The NO ACCIDENT Valerie Bowman

THE ACCIDENTAL COUNTESS

Playful Brides Series, Book 2

St. Martin's Press

CAN A SCANDALOUS CHARADE

For seven long years, Lady Cassandra Monroe has waited for the man of her dreams to return from the war. Unfortunately, he happens to be engaged to her flighty cousin. What Cass wouldn’t give to take her cousin’s place! When he mistakes Cass for Patience Bunbury, a fictitious friend her cousin has invented to escape social obligations…even with her future husband, Cass thinks this is her chance.

LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?

After defeating Napoleon at Waterloo, Captain Julian Swift is not quite ready to settle down and enter into his unwanted arranged marriage—especially when the real object of his affection turns out to be a beguiling beauty he meets at a party. Patience Bunbury is witty, independent, passionate…and, unbeknownst to him, the cousin of his current fiancée. When the truth about Cass comes out—and Julian　 discovers that their courtship is anything but accidental—will he surrender his heart to a woman who really is too good to be true?

 

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VALERIE BOWMAN grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her rascally rescue dog, Roo. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS.

ACCIDENTAL QUESTIONS

ANGI: In the Playful Brides Series books…Do you have a favorite?

VALERIE: Oh, my goodness. They are *all* my favorites. I adore this series because each book is a take on a famous romp play. My favorites! The stories are also interconnected with related characters who reappear from book to book. The Unexpected Duchess is a Regency twist on Cyrano de Bergerac. The Accidental Countess is a Regency retelling of The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Unlikely Lady is based on Much Ado About Nothing.

I just confirmed plans to write at least three more stories in the series. The next one is untitled but it’ll be based on The Philadelphia Story. Remember that movie with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart? Did you know the movie was based on a play? I’m REALLY having fun writing that one right now.

ANGI: In the Playful Brides Series books…Do you have a favorite hero?

VALERIE: Julian Swift from The Accidental Countess is one of my favorites for sure. He’s a war hero who nearly died from his injuries and he’s got a lot on his shoulders when he gets back to England, including the fact that he can’t find his fiancee!

ANGI: In the Playful Brides Series books…Do you have a favorite heroine?

VALERIE: Cassandra Owens from The Accidental Countess is a sweet heroine. I really enjoyed writing her because she’s one of those people who wouldn’t hurt a fly and yet is silently strong and fiercely loyal to her friends. She gets involved in a situation (pretending to be a fictitious person) because she can’t say no and she’s tempted to spend time with the man she’s loved for so many years. It’s a sticky situation but her heart is always in the right place.

 

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

VALERIE: I love Wonder Woman and Lady and The Tramp is my favorite cartoon movie. I ADORE dogs and the end where Lady and Tramp have their puppies… Oh, my gosh, it’s just too cute.

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of the ACCIDENTAL COUNTESS?

VALERIE: One of the things that really endeared Julian to me while I was writing him is his inability to dance. So many times in historical romance novels, the heroes are perfect dancers. But Julian has been away at war for years and his sister has to quickly try to get him up to speed on the dancing. He’s perfect in many ways but the man can’t dance. I love that about him. A small vulnerability but a charming one, I think.

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?

VALERIE: I usually read in bed and as often as I can which usually means reading a chapter or two before I go to sleep. I’m also usually reading several books at once. There are just too many fantastic books out there!

ANGI: What's something that no one knows about you?

VALERIE: When I was about 11, I thought I invented the name Leon. I thought it was brilliant and named one of my stuffed animals that name. A few weeks later I was watching an episode of The Facts of Life and there was a character named Leon on the show. I was crestfallen. Ha!

ANGI: You live in Florida. Do you get to the beach often?

VALERIE: I do not! Isn’t that sad? My house is about an hour away from the beach so going there is a special treat and one I should take advantage of more often for sure.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: What's the coolest thing you've learned from writing Regency Romance? Anything unexpected?

VALERIE'S GOTTA ANSWER: I adore reading English history books and I learn new things all the time, but one of the craziest in recent memory was reading that someone actually wrote the equivalent of a phone book for prostitutes. It was a guide with the names, locations, and general details (including if they had any diseases!) of the most notable prostitutes in London. Guess that came in handy back then. Yikes!

FIND VALERIE

Contact     Website    Facebook    Twitter @ValerieGBowman    

Goodreads   DashingDuchesses  Pintrest 

Previous GLIAS interviews

UP NEXT for VALERIE 

THE UNLIKELY LADY

Playful Brides Series, Book 3       

Spring 2015

Read a little, but the book

PREVIOUS RELEASES by VALERIE

For a complete list of Valerie's books & novellas check out her website.

THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS

Playful Brides Series, Book 1       

Read a little, but the book

CHRISTMAS BRIDES

Anthology

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VALERIE is giving away  a copy of The Accidental Countess (e-book wherever available or print U.S.-only)

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

ANGI'S back next Wednesday with

the 12 SHADES OF MIDNIGHT authors

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  SUNNI JEFFERS

~Angi Morgan

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VALERIE WANTS TO KNOW: Ok, I admitted that I truly thought I invented the name Leon when I was a kid. One of my nephews actually briefly believed he invented toast. Ha! Did you ever think you invented something when you were a kid only to find out it was already a thing? Know anyone who did?