YAHOO GROUP APPRECIATION EVENT DAY 2 ~ JENNIFER HAYMORE

Today I have Jennifer Haymore with me. She is gonna talk a little about her newest release "Confessions of an Improper Bride" that was released on July 26th. This is the first in her new Donovan Sisters series.


Danger Women Writing Blog/Yahoo Group


R: Welcome Jennifer! Tell us a little about yourself.


J: I’m a writer, an editor, and a mom of three. Those three things together take up about 150% of my time!


R: Wow that sounds like a handful. If you were not a writer what would you be?


J: I’d probably be just an editor. Or maybe a bookseller. Something to do with books, certainly. :)


R: Where do you get the ideas for you books?


J: My husband and I brainstorm my books all the time, and though we sometimes disagree (I like the romance aspects, he likes the adventure and violence aspects!), I usually come out of those, um, “discussions” (read: fights) with lots of great ideas.


R: Can you tell us a little about "Confessions of an Improper Bride"?


J: Here’s the blurb:

TWICE TEMPTED


Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie.


Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he's introduced to the prim and proper "Meg", he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?

R: Wow this sounds like a great book. What was the hardest part about writing it?


J: This was the hardest book I’ve ever written. I think that’s mostly because I was going through cancer treatment while I wrote it, and it felt like every word was wrenched out of me.


R: Oh no...I am so sorry to hear about that. I wish you the best 


Were there any deleted scenes you wanted to keep in?


J: I had Jonathan and Langley get in this huge brawl at the end! I loved it, but my editor nixed it. I was sorry about that…I thought the fight was fun!


R: Haha...after reading the book, I agree, that would have been fun. Is this a series, and if so how many books total?


J: This is a series. It tells the story of the five Donovan Sisters in three books. Here is the order:

(1)   Confessions of an Improper Bride

(2)   Secrets of an Accidental Duchess

(3)   Pleasures of a Tempted Lady

R: How do you cope with writers block?


J: I don’t have time for writer’s block! But I do feel it coming on sometimes. When I do, I push through it, thinking if I’m writing junk, I’ll just have to fix it later. Usually, it ends up being less horrible than I think it’ll be!


R: Is there anything you need while writing and when do you write?


J: Unfortunately, I need peace and quiet, and big chunks of time. Those are both hard to come by when you have three kids, especially when they’re at home for the summer! I usually end up doing most of my writing after they’ve gone to bed.


R: Are you going to be attending any conferences in the 2011/2012 season?


J: I’m not sure yet. I’ll be at the RWA conference in 2011 and 2012, and I might attend RT in Chicago in 2012.

R: Thank you Jennifer for you time. It was so great to get to chat with you today! Good luck on your release! I sure enjoyed it and I am sure others will as well.


J: Thanks so much for having me here!

Review: 

Wow! I love historical romances and this one cemented that for sure. Confessions of an Improper Bride is a fast paced emotional ride through the lives of two people who, against all odds, have found love.

Serena Donovan is a women scorned. At a very young age she loved Jonathan Dane and thought he loved her too. Until the day she was caught in a compromising situation with him and he turned his back on her. Her and her family were forced to leave London because of her ruined reputation with the Ton.

Now, six years later, she is back, and has taken the identity of her late twin sister Meg. 

Jonathan Dane, now the Earl of Stratford recognizes Serena instantly and isn't going to let her get away a second time. There is only one problem...she is set to marry his friend, Captain Langley, the man Meg was in love with.

This story is amazing! The characters are great and the story line is intriguing. The love triangle keeps you sucked in the whole way through. Meg/Serena's younger sister is a secondary character and has a story all of her own which adds a very refreshing twist to this book. Jonathan and Serena's chemistry is explosive and and the intimacy is touching. I truly felt for each and and every character. The story follows all the proper rules of regency London but it has an edge that makes it very interesting. Ms Haymore's writing style is easy to read and has the perfect combination of dialogue and description to make this a very well rounded book.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good regency period historical romance. 

Definitely 5 drinks for this one!!!

Now onto the contest details. Jennifer is offering one random commenter a copy of this book. All you have to do is follow this blog site and answer the question to be entered. Please leave your email addy so I can contact you if you win. I will choose a winner on 9/16/11 and post here.

Read the excerpt and tell me what you think. What would you do in this situation? Would you fight for the one you love no matter the consequences? Or take the easy way out and marry a man you don't love?

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back tomorrow for my interview and review with Donna Grant.

* US Residence Only

* Must be 18 to enter