Monday, September 17, 2012

Innovative Online Book Tours Guest Post & Review: Regan Walker - Racing With The Wind


Today we are welcoming Regan Walker to A Chick Who Reads!

 Mary’s  Unusual  Black  Stallion  in  Racing  with  the  Wind    

When  I  began  to  write  Racing  with  the  Wind,  I  envisioned  Midnight,  the  horse  ridden  by  the  heroine,  Lady  Mary,  as  a  huge  black  stallion  few  women  could  handle.  Certainly,  few  women  in  the  Regency  would  have  ridden  a  horse  that  large  and  powerful.  When  I  began  to  write  the  scene  when  the  horse  is  first  described,  I  just  wrote  what  I  saw  in  my  mind  as  the  hero  watches  Mary  ride  across  the  green  pastures  of  her  home,  Campbell  Manor:    “The  horse’s  muscles  rippled  along  its  huge  flanks,  and  its  long  mane  and  tail  trailed  out  behind  like  great  black  flags  as  it  galloped  in  front  of  him.”      Interestingly  enough,  I  discovered  the  breed  of  horse  I  described  only  after  the  book  was  finished  and  had  been  through  my  editor  and  was  with  the  copyeditor.  I  was  busy  creating  the  cover  with  cover  artist  Kim  Killion,  and  gave  Kim  a  picture  of  the  exact  horse  I  pictured  as  Midnight.  She  included  it  in  the  cover  we  were  designing  together.  Very  proud  of  the  result,  I  sent  a  friend  the  new  cover.  She  took  one  look  at  it,  and  the  horse,  and  said,  “Great  cover.  And,  oh,  that’s  a  Friesian—my  sister  raises  them.”  Immediately,  I  was  in  panic  mode,  worried  the  breed  might  not  have  been  around  in  1816,  the  year  of  my  story.  Quickly,  I  researched  the  Friesian  breed,  and  much  to  my  relief,  I  learned  it  originated  in  the  Netherlands  and  was  imported  to  England-‐-‐and  used  in  trotting  races  during  the  time  of  my  story.  Whew,  that  was  close.  I  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  and  hurried  to  add  the  label  “Friesian”  to  Lady  Mary’s  horse  in  my  story.  It  was  a  nice  add,  and  I  owe  it  all  to  a  friend  with  a  horse  breeding  sister!      It  seems  no  matter  how  thorough  your  research  is  there  is  always  something  to  consider  you  may  have  missed.  That's  why  it's  good  to  have  beta  readers  who  know  the  genre  and  care  about  details.  I've  added  some  beta  readers  to  my  lineup  since  then.


Blurb: 
The intrepid daughter of an earl leaves Regency London for the Parisian
court of Louis XVIII, where she finds adventure, mystery, and above all,
love.

THE NIGHTHAWK Hugh Redgrave, marquess of Ormond, was
warned. Prinny had dubbed Lady Mary Campbell “the Swan,” but no
ordinary man could clip her wings. She was a bluestocking hellion, an illadvised
match by every account. Luckily, he sought no bride. His work lay
on the continent, where he’d become legend by stealing war secrets from
Boney. And yet, his memories of Lady Mary riding her stallion were a
thorn in his mind. He was the son of a duke and in the service of the
Prince Regent…and he would not be whole until he had won her hand.

THE SWAN It was unheard of for a Regency debutante to postpone her
first season, yet Lady Mary had done just that. Far more interested in
politics than a husband, she had no time for foolishness or frippery.
Already she had assisted her statesman uncle in Paris, and she swore to
return to the court of Louis XVIII no matter the danger. Like her black
stallion, Midnight, she would always run free. Only the truest heart would
race beside her.


Buy: Racing With The Wind

·                     All Romance 
·                     Amazon
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·                     Barnes & Noble
·                     Smashwords




Review: This book reminded me why I have always loved regency romance. Because of the time period you always have a little bit of intrigue and the romance part is never too hot and spicy. I started reading regencies back when I was in junior high.


I really loved the characters in this book. Lady Mary is a bluestocking. God I love that word! It always makes me laugh! Why it was so totally unacceptable for a woman to have a brain then? And Lady Mary is more then just a bluestocking, she's a forward thinking woman. She knows her own mind and  isn't going to let a husband take over for her.

Mary is the kind of heroine you expect from a regency. She's smart and she's always getting into trouble because she wants to be her own person and she's not ready for marriage.

Then there's Hugh. He's the Nighthawk and a night in shining armor. He's the kind of hero everyone hopes to have around. I didn't find him nearly as arrogant as Mary made him out to be. After all, they were living in a time of unrest in Europe and

I really found this book to be well written and well researched. The characters were so good and the historical accuracy spot on. It really made you feel like you were in Regency England. Hugh did have some rights when it came to wanting to protect her. (Mostly from herself).

The only thing that I had the slightest problem with was the pregnancy of Hugh's former mistress. It just didn't seem to help the story along. There could have been another way to add one last bit of conflict for the two characters.

This is a definite must read for anyone that loves historical or regency romance!

~ Review copy provided by Innovative Online Book Tours in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4 flowers



Author Info: As a child, Regan loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving girls. But by the time she got to college, more serious pursuits were encouraged. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law. Regan says, “I became a lawyer because I thought it would be better to be a hammer than a nail.” Years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and a feel for the demands of the "Crown" on its subjects. Hence, her first romance novels involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool. Regan says her stories will always involve adventure as well as love.

Regan lives in San Diego with her Golden Retriever, Link, who she says inspires her every day to relax and smell the roses.






1 comments:

Regan Walker said...

Thanks for having me on your blog! I'm glad you enjoyed Racing With The Wind!

Regan

 
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