Christine Trent

Give Away: By the King’s Design

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 | Christine Trent, Give Away | 13 Comments

I am absolutely thrilled to be able to offer a copy of By the King’s Design as part of this week’s ongoing celebration of Christine Trent’s wonderful jaunt into Regency England. This give away is good in the US only, and runs from now until March 15th. The winner will be announced on my blog on Friday, March 16th. Just leave a comment below to join our give away.

By the King’s Design

Monday, February 20th, 2012 | Christine Trent, Reviews | No Comments

Set during the time of the Industrial Revolution, By the King’s Design tells the story of Annabelle Stirling, a courageous woman searching for a way to maintain her values and livelihood alone in a man’s world. Torn between the proscribed role of a woman and the work of a draper, after the death of her parents, Annabelle must continue her father’s legacy, doing the work he taught her to love. Caught between the expectations of others and the need to make her own living, Annabelle begins to work for the Prince Regent while maintaining her own shop in London.

A tale of betrayal, love, and a woman’s triumph, in By the King’s Design, Christine Trent delves into the world of Regency England as it was, with all its upheavals, rampant poverty, and sumptuous wealth.   Historically fascinating, with characters who draw you in, this fine novel carries you back into the past. I highly recommend this book.

World Building and History

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 | Christine Trent, Regency Romance, The Writing Life | 4 Comments

With the latest Christine Blevins novel out as well as the latest Christine Trent, I find myself swept up in different historical periods. I am fascinated by the wealth of stories that come into the world, born from the hard work and the passion of their authors.

In The Turning of Anne Merrick, Christine Blevins’ writes about colonial America and about women’s experiences as they build a new country. In By the King’s Design, Christine Trent writes of Regency England. Her heroine does not live in the Regency England where my characters live, a fantasy of handsome brooding men, silk gowns, and lustrous ballrooms. Annabelle Stirling is a draper who is solidly middle class, a shopkeeper who works for the Prince Regent, but who also sees the plight of the poor, people who are thrown into desperate suffering by the Corn Laws and a bad harvest.

I adore my own genres of 12th century historical fiction and romantic Regency England, but it is a thrill to dive into the worlds created by my peers, beautifully researched books that bring the past to life. I am grateful that with each new novel that comes into print, another world is born. As a writer and a reader, I am a world-hopper, constantly looking for the next book to kick back and enjoy.