Beverley is a friend and this book has been on my to read list since I saw it was released. It was an absolute gem to read. 

The Reluctant Bride is a historical regency romance set in the aftermath of the French Revolution which provides much of the backstory and intrigue.

The story is about Emily, a young naive woman who thinks she has found the love of her life in her fiancé Jack. When Jack dies she feels all her dreams of romance are dashed. Her marriage to   Major Angus McCartney is one of convenience and the disappointment of her life fills her with bitterness.

Angus fell in love with Emily during her season outing, but she only had eyes for the dashing Jack. Now that he has the chance to marry the woman of his dreams, he is hampered by a well intentioned lie he told Emily.

I really enjoyed this romance and the twists and turns that kept the two apart. There were some nice surprises that made this a page turner and really added another level of emotional engagement and depth. If you're looking for a great read, The Reluctant Bride will not disappoint. 

I've been in my writing cave for the past few weeks finishing my second romance novel. This book has been so easy to write. I've just had so much fun writing and seeing what my characters do. Each time I sat down to write it felt like I would finish it in a week, but life got in the way. 

Been super busy the past six months and then when I had the time, I got terribly ill with a chest infection. By the time I recovered I felt like I'd lost all connection to the book. Thankfully once I re-read it I was back in the groove, and then it did take a week to finish it. It's now with my agent and hopefully going to my publisher soon. Ever since I pressed the send button on that email I've been walking around with a smile. 

Now it's time to start my third. Images are swirling and I can't wait to get stuck into it. This is the inspiration for my heroine. Now I have to find a suitable hero!

I'm getting better with my writing process. My first book took three years to complete. My second seven months, so let's see what happens with my third. My goal is to finish by next year as I'm starting a new job so that will take a bit of energy. 

In the meantime I'm taking steps to work smarter. I've just started writing with Scrivener and I'm loving it. It's made the writing process so much easier. I'm also going to do some plotting before I write. I still want the process of developing the story to be organic, but I feel like I wandered too far off track with my first draft and so I'm going to take steps not to do that this time. Wish me luck!!!