Spotlight & Giveaway: Forgetting the Scot by Jennifer Trethewey

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jennifer Trethewey to HJ!

Hi Jennifer and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Forgetting the Scot!

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

F is for Fierce—Magnus’s love for Virginia
O is for Omens—The Romany woman’s warning
R is for Regency—Early 19th Century British Empire
G is for Gael Forss—The vessel that carries them to England
E is for England—A place Magnus does not like
T is for Tender—The kind of love Virginia longs for
T is for Tall—A trait common to Sinclairs of Balforss
I is for Intimate—Lucy and Virginia share secrets
N is for Naughty—Magnus can’t help himself
G is for George—Lucy’s fopdoodle brother

the

S is for Sinclair—One of the oldest names in Scottish nobility
C is for Caithness—Where the story begins and ends
O is for Orphans—Virginia will save them all
T is for Taboo—In Magnus’s bed, nothing is taboo.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Lady Langley pinned a fugitive lock of hair back into place and sighed. The reflection of a bespectacled, married woman of two and twenty years stared back at her. Plain old Virginia. Bollocks.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Magnus’s best friend is his giant Brabant horse, Finbar. The relationship between humans and horses fascinates me and the subject finds its way into my stories in the form of heroism, the speed and endurance of a single horse being the difference between life and death. In my first two novels, they represent power and strength, friendship and loyalty. In FORGETTING THE SCOT, horses play an even bigger role, representing love, fertility, abundance, and happiness.
• Virginia, Lucy, and Charlotte stumble upon what they think is a wolf. Wolves were hunted to extinction in Scotland and records state that the last wolf was killed by Sir Ewen Cameron in 1680 but there were reports of wolf spottings as late as 1888. There is talk now of reintroducing wolves to Scotland to reduce the red deer population.
• The character of Lucy’s brother is quite different from the annoying young George in my first book, TYING THE SCOT. When the Sinclairs travel to England in FORGETTING THE SCOT three years later, we meet a more mature George. He’s charming, funny, and, like so many historical romance aristocrats, his ego is as resilient as Teflon.
• Even though women were frequently used like chattel by their own parents and any property a woman brought to a marriage became the property of her husband, I was relieved to discover that a father could establish a trust for his daughter that would remain in her control, untouchable by her husband.
• George’s gentleman’s club, The Jockey Club, was founded in 1750 by a group who shared a passion for horse racing. They were some of the most influential men in England. The members initially met in London at the Star and Garter in Pall Mall before the Club relocated to Newmarket.

Was there a scene in this book that was harder to write than others?

FORGETTING THE SCOT brings up two “trigger” issues, infertility and domestic abuse. Those particular scenes were the most difficult to write and I won’t include them here for obvious reasons. So, I’ll choose another difficult bit: when Magnus realizes he is hopelessly in love.

Excerpt:

Yes. He was besotted. Like any ordinary fool. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad a condition as he had imagined. No wonder men wandered into walls when under the spell of a woman. His senses were dulled to anything but her. Just like a—shite. Just like a rutting deer. Easy to bring down during mating season.
That sobering thought brought him back around. Declan and Caya were excusing themselves from the table. Probably wanted to rush right home and make up for lost time. That familiar stab of jealousy slipped into his side like a slender knife. Odd that the pain would feel good.
Magnus rose from the table along with everyone else. He mumbled his thanks to Auntie Flora and Uncle John. It was time for him to leave, as well. No opportunity to get Virginia alone again. Not tonight. Not even a possibility for a private word of goodbye. Instead, he settled for brushing past her, letting his left hand graze her right. Had anyone else noticed, they would have thought it an accidental collision. But he heard the catch in her breath. She knew.
She knew.
She knew.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

Everyone deserves to be loved and treasured. No one should have to tolerate poor treatment at the hands of another, physically or mentally.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Two lucky commenters will each receive a digital copy of BETTING THE SCOT: Highlanders of Balforss Book 2 (US only).

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I’m on a diet, but I can dream. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

 
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Book Info:

Virginia Whitebridge is trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage. The law says her husband can have whatever he wants from her—so he’s taken her inheritance. And he tried to kill her. After a close escape, Virginia feels protected for the first time in forever, thanks to the Scottish Highlands and the Highlander Magnus Sinclair. But she must go back to England, regardless of the danger, to reclaim what’s hers. Even if it means leaving her heart in Scotland.

It’s just Magnus’s luck that he’s fallen for a woman he can’t have. Virginia is rich and titled… and English. To keep her safe, he must follow her to the one place he loathes—England. Where the bowing, preening London Society has a secret language of manners unknown to him. Where he is too large, too uncivilized, too everything.

Despite omens that death awaits him there, Magnus vows to help Virginia go to London and restore her fortune. Get in. Get out. Or die trying.

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Meet the Author:

Jennifer Trethewey is an actor-turned-writer who has moved her performances from the stage to the page. In 2013, she traveled to Scotland for the first time, where she instantly fell for the language, humor, intense sense of pride, and breathtaking landscape. Her love for Scotland is translated into her series of historical romance novels, the Highlanders of Balforss. The first two books in this sexy, adventurous series, Tying the Scot, and Betting the Scot, are available. Forgetting the Scotwill be released on October 22nd, 2018.

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