About the Author:
TJ Brown is
passionate about books, writing, history, dachshunds and mojitos. If she could
go back in time, she would have traveled back to England, 1910, Paris, 1927 or
Haight-Ashbury, 1967. She resides in the burbs of Portlandia, where she
appreciates the weirdness, the microbreweries, hoodies, Voodoo Donuts and the
rain.
BLURB:
After Prudence’s desperate marriage and move
to London, sisters Rowena and Victoria fear they have lost their beloved friend
forever. Guilt-ridden and remorseful, Rowena seeks comfort from a daring flyboy
and embraces the most dangerous activity the world has ever seen, and Victoria
defies her family and her illness to make her own dream occupation as a
botanist come true. As England and the world step closer to conflict, the two young
women flout their family, their upbringing, and their heritage to seize a
modern future of their own making.
Victoria Buxton
With her delicate constitution but strong, unflappable spirit,
Victoria has never followed societal conventions, the rules of fashion, or the
pursuit of a husband. Instead, she finds herself drawn to the controversial—and
dangerous—fight for women’s suffrage. But her dream is compromised, and her
heart divided, when her struggles for equal rights collide with unexpected
love.
Rowena Buxton
After yearning to no avail for a certain young pilot to fly back into
her life, Rowena fears her chances for happiness have been jeopardized by
recklessness and scandal. Burdened with guilt for bringing her sister Prudence
to Summerset Abbey as a lady’s maid while she herself led a life of privilege,
Rowena hopes to one day make amends. But her desire to set things right is
complicated by her passion for flight and a sudden engagement…to the wrong man.
Prudence Tate
Raised like a sister to Victoria and Rowena, then banished to the
servants’ quarters when their father passed away, Prudence has seen both sides
of life, upstairs and down. But once the truth about her parentage was
revealed, Prudence forged a new life for herself, married to a penniless
veterinary student. Living in poverty in a shabby London flat, she wonders if
she’s made a terrible mistake—and there’s no turning back...
T. J. will be awarding to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour a 4
piece Whimsical Butterfly Tea set. The tea set is handcrafted by
artist April Cook of white stoneware slip and painted with a unique
whimsical design of a butterfly in lime green and plum glaze. It is both
dishwasher and microwave safe. The set includes a 32 oz. tea pot with
lid, creamer and sugar bowl (To see more of April's designs, see www.etsy.com/shop/speeglecreations). (US ONLY)
Excerpt:
The next time Victoria opened her eyes, the light was on.
She blinked a couple of times and was startled when a woman with a thick East
End accent said, “You’re awake now, so don’t you be playing possum, and don’t
start your screaming or else the doctor will be sending you to the asylum, and
trust me, darling, you would rather be here.”
Victoria froze. The scent of bleach and urine still
assaulted her nose. The one small window above her head let in no light and she
could see bars at the top. Her heart pounded a little faster. “Tell me where I
am!”
“You can say please, you know. Just because I’m a nurse and
you’re a suffragette doesn’t mean you needn’t use your manners.”
Victoria tried to move and realized that not only was her
arm chained, but her leg was as well.
The woman laughed. “You’ll not be kicking me again.”
“I’m sorry,” Victoria said earnestly. “Please. Where am I?”
The woman came closer. She wore a blue and white striped
shirt, a long skirt of cheap wincey and a crisp white apron that covered her
head to toe. A white linen cap covered her hair. She smelt strongly of lye
soap, but it was infinitely better than the urine stench. Her eyes were a
bright, saucy blue. “That’s more like it. You’re in Holloway prison.”
Victoria whimpered, her heartbeat accelerating and her chest
tightening. She closed her eyes and counted, taking little breaths until the
vise on her chest eased. Once she could breathe easily again, she asked, “Why
am I here?”
“You don’t know?” the nurse sounded surprised. “That’s a new
one. Most of you suffragettes are proud of your exploits! Don’t you remember?”
Victoria thought hard. She remembered being at the National
Gallery with Mary and then Mary had… memories came flooding back and Victoria
groaned.
“I see you’re remembering.”
She struggled to sit again and then gave up, settling back
against the mattress. The pillow under her neck scratched, and she prayed it
was the cheap linen rather than bugs. “Prison is different than I thought it
would be.”
Buy Links:
Thank you for hosting today
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me! Question for commenters... which woman in the series do you most identify with? I adore them all, but admit that Victoria was my favorite. There is something very infectious about her.
ReplyDeleteReally liked reading Sumemrset Abbey and so far I can understand Prudence the most.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a chance to read either book but from the book description/blurb - I will probably enjoy Victoria the best also because of her suffragette tendencies.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway
junegirl63 at gmail dot com
Nice covers.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Probably Victoria. I'm a bit of a feminist, so I can definitely relate to her.
ReplyDeletetiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com