Spotlight & Giveaway: Victoria & Violet by Rachel Brimble

Posted October 20th, 2022 by in Blog, Spotlight / 54 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, Victoria & Violet!

 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Of course!
Victoria & Violet is set in the court of a young Queen Victoria and the first book in my brand new Royal Maids series.
It’s a royal romance story revolving around Victoria’s personal housemaid, Violet Parker and courtier James Greene. I would love for your visitors to follow the couple through their burgeoning romance amid the drama, intrigue and romance of a royal court. Victoria takes to Violet immediately and they soon become firm allies against their overbearing mothers…
 

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

A wave of murmured assent burst forth, and Violet lowered her tense shoulders. “All that matters to me is doing a good and worthwhile job at court, ma’am. I have neither the time nor inclination to think of such things as gentlemen or romance.”
“But that is no life for a young woman. I keep telling Lehzen exactly that.” Victoria frowned. “No, it will not do.”
Violet’s heart beat fast as the faces of her mother and the duchess appeared in her mind’s eye. How she would be punished if she were dismissed from the queen’s service on her very first day!
“All the young girls in the land deserve to have fun!” The queen snatched her hand from Violet’s arm and clapped, her smile wide. “You included, Parker. For as long as you are in my service, I will see to it that you do.”

 

What inspired this book?

This book is the realisation of a long-held ambition of mine – I have wanted to write a book that included real people and events for YEARS and, at last, I have acheived it! The story itself was inspired by my love of period drama, British royal history and the loving relationship that seems to exist between our current Prince and Princess of Wales. I hope I’ve managed to encaspsulate those three things in the pages of this novel.

 

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I have a process where I ‘interview’ my hero and heroines before I start writing so I knew Violet and James quite well before I started writing their story. However, there is always a blip for me around the 45,000 word mark and it was no different with this book. I sometimes struggled with Violet’s decision making, but I have learned to trust that the characters are always right!

 

What was your favorite scene to write?

I love writing this one because it is the moment Violet begins to feel that she might be capable of so much more than she once thought…

“Why, you…” Her mother raised her open palm and struck Violet hard across the cheek.
Violet stumbled back but quickly steadied herself, refusing to lift her hand to her stinging face. Lord only knew what James would think when he saw the mark.
Tears burned behind her eyes, but Violet defiantly held her mother’s glare. “That is the very last time you strike me. Your work with me is done. I have decided to give up my personal happiness in preference of ambition. I will make life decisions with my head and not my heart from now on, just as you wanted and taught me to do. Congratulations, you have molded one daughter the way you wish. Now, you just have Elizabeth’s kindness to ruin.”

 

What was the most difficult scene to write?

Scenes around the middle of the book can sometimes feel like a struggle, but thankfully they seem to come together in the end!

This is a snippet of one that comes to mind…

“I have a touch of pain in my ribs. Nothing to worry about.”
“And how long has this pain been bothering you, Papa?”
“Not long. A week or two at the most.”
“Have you seen the physician?”
“No, and don’t talk about such things around Mrs. Kettling. The woman is like a horse with a bit between its teeth. ‘I’ll fetch the doctor, Mr. Parker,’ ” he said, mimicking the housekeeper’s voice. “ ‘I’ll ask the medicine woman across town to come and look at you, Mr. Parker.’ ” He rolled his eyes before returning to the watch pieces scattered atop his desk. “Fuss, fuss and more fuss.”
Violet’s heart filled with love for the man who claimed to still love his wife, despite her long absences away at court and her obsession with the Duchess of Kent. He was such a wonderfully kind and patient man. “Papa, it will do no harm to be make certain there is nothing wrong. I will remain here into the New Year.” She slipped her hand from his shoulder. “Why don’t I send for the doctor? Just to be sure.”
“No. Now, go on with you. I have much work to do.”
Horrible trepidation that her father suffered far more than he admitted niggled at Violet as she slowly walked to the door. Maybe her mother hadn’t entirely lied and suspected something was amiss. Could her determination that Violet return home possibly have been founded in care rather than spite?

 

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

Yes, it definitely showcases my writing style but, as I said before, it is a departure for me to include real charactes and events – I can’t wait to hear what readers and reviewers think!

 

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

A sense of history and Victoria’s court as well as that happy, warm feeling romance readers get after finishing a good love story…

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I am currently working on the penultimate draft of the book that will follow Victoria & Violet – book 2 in the Royal Maids series. This one is set in the court of Edward VII and follows the romance of royal seamstress Anna Watson and saddler Henry Ward.
Unfortunately, I do not have any upcoming releases to announce quite yet!

 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: £15/$15 Amazon GC

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do you enjoy romances set in royal courts? Name a favourite that comes to mind…

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Victoria & Violet:

James swallowed as understanding hit him square in the chest. God help me, I’m falling in love with her…
As though sensing him nearby, she opened her eyes and straightened, lifting one hand to shield her eyes from the sun. “There you are. I was afraid you wouldn’t manage to get away.”
He forced a smile despite being entirely shaken and walked forward. “I was glad to escape, if the truth be told.”
James swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat. Falling in love was the last thing he should have allowed to happen. He had always known his role and that he would eventually marry a gentlewoman, if not a woman of the aristocracy. How in God’s name could he bury the treacherous euphoria that bubbled inside him now that he understood the truth of his feelings? Suddenly, he yearned to hold, kiss and touch Violet, right here, right now and be damned whoever might see them.
He sat down beside her and looked at the food she had laid out, arched an eyebrow to lighten the madness in his heart. “This is quite the feast. Did you raid the kitchens?”
“I would have prepared something smaller had I not seen you so hard at work.” She passed him a cup of tea. “I assume you’re famished?”
“I am.” He took the cup. “Thank you.”
As she poured steaming soup from a jug into two bowls, James stared at her turned cheek, noticing how quickly her smile diminished and a crease furrowed her brow. He would have wagered a hundred pounds that she thought of her mother rather than the food she handled.
“Violet.” He touched her wrist, urging her to put down the jug. “Leave the soup for now. Talk to me.”
She met his gaze, and James’s heart hitched to see tears in her eyes. He put down his cup. “Oh, my love.”
“Don’t…don’t call me that,” she said quietly, wiping her fingers under her eyes and looking at the sky. “I’d prefer your earlier agitation to kindness.”
Guilt whispered through him as he battled the need to pull her into his arms. Whenever he became overly stressed, his family traits surfaced, and this time Violet had witnessed it. “I didn’t mean to be snappish. I have so much to arrange and can’t help worrying from time to time if I am up to the task.”
“Of course, you are. The duke chose you especially. Whatever Albert saw in you impressed him enough to ask that you be moved from Melbourne’s service to his. That is quite the request.”
“Maybe. But you’re maneuvering the subject.”
“Only because talk of my mother will sour what might be our last time alone for a while.” She looked at the greenery ahead of them. “It’s so beautiful here. There was a time I dreamed of living in the country. Of falling in love and marrying a man who would cherish me as I would him.” She gave a wistful smile. “We’d have three children, two boys and girls. Three dogs.” She glanced at him, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “A Labrador and two spaniels. And we’d live as tenants to landed gentry who treated us kindly and with respect. A good and happy life.”
James barely dared to breathe. The life she described sounded idyllic but so far removed from his future it was laughable. He shouldn’t be here. Not when her dreams suddenly felt far too much like his own. A simple existence with responsibility only to his loved ones, rather than a hundred or more families who would one day look to him to ensure they did not starve.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When Violet Parker is told she will be Queen Victoria’s personal housemaid, she cannot believe her good fortune. She finally has the chance to escape her overbearing mother, a servant to the Duchess of Kent. Violet hopes to explore who she is and what the world has to offer without her mother’s schemes overshadowing her every thought and action.
Then she meets James Greene, assistant to the queen’s chief political adviser, Lord Melbourne. From entirely different backgrounds and social class, Violet and James should have neither need nor desire to speak to one another, yet through their service, their paths cross and their lives merge—as do their feelings.
Only Victoria’s court is not always the place for romance, but rather secrets, scandals, and conspiracies…

Book Links: Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of 29 novels including the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin). Her latest novel, Victoria & Violet is the first book in her new Royal Maids series with the Wild Rose Press and released 17th October 2022.
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.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |

 

 

 

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54 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Victoria & Violet by Rachel Brimble”

  7. Mary Preston

    Yes, I like romances set in royal courts, but no titles come immediately to mind.

  11. Glenda M

    I actually just finished one – Shana Galen’s Lady and the Scamp! The heroine is one of Victoria’s ladies in waiting.

  17. Latesha B.

    I do enjoy romances set in royal courts. Bertrice Small had a number of them that I enjoyed.

  21. Eva Millien

    I haven’t really read that many, but I do believe that I will enjoy this one, I have it on my TBR!

  28. Lacey Waters

    i don’t have a favorite, there’s too many good ones. Royally Matched
    by Emma Chase is so fun though, i recommend that one! it’s not historical though.

  29. Dianne Casey

    I do enjoy romances set in royal courts. I don’t have a favorite that I can think of right now.

  34. Bonnie

    I enjoy royal court romance books. Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl is one of my favorites.

  35. Patricia B.

    I do enjoy them. One of the first romances I read many, many years ago was The Prize by Julie Garwood. Only a small portion of the story takes place at court, but it is a crucial part of the story.

  39. Nicole (Nicky) Ortiz

    I don’t recall reading any but I have enjoyed some movies
    Thanks for the chance!

  40. Laurie Gommermann

    Julianne MacLean’s To Marry A Duke American Heiress trilogy
    She also has a Royal trilogy.
    I’ve enjoyed many of her stories over the years!
    Love Bridgerton series too by Julia Quinn
    Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl
    She had several serious books set in the royal court.
    Robin Hood -Court of King John and Richard the Lionhearted.
    Camelot -King Arthur’s Court
    I enjoy historical romances!

  43. Diane Sallans

    can’t think of the names, but I’ve read several set in the Medieval England courts that were fun – full of intrigue!

  46. Nina Lewis

    YAS! The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot will forever be a favorite! 🙂