Welcome to the EDENBROOKE blog tour! Thanks to Pam at Bookalicious and author Juliannne Donaldson for making this happen!
EDENBROOKE is Donaldson's first novel and its publisher's (Shadow Mountain Publisher) headliner in its "proper romance" genre. What is Proper Romance?
A: A Proper Romance is Shadow Mountain Publishing’s brand of clean, smart, engaging, romantic stories that will never embarrass the reader.
Author Bio:
Julianne Donaldson grew up as the daughter of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. She learned how to ski in the Italian Alps, visited East Berlin before the wall came down, and spent three years living next to a 500-year-old castle. After earning a degree in English, she turned her attention to writing about distant times and places. She lives in Utah with her husband and four children. Edenbrooke is her first novel.
Julianne, from your Goodreads bio, I understand you have travelled and spent time in many European cities. Did this influence your choice to make Edenbrooke set in England or was the setting more like an a-ha! moment?
Living in Europe set the stage for me to love old things, and that made me an uncommon teenager. When my peers were partying on the weekends, I was watching old Cary Grant movies or reading Georgette Heyer novels. I studied British Literature in college (with an emphasis on the 1800s) and couldn't get enough period dramas. Jane Austen became my favorite solace for a date gone wrong (or no date at all). So when I decided to write a novel, I immediately went historical.
In fact--this is an embarrassing admission, but true--I first toyed with writing a novel by trying to write Twilight fan-fiction. But instead of writing about a vampire, I wrote about a hero who was an English duke at a ball in London. The heroine was a young lady with someone else's jewels around her neck. After writing that one scene, I gave up on the idea of fan-fiction and threw myself whole-heartedly into my own story set in Regency England. The story evolved a great deal, and now that scene is no longer in it. But that was how I began.
In fact--this is an embarrassing admission, but true--I first toyed with writing a novel by trying to write Twilight fan-fiction. But instead of writing about a vampire, I wrote about a hero who was an English duke at a ball in London. The heroine was a young lady with someone else's jewels around her neck. After writing that one scene, I gave up on the idea of fan-fiction and threw myself whole-heartedly into my own story set in Regency England. The story evolved a great deal, and now that scene is no longer in it. But that was how I began.
Thanks again for visiting Read My Mind, Julianne. Here's a little more about EDENBROOKE. Come back later today to see my review, but here's a sneak peek at my thoughts:
I loved this book, by the way. Check it out if you love classic romances in the Victorian or Regency eras. Check it out if you love expansive settings and expressive characters. You won't be disappointed. "Proper Romance" is one genre I'll be back for more, if EDENBROOKE sets the standard.
Blurb:
Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she’ll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry.
From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.
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