Review: The Seduction of Lady Phoebe by Ella Quinn

From the Publisher:

Polite society has its rules for marriage. But for Ella Quinn’s eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the weak of heart…

Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady. As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially when she is driving her dashing phaeton with its perfectly matched horses. And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors. But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within his blue-eyed gaze…

For Lord Marcus, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years. Now that he’s returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant. He must work fast to gain the advantage—to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies—but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control…

Review:

I relish when authors fashion unconventional heroines. Ms. Quinn does just this with Lady Phoebe, a well-dowered gentlewoman skilled in the finer arts of riding, pistol shooting, boxing, and small swords. Yet all of this bravado is only a cover for the painful memories buried on the inside. Phoebe’s young heart was broken when the one person she thought shared her progressive views turned out to be a presumptuous rogue. Now, eight years later, a charming knight-errant has rescued Phoebe, twice. What will happen when she discovers his true identity? Can Phoebe get past what happened when she was a youth and allow herself a chance at true love and unending happiness?

Though he may have been banished to the West Indies for the past eight years, a part of England has been far from his thoughts/a constant tattoo in his mind: Lady Phoebe. Now given a chance to play the archetypal role of knight-errant, Marcus Finley hopes his valiant efforts to erase that calamitous night from Phoebe’s mind will pay off. Like a true love-struck gentleman, Marcus applies his time and efforts in to wooing and seducing Lady Phoebe. Will Marcus succeed with his plan in seducing Phoebe and making her his?

While I enjoyed seeing Marcus charm Phoebe, her unabated fears that Marcus is only acting the gentleman became a bit tiring. I started wondering just how much more Marcus must prove his changes are genuine and lasting. In the same way Mr. Darcy is properly humbled by Elizabeth Bennet after his disastrous proposal, Marcus is properly humbled by Phoebe’s right hook and tongue-lashing.

Ms. Quinn spins quite the romantic story with just the right touch of conflict. Not only must Phoebe and Marcus learn how to manage their growing passion for each other, but they must also discover who is behind Phoebe’s attempted kidnapping. I was on the brink of sweet suspense, eagerly awaiting the climax, wondering how it would come about. I was quite tempted to skim the text so I could quickly get there. 

The Seduction of Lady Phoebe blends romance, intrigue, and suspense, creating a story I enjoyed and want more of. I am looking forward to what Ms. Quinn has in store next with Phoebe and Marcus’s friends, Anna Marsh and Sebastian Rutherford, and their secretive story. 

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**The Seduction of Lady Phoebe is currently FREE on Kindle and Nook

FTC Disclaimer: review copy provided by the author

Winner: The Seduction of Lady Phoebe by Ella Quinn

Christy Carlyle!!

Congratulations, Christy! How exciting to win The Seduction of Lady Phoebe! I hope you enjoy Lady Phoebe's story. I cannot thank those of you who left comments and entered the giveaway enough. Your comments and support of Ms. Quinn and her novel was wonderful! I hope each of you has a chance to read Ms. Quinn's seductive novel. Remember, The Seduction of Lady Phoebe is now available for pre-order!                                                            Special thanks goes to Ella Quinn for taking time to answer my interview questions and for kindly offering up a copy of The Seduction of Lady Phoebe for giveaway! 

Interview with Author Ella Quinn +Giveaway

I want to welcome Regency romance author Ella Quinn to Leatherbound Reviews! Ms. Quinn’s debut novel, The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, is now available for pre-order. To celebrate this exciting time for Ella, I thought I would ask her a few questions about her writing and Lady Phoebe.
Use the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win an ebook copy of The Seduction of Lady Phoebe!

What’s your favorite part of writing Regency romances? 

The research and staying within the cultural standards while having my heroine’s still be strong and independent.

Tell us about your new release, The Seduction of Lady Phoebe. 

The Seduction of Lady Phoebe is about a betrayal and Phoebe and Marcus’s path to love. I know that sounds like an old trope, but I think I’ve put a new spin on it.

I know there are other books in your Marriage Game series. Did you have the plots for each planned out or did they come about as you wrote The Seduction of Lady Phoebe? 

No, I’m a total pantser, and didn’t even know there would be a series. I wrote Phoebe and Marcus’s story first, then knew Anna and Rutherford from the Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh, would be second. The only problem is they were reticent to reveal their story. Meanwhile, Robert, Viscount Beaumont was shouting at me to write his, so the Temptation of Lady Serena was written second. The fourth book, currently titled Lady Caro’s Accidental Marriage is with my editor. I’m working on the fifth, and there will be a sixth before I start a new series in which the characters overlap.

Describe your hero, Lord Marcus Finley and your heroine, Lady Phoebe Stanhope.

Marcus was a such a bad boy, that at twenty, his father decided to banish him to the West Indies. After he sobered up on the ship, he started to turn himself around, made his own fortune and took Phoebe’s advice to help others. He remained faithful to her, and when he returns eight years later, decides Phoebe is still the only woman he will marry. 

Phoebe is very forward thinking. It runs in the family. Her parents were adherents of the liberal philosophers of the time, so Phoebe and her older sisters learned, to use pistols, short swords, and self-defense. She can also drive a team. She is very politically astute as well. Phoebe wants to marry and have children, but after what Marcus did, she doesn’t believe she’ll ever fall in love again.

What was your favorite thing about writing these two? 

Bringing them together. Phoebe was very resistant, and Marcus had to overcome his desire to try to force her to see they belonged together. Everyone, in her family gets involved.

I am always intrigued by the things authors learn when conducting research for their novels. What is one piece of historical trivia you found interesting or odd? I found it interesting that there was a real ground swell of liberalism during the time. It manifested itself in the Radical party, and in the liberal wing of the Whig party which was in opposition to the Prince Regent. Also, interesting was the amount of work ladies on estates actually did. It wasn’t all sitting around drinking tea. Many of them ran the estates, while their husbands were doing something else. 

Lady Phoebe is available for pre-order. What is the one thing that you are most nervous about when it comes to Lady Phoebe’s pre-order and release? 

LOL, that it won’t sell. I have wonderful cover quotes from both Grace Burrowes and Shana Galen, but there is always the fear it will flop.

Ella is lucky enough to have garnered two remarkable cover quotes from two wonderful authors:

"Lady Phoebe is a heroine Georgette Heyer would adore–plucky, pretty, and well worth the devotion of the dashing Lord Marcus. A marvelous find for Regency romance readers."

~ Grace Burrowes ~

“Ella Quinn’s The Seduction of Lady Phoebe is a passionate tale full of humor, romance, and poignancy. Quinn writes classic Regency romance at its best!”

~Shana Galen~

From the publisher:

LADY PHOEBE STANHOPE, famous for her quick wits, fast horses, and punishing right hook, is afraid of nothing but falling in love. Fleeing a matchmaking attempt with the only man she despises, Phoebe meets a handsome blue-eyed stranger who sends her senses skittering. By the time Phoebe discovers the seductive stranger is the same arrogant troll she sent packing eight years ago, she is halfway to falling in love with him.

LORD MARCUS FINLEY last saw Phoebe striding regally away, as he lay on the floor with a bruised jaw and a rapidly swelling eye. Recently returned from the West Indies, Marcus is determined to earn Phoebe’s love, preferably before she discovers who he is. Determined to have Phoebe for his own, Marcus begins his campaign to gain her forgiveness and seduce her into marriage.

Can Phoebe learn to trust her own heart and Marcus? Or is she destined to remain alone?

Author Bio:

     Ella’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

     She is married to her wonderful husband of twenty-nine years. They have a son and granddaughter, Great Dane and a Chartreux. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make St. Thomas, VI home.

     Ella is a member of the Romance Writers of American, The Beau Monde and Hearts Across History. She is represented by Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency, and published by Kensington. Her first book, The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, will release in September 2013

***GIVEAWAY TIME***

Ella Quinn has generously offered ONE ebook for giveaway! To enter, simply leave a comment to this post and use the Rafflecopter form. OPEN INTERNATIONALLY! Giveaway ends Sunday, April 14. Best of luck! =)

Ella Quinn is also hosting another giveaway for The Seduction of Lady Phoebe on her Facebook page!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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