“I really enjoyed this new (to me) voice and think it’s a moody and meaty read for historical romance readers who like a lot of action and intrigue.” —Regency Reader
“In a world where women are second-class citizens, Lady Charlotte Pheland just does what she needs to do in order to help her family survive. Deception is the second in a loosely connected series filled with a cast of great characters that give heart and joy to a compelling story that is hard to put down.” —Whiskey with My Book *****
Daughter of an illustrious artist, Lady Charlotte Pheland forges her late father’s paintings for the survival of herself, her sister, and her widowed mother. When Charlotte slips from a ball to sell a painting to naval Captain Patrick Landsdowne, Lord Hawthorne, disaster strikes. They are compromised, resulting in their fake engagement.
All goes horribly wrong when Patrick suffers a devastating accident at sea, returning home a broken man. Yet Charlotte sees beneath Patrick’s hard exterior to the caring person within.
A murder complicates matters, as does a stranger’s obsession with Charlotte and Lord Halafair’s art, putting their lives in peril. Yet Charlotte and Patrick find a harmony that surprises them both…until he learns the truth of her forgeries. Will Patrick reveal all, thus devastating their budding relationship? Or will their engagement stand?
Even so, murder and obsession may destroy them both.
A love forged through adversity….
When Lady Claire Pheland is publicly humiliated by London’s Society of Antiquarians, she vows to prove her radical theory: that the iconic ancient Greek statues were once vividly painted. Claire’s search for evidence leads her to Greece in the company of Lord Theseus Ashworth—a brilliant scholar on a dangerous mission of his own: returning his father’s Greek sculptures to their rightful home.
Their journey is fraught with peril. Bandits lurk in the shadows, a Greek prophetess whispers cryptic warnings, and a traitor mirrors their every move. In Delphi, tensions erupt when Lord Byron arrives, a priceless bust vanishes, and a villager is murdered. As Claire nears proving her theory, Theseus’ mission spirals into a deadly game when seven ancient sculptures are stolen and a second life is taken.
What begins as a battle of wits between Claire and Theseus soon ignites into a passion as fiery as the dangers surrounding them. But when Theseus is brutally attacked upon their return to England, they realize the thieves will continue their murderous ways until they are stopped. With time running out, they must unmask the killers before they become their next victims. Will they uncover the truth—or be buried by it?
“The protagonists are caring, courageous, and kind, leaving no choice to the reader but to like them. The story building is great with some unexpected twists that make the story intriguing.” —Online Book Club, 5 Stars
“A great start to the series and I can't wait for the next book! Definitely recommended by me.” —Archaeolibrarian
An Impossible Choice…
A quest for truth. A legacy in stone. A love forged in danger.
For Lovers of Mimi Matthews, Evie Dunmore, and Lisa Kleypas!
Lady Rosamund Fielding hides a secret, one so terrible it could ruin her, her family, and Marquis Lord Rhys Lansdowne, the man she loves. Inseparable as children, their friendship is the one shining light in Rose’s dark upbringing.
Yet when Rhys proposes, Rose declines, for he can never know her shameful truth.
Rhys is determined to uncover the reason behind Rose's rejection and win her hand and heart.
Rose balks when her father demands she wed another.
She will not. Nor can she marry Rhys, deceiving him.
Rose has one final choice, knowing it may destroy her.
“I really enjoyed this new (to me) voice and think it’s a moody and meaty read for historical romance readers who like a lot of action and intrigue.” —Regency Reader
“In a world where women are second-class citizens, Lady Charlotte Pheland just does what she needs to do in order to help her family survive. Deception is the second in a loosely connected series filled with a cast of great characters that give heart and joy to a compelling story that is hard to put down.” —Whiskey with My Book *****
Daughter of an illustrious artist, Lady Charlotte Pheland forges her late father’s paintings for the survival of herself, her sister, and her widowed mother. When Charlotte slips from a ball to sell a painting to naval Captain Patrick Landsdowne, Lord Hawthorne, disaster strikes. They are compromised, resulting in their fake engagement.
All goes horribly wrong when Patrick suffers a devastating accident at sea, returning home a broken man. Yet Charlotte sees beneath Patrick’s hard exterior to the caring person within.
A murder complicates matters, as does a stranger’s obsession with Charlotte and Lord Halafair’s art, putting their lives in peril. Yet Charlotte and Patrick find a harmony that surprises them both…until he learns the truth of her forgeries. Will Patrick reveal all, thus devastating their budding relationship? Or will their engagement stand?
Even so, murder and obsession may destroy them both.
A love forged through adversity….
When Lady Claire Pheland is publicly humiliated by London’s Society of Antiquarians, she vows to prove her radical theory: that the iconic ancient Greek statues were once vividly painted. Claire’s search for evidence leads her to Greece in the company of Lord Theseus Ashworth—a brilliant scholar on a dangerous mission of his own: returning his father’s Greek sculptures to their rightful home.
Their journey is fraught with peril. Bandits lurk in the shadows, a Greek prophetess whispers cryptic warnings, and a traitor mirrors their every move. In Delphi, tensions erupt when Lord Byron arrives, a priceless bust vanishes, and a villager is murdered. As Claire nears proving her theory, Theseus’ mission spirals into a deadly game when seven ancient sculptures are stolen and a second life is taken.
What begins as a battle of wits between Claire and Theseus soon ignites into a passion as fiery as the dangers surrounding them. But when Theseus is brutally attacked upon their return to England, they realize the thieves will continue their murderous ways until they are stopped. With time running out, they must unmask the killers before they become their next victims. Will they uncover the truth—or be buried by it?
“The protagonists are caring, courageous, and kind, leaving no choice to the reader but to like them. The story building is great with some unexpected twists that make the story intriguing.” —Online Book Club, 5 Stars
“A great start to the series and I can't wait for the next book! Definitely recommended by me.” —Archaeolibrarian
An Impossible Choice…
A quest for truth. A legacy in stone. A love forged in danger.
For Lovers of Mimi Matthews, Evie Dunmore, and Lisa Kleypas!
Lady Rosamund Fielding hides a secret, one so terrible it could ruin her, her family, and Marquis Lord Rhys Lansdowne, the man she loves. Inseparable as children, their friendship is the one shining light in Rose’s dark upbringing.
Yet when Rhys proposes, Rose declines, for he can never know her shameful truth.
Rhys is determined to uncover the reason behind Rose's rejection and win her hand and heart.
Rose balks when her father demands she wed another.
She will not. Nor can she marry Rhys, deceiving him.
Rose has one final choice, knowing it may destroy her.
Sanna Brand
A Fable—
Once upon a time…
When my great grandmother came to America from England, she carried only two items—her Bible and her great-grandmother’s diaries. Great-nana Sanna Brand was an inveterate diarist and wrote daily. For years, I’ve been pouring through her journals, fascinated. Much she wrote was mundane—about family, fashion, food, and her beaus (until she met my great etc. grandfather).
I read and read until I came upon a peculiar journal—which turned out to be Sanna’s penning of a novel!
(I also learned from her journals that her first name was actually Susannah, but her youngest brother couldn’t pronounce the word and called her Sanna. Thus, forever-after, she used that name.)
So far, I’ve discovered four books penned by Sanna Brand.
What to do? Publish them, of course!
The first one, THE BOND, takes place in Regency England near Sanna’s childhood home and is the first book in The Secret Tales.
Sanna’s writing shocked me at first because THE BOND includes love, murder, adventure, some tender subjects, bits of naughty romance, numerous horses, a goat, dogs, and much more.
I am Sanna Brand, of course. But my great-grandmother did come from England and her name was Susannah. (In my mind, Sanna’s little brother, Oliver, couldn’t pronounce her name, and so she was Sanna thereafter.)