Book Information Will Fleeing the Scottish Highlands Only Leave Her in More Danger?Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she’s never felt good enough–not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping those threatening her life.
Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, yet the last thing he needs is the distraction of the newly introduced Lady Rowena. He has enough on his plate having recently come into possession of a rare treasure for which many would kill, yet those around him seem intent on pairing him with this desperate but beguiling girl.
Rowena is reluctant to marry this notorious flirt. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she’ll end up in more danger than she fled.
About The Author
Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. The Reluctant Duchess is Roseanna’s eleventh published book. Her novels range from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.RoseannaMWhite.com
Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. The Reluctant Duchess is Roseanna’s eleventh published book. Her novels range from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.RoseannaMWhite.comGuest Post from Roseanna White
Though I’ve written nearly thirty books, thirteen of which will be out by the end of 2016, there’s something very special about the Ladies of the Manor Series. The first book, The Lost Heiress, is a rewrite of the first novel I ever wrote—at the age of 12-13. Once I finished that first novel, I made it my goal to keep adding more manuscripts to my “finished” file. I started in immediately on the sequel . . . and soon ran into a problem. You see, I knew who I wanted these characters to be. Brice Myerston, a duke, whom readers would have met in the first book. And a young lady from Scotland who had suffered abuse.
That’s it. That’s all I knew. And it stymied 13-year-old me, who hadn’t a clue what it felt like to suffer such things, and whose imagination, while rich, just lacked a certain basis in the realities of human nature. Probably a good thing that I gave up on the story back then, and didn’t dust it off again until my mid-20s, when I was reworking the series. And better still that Rowena had many more drafts to go through before she finally took to the printed page in The Reluctant Duchess.
I narrowed my setting down, during those years, to the Highlands, and I chose Loch Morar because of how perfectly the region of Lochaber suited the story I wanted to tell. Isolated. Stark. Rugged. Beautiful. Sometimes cruel. This was a land utterly perfect for my heroine’s family, for her back story. Then came the challenge of picking a clan for her to belong to—because lemme just tell you, one could quite easily offend with such choices, if not portrayed properly, LOL. And because I wanted her father to be chief of her clan, I ran the risk of people mistaking him for the actual chief, if I chose an actual clan.
A writing friend came to rescue and offered her last name for my heroine: Kinnaird (pronounced “kin-AIRD”), which is a sept (branch) of another clan in reality, so had no chief of its own, but was still a well-established Scottish name. Perfect!
So Rowena Kinnaird was born after many years of her character floating in and around my head and computer screen. And I got to pair this backward, sometimes shy, sometimes stubborn Scottish lass with the charming, suave, polished English duke I’d had planned out since I was 13.
I went to great pains in The Lost Heiress to make Brice Myerston a favorite character, so that readers HAD to read his story. Mwa ha ha ha. 
So far, so good on that score! Brice is a hero who has his faults, but he also has character. He has faith. He has a good heart, he’s considerate, he’s understanding. And he’s also so accustomed to charming everything female that he doesn’t quite know what to do when Rowena doesn’t seem inclined to be charmed.
So far, so good on that score! Brice is a hero who has his faults, but he also has character. He has faith. He has a good heart, he’s considerate, he’s understanding. And he’s also so accustomed to charming everything female that he doesn’t quite know what to do when Rowena doesn’t seem inclined to be charmed.There are clashes. There is tension. There’s much healing on Rowena’s part. Many trials for them both. But I hope that through this story of The Reluctant Duchess readers see what it means to triumph over past hurts. And how brightly God shines against the darkness.
My Review: "The Reluctant Duchess" by Roseanna M White is a book that once I started reading it I had to keep reading it till I finished it! It can be read as a standalone but I am so glad that I read the first book "The Lost Heiress" in this series ("Ladies Of The Manor"). "The Reluctant Duchess" is Lady Rowena Kinnaird's story but reintroduces us to characters from"The Lost Heiress".
"The Reluctant Duchess" is a story of God's love in a world of darkness. "The Reluctant Duchess" isn't a fairy tale filled with all beauty and happiness but it is a story with a somewhat happy ending. I say this because the ending is happy for some characters but not others. But, isn't that the way life is.
Roseanne White has written a novel with lots of truths that Rowena has learned about God and I believe that readers need to learn and apply to our lives as well. I am including a quote from the book about love that I believe expresses what love is so beautifully.
"He’d always thought love to be something that just happened. Or, as he’d said to Cayton that day at Whitby Park, an action they could take until their hearts caught up with their hands. But maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was a choice. Maybe it was as much about determination and dedication as discovery. Maybe it wasn’t a feeling, wasn’t an emotion—if it were, it would be changeable, fleeting, like anger or happiness or sorrow. But it shouldn’t be. Couldn’t be. Love had to be firmer than that. Which meant that love, like faith, couldn’t be based on feelings. It had to be based on what didn’t change. On what he knew".
I loved this novel but I have to be honest and say it wasn't a fast read like "The Lost Heiress" but it kept me turning the pages and yes I have to warn readers there is violence ( guns and attempted murder and rape, (the rape is not described in detail) but no cursing and no bedroom scenes except kissing, but who wouldn't want kisses in a book that was a love story! I recommend this book to Christian readers and nonbelievers alike as God's truths are spoken and shown throughout the story but not in a preachy way!
Just like in any story there are characters you love to hate and characters you love and "The Reluctant Duchess" certainly don't disappoint in that aspect. The author writes in such a way that you can feel what the characters feel and feel like you are watching the story take place.
I am sure you can tell that I am giving "The Reluctant Duchess" five stars and I want to say Thank you to Roseanne White and Celebrate Lit for introducing me to (The Ladies of The Manor Series). I will be reading more of Roseanne's White's books in the future and am anxiously waiting for book 3 in this series!
I was given a copy of "The Reluctant Duchess" by Roseanna White by Celebrate Lit for my honest review and these opinions are my own.
Purchase your copy here.
Blog Stops
April 12: Just Commonly
April 12: Book by Book
April 13: Books for Christian Girls
April 13: Cassandra M’s Place
April 13: Melissa Wardwell
April 14: A Holland Reads
April 14: Reading Is My SuperPower
April 15: Splashes of Joy
April 15: Blossoms and Blessings
April 15: Story Matters
April 16: Bookworm Mama
April 16: bigreadersite
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April 17: A Greater Yes
April 18: Singing Librarian Books
April 18: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
April 19: Simple Harvest Reads
April 19: Henry Happens
April 19: Karen Hadley
April 20: Daysong Reflections
April 20: Texas Book-aholic
April 20: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
April 21: Proverbial Reads
April 21: Heidi Reads…
April 22: Seasons of Opportunities
April 22: 100 pages per hour
April 23: Reader’s Cozy Corner
April 23: The Power of Words
April 24: Giveaway Lady
April 24: Under His Wings
April 25: For The Love of Books
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of her book, Roseanna is giving away a few of Roseanna’s favorite things. Click the link to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e146afbf20/?
3 comments:
Thank you so much, Debbie, for this excellent, comprehensive review. Knowing both you and Roseanna through our women's fellowship group makes all of this come so alive for me. Thanks, again. j
Thanks Joyce!
Lovely interview! I love her books
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