He must resist temptation or risk losing his honor as a
gentleman and the friendship of those he holds dear.
SCANDAL OF THE SEASON
Liana LeFay
Releasing May 30 2017
Entangled Select Historical
Five years ago, Lord Sorin Latham fled England’s shores to avoid heartbreak and scandal in the form of one Lady Eleanor Cramley. On returning home, he finds the young miss he used to scold for lack of decorum is now a stunning woman who fires his blood. But he must resist temptation or risk losing his honor as a gentleman and the friendship of those he holds dear, including Eleanor.
Lady Eleanor is determined to be the paragon of propriety Sorin urged her to become. But now that he’s back, the man she once thought of as an older brother makes her long to be anything but proper. She must make Sorin see her as worthy of his heart and his desire without losing his good opinion, or her Season will end in disgrace.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
We have the lovely Liana LeFey today with us, please welcome her!
1.I loved your book Once A Courtesan and it was one of my favorites of this year! Can you tell us about your latest one - Scandal Of The Season, and what inspired you to write it?
Scandal of the Season is a "friends to lovers" romance inspired by one of my all-time favorite Jane Austen books, Emma. In the prologue, Sorin starts out as an older brother figure to Eleanor, his best friend's orphaned cousin who came to live next door as a young girl. But as she prepares to come out for her first London season, he becomes acutely aware that she's not a kid anymore. He's terrified she'll be repulsed by his attraction to her, morally conflicted about his amorous feelings, and worried about losing his best friend's trust, since he's helping chaperone Eleanor. So he runs away from it and goes off to serve in the Royal Navy, hoping she'll be married and safely gone by the time he returns. Obviously, that doesn't happen! Chapter one begins with his homecoming and the discovery that Eleanor is still unwed and even more of a temptation.
Eleanor's love for Sorin has always been strictly platonic. Throughout her youth, he treated her like a little sister, right up to lecturing her on propriety just before he left home. Now after a five-year absence he's returned, and she's eager for his approval and to show him she's become a lady in every respect. It comes as a shock when she starts seeing him differently through the eyes of an interested friend. Knowing he views her as an impetuous child, she fears he would be mortified to learn of her altered feelings for him. Meanwhile, her cousin is trying to marry her off and she's got an unwanted suitor. When she comes to the realization that she wants Sorin for herself, she has to find a way to make him see her as deserving of both his high regard and his carnal desire.
I love stories where good friends realize, whether mutually or one-sided at first, that they actually belong together as a couple. Those stories hold a special place in my heart because my husband and I began as good friends! We both got jobs at the same place within about a week of each other, and both of us became part of a group of friends/coworkers there who socialized after hours. A few months later, I joined his non-work circle of friends, as well. But while we got along great and I always thought him adorable and sweet, I didn't think he felt anything for me beyond platonic friendship because he never showed any outward sign of wanting to be more. Then one day out of the blue while we were having our lunch break at work, I noticed he was really quiet and seemed upset about something. When I asked him if everything was OK, he told me we couldn’t be friends anymore. I remember being completely horrified and frantically trying to figure out what I’d said or done to offend him…and then he told me WHY we couldn’t be friends. And here we are 20+ years later, still married and crazy in love!
1) Bertrice Small (my first historical romance author!)
2) Mary Jo Putney
3) Laura Lee Guhrke
4) Jo Beverley
5) Jane Austen (of COURSE!)
4) Jo Beverley
5) Jane Austen (of COURSE!)
3.If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Join a writers' association BEFORE finishing your first manuscript, and learn as much as you possibly can from the veteran authors there. Especially, learn what not to do, so you don't spend two years rewriting it before it's fit to be read by an agent or editor.
4.What is your favorite thing about writing?
I get to time travel. I'm a research junkie, and I love history. For me, when I write, I'm transported by the experience, swept away from the now and taken to wherever and whenever the characters in my story are.
5.What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Getting the "guy gruffness" factor right. I'm lucky to have several male friends who were willing to talk candidly to me about their experiences as men, from being an adolescent boy all the way through to their 50s and even 60s, in one case. And while part of that discussion addressed
the issue of sex from the male perspective, it mostly delved into the male psyche. Men feel everything women do emotionally, but they often express those emotions differently or strive not to express them at all for fear of being perceived as vulnerable or weak. Getting that right on the page is difficult for me because, emotionally speaking, I suppress very little!
6.What was your hardest scene to write?
My toughest scene to write in Scandal of the Season was Sorin's moral dilemma when he has the opportunity to get what he wants at the cost of Eleanor's free will. For me, it was a balancing act. He had to be human and fallible, have his moment of weakness, but he couldn't go beyond a certain point, and there had to be heavy consequences for his choice either way.
7.Any advice to aspiring authors?
7.Any advice to aspiring authors?
Join a reputable writers' association like RWA. Learn all you can about the craft of writing from veterans who've been successful at it. Find your own "voice" and develop it as you hone your writing skills and refine your work. Also, a good editor is your BEST FRIEND.
And if you would like to add anything else please do.
And if you would like to add anything else please do.
Thank you for having me as your guest!
EXCERPT
“Eleanor, Charles has told me of your many rejected suitors. You have, to his utter bewilderment and despair, refused to consider any and every gentleman that has expressed interest in you, and I cannot help but feel that the fault is in some way at least partly mine. While it is true that I’d hoped to impart to you a sense of decorum, I never intended that you should withhold yourself so entirely as to become isolated.” In the silence that followed, Sorin braced himself.
But in spite of her reddening face, she spoke with chilling calm. “You confuse reserve with a lack of feeling. Reserve is the veil behind which we conceal those sentiments inappropriate to display, is that not what you said?”
“It was indeed,” he replied, now regretting the fact that he’d ever broached the subject.
“Then consider it fortunate that I maintained my reserve, because to have displayed my true feelings for those so-called suitors would have been insulting to their dignity and very likely ruinous for me.” Her eyes flashed, belying her cool tone. “I’ve given every gentleman before which Charles has paraded me an opportunity to prove himself worthy of my regard. It’s not my fault that all have failed to meet my standards. If I’ve been reserved, it is because I have yet to find a gentleman possessing the qualities necessary to engender my trust and affection.”
Prudence warred with curiosity—and promptly lost. “Might I inquire as to these…standards you’ve set forth? Because it seems to me you’ve set some lofty requirements, if indeed no less than four—six if you count the good reverend’s repeated attempts—proposals of marriage have been turned down due to lack of their fulfillment. Are you certain the fault lies with the gentlemen?”
In an instant, he knew he’d gone too far. Her eyes widened, and the flags in her cheeks brightened to a cherry red that spread to the tips of her ears.
“Perhaps I am too harsh a critic,” she said a bit unsteadily. “My only excuse is that my expectations have been set by the examples with which I was provided in my youth. My father, Charles, and…” A suspicious brightness rimmed her lower lashes for a bare instant before she averted her gaze.
Comprehension dawned. “If you mean to say that I am at fault for—”
“Who else was there?” she snapped, glaring at him through leaf-green eyes that glittered with unshed tears. “Had I been exposed to lesser men, I should perhaps be more willing to accept such a one. However, as I was not, I shall continue to hope for better. Had you been here to see what has presented itself thus far, I would like to think that you would agree with my decision.”
The words had been spoken softly, and yet they cut like the sharpest steel. He took a step toward her, intending only to offer comfort and reassurance, but she quickly edged away.
Liana LeFey delights in crafting incendiary tales that capture the heart and the imagination, taking the reader out of the now and into another world. Liana lives in Central Texas with her dashing husband/hero and their beautiful daughter. She’s also privileged to serve one spoiled rotten feline overlord. Liana has been devouring romances since she was fourteen and is now thrilled to be writing them for fellow enthusiasts.
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