Review and Book Giveaway for A Dangerous Affection by Wanda Luce ~ Published by Walnut Springs Press

Be sure to visit my Facebook page and enter to win a new copy of A Dangerous Affection – deadline is January 11th!

In Wanda Luce’s new novel, A Dangerous Affection, Nicholas Beckett, the Earl of de Rothesay has been driven for months by one purpose—to prove Lady Anne Fitzroy’s father a traitor responsible for his brother’s death. When Anne returns to England after her father’s murder, she is as driven as Nicholas to prove her father’s innocence and clear his name. When Anne and Nic meet and match their wills, sparks fly. But are all the sparks fueled by anger?

Anne is an intelligent, courageously strong woman who will disregard the Regency Period’s social protocol to reinstate her father’s good name and protect her family. She is also a beauty, with gardenia-like skin hard for a young man to ignore . . . even Nic. With a physique as powerful as his determination and as strong as his character, Nic is well sought after by female society. Even Anne can’t evade the effects of his masculine scent—musk and orange with a hint of cinnamon. When these two bold characters set out to defy each other, a battle ensues matched only by the inner battle each fights against their ever-increasing attraction for the other.

Luce works her magic once again in A Dangerous Affection by treating the reader to a Pride and Prejudice-like experience of watching Anne and Nic, at once enemies, find compassion and understanding for each other. When Anne and her family are threatened by her father’s accusations, she and Nic join forces to uncover the truth, whatever it may be and solve a riveting, heart-thumping mystery. Will romance follow? Curl up with this beautifully written and engaging story and find out!

You can find A Dangerous Affection at Amazon and Deseret Book. And be sure to enter the book giveaway on my Facebook page. January 11th I’ll pick a winner.wandapict

Thanks, Wanda, for another must-read Regency Romance 🙂

Review of The Soul of a Lady by Wanda Luce ~ Published by Walnut Springs Press

Be sure and visit my Facebook page and enter for a chance to win  a new copy of The Soul of a Lady by Wanda Luce . . . I’ll pick a winner on Friday, October 21st!

Wanda Luce has done it again! The Soul of a Lady is another beautiful Regency Romance that will transport you to the lush gardens of Surrey, England and the forbidden arms of Connor Parkhurst, the much talked about Viscount Denton.
Lydia Hathaway, born in the upper echelons of English society, is now forced, by her deceased father’s failings, to take the position of companion to the young Susan Ashcroft of Danbury Park. Her loss of rank, though, cannot squelch her “she-tiger” spirit and fondness of forest ramblings, which puts her, literally, in the path of Lord Denton. Despite an awkward first encounter, their mutual attraction blossoms, yet as a six and twenty female companion, the best Lydia can hope to elicit from the opposite sex are “matronly-like comments.” Are Lord Denton’s attentions genuine or just more fodder for his established reputation as a lady’s man? Can Lydia win the ever-present inner battle against her love for the handsome Viscount?
To find the answers to these questions is a journey of lush prose and well-plotted storytelling you won’t want to end. The characters are believable, the dialogue real and the emotional struggle will have your heart aching to the last page. Thank you, Wanda, for another wonderful experience!

I’m so happy to have Wanda visit my blog and answer a few questions for us:wandapict

What is your inspiration for writing Regency Romance? You do such a lovely job of it.

Thanks, Amy, for your invitation to be interviewed! And thank you for reading my books! I love to talk about my writing. Responding to your first question is very easy. I write Regency Romance because it is by far my favorite genre. As a girl, I fell in love with all of Jane Austen’s works and the works of Dickens and Robert Lewis Stevenson. The historical elements and syntax contained some inherent magic that took hold of me and never let go. A few years ago while going through some difficult challenges, I picked up Jane Austen’s books again. Once I had re-read all of them, I read every clean Regency-set book I could find. That quest took me through all of Georgette Heyer’s novels and many of Joan Smith’s books. It was all pure magic to me. After devouring all of the clean ones I could find, the pickings got narrower and narrower. One day I complained to my husband that most of the Regencies seemed to contain porn. He responded, “Well, then why not write a clean one?” So I did!

I know that The Soul of a Lady is a rewrite of Lydia…how did this come about? I never read Lydia, but LOVE The Soul of a Lady?

I am so happy you loved The Soul of a Lady! Thank you for your kind comments. That is one thing an author lives for. I spent a year writing Lydia in response to my husband’s suggestion. Writing it was one of the most enjoyable things I had ever done. A year or so ago, my publisher, Walnut Springs Press, told me they wanted to re-release it with a new cover. I asked if I could revise it as well. They gave their nod of approval, and I went through and made many improvements and fixed a few historical issues.

What advice would you give to up and coming authors? Any specific advice for Regency Romance writers?

I think I will use a list format for my advice.

a. Read and study lots of books in your favorite genre.

b. Read and study everything you can on how to craft a great novel

c. Have friends or family or other authors read your writing and give you ideas on where and how you can improve. Decide ahead of time that honest input, however hard to hear, is one of your best friends. Learn to accept instructive criticism and grow from it.

d. Re-evaluate and revise your project until you have produced a great, polished manuscript. Don’t rush or cut corners like you might with other things. As you labor over each book, you will get better and better at seeing what is needed in a shorter amount of time.

e. Your storyline is the first and most important element of your book, focus on it, then make sure the quality of your writing makes it sing.

f. Don’t give up. Every author who succeeds has done so after a lot of hard work. Writing novels isn’t for everyone. I believe an author has to write because he or she finds the process irresistible and enjoyable.

g. Don’t let rejection of your work or fear of rejection control you. EVERY author experiences rejection. You cannot please everyone. It just doesn’t happen. Haters have written the cruelest things about all of the books I have loved. One of my favorite books of all time is the trilogy by Pamela Aidan. She rewrote Pride and Prejudice from Darcy’s point of view, and I think it is brilliantly done. I suppose she is one of the Regency authors I most want to emulate. Many who read the trilogy wrote scathing reviews! Unthinkable in my book. Well, that trilogy has been a hot item for a decade. Now, that is staying power. Unfortunately, the negative voices are always the loudest ones. Learn from the ones you agree with and discredit the others.

h. Above all, remember that every word, page, and chapter is like a jewel in a crown. Make sure they are properly cut and polished. Then, pat yourself on the back and cheer!

What’s next….can you give us a hint?

Well…since you asked! (Oh, I love being asked.) My present work-in-progress is a Regency-set romance (of course!) involving the daughter of a murdered English diplomat to the Austrian court and a bitter gentleman who holds her father guilty of treason and of inadvertently causing the deaths of his brothers. Each has reason to think the other a dangerous foe, but their conflict intertwines with romance as the heroine faces danger to prove her father’s innocence and as the hero seeks to prove her father’s guilt.

Thanks again, Amy, for taking the time to spotlight my book. I am so excited to read your second book, The Secret Obituary Writer. I loved your first book, Changing Worlds, and give it a definite five stars.

Thank you, Wanda, for this great advice and interesting insight into your writing. We will be waiting not-so-patiently for this next book…it sounds wonderful! You can find The Soul of a Lady at Amazon.com and Deseretbook.com. And don’t forget to visit my Facebook page for a chance to win a new copy of The Soul of a Lady – I’ll pick a winner on October 21st!

Review of In the Wilds of Devon by Wanda Luce – Published by Walnut Springs Press

Be sure and visit my Facebook page and enter to win a new copy of In the Wilds of Devon – deadline is March 4th!

The struggle between the early 19th-century British class system and matters of the heart is what we love about Regency romance, and Wanda Luce has done a wonderful job of it in her novel In the Wilds of Devon. Lord Rupert Carrington has been banished to the country for his own protection—the era’s answer to the Witness Protection Program. Yet nothing can protect his heart when he meets Alexandra Dancy, who is “not only very beautiful . . . but unequalled in strength and goodness.” Though Rupert’s match in every way, Alexandra is far below his social station . . . or is she? Rupert sets out to solve this mystery while at the same time protecting Alexandra from Cecil Bedford, an insanely dangerous man who will have Alexandra at all cost.
With effortless prose we are shown the historical context of the British Regency—so we have the magical feeling we readers love: that we are actually there, smelling the lilacs after a rain shower and feeling the bulky awkwardness of a poorly tied cravat. The characters, as well, are shown to us—strong, yet each with a likable vulnerability that allows them to come to life. Luce cleverly balances the inward emotional struggles of her characters with a what-happens-next pace that keeps you moving from page to page . . . and before you know it, it is way past your bedtime. Go ahead and stay up—it’s worth it!

If you want to read more about Wanda and her writing, visit her blog wandaluce.blogspot.com. You can find In the Wilds of Devon at Amazon and Deseret Book. And don’t forget to visit my Facebook page and enter to win a new copy of In the Wilds of Devon – deadline is March 4th!