he surrenders to temptation. Caught between love and the wretched curse, can Rhys find a way to keep his cherished wife safely by his side?
Rhys and Catherine’s story has a bonus epilogue, which was originally available to my newsletter subscribers, called Upon a Midnight Clear. On September 28, 2023, the bonus epilogue was added into the ebook of The Christmas Conquest.
If you bought The Christmas Conquest after that date, you’ll get both.
If you bought The Christmas Conquest before that date, your portal of choice might offer an updated version, or you can download if from BookFunnel using the link below.
Claire Delacroix 