When banker Quinn Wentworth marries preacher’s daughter Jane Winston, he has no illusions that it will lead to happily ever after. Quinn is in Newgate prison, condemned to die the following morning. Having enjoyed the company of the self-possessed Jane when she accompanied her father on aid missions to the prison, Quinn offers her the protection of his name and family after learning that she is pregnant. Jane agrees to his proposal, they share a tender kiss during their wedding, and she leaves, intending to honor his memory. But then, Quinn shows up on her doorstep, very much not dead. He’s been pardoned by the crown at the very last second, because he’s the heir to a dukedom.

What follows is a tender love story between two solitary, guarded souls, laced with delicious wit and shadowed by the ever-present danger of the conspiracy against Quinn’s life. We talked to Burrowes about bringing this unexpected marriage (and the dark corners of Regency society) to life.

I really adored Quinn as a character, and think he is a fantastic example of a hero who reads as a man of the 18th century while still appeasing those of us who, you know, believe in equal rights for women. How do you thread that needle in regards to your historical heroes?
Great question! One of the reasons I like writing Regency era stories is because, in many ways, that period mirrors our own. The Napoleonic wars dragged on for twenty years prior to 1815 and resulted in the deaths of millions of (mostly) men. English women as of 1816 had thus seen tremendous expansion in their societal roles. Just as American and British women moved into factory jobs during WWII, so too, did British women become more commercially and logistically independent in wartime—with the backlash of repression once the wars ended.

Recall as well, that Georgian women went to war with their menfolk. They “followed the drum,” and kept the army fed, clothed, organized and medically tended to, despite the genteel image the Victorians tried desperately to fob off on us regarding their parents and grandparents.

A Regency hero, at least one who glanced beyond an aristocratic ballroom, was thus well acquainted with women who’d gone to war, women who ran business empires, and women involved in everything from blacksmithing to professional pugilism to membership in the Royal Academy as artists.

The more difficult needle to thread is not that Regency heroes were navigating in a sexist culture—aren’t contemporary heroes also faced with that challenge?—but that reader expectations regarding Regency women’s roles are in many cases narrower than the historical reality.

Turning our attention to Jane, I was delighted to read a pregnant heroine who was still a sexual being while also experiencing morning sickness and all the other not-so-fun physical elements of pregnancy. Was this the plan from the very beginning and why did you make that choice?
Yes, this was the plan from the beginning. For her own sake, Jane would probably not have accepted a stranger’s proposal. She’d have slogged along, putting up with her situation, trying to make the best of it. The looming prospect of motherhood, though, and single motherhood at that, raised all the stakes. She no longer had the luxury of thinking only of herself, and thus Quinn’s offer merited serious consideration (thank heavens!).

Another unique element of this romance is that certain sections of it are written from the point of view of other characters, not just the hero and heroine. What led you to include other perspectives?
Readers are smart—I mean, really smart. When an element of a book becomes predictable, whether it’s alternating points of view, chapter length, tea-and-crumpets stage business or the contour of a plot, readers pick up on that very quickly. Anything the author can do to make the reading experience more engaging is fair game by my lights. I thus tend to include secondary points of view in my books, which can add tension, preview future story arcs and make red herrings more believable. To give a lesser character some point of view scenes can diffuse the focus on the protagonists, so it’s not a tool to overuse. As an occasional departure though, it can keep the story and the writing fresh.

When Jane’s father first appeared, I thought I knew exactly what type of overbearing, overly religious character he would be. But he’s terrible in a less obvious, much more passive-aggressive way. What was the inspiration for his character?
Isn’t he a stinker? A villain is often what the hero (or heroine) could become, if the hero makes bad, fearful choices, instead of good, courageous ones. With Jane’s father, I wanted to create a character that talks the talk, chapter and verse, but is in fact, a frightened, lonely, hollow little man. Quinn, by contrast, isn’t fancy, doesn’t have the pretty words, is never going to be accepted by polite society and hasn’t much use for churches (including the York Minster), but he’s a brave, honorable, fierce man. Honor—which I define as kindness and honesty—makes all the difference.

Which Wentworth sibling would you most like to get a drink with?
Stephen. I know he’ll have a book at some point in the series, but he’s being all coy and shy-guy with me so far. Maybe over a glass of brandy, he might give me a hint or two.

I have to ask because I saw this on your website and it made me giggle to myself at my desk—why have you tried, several times, to ride a cow?
I eventually DID ride a cow, in fact. One of my farming friends got tired of hearing his wife’s horsey-buddies brag about their noble steeds, so he trained his bullocks to go under saddle. The pace was sedate, and we certainly didn’t engage in any fancy dressage, but the general result was forward locomotion.

There are all these perfect little human details in My One and Only Duke, from Jane loving the smell of Quinn’s soap to Quinn loving the way she bundles herself up in his bed (even though she initially steals his side). When do those grace notes come in during your writing process?
Sometimes, I’ll read a scene in the revision phase and think, “This is talking heads in a white room, Grace. What does this scene smell like? What does it sound like? Is there dead silence in the middle of a fancy London neighborhood? Are all the textures bland, smooth and comfy? Where is the light coming from?” And I’ll add in details at that phase. Other aspects of the scene—like a pregnant woman having a very acute sense of smell—are there from the first draft.

Tell me about Elizabeth Fry, the Newgate reformer you discovered during your research.
Elizabeth Gurney Fry is an example of how one person can make a tremendous difference. We know a lot about her not only because her work gained the notice of Parliament and Queen Victoria, but also because she kept voluminous, meticulous diaries. She was a Quaker (and a minister in that tradition), who visited Newgate in 1813 and was appalled at the conditions she found.

She inspired the prisoners to organize their own set of rules for governing their wards, challenged members of Parliament to spend a night in prison (which she did herself), wrote extensively about prison conditions and was the first person to successfully promulgate the idea that incarceration should be rehabilitative rather than purely punitive. To that end, she organized a school for children jailed with their mothers, taught female prisoners sewing skills and equipped women bound for transportation with sewing supplies and fabric so they might occupy themselves on the long voyage and have something to sell when they arrived in New South Wales.

She was, in short, a force of nature who put her money, her time and her energy behind the cause of prison reform. She was the first woman to testify as an expert before the House of Commons, and she was eventually successful at ending the transportation of prisoners. She also founded London’s first homeless shelter when she saw the body of a boy who’d died of exposure in the London streets. She was brave, kind and tireless, all while raising eleven kids. She’s a fine example of a Regency-era lady who had a significant, positive and lasting impact on her whole society.

What’s next for you?
Thanks for asking! A book for Duncan Wentworth, When A Duchess Says I Do, is scheduled for release in April 2019. I had great fun with that one, and now I’m in the drafting stages of a story for Wrexham, Duke of Elsmore, and the Wentworth and Penrose bank auditor, Mrs. Eleanora Hatfield. Just how is that our Mrs. Hatfield knows every accounting scam ever devised to suborn fraud and theft? Enquiring dukes want to know . . .

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of My One and Only Duke.

Surprising absolutely no one who’s ever been sucked into a show on HGTV, romances with a home-improvement plot have been a steadily growing little subgenre in recent years. Christy Carlyle’s A Duke Changes Everything hits all those beats, but with a Victorian gothic twist. Mina Thorne is the steward of Enderley, a crumbling country estate that just passed to the new duke, Nicholas Lyon. Nick has always hated Enderley, and fled years ago to run a gentlemen’s club in London. But Mina’s passion for the property and devotion to the people whose livelihoods depend on it make Nick reconsider his plans to sell as soon as he and Mina have completed their renovations. We talked to Carlyle about her love of the Victorian era and what her characters have taught her.

You clearly have a passion for history—I see that you got your bachelor’s degree on the subject. When did the 19th century steal your heart and start to inspire you? What was it that caught your eye?
My grandfather had a big influence on my interest in history. He loved books and introduced me to lots of 19th-century literary classics—Dickens, the Brontes, Austen, Eliot—and that led me to explore and find new favorites like Stoker and Le Fanu. When I entered college and chose history as my major, it felt natural to gravitate toward that era where so many of my favorite stories had been set. I’m continually intrigued with the cultures, fashion, technology and history of the period.

You’ve been magically transported to the world of one of your series! Which one would you choose?
That’s a great question! I think I’d choose my Romancing the Rule series. It’s set in the late 19th century, in the 1880s and ’90s, and that’s probably my favorite period of the era. So many technological advances had sprung up and were altering Victorian lives. I love the way fashion had changed during that era to allow for more natural skirt shapes and tailored waists and even the big poofy sleeves on gowns.

Which do you enjoy writing more: shy wallflowers or bold temptresses?
I like writing bold wallflowers! I like writing heroines who are unexpected and who end up surprising even themselves with their tenacity and drive. They may seem like a wallflower or a shy young woman, but I enjoy writing their journey to discovering they are much more.

What is one life-changing lesson or writing technique you’ve learned from your own characters?
My characters have definitely helped me push past the fear of putting emotion on the page. Writing is a revealing endeavor, and I sometimes find it hard to be vulnerable on the page, but truly wounded characters like Nick, Duke of Tremayne in A Duke Changes Everything have forced me to explore emotion in new ways.

You’ve said that you’re a lifelong learner—what’s your go-to source for knowledge? And is there an author, a former teacher or a character that you cite for inspiration?
I’m a constant reader, not only many types of fiction but history and biographies, too. Books are where I tend to go for my knowledge. This may sound odd, but when I was younger I read a multivolume biography about Percy Shelley, and his thirst for knowledge inspired me. He was constantly reading multiple books on a variety of subjects, and did so on purpose in order to expand his mind. As a teacher, I always viewed myself as much as an instructor as a co-learner with my students. I think it’s vital to stay curious.

Would you rather travel in America or Britain?
I’d have to say Britain. I’ve done a fair bit of traveling in the U.S., but there are many places in Britain I still haven’t explored. I’ve never been to Wales or Scotland, for instance. Both are high on my travel wish list.

If you were to write about a different cultural or time period (besides Victorian times or the Regency period), what would it be? How do you think it would change your writing?
Actually, I’m working on a Gilded Age story set in Chicago, and though it’s essentially still the Victorian era, it has a distinctly different flavor. American history was on its own trailblazing track, and there were lots of unique cultural differences.

I’ve also toyed with the idea of writing science fiction, and that is a whole new level of world building that intrigues me. I’d like to flex those writing muscles and imagine that the process of creating new worlds would enhance my historical writing, too.

How do you get into your writing zone? You’ve said you think about your characters constantly, but what do you do to focus up when it’s time to put pen to paper?
Mostly I try to lose myself in the story world. I usually refer to notes and images (often saved on a Pinterest board) when I start writing, but once I’m into the draft of a book, I read over previous scenes to get back into the motivations and emotions of the characters. Then most of all, I try to turn off my internal editor and just get the story down as honestly as I can.

You’ve done a little work in supernatural tale telling with Enchanted at Christmas. Any plans to do more of that?
I am always a sucker for a good ghost story, and I’m also a longtime fan of gothic romance. I’d love to explore those spooky supernatural elements in a future book.

As a former teacher, what’s the one lesson you would impart to a timid writer afraid to add to such a vast, developed genre as romance?
As a confirmed bookworm, I’d definitely advise someone wishing to write romance to reads lots of them. But I’d also encourage them not to be frightened, to dig in and put their own spin on old tropes. It’s a beloved genre, but definitely one that’s still full of new possibilities.

Alyssa Cole’s acclaimed, groundbreaking Loyal League series is among the very best the romance genre has to offer. It’s only fitting that the final installment, An Unconditional Freedom, continues that literary excellence with a complicated, sweeping love story. Daniel Cumberland, a free black man who was kidnapped and enslaved, has haunted both of the series’ previous novels. After being liberated by his first love, Elle Burns, and her husband Malcolm, Daniel joins the Loyal League in search of revenge. Janeta Sanchez is forced to join the same group—but as a double agent. Her father has been imprisoned, and her Confederate lover pressures her to help the cause in order to save her family. When Janeta and Daniel are paired together for a dangerous mission, they must face down their respective secrets and trauma in order to have a chance at happiness with each other. We talked to Cole about the real-life figures that inspired both Janeta and Daniel, the psychological effects of slavery and what comes next.

Was there a real-life inspiration behind the character of Daniel Cumberland?
He was partially inspired by Solomon Northup, of Twelve Years a Slave fame, and the fact that the psychological effects of brutal enslavement are often overlooked or downplayed. Like, “And then they were free!” But what then?

When you first started writing, did you ever see yourself penning a novel set in this particular era?
Not at all, but when the idea for An Extraordinary Union came to me, I had to write it, even if it didn’t lead to anything!

What is your favorite genre to read? What drew you to write in the romance genre?
Romance of course, which is the best because it’s basically every kind of genre fiction but with a happy ending. Knowing that everything will work out in the end, and seeing how the author makes me think it won’t work in the end, is my favorite kind of reading experience. I also read comics/graphic novels, YA and a little of everything else.

Your prolific book list includes a range of geographic areas and times. What eras have you not yet covered in your novels that you would like to travel to through your fiction?
If you can think of an era, I have a story I want to set in it, lol. What I’ll have time to write is the main issue.

The juxtaposition of Janeta Sanchez and Daniel Cumberland goes beyond their differing attitudes and missions, but Janeta eventually realizes that in certain areas during this time, she is lumped into the same category as other people of color and inevitably endangered. In your research, what did you unearth about Latinx peoples who traveled to America at this time? Were any of their stories the inspiration for Janeta?
Janeta was very loosely inspired by Loreta Janeta Velaquez, a Cuban spy for the Confederacy—who was proud to support them. She was a very different person than my Janeta, who is biracial and was sheltered and cut off from her African heritage, and who eventually finds a cause she believes in—the Union. There were Cubans who fought for both sides during the war.

It’s clear that Daniel’s mental health has understandably deteriorated after being enslaved, and he has symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Janeta’s flashbacks and thoughts center around situations that border on assault and inappropriate conduct as well, and it’s a known fact that rape and violence were ever-present during this time. How important do you feel talking about mental health is for romance authors and authors in general, regardless of the time period they write in? The mental health of female characters, in particular?
I think it’s important, but not necessary in every book. I address mental health in some way in many of my books, but not every story has to touch on it. It depends on the characters and their situations, and what readers might need from that story.

Speaking of different types of trauma, Janeta often reflects on her difficult family life, and her taxing relationship with her loved ones. Do you think she ever reunites with her Papi? Or has she moved on, and become a Sanchez in her own right by pursuing her own goals?
I think she’d see her father at some point if she could; most people find it very hard to just cut off their parents. I do think she would be building her own family with Daniel and her fellow detectives though.

Janeta and Daniel’s bond with Moses is particularly endearing. Does he join their little family? What’s next for Janeta and Daniel?
Moses is eventually reunited with his parents, at the end of the war. ☺

What’s next for you and your writing? For this series?
I’m currently working on a fun sci-fi romance for Audible, a couple of secret projects, and then the Runaway Royals, a spin off of the Reluctant Royals series (contemporary romantic comedy). This is the end of the Loyal League series, for now at least!

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of An Unconditional Freedom.

Sabrina Jeffries’ new historical romance series has quite the irresistible hook: an entire family of dashing dukes. The half brothers’ unlucky-in-love mother, Lydia, has been married three times—each time to a duke. Eldest son Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, duke of Greycourt, who is somewhat distant from the rest of his family due to a difficult childhood, finds his reserve tested by the forthright and unconventional Beatrice Wolfe. We talked to Jeffries about writing a blended family, the surprising tradition of funeral biscuits and what jobs she thinks her characters would have if they lived in the modern age.

Where did the idea for an entire family of dukes come from?
Honestly, I was planning on the heroes having different titles when I thought to myself, “I could make them all dukes. It would be a duke dynasty.” I started laughing (I never watched “Duck Dynasty,” but I have friends who did), and that was it. I had to make the series all dukes. Then, while researching it, I realized that there’s something of a precedent for it, since Elizabeth Gunning (famed for her beauty) married two different dukes, outlived both of them and was engaged to a third. So it’s not THAT far out of the realm of possibility.

Are the funeral biscuits that Beatrice and Grey spar over at the very beginning of Project Duchess a real tradition? And if not, how did you come up with such a hilariously macabre idea?
They’re a real thing! It was mostly confined to Lincolnshire, but they were in occasional use in other places during this period. Just check out this article about Austen’s funeral descriptions, which also has examples of the wrappers. They truly are macabre.

I laughed out loud when it was revealed that Grey’s mother named all of her sons after famous playwrights. Did you have a reason for which son was named after which writer?
Not really. It was hard enough figuring out playwright surnames that wouldn’t be too weird for hero first names! The only problem I ran into was that I initially wanted Greycourt to be Greystock and Thornstock to be Thorncourt, but my critique partner told me Greystock was just too close to Greystoke, from Tarzan. Although I’d done that on purpose, I didn’t want readers thinking that I had done it cluelessly instead of as a nod to Tarzan. What I couldn’t have known when I switched the ends of the two names was that Elizabeth Hoyt would come out with the Greycourt series within months of mine. The first book of her series was released while I was dealing with a family crisis, and anyway, it would have been too late to change the title name because my book was also well into production. I guess romance minds think alike!

Project Duchess is a very witty and light-hearted romance, even though both Beatrice and Grey have some very upsetting past experiences that come to the forefront as the story unfolds. How did you strike that balance as a writer?
That was difficult. But my previous editor used to say that I write deep emotion with a light hand. I’m not sure exactly how that works, so I can’t really tell you! I do know that I was influenced by Judith McNaught and Amanda Quick, both of whom use comic elements to lighten sometimes dark stories. Also, I’m a huge lover of Shakespeare’s work, and he practically invented the idea of comic relief. When I’m writing comic scenes, that’s how it feels to me—as if it’s a release from the emotion of a previous scene.

Most Regency readers know that the behavior in that era was extremely codified, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that spells out just how restricted women in that society were like Project Duchess does. Where do you do your research for all those rules about how to behave in society?
I got most rules about ballroom behavior from information I’ve culled through the years from a variety of sources. I also used From the Ballroom to Hell: Grace and Folly in Nineteenth-Century Dance, a compilation of various period sources about etiquette and dance in the 19th century, but since many of its sources are Victorian, it was only useful insofar as it covered the Regency. There are also some excellent online sources from dance enthusiasts and Regency enthusiasts.

The funeral stuff is well documented if you know what you’re looking for. Women simply weren’t allowed to attend funerals. It was thought that their over-emotional reactions weren’t dignified. Anyway, I could probably write a whole article on funerals in the period, but that would be a bit . . . morbid. ☺

Which member of Grey’s family was the most fun to write?
It’s a toss-up between one of the twins and their mom. It was hard to balance Lydia’s grief with her wit, however, so it took me a while to get that right.

What jobs do you think Beatrice and Grey would have if they lived today?
Hmm. Beatrice would probably be an animal trainer or a funeral director. Grey would be a real estate developer. Or perhaps a lawyer, since he had the capacity to read and comprehend legalese at a young age.

What was the most difficult aspect of writing this book for you?
Since Project Duchess was about a blended family, I had a rough time explaining who everyone was in relation to everyone else without using gobs of narration. Fortunately, my editor came up with the idea of using a newspaper gossip column to provide the explanations naturally. That worked very well.

What’s next for you?
I’m plotting Thorn’s book. It’s too early for me to even tell you what it’s about, since I don’t know yet. But between Grey’s book and Thorn’s is a book about Beatrice’s brother, Joshua, and Thorn’s twin sister, Gwyn. The title is The Bachelor (all the titles of the books in this series—and only the titles—are based on reality TV shows). Between Project Duchess and The Bachelor is a novella entitled “The Perfect Match,” which will come out this Christmas in an anthology called Seduction on a Snowy Night, which also includes novellas by Madeline Hunter and Mary Jo Putney.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: See our cover reveal of Sabrina Jeffries’ The Bachelor.

Author photo by Jessica Blakely for Tamara Lackey Photography.