Inspire to Read: Book Blast for Sisters of the Heart by Scarlett Rains. Plus Interview with this renown author. Enter for chance to win fun prizes!

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Promises of the Heart

(Sisters of the Heart Series, Book One)

[Kindle Edition]

Scarlett Rains (Author)

Publication Date: December 25, 2013

Book Description

Fate Plays a Hand!

When Amelia Fitzailwyn, Duchess of Kensington, is orphaned at a very young age, she must leave home and travel to her new guardian's estate. She embarks on the journey with her beloved governess, Rachel: wishing all the while that her Uncle William would somehow rescue her. To her delight, he does! Uncle William is her new guardian...and he has two sons! Amelia happily settles in to life at Havenwood Manor with her new family.

The Stage is Set!

What are the servants whispering about? Have they noticed all those heated looks between Uncle and Rachel? Amelia sees mysteries everywhere...and would solve them all if her cousins would leave her alone long enough to do her research! She wishes John, the eldest, would keep his nose out of her affairs and poke it back in his theme book, How to be the Most Boring Personage in the Realm. And Alex, the skirt chasing hypocrite, irritates her even more: going on-and-on about her one little rendezvous with Simon.

Time Will Tell!

When it turns out Uncle, is not really her uncle, Amelia begins to see the irksome boys in a new light. In fact, she plans to marry one of them! Will John stop straining his steely grey eyes reading and see her for the woman she is? Or will Alex stop pulling the curl out of her hair long enough to notice the sheen of it as it wraps around his finger? Solve the mystery, dear reader, as you enjoy this delightful tale of a young woman's coming of age in Georgian England.

Review

from Nancy on Goodreads:

"Promises of the Heart" is an eighteenth century tale of a young girl’s coming of age. The first thing I really liked about this book was the lovely graphics reflecting the time period in London, England. The reader is also pulled into the story at once with carefully crafted prose appealing to all five senses.

For example: watching the fluffy clouds lazily form shapes that quickly swirled into other shapes in the gentle breeze…a cacophony of sounds bombarded the weary coachman: the hue and cry of merchants and street people rose up above the clopping of the horses hooves in a relentlessly forlorn lament.

Scarlett Rains does a masterful job on style continuity throughout the entire novel. Somewhat like Charles Dickens, but more like the Victoria Holt novels I read profusely at one time in my life, "Promises of the Heart" resonates with cleverly woven intrigue surrounded by authentic characters of the day. Historical novels should inform about the life and times of the era—"Promises of the Heart" did not disappoint! The segue to her second novel "Seduction of a Bluestocking" was a perfect cliffhanger, enticing the reader to find out what happens next. Well done, Scarlett Rains! Five Stars!

About the author:

Scarlett Rains was raised in an orphanage, survived that and breast cancer! She considers all of it a blessing, refuses to let anything stop her; insisting that life is what you make it! Scarlett is a person who will spout optimistic 'truths' with her last breath! She is a busy grandma juggling a hectic schedule to try to balance her family's needs (including her insular cat's hissy-fits and her demanding dog's pathetic begging for belly rubs) and still manage a few minutes to write her stories. She often awakens from a sound sleep, jumps up, snatches a cup of coffee and hides in her office behind locked doors typing 18th century romance novels. Scarlett believes escaping her day-to-day responsibilities by living vicariously in the lives of the characters she creates keeps her out of trouble …and saves the cost of psychotherapy services. The author’s delightful Sisters of the Heart Series books are enjoyed by readers around the world. Scarlett loves receiving feedback and ideas from her readers.

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Interview Questions for Scarlett Rains:

1. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I actually was writing Betrayals of the Heart, the book I envisioned as the 3^rd book in my Sisters of the Heart series, when all these ideas about Amelia as a teenager kept popping into my head. I couldn’t seem to let go of it. The Finishing of Lady Amelia was a story demanding to be told. In the telling of it, I drew largely from my experiences growing up in an orphanage. Believe me, when you house 10-15 girls together they manage to get into all sorts of mischief.

2. What genre does your book fall under?

Young adult, historical.

3. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I cannot think of one person that really fits my characters. Jennifer Lawrence might be convincing as Lydia.

4. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The Finishing of Lady Amelia is a delightful tale of mischief and mayhem as a sheltered young woman comes of age in Georgian England.

5. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Some of my books were first self-published, now all are represented by Artemis Books.

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I think it developed over about a 6 month period.

7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I have been told that the story reminds readers of The Mallory Towers books.

8. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired by Amelia’s personality in Promises of the Heart. I had to know more about her as a teenager and I had to know that she persevered and became a person Rachel (her governess) would admire. I was inspired to write about the type of young woman she is, and the characters she encounters at school, as a result of my own life experiences. I believe strongly in supporting women in their endeavour to be valued as individuals. I hope that message is clear in all of my stories.

9. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There is a lot of humour in the tale, I hope. I laughed aloud when I was writing any scene involving Monsieur and the scene about the Fighting Women almost made me hurt myself laughing. It gives me great pleasure to make someone laugh. I believe we all need the healing of laughter.