A Rebel at Pennington's
by Rachel
Brimble
GENRE: Historical
Romance/Saga
BLURB:
1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage
campaigner, Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington's Department
Store. She has hopes and dreams for women's progression and will do anything to
help secure the vote.
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.
When Esther and Lawrence meet their mutual understanding of life's challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists' determination to secure the vote.
Will Esther's rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.
When Esther and Lawrence meet their mutual understanding of life's challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists' determination to secure the vote.
Will Esther's rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?
Excerpt:
She
looked towards Lawrence.
He
softly studied her, and her cheeks warmed. The way he looked at her inferred he
was equally moved by Mrs Hadley’s sadness. Esther looked away. He, too, was
widowed. Had he and his wife once shared the same love that Grace Hadley spoke
of?
Shamed
by the jolt of jealousy that shot through her, Esther walked to stand behind a
pillar that blocked Lawrence’s sight of her but gave her full view of Mrs
Hadley. A familiar sense of unworthiness knotted Esther’s stomach. If Lawrence
understood Grace Hadley’s words and sorrow, then, he too, must have known deep
and meaningful love.
She
would never be enough to compete with such a ghost. Would never be enough to be
with a man who bore such longing for a person he’d lost. If she listened to her
body and how it so treacherously reacted to Lawrence, her attraction to him
would only end badly when the moment came that she’d inevitably held something
of herself back.
She
could not forgo everything she had built. Somehow, she had to find the strength
to fight the temptation of Lawrence’s gaze and quash the yearning to see him
again…to see his children again. The emotions he’d evoked in her proved her
capable of feeling. Something she had doubted for so very long. Her meeting him
had been worth that, at least.
Interview
with Author Rachel Brimble
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in A Rebel At
Pennington’s?
Of course! Esther Stanbury appeared in book 1 (The Mistress of
Pennington’s – both books can be read stand alone) as the head window dresser
at Pennington’s Department Store. She was already an active suffragist
campaigning for the women’s vote. In A Rebel At Pennington’s the fight is
gaining pace and Esther is more involved than ever.
Then she meets widower and father of two, Lawrence Culford. A wealthy
hotelier, Lawrence is also part of the Cause and side by side they fight for
women’s suffrage…and each other.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
I have just finished Pennington’s book 3 (coming Autumn 2019) and
starting to plot book 4. I also hope to write a contemporary romance trilogy
this year. These will be shorter books and set in Manhattan. I can’t tell you
much more than that!
How
long would you say it takes you to write a book?
My
books tend to run to 90,000 + plus words these days so they seem to take longer
and longer! On average, from plotting to the final draft, I would say it take
me around 6 months to complete a book. I am lucky enough to be able to write
full-time otherwise, it would be closer to a year.
What
is your favorite childhood book?
The
Magic Faraway Tree and The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton. I devoured Enid
Blyton books from a very young age until around the age of 11 when I discovered
the Sweet Dreams series – a series of teenage romances that fueled my love of
the genre and my dream to be an author one day.
If
you could spend the day with one of the characters from A Rebel At Pennington’s
who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where
you would go and what you would do.
It
would have to be Esther – I adore her and loved watching her grow, develop and
change over the course of the three books I have written so far. I’d love to be
a part of her suffragist group and plan our next strategies, hopes and dreams
for the future. She is a feminist and true believer in women’s futures –
something I am wholly passionate about, too!
What
was the hardest scene from A Rebel At Pennington’s to write?
I
think it was probably the scene where I wanted to show Esther’s struggle to
allow Lawrence to become more than an associate. She went through some very
affecting years during her adolescence and her ability to trust is extremely
weakened. I want to ensure her vulnerability and fear of what leaning on
Lawrence might mean to her and her life came across on the page.
Fingers
crossed, readers will be as moved by this scene as I was.
What
made you want to become a writer?
See
above! Books – I loved reading from a very early age and books are a passion that
has never lessened throughout my life. I think I always wanted to play a bigger
part in books – as though reading them was never enough.
I’ve
always had a vivid imagination and having the opportunity to explore different
characters, issues, settings and time periods is a dream come true.
Just
for fun
(a Favorite
song: Perfect by Ed Sheeran
(b
Favorite book: So many! The only book I’ve read three times is Gone With The
Wind so maybe that’s my favourite J
(c
Favorite movie: Notting Hill
(d
Favorite tv show: The Crown
(e
Favorite Food: Chicken Satay from our local Chinese!
(f
Favorite drink: Sauvignon Blanc
(g
Favorite website: Google!
Thanks
so much for visiting with us today!
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Rachel
lives with her husband and their two daughters in a small town near Bath in the
UK. Since 2007, she has had several novels published by small US presses, eight
books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and four
Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical.
In January
2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a new Edwardian series
set in Bath’s finest department store. The first book, The Mistress of
Pennington’s released July 2018 with book two coming February 2019.
Rachel is a
member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America and
has thousands of social media followers from all over the world. To sign up for
her quarterly and new release newsletter, click here to go to her website
Giveaway:
$20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
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2 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Great interview!
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