Beguiling the Beauty, at Long Last

Phew.  Squee.  Omg.  I am both stupefied with excitement and oddly apprehensive, but mostly just pretty darn happy.

Which isn’t to say that I was unhappy when I didn’t have books out.  It was actually quite lovely to just work and never worry about sales, reception, and whatnot–a purer form of the creative life.  But I don’t write books only for myself so it is also very, very nice, once in a while, to have one out for public consumption.

I have an interview going on at Reader I Created Him.  AAR is giving away five copies of RAVISHING THE HEIRESS, my July release–you’ve until Thursday 11:59pm.  And if you, like me, enjoy such things as a swift kick to the rear, 🙂 then I also have a 3-chapter critique up for bid at Crits for Water–it will be up for 48 hours.

I am the keynote speaker at Connecticut Fiction Fest on May 12.  There is still time to register if you are interested.

For readers outside of North America, my first two books are now available for Kindle.  And will be available on other platforms as soon as we configure how to restrict sales on those platforms to outside of North America–possibly as early as next week.  For Private Arrangements, click here.  For Delicious, here.

I still have to proof NOT QUITE A HUSBAND and HIS AT NIGHT; those will have to wait until TEMPTING THE BRIDE is in tiptop shape.  Want to close out the trilogy on a proper high note so must work for it.

And on that, I hope you enjoy BEGUILING THE BEAUTY!

48 thoughts on “Beguiling the Beauty, at Long Last”

  1. Literately, sometime after midnight I heard the little notification go off from Kindle that Beguiling the Beauty was available that I’d pre-ordered. Sound asleep before that moment I immediately started reading it – in the middle of the night! Loving it so far, but oh will I be tired today at my office! Well worth it! Congrats!

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  2. Happy Release Day! I too got a notification last night that the book was sent through and started it. I get about 20% in and forced myself to slow down. I’m loving the “Beast”-with-a-twist feel to it–so clever. 🙂 Not much getting done today! Woot!

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  3. Congratulations on the new release. I’m starting it today. I keep hearing that the second book is so sad, but with an HEA.

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    • I understand more congratulations are in order. I just read about your new YA series. What made you decide on the change in direction: Having children or just a great plot idea? Will you be alternating YA & romance?

      YA seems to be big in publishing right now. I assume you’ll have a new pen name. Most YA authors. seem to like initials. 🙂

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      • I haven’t changed direction, just branched out. 🙂 I was approached, via my agent, by a children’s publisher. At first I rather laughed at the idea. But then an idea struck and it was one of those ideas that demanded to be implemented. I had a good 9 months in 2010 during which I was between contracts, not to mention burned out on historicals. So this was a great way to rest and recuperate. And it totally recharged me for the historicals too!

        I think, given that my book is YA rather than for younger children, my new publisher will go with this current pen name. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.

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        • So you will still be writing historicals? I kind of freaked out there for a bit thinking you were switching to YA fiction permanently. I wanted to congratulate you on it and at the same time throw a tantrum so I held off commenting 😉

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          • No worries. A decade ago I used to think I was going to write one historical romance to get my foot in the door, then switch to SF romance. But then I kept writing historical romances and have never completed a SF romance. I am a historical writer not because I am under contract, but because that’s just what I will write left to my own. 🙂

    • Hi Kim,

      I wouldn’t call the second book sad. Intense and angsty, yes, but no one is wallowing in self-pity. And for my money, there are many moments of camaraderie and sweetness.

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  4. I’ll be buying every one of your books just for the most awesome statement about marriages & children ever in that interview!

    Seriously.

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  5. Congrats Sherry!! At long last, I have Beguiling the Beauty in my hands. Now, if I could only find a few solid uninterrupted hours 🙂

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  6. Congratulations on the new release! I love the hero and heroine, and really enjoyed the dialogue, prose, etc. I did notice however, that the love scenes were quite less intimate than in your other books. I enjoy a sizzling love scene now and again, and this one didn’t have any. Why the change?

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    • I felt that the love scenes were pretty consistent with Sherry’s other books–some scenes are more descriptive, some are more implied. The scenes on the ship were pretty spicy! 🙂

      I thought His at Night had the least amount of intimate love scenes and NQAH had the most, but that’s just from my memory (and I just re-read NQAH in honor of the new release so it’s fresh in my mind.)

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      • NQAH did have a ton, and part of the reason is that I violated one of my own rules about not writing love scenes unless they changed the relationship between h/h. Some of the love scenes during the war section of the book probably don’t quite meet that standard, but I felt really bad for Bryony and Leo and wanted them to have some more sexy times together. 🙂

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        • I felt that all of Leo and Bryony’s love scenes were working together to show the gradual shift in their relationship, so that would qualify under your rules, right? Each time there was more of a thaw until the last awesome love scene in Cambridge–each time Bryony was more of the initiator instead of suffering it in her sleep.

          And yes, I felt worse for them than even Cam and Gigi–they both needed to grow up before coming back together. But Leo and Bryony….just heartbreaking all the way around. Happily ever after was never so appreciated.

          I would SO love to read a novella with all the Marsdens and some sort of plot but mostly just listening to them banter and being happy with their chosen partners. A very Marsden Christmas! I’m such a sap. 😉

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          • Sorry to get off-topic from BtB! I was happy to see all the character cameos from your other books in there–like easter eggs in literary form. 🙂 And I like how they were in the middle of their own stories based on the time frame. Super fun.

          • It’s always that some sort of plot that gets me. 🙂 It’s really, really hard for me to settle on a plot that satisfies me. But the day I find one that works, there will be a Marsden novella.

      • Thanks for your response! Maybe I just was in a mood or something. Your characters really do carry the day. Can’t wait for RTH!

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  7. Well I finished BTB in one night so obviously I LOVED it. The prose was beautiful, the banter was sharp and witty and the plot moved at a clipping pace.
    Regarding the love scenes, they did begin earlier in BTB than any of your other books, Sherry. I think the number of them were about the same (the H/H certainly seems to be getting together frequently enough:-) The only difference I noticed was that the length of the love scenes were a little shorter? And is it my imagination or is BTB also a little shorter than your other books?
    When it comes to love scenes, more isn’t always better (probably why I haven’t been able to get through 50 shades of Grey even though it’s been sitting on my kindle for months). However, Sherry does such an amazing job establishing the connection between the H/H that when they do get together, it’s a reward for everyone involved.
    I definitely would have Love more and longer scenes (intimate or otherwise) between the H/H. But then again, I wanted to read more of everything (I know, greedy of me).
    The good thing about waiting two years for BTB to come out is that it makes waiting 2 months for the next book in the series seems practically no time at all 🙂 Can’t wait until July!

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    • BTB is actually a good bit longer than Not Quite a Husband, my shortest book. But somehow, these super angsty books, nobody ever complains about the lesser length. I think by the time the reader has bawled her eyes out a few times–and by the reader I mean me–she is so thoroughly gut-punched that she is quite thrilled to see the happy ending.

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  8. Congratulations on BtB being chosen for the DA book club! That’s pretty awesome. I can’t wait to read the questions and answers 🙂

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  9. You what I don’t like is finishing a book, in this case BtB, then be so worries about Mil and her happiness, but have to wait until July 3! 😉 The longer I wait the more Fitz has to do to prove his love and fidelity (I hope I’m using this word right!) to my girl Millie. Love her! 🙂 And I love your Books; can’t wait until July 3! 🙂

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    • LOL, if this were just a story going on in the present, I’d say Fitz had better bring it. But it is a dual timeline story–oh, yeah, I’m bringing that back with a vengeance–once you see their history, I hope you will agree no one has anything to prove that they haven’t already. 🙂

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      • Dual timeline story! YES! 🙂 You are the undisputed queen of those. Love them.

        Btw, someone who knows how much I love you very nicely offered to let me borrow the ARC of RtH she won at All About Romance just so long as I took care of it and mailed it back since it was autographed. Can you believe I was good and said “no thank you?” Argh. I didn’t want to chance dropping the book in bacon grease or anything. So now I wait with the rest of the world. Sigh!

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  10. Yesss! I just got the Amazon notice that my book is ready to download! Yippie 🙂 Ravishing the Heiress, here I come.

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