ISABELLA HARGREAVES
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Win 1 of 5 ebook copies of Enthralled: to 19 November

4/11/2016

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All this week you have chances to win one of five ebook copies of ENTHRALLED:  A Viking Romance
Just visit one or more of these sites to enter:

the book enthusiast: http://facebook.com/bookenthusiastpromotions
My Chaotic Ramblings: http://www.mychaoticramblings.info/2016/11/enthralled-by-isabella-hargreaves-blog.html
A One-Click Addict's Book Blog: http://aone-clickaddictsbookblog.blogspot.com/
All Things Dark and Dirty: https://allthingsdarkanddirty.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/isabella-hargreaves-enthralled-blog-tour/
deal sharing aunt: http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
Emthebookbabe: https://www.facebook.com/emthebookbabe/
Lauries interviews: http://lauries-interviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/enthralled-by-isabella-hargreaves.html
Angees afterthoughts: http://www.angeesafterthoughts.com/2016/11/enthralled-by-isabella-hargreaves.html
The Bookworm Lodge: http://thebookwormlodge.com
Teatime and Books: http://teatimeandbooks76.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/blog-tour-enthralled-by-isabella.html?zx=4c0c285b969eb77f
book girl's thoughts: https://bookgirlsthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/enthralled-by-isabella-hargreaves-blogtour-isabellahauthor/
Stephanie's Book Reports: http://www.stephaniesbookreports.com


Good Luck!

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Enthralled - meet the hero and heroine

29/10/2016

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Meet the hero and heroine of Enthralled in this extract.
Release day is 4 November.
Until then Enthralled is available  on pre-order for half-price,

                                                                        Chapter 1
910AD,  a convent in Mercia in 'England'
Someone pounded on her cell door. “Wake up, Lady Eadlin! Wake up!”
Eadlin shook her head to clear her sleep-befuddled mind. “Cenric! What’s wrong?” Dread balled in her stomach.
She tugged her habit over her shift and wrenched the door open.
Cenric burst in. He held a sword and small knife. His face was grim, set into harsh furrows.
“Raiders, Lady Eadlin. You must flee at once. They’re in the village and heading this way.”
Now Eadlin could hear distant screams and shouting. The acrid smell of smoke floated on the night air.
Fingers of fear crept amongst her guts like ice spreading across a pond in winter. “I can’t leave the sisters. Can we defend ourselves?”
His jaw dropped. “Not against armed raiders.”
“Are they Vikings?” Her words were high-pitched and breathless.
“Probably.” His voice was severe.
Her heart pounded in terror. Oh God, not that! Eadlin pulled on her veil and boots then upended her reed mattress and took an ancient engraved dagger from beneath it.
The old warrior gestured at her with his sword. “You would prefer to die defending them?”
“Yes!”
He grimaced in distaste. “Then get them into the chapel. It’s the strongest building.”
Eadlin ran out to beat on the doors of the nuns’ rooms yelling, “Vikings! Go to the chapel!”
The abbess, veil askew, joined her in shepherding the sisters into the stone building adjacent to their sleeping quarters. A few squat candles burnt on the altar, casting ghoulish shadows across the walls.
Fear haunted the abbess’ eyes, but her voice held its usual calm and commanding tone.
Cenric secured the door and stood ready with his sword. As he waited he pleaded, “Flee, Lady Eadlin, flee! There’s still time! It’s what your father would want you to do. Go while you can!”
Blood pounded loud in her ears. He was asking her to abandon these gentle women who took her in, to leave them defenceless. “I can’t, Cenric. There’s nowhere to go. This is my home, and this is my family now.”
Sounds of timber splintering and pottery breaking shattered the air. A dozen nuns huddled on their knees before the altar.
The abbess led them in prayer, “Domine, libera nos a furore normannorum….” Lord, save us from the fury of the northmen, but most, Eadlin saw, were distracted by the screaming and shouting coming from the village across the river and the noise outside the chapel door.
Some sobbed, and Sister Ælthgifu held a trembling novice in her arms.
The door to the chapel reverberated with the force of a shoulder or foot against it.
“Open the door or die!” yelled the attacker in English, his voice harsh and authoritative.
Surprised, Eadlin exchanged a glance with Cenric across the doorway.
Who were these attackers who spoke their language?
Were they the king’s men, come for her, or were they Vikings as Cenric had thought?
Neither she nor Cenric moved. Either way, danger stood beyond the door and would be in the chapel soon enough without their aiding it.
In seconds the cleaved door hung tattered from its hinges, and their attacker towered before them.
He was tall. Very tall.
His form filled the doorway.
Smoke and the sweet tang of blood clung to him. An iron helmet with nosepiece and a ragged blond beard hid all but his cold blue eyes, harsh cheeks, and bitter mouth.
Eadlin knew then-
Viking.

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2dGpBKh
Amazon.com.au: http://amzn.to/2ejo6m9
B&N: http://bit.ly/2cZO3rS
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1161407080
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/enthralled-21


#romance, #historicalromance, #Viking, #HistoricalFiction, #historical
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Forbidden Valentines' Freebie

22/8/2016

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For the remainder of August I'm giving away a copy of Forbidden Valentines: Three Short Regency Romances to anyone who signs up to my quarterly newsletter. If you want to hear about new releases and receive ARCs (author review copies), sign up now.
The link to follow is: http://www.instafreebie.com/free/LZUvF .
Happy reading!,
Isabella Hargreaves - for Action+Romance through the Ages.

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Charity's Cavalier - available now

24/6/2016

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A couple of years ago I strayed into the English Civil Wars era to write this novella. It's set it in The New Forest -my favourite place in the UK.
Here's the blurb:
“In a nation divided, two enemies are united.” 
Widowed during the Battle of Worcester, Puritan woman Charity Goodwyn, dares to dream of an independent life, living with her aunt, unbeholden to men. Sir Edward Lovelace, a Royalist, gravely wounded in the same battle, wants to live to serve his king again. Charity’s only way to safely reach her aunt is to take the Cavalier with her, disguised as her husband, and helping him escape the Parliamentarian forces. What happens when Sir Edward unexpectedly recovers, surprises and endangers them both. 
Charity's Cavalier is available now for pre-order prior to its release on 29 July.
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/201azQU 
Amazon.uk.co: http://amzn.to/2a24HoY 
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1130793737 
Kobo: http://bit.ly/29F73fz 
B&N: 
http://bit.ly/29poLzb 
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Forbidden Valentines - excerpt

7/6/2016

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Here's an excerpt from the third short story in Forbidden Valentines - 'George'.  

I've posted excerpts from the first two stories on Facebook already see; https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaHargreavesBooks/.

“Stop tidying, George, and get to bed.”
“Oui, my lord.”
“Don’t ‘my lord me’. Come here.”
George banged around in the dressing room a little longer, closing wardrobe doors, before exiting to respond to James’s order. “Yes, my lord? Is there something more I can do for you this evening?” George raised an eyebrow.
James’s heart beat strongly in his chest. “Come here, I said.”
George stepped to him and waited with a look of enquiry.
“There is something you can do for me.” James tugged on the black stock at George’s neck. It fell open on the shirt.
George glanced down at the material then raised dark eyes to James with a questioning look and a half smile.
James pushed the black coat from George’s narrow shoulders. It fell unhindered to the floor. “Not going to pick that up, George?” he taunted.
“Non.” George watched him intently.
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Pre-order now. Available: 10 June.
Buy Links
:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OmViIZ
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/25bY8bt
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1113894691
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1TTkHc8
B&N: http://bit.ly/1VWlj4m
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Win a free ticket to the ARRA book-signing event

21/5/2016

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I'm one of the authors involved in the Treasure Hunt to win a free ticket to attend the ARRA book-signing event in Adelaide in August.  The Treasure Hunt competition  is now on! For details see:
https://australianromancereaders.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/book-signing-event-treasure-hunt-2/
The list of signing authors, plus details for the Chocoholics Competition is here:
https://australianromancereaders.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/book-signing-event-in-adelaide/)
 
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Facial Hair - what's your fancy?

20/3/2016

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I don't know about you, but I think the nineteenth century outdid itself for the variety of facial hair sported by the men of the day.
Let me show you...

<- This painting is reputedly of Beau Brummel, that leader of fashion in the Regency period. He sported a very nice pair of side-levers - a popular fashion item early in the 19th century.

By the time Queen Victoria married her Albert on 10 February 1840, he owned not only luxurious side-levers, but a natty moustache as well. ->
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Marriage of Victoria and Albert
Painting by
George Hayter

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The Young Victoria poster - 2009 movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962736/)
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Jane Eyre (2006 BBC mini-series) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780362/?ref_=ttawd_awd_tt

<- Charlotte Bronte's popular novel, Jane Eyre, was written by August 1847. Her hero, Edward Rochester, in one well-known version of the story, had the trendy long, sharp side-levers of the time, as well as long locks.


Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, written in the 1850s, has John Thornton as its hero from The North. In the popular mini-series of the book, actor Richard Armitage sported more restrained side-levers, and an under-shaven chin. I do wonder how common that unshaven look was amongst the well-heeled men of the time. ->
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North & South (2004 BBC mini-series) (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2981566976/
tt0417349?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt
)

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General Ambrose Burnside. Photo by Mathew Brady
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<- But the penultimate decade of facial hair, in my opinion, was the 1860s, when luxurious side-levers, or side-burns as they became called after General Burnside (shown left), met up with massive moustaches on many well-regarded faces of the time.

The American Civil War, as shown  in the movie rendition 'Gettysburg', was an outstanding period for facial hair. Never have I seen such an amazing array of lady-ticklers! Let me show you...
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Gettysburg, 1993 movie (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2991496960/tt0107007?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt)



But that wasn't the end of facial hair. In 1870s Australia, Ned Kelly's flamboyant beard was a fashion many embraced. ->

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Hume Photographic Collection, University of Queensland Fryer Library.
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Ned Kelly, 1870.

<- However, the 1880s brought a more restrained and sombre look, as these three gentlemen from the mid-1880s show...

Throughout the next two decades the Prince of Wales led the fashion for neatly trimmed beards . This coronation picture of King Edward VII was taken in 1902, but his tidy facial hair was an already established fashion. ->

I wonder if any century before the nineteenth covered such a variety of fashions for men's facial hair? 

In this age of the hipster we certainly live in a time of  variety.

Are you similarly entertained by men's facial adornments?  Leave a comment. I would love to hear your opinion.

cheers, Isabella
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isabella.hargreavesbooks
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/IsabellaHauthor
#facialhair  #beards  #moustachelife  #moustache
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For the love of books

11/3/2016

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If you've read any of these books and enjoyed them, please leave a review on any of these sites:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nBe6re

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=isabella+hargreaves

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1pk7UFG

Reviewing a book only needs to be a few words long or a star rating. I'm grateful for every single one!

Thank you,
Isabella H.


P.S. If you're interested, an Isabella Hargreaves Readers' group has formed to discuss my books: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223984487953919/

#historicalfiction, #Historicalromance, #romance
 
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Writing Serendipity?

28/2/2016

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Above: Mail by camel transport - Charleville & district. Source: NAA, Item: 3296500. Below: Early mail coach PMG possibly Charleville. Source: NAA Item: 1650785. Bottom: Earliest known motor mail in Queensland, Isisford to Ilfracombe, 1910. Source: NAA Item: 3025042.
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Ever written something which later you found out was absolutely spot on, but you didn't know it at the time?
I've had this happen a couple of times when writing my historical stories.
The first occurrence happened when I wrote All Quiet on the Western Plains - about a place I had never visited - although I had read extensively about western Queensland and poured over historical photographs.
A month after the novella was published, I travelled to western Queensland for the first time, visiting Blackall, Barcaldine, Aramac, Isisford, Longreach and places in between.
The country was as amazing as I thought it would be and my description of it had been accurate. What a fluke, I thought.
When I came to write the sequel, Journey's End on the Western Plains, also set in 1924, I started the story with the hero,hitching a ride in the mailman's truck.
At the end of the story he applies for the mail run contract and gets the job.
As a writer, I thought it was the perfect solution for my characters and story. Mail contractor was the perfect job for the hero as it allowed him to live in the mythical town of  "Idavale" and regularly visit his family's property at the other end of the mail run.
At the time I thought, oh yeah, he'll have the same chance as anyone else. He's a good bush mechanic, he'll be able to fix any breakdowns.
Recently I attended a talk about early mail services in Queensland in the 19th and 20th centuries, held by the National Archives of Australia in Brisbane.
The NAA have over 1000 photographs relating to Cobb & Co mail coaches, mail men, their horses and trucks and post offices in the collection, plus numerous written records.
What astonished me was the discovery that, after World War I, the Australian Government awarded mail contracts on a preferential basis to returned servicemen - like my hero.
I was gobsmacked by this discovery.
I had got his ideal job so right.
Here was proof that my character would have been awarded that contract - as long as no other returned serviceman had applied at the same time!
As far as I'm concerned, serendipity* in research and writing is a real phenomenon.
Have you had similar experiences?

To search the National Archives of Australia site for records see: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/search/
*Serendipity:  a happy chance, a happy accident.

For more information about forthcoming publications sign up for my quarterly newsletter on this page.
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Suffragette - the movie

20/2/2016

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Suffragette is the movie every woman in the world should see and that every school should include in its curriculum.
Suffragette shines a light on not only women's struggle for the vote, but also their working and social conditions; and the oppression women endured not just in the early twentieth century, but in every century before that.
For me, the most confronting frames, in a film with many disturbing scenes, were the last roll-through list showing the years in which women gained the vote in countries around the world. Read the list and weep - for all those women who waited, and those who still wait - to be considered as human beings deserving the right to vote and help determine their future.
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  • Welcome to my Books
    • Regency Romance Books
    • Australian Historical Romance Books
  • Isabella at home
  • Contact me