Title: Lord of Misrule
Author: Gail Eastwood
Genre: Regency Romance (sweet traditional)
Book Blurb:
2019 Maggie Award Finalist for Best Historical Romance
On a snowy Christmas Eve day, a vicar’s daughter runs into the Devil himself, or is he just the Lord of Misrule?
After causing a scandal in London, Lord Forthhurst is headed home to make amends when he becomes stranded in the tiny Derbyshire village of Little Macclow on Christmas Eve. Before the night is over, he has become thoroughly entangled in the village celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and fully intrigued by the vicar’s daughter, Miss Cassandra Tamworth.
But Cassie has been raised to expect the worst from members of the aristocracy. Lord Forthhurst is a puzzle. Could he be the love of her life? Or is he a devil, as he claims and warns her? In a season of miracles and magic, can love bind two unlikely hearts by 12th Night?
(Book 2 in the Tales of Little Macclow series)
"a bit of Pride and Prejudice, a little Brigadoon and a dollop of Cinderella" –author Terri Kennedy
Readers rate this book 5-stars:
“a unique Regency romance, full of small village flavor …delightful, amusing, magical story….I was hooked from the first page.”
“Fun & witty, serious & sober, this book has something for everyone. …the perfect Christmas book!”
Excerpt:
“It must be some emergency.”
Cassie flew to the front door and wrenched it open, admitting a cloud of freezing fog and a male figure so bundled against the ice he was unrecognizable. Waiting for the servants to emerge from below stairs was not a choice at such a moment. “Come in, quickly. Oh dear heavens, come in.” As he advanced into the entry hall she quickly closed the door behind him.
A voice came out of the depths of oilcloth and wool. “I h-h-heartily beg your p-p-pardon for the inter-r-r-ruption, Miss T-t-t-amworth.”
Incredulity, and a touch of alarm, spilled like a chill through her veins. “Lord Forthhurst? Is that you?” She should have recognized his blue and red striped scarf at once, although he appeared to have two scarves wrapped around him. And then, as he removed his hat with shaking hands and began to unwind both scarves from around his face and neck, she could see the unmistakable green of his eyes.
Against all sense, a twinkle danced in them. “Un-f-f-fortunately my b-b-business couldn’t w-w-wait for more c-c-clement weather.”
The man was clearly frozen –or at least his wits must have been. “Are you mad? What are you doing here?” She realized she didn’t sound welcoming or glad to see him, but in truth she couldn’t find a balance between all of the emotions tumbling through her. She hadn’t been certain he would return at all.
She shook her head. “Of course you are mad, you needn’t answer that. But the second question still stands.”
She took the scarves from his shivering fingers and simply tossed them aside so she could begin to help him unfasten the frost-encrusted oilcloth coat that was his outermost layer.
“N-needed to s-see you.” He barely could form the words between the chattering of his teeth. Truly? He could still flirt when he was nearly frozen to death? Or was he not as frozen as he appeared to be?
“That makes no sense,” she chided.
By then her father had come into the hall, and behind him came their footman and their maid-of-all-work. Wordlessly the maid picked up the discarded scarves, and the footman raised his hands, asking how he might be of help.
“Please ask Cook for hot tea, and plenty of it,” Cassie said. Twisting her head so she could see her father, she added, “Look, papa, it is Lord Forthhurst, presenting himself as a snowman.”
Would her attempt at humor soften her father’s reception? She was already counting on his basic decency toward another human being under such extreme circumstances.
She was gratified when he smiled faintly. “I believe that the Lord of Misrule is excused from entertaining us when the weather is so treacherous, sir, but perhaps you did not know?”
Cassie handed the now-dripping oilcloth coat to the maid. “Please set Lord Forthhurst’s things to dry in front of one of the fires.” She started to work on the fastenings of his greatcoat. He simply stood like a block of ice and allowed her to work. Touching his clothing somehow felt shockingly intimate.
“What could have possessed you to venture out in this dangerous ice?” she fussed at him, partly to cover that most certainly inappropriate response to him. “The weather is not fit for man or beast.”
Finally, perhaps thawed a bit, he spoke again –this time without his teeth chattering. “I’ve been told that.” He leaned in close to her ear and spoke in a low voice. “Fortunately, as I’ve mentioned, I am a devil.”
He was. She could completely believe it. How else could so few whispered words arrow down through her, setting off small fires everywhere? She couldn’t react, not with her father standing so nearby. Lord Forthhurst was a devil, too, for saying something outrageous when he knew very well she couldn’t respond. How could he be so impossible after he had just clearly traipsed through life-threatening ice to come there, for who knew what reason?
She stepped back and looked straight into his eyes. “Why in the name of heaven are you here?” She was beginning to suspect that his character had as many layers as he was wearing to protect him from the cold.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Universal link: https://books2read.com/b/mYABxG
Amazon direct link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L4Z4H72
What I love most about the holiday season:
At the beginning of Lord of Misrule, the heroine Cassie is sewing new capes for the the Twelfth Night King and Queen to wear, thinking about the hundreds of years of tradition behind what she is doing. She feels a connection to those seamstresses of the past, and she lives in a small village where ancient traditions are still honored (even if the village has put its own twist on them). I love the traditions associated with Christmas –even if a lot of them were invented by the Victorians! Family traditions are one of the ways people bond together in love—and love is what this season is all about.
Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?
Part of the fun of Lord of Misrule is all of the crazy activities Adam, the hero, has to come up with to entertain the village for the twelve days of Christmastide once he finds himself saddled with the title job. Navigating the rocky course of a romance at the same time is a challenge he is not prepared for, so it is also great fun to see how he changes and adapts. But Christmas has its own kind of magic—the power of love magnified by the season, I think—and the best part about this story is seeing how that wonderful power changes (or at least reveals) true hearts that belong together.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card:
Open internationally.
Runs July 1 – 31, 2023.
Drawing will be held on August 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
Award-winning author Gail Eastwood started writing stories as soon as she learned to string words together on paper, and blames Beatrix Potter and A.A. Milne for making her a devoted Anglophile at a very young age. After detours into journalism and rare books, she finally found her path writing Signet Regencies acclaimed for their emotional depth and innovative plots. Nominated twice for RomanticTimes Magazine’s Career Achievement award, a winner and finalist for numerous awards, Gail had to put writing on hold to deal with family issues for almost 16 years. But now she’s back doing what she loves best and offering readers a new, heart-warming Regency series set in a small village possibly touched by magic (or it is just the power of Love?), Tales of Little Macclow.
“One of the genre's most imaginative storytellers, a master at painting pictures of Regency life,”
—Romantic Times Magazine
Social Media Links:
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