A Smuggler by Trade

Reflecting upon the sacrifices made by men and women in the defence of our freedom, it seem to me that the more things change, the more they remain the same. The only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn. If we did, why would we still have wars that cost thousands of lives and never seem to resolve anything?

The loss of life in the Napoleonic wars was especially horrific. Those that survived had a right to expect gainful employment when they returned to England. Of course, it didn’t happen. Perhaps that’s why those who came from coastal towns were tempted into smuggling. It was a way of life anyway, made almost respectable by tradition, something to be proud of. Men unloading illegal contraband for one night could earn the equivalent of one week’s wages from a legal job. Not hard to see why they were tempted. Their methods of hiding their cargo were pretty ingenious too. ‘Burying’ at sea and hauling it out again when the coast was clear often kept them one step ahead of the law. They constantly changed their landing sites and often the customs men were in on it anyway.

It was thoughts of these displaced men, almost being forced into a life of petty crime, that got me plotting Duty’s Destiny. I actually worked out the finer details whilst riding pillion on my husband’s Harley across Spain, but that’s another story. (Great place to plot, by the way. No one can talk to you, phones can’t distract you and you’re legitimately alone with your active imagination).

Felix, Viscount Western, is outraged when he learns that his father’s shipping line is being used to import ex-slaves from the Indies into England, where they’ll once again be forced into lives of servitude. Determined to put an end to the evil trade, he hot foot’s it to the coast, convinced that Saskia Eden isn’t the innocent widow she makes herself out to be and that she’s somehow orchestrating matters on behalf of her father.

Within half a day of meeting Saskia and her feisty twins, Felix already has doubts about her culpability. Drawn into a web of lies and deceit, passion simmers between them as Felix fights against time to get to the truth and protect the woman he’s fall in love with…

Go to my website at http://www.wendysoliman.com where you can read the entire first chapter of Duty’s Destiny.

Duty’s Destiny now available to download from Musa Publishinghttp://bit.ly/s7zdNw Price $4.99

Wendy

Happy Birthday Aurora Regency!

My childhood home is just a stone’s throw from Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s famous Island retreat. It’s quite a place and offers tantalizing glimpses into the private lives of privileged Victorians. Prince Albert’s bathroom in particular springs to mind. The panels that slide closed across the bath look respectable from the outside. Inside they’re covered with frescos portraying scenes from an orgy. And they say the Victorians were straight-laced. Naughty old Albie!

What has that to do with Aurora Regency? Nothing. But it says a lot about the influences that surrounded me as a kid, feeding my love of history as well as my imagination. But Although the Victorians fascinate me, as a writer I gravitated towards the colourful Regency period because it gave me so much more scope. My first two books in that genre, published a few years back by a house in England, have been given an expect once-over by the talented editing team at Musa Publishing. Lady Hartley’s Inheritance hit the digital bookshelves today and Duty’s Destiny will follow along on November 11.

 

In Lady Hartley’s Inheritance Clarissa Hartley, a country-loving widow, visits London. She stays with her godmother, even though she thoroughly disapproves of her son, Luc Deverill, the Earl of Newbury, who appears to lead a life of idle dissipation. When she learns that a son she didn’t know her late husband had father is claiming her inheritance for himself, she fears she has lost everything. Luc, suspecting fraud, steps in. Together he and Clarissa delve deeper into the suspected scam, little expecting that they will come to admire one another, much less feel an attraction that just won’t be denied…

Viscount Felix Western, helps his close friend Luc to get to the bottom of things, unaware that he will soon have problems of his own to tangle with. In Duty’s Destiny he learns that his father’s shipping line is being used to smuggle ex-slaves into England, where they once again find themselves in servitude. Felix suspects that Saskia Eden is helping her father to perpetrate this dreadful trade but as soon as he meets her, he immediately has doubts. Befriended by her young twins, he gets drawn into her life, and dangers that threaten their lives and liberty…

You can read the entire first chapter of both books on my website http://www.wendysoliman.com

To celebrate Aurora Regency’s first birthday, I’m giving away a copy of both books to one lucky reader. All you have to do is:

1.       Go to my author Facebook page at Wendy Soliman Author http://on.fb.me/owr8Cc click ‘Like’ and leave a message mentioning Aurora Regency.

2.       Follow this blog and leave a message to say you’ve done so.

Good luck and thanks for your interest in Aurora Regency and my books. The next stop on the tour is with talented author Marguerite Butler at http://margueritebutler.blogspot.com

Wendy

TOUR RULES:

1) TOUR STARTS: Saturday October 15th

THIS TOUR ENDS: October 22^nd, at Midnight (PST)

Final Celebration August 22^th 7pm -11pm (EST) at Two Lips Reviews Chat http://www.twolipsreviews.com/content/

***Individual Winners from Authors contests will be drawn and posted October 23rs on their individual sites***

1) Prizes at individual Blogs are completely at the discretion of the individual authors and are not in association with Musa Publishing and its prize system.  To enter the Contest on any given blog you must follow their contest rules and objectives.

2) By commenting on any blog on the tour the participant is agreeing to these rules and policies.

3) All prize winners will be chosen randomly using Random Line Picker.