Y’all I’m so happy that I get to share with you the lovely Lily Maxton. I even got a sneak peek at her new book The Love Match which you guys have got to read. (To help you out, Amazon is selling all three books in the series for 99 cents each… get them now!)
*****
*What do you like best about writing romances?
I just love romance in general—the growing attraction, the sexual tension, the point where these aspects cross over into love and respect, the unique chemistry and dynamic between two people. It’s fun for me to read about or watch in a movie, and I like writing about it, too. And the best part is always the happily ever after. It feels really good to uplift people.
*What is your favorite romantic story (movie/book, fact/fiction)?
I’ll go with historical romance for this. As You Desire by Connie Brockway is probably my all time favorite historical romance novel. Brockway just did everything perfectly. And Harry. Oh Harry. There is no better romance hero than Harry Braxton. Sometimes it takes a little convincing to believe that the hero has truly fallen in love, but in As You Desire, you don’t need convincing. You just know. Everything he does practically screams his love for the heroine. It’s such a lush and romantic story.
*If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?
This might not be very original, but I think I’d be Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice since she’s such a great, strong, witty heroine. And of course, she wins Mr. Darcy’s love and becomes the mistress of Pemberly. Not bad at all (particularly if Mr. Darcy looks anything like Colin Firth in the miniseries). —I get that answer a lot … but it would be my answer too because who wouldn’t want to be with Colin Firth’s Darcy???
*Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write?
Don’t make me choose! Ok, of my currently published works, I’ll pick Anne from The Wager. Anne is like the complete opposite of me—outspoken, a bit reckless, a bit of a tomboy. I think it’s always entertaining to write a heroine with a bold personality. But I have a soft spot for all my characters, and I’ve had a lot of fun with everything so far.
*If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?
I’ll say an artist/painter. I have no natural ability in that area, but I love art, so it would be awesome if I did.
*****
The Love Match
A Sisters of Scandal Novella
Lily Maxton
Blurb:
Hampshire, 1818
To her family, Olivia Middleton is a problem of the most vexing sort. With her eldest two sisters married off, Olivia is now the target of her mother’s matrimonial scheming. Shy and somewhat plain, Olivia prefers the thrill of a gothic novel to the hunt for a husband. And as far as her family is concerned, something must be done… But Olivia has no interest in the men paraded before her.
Only the charming and infuriating Mr. William Cross (a rake in the making, and certainly not a suitable husband) holds the slightest fascination for her…
After watching his father die of a broken heart, William has sworn never to wed for a love match. Yet he’s intrigued by the bookish Olivia. And though he tried, staying away from her turns out to be impossible. But a scandalous liaison lands them both on the marriage block, William is shocked when Olivia refuses to wed for anything less than love – propriety be damned.
Now William must do the unthinkable… learn to love his reluctant fiancee.
**Get a sneak peek and find out how to buy it at Entangled**
*****
Review:
This is my first “Sisters of Scandal” book and that worked out just fine. There are some allusions to what happened in the previous stories, and the sisters and their husbands make a small appearance, but I don’t think that it impacted this one in any way. I’m assuming that you would have seen at least Olivia and her parents before but Maxton fleshes out the characters well, despite being only about 75 pages, so I don’t know that it will hurt not having that background.
William and Olivia see thru each other pretty much right away. She knows that beneath the charming and flirtatious mask that he shows the work, William is hiding the real man. And he quickly realizes that while everyone else sees a dull and unusual woman, there is something quite engaging about Olivia. Their shared love of literature gives them a little extra connection but it is the fact that they see so much more than the rest of the world that truly brings them together.
Because it is short we don’t get a lot of the falling in love part of their story – we get the meet-cute and all of the interactions that bring them together, then we get the aftermath. We do get just enough though to get a good understanding of how they end up where they do … and how they end up going the way that they must.
I have to say that the ending is one of my favorites. While William might have come to the realization of his feeling a bit abruptly, readers and those closest to him know what is coming. And they way that he goes about winning back Olivia’s heart is just about perfect.
*****
Author Info:
Lily Maxton grew up in the Midwest, reading, writing, and daydreaming amidst cornfields. After graduating with a degree in English, she decided to put her natural inclinations to good use and embark on a career as a writer.
When she’s not working on a new story, she likes to tour old houses, add to her tea stash, and think of reasons to avoid housework.
Find her at http://lilymaxton.com or on Goodreads
Romantic Reads and Such 