Georgian Romance Revolt Review and Giveaway

 

Georgian Romance Revolt

by Lucinda Elliot 

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GENRE:   Homour, Dark and Satire

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BLURB:

Elaine Long is trapped in the body of the heroine in a warped cyber version of an historical romance.  
Something has gone drastically wrong, with the characters talking and acting outside the script, and her coachman is exactly like one of the author’s Golden and Reckless hero types.

Worse, the disgraced earl turned highwayman anti-hero - one of the author's Dark, Mean and Moody hero types, has stolen the heroine’s betrothal ring, which just happens to be Elaine’s escape device.  

Elaine, once eager to escape from everyday life and being taken for granted by her part-time boyfriend into this cyber version of her favourite author's fictional world, isn’t even confident that this story can guarantee a happy ending, even if she does have three or four hero types in it with her...

A darkly comic, fast moving spoof on the tropes of  historical romance from four times BRAG medallion winner Lucinda Elliot.

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Excerpt

When the character from one of Charlotte Cray’s novels appeared in her study, she knew him at once as the anti-hero from The Pledge.

He was half dressed, in his shirt sleeves and breeches, without a wig, with his black hair casually caught back in a queue. He brandished a ring like a weapon.

Even in her shock, she was pleased that he looked exactly as she had imagined him, tall, lean, dark and wickedly handsome, exactly as she had pictured Rinaldo Rinaldini.

As Charlotte put down her pen, blinking, she realised that she had no idea of what she had been writing.

“Curse it: I’ve taken too many of those pills.  I suppose it had to happen sometime.” She decided to be philosophical and try to enjoy the hallucination.

Besides, she had a vague memory that it had happened once before. That vision had faded soon enough. It had been of one of her Golden and Cheerfully Reckless heroes, incongruously dressed in servants’ garb. She had been in a bad mood at the time, plagued by tax troubles, and had taken it out on the hallucination. She had said that seeing he was playing the role of lackey, he might as well do some chores for her. She couldn’t recall his reaction,  though she thought that it had been engaging.

By contrast, the earl highwayman scowled at her. This, though typical of his arrogance, was a nerve in a figment of her imagination.

“Who the Devil are you, ma’am?” His sparkling black eyes scanned her disapprovingly, dwelling incredulously on her legs.

Although he didn’t exist, this was humiliating. She realised that a skirt a couple of inches above the knee, respectability itself for this era, with all the girls in miniskirts, was indecent by the standards of the eighteenth century. Yet it was absurd that her creation should have any independent notions about her dress or anything else.

She knew hallucinations to be one of the side effects of Maxidream. One person she’d heard of had imagined a voice coming from what she had termed ‘the toilet’. Charlotte had turned up her nose at the vulgar genteel term and the coarseness of such an illusion.

Now the ’Grande Dame of Georgian Romance’ answered as boldly as one of her heroines. “I see no reason why I should account for myself to one of my own characters.”

He drew back. “Your character?” His voice came as almost a groan. “Damn it, it cannot be true.”

“I am sorry to distress you, My Lord; pray take a seat while you collect yourself.” It was only polite to address him in language that he could understand. Still, she hoped that he would soon disappear.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lucinda Elliot, four times winner of the BRAG medallion for outstanding self published fiction, was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. When she was growing up, her family lived in various large, isolated old houses in various parts of the UK as they used to renovate such places in the days before it became fashionable. She lived for many years in London and now lives in Mid Wales with her family.  She loves a laugh above anything. 

Blog:

https://sophieandemile.wordpress.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ElliotLucinda

amazon.author page

https://www.amazon.com/Lucinda-Elliot/e/B008YU9B58?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1595010312&sr=8-

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6469356.Lucinda_Elliot

The book will be on sale for $0.99.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

Lucinda Elliot will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Readers Roost Review

Rating: Five out of Five Stars

This cheeky and very British send-up of historical romance tropes is exactly the kind of read I am looking for and don’t get enough of. Lucinda Elliot hilariously breaks the fourth wall with her observations of the gritty but conveniently not filthy and disease-ridden historical setting where the coachmen are compelling Adonises with chiseled jawlines and sparkling white teeth and the villains are compelling rogues with eyes like dark pools and surprisingly fresh breath. Romance authors and fans of the genre alike are sure to have a much-needed chuckle while joining long-suffering Elaine on a virtual romance adventure that she finds herself unable to escape from.

Lucinda Elliot is that rare author who knows how to poke fun at stereotypes without devolving into meanness. Women are often derided for using romance to escape their mundane real lives. When Elaine does this via a new virtual reality program at the library, it goes hilariously awry. Yet despite the reality of her journey into a scenario where she expected to be swept off her feet by a dashing hero or rakish villain coming up short, Elaine never appears pathetic. She is a likable heroine who keeps calm and carries on. She is a heroine that real women can relate to.

I unreservedly recommend Georgian Romance Riot to any reader who loves the romance genre and British humor. Come along on this well-written, quirky adventure. You won’t regret it!

~Cie for Readers Roost~