I adore romance. I always have. I started out on
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE but
then, lucky me I found
Johanna Lindsey! Woo! The
door didnβt shut. I got to read about quivering loins and lots of pleasuring.
Plus, the characters often felt larger than life. In the romance from the 80s
the heroes were lords, dukes, highwaymen! The heroines were almost always bold
and willing to give the arrogant heroes a huge set down. So, when I started
writing
LESS THAN A LADY
it was absolutely due to those larger than life characters. And I wanted epic
adventure, so I looked to the past. I looked to a time when women were
experiencing more freedom and scandalous clothing than they ever had before!
Under the reign of Charles II, aka The Merry Monarch, women saw a rise in
freedom, political influence, and general expectation. Women werenβt just
supposed to be breeders. They were supposed to be clever, fun, sexy, and bold.
In fact, just about anything went for a few decades. How marvelous it must have
been after years of repression. For the first time ever women were allowed to
play womenβs roles on the stage. Before, only boys played women. It was the law.
But the Merry Monarch quite liked the idea of seeing ladies on stage in breeches
and flowing gowns. So, my heroine was born. I couldnβt wait to write about
Amelia Fox. She could be saucy, independent, and a superstar. During that
period, the most famous actresses of the day were Elizabeth Barry and Nell
Gwynn. Both were superstars. Nell Gwynn actually became the mistress of the
king, bore his children, and was mentioned on the Kingβs death bed. Sheβd risen
from the tough streets of London to be the jewel of the English Court.
Iβm also a lover of swash and buckle and a hero who knows how to handle a sword.
And of course, dueling was practiced widely in this period and the lords of the
time had just spent years fighting in a major civil war. They were marshal men,
and sexy men. But they also knew how to dance and sing and read poetry.
Thereβs something about epic romance that just sweeps one away from the turmoils
of everyday life. Personally, I love to imagine myself in fabulous gowns,
dripping in jewels, dancing in a candlelit ballroom with gold and mirrors
everywhere. I donβt mind the idea of a gorgeous man making me laugh and sweeping
me off my feet either, sword and pistol near by.
What about you? Whatβs your favorite hero thatβs larger than life?
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, Eva Devon, was raised on literary fiction, but
quite accidentally and thankfully, she was introduced to romance one Christmas
by Johanna Lindsey's Mallory novella, The Present. A romance addict was
born.
She devoured every single Lindsey novel within a few months and
moved on to contemporary and paranormal with gusto. Now, she loves to write her
own roguish dukes, alpha males and the heroines who tame them.
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To win a lord, you canβt be a ladyβ¦
Darcy Blake, Earl of Chase,
is a solider, rogue, and a loyal
King's man. Commanded to spy on the luscious actress Amelia
Fox, Darcy must pretend to be her student for a court
theatrical. He is certain he can school her in the art of
seduction while discovering if she is a traitor. But to his
shock, he finds Mrs. Fox teaching him an entirely different
kind of lesson.
As London's most popular actress, Amelia is famous at court,
and she doesn't have a husband to tell her what do.
Unfortunately, the king has ordered her to train the
rakehell, Lord Chase to act for the court. Before long, the
Earl is driving her wild with desire and awakening her heart
to love. As an actress, society dictates she can never be
more than Lord Chase's mistress, and Amelia has vowed never
to be less than a lady.
When Darcy learns the witty actress is indeed
linked to a
traitor, he'll have to decide if love or loyalty will rule
the day.
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