Tag: historical romance

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Stand and Deliver!

September 28, 2025 by in category Quarter Days by Alina K. Field tagged as , , , , ,

I’m back with another Quarter Days post!

Smugglers, Ghosts, and Highwaymen

The Bluestocking Belles and Friends have put together a collection of interrelated stories set near Brighton, England in 1817, and what fun we had researching and developing these tales. From the Devil’s Dyke to Brighton, love and adventure are in the air.

When Principal Officer Robert Pierce, of the Bow Street Magistrate Court sets out on the Brighton road he encounters more than the notorious thief he’s hunting:

From the casebook of Robert Pierce

It seems that I am off to the seaside. Larcenous Lucy, as some of the wits here at
the Office have taken to calling her, is working the London to Brighton road.
I’ve been told to look into a highwayman problem while I am there. There’s
someone plaguing both the main highway and some of the lesser roads. The local
dignitaries have posted a reward, so that would be a nice bonus.
My colleagues have also been joking that smugglers and ghosts abound in the
region, and that I might collect some of those while I am there. I told them, I
shall leave the smugglers to the excise officers and ghosts to the duly authorized
ministers of the church.

Love’s Perilous Road, a Bluestocking Belles Collection with Friends

Travel, houseparties, smugglers, spies, a ghost–and a mysterious highwayman. Who is the infamous Captain Moonlight? And how many lives will he change–for good or for ill?

It’s the autumn of 1817 and Sir Peter Somerville and his lady are hosting a house party at their estate near Brighton, while a pesky highwayman plagues the surrounding byways.

Love’s Perilous Road features stories by Jude Knight, Sherry Ewing, Carolyn Warfield, Cerise Deland, Rue Allyn, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Alina K. Field, and friends of the Bluestocking Belles Mary Lancaster, Meara Platt, and Barbara Monajem. 

My contribution to the collection is Sir Westcott Steals a Heart

Sir Westcott Twisden didn’t know he wanted to marry until the tallest lady he’d ever met crossed his path. Unfortunately, the lady in question shrugs off his overtures. Curious when a local smuggler shows up to visit her, Wes follows her into trouble.

Sybil Dunsford will do almost anything to protect her brothers and their home, even disguise herself as one of her brothers to fend off demands from the local smuggling boss who holds her mortgage. But when her night of shifting contraband goes awry, and Sir Westcott appears to rescue her, they’re locked in together. Will romance follow?

Release Day is October 31, 2025

Pre-order your copy here: https://books2read.com/u/mqx0W6

Happy Reading! I’ll be back on December 28th with another Quarter Days post!
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Celebrating Thirty Years of Romance

April 12, 2025 by in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as , ,

This post is not really book related, but since I write historical romance, it is romance related.  This month, on April 22nd to be exact, my husband and I are celebrating thirty years of romance. Okay the entire thirty years may not be all romance, but it is our 30th wedding anniversary.

Celebrating 30 years of romance blog header by denise m. colby

Just like any romance story, ours is full of attraction, love, faith, hope, discord, arguments, difference of opinion, reconciliation, hope, fun, magic moments, hardships, love, faith, and so on. A lot can happen in thirty years. For our 25th year, I wrote a blog post for why he was the perfect hero for me.

If I were to be writing this as a book, our happily ever after began on April 22, 1995. But our story began on Feb. 2, 1992. I wrote about it this year in February post on denisemcolby.com.

We met at Disneyland. Our honeymoon was in Florida at DisneyWorld. And for our 30th anniversary, we are headed to Disneyland Paris in France. We are so excited.

Our wedding day, thirty years ago

It is so fun to reflect back to our special day thirty years ago. I definitely was influenced by the fairy tales I grew up with. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Our engagement happened at the Snow White wishing well by the castle at Disneyland, and we had a replica made for our wedding, making it a central piece to our wedding theme.

It’s fun to be able to share some pics from that day, long ago. 

As you can see by the cake topper and toasting glasses, we added Disney touches everywhere.

We hired an artist friend Dave Avanzino (who now creates beautiful artwork including custom work for Disney) to transform our drab brown carpet area into a lush garden complete with a wishing well replica.

It was magical! Looking back I’m sure family and friends thought we were over the top, but our young adult church group was having over ten weddings a year at the time and we wanted to do something different and make it our own.

We could barely imagine our life thirty years from then. But here we are.

And here I am, now a published author with my second Historical Romance launching this year. I like to think my relationship with God and with my husband has influenced my writing.

Since this is a writing blog, I would be remiss if I didn’t share my new cover of A Slight Change of Plans. It launches May 27, 2025. A pre-order link will be coming soon. Next month, I’ll be sharing all about it.

Book cover for A Slight Change of Plans by Denise M. Colby is a historical romance set many years ago

Thirty years of romance later

Never could we imagine what our life would be like thirty years later. But now that we are here, I’m thankful for the adventure we have had so far. Here’s to many more years of romance in the future. Both in real life and in my stories.

a thirty year happily ever after romance by Denise M. Colby
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Jina Bacarr October Featured Author

October 29, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , , ,

About Jina Bacarr

I discovered early on that I inherited the gift of the gab from my large Irish family when I penned a story about a princess who ran away to Paris with her pet turtle Lulu. I was twelve.

I grew up listening to their wild, outlandish tales and it was those early years of storytelling that led to my love of history and traveling.

Jina Bacarr | A Slice of Orange

I enjoy writing to classical music with a hot cup of java by my side. I adore dark chocolate truffles, vintage anything, the smell of bread baking and rainy days in museums. I’ve always loved walking through history—from Pompeii to Verdun to Old Paris. The voices of the past speak to me through carriages with cracked leather seats, stiff ivory-colored crinolines, and worn satin slippers. I’ve always wondered what it was like to walk in those slippers when they were new.

You can follow Jina on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
Bookbub

Jina also has a column here on the 11th of every month: Jina’s Book Chat.

Jina’s newest novel, Sisters of the Resistance, is available now.

Paris, 1942: Two sisters in Paris had their lives torn apart. Now they must choose – save themselves, or fight the Nazis to the very end…

I’d given up everything to fight for the Resistance. But nothing prepared me for discovering my sister was a traitor. Kept by a Nazi SS officer, outwardly she barely resembles my beloved Justine anymore.

But I guessed her secret. About her beautiful, fragile little child. The baby she’ll do anything to protect. And I believe that deep down she still knows what is right.

As the Nazis threaten everything we ever held dear, I know I have one chance. I must convince her to betray the evil she seems to have chosen. I need her to find her true self once more.

Because I need her to join the fight…

Could you choose your country – and what is right – over the person you once loved more than anyone in the world?

Unmissable, heartbreaking, gripping WW2 fiction, perfect for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Ellie Midwood and Jean Grainger.

Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Amazon

A Few of Jina’s Other Books

THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

Buy now!
THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

THE LOST GIRL IN PARIS

Buy now!
THE LOST GIRL IN PARIS

RESISTANCE GIRL

Buy now!
RESISTANCE GIRL

THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Buy now!
THE RUNAWAY GIRL

HER LOST LOVE

Buy now!
HER LOST LOVE

A NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS CAROL

Buy now!
A NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS CAROL

A SOLDIER’S ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

Buy now!
A SOLDIER’S ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

COME FLY WITH ME

Buy now!
COME FLY WITH ME

LOVE ME FOREVER

Buy now!
LOVE ME FOREVER

SISTERS AT WAR

Buy now!
SISTERS AT WAR

SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE

Buy now!
SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE

THE STOLEN CHILDREN OF WAR

Buy now!
THE STOLEN CHILDREN OF WAR

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Jina Bacarr October Featured Author

October 14, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , , ,

About Jina Bacarr

I discovered early on that I inherited the gift of the gab from my large Irish family when I penned a story about a princess who ran away to Paris with her pet turtle Lulu. I was twelve.

I grew up listening to their wild, outlandish tales and it was those early years of storytelling that led to my love of history and traveling.

Jina Bacarr | A Slice of Orange

I enjoy writing to classical music with a hot cup of java by my side. I adore dark chocolate truffles, vintage anything, the smell of bread baking and rainy days in museums. I’ve always loved walking through history—from Pompeii to Verdun to Old Paris. The voices of the past speak to me through carriages with cracked leather seats, stiff ivory-colored crinolines, and worn satin slippers. I’ve always wondered what it was like to walk in those slippers when they were new.

You can follow Jina on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
Bookbub

Jina also has a column here on the 11th of every month: Jina’s Book Chat.

Jina’s newest novel, Sisters of the Resistance, is available now.

Paris, 1942: Two sisters in Paris had their lives torn apart. Now they must choose – save themselves, or fight the Nazis to the very end…

I’d given up everything to fight for the Resistance. But nothing prepared me for discovering my sister was a traitor. Kept by a Nazi SS officer, outwardly she barely resembles my beloved Justine anymore.

But I guessed her secret. About her beautiful, fragile little child. The baby she’ll do anything to protect. And I believe that deep down she still knows what is right.

As the Nazis threaten everything we ever held dear, I know I have one chance. I must convince her to betray the evil she seems to have chosen. I need her to find her true self once more.

Because I need her to join the fight…

Could you choose your country – and what is right – over the person you once loved more than anyone in the world?

Unmissable, heartbreaking, gripping WW2 fiction, perfect for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Ellie Midwood and Jean Grainger.

Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Amazon

A Few of Jina’s Other Books

THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

Buy now!
THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

THE LOST GIRL IN PARIS

Buy now!
THE LOST GIRL IN PARIS

RESISTANCE GIRL

Buy now!
RESISTANCE GIRL

THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Buy now!
THE RUNAWAY GIRL

HER LOST LOVE

Buy now!
HER LOST LOVE

A NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS CAROL

Buy now!
A NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS CAROL

A SOLDIER’S ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

Buy now!
A SOLDIER’S ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

COME FLY WITH ME

Buy now!
COME FLY WITH ME

LOVE ME FOREVER

Buy now!
LOVE ME FOREVER

SISTERS AT WAR

Buy now!
SISTERS AT WAR

SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE

Buy now!
SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE

THE STOLEN CHILDREN OF WAR

Buy now!
THE STOLEN CHILDREN OF WAR

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Jina Bacarr October Featured Author

October 1, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , , ,

About Jina Bacarr

I discovered early on that I inherited the gift of the gab from my large Irish family when I penned a story about a princess who ran away to Paris with her pet turtle Lulu. I was twelve.

I grew up listening to their wild, outlandish tales and it was those early years of storytelling that led to my love of history and traveling.

Jina Bacarr | A Slice of Orange

I enjoy writing to classical music with a hot cup of java by my side. I adore dark chocolate truffles, vintage anything, the smell of bread baking and rainy days in museums. I’ve always loved walking through history—from Pompeii to Verdun to Old Paris. The voices of the past speak to me through carriages with cracked leather seats, stiff ivory-colored crinolines, and worn satin slippers. I’ve always wondered what it was like to walk in those slippers when they were new.

You can follow Jina on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
Bookbub

Jina also has a column here on the 11th of every month: Jina’s Book Chat.

Jina’s newest novel, Sisters of the Resistance, is available now.

Paris, 1942: Two sisters in Paris had their lives torn apart. Now they must choose – save themselves, or fight the Nazis to the very end…

I’d given up everything to fight for the Resistance. But nothing prepared me for discovering my sister was a traitor. Kept by a Nazi SS officer, outwardly she barely resembles my beloved Justine anymore.

But I guessed her secret. About her beautiful, fragile little child. The baby she’ll do anything to protect. And I believe that deep down she still knows what is right.

As the Nazis threaten everything we ever held dear, I know I have one chance. I must convince her to betray the evil she seems to have chosen. I need her to find her true self once more.

Because I need her to join the fight…

Could you choose your country – and what is right – over the person you once loved more than anyone in the world?

Unmissable, heartbreaking, gripping WW2 fiction, perfect for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Ellie Midwood and Jean Grainger.

Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Amazon

A Few of Jina’s Other Books

THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

Buy now!
THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

THE LOST GIRL IN PARIS

Buy now!
THE LOST GIRL IN PARIS

RESISTANCE GIRL

Buy now!
RESISTANCE GIRL

THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Buy now!
THE RUNAWAY GIRL

HER LOST LOVE

Buy now!
HER LOST LOVE

A NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS CAROL

Buy now!
A NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS CAROL

A SOLDIER’S ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

Buy now!
A SOLDIER’S ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

COME FLY WITH ME

Buy now!
COME FLY WITH ME

LOVE ME FOREVER

Buy now!
LOVE ME FOREVER

SISTERS AT WAR

Buy now!
SISTERS AT WAR

SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE

Buy now!
SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE

THE STOLEN CHILDREN OF WAR

Buy now!
THE STOLEN CHILDREN OF WAR

0 0 Read more

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