Blog Archives
It’s Such Great Escapism
Maids of Maddington: Welcome To The Madhouse follows two women from the servant class, one on trial for loving a noble, the other her friend and defender. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
As a reader, I always like to be transported to another time and place. It’s such great escapism. I deliberated on many different eras in history before finally deciding on Victorian times. And choosing to write about women of the servant class provides so many possible scenarios!
Eliza shows a lot of character and dedication to those she deems her friends. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Along with many people of her class in the Victorian era, Eliza had a tough life. As the eldest child in her family, she was forced to take on a lot of responsibility, but never once questioned this. She had an innate sense of duty and felt obliged to help others—a common trait amongst women, no matter what century they were born in!
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I did a lot of research on the Victorian era, and was horrified to discover how working-class people in the big cities lived. Many of them didn’t even know where their next meal was coming from. So, poverty and the living conditions of the poor were a big focus for me, along with the abysmal working conditions of servants at that time.
What can readers expect in book two of the Maids of Maddington, and when will it be available?
In Book 2, the reader will be thrust forward seven years to 1905. Many of the same characters will appear, with some interesting new additions. Some of the themes will include the Suffragette movement and the London underworld.
It should be available in August, 2022.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
When young Eliza first joins Maddington House, known locally as ‘The Madhouse,’ as an under housemaid in 1895, she finds herself alone in the world of the rich and privileged.
A world where everyone takes what they want and no one takes responsibility…
Enter Annie.
Kind, pretty, vivacious Annie. The housemaid everyone loves to be around. Eliza’s new friend and close confidante.
Annie’s beautiful aura and charming spirit are hard to resist, so it doesn’t come as a surprise when Edward Montague takes notice.
Edward, the only son of the house, is handsome, charismatic, and manipulative, but Annie doesn’t seem to see him for who he really is. Charmed by his relentless pursuit and bold promises, she falls in love with him hard…
Only to crash even harder.
Eliza knew right from the start that their secret meetings and love confessions would not end well, but she never expected her friend to end up on trial because of that man.
As hidden secrets, back-door deals, and scandalous love affairs unfold before the shocked circle of high society and her friend is accused of a horrible crime, Eliza must do what she knows is right: stand by Annie even if no one else is willing to.
After all, her friend is innocent.
It’s someone else that should be put on trial.
New York By Night
This captivating story begins with three mysterious characters plotting one of the biggest robberies of their time, stealing over a half-million dollars in diamonds from the great jewelry firm, Diamond & Co. The owners of the company wish for the robbery to be kept secret, so as not to lose the faith and trust of their customers. As such, the hunt for the thieves begins. Police detective Murray Hazard takes one route to attempt to solve the mystery, while millionaire amateur detective Lionel Dangerfield takes another. A reporter and philanthropist, Ruby Sharpe, asks to join Dangerfield on his search, as she blames herself for the robbery after publishing a story revealing how Diamond & Co. secure their valuables and wishes to make it right.
Journalist Nellie Bly who is famous for uncovering a number of criminal activities in the late 1800’s was also a fiction novelist unbeknownst to many. While her novels were lost for decades and left unpublished, David Blixt has discovered them. He is now editing and publishing the lost novels. Nellie Bly wrote New York by Night using inspiration from some of the stories reported on. This novel is a suspenseful “who done it” mystery full of unexpected twists, intriguing criminal acts, and surprising alliances.
Readers are taken on a fast-paced journey as Danger investigates and questions anyone who could have been involved, from the watchmen on duty to the son and lover of the owner of the company himself. He begins to suspect a well-known thief, Admiral Great and hits every roadblock imaginable while trying to catch the clever criminal. During this saga, Ruby and Dangerfield fall madly in love until Dangerfield finds out that Ruby knows more about the crime than she is letting on. Will this discovery lead to solving the crime, break the millionaire detective’s heart, or both?
This was an enjoyable read. Bly’s writing style is filled with wit and intrigue, readers will be entranced in the complexity of the character’s story. I found the constant ‘coincidental’ run-in’s between Danger and Ruby to be humorous and entertaining and rooted for both of them, wishing for a happy ending. Blixt did a wonderful job editing it to make it more readable for modern readers while keeping the integrity of Bly’s work. I look forward to reading more lost novels by this author!
New York By Night: A Female Reporter Tracking A $500,000 Robbery is a rousing mystery novel set in the 1800’s. With strong characters and a complex plot, readers will find this historical romance to be an exciting addition to their Victorian novel collection.
Pages: 290 | ASIN : B08TLHC8FW
Women Drive The Story
A Wife for the Devil follows the illegitimate daughter of an English family that gets caught up in a love triangle. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Victorian and Regency romances are quite beloved to me. They were part of some of my earliest reading experiences. In the small southern Indian town where I grew up, the library was barely stocked, but almost always could lend you Georgette Heyer and Barbara Cartland. As I planned my first novel, a romance seemed like a natural option given how familiar I am with the genre. And if I were to write a historical romance, why not bring in the oft-ignored denizens of the British Empire: children begat by cross-racial encounters? History books tell us they were pretty commonplace, and yet we have seen little of them in mainstream romances. This is being changed these days by many bold and fresh romance writers, and I wished to proceed in their wake by making my heroine someone unlikely.
The triangle came in naturally too. All stories need a few good villains and vamps. And Miranda, with her strong will and strange whims, seemed like a good foil for the two main characters.
Elizabeth starts out as a shy and timid woman in the beginning and grows into a strong independent one throughout the book. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I am of the belief that your material conditions play a strong role in forming your psyche. I never thought of Elizabeth as shy or timid in the story, but she does behave within the confines of her circumstances. Her assertiveness in the second-half of the book is more the logical result of her falling in love than any designs on my part. Love, if I may be a bit trite, strengthens and vitalises us. In a romance, the author is always saying, whether explicitly or not, “Love is a momentous thing. It changes and enriches us.” I think that was largely my ideal.
Another aspect is the self-actualisation Elizabeth begins to embrace. This too is the result of her changing circumstances; she finally could be the woman she has always been.
Being set in Victorian-era England, what were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Women drive the story. And this was a conscious decision. Readers rightfully do not like romances where the women are resigned to their fates, or are so divorced from their own wishes that they do not know what to do. When they recognise they want something, it is a lightning strike. So, in my novel, both the heroine and her antagonist are clear in their minds about what they want and usually act in their own interests. This I think is the main theme. In this era, women weren’t granted much in the way of an inner life and little in the way of an outer one. I hoped to invert those expectations.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Currently I am working on a fantasy romance. Details of the plot are yet to be nailed down properly, so much of what I could say would be speculation. I am not sure when it will be released, but sometime in 2023 seems like a good guess.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
The illegitimate daughter of an Indian soldier and an Englishwoman, Elizabeth Lavoisier has never known true happiness or freedom. She survives only at the whims of her scheming cousin and is resigned to her fate until she meets the notorious industrialist Hugh Atwood.
Their attraction is immediate and scorching, their connection deep and visceral. But Hugh is driven by demons neither he nor Elizabeth completely understand, and Elizabeth could lose everything, even her pallid life with a family which does not want her. Soon they are plunged into the perilous world of the English aristocracy where they can trust no one, not even each other.
Is their love strong enough to overcome Elizabeth’s low station and the tragic binds that hold Hugh?
A Wife for the Devil
A Wife for the Devil by Shruti Rao tells the story of Elizabeth Lavoisier and the people in her life. Elizabeth lives with her uncle and his family and she has hardly any control over her life. Instead, she is treated like a maid and lives in fear of her beautiful, powerful, and erratic cousin, Miranda Deverril. Miranda has fallen for a man, Hugh Atwood, and enlists Elizabeth’s help in trying to win him over. Elizabeth, nervous and fearful, agrees to see Hugh, but soon she finds herself embroiled in a love triangle with her cousin… but can she find her feet in a world where money is power? Will she fight for the man she has come to love?
Shruti Rao has created a story with a rich cast of characters. From Elizabeth to her friend Lady Frazier and more. Readers will find the characters engaging and entertaining. Elizabeth is surprisingly headstrong when it comes to matters of the heart. Her love interest, Hugh Atwood, is a man with a past that hangs over his head, and Elizabeth can’t help but be taken in by him. Readers will find themselves rooting for the couple despite the obstacles in their way.
The story moves at a smooth pace giving readers time to know the characters. The story is set in London, in 1871, with all the social stigmas and properties of the time. The story is told through the interactions of the characters and through flashbacks of memories. Elizabeth starts out unsure of herself and her self-worth, but thankfully she grows into a confident and strong woman throughout the story.
A Wife for the Devil is an exciting story that will captivate readers who enjoy historical fiction. A Victorian romance set up with characters that are traditionally below the upper crust of the ton, fighting scandals, family drama, and looking for a way to make love work.
Pages: 182 | ASIN : B09R3PTSVH
LITERARY TITAN 