Thank you, Sybil, for the invitation to join in the Harlequin Historical spotlight!
I’m the author of 24 historical romances and novellas, most of them for HH. I’m probably best known for my (currently
unfinished) series on the medieval de Burgh family, involving the earl of Campion and his seven sons, great strapping knights all. 🙂
I write both Regency romps and medievals, with varying amounts of humor, mystery, and suspense. Anyone who’s read my work knows that I also love a gothic mood now and then, and what better release date for such a book than October, just in time for Halloween?
The Dark Viscount begins in a thunderstorm, of course, with siblings Kit and Sydony Marchant arriving at the old manor house they recently inherited. But their new home is a far cry from the cozy cottage they shared with their father before his death. Sydony finds it dark and gloomy, full of quirks and unwelcome surprises, including bizarre rumors that keep the locals away. But she is soon fascinated by the huge hedge maze that lies behind the house, its pattern unseen.
Determined to solve the puzzle of the labyrinth, Sydony delves into the disturbing history behind it. Yet even more disturbing is the arrival of Bartholomew Hawthorne, a former neighbor with whom she shares a history of her own. As children, the Marchants had been best of friends with Barto, now Viscount Hawthorne. But he has been absent from their lives for years, so his abrupt appearance and resulting behavior raises some questions, especially for Sydony.
As Sydony suspects, Barto did not come to Oakfield because of a sudden yearning for his childhood companions. He has come to search for answers to a mystery that involves both of their families, a deadly episode in which he thinks the Marchants may have played a part.
I had so much fun writing this book! I’ve always been intrigued by mazes, so I really enjoyed learning more about them and doing some other research, as well. The characters were all likeable, with interesting relationships that revealed themselves to me bit by bit. I loved looking at how the three characters who had known each other for so long viewed each other, then and now, and their different perspectives on what had happened in the past.
I hope readers will like The Dark Viscount as well as I do. And for those who follow the de Burgh series, I finally have some good news! I’m currently working on Reynold’s story, which I hope will be released next year during Harlequin Historical’s big anniversary celebration.
Thank you, Deborah!
*adding titles to book list*
😀
Were mazes found on many estates?
I’m so looking forward to your new book after all this time, Deborah, and so happy to hear we will finally get Reynold’s story.
The book looks great. The return of the gothic, eh?
But – what era is this? Don’t get me wrong, I know you get the cover you’re given, but did they have to make it so obvious that they’d nipped into the nearest Brooks Bros and grabbed some clothes for him to wear?
And in no way is it going to put me off getting this.
I honestly thought this was a contemporary when I first saw the cover! Which gives me an idea…
And Jane – yes, many estates had mazes. A popular way of getting fresh air and exercise without having to walk for miles – or at least that was what they claimed. But a nice place for romantic trysts, and if you knew the “key” you could dump the duenna and go for it!
I can’t wait for this book. It seems like a long wait.
Making out in a maze sounds pretty fun.
Thanks so much for all your kind words. I’m really grateful to the readers who have supported me over the years, through all my ups and downs. 🙂
Honestly, Lynne, I think it looks pretty Regency compared to some others I’ve had in which the models seem to be wearing prom dresses. 😉 And it’s got such a great look that I’m not about to complain. My absolute favorite covers are Tempting Kate and The Last Rogue, which I think were done by the same artist. I’d love to have those hanging on my walls.
You can check out all my covers, the good, the bad, and the ugly, at my website: wwww.DeborahSimmons.com
Deb
Agreed, Deb, the look is great. A shame the artist didn’t think to make the clothes more historical in appearance.
I put it up on the Regency list to see what people thought and the consensus seemed to be that you can’t tell by looking at the cover that it’s a historical. Or even what era it’s supposed to be. When I first looked at it, I thought it was modern. Then I thought it was Victorian, partly because most of the old Gothics were Victorian set. So it was confusing.
Your name sells it to readers of historical romance, really, not the cover as such. And btw there was some interest that you had a new book out!
Best of luck with it, not that you’ll need it. You’ll do great.
Welllllllllll if someone buys a Harlequin Historical thinking they are getting a contemp or paranormal… there are so more issues there *g*
And really my lurve for Simmon’s books aside it looks historical to me. We know I don’t care much about the whole time period of the ‘look’ thing on the cover. I just can’t blame an author or even worry about it when they have no say over it.
If the author could direct the cover and name the books – that would be a different matter. Since they can’t ::shrug::. And if it gets the book in to more hands and gets HH more readers (NO clue there) then yay! I am selfish like that I would rather have more books sell and get more books vs educate the masses about what the proper clothes are for the time period.
Because really if it wouldn’t catch the eye of the reader they wouldn’t notice anyway… yes?