Christmas with the Dersinghams

Matilda meets her match!

It was sheer delight to be able to write Matilda's story for the Daring Dersingham series. Why shouldn't chaperones have some fun?

A Bunch of Mistletoe

Part of the Stars are Brightly Shining seasonal anthology
From the bedecked halls of Regency England to the cold and crisp air of Medieval England, and everything in between, welcome to the magic of a holiday collection that will bring the joy of the season into your heart and into your home. Ten New York Times, USA Today or Internationally bestselling authors bring you their twist on the holidays using some of your favorite characters in STARS ARE BRIGHTLY SHINING.

“A Bunch of Mistletoe” by Lynne Connolly – When Matilda, chaperone and aunt to the most scandalous family in London, takes a tumble from a tree, she’s rescued by the most unlikely saviour. Toplofty stickler Harold, the Duke of Trensom, is more than annoyed to find Matilda on his property. Worse when he finds himself falling for her.

From Dragonblade to you, we wish you a very happy holiday season!

Order The Book

Dragonblade: Kindle

A New Book For You!

The Lion of England

Part of the Common Elements Project. Learn more about it and the other fabulous books here.
Leaving her job at a safari park, Crissie Williams leaves her car in a safe area, and comes face-to-face with a lion. So not the way she expected to die. Until her savior arrives in the form of another English lion, this one a jaw-droppingly sexy man.
Alastair Burton has a highly successful construction business, but he’s also Lord Winsley, heir to the Marquis of Farleigh.
After his father’s heart attack, he wants him to retire, but the stubborn old man won’t do it until Alastair has provided him with an heir. After seeing the disaster of his parents’ marriage Alastair has vowed never to let love into his life. He needs somebody who won’t expect more than he’s prepared to give.
When he rescues a waitress from the jaws of a lion, he sees a woman that fills his criteria, but the gorgeous Crissie proves more than he can handle. She wants the one thing he won’t give her—love.
Escaping from a traumatic past, Crissie wants no more drama in her life. If she agrees to Alastair’s cold-blooded proposal, she can buy homes for her disabled mother and their friends, instead of seeing them rehomed in soulless flats. One problem—she’s falling in love with the gorgeous aristocrat who sees everything in black and white. Crissie, an artist to the tips of her toes, prefers color.
When he discovers the scandal staining her past, Alastair realizes that she is far from a convenient bride, but by then it’s too late.
He already loves her.

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon :  Kobo  :  Apple iBooks : Barnes and Noble 
Read an Extract

happy November!

What I've been doing...

Getting on for winter!

While the world churns in discontent and confusion, what better way to get away from it all with a good book? I've been writing since I got back from the US, but I've also been reading. I couldn't settle to a romance novel, just couldn't find one I could get into, so I turned elsewhere. I've started reading the JR Robb In Death books from the beginning. I'd forgotten that Roarke used to smoke! The books are great detective mysteries. With such a long series, there are bound to be some that work better than others, but they hold up so well. I'm only on book 7, and it's so good to know there are so many to come! I probably won't read them right through, but I'm enjoying them all over again Writing, you say? Well, I'm finishing up the third book in the Daring Dersingham series, but it didn't go as well as I'd wanted. The main couple just refused to engage in the conflict I wanted them to. They kept being too reasonable! So I've given them more to worry about. I'm still in love with the Dersingham triplets and their brother. Dragonblade contracted a trilogy, so there is still one sister whose story has to be told. I don't know if Dragonblade will want it yet, but if they don't, I'll write it anyway, because I can't leave poor Delphi out of the fun!

September in California!

 Here I am with a beauteous cover model at the Historical Romance Retreat.
I'm not too good at these things, but this one was a lot of fun, and everyone is made very welcome.
I shared a room with the lovely Ella Quinn, who also had a new release this month.
The Mission Inn is a lovely venue, built by an eccentric with a material aim in mind. This place, Riverdale, used to be very wealthy when it was the centre of the California trade in oranges, and now it does very well as a centre for weddings and conventions!
My favourite part is the parrots. I've always had a soft spot for macaws.
The HRR is an abundance of costumes, extroverts and superfans, who enjoy spending time with the authors they read. It's run by Renee Bernard, who has created a lovely atmosphere for people to enjoy themselves. I had a good time here.
But now, I'm back home. Farewell to the massive contradiction that is the USA, at least for another year!

 New Release

The Girl With The Pearl Pin

 

Founded by the wealthiest woman in London, an unconventional crime-solving club brings together single lords and overlooked ladies from every rung of society. It’s a perfectly scandalous match…

As London’s most sought-after bachelor, the Duke of Leomore stuns society when he announces his engagement to a woman who has just been branded a thief. Yet as his painfully shy “bride-to-be” understands, it is merely a ruse until The Society for Single Ladies apprehends the true culprit—and a ploy to further delay Leo’s obligation to wed. For him, marriage will be a purely practical affair. Still, why does a stolen kiss with his faux fiancée conjure such tempting visions of romance?…

As if being falsely accused weren’t mortifying enough, Phoebe North is now the talk of the town. And while she knows Leo did the honorable thing to protect her reputation, she can’t help but long for more. It would be an impossible match given their unequal stations, and Leo has made his view of marriage quite clear. Yet his kiss and flirtatious ways say something else. If only she could persuade him of how delightful it would be to thumb their noses at convention—and become fools for love…

Buy the Book

Available at

Amazon kindle : Apple : Google :  Kobo : Nook

There’s a sneak peek here!

 

Win a copy of The Girl With The Pearl Pin!

Lyrical Press is doing a flash giveaway in the #BetweenTheChapters book club right now, and one of the prizes is a THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL PIN! Anna Bradley's TO WED A WILD SCOT and Heather Grothaus THE LAIRD'S VOW are also featured! The link to enter is at ow.ly/O9Bk50vtew5. Good luck!

A new release and a trip to California!

And now it's August!

I don't know where the year has gone. Honestly, it's flown past.

This is my birthday month. Not that I do a lot of celebration. And at the end of the month, I get to visit my friends in the USA!

I'm flying out to California on the 27th, and on the 3rd of September, I'm attending the Romance Retreat (TRR) with a website here: https://www.theromanceretreat....

Then, later on in the month, I'm going to the Historical Romance Retreat. I've never been to either of them before, so if you see me there looking lost, please be kind! I don't get out much, you know.

If you can't catch me there, I'll be at the Li'l Book Bug store in Lancaster. It's a fantastic bookstore, and I'll be doing a signing and an author in residence stint, where I'll be signing books and also talking to people about writing, and passing on a bit of knowledge, if it will help.

And there's a new release this month, the last in the Hearts On Fire series. More about that below.

I had so much fun writing this book, may you have as much fun reading it!

There are ARCs, for those of you who review. If you contact me, or go on Netgalley, you can be the first to read the book!

New Release this month!

August 19th. Up now for preorder

Colliding Hearts

When hearts collide, can love survive?

After teacher and artist Rita Morley arrives in Houston from England for her art exhibition she’s so jet-lagged, she drives into a limo. Out climbs the man of her dreams – developer Daniel McCord. He’s also, as her best friend’s brother, off limits, until he makes it clear that he shares the attraction that has always burned between them. They both agree to a vacation fling – one week of sexual bliss. Only Daniel asks her to stay longer, and things turn serious until Rita learns he plans to demolish the building holding her art exhibition. Suddenly the lovers find themselves on opposite sides of the fight.

For Daniel McCord, work has always come first over friends and family and fun until he meets Rita. The sexy and sassy English painter makes his night burn with passion and his days full of stolen moments and joy. He can’t imagine his life without her, but he’s not convinced he can build a life with her. They have different goals and values. Then Daniel’s world is rocked when he discovers he has two brothers he’s never met. He needs Rita in a way he could never have anticipated.

If he can’t convince her to stay, Daniel will lose Rita for good.

Buy The Book

Tule : Kindle : Apple Books : Kobo

Happy July

View this email in your browser We’re in a heatwave. I hate them so much, and here in the UK, we don’t usually have air conditioning, so there’s little respite from them. But we’re a stoical race, and we cope. I do feel sorry for our cat, Frankie, who has a coat of thick fur and no way of getting away from it. He sleeps sprawled out, sometimes in the Superman “is it a plane?” position! I’ve been busy. I mean really busy, so busy that I’ve spent hours staring at the screen, frozen with indecision, and a “what do I do next?” panic. I had a book to send in, a book to edit, and two new releases this month. Two! So this newsletter is a bit longer than usual, with excerpts from both. I did consider two newsletters, but I thought that might just be too confusing, and most of you would probably think I’d sent the same one twice. I’ve also had to recreate my website with a new host, since my old site was hacked and attacked. Not much to save, but I do like the way the new site loads. I still have to do a few tweaks, but it’s there. Check it out! https://lynneconnolly.com These are books I loved writing, and I’m honestly so proud to bring them to you. I won’t waste time explaining, just get into them. The first is a contemporary, the second in the Hearts On Fire series, and the second is the first in a brand new series from a new publisher, a historical. So let’s start with Captive Hearts and after that, we'll give it a Touch Of Silver! Captive Hearts book two in the Hearts on Fire contemporary romance series.   He checked in but left his heart Scarlett Woodward is struggling to keep the family hotel in London afloat. When the weekend brings only one guest, handsome and enigmatic Evan White, she sends the staff home to save funds. Scarlett sets the kitchen ablaze leaving them both in the dark and cold. The lack electricity doesn’t mean there aren’t any sparks or heat. A night of unexpected passion leads to a baby, but when Scarlett learns who Evan really is and what he was really doing at her hotel, she’s can’t say no to his marriage proposal fast enough, baby or no baby. Ethan Black was undercover on a research trip to buy Scarlett’s hotel without using his famous name or family business—the international Noir Group. He’s determined to build his own boutique hotel empire far from his manipulative and parasitic family. He broke all his rules and jeopardized his plans when he slept with Scarlett, but no way will he abandon her or their child. He knows he needs to woo the independent beauty and let her see the real him, but it’s difficult when his family is determined to undermine his position on the board of director’s and ruin all he has built with the Noir Group. Ethan has spent his life making deals. Persuading Scarlett to fall in love with him may be the biggest challenge he has faced. Tule : Kindle : Barnes & Noble : Apple Books : Kobo And now for the second July release! Isn't that a gorgeous cover? A Touch of Silver When two worlds collide, an earl and a city merchant have to fight society and the might of the City of London to earn their happily ever after. Gerald Dersingham, the new Earl of Carbrooke, is captivated by the woman who storms into his house demanding an explanation for a letter he had no idea he sent. Gerald never wanted to be an earl. He was happier living in seclusion with his sisters. About to become betrothed to the icy daughter of a duke, he meets the vibrant, alluring Annie, who captivates his heart. But if he gives in to his desires, he risks a happy ending for his sisters, and they deserve their chances. Annie Cathcart is a widow from the City of London. Finally, she has the chance to achieve her dream of creating silverware for the table. But she needs Gerald’s old Shoreditch home to do it. Expecting a stuffy, pompous aristocrat, she meets a man who sees right through her practical exterior to the passionate woman beneath. She wants him more than the house, her respectability, and her independence. Annie and Gerald are faced with stark choices when her landlord tries to blackmail her into marriage. Either they give in to the pressures forcing them into unhappy respectability apart… or they boldly defy convention in the name of love. Buy the Book Available at Amazon kindle :

I'm going to do a bit of an Alan Bennett here (if you haven't heard his vicar from the Beyond the Fringe show, you've missed a treat!) And tell you a bit more about my origins.

My mother was a pattern-cutter, grader and sample machinist. She's still with us, thankfully, but doesn't do much sewing any more.

In years past, we'd go to Harrods and Harvey Nicks in the January sales, and I'd say "I want this, and this, and this..." We'd sketch it, go home and she'd make it.

She worked for a company that made legal knock-offs of designer clothes for upmarket department stores. She was sent to spend some time in the atelier of Yves St Laurent, and she adored him, because he could sit at a sewing machine and do what she could, which few designers were capable of.

After the haute couture sales, before pret-a-porter became the big event, the designers would select and sell some of their toiles (fabric mockups) to the big stores. Sometimes they'd sell the original garment, with a special licence to reproduce it. Then it was the job of my mother or someone like her to turn that toile into something that was commercially viable. Computers do a lot of that work these days. But back then it was all slide rule and lots, and lots of brown paper and tissue paper. My mother still has two pairs of shears she used back then. Every cutter had her own shears, and God protect anybody who decided to "borrow" them without permission!

Which is why, although we weren't rich, I had a wardrobe full of designer clothes. The cutters would take the garments apart, use them to develop the patterns, and then put them back together. But because of the licence from the designer, they weren't allowed to sell them on. So after a season, they'd have a sale for the workers. My chocolate-brown Dior suit with a pencil skirt and fitted jacket got me a few jobs on its own! (Some workers would take the clothes out of the factory piece by piece, but shhh, we don't want people to know that, do we?) - "Oh look, this dress has lost its central bodice piece, so we'd better throw the rest away." "I could do with a bit of fabric for dusters - can I have it?"

And now, the tenuous link. I never realised how similar we were until recently. Because I'm an idiot, no doubt. But I create books in the same way. I have an overall vision, a way I want the book to go, and then I have to pull it apart and put it back together again, to test it and make sure it works for my readers as well as myself.

Which is a long, convoluted way of saying I'm writing again. I've just sent in the second SSL book, and starting on the third. I'm really excited about this series. I've had a mock-up for the cover which looks amazing. So far it's been a quiet year for me, but starting next month, I have new books for you!

First will come the new series of contemporary romances from Tule. I was so excited to write these, I can't tell you. It was fabulous to get back to contemporaries. I'd love to do some more! And then, I'd really love to do some paranormals. Is everybody up for a few sexy vampires and shape-shifters? I have a new series ready to go, but I keep being told that "nobody wants paranormals" any more.

The other thing I did was to redesign my website. Same colours, but a few extra tweaks. Soemthing went wrong, and after I restored it, I thought I might as well do some work on it, so while I had a bit of time, I did just that.
Check it out! https://lynneconnolly.com

Upcoming Release

The Hearts

So here are the covers for the new series! Exclusive to you, though I'll go wide with it in a week or so.
For those of you who review, the first book is up on Netgalley for your delectation and delight. Since I've had some time away from fresh contemporary content, I'd really appreciate your help getting the word out. If these do well, I get to do some more!
 


Gorgeous, right?
The first book is about a racing driver (her) and the owner of a big Italian car company based in Milan.

The second book is about the brother of the man in the first book, a hotel owner from New York. The heroine is the owner of a small hotel in London, a family business that has fallen on hard times. But he wants more than her hotel. He wants the owner as well!

The third book is about a wealthy property developer from Houston, Texas, and an artist from London who has snagged her first exhibition, thanks to her best friend, the hero's sister.

Fun and games ensue. These stories all have a close connection to me, closer than you might think! Cars and racing? Oh yes, love it, and I've always wanted to write a book set in that world. The second book? I stayed in a crazy little hotel once close to Oxford Street. The experience was well worth it, because I've now got a book out of it! The third book? Houston is a city I love. I have friends who live close by, and I've visited it often. Houston deserves wider recognition as a really exciting place to be.

So there you have it. And now I really have to get back to my writing! Got to keep the muse fed!

Announcement of a new series!

While historical romance is my first love, I used to write quite a bit of contemporary and paranormal romance, too. And what do you know, the lovely Tule Publishing liked three of my new books enough to make me an offer! So I have a brand-new trilogy of contemporary romances out, starting in May!
The series is about three sons of a woman with a storied career. One is a race car driver and car designer in Milan, another is a hotelier in New York and the third is a real estate developer in Houston, Texas. As well as clearing up the mess their mother left behind, they have to cope with the ladies who skyrocket into their lives.
A female driver trying to make her way in the masculine world of car racing, the owner of a historic, though struggling display in London, and a artist in London, visiting Houston for her first exhibition create more problems for our heroes.
The series is called Hearts on Fire and I'm really thrilled to have contemporary romances out there. I keep writing them, and then they sit on my computer.


Racing Hearts is the first, and you can read all about it here: https://tulepublishing.com/authors/l-m-connolly/

What starts as revenge soon flares to passion. Italian race car tycoon Ronan Miller is on the cusp of achieving his elaborate revenge when he meets flame-haired back-up driver Georgia Trent. Intrigued by the beautiful and risk-loving beauty, he thinks he can use her as an instrument of his revenge, but after a spontaneous night of passion, he has other plans until fate knocks them both on a different track. Georgia Trent has doggedly pursued a goal that has nothing to do with Mr. Tall, Dark, Seductive and Handsome. But one night she indulges her sensual, passionate and impulsive nature, never dreaming the consequences will be so permanent. Wanting to do the right thing, Georgia tracks down the elusive Roman who’s disappeared after a family emergency. Watching Georgia game her way into his office reminds him of all he’s been missing, but Roman’s always been business before pleasure. But business won’t help him now. He is going to have to use all his seductive skills to woo Georgia back to his side, but has he waited too long? If it does well, I get to write some more! Here's the Amazon preorder link! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NYX7S67/

March news! Gallivanting!

I've been on two trips in February. The first was to London with my daughter.
We went to see the Dior exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which was amazing, especially the older designs. We found the Galliano for Dior designs flashy, clever, but show pieces. You can't wear a Galliano out to the shops, but you could put on your Christian Dior, your Bohan or your YSL. My mother worked for YSL when he had his own line and atelier. She had a lot of respect for him.
This was my daughter's favourite dress, and I'm not going to argue with her.
 

Barcelona!

And then I went to Barcelona! How lucky am I? Fellow author and good friend Sonja Rouillard (aka Kate Allure) called me and asked me if I wanted to spend a few days with her. Did I!
We did a walking tour first. I have to admit that Gaudi is not my favourite artist, but the Gothic architecture is stupendous. I did find the Sagra Familia, that big church he designed, a bit much. Mad, although I liked the Star Wars style warriors.
 
 We also went to the Mobile World Convention, which was unbelievably huge. Lots of folding phones, electric cars and innovations I didn't understand at all. And the new Microsoft Hololens which seemed to be garnering a lot of attention. I enjoyed the VR demonstration, but Sonja felt queasy after our ride, so we didn't do another one.
And we went on a motorbike tour. As you do.

Special offer on Fearless

Fearless

This Month Fearless is on offer for 99 cents, and not just at Amazon!

New deal on Lynne Connolly ebook

 

Fearless
By Lynne Connolly

 

Lord Valentinian Shaw doesn’t want to settle down — but when Lady Charlotte Engles begs to end their arranged betrothal to marry another, he feels duty bound to protect his betrothed from her dangerous new suitor. What happens when he starts to fall in love?
$0.99 $4.99
Amazon   Barnes & Noble Apple Books   Google Kobo

The New Year Cometh...

Let's see what this year brings! And please, let's be kinder to each other. This could be a year of change in the big, bad world outside our windows. Several threads seem to be coming to a head. I've kept this newsletter politics free, and I'll continue to do so, but outside, it's getting interesting - or scary.
So lets read lots of books instead! Do what we have to do, and then go back to our favourite places. Mine, as you know, is the 18th century. And I can't see that changing.

The SSL
This year sees the release of a new series from Kensington. It's going to be called the Society for Single Ladies, and it will feature a different couple in each book. But the ladies are the overlooked, the widows who might not want to remarry, the spinsters, the governesses.
At last, they've banded together!
Their leader is a figure you've met before, briefly, in The Shaws. Angela Childers is the richest woman in Britain, the owner of a major bank inherited from her father and the granddaughter of a duchess. She will never marry, or so she says. And she's based on a real-life figure. I find so much inspiration in real life examples, I can't tell you. Angela comes upon all kinds of problems in her working life, and her stalwart band of helpers is determined to help her.
There isn't a cover yet to show you, but there is a completed book in for editing and such, and I've signed a three book contract, so if it's a success, there will be more.
The release of the first book is slated for March. More later, when I have details.
 

 

The Shaws
The Shaws came to an end with Boundless. While I loved writing them, there just aren't any more. One day I'd like to write the stories of the Emperors that have escaped me. Maybe they'll turn up in the SSL series! I've been writing about this family for so long I feel I know them all personally. And because many of them have characteristics based on real life people, perhaps I did!

Special offer