Hello, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Rachel Brimble and her new book, “A Very Modern Marriage,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Rachel and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
A Very Modern
Marriage
by Rachel Brimble
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
He needs a wife...
Manchester industrialist William Rose was a poor lad from the slums who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, but in order to achieve his greatest ambitions he must become the epitome of Victorian respectability: a family man.
She has a plan...
But the only woman who's caught his eye is sophisticated beauty Octavia Marshall, one of the notorious ladies of Carson Street. Though she was once born to great wealth and privilege, she's hardly respectable, but she's determined to invest her hard-earned fortune in Mr Rose's mills and forge a new life as an entirely proper businesswoman.
They strike a deal that promises them both what they desire the most, but William's a fool if he thinks Octavia will be a conventional married woman, and she's very much mistaken if she thinks the lives they once led won't follow them wherever they go.
In the third instalment of Rachel Brimble's exciting Victorian saga series, The Ladies of Carson Street will open the doors on a thoroughly modern marriage – and William is about to get a lot more than he bargained for...
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EXCERPT TWO:
There was something beguiling about a woman who spoke so eloquently, who clearly knew much of the world and wasn’t afraid to challenge and speak with a gentleman of wealth and standing. She was feisty, certainly. But it was more than that. Octavia Marshall had clear control of her emotions and an aptitude for conversation that challenged and intrigued him, that made him want to be a better man, to impress her with his strengths and play down any weaknesses.
He had never met a woman so mysterious yet open, so tormenting yet serious. It was baffling, but entirely captivating and the combination made his body shift carnally.
Dangerous. That’s what she was… very, very dangerous.
And he had to put a stop to her enchantment.
‘Octavia.’ He reached out as she stopped outside a closed bedroom door, gently but firmly grasping her elbow. ‘We should talk.’
Her hand slipped from the door and concern darkened her eyes. ‘Are you all right?’
William looked deep into her eyes and felt as though he was teetering on the edge of something he couldn’t explain. He released her elbow and pushed his hand into his hair. ‘I didn’t come here to be alone with you this way.’
Her gaze drifted over his face before she slowly lifted her incredible lashes and pinned him to the floor with her brilliant blue gaze. ‘Do you want to be with me now?’
‘I can’t make love to you when—’
‘You won’t be making love to me.’ She lightly touched her fingers to his jaw. ‘This is a business arrangement. The same as any other.’
A spike of something that felt far too much like a blow hit the centre of his chest and he swallowed. What in God’s name was happening to him? Since when did he react so uncertainly to anything… anyone?
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GUEST POST:
Writing Fierce Female Lead Characters
A Very Modern Marriage is my 28th novel and I am confident in saying that every time I sit down to plan a novel or series, I have the underlying theme of female empowerment in my mind.
I like nothing more than writing strong female leads and giving them something in their past, either a person, an event or fear, that continues to affect them way into the future. It is these things that have occurred in all of our backstories that shape and challenge the person we are today.
Firstly, I come up with a goal they wish to achieve or a part of their life that they know needs to change if they are ever going to be successful and/or happy. They must either confront whatever it is holding them back or make the decision to park it and never revisit it again. This is a truth that we all recognise and many of us spend our entire lives seeking for that ultimate release so that we might live more peaceful and fulfilled lives.
The beauty of writing fiction is that I can make that ultimate dream, that ultimate freedom come true for my characters even I can’t for myself. What a gift! This is especially true of the romance genre because the reader expects the happy ever after – that is part of the contract between them and the author. The author’s part of the agreement is to make the journey to that happy ever after or life change the most exciting, challenging and moving as possible.
A Very Modern Marriage is the third book in the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy (all books can be read stand alone) and is set in the backstreets of the Victorian city of Bath, England. The first book (A Widow’s Vow) introduces Louisa Hill, a widow who is forced to reembrace her past as a prostitute and opens a brothel. An unexpected event turns her life on its axis but instead of crumbling, she makes the only life she has known before work for her again, but this time it will be on her terms.
Fierce!
In the second book, (Trouble For The Leading Lady), Nancy Bloom works with Louisa at Carson Street and is struggling to get over being abducted and then abandoned as a young teenager. Prostitution was the only way for her to survive and it is Nancy (Louisa’s best friend) who supports her when she realizes that they must revisit a life they thought far behind them. Not only does Nancy stand side by side Louisa, but also fights to help those living in the Workhouse.
Fierce!
And finally, we have Octavia, the heroine of A Very Modern Marriage – here is a woman who should have been destined for a life of privilege and opportunity, but after her mother’s death, her father spiralled into a state of violent anger and depression. Forced to leave home, she ends up on Bath’s streets fighting for survival. When Louisa finds her and invites her to Carson Street, Octavia’s loyalty to Louisa is sealed.
Then it looks like the house will close. The first thing Octavia knows she must do is find an alternative source of survival. She is more than willing to start again, learn and adapt, do what she must. And that is exactly what she will do…
Fierce!
It is the strength I find in my female leads and in writing a less than rosy past that each of them must conquer, that keeps me returning to the keyboard. As a voracious reader as well as a writer, I know that readers want to pick up a book and get lost in a story, vie for the heroine to succeed, and have her find the happy ever after she is looking for.
I’m often asked if there are parts of me in my heroines and I’d be lying if I denied it – there are parts of me in every character I write, male or female, young or old. Yet, there are also parts of my characters that are nothing like me. These women are all too often braver than me, stronger and have the fiercest tenacity I have ever known.
That’s why I love what I do – I get to write larger than life women who inspire me and I hope inspire my readers!
Happy Reading 😊
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AUTHOR BIO:
Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of over 25 published novels including the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin).
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.
To sign up for her newsletter (a guaranteed giveaway every month!), click here: https://bit.ly/3zyH7dt.
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CONNECT WITH RACHEL:
Website:
Blog:
http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com
Newsletter:
Email:
rachelbrimble@googlemail.com
Facebook Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelbrimbleauthor
Facebook Group – Rachel’s Readers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelsReaders
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor
BookBub Author Page:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rachel-brimble
BookBub Book Page:
https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-very-modern-marriage-by-rachel-brimble
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806411.Rachel_Brimble
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59834542-a-very-modern-marriage
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon
US Kindle eBook:
Amazon
UK Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Marriage-Ladies-Carson-Street-ebook/dp/B09DR2F9DN
Amazon
UK Paperback:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Modern-Marriage-Rachel-Brimble/dp/1803281316
Amazon
CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Modern-Marriage-Ladies-Carson-Street-ebook/dp/B09DR2F9DN
Amazon
AU Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Modern-Marriage-Ladies-Carson-Street-ebook/dp/B09DR2F9DN
Apple
Books eBook:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-very-modern-marriage/id1583060836
Barnes
and Noble NOOK eBook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-very-modern-marriage-rachel-brimble/1140537876
Book Depository Paperback:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Very-Modern-Marriage-Rachel-Brimble/9781803281315
Google
Play eBook:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rachel_Brimble_A_Very_Modern_Marriage?id=ynFYEAAAQBAJ
Kobo
US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-very-modern-marriage
Kobo
CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-very-modern-marriage
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Rachel will be awarding a
$20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the
tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Rachel ~ Good morning!! Welcome back!! It is so great to have you here again!! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the author's bio and tips on how to write a fierce romantic lead, I love the book cover, synopsis and excerpt and I am looking forward to reading this story
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIs there a book or movie that made you like writing in this genre?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the guest post and the excerpt, Rachel, your book sounds like an excellent read for me! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a fantastic day!
ReplyDelete