Spotlight & Giveaway: Pride Comes Before a Fall: A Novel by Virginia Heath

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Virginia Heath to HJ!

Hi Virginia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Pride Comes Before a Fall: A Novel!

Hi! Its great to back!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Sparks fly in this Regency Romcom when a principled, fiercely independent woman who wants political reform but finds herself falling for one of the enemy ~ A duke!
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“Why do you have to be such a gallingly wonderful human being?” When she turned, her eyes were stormy as she walked towards him. “Why couldn’t you have been a typical, entitled, pompous and wholly dislikeable duke like I wanted you to be?”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

The inspiration from this book came from a crusty piece of British Legislature ‘The Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act’ of 1819. Which basically stated that publishing anything critical of the government or monarch (and that included writing something on a placard) was punishable by a hefty fine in the 1st instance and 14 years transportation to a penal colony in the 2nd. It made me wonder what would happen to a heroine who did that…
 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Its instant attraction for both of them, but he’s drawn to her no-nonsense outspoken spirit and she’s most drawn to his staunch pursuit of fairness that most men of his class back then did not follow.
 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Here’s the start of a scene that made me blush 😉

Her finger prodded his chest. “You’ve been nothing but an enormous and unwelcome complication to me, Leopold Sloane. How dare you upend my life and force me to re-evaluate staunch beliefs that I have held for all my adult life?”
“Should I apologise again?”
“No.” Her hands flattened against his chest a moment before she pressed her mouth against his, then as she kissed him, she set to work on the buttons of his waistcoat. “If you don’t mind, I am going to have to have my wicked way with you now.”

Readers should read this book….

If that want to laugh, sigh and fall in love with a dimpled duke
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m about to start working on the edits for the final book in the Miss Prentice’s Protégées series, Practice Makes Perfect, which comes out next Summer and after that who knows…
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One copy giveaway 0f PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL, United States address winner only, please

To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials and Leave a comment below to this Q: Portia is a fearless and outspoken heroine. Who is your favorite fearless and outspoken heroine in a book, on TV or in a movie?

🎉 Giveaway Rules 🎉
✨ Must be 18 years or older to enter.
✨ MUST leave a comment answering the giveaway question.
✨ Bonus Entry:Share this post on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) 
and drop a comment below letting me know you've shared it.
✨ Winner(s) will be selected at random.
✨ No purchase necessary—just enter and cross your fingers!
✨ If you win, I'll need your full name and mailing address to send your prize. 
This information will be shared with the author, publisher, or publicist solely for prize fulfillment purposes.
✨ Giveaway closes 3 days from the date this post is published.  
 

Excerpt from Pride Comes Before a Fall: A Novel:

As he limped out of his study, both dogs flew past him to the kitchen. As there seemed little point in prolonging the agony, Leo released them into the garden and followed them outside. He expected to meet Miss Kendall mid-way, but he was almost at the end of the lawn when he heard her whisper.
“Shhh dogs. I’ll be down in a moment.” An odd thing to say but not quite as odd as the sight of her straddling the top of the eight-foot wall at the end of his property. Her bonnet askew, her skirts ruched and twisted around her knees and her expression vexed as she tried to unhook the back of her clothing from one of the fleur de lys spikes that protected the top of the brickwork. At least it was vexed until she noticed him and she winced. “Good evening your grace.”
“What the blazes are you doing up there, Miss Kendall?”
“Somebody decided to move the key to the back gate from its usual hiding place, so I couldn’t get back in. Rather than disturb anyone’s slumber, I decided to just climb over the wall instead.”
“Was your plan just to throw yourself from the top and hope for the best?” Because it was a long drop.
“It was actually to use these spikes to gently lower myself to the ground. If I manage to ever untangle myself from them.” Her smile was sheepish. “I did rather misjudge the width between them and the width of myself.” She reached behind her and wrestled with the fabric some more. She gave a final yank then grinned triumphant while she quickly used the freed fabric to cover her exposed calves. “That’s better.”
That all depended on your point of view and he had much preferred the view of those shapely calves than not, but he smiled regardless as he lifted his arms. “If you swing your other leg over, I shall catch you.”
She eyed his outstretched hands dubiously then shook her head. “If it’s all the same to you, your grace, I’d much prefer to do this myself.”
“I can assure you that I will not drop you, Miss Kendall.” His manly pride was slightly offended that she doubted his abilities. “My ankle might still be a bit tender but there is nothing wrong with my arms.” Would it be wrong to flex one and try to impress her with his muscles?
Probably.
“It’s more your eyes that worry me, your grace, and the fact that my descent isn’t likely to be pretty.” She pulled a face and he laughed.
“I thought we had already agreed that dignity is overrated.”
“And yet I would still prefer to cling on to mine regardless, if you don’t mind.”
“It wouldn’t be gentlemanly to abandon a damsel in obvious distress and I’d never forgive myself if you ended up hurt when I could have prevented it.” He folded his arms and vainly flexed his muscles regardless in the pathetic hope that she would notice them. “So I am staying and you will just have to swallow your pride on this occasion.”
“Can you at least turn around while do the worst of the manoeuvres? Only, as a gentleman, I am sure that you appreciate that a skirt is an unforgiving garment during any physical challenge.”
He had never seen her all missish and it amused him. “Very well.” He turned. “Let me know when you need me.”
“If I need you, your grace—which I can assure you that I won’t, so don’t you dare even think of turning around unless I personally request it. I am not the damsel in distress type.” He could hear the exertion in her voice as she changed position behind him. “In actual fact, if you want to know my honest opinion, I disapprove of the very concept of a damsel in distress because women are just as capable as men. What we might lack in upper body strength.” She paused to grunt. “We make up for in intelligence and resilience.”
“Do you indeed?”
“We do.” More grunting. “It will be a cold day in hell before I ever need a man to save me. I am in charge of my own destiny and quite capable of saving myself, thank-you very much.” Then there was an ominous ‘ooof’’ followed by the sound of ripping fabric. Then a beat of silence. “Um…unfortunately, I think I might have spoken too soon.”
“Am I allowed to turn around, Miss Kendall?”
“Only if you promise not to laugh.”
He turned, blinked then roared because Miss Kendall now dangled like a marionette facing him. The top of her coat from her shoulders to her elbow was caught on the spikes leaving her feet suspended several feet from the ground. “You look like you’ve been hung up to dry on a washing line!”
Her lips twitched. “Rather than just standing there and stating the obvious, your grace, I would be much obliged if you would do the gentlemanly thing and helped me down.”
“Oh the irony!” Leo bent double he was laughing so hard. “There must be a blizzard currently raging in hell because you—you!” He pointed at her between guffaws. “Suddenly need a man’s help!”
“I am sure I will appreciate the irony too…eventually.” Her half-trapped arms pleaded. “But in the meantime, this thoroughly disgusted damsel needs rescuing.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

In the third installment of this witty Regency romcom series, a headstrong chaperone is torn between following her rigid principles or her heart

Despite his many responsibilities, there is nothing Leopold Sloane, the 11th Duke of Debden, takes more seriously than the safety of those he loves. When one of his sisters is injured at a protest rally, he drags his family to Bath for the summer to keep his reckless and rebellious siblings out of harm’s way. The only flaw in his plan is his overwhelming but inexplicable attraction to the new chaperone he has hired to watch out for them. An outspoken conundrum of a woman who soon causes him more trouble than both his sisters combined…but who calls to his soul regardless.

From the moment Portia Kendall read her first revolutionary pamphlet beneath her bedcovers at Miss Prentice’s School for Girls, she realized that her true calling was to make the world a fairer place for the masses downtrodden by the aristocracy. A calling that led her to Equitas, a radical newspaper that champions reform. But as Portia discovers, writing doesn’t pay the bills. To make a living, she must push aside her principles and serve the very people she criticizes weekly in her column. A temporary position as a chaperone in the home of a pompous duke seems like the perfect way to earn enough to follow her heart. Unfortunately, the duke who hires her seems to be more dashing and noble than pompous and soon begins to call to her heart too—as much as she tries to deny it. But dare she risk her principles for love or will her pride always come before a fall?
Book Links: Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

When Virginia Heath was a little girl, it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Now her Regency rom-coms (including the Wild Warriners and Merriwell Sisters series) are published in many languages across the globe. More than thirty-two books and four Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, it still takes her forever to fall asleep.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |