I’d like to share the reasons why I fell in love with reading historical romance. The follow-on is that I enjoy writing it as well, but that’s because I love reading it so there’s no list to make for that aspect. There is a difference, of course, between historical romance and historical fiction. I read both and enjoy both but for slightly different reasons. So for the top 5 reasons I love historical romance (drum roll, please):
#5. In addition to the happily-ever-after, feel good ending, I learn a bit about the history of that time and place and the people involved. I am a romantic at heart, so having a man and woman fall in love adds to the story no matter the “parent” genre.
#4. I feel like I’m cheating my history professors by reading fun and interesting facts about history instead of boring names, places, and dates and/or figures. And numbers are so NOT my friend! I remember concepts presented in words far easier than equations and statistics, so for me reading a story helps me remember the history even though when researching for my books the stats and dates are often what triggers the story line. Go figure…
#3. Seeing how a man and woman courted in the past is fascinating. The limitations and expectations their society imposed upon them contrasts sharply with my own experience dating my hubby. Makes me feel rather wanton by comparison, let me tell ya. That’s not a bad thing, either!
#2. My love of learning about language is satisfied by the peek into the past of how folks spoke to each other, the words they chose to use, and the idioms to be found that we find quaint or even shocking today. Words evolve over time as far as when they originate in our language and how they are used (meanings shift or even flip from being a negative to a positive) over time.
#1. Historical romances bring the past alive in a way that allows me to see what life was like in other regions at other times. I can start to see the continuum of human existence and how we affect each other. Grappling with understanding how and why people treat each other makes me an ever better author as well.
How about you? Why do you enjoy reading historical romances?
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#5. In addition to the happily-ever-after, feel good ending, I learn a bit about the history of that time and place and the people involved. I am a romantic at heart, so having a man and woman fall in love adds to the story no matter the “parent” genre.
#4. I feel like I’m cheating my history professors by reading fun and interesting facts about history instead of boring names, places, and dates and/or figures. And numbers are so NOT my friend! I remember concepts presented in words far easier than equations and statistics, so for me reading a story helps me remember the history even though when researching for my books the stats and dates are often what triggers the story line. Go figure…
#3. Seeing how a man and woman courted in the past is fascinating. The limitations and expectations their society imposed upon them contrasts sharply with my own experience dating my hubby. Makes me feel rather wanton by comparison, let me tell ya. That’s not a bad thing, either!
#2. My love of learning about language is satisfied by the peek into the past of how folks spoke to each other, the words they chose to use, and the idioms to be found that we find quaint or even shocking today. Words evolve over time as far as when they originate in our language and how they are used (meanings shift or even flip from being a negative to a positive) over time.
#1. Historical romances bring the past alive in a way that allows me to see what life was like in other regions at other times. I can start to see the continuum of human existence and how we affect each other. Grappling with understanding how and why people treat each other makes me an ever better author as well.
How about you? Why do you enjoy reading historical romances?
Emily’s Vow
A More Perfect Union
Book 1
Betty Bolté
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Date of Publication: October 4, 2014
Ebook: 978-1-61417-654-1
Paperback: 978-1-61417-655-8
ASIN: B00O7601NY
Number of pages: 247
Cover Artist: ePublishing Works!
Book Description:
Emily Sullivan’s greatest fear is dying in childbirth, as did her twin sister and their mother. Then she’s thrown in a loyalist prison for her privateering father’s raids on the British, and her accuser--a former beau--promises to recant if she will marry him.
Frank Thomson always loved Emily despite her refusal to return his affections. A patriot spy posing as a loyalist officer, when Frank learns of Emily’s plight, he challenges her accuser to a duel.
Freed from prison, Emily ponders returning the affections of her rescuer--the only man she's ever loved and who married her twin to save the Sullivan family's reputation. But Frank cannot afford to be discovered. For the sake of young America, he must deliver his secrets.
Excerpt:
Emily hurried
down the sandy road beside her friend, noting the waning sunshine draping
shadows across the street. The slap of the waves at the distant convergence of
the Cooper and Ashley Rivers beat a syncopated rhythm against the array of ship
hulls, large and small, in the protected harbor. Many of the masts bobbing
against the darkening sky sported the hated British flag. The losing army had
resorted to sanctioned looting of the beautiful homes—those still standing
after two years of British occupation as well as fires and bombardments—as
booty for the officers and soldiers before they withdrew. She hoped they would
leave soon, but nobody knew exactly when the British ships planned to depart.
They'd already sent the bells to London along with other pilfered items. In
fact, the British officers sought retaliation for the threat posed by the
patriots, who had hidden their true allegiance, against the loyalists living in
the city. The officers encouraged harassment of the American citizens, which
translated into her father, a leading merchant in town, fearing for her safety
more than ever. Until the British actually evacuated, uncertainty and fear
blanketed the town.
Dragging in a
deep breath, unease settled over Emily's frayed nerves at the thought of
Frank's return. "I cannot believe Father insists I marry him after all
that man has done. Surely Americans have matured enough they wouldn't force a
woman to marry. It's 1782, after all. I'm not a child. Why doesn't he
understand?"
A seagull glided
past, its laughing call bringing a smile to her face. Her enjoyment didn't last
long, though. The occupation of the town created fear and disquiet throughout
the citizenry. Add in the horror of her sister Elizabeth's fiancé Jedediah
dying, leaving her pregnant and in need of a husband. Then Jedediah's brother
Frank, the man Emily had secretly cared for, married her sister to keep the
child from being a bastard. Emily survived the misery of watching Frank marry
Elizabeth only to suffer much more when Elizabeth died in childbirth with Frank
away at war. Emily had come to terms with the prospect of raising her nephew,
but being forced into marriage with Frank, too? How could life turn and twist
with such disregard for her future goals and plans?
Frank's imminent
arrival now distressed her as much as the three hundred British ships crowding
the harbor. The rumor about town suggested the ships stood poised to carry away
the defeated enemy troops along with any loyalists wanting to flee the town.
Many slaves would likely take the chance on freedom offered by the British,
despite the American protests. The constant motion of the water for once failed
to soothe her troubled thoughts.
"Have you
told your father how you feel?" Samantha matched Emily's stride easily
despite her slight limp and the basket she carried.
Sharing her
feelings with her father had once enjoyed an easy place in Emily's heart. Now
his demands for her to cloister within the theoretic safety of the town house,
joined with his desire that she marry to secure her future, made confiding in
him difficult. His concern stemmed from her advancing age with few appropriate
prospects for marriage due to America's fight for its independence from an
overbearing mother country, which seemed to be winding down. She longed for
those carefree days, years before, filled with friendly banter and heartfelt
discussions with her father.
Emily wrinkled
her nose. "I haven't spoken with him, not that I think he'll care. He's
more concerned with my supposed need for a protector while he's away."
What a pickle. Did he have to choose Frank to serve as both bodyguard and
suitor?
The thought
created ripples of fear along her spine. Marrying a man, any man, meant losing
her individuality, a fate she dreaded. The vows included obeying and honoring
him, which translated into having his children. She shivered, recalling her
twin sister on her deathbed mere days after delivering her son. Emily held her
hand as Elizabeth's life departed, her fingers falling limp within Emily's
clutching grasp. Just like their mother before her.
So many young
women across the country feared pregnancy and being brought to bed for that
very reason. Elizabeth, like many of those women, had written out her will when
she discovered she carried a child. At least the document detailed her wishes
for her son. And her surrogate husband, Frank Thomson. Elizabeth was to wed
Jedediah, the betrothal announced and celebrated, before Elizabeth revealed she
was with child. The banns had been read twice when his militia duty arose and
he'd left to fight. If Jedediah hadn't been killed, Frank would not have felt
obligated to do his duty as Jedediah's brother to wed Elizabeth and give the
unborn child a father and thus avoid bastardy.
Emily used to
think of him as her Frank, until he told her his decision to wed Elizabeth. Her
heart had hurt for months as she struggled to understand and accept the reality
that she could never have him. But once Elizabeth died in similar circumstances
as their mother, Emily's fear of dying as a result of childbirth eclipsed any
naive desire to marry.
No, better to
pursue her dreams of opening her ladies' accessories shop. She squared her
shoulders, ready to face the astonishment of the ladies in town as well as plan
a strategy for the battle when her father voiced his objections.
Amy’s Choice
A More Perfect Union
Book 2
Betty Bolté
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Date of Publication: October 5, 2014
Ebook: 978-1-61417-659-6
Paperback: 978-1-61417-660-2
ASIN: B00O7984P8
Number of pages: 231
Book Description:
Without a goodbye, Amy Abernathy's childhood sweetheart, Benjamin Hanson, leaves to fight in the American War for Independence.
Amy chooses to pick up the pieces of her heart and leave Charles Town to help her sister who is with child.
Benjamin knows he hurt Amy, but he plans to make it up to her after his mission is completed. Then he learns that Amy has been captured by renegade soldiers. Now Benjamin faces his own choice: free the sassy yet obstinate woman he's never stopped loving or protect Charles Town from vengeful British occupation.
Available at Amazon BN Kobo iBooks Google Books
Excerpt:
"Benjamin,
what brings you out here so early this morning?" Walter slathered yellow
butter on yet another slice of bread.
Amy kept her
eyes on her plate, but her movements slowed, indicating she listened intently.
"Colonel
Scarsdale made an important announcement last week, one that increases the
chance of violent retaliation and looting by the British troops as they prepare
to evacuate the city." Benjamin kept his eyes on Walter but watched Amy's
actions at the side of his vision.
"Is the war
finally over then?" Walter laid down his knife, eyes intent on Benjamin.
"It appears
to be, all but the acts of signing the peace treaty and evacuating His
Majesty's troops."
"When might
that happen?" Emily fisted her napkin and gazed at him with hopeful eyes.
"As soon as
conditions allow them to leave the harbor. But between now and then they will
scavenge for any items of value they can lay their hands upon." He willed
Amy to look at him, and finally she rewarded him by lifting her eyes to meet
his. The force of her gaze sent a shock racing through him, stirring a reaction
below his belt. Shifting to be more comfortable, he held her stare for a
moment.
"But how
does that impact us out here?" Amy regarded him, one hand poised above her
plate, a bite of ham waiting. "Surely the Britons will not harm us so far
from town. They'll be busy preparing to evacuate."
"Clearly
you do not fathom the reality of the matter." When Amy merely stared at
him, realization dawned as to the extent of the situation before him. He nearly
let out a loud breath in annoyance. He checked the reflex. He needed to address
the fact that Amy wasn't the only one in danger. Ideas popped into his head and
he dismissed several before nodding. A simple solution. "I have come to
take the girls back to town where I can keep them safe."
A startled
silence followed his pronouncement.
"We are
safe here." Samantha strode into the room and made straight for the
sideboard.
Benjamin rose to
greet her, and she waved him back into his seat. As he resettled himself, he
noted Walter had not moved from where he sat crunching on a slice of apple.
"Yes, more
so than we'd be in town at any rate." Emily looked from one person to
another. "So many soldiers still roam the streets, after all."
"Besides,
we cannot move Evelyn." Amy held knife and fork poised to slice through
the ham. "I won't leave her here alone. She needs help until the baby
arrives, and for a span after."
"She has
me." Walter laid his hands flat on the table at either side of his plate.
"I can take care of her."
Why did Walter
brace himself as he spoke about his wife? Benjamin recognized the defensive
nature, an insecurity, exemplified in Walter's behavior.
Amy darted a
glance at Walter, then returned her gaze to Benjamin. "That's my
fear."
Her mouth formed
a stubborn pout as her eyes reflected her concern. What had occurred here to
provoke such a statement? Amy glanced at Walter with unease plain in her
expression, her distrust of the man evident. Despite himself, Benjamin tensed
at the idea of Amy living under the same roof as Walter.
"I know how
to defend myself, so I'll stay." Samantha placed her napkin in her lap.
"More to the point, Evelyn will deliver any day now, and she'll need
me."
Walter looked
like he wanted to say something but held his thoughts in check. His brow
lowered as he dipped his bread into his coffee. Walter did not act as refined
in character as his appearance first suggested. More pieces to the puzzle fell
into place, but still some holes remained before Benjamin formed an opinion of
him.
"You'll
need help with running this place." Emily laid her napkin on the table,
her eyes steady on Samantha. "I'm accomplished at that, so I will stay to
assist."
Seeing where
this was leading, Benjamin made an effort to change the conversation's course.
"In the event, Miss Amy stays with me." He spoke with less conviction
than earlier as his resolve wilted under the arguments put forth by the women
surrounding him. "I can't stay away from town long, not only because
Captain Sullivan expects me to ensure the museum collection is not touched, but
also because Amy's father requested I bring my fiancée back posthaste."
A feminine gasp
drew his eyes to Amy's startled expression. Damnation. Too late, he realized
his error as, in rhythm with three blinks, her stubborn expression shifted to
surprise, then anger.
"Pardon
me?" Her eyebrows arched over wide eyes. "You are engaged? To whom,
pray tell?"
The set of her
jaw dared him to say what he must in order to tell the truth of the matter. An
attack of cotton mouth forced him to try to swallow as he searched for the
proper response. How crass could he be, blurting out his bald intent? His
carefully prepared speech blown apart by his own foolish words. Again, words
had tripped him up and left him floundering. Yet, his mother would be proud of
him for sticking to the facts, even if they created an awkward moment. He
heaved a sigh. Nothing for it but the bare truth. "I spoke with your
parents a few days ago, and they agreed..."
"Stop."
Amy, face red, held up a hand as though warding off a blow. "Pray, don't
tell me my parents actually negotiated with you for my hand?"
About the Author:
Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories featuring strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter whether the stories are set in the past or the present, she loves to include a touch of the paranormal. In addition to her romantic fiction, she’s the author of several nonfiction books and earned a Master’s in English in 2008. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Authors Guild. Get to know her at www.bettybolte.com.
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