Sourcesbooks Spotlight + Fun Facts + Excerpt + Giveaway: How to Impress a Marquess by Susanna Ives

Five Ways To Impress A Marquess

I didn’t title my book. I just called it “book” or “that &*%$! book” during its writing. My publisher came up with the catchy “How To Impress a Marquess.” However, for the first third of the book, my heroine, Lilith Dahlgren, couldn’t care less about impressing George, Marquess of Marylewick, and told him as much on numerous occasions. Hmmm, so maybe that should be my first “way” to impress the marquess.

1.) Have a healthy disregard for the marquess’ opinion. After all, Lilith is a strong woman who knows her own mind. She doesn’t need some starchy marquess telling her what to do, how to behave, and what to think. The only reason she must interact with him is because he’s her trustee and keeps a tight handle on her purse strings.

2.) Make the marquess a villainous sultan in your work of fiction. It is possible that Lilith was been attracted to the marquess all along. Why else would she have created such a sexy villain in her popular serialized story, which she published under a pen name? Even better, make a fictional heroine who is your alter ego. Through her fictional heroine Collette, Lilith puts into print all the tender parts of herself that she can’t show to George. Have your marquess fall in love with your fictional alter ego but never let him know that he is the villain. Warning: this is a very dangerous course and could later blow up in your face.

3.) Wear tight clothes and flowing robes to entice him. This actually could be considered a subpoint of point two. Writing a story requires Lilith to sit for long periods of time and eat loads of toffee to fuel her creative brain. This really wreaks havoc on that famed Victorian waistline. Poor Lilith is popping her stays to fit in her clothes, so she usually flounces about the house in comfortable robes or shifts.

4.) Dig into a painful secret from the marquess’ boyhood to reveal his true sensitive heart beating beneath the fusty exterior. For example, discover that he was once a talented artist who quit painting after numerous spankings ordered from his disapproving father. Force the marquess to face his old secrets and personal demons. Lilith finds George’s hidden boyhood art and tricks him into looking at it again. Of course, digging into a marquess’ past might not impress but anger him, so proceed with caution.

5.) Love the marquess, not for his title, wealth, estates, or societal position. Love him with all your being for his kind heart and beautiful spirit. This is the most impressive point of them all.

How to Impress a Marquess 

Wicked Little Secrets, #3

Susanna Ives 

Sourcebooks Casablanca

November 1, 2016

TAKE ONE MARQUESS: Proper, put-upon, dependable, but concealing a sensitive artist’s soul.

ADD ONE BOHEMIAN LADY: Creative, boisterous, unruly, but secretly yearning for a steadfast love, home, and family.

STIR in a sensational serialized story that has society ravenous for each installment.

COMBINE with ambitious guests at an ill-fated house party hosted by a treacherous dowager possessing a poison tongue.

SHAKE until a stuffy marquess and rebellious lady make a shocking discovery: the contents of their hearts are just alike.

Take a sip. You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, you’ll never want this moving Victorian love story to end.

Excerpt:

Snow on Magnolias Book Tour: Review + Fun Facts

About the Book :
Rose Fabre has just been dumped at the altar, and not by just any man but the star quarterback of San Antonio’s Wranglers. To make matters worse, the embarrassing event is spread all over the news, and her own mother blames her. Though that is nothing new, after all Rose is never right about anything, according to her mother. She has to get out of Texas. Somewhere where maybe the news hasn’t reached.

So she heads for Bon Amie Louisiana where her aunt Odelia has been a live-in housekeeper for some rice farmers for years. If she remembers right Bon Amie is so small she doubts it even has a newspaper. The last time she was there she was thirteen years old and remembers having a great time with the farmer’s five boys.

Arriving at the LeBlanc Manor after midnight was not in her plan, but her spur-of-the-moment trip didn’t allow for wretched traffic or the herd of cattle who refused to get off the road. She is met on the lawn by one of the brothers, Sam, who mistakes her for an intruder. Once she explains her reason for a visit and he puts away his shotgun, and shows her to a room.

What do you get when you have a city girl living in a house full of superstitious farmers? Chaos, and plenty of it. Add in two kids, several lazy dogs and her lovesick aunt and Rose has her hands full.

Sam doesn’t like Rose very much and neither do his two young daughters. Rose learns that his wife took off years ago leaving Sam to raise the two girls. And for someone wanting to find a place to regain her peace of mind and forget about men, Rose has walked into a mess of them. Five LeBlanc brothers, all grown up.

Rose has some changes to make. She can continue trying to please her mother and trying to be someone she’s not, or she can embrace this new life she’s discovered and settle in. Bon Amie might not have a Starbucks, but the friendly smiles and unique characters not to mention the slower lifestyle. With this change of pace will Rose finally trust herself and to fall in love, this time its forever. But which brother will win her heart?


My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the first book, but I love Snow on Magnolias. I truly found the story amazing.

When we first meet Rose her life is in shamble and she decides to go visit her aunt in Bon Amie and put her life in order. There are a few things I learned about Rose: 1) She's a people pleaser. 2) She doesn't know her real self. I love that she's a people pleaser, because I could relate to her. She gives her whole heart, yet she's afraid she'll get trample on. In away the story is about Rose's self-discovery, and she learns a lot about herself.

Sam LeBlanc is a great guy. However, he has a couple of flaws: 1) He doesn't trust easily 2) He gives his whole self to his family. You are wondering how could that be a bad thing. Well, it's a bad thing when you don't take time to do something you want.

Anyway, I can't tell you how much I loved this story. I love the flow of the story and I love how these two slowly drift closer. However, Hattie mange to add a little conflict to story which helps Sam realize what's important to him. I need to mention Rose's mother, she's a horrible person. Even though she's not in story, but you see how she tore peoples lives apart. I love how Rose stands up to her.

Basically, if you are looking for a clean, sweet read that's not inspirational, you should definitely give Snow on Magnolias a try.

Copy provided by author

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble



20 fun facts About Hattie Mae

1. I’m an only child.

2. I married my high school sweetheart (we were both so young our mom’s had to sign for us)

3. Still married to the same man (52 years)

4. I was raised in Louisiana: the state with many lakes, bayous, and rivers. (I can’t swim)

5. I once caught a gator on a crab line.

6. Met Michael Jackson once, had a long conversation with him, (I didn’t recognize him).

7. We have 2 daughters, one son, 5 granddaughters, 1 grandson.

8. I’m a reality TV junky.

9. Mom was German, Dad Cajun.  (Cajun spoken in my home growing up)

10. I’m a very good cook. (So everyone tells me.)

11. Family called me Hatsy.  (Still do.)

12. I make the best pralines around.

13. Husband and I love Romantic Comedies

14. I HATE SPIDERS.

15. I LOVE RAIN STORMS

16. My motto is “You Only Regret Things You Don’t Buy”

17. My love of children made me want to be a teacher.  

18. I never got my degree so I wrote 7 children stories. (They are still in a drawer)

19. I love slot machines

20. Every year at Christmas I give our grandchildren a box of books.  I start when they are 6 months old and give them their box each year.  It has become the gift they look for.  Our oldest is 21 and the youngest is 3. They are all big readers.

Other books in the series :

With Under the Sassafras, award-winning author Hattie Mae introduces you to Bon Amie, a small town in the bayous of Louisiana full of delightful characters and sweet romance.

Nestled between the Atchafalaya Basin and Sugar Island lies Bon Amie, a friendly, quiet town, where nothing exciting ever happens. Until Joelette Benoit’s two sons find a man washed up in the murky water at the edge of the swamp.

Joelette Benoit, a widowed single mother, has sworn to never believe the promises of another sweet talking man. Fiercely independent and determined, she’s hidden away her heart, while struggling to provide for her two sons and lively mother-in-law. She swears the stranger will stay one night, and one night only, until she discovers he has no memory. Now duty-bound to aid him, Joelette decides to offer him a place to heal in exchange for his labor.

Against the colorful backdrop of life on the bayou, she watches as he immerses himself not only in her family but also in her town. She can do little to prevent her sons from bonding with the only man they’ve come to trust since the death of their father. Though she, too, is drawn to his kindness and vulnerability, she will not risk the heart of her family because without a past, this man cannot promise a future. But when his memory returns and he realizes he has blood on his hands, he knows he has unfinished business to attend to before he can claim the family he has grown to love.

Buy links -  Amazon  Barnes & Noble

About the Author :

Award-winning author, Hattie Mae was born and bred southern, cutting her teeth on cornbread and greens and running barefoot through the canals of her small Louisiana town. So when it came to writing, there was no question as to where to set her books. She's now writing her fourth book set in Bon Amie, a busy little town nestled in the heart of Cajun country.
She's also published a short story in The Cup Of Comfort For Teachers. The love of books and writing runs in her family, Hattie's daughter is award-winning historical romance author, Robyn DeHart. When not writing you can usually find her playing with her grandchildren or cooking up some healthy versions of tasty southern fare. She lives in central Texas with her husband and one crazy cat.
Fans of sweet small-town romance will fall in love with the characters of Bon Amie. Upcoming titles include Snow on Magnolias and Sweet Tea & Mayhaw Pie.
Sign up for Hattie Mae's newsletter here www.hattiemaeauthor.com/newsletter/
You can find her online at www.hattiemaeauthor.com
Hattie on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hattieleger.ratliff
Hattie on Twitter https://twitter.com/HattieMaeAuthor
Hattie on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7172437.Hattie_Mae

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The Dark Affair Blog Tour + Giveaway: 5 Fun Facts

5 Fun Facts about The Dark Affair

1) Even though we never get to visit Ireland in the book, I actually stayed in Galway for almost two weeks to research Margaret's character. I had a bit of fun. Just a bit. :D  I will confess to lots of live music sessions at the pubs, drinking icy cold Bulmers (hard cider), and staring at Galway Bay for hours on end!

2) I was very passionate about making Margaret one of the "people" in Ireland rather than seeing herself as Anglo Irish Aristocracy. This was tricky but important to accomplish. So many of the nobility did indeed get caught up in the cause for Ireland's freedom.

3) The English really did see the Irish as trash. Lazy trash to add insult to injury. They thought the Irish SO lazy during the famine that they accused the people who lived by the sea of being so subhuman and unwilling to work, that they were refusing to fish for their food when the potatoes ran out. Clearly, these people just wanted a hand out and a break. Tragically, as verified by the Quakers who came into that region to help the Irish, the Famine otherwise known as An Gort Mór, coincided with the one of the largest off sea fishing disasters known to Ireland. The fish simply disappeared, compounding the food issue. A vast majority of the English refused to believe this.

4) The famous Claddagh ring actually comes from an area of Galway called The Claddagh. It is almost painfully beautiful. It was also one of the hardest hit areas by the potato blight, hence Margaret's intimate knowledge of the famine.

5) Powers and his father represent the many English families that did support the Irish cause, specifically the right to Home Rule.

Bonus fact: Morphine and the intravenous needle were brand new at the time The Dark Affair takes place. So, the use of it is cutting edge and the doctors genuinely believed it wouldn't lead to addiction because addiction came from hunger, hunger came from the stomach, and when the drug was administered through the vein, it bypassed the stomach, avoiding addiction. . . As they discovered later, this wasn't true at all.

About The Dark Affair:

The Victorian era was full of majestic beauty and scandalous secrets—a time when corsets were the least of a woman’s restrictions, and men could kill or be killed in the name of honor…...

Lady Margaret Cassidy left a life of nobility behind in Ireland, forsaking her grieving homeland to aid war-ravaged men in England. Still, she never expected a cruel turn of fate to lock her into an unwanted betrothal with one of her English patients—much less one as broken and dangerous as Viscount Powers.

Wrecked by his tragic past, Powers’ opiate-addled sanity hangs precariously in the balance, leaving him poised to destroy anyone who dares to utter the names of the wife and child he still so deeply mourns. So when he is forced to marry Margaret in exchange for freedom, he is shocked by the desire to earn her trust, her body, and—most alarming of all—her heart….

Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Books-A-Million | Book Depository: 

More About The Book: http://www.maireclaremont.com/#!the-dark-affair/cey

Bio:

2011 Golden Heart winner Máire Claremont first fell in love with Mr. Rochester, not Mr. Darcy. Drawn to his dark snark, she longed to find a tortured hero of her own… until she realized the ramifications of Mr. Rochester locking his frst wife up in his attic. Discovering the errors of her ways, Máire now looks for a real-life Darcy and creates deliciously dark heroes on the page. Oh, and she wants everyone to know her name is pronounced Moira. Her parents just had to give her an Irish Gaelic name.

Links:

Website |  Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway: 

A signed copy of THE DARK AFFAIR (US/CA). Please run the giveaway for a week and send me the winner’s info.

a Rafflecopter giveaway