Tuesday, March 31, 2015

What a Lady Requires by Ashlyn Macnamara with Interview and Giveaway!


I'm hosting a Tasty Tours blog stop today for this delightful historical romance. 


Miss Emma Jennings, daughter of a prosperous wine merchant, knows that her father plans to wed her off to the nobility as a means to rise above their station. Instead of resenting this, Emma looks forward to the day when she has control of her own household and finances. She has a head for business, and the only way to use it is to be respectably married. Her father’s ultimate choice for her, however, couldn’t be farther from what she wants. Instead of a malleable, easy going noble Emma is to wed Rowan Battencliffe, a sinfully handsome drunkard deeply in debt...but heir to a title. 

I found this historical romance to be a refreshing change. The heroine doesn’t simply accept her fate or whine needlessly about what she is being forced into. Instead she tightens her stays and strides into her new life with plans and machinations. The roles are somewhat reversed, with Emma being the stronger-willed character, but it works. The chemistry hits all the right notes as well, and the plot has several nice twists that kept me intrigued. 

Macnamara, Ashlyn. What a Lady Requires (The Eton Boys Trilogy #3). New York: Loveswept, 2015. 4 stars.

I asked Ashlyn to answer five fun questions and she had great answers. Enjoy this mini-interview and be sure to enter the giveaway that follows it!

1.    What author, novel, or story inspires you to write?
In general, I find lush, beautiful prose an inspiration to emulate (as well as a source of envy), but there’s one book series that started me off. And that book series isn’t even a known for its lush prose, but it is known for its engaging story line and magical world. I was obsessed with these books.
 If it wasn’t for the Harry Potter series, I wouldn’t be published. I wouldn’t even know I could write. I got my start writing fan fiction as a way to fill the time between books. When other readers encouraged me to keep going, I thought maybe I had something there. Eventually, I tried writing my own stories, because I’d been making those up in my head for years.
2    What song makes you dance no matter where you are?
A lot of songs do, and some of them I’m possibly too embarrassed to admit to. (Hanson, I’m looking at you.)  One I will readily admit to is Katrina and the Waves “Walking on Sunshine” in all its upbeat, happy, poppy goodness.
3.    What movie do you watch over and over and over again?
Despite me writing Regency (although, who knows, I may branch out), I am first and foremost a lover of fantasy. I used to read The Lord of the Rings every year. Now I just watch the movies, because as long as they are, it’s faster than rereading. And I love the visual interpretation Peter Jackson gave the books.
4.    What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show? 
I don’t watch a lot of TV, which means I’ve missed some great series. Thankfully, I have friends to tell me about them. Last year, for example, I spent the month of February glomming the old BBC Robin Hood series, and it wasn’t even for Robin. No, Richard Armitage completely stole that show with his incarnation of Guy of Gisborne. I had an excuse, though. Somehow the hero of What a Lady Demands bears a strong resemblance to Richard Armitage, and he broods like Guy. Oh, how he broods.
5.  What has been the most helpful advice you’ve gotten, and who was it from?
One of my very good friends has read a lot of my work, going back to before I was even published. Now Marian will tell you she’s no writer. She may not think so, but one thing she is, is a storyteller.  Several years ago, she read a version of a story I wrote, and told me, “This is good. Now make it worse.” I think that’s some of the most helpful writing advice I’ve ever received. It’s a good reminder that we can’t be too nice to our characters. The moment you make things worse for them, you up the tension and conflict. Marian may tell you she’s not a writer, but she has wonderful instincts. Whenever I get stuck, I think of her advice and ask myself how I can make it worse.
As part of the Tasty Tours Blog Stop Tour the publisher is doing a fun giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Buy your copy of What a Lady Requires at Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo, and follow the author on Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads.

Continue following the Tasty Reads Blog Stop Tour of What a Lady Requires on all of it's fun stops! 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review on the Tasty Book Tours blog stop. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are mine alone. 

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