14 Days of Romance: Jerri Hines

We’re counting down to Valentine’s Day here at The Cozy Page! Continuing our 14 Days of Romance event is author and friend, Jerri Hines whose favorite romance novel happens to be one of mine, too. Take it away, Jerri….

For a romance author, February is the perfect month. Valentine’s Day…the day for lovers. Cold winter’s nights…snuggling close by a warm crackling fire. A great book…a wonderful love story to immerse one’s self while the snow falls. For me, nothing’s better than escaping into a Romance Novel.

I am an avid reader. I love to read. All different genres, depending on my mood, but I’m partial to romance. I’m such a sap when it comes to a touching love story. I cried reading The Notebook and Love Story. I’ll admit since I was a young girl the poem, “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes, has haunted me. Who can forget “And the highwayman came riding—Riding—riding—The highwayman came riding…”

But I confess I have a Cinderella complex. I love a happy ending. When I pick up a romance, happily ever after is what I’m looking for. I have an expectation no matter what obstacles are thrown my heroine’s way, love will conquer all. Taking all that in account, if I had to choose my favorite romance novel, it would be…Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss. 

I have read Ashes in the Wind numerous times over the years. Still I’m drawn to the characters of the Civil War novel. I love the feisty heroine, Alaina. Once a Southern Belle she disguises herself as boy, fooling the Yankee doctor, Cole…for a while. From the book's blurb-   A woman burdened by war...A doctor torn between passion and duty...A sweeping tale of love in the face of dishonor from the incomparable storyteller--Kathleen Woodiwiss.

Forbidden love. A Southern Belle and a Yankee. What is it that draws us to a love that should never be? But it does though, doesn’t it?

Here is a glimpse into Jerri’s latest release, Daughter of Deceit, which is available now on Amazon and written under Jerri’s pen name, Carrie James Haynes….

Daughter of Deceit's premise is a forbidden love. For the first time, I venture across the ocean to Regency England writing about Lord Julian Casvelyn, who has long lived with the guilt brought on by the death of his brother, a brother killed by George Hythe, England’s most notorious spy. For years, Alyce Hythe, daughter of the infamous traitor, has been hidden away from the prying eyes of London Society, given a new identity and told to forget who she was. Thrown together by fate, the two search for answers long denied them and along the way discover a love that can free them both.

Romance…suspense…with a touch of paranormal. Irresistible to any romance lover!

Shunned from London society for being the daughter of England’s most notorious spy, Alyce Hythe desires only to clear her father’s name. But strange things have been happening causing old rumors to be whispered of mystic ghosts and demons. Only one thing is certain for Alyce...someone wants her dead.

For years Lord Julian Casvelyn has mourned for his dead brother, murdered in cold blood by England’s most infamous traitor. But one eventful night has changed everything Lord Julian believed about his brother’s death. Never did he suspect the woman he has just saved from certain harm is the daughter of that man. Now Julian is caught in midst of a conspiracy and desire for a woman...learning unearthing secrets has a price.

Thank you for sharing your favorite romance as well as your latest release, Jerri! Readers, you can find out more about Daughter of Deceit at her blog and on her Facebook page, Novel Works!

Spreading the Love Day #1

It's my official countdown to Valentine's Day and Day #1 of "Spreading the Love" here at Cozy. For romance readers, there's no better way to celebrate Valentine's than with an HEA love story. I'll be spreading the Valentine's Day cheer with a book-a-day giveaway today, tomorrow, and Sunday (+ an additional prize drawing for those who comment all three days).

Today we're talking about the classics. One of my favorite classic romances is Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. Before it was a movie, it was a sought-after, Pulizer Prize-winning piece of southern literature. The leap the story made from book to Technocolor screen was not an easy one. When filmmakers first considered the screenplay, Civil War movies weren't popular at the box office. It was clear up front that the only actor who could portray hero Rhett Butler was Clark Gable who was more than reluctant to take the role. The search for the right Scarlet O'Hara was a near disaster. After months of searching, luck brought Vivien Leigh to the night-time set of the Atlanta burning. The movie opened in 1939 in Altanta and was celebrated by parades, fanfare, and droves of screaming fans. For twenty long years, it held Academy Award-winning records with ten wins and is ranked number four American Film Institute's Top 100 American Films of All Time - beaten only by The Godfather (3), Casablanca (2), and Citizen Kane (1). Gone with the Wind was oddly the only book Margaret Mitchell completed before her untimely death. At a whopping 1037 pages (first edition), some might say it's no wonder she never sought to publish another manuscript.

When I picked up Gone with the Wind, I was already a fan of the movie. And though Clark Gable brought Rhett Butler to life onscreen, he was just as alive on the page. From the first paragraph, Mitchell painted plantation in full color. The journey through the Civil War, the death of the Old South, and the political intrigues of post-war Reconstruction in Atlanta swept me away. Though it was the longest book I'd ever read at the time, I couldn't put it down. And so Gone with the Wind remains one of my favorite romantic novels of all time.

Unfortunately, this story doesn't come with a HEA most of today's romances do. One that does though and is as richly vibrant as Margaret Mitchell's classic is another Civil War tale by the late Kathleen E. Woodiwiss: Ashes in the Wind. Romance readers never forget their first Woodiwiss romance. This was mine. It starts in New Orleans with the hero, Yankee surgeon Cole Latimer, convinced that heroine Alaina MacGaren, a wanted southern woman, is a boy. While Gone with the Wind's focus centers around the events of the Civil War, Ashes in the Wind follows the events of runaway Alaina's life and the delightful events of her relationship with the dashing Yankee. Published in the early days of the reigning romance industry (1979), it remains my favorite story of this classic author's backlist (and a recommended comfort read for snowy weather).

Last we come to the queen of romance herself. In an industry that pressures authors to be "hotter", we too often forget what romance really means. Whenever I need this reminder, I turn to Jane Austen. For me, Austen's books are the epitome of romance. Rhett Butler may be the first rogue hero, but Darcy was the first romance hero. His character and that of heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, and some of the most celebrated characters in all of literature. And at its core, Pride and Prejudice as well as Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion are all love stories with HEAs. Austen opened the doors to not only women's fiction but the romance world as well and tops my list of classic favorites.

Today we'll close with out first book-a-day giveaway. I have a hardback edition of The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. To enter the win the drawing for it, just comment and tell me what classic romance novels (prior to the 1980's) top your favorites list! The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, February 15th so check back in to see if you have won. (Chances of winning depend on the number of entires. You must be 18 years or older to enter.)

And spt! There's only a couple more days to vote historical romance Forever Amore Best Book of the 2009 at LASR! Polls close on Valentine's....