Spotlight & Giveaway: Trouble For The Leading Lady by Rachel Brimble

Posted June 17th, 2021 by in Blog, Spotlight / 45 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Rachel Brimble to HJ!

Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Rachel and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Trouble For The Leading Lady!

 
I am so happy to be back for a return visit with you!
 

Tell us about the book:

Trouble for the Leading Lady is the second book in the Ladies of Carson Street series but both books can absolutely be read stand alone! This book is Nancy’s story – a good time girl with dreams of being on stage. She is battling a past that threatens to take away her ability to grab the chance of a lifetime but with persistent persuasion from theatre manager, Francis Carlyle, Nancy takes a leap of faith. Their journey takes this wonderfully kind, entrepreneurial couple from the backstreet taverns of Bath to the Workhouse to the Theatre Royal…
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

As Nancy Bloom neared the Theatre Royal, she picked up her pace through the chaos of Bath on market day, purposefully averting her gaze from the advertising bills pasted to the theatre’s entrance. Would she ever learn to return home to Carson Street via Milsom Street, rather than allow her damn feet to automatically lead her to the one place on God’s earth she wished to avoid? ‘Hello, darlin’. You want me to walk you home for a bit of–‘

 

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book.

Nancy Bloom is a prostitute who has known hardship and struggle for most of her life but has still managed to retain a wonderful sense of humour and a deep loyalty to her friends. She is hard on the outside but soft on the inside, cynical sometimes but hugely hopeful most of the time. I adore her!
Francis Carlyle is the manager of the Theatre Royal and when the story opens he has written a autobiographical play and is looking for its star… he finds her in Nancy. When this unlikely pair join forces their journey takes them in directions neither could have predicted. It is a relationship of humour, romance, trust and tension and was an absolute joy to write!

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • This book is set in the beautiful, historical city of Bath which is just 30 mins drive from where I live
  • Nancy Bloom is a good time girl with a heart of gold and one of my favourite heroines despite having written over 25 books
  • Trouble For The Leading Lady takes the reader from Bath’s back street taverns, to the Workhouse to the Theatre Royal and is filled with love and adventure along the way.

 

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

Francis is first drawn to Nancy when he happens upon her singing in a backstreet tavern – he is initially mesmerised by her amazing voice but when he speaks to her, her inner toughness intrigues him and evokes his need to get to known her better.
As for Nancy, she initially thinks Francis is far too conceited and assuming. She neither particularly trust or likes him… but that soon changes 🙂

 

The First Kiss…

Nancy and Francis’s first kiss is one that takes place in a push/pull scenario where both are forced to reveal a little of their vulnerability . Nancy is debating whether to trust Francis and ends up relying on flirtation and domination as a way of controlling the situation whereas for Francis – a man used to being in charge – he makes the uncertain decision to allow her to lead the way…

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

See the previous scene! I would definitely use the First Kiss scene because not only would it show the level of electricity between them but also illustrate the characters’ vulnerabilities and I think that is so important in romance novels.

 

If your hero had a sexy-times play list, what song(s) would have to be on it?

As The Trouble For The Leading Lady is set in Victorian times, this is a little difficult – however, Francis adores the theatre so show tunes are bound to be on his go-to list!

 

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what – would it be and why?

For Nancy –
‘Don’t judge others by the actions of just one person – give every new person you meet a chance.’

For Francis –
‘Take a risk. Show people the real you and the rewards will be wonderful.’

 

What are you currently working on? What are your up-coming releases?*

I waiting for the edits on the next book following The Trouble for the Leading Lady which I hope will be due for release in the autumn. This will be Octavia’s story who is another woman who lives and works with Nancy at Carson Street.
I have also just finished the first book in what I hope will be a ‘Royal Series’ opening with book one set in Queen Victoria’s court – I will be sending this to a publisher shortly and then begin praying for a new contract!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: I would love to give away a £20/$20 Amazon Gift Certificate

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What fascinates you the most about Victorian England? Do you have a favourite event or person from that era?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Trouble For The Leading Lady:

‘I’m strong now but having Francis… Mr Carlyle says the things he said to me. To promise if I trust him, he will see me onstage.’ Nancy shook her head, her heart aching with longing and fear. ‘It makes me so very afraid of him.’
She swallowed around the lump in her throat as the silence stretched. Her heart weighed heavier and heavier with the shame and humiliation that she had suffered at the hands of the man who’d kidnapped her. That she had seen, heard and done things that no child, woman or anyone should have to endure.
‘But you’re not a young girl anymore, Nancy,’ Octavia said, quietly. ‘You can call a stop to Mr Carlyle’s attentions whenever you wish to. Whatever he might ask of you, you can refuse. Better still, challenge him. If his intentions for this night out are entirely honourable and without condition, insist that Louisa or I accompany you.’ Octavia lifted her thumb to Nancy’s cheeks and brushed away her tears. ‘You have us and Jacob looking out for you now.’
‘I know.’
‘Might it not be that it is something more than what he wants that scares you?’
‘What else could there be?’
‘I suspect you are scared of spending more time with him because of how much you like him. Am I right?’
Denial sprang onto Nancy’s tongue, yet she hesitated. She could not lie to Octavia any more than she could Louisa. ‘Yes.’ Nancy sighed, her pathetic resistance to Francis and what he might be able to give her overriding her good sense. ‘You’re right.’
‘Then go out with him.’ Octavia smiled. ‘Show him that anything he wants, or asks of you, will be on your terms or not at all.’
Nancy stared into her friend’s eyes as the possibility that Francis might be truthful, might be the door to a new life, wound tight in her stomach. What if he was sincere and the life that had been her dream for as long as she could remember had the possibility of coming true at his hands? She was a grown woman now; knew her own mind and relied on her own strength.
He couldn’t possibly hurt her as she had been before.
Why shouldn’t she take a small step forward and judge for herself how sincere Mr Carlyle might be in his pursuit of her? His soft blue gaze filled her mind’s eye and slowly, second by second, Nancy’s agreement to their night out rose inside of her. She had never met a man as kind as Francis. Never met a man who seemed so strong yet vulnerable. So admiring of her despite knowing what she did for a living.
His adulation made no sense. He made no sense. Yet…
She swiped her fingers under her eyes and pulled back her shoulders. ‘You’re right. I’m older now. Wiser. I’ll go with him and make sure he pays me on top of everything else. The theatre can’t scare me. Not anymore. And nor can Francis Carlyle.’

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Bath, 1852.
As a girl, Nancy Bloom would go to Bath’s Theatre Royal, sit on the hard wooden benches and stare in awe at the actresses playing men as much as the women dressed in finery. She longed to be a part of it all and when a man promised her parents he could find a role for Nancy in the theatre, they believed him.
His lie and betrayal led to her ruin.
Francis Carlyle is a theatre manager, an ambitious man always looking for the next big thing to take the country by storm. A self-made man, Francis has finally shed the skin of his painful past and is now rich, successful and in need of a new female star. Never in a million years did he think he’d find her standing on a table in one of Bath’s bawdiest pubs.
Nancy vowed never to trust a man again. Francis will do anything to make her his star. As they engage in a battle of wits and wills, can either survive with their hearts intact?
The second in Rachel Brimble’s thrilling new Victorian saga series, Trouble for the Leading Lady will whisk you away to the riotous, thriving underbelly of Victorian Bath.
Book Links: Amazon | B& N | iTunes | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of over 25 published novels including the Ladies of Carson Street series, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin).
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.
To sign up for her newsletter (a guaranteed giveaway every month!), click here:
https://us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ab0dc0484a3855f2bc769984f&id=bd3173973a
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads |

 
 
 

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45 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Trouble For The Leading Lady by Rachel Brimble”

  4. Mary Preston

    The love between Prince Albert and Queen Victoria is worth noting. Truly fascinating and memorable.

  5. Nicole (Nicky) Ortiz

    The clothes and the way they talked
    Thanks for the chance!

  6. Nina Lewis

    Favourite event has to be the creation of a football league, since it is my favourite sport. Also love the literature from that time. 🙂

  10. Marcy Meyer

    I don’t know a lot about the Victorian era. I do find it interesting to read about the different way of life and especially women’s role in society at that time.

  13. Jeanna Massman

    I’m most interested in Queen Victoria and her family and their connections to so many European Royal Dynasties.

  16. Glenda M

    I find the changes in life because of developing technology interesting: trains, electricity, indoor running and heated water, and so much more

  17. anna nguyen

    royal life during that era seems so interesting. queen victoria is my favorite. she seemed like such a strong woman who had to deal with so much in her life.

  22. Athena Graeme

    I love the innovations of the Victorian society, the boom of trains that allowed goods to be traded more freely, the rise of the middle class … It was an amazing time.

  26. Jennifer Rote

    I love the clothing. Men look dapper and women left something to the imagination.

  27. Daisy

    I love the differences in how they lived day to day. How long it would take to travel and do daily tasks. But the it is also fun to see how some things are still the same.

  29. Amy R

    What fascinates you the most about Victorian England? the major changes that happened in the time period
    Do you have a favourite event or person from that era? NO

  31. Linda Herold

    I like going back in time to see how they lived and what they wore.

  34. Kay Garrett

    It’s such a completely different time from the present time. And since my relatives didn’t originate here, I love to imagine how it was in their era and where they lived.
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  36. Ellen C.

    I have ancestors who lived in Victorian England before coming to the US. I try to imagine what their lives were like in England. We have some customs and traditions that my great grandparents brought from England. Queen Victoria and family, what an interesting group.

  37. Janie McGaugh

    I find the clothing and the increasing levels of technology fascinating.

  38. Linda

    I’m interested in the social changes, especially for the lower classes, during the Victorian Era.

  40. laurieg72

    The emergence of writers and poets, male and female: Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Burns, Lewis Carroll and John Keats

    Most fascinating: Darwin’s Theory of Evolution which revolutionized the world of Science

  42. Barbara Bates

    Love the gowns,parties and carriages. Also ballroom dancing. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

  43. Bonnie

    The social customs of Victorian England are fascinating. Queen Victoria is my favorite person from that era.

  45. Terrill R.

    I’m more interested in the later Victoria Era at the turn of the century. The industrial changes started to become massive and created drastic changes to America.