I still don’t know how exactly to classify Her Dear & Loving Husband. Sounds funny, that statement, especially since the book has been out since April and now I’m working on the second book in the series. I’ve only recently become familiar with the term Urban Fantasy. Not too swift for someone who writes about vampires, right? I’m not sure how the term escaped my notice. I had heard it before, certainly, but for me the term Urban Fantasy conjured images of a futuristic city—like the Jetsons with their flying saucers and talking toasters. Since I don’t read novels that fit into the science fiction/fantasy genre, I didn’t pay much attention to the label Urban Fantasy.
Before, my best guess for the genre of Her Dear & Loving Husband was paranormal romance, and yet I was never entirely comfortable with that label. I have nothing against romances; in fact, I love them. But for my vampire James Wentworth and the human woman he loves, Sarah Alexander, I wasn’t sure the romance genre fully described their story. James and Sarah’s love, how it grows from tentative caring to passionate connection, is a major part of their story. And James is a vampire, which fits in nicely with the supernatural aspect of Paranormal Romance. But the romance, while important, isn’t the only facet of the novel.
Then I began reading Paranormal Romance blogs, and I saw various discussions about Urban Fantasy versus Paranormal Romance. After some research, I found out that Twilight and the Harry Potter books fall into the genre of Urban Fantasy. How did this affect how I viewed my own book? I found that paranormal characters are welcome in Urban Fantasy. Check. I found out that in Urban Fantasy there is a coexistence between human and paranormal characters. Check. In Urban Fantasy the human learns of the existence of the paranormal. Check. In Urban Fantasy there can be romance. Double check. There is also emphasis on backstory, historical settings, and the characters may have tragic pasts. Check, check, check. Salem, Massachusetts doesn’t quite qualify as a city, but otherwise we’re on the right track here. And since Her Dear & Loving Husband is book one in a trilogy that features the same characters, that further qualifies James and Sarah’s story as an Urban Fantasy. Who knew?
What a realization—that Her Dear & Loving Husband fits into a genre I wasn’t even familiar with. Personally, I think that’s a pretty neat trick. I can’t wait to write my next book to find out what genre it belongs to.
Her Dear and Loving Husband
The Loving Husband Trilogy
Book One
Meredith Allard
Genre: Paranormal/Historical/Sweet Romance
Publisher: Copperfield Press
Date of Publication: 4/19/11
ASIN: B004UVQOBO
Number of pages: 289
Word Count: 89,000
Cover Artist: LFD Designs
Book Description:
Love the history, fantasy, and romance of Outlander and A Discovery of Witches? Read Her Dear and Loving Husband.
Professor James Wentworth has a paranormal secret, and he lives quietly in Salem, Massachusetts, making few ties with anyone. One night his private world is turned upside down when he meets librarian Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife, Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth’s death, James cannot move on.
Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares, and every night she is awakened by terrifying visions of hangings, being arrested, and dying in jail–scenes from the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. As James comes to terms with his feelings for Sarah, he must also dodge accusations from a reporter desperate to prove that James is not who, or what, he seems to be. Soon James and Sarah discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined. Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Sarah and prevent a new hunt from bringing hysteria to Salem again?
Part historical novel, part romance, part paranormal fantasy, Her Dear and Loving Husband is a story for anyone who believes that true love never dies.
Excerpt:
I am looking
lovingly into the eyes of a man, though I cannot see his face because it is
featureless, like a blank slate. We are standing in front of a wooden house
with narrow clapboards, and there are diamond-paned casement windows and a
steep pitched roof with two gables pointing at the laughing, hidden moon. I am
certain I hear someone singing sweet nothings to us from the sky. From the
light of the few jewel stars I can see the halo of his hair, like the halo of
an angel, and even if I cannot see his eyes I know they look at me, into me. I
stand on my toes, he is much taller than me, and I point up my face and he
kisses me. As the warmth of his lips melts into mine, making me weak from the
inside out, I feel my knees give from the thrilling lightness his touch brings.
I know the face I cannot see is beautiful, like the lips I feel. His hands
press me into him, clutching me closer, closer, unwilling to let me go. I grip
him with equal strength, wishing he would carry me inside, yet I cannot bring
myself to break our embrace.
“I shall never
leave you ever,” he whispers in my ear. I promise him the same.
I do not know
how I have been so fortunate to have this man in my life, but here he is,
before me, wanting me. I am overcome with the joy of him.
About the Author:
Meredith Allard is the author of the bestselling paranormal historical novels The Loving Husband Trilogy, a great read for fans of Outlander and A Discovery of Witches. Fans of Downton Abbey will love her newest release, When It Rained at Hembry Castle. She is currently writing Down Salem Way, the prequel to Her Dear and Loving Husband. Meredith lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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1 comment:
Thanks for featuring Her Dear and Loving Husband with my blog post today!
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