I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the AN UNSUITABLE LADY FOR A LORD by
Cathleen Ross Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter
the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: AN
UNSUITABLE LADY FOR A LORD (Scottish Lords and Ladies #1)
Author: Cathleen
Ross
Pub. Date: April
13, 2020
Publisher: Entangled:
Scandalous
Formats: Paperback,
eBook
Pages: 210
Lord Aaron
Lyle has one hell of a choice: a bankrupt dukedom, or marriage to some
simpering society miss so his spendthrift father can get his hands on her huge
dowry. He won't do it. He has a reputation to maintain, and besides, he'd
rather run naked through the streets of London than marry anyone at all.
Surely, there must be a third option.
Then Lady
Crystal Wilding walks into his life, a bluestocking, full of subversive
thoughts, who hates the notion of marriage even more than he does. He is
intrigued…and, suddenly, he has an idea. He invites the totally unsuitable lady
home on the pretext of presenting her as a possible match…but in truth, Aaron
has something far more pleasurable in mind. For her part, Lady Crystal has her
own reasons for going along with his harebrained scheme.
Imagine
their shock when his highly proper family loves her and starts planning the wedding.
Good lord. Now what?
Interview:
Chapter
One
Edinburgh, 1811 Friday evening
When the wild Scottish wind swept Lady Crystal Wilding’s straw bonnet from her head, she didn’t expect it to fly, complete with ostrich feathers, right into the hands of the most compelling gentleman she’d ever seen.
He leaped with masculine grace, snatched the offending black hat from the air, and, on seeing its owner, bowed deeply. His thick, dark hair and perfectly trimmed sideburns had not been mussed by the leap, and the first thing she noticed was the amusement in his midnight blue eyes. He was exquisitely attired in a double-breasted black tailcoat, tan breeches, and black leather shoes. His cream silk cravat was tied superbly in a complicated pattern only a highly paid servant could manage. A hint of his brocade waistcoat showed under his well-tailored tailcoat.
“Lord Lyle at your service, Miss...”
“Lady Crystal Wilding.”
She strode a few feet over to him, bobbed a curtsy, and caught his compelling blue-eyed gaze for a second too long. She usually regarded powerful lords with some contempt... but something about this man grabbed her attention and wouldn’t let go.
She deliberately shook it off. She really needed to refocus and not allow herself to be distracted. “Thank you for saving this miscreant of a hat, my lord. I dinnae ken how it came loose.”
He fluffed the elaborate plumed creation before placing it in her hands and giving her a wicked smile. “Perhaps it was trying to return to its former avian owner.”
A ripple of laughter left her lips, and he joined her, his stern, noble face softening with enjoyment. Up close, he smelled of fine wool and the delicious scent of lime.
Just then, Hilda, Crystal’s maid, approached her. “I’m sorry, my lady. I should have tied the hat better.”
“No matter. You may go, Hilda. Take the hackney cab back to Old Town. I can see Sir Walter Scott is waiting for me at his front door,” she said. She was looking forward to meeting the famous poet and author.
“Aye, my lady.” Hilda curtsied and left her.
“So, you’re attending Sir Walter’s soiree? I heard there is a right harridan of a speaker tonight,” Lord Lyle confided, leaning close to her. “Let me escort you to the door.” He held out his arm for her.
She took it and walked with him down North Castle Street, conscious of how well built he was, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and long legs.
“A harridan, you say?” she mused, biding her time. “She sounds right frightening. Does she come with horns?” He laughed again, and she noticed how his intense blue eyes warmed to her humor. He had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled, which was rather appealing, despite his cutting words.
“She’s a bluestocking, I’m told. One of those dreadful mannish creatures, no doubt with a mustache, who’ll probably bore us. Certainly, she’ll not be a bonny lass like you.”
He found her beautiful? Well, her heart certainly beat faster when he was close, but it irritated her that he thought a woman should be comely if he was expected to listen to her. She turned to him, raised her eyebrows, and looked him up and down as they approached Sir Walter’s gate. “Why are you attending the salon if you’re not interested in this boring, frightening orator?”
“The whisky is excellent, and Sir Walter is a dear friend,” he said with a wink.
Sir Walter Scott held on to the rail and limped down his front stairs to greet them. “Lord Lyle, I see you’ve already met our charming presenter, Lady Crystal Wilding.”
Lord Lyle blanched, his handsome face becoming all angles and planes, making his blade of a nose appear sharper under his high cheekbones. “Our speaker, you say?”
Crystal calmly rubbed above her upper lip, where her mustache would be if she were the harridan he had expected. “Aye, the lord has made my acquaintance and entertained me with his views. I look forward to sharing some of mine, for I’m sure he’ll eat up my words.”
Or learn to eat his own.
Hey Cathleen!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on
Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! AN UNSUITABLE LADY FOR A LORD sounds
AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
For the readers: can
you tell us a little bit about the AN UNSUITABLE LADY FOR A LORD and the
characters?
1811 Lady Crystal
Wilding has been brought up almost as a son replacement and she’s very good at
the outdoor Highland sports like hunting and archery. The trouble is when she
grows up her father, Earl Wilding, expects her to marry a lord of his choosing.
She has different ideas for her life and when her father dies, she is able to
follow her own path. She wants to help women better themselves through education.
Most women in Scotland in 1811 couldn’t sign their own names.
Lord Aaron Lyle, is
the heir to a dukedom and his father, the duke, wants to marry him off to a
wealthy heiress. Both my hero and heroine are not interested in being forced
into marriage. When Aaron supports Crystal’s causes, he falls in love even
though she is outspoken and fierce like her hero father before her.
What are you working
on now?
I always have a few
projects going. I’m writing a Scottish Highlander book set just after the Battle
of Culloden. The hero, although he is Scottish, fights for the English side,
because he wants to get his confiscated Scottish estate back from a treacherous
old lord. He refuses to marry the
heroine even though she begs him, so she is then forced to marry the old
lord. Her husband, the treacherous old
lord, is killed at Culloden, so technically she owns the hero’s estate and she
can’t forgive him for rejecting her and leaving her to make his fortune, or for
him fighting for the English.
I’ve just finished a
book set in 1920s about the Theosophists. They are far more fascinating than
the name suggests. That’s with my agent at the moment.
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
Funnily enough, I’m
descended from a Scottish Frazer Lady , the sister of the lord married a Ross -
that side fought for the Rebellion - and another Ross Lord, which I’m directly
descended from, fought for the English. So, I’m writing about my ancestors. A
lot of little things I put in are about Ross lords. They were a wild lot. One
of them cut off the king’s enemies’ heads and presented the heads to the king.
That’s how he became an earl. Nice lot I come from.
Who was your favorite
character to write? What about your least favorite?
I like writing
strong rebellious women who will make a stand for what they believe in even if
it makes them unpopular. Lady Crystal Wilding is like that. I’m like that.
My least favorite
character is Lord William who is obedient to his father the duke, unlike my
hero, Aaron. He marries the duke’s choice for money and boy does he pay for it.
That’s the start of book 2.
What is your favorite
passages/scenes in AN UNSUITABLE LADY FOR A LORD?
From the get-go my
hero Aaron learns my heroine Lady Crystal Wilding is a challenge.
Edinburgh, 1811 Friday evening
When the wild Scottish wind swept Lady Crystal Wilding’s straw bonnet from her head, she didn’t expect it to fly, complete with ostrich feathers, right into the hands of the most compelling gentleman she’d ever seen.
He leaped with masculine grace, snatched the offending black hat from the air, and, on seeing its owner, bowed deeply. His thick, dark hair and perfectly trimmed sideburns had not been mussed by the leap, and the first thing she noticed was the amusement in his midnight blue eyes. He was exquisitely attired in a double-breasted black tailcoat, tan breeches, and black leather shoes. His cream silk cravat was tied superbly in a complicated pattern only a highly paid servant could manage. A hint of his brocade waistcoat showed under his well-tailored tailcoat.
“Lord Lyle at your service, Miss...”
“Lady Crystal Wilding.”
She strode a few feet over to him, bobbed a curtsy, and caught his compelling blue-eyed gaze for a second too long. She usually regarded powerful lords with some contempt... but something about this man grabbed her attention and wouldn’t let go.
She deliberately shook it off. She really needed to refocus and not allow herself to be distracted. “Thank you for saving this miscreant of a hat, my lord. I dinnae ken how it came loose.”
He fluffed the elaborate plumed creation before placing it in her hands and giving her a wicked smile. “Perhaps it was trying to return to its former avian owner.”
A ripple of laughter left her lips, and he joined her, his stern, noble face softening with enjoyment. Up close, he smelled of fine wool and the delicious scent of lime.
Just then, Hilda, Crystal’s maid, approached her. “I’m sorry, my lady. I should have tied the hat better.”
“No matter. You may go, Hilda. Take the hackney cab back to Old Town. I can see Sir Walter Scott is waiting for me at his front door,” she said. She was looking forward to meeting the famous poet and author.
“Aye, my lady.” Hilda curtsied and left her.
“So, you’re attending Sir Walter’s soiree? I heard there is a right harridan of a speaker tonight,” Lord Lyle confided, leaning close to her. “Let me escort you to the door.” He held out his arm for her.
She took it and walked with him down North Castle Street, conscious of how well built he was, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and long legs.
“A harridan, you say?” she mused, biding her time. “She sounds right frightening. Does she come with horns?” He laughed again, and she noticed how his intense blue eyes warmed to her humor. He had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled, which was rather appealing, despite his cutting words.
“She’s a bluestocking, I’m told. One of those dreadful mannish creatures, no doubt with a mustache, who’ll probably bore us. Certainly, she’ll not be a bonny lass like you.”
He found her beautiful? Well, her heart certainly beat faster when he was close, but it irritated her that he thought a woman should be comely if he was expected to listen to her. She turned to him, raised her eyebrows, and looked him up and down as they approached Sir Walter’s gate. “Why are you attending the salon if you’re not interested in this boring, frightening orator?”
“The whisky is excellent, and Sir Walter is a dear friend,” he said with a wink.
Sir Walter Scott held on to the rail and limped down his front stairs to greet them. “Lord Lyle, I see you’ve already met our charming presenter, Lady Crystal Wilding.”
Lord Lyle blanched, his handsome face becoming all angles and planes, making his blade of a nose appear sharper under his high cheekbones. “Our speaker, you say?”
Crystal calmly rubbed above her upper lip, where her mustache would be if she were the harridan he had expected. “Aye, the lord has made my acquaintance and entertained me with his views. I look forward to sharing some of mine, for I’m sure he’ll eat up my words.”
Or learn to eat his own.
What kind of research
did you have to do for the story?
I read The Last
Highlander by Sarah Fraser to understand the background to the Battle of
Culloden, and the Scottish rebellion. It helped me create my characters even
though the times were peaceful. I toured Scotland with several famous
historians, paying particular attention to the Georgian House in Edinburgh. I
read The Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft, who
was the mother of Mary Shelley, so I could get an idea of the difficulties
faced by women at that time. I did a lot of research on clothing and setting.
Who is your ultimate
book boyfriend?
Jamie Fraser. What’s
not to like?
What inspired you to
write historical romance?
I’ve always loved
history. I read history at university. I loved the passion in Gone with the
Wind and Dianna Gabaldon’s Outlander stories.
Lightning Round Questions
What are you reading
right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
The Vindication
of the Rights of Women by
Mary Wollstonecraft. I’m reading it a second time as I research for my next
book.
I have a whole lot
of books after going through the Entangled sale waiting to be read. I’m so
looking forward to that when I have some free time.
What Hogwarts House
would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Ravenclaw
Instagram, Twitter or
Facebook?
Facebook but I have
all three.
Favorite Superhero?
Wonder Woman
Favorite TV show?
Outlander series
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet unless it’s
salted caramel ice cream
Any Phobias?
Not at the moment.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
None and don’t start
me!
2020 Movie you’re
most looking forward to?
Emma
Thanks so much Cathleen for answering my questions! I can’t
wait for everyone to read AN UNSUITABLE LADY FOR A LORD!
About Cathleen:
Cathleen Ross is a quirky writer who lives on Sydney Harbor
with her husband, daughter and very loved dog, Denzel. As an English teacher
and editor, she has always surrounded herself with books. When she's not giving
psychic predictions for her family and friends, she's writing romances where
her heroines always get their man. She's a multi-award-winning author who
regularly hits the Amazon best-seller lists.
Giveaway Details: International
1 winner
will receive a $15 Amazon GC, International.
Tour Schedule:
4/13/2020
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Excerpt
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4/13/2020
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Guest Post
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4/13/2020
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Guest Post
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4/14/2020
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Excerpt
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4/14/2020
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Excerpt
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4/14/2020
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Review
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4/14/2020
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Guest Post
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4/15/2020
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Guest Post
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4/15/2020
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Guest Post
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4/15/2020
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Review
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4/15/2020
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Excerpt
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4/16/2020
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Review
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4/16/2020
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Review
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4/16/2020
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Review
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4/16/2020
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Interview
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4/17/2020
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Review
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4/17/2020
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Review
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4/17/2020
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Interview
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