Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: A Suitable Affair
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.ericataylorauthor.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: South Africa
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2017073825
Descriptive conventions:
rda
Personal name heading:
Taylor, Erica, 1983-
Associated place: Colorado
Located: South Africa
Address: erica@ericataylorauthor.com
Birth date: 1983
Profession or occupation:
Authors
Found in: Taylor, Erica. A suitable affair, 2017: title page (Erica
Taylor) about the author (raised in the mountains of
Colorado; military wife; currently lives in South
Africa)
Email from author, June 1, 2017: Erica Taylor (email:
erica@ericataylorauthor.com; "My birth year is 1983")
OCLC, June 5, 2017 (heading: Taylor, Erica)
Associated language:
eng
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
PERSONAL
Born 1983. Married; children: two.
EDUCATION:University of Colorado, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Traveling. Watching movies.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Erica Taylor is a South Africa-based writer. She grew up in Colorado, where she met her high school sweetheart, who is now her husband. Taylor received her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Colorado. Taylor’s husband is in the military, and the family moved from the United States to South Africa for his job. They have two children.
A contributor to Publishers Weekly described Taylor’s debut novel as “perfectly acceptable without challenging the genre’s limits in any way.” A Suitable Affair tells the romantic story of Lady Susanna Macalister and Ian Carlisle, Earl of Westcott, who is an investigator for the Home Office. The book opens with an unfortunate introduction between the two. While taking a stroll in Hyde Park with her current suitor, Susanna is nearly trampled by Ian as he rides his horse through the park. Susanna is infuriated, and Ian is horribly embarrassed and remorseful for the near-accident. When Ian warns Susanna that her suitor, Lord Riverton, is implicated in the murder of Ian’s sister, Susanna initially dismisses his claims as bias.
In truth, Susanna is not very attracted to Lord Riverton. Susanna is wealthy and beautiful, but her marriage prospects are limited. She longs for romantic, passionate love, but she knows she must be pragmatic. Instead of ending up without a husband and financial security, she decides to acquiesce to the dull Lord Riverton’s advances.
Ian’s warnings about Lord Riverton are based in personal experience. Lord Riverton was the former fiancé of Ian’s late sister, Beth. They were engaged at the time of the woman’s kidnapping and murder, and Lord Riverton refused to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnapper. Additionally, following Beth’s death, he demanded her dowry as a breach of marital contract.
While Ian detests Lord Riverton for his insensitive actions, he is also investigating the man for his job. As an investigator for the Home Office, he has been tasked with determining if Lord Riverton is the murderer Ian suspects he is. Ian is sure that the man was responsible for not only the death of his sister, but the murders of at least six other women. He just needs to find a way to prove it.
As Ian and Susanna get to know one another better, a friendship begins to develop. Susanna accepts Ian’s apology for the incident in the park, and the two find themselves drawn to one another. A friendship and humorous banter ensue, but it is clear that a deeper attraction is beginning to evolve. Ian knows that, as a Home Office investigator, he is constantly on the move and cannot meet the expectations that a woman would have of a husband. But this does not keep his attraction for Susanna from growing.
A reviewer for the website Red Wine & Books wrote: “The characters were well developed, and perfectly suited to one another.” As the romance develops between the two characters, it becomes unclear whether Ian’s desires to separate Susanna from Lord Riverton are because he believes the man is guilty of murder, or because he wants Lord Riverton locked up so that he can end up with Susanna.
As Ian’s investigation deepens, he sees that he must use Susanna as bait for Lord Riverton in order to catch the man red-handed. Susanna agrees to the plan. The story grows dramatic when Ian begins to worry that he may not be able to save Susanna before the man actually commits another murder. A contributor to Book Binge wrote, “the suspense part of the story was a good one as well,” but noted that “I was a bit disappointed in the way it all went down in the end as it seemed a bit abrupt.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, March 27, 2017, review of A Suitable Affair, p. 87.
ONLINE
Book Binge, http://bookbinge.com/ (June 16, 2017), review of A Suitable Affair.
Erica Taylor Website, http://www.ericataylorauthor.com (November 20, 2017).
Red Wine & Books, www.redwineandbooks.com/ (June 6, 2016), review of A Suitable Affair.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (November 20, 2017),Carmela Constable, review of A Suitable Affair.*
Erica Taylor is a mother of two and military wife married to her high school sweetheart. Raised in the mountains of Colorado, she holds a BA in History from the University of Colorado. Erica has been writing stories since she can remember, picked up her first romance novel while on a beach vacation as a teenager, and fell in love with falling in love, with sexy heroes and the feisty women who challenge their lives.
A self-confessed geek, Erica loves anything Harry Potter, Doctor Who or Star Wars, can spend hours in Target with a Starbucks and truly believes a cat makes a home. Currently living in South Africa, Erica can often be found writing during soccer practice or piano lessons and is not afraid to let dinner burn if it means getting the story out of her head.
Author Q&A: Erica Taylor- A Suitable Affair
Posted on May 17th, 2017 by Amberjack Publishing
Despite being beautiful and wealthy, Lady Susanna Macalister’s marriage prospects are rather lacking. To avoid a life of spinsterhood, she decides a loveless marriage to the dull and unromantic Lord Riverton is better than none at all. But still, Susanna longs for true, passionate love, the kind she grew up hearing stories about.
Enjoying a quiet walk with her insipid suitor one afternoon, Susanna is nearly trampled by the handsome Earl of Westcott as he rides through Hyde Park. Driven by his own guilt and despair, the earl embraces this chance encounter as an opportunity for vengeance, for Lord Riverton is the very man whom Wescott suspects is responsible for the untimely death of his beloved sister. But is his mission of separating Susanna from Lord Riverton simply a desire to save another unsuspecting lady from his sister’s fate, or something deeper?
As Susanna helps Lord Westcott investigate her future fiance, she realizes she might have found what she was looking for all along. Can the pair keep their budding romance a secret from everyone around them until the investigation is over? Or will the unsuspecting Lord Riverton win Susanna’s hand in marriage before the truth comes out?
A thrilling romance story fueled by secrecy, A Suitable Affair will leave readers breathless and guessing at every turn of events.
A Suitable Affair is the first in a long series following characters who will quickly become some of your favorite friends. Readers are loving this adventurous, steamy romance novel full of unexpected twists and secrets. Author Erica Taylor delights with her masterful handle on writing within the mystery, romance, and historical fiction genres. We got to go behind the scenes with Erica to talk about her love of the Regency Era, her inspiration for those sexy scenes, her relationship to her characters, and what’s next for the Macalister family.
AJ: What research was most influential in sparking your creativity to write in the Regency Era?
ET: The Regency era (England 1810-20ish) is a lovely mirror of our current society. A nation at, or recovering from, a decade at war, the effects of the government’s elaborate spending and control on the economy, the laws, and the economic gap between the very, very rich and the very, very poor. The whole thing was fascinating. The king was declared insane and they put his son in charge, who proceeds to run England into more and more debt, taxing everyone lesser than him with as much as he can get away with. It was a world on the brink of industrial, economic, and social revolution and a time that bridged the old-fashioned traditions of the 18th century, and the radical forward thinking of the 19th century.
I have always enjoyed the stories in history, since I was a ten-year-old receiving my American Girl doll with a historical past to read about. To me, writing historical fiction is the same as writing fan fiction. It’s a predetermined world with set rules and part of the fun is finding a story to tell that hasn’t been told before. I don’t think there was ever one piece of information that hooked me. I’ve had stellar history teachers throughout my entire life who always managed to bring history to life. You read about history as a series of events, dates and facts, but the people living during those times didn’t see those events, dates and facts as anything significant. It was their life, and they had other things to worry about than the legacy of the history happening around them. That is probably what inspired me the most.
AJ: Where does your inspiration come from for the hot and steamy scenes?
ET: Just like a sex scene on film, creating one in a book is not sexy whatsoever. If anything, it’s incredibly awkward. Often, I have children asking questions in the middle of writing, and I just hope they don’t look too closely at the screen. Then I remember my mother and grandmother might read this, and I feel mortified. There was one memorable scene I was rushing to finish (no pun intended) and the second I hit save, I was out the door to pick up my daughter from school. As I spoke to her teacher, the scene was still running through my head and I just knew my face was burning red. I was grateful she didn’t know what I was thinking about while we discussed my daughter’s reading achievements for the term.
I usually write those scenes absolutely last, because their construction really does pull me out of the story. They require constant rereading to make sure people’s hands are in the right spot, and that the hero doesn’t have three hands magically (it’s been known to happen), not to mention the constant checking of my research books and websites to make sure the period clothing is accurately removed. Women had too many layers in the 19th century!
Then there is the constant tug and pull of making it sound “pretty” enough, yet not like a health lecture, and ensure it still flows with the level of emotion and character development as the rest of the story.
As for inspiration, I read books with scenes of the same nature, especially if I’m having a difficult time figuring out how to say something, or just getting the scene started. I have a running list posted on my wall of words NOT to use. The rest is just my imagination, I suppose. I don’t think any of those scenes have been pulled from real life experience, aside from, well… I have two children so I understand how that part works.
AJ: We’re dying to know, does your husband read your books?
ET: Ha! No, he doesn’t read them, not in their entirety. Romance novels aren’t his thing. However, he is my beta reader for anything action, fighting, wounds, weaponry and, more recently, military and crime solving. I will read scenes to him to see if they work and flow, or for practice saying the words out loud, but the few times I’ve asked him to read for a literary opinion he suggests things to change it into a technical sounding Clive Cussler thriller.
AJ: Which character do you relate to most and why?
ET: Each of my characters have something of myself in them, so it is difficult to choose one. I don’t think I relate to one more than the other. I am the oldest of my siblings, so I can relate to Sarah in many ways, especially when it comes to wanting to give my opinion about every decision they make. Like Clara, I am an optimist and often see the best in people. Susanna and I love shopping, and I do find it extremely relaxing to just wander through stores. I am as stubborn as Andrew and hate to admit when I am wrong. Ian and I are both extremely curious, nosy even, when it comes to everyone around me. Each of my characters also have something I wish I had in my own personality. Susanna has a goodness I can only hope to aspire to. Sarah has a way of putting everyone else first that I just could never manage. Ian has a loyalty and dedication to his cause that I wouldn’t have the patience for. Norah is probably the most different from myself and it’s fun to write her because of that, but she and I are very similar in other ways. She gets to say all the snarky and rude comments that I only think in my head. There are other characters, but I’m not about to spoil anything about them.
AJ: How do you go about preparing the series? Do you have it all pre-outlined or do the ideas for each book come to you as you write?
ET: This series was influenced by some of the great family series I’ve read in the genre. I came from a large family and my husband has six siblings, so I knew I wanted to write about a family, giving each one their own story. I also wanted each book to be different, so one became a spy novel, one a pirate novel, a marriage of convenience, a forced marriage, and so on. There are nine Macalister siblings and only eight books in the series, and I’m not telling why there is one missing.
For each story, I have the overall plot idea, and a few tropes I’d like to play with, but I don’t think too much about it until it’s time to write. Since they are all a part of the same timeline, I’ve had to keep track of people’s whereabouts and stages in life, and that gets complicated, especially if I don’t really know what they’re doing. For example, I’m currently writing Norah’s story, and Luke is after her, so I’m not really thinking about Luke yet, except his story is directly affected by the ending of Norah’s. I knew Norah’s story was going to cover the Battle of Waterloo, so that was a set point in time I had to work around.
I wanted each story and character to deal with modern day issues. Infertility, post-war PTSD, death of a parent, anxiety, etc. The stories that stuck with me throughout the hundreds of books I’ve read in this genre are the ones that had an emotional impact on me. People, ultimately, are people, regardless of class, religion, race, or time period. People had the same everyday problems two hundred years ago that people today face. The things I try and bring into my stories are universal and timeless and I hope will resonate with readers.
AJ: Can you give us a sneak peek for what to look forward to in the next book?
ET: In A Suitable Affair, the courtship of Andrew and Clara is hinted at, but in The Perfect Duchess their story finally comes to light. Andrew and Clara have a bit of an emotional journey to travel through whilst dealing with someone who wants Clara dead. Andrew is quite extreme in his attempts to protect her and Clara isn’t all that interested in being the Duchess of Bradstone. The stories can be read in the order they were published or chronological order, whatever the reader wants. Like Indiana Jones.
Hello! Thank you for having me! I am a military wife and mom of two school aged kiddos. I love to travel and I love movies. I live in South Africa currently for my husband job, but I was raised in the mountains of Colorado. I am so excited my debut novel, A Suitable Affair, is releasing on June 6th!
Have you always wanted to be an author?
Yes and no. When I was a kid through my teens, I wrote everything I could. Stories, lyrics, fan fiction, but I never had the confidence to think I could do it as a job. I went through many career choices, from FBI profiler, to clinical psychologist. I was always fascinated by the way people thought, what made them make the decisions they did and what motivated them. When my husband deployed, I read an awful historical romance and realized that if that person could be published, I could too. I realized in college, I needed more history than “how to write a story,” courses, so I changed my major to history, focused on 18th and 19th century England, and here I am. For a long time, I wrote to keep myself sane, as my escape from my kids and my husband and the crazy military life. I always wanted to be published and finally decided to start pursuing it, as a career, doing it for real. I am grateful to my publishers Amberjack for seeing something in me and giving me a chance.
What is A Suitable Affair about?
A Suitable Affair tells the story of Ian, who blames himself for not being there to protect his sister, and believes he knows who killed her. When he sees that man, Riverton, walking with our heroine, Susanna, Ian goes out of his way to warn her against pursing a relationship with Riverton. But Ian likes to be difficult and just assume she will listen and do what he says, but of course Susanna doesn’t buy it. When Ian realizes Susanna isn’t what she thought he was, he is intrigued and wants to figure her out. Susanna is just equally as confused by his continued attention because he claims to have no intentions of marrying her. Throughout the story, the truth about Ian’s sister’s death comes to light, as does Riverton’s possible involvement, and Ian and Susanna learn to open up to each other, trusting each other with their secret pain and their dreams, and falling in love along the way.
What was the last part of the story that you wrote?
There were a few tweaks made during the editing process, but nothing massive as rewriting portions of the story or adding scenes. A few aspects to Riverton’s character were added during editing, but the last scene I wrote before submitting was one with Ian and Susanna discussing a new job opportunity, which led to discussions about a specific red item of clothing.
What is something you found interesting or surprising during your research?
I did a bit of research for this book, mostly on the origins of Scotland Yard. I was surprised to learn there was no real police force in England, no true civilian police force the public went to for help. They either dealt with it themselves or just shrugged it off. True problems, murders and the like, were dealt with by the local magistrate/judge as far as arresting and sentencing, but for actual personal crimes there really was no one around to solve them. I liked the idea of creating a pre-Scotland Yard group for Ian to work with. Some of the names I used in regards to Ian’s job were actual people, or derived from actual people, and I sort of inserted his “secret” group into the early founding of Scotland Yard. I also enjoyed the bit about Scotland Yard being the back entrance, used as the “public entrance” to the residence, and where the police force eventually got their name, but the other side of the house was Whitehall Place, just the front of the house like any other on the street. Scotland Yard wouldn’t be fully officially formed until 1829, and they moved away from the original location first in 1890. We took a family trip to London and I forced my family to find the original location of Scotland Yard on Whitehall Place. It is just a small plaque now, but it was still cool to see the original site.
What was your inspiration for your series, The Macalisters?
I have three younger siblings and my husband is one of seven, so all I’ve known is large families, and after reading a few of those in the historical romance genre, I knew I wanted a large family to write about. The Macalister clan started off as a mirror of my husband’s family, and I changed some of the genders and personalities. I also wanted to explore what one family would do if their parents were taken from them, each sibling experiencing that trauma at different stages of their lives, and how it affected them each differently and how they would each respond.
What is next after A Suitable Affair?
After A Suitable Affair, is The Perfect Duchess, and it is a bit of a prequel with Clara and Andrew’s story, Susanna’s older brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Bradstone. Clara’s life is threatened and Andrew goes a bit nutty trying to protect her, and Clara is not having it. She wasn’t always thrilled to be a duchess, despite the fact she’s been in love with Andrew for years, and they have a bit of an emotional journey to go on to get to the point where they can trust each other to have their happily ever after. The Perfect Duchess releases April 2018.
After The Perfect Duchess is Sarah’s story, and the title is TBD. Sarah is a widow and eager to break out of those confinements and thinks she has found the perfect person to embark on a new adventure, until he disappears for a few months and turns up married with a pregnant wife! William is a newly minted duke, and in doing what he thought was right at the time, he essentially has ruined a chance to be with Sarah.
Then comes Norah’s story, my current WIP.
Tell us about is your current WIP?
I am working on Norah’s story, tentatively titled Not a Scandal in Sight. Norah is a deeply troubled young lady who has hidden a great trauma in her life from her entire family. She is set on revenge for something and is determined to see her plans through. She’s clever, devious and manipulative, but not in a malicious way. She is a bit blinded by her revenge quest, and will patch up her relationships when it’s all over. The hero that comes into her life, Trevor, has just returned from the Napoleonic Wars, and simply needs to prove his respectability to prove his innocence against charges laid against him. Enter Norah, who has a perfectly spotless reputation in public, but when the prying eyes of the ton are not focused on her, she’s a bit of a wild card. Trevor really doesn’t know what to do with her and her statements and behavior shocks him, but at the same time he is enchanted. It is been fun to role reverse a bit, as its Norah who has shocking ideas and behavior and Trevor is more the prim and proper one.
What is your favorite character to write?
Before my current WIP, I would have said Ian was my favorite, simply because he is silly and sarcastic, but now that I’ve been writing Norah for a while, she is my favorite. She is snarky and rude, but with such a good heart and intentions that you simply have to love her. She says the things that people only say in their head and its fun and refreshing.
What is the most rewarding part of writing?
My kids. Showing them that you can accomplish a dream or a goal if you believe. Also, having my eleven year old tell me she wants to write stories when she grows up, “just not the ones with kissing.”
If you could tell your younger self something what would it be?
Learn how to type better!! I type fast, but not accurate (it took me seven tries to write this sentence!) and it ends up adding a great deal of spell checking and editing later.
Three things on your desk?
Color pages and pens. Often times I have to sit and envision the scene, conversation, or how I want the words to flow before I can put fingers to keyboard, and those silly color pages help my mind focus.
Research books. I’m constant rechecking dates, customs, and clothing to make sure I’m as accurate as I can be.
Not on my desk, but I have pages of reference info taped to my wall behind my desk. Character lists, ages and birthdates, personal timelines for each character plus a story calendar and character photos for inspiration.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Author Interview: Erica Taylor
WELCOME TO THE BLOG, ERICA! :)
Author picture for Erica Taylor, historical romance author
Erica Taylor is a mother of two and military wife married to her high school sweetheart. Raised in the mountains of Colorado, she holds a BA in History from the University of Colorado. Erica has been writing stories since she can remember, picked up her first romance novel while on a beach vacation as a teenager, and fell in love with falling in love, with sexy heroes and the feisty women who challenge their lives.
A self-confessed geek, Erica loves anything Harry Potter, Doctor Who or Star Wars, can spend hours in Target with a Starbucks, and truly believes a cat makes a home. Currently living in South Africa, Erica can often be found writing during soccer practice or piano lessons and is not afraid to let dinner burn if it means getting the story out of her head.
Where to Find Erica:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
TBQ: Hi Erica! Introduce yourself – perhaps in the form of 3 unique, wacky, or fun things about yourself?
Erica: Hello! I am a military wife and mom of two. I'm from Colorado but I live in South Africa right now. I love to travel and I love movies. Three crazy things about me:
I've traveled to fifteen different countries, thirteen of those in the last two years!
I love football (Go Broncos!). Like a weird amount. I follow the off season trades and the draft, through training and the opening days of the season. I get weirdly into fantasy football.
I grew up in the mountains but I don't ski or snowboard.
TBQ: Oh, wow, you've seen a good amount of the world, that's awesome! :)
Your debut, A Suitable Affair, releases on June 6th. Congrats! Can you tell us a little bit about this book, and why readers are going to love it?
E: A Suitable Affair is about a story about redemption, and accepting the good things in life with the bad. It's about not letting your choices define you and about finding a way to be yourself, despite your circumstances. I hope readers will respond Ian and Susanna because they have real problems and react to things in not always the most perfect way. But they learn ands other beat they can, and despite their issues, they are worthy of love.
TBQ: All good things to read about -- and even apply to one's own life, to be honest. I'm in!
Why do Ian and Susanna fit together so well?
E: Ian is a man who takes himself very seriously, even though his sarcastic exterior would suggest otherwise. He's deeply wounded, blaming himself for his sister's death. Susanna somehow sees past the jokes and sarcasm and doesn't let him shy away from hiding who he is. And he responds to that, craving interaction with her without even realizing it. She makes him want things in his life that he'd never thought possible. Susanna has toed the line all her life, pushing the rules and boundaries where she can but longs to be free of the Regency era's bindings. Ian's disregard for the rules is a breath of fresh air in Susanna's stuffy proper existence. She wants to scold him for doing as he pleases, but she enjoys it, enjoys the freedom she feels around him.
TBQ: Aw, they do sound perfect -- and I so love that dynamic, too.
In 5 words or less, describe Susanna for us. And let's not forget Ian -- what's he like?
E: Susanna is generous, she is intelligent and strong. She is goodness and loving.
Ian is clever and observant. He is charming, and bold but also stubborn.
TBQ: Oh, gotta love those stubborn heroes!
Did you have any particular actors/models/etc. in mind for these two?
E: In my head, Ian was always Stephen Amell even though that's not quite how he's described. He certainly has Amell's face and cheese ball grin. Susanna was never really anyone specific. She changed often, I never settled on anyone who was just right.
These I had taped on my wall during writing ASA for "inspiration."
And
TBQ: Oh, hello!
Do you have a favorite part from A Suitable Affair?
E: My favorite part is probably in Ian's study when Susanna basically calls him on his crap. He has a tendency to be hard on himself and she tells him to snap out of it and stop blaming himself for everything that has gone wrong. I like that she doesn't coddle him or let him sulk. It's an emotional scene, but also a bit of a breakthrough for Ian.
TBQ: Ha! That's always the best part; I love heroines who do not take the hero's garbage! These two sound great, I cannot wait to read their story.
Have you always wanted to write? Were you inspired by certain authors or people in your life to start your first novel?
E: I have always wanted to write. I was that fifth grader who turned in a thirty page story when everyone else wrote two. In college, I took a creative writing course and our end of year project was a short story. Everyone else wrote ten, twenty pages and I submitted eighty three. My classmates were not too happy with me. I never really thought about writing for real, really writing a book and pursuing this as a career until my daughter was born, my husband deployed and I got super bored. I read a crappy romance novel and thought, "I could write better than this!" And so I set out to do that. When I told my mom I wanted to be an author, she said, "yeah, I always knew that." And when I told my husband, he said, "you told me that on our first date." So apparently everyone knew this is what I was going to do, except for me!
TBQ: Sometimes it just take a bit longer for you to see and reach for your dream, right?
I know many romance authors are also big readers first. What are a few of your all-time favorite books and/or authors?
E: Julia Quinn had me hooked early on with her Brigertons. I knew from then I wanted to write a family series. Gaelen Foley, Tessa Dare and Sarah Maclean are important to me. And of course, though not romance, JK Rowling had a huge impact on me.
TBQ: All great authors, I can see why they influenced you!
What have you read recently that you can’t stop recommending to others?
E: Gasp-- I don't read as much as you'd think I would. With two kids and writing my own series I don't have as much time to read as I'd like. And actually the last thing I read that I thought, "Well damn! That was awesome!" was a book I beta read for one of my author friends and I'm sworn to secrecy.
TBQ: Damn life, why must it get in the way of our reading? :) Also: tease! But hopefully we'll be able to find out about the secret book before too long!
What's next-- Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming releases or WIP?
E: A Suitable Affair is apart of a larger series about the Susanna's siblings. The next release is The Perfect Duchess, and its a prequel of sorts, as it is about the Duke and Duchess of Bradstone, Susanna's brother and sister-in-law, who are already married in A Suitable Affair. The Perfect Duchess releases April 2018. Andrew and Clara have a rather bumpy, dramatic path to their HEA and Clara wasn't always keen on being a duchess. After that is Sarah's story, and my current WIP is Norah's sorry, and I am almost finished. After I'm done with Norah, I move on to Luke. There are eight books total in the Macalister series. [Oooh, yay!]
SPEED ROUND:
A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa?
Day at the spa!! It completely rejuvenates me.
Reading a spicy romance novel OR a sweet “my-heart-skips-a-beat” one?
Either, but the love has to be there. I need the "awwwww!" moments.
Hot summer days OR cold winter nights?
Cold winter nights. I hate being hot. Give me a fireplace and a blanket and I am good to go.
Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan?
Blurb. Covers aren't always accurate and I need the story to intrigue me.
Where would your dream house be (assuming that, you know, money and whatnot isn’t an obstacle, dammit!)?
Somewhere where I could play music as loud as I wanted and no one would complain. So not a city where people are stacked on top of each other. Probably not the middle of nowhere either because I like my Starbucks and Target. So something in between.
Quick—name the one food that you cannot live without!
Popcorn.
TBQ: Thanks so much for stopping by, Erica, and please know that you are welcome back anytime! Do you have any questions for our readers—something to spark a good discussion? :)
Erica: Thank you for having me!!
A Suitable Affair
264.13 (Mar. 27, 2017): p87.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
A Suitable Affair
Erica Taylor. Amberjack, $15.99 trade paper
(418p) ISBN 978-1-944995-15-7
Taylor's Regency debut fails to deliver, though Lady Susanna Macalister and Ian Carlisle, Earl of Westcott and an investigator for the Home Office, do make a lovable couple. After an inauspicious Hyde Park meeting during which Ian nearly runs Susanna down with his horse, he decides to warn her away from the gentleman accompanying her, her "almost fiance," Viscount Riverton, whom Ian blames for his sister's murder. Susanna isn't in love with Riverton, but she's surprised that her family finds him dull and champions a match with Ian instead. The premise and story line are standard fare, elevated only by well-delineated primary and secondary characters who banter cleverly. Susanna's closely held secret turns out to be nothing, and certain aspects of the suspense subplot don't withstand scrutiny. Taylor's debut is perfectly acceptable without challenging the genre's limits in any way. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"A Suitable Affair." Publishers Weekly, 27 Mar. 2017, p. 87. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA487928150&it=r&asid=ec089b55fae84c73b7bab5209e5c3926. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487928150
Guest Review: A Suitable Affair by Erica Taylor
Posted June 16, 2017 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments
Guest Review: A Suitable Affair by Erica TaylorReviewer: Tracy
Susanna “runs into” Lord Ian Wescott in an unconventional manner and is a bit infuriated at the man. When he approaches her to let her know that her fiancé is not a man she should be spending time with she pretty much blows him off as she thinks he just doesn’t like Lord Riverton. You see, Lord Riverton had been Ian’s sister’s fiancé at the time of her kidnapping and murder and then refused to pay the ransom. Not only that but then demanded her dowry for breach of contract when she was killed. (I could see why he would have concerns about the man’s character.)
While Ian’s and Susanna’s friendship grows so do their feelings for each other. They say they’re just friends but each knows how the other feels about them and keeps it to themselves. Ian works for the Home Office and does investigations – not that anyone knows that. Because of that he knows that he can never settle down. He’s on the go constantly and he can’t be a family man when he’s gone all the time.
When Susanna and Ian are falling in love, Ian is investigating Riverton. He knows that Riverton is involved in not only his sisters kidnapping and murder but the kidnapping and murders of at least 6 other women – he just has to prove it. Susanna agrees to be bait for Ian’s investigation but when it comes down to it he may not be able to save her.
What a great story. I loved that Ian and Susanna were friends before they became lovers. Their friendship and banter made me smile more than a time or two. I loved reading about them and their antics together. I think the thing I loved about it was on the outside everything was above board and I could very much believe that it all was happening. Well done on Taylor’s part.
The suspense part of the story was a good one as well. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the way it all went down in the end as it seemed a bit abrupt – as was the general ending of the book. Those two issues were the only reason this got 4 stars instead of 5.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the story of Susanna’s brother – the cold duke.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review: A Suitable Affair by Erica Taylor
Krystal 5:00 AM
Print Length:
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing (June 6, 2017)
From Goodreads.com: Despite being beautiful and wealthy, Lady Susanna Macalister’s marriage prospects are rather lacking. To avoid a life of spinsterhood, she decides a loveless marriage to the dull and unromantic Lord Riverton is better than none at all. But still, Susanna longs for true, passionate love, the kind she grew up hearing stories about.
Enjoying a quiet walk with her insipid suitor one afternoon, Susanna is nearly trampled by the handsome Earl of Westcott as he rides through Hyde Park. Driven by his own guilt and despair, the earl embraces this chance encounter as an opportunity for vengeance, for Lord Riverton is the very man whom Wescott suspects is responsible for the untimely death of his beloved sister. But is his mission of separating Susanna from Lord Riverton simply a desire to save another unsuspecting lady from his sister’s fate, or something deeper?
As Susanna helps Lord Westcott investigate her future fiance, she realizes she might have found what she was looking for all along. Can the pair keep their budding romance a secret from everyone around them until the investigation is over? Or will the unsuspecting Lord Riverton win Susanna’s hand in marriage before the truth comes out?
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My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
This was such a wonderfully well written story that I could not put it down! The characters were well developed, and perfectly suited to one another. In fact, when compared to Riverton, I often wondered what Susanna had seen in the man in the first place.
I loved that while we got to watch Susanna's romance with Lord Westcott bloom, there was also that air of mystery happening in the background. Were his claims against Riverton's character true? Or were they merely the imagination of a man who had been hurt by the other's actions? Was Beth's murder random or was it a part of a much larger scheme?
The entire story comes together in a complexly woven story that will draw you in and keep you reading well into the night. I do wish there had been an epilogue giving us a glimpse into their wedding, or another aspect of their future together, but all in all this is a do not miss story for those who enjoy historical romances!
I will definitely read more from this author!
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
A SUITABLE AFFAIR
Author(s):
Erica Taylor
Readers who like their Regency romance mixed with a little suspense and mystery will enjoy Taylor's debut. Her heroine is admirably forward-thinking, and her hero's work with the Home Office provides an interesting insight into the beginnings of the police force in England. A surprising twist at the end makes for a thrilling read. Several secondary characters look promising to have their own books in future installments of the Macalisters series.
Lady Susanna Macalister has attached herself to Viscount Riverton not for love, but to avoid becoming a spinster. The two are sharing a walk in the park when they are nearly trampled by a horse ridden by Ian Carlisle, Earl of Westcott. Ian is guilt-stricken and horrified at the near-accident, and doubly so when he recognizes Riverton as the man Ian suspects in the death of his sister. Ian enlists Susanna's help in uncovering the truth about Riverton, and the two soon find themselves fighting their attraction to each other. (AMBERJACK PUBLISHING, Jun., 332pp., $10.99)
*RT Review Source*
Reviewed by:
Carmela Constable