in this post: The Duke’s Refuge
Happy February – official (according to me) KissingBooks month! And welcome to another Love Stories giveaway post! This LOVE STORIES giveaway series is thusly named for two reasons – first, because I love stories and second, because I love Love Stories.
Throughout the entire month of February, I’ll be spotlighting swoony Christian fiction & ‘clean read’ romances. Three cheers for KissingBooks!!! So… grab a fan or two, your trusty fainting couch, and maybe a freezer just to be safe and start making your KissingBooks tbr list! Oh… and did I mention there are GIVEAWAYS with EACH POST in this series??!! (Because authors are awesome!)
Today’s next book is The Duke’s Refuge by Lorri Dudley – plus a great post from the author on how writing this book helped her survive a record-breaking winter!
THE DUKE’S REFUGE
SERIES: The Leeward Islands #1
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Wild Heart Books
RELEASE DATE: January 7, 2020
PAGES: 368
When love comes in a tempest, who knew it would wear pink?
Georgia Lennox has traded in her boyish ways for pink gowns and a coy smile to capture the eye of the Earl of Claremont. However, on the day she’s convinced the earl will propose, Georgia is shipped off to the Leeward Islands to care for her ailing father. But when she arrives on Nevis, the last thing she expects is to learn that her abrupt departure was not at her father’s bidding but that of the infuriating, yet captivating, island schoolmaster. And now her plans may well be shipwrecked.
Harrison Wells is haunted by the memories of his deceased wife and hunted by the subsequent women who aspire to be the next Duchess of Linton. Desiring anonymity, he finds sanctuary in the Leeward island of Nevis. He’s willing to sacrifice his ducal title for a schoolmaster’s life and the solace the island provides. That is until unrest finds its way to Nevis in a storm of pink chiffon—Miss Georgia Lennox.
As Georgia and Harrison’s aspirations break apart like a ship cast upon the rocks, a new love surfaces, but secrets and circumstances drag them into rough waters. Can they surrender their hearts to a love that defies their expectations?
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Hero-Inclusive Caribbean Getaway
by Lorri Dudley, author of The Duke’s Refuge
Need to get away? I love the Snickers bar tag line. Who doesn’t need a vacation, especially if it’s to a warmer climate with shimmering aquamarine waters, lush tropical rainforests, rustling palm trees swaying in the breeze, and sprays of white seafoam fanning out over a cresting wave? (Here’s where I release a dreamy sigh.) An escape to a tropical island was my fantasy while I was buried under the largest snowfall record in Massachusetts history. Different northeasters dumped at least a foot of snow on us every weekend from February through March. I was stir-crazy and in desperate need of a getaway. Thankfully, as a writer, I had one, and it birthed The Duke’s Refuge.
The Leeward Island of Nevis rests in the Caribbean Ocean like a sleepy, green dragon curled up on a turquoise blue mat. The vivid colors of the tight rows of shops, shuttered with windows propped open by sticks, stood in contrast with the stark layer of white blanketing the ground outside my window. The isle has a rich culture from the native Caribs who moved to Nevis peak when settlers arrived, to planters who began cultivating the island for sugar, also known as white gold. Although, slave uprisings on Nevis hadn’t been recorded like some on other Caribbean islands. The high ratio of slaves to white owners set an underlying tension throughout the island in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries.
For me, Nevis needed to be brought alive not just by descriptions and slipping in bits of history, fauna, and wildlife, but also by how the characters thought and behaved. The heroine, Georgia, has protected her tender heart by encasing it in a sort of pink armor. She compares falling in love to a pelican folding its wings and plunging into the ocean deep. And, the hero, Harrison Wells, out of sheer frustration, thinks things like, He could no more remove her from his thoughts than he could remove the echo of the waves from a conch shell.
A regional escape wasn’t enough for me. I longed to go back in time to an era where honor and chivalry prevailed, where the lack of internet, cell phones, and selfies generated quality face-to-face human interaction. (Don’t get me wrong. I love modern technology and rely upon it, but in a book, it’s nice to get off the grid.) Of course, a tropical island in a romanticized era wouldn’t be complete without an alluring hero. Mystery surrounds the brooding and scarred Harrison Wells. As the reserved local schoolmaster, he holds disdain for polite society and Georgia’s antics but shows a softer side as the single father to his eight-year-old son, Max.
I’ve always preferred an alpha male hero, one who’s strong morally, physically, and spiritually, but who, with a little coaxing, can be swayed to bare his heart for the right woman. Although cynical after losing his wife, Harrison is an effortless leader, who doesn’t need to prove himself. He isn’t afraid to stand up for what is right and good and has no problem setting a feisty Georgia in her place.
Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. Find her online at www.lorridudley.com.
Lorri Dudley is offering a print copy of The Duke’s Refuge + a $15 Starbucks gift card to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What interests you most about The Duke’s Refuge & Lorri Dudley’s post/pics about the book’s setting & swoony hero?
I love Historical Romance, the story sounds great.
Sounds like a fun book to read. Thanks for the chance to win!
That is some serious, beautiful snow!! But the idea of shoveling it would spur me to a tropical getaway. The books sounds intriguing. Thanks for sharing!!
Sounds like a great read.
Marilyn
This book sounds intriguing and like a very good read, I love the cover , it is Beautiful! Thank you for sharing about this book and the author.
I love that she shows pics of the incredible amount of snow she had while writing this story. I’m sure a make believe tropical getaway was just what she needed!
Sounds so good! Thank you for sharing. I enjoy reading books set in different locations.
Enjoyed the post today!
thanks, Teresa!
The cover is beautiful! Sounds like a good book.
It has been great hearing about your book and although I am not the reader myself, my 2 sisters and 2 daughters are. They love hearing about the genre’s they like and me helping them get to find books they will enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous cover
I can remember those major snowstorms growing up in New York. I loved snow days then, hate them now. I no longer enjoy snow or the cold. These old bones can’t handle the cold. However, it does make for a nice evening by the fire with a good book, such as this one, and a hot cup of cocoa.
definitely!
I’m curious whether or not Georgia willingly gave up her “boyish” way. Did she revert to them went she went to help her father? Are the Leeward Islands where she grew up? Does it make a difference that it was the duke, & not her father that told her to return?
The blurb sounds great & I love the cover
Georgia and Harrison are interesting characters! Thanks for the giveaway!
It’s interesting to hear/read how the island has changed. I love pictures of the different coloured water. One day….
indeed 🙂
lots of snow
I love Historical Romance… and this cover 😍😍
I enjoy historical fiction. This one sounds like a must read.
Great cover and a great sounding story.
Sounds really good
I just read the second book in the series without knowing it was the second. Oh dear, now I have to read this one, too? 😉
totally 😀
I like historical romance and I like when the protagonist has to establish herself whether it’s being a lady detective or in the case figuring out a new place and overcoming someone else’s bad dealing. Thanks for sharing.
I so enjoy learning of this author and the pictures are great and I loved seeing all the snow!!
I love Historical romance those pics are great and this sounds like a great read. Thanks for the chance.
Tighefan42atgmaildotcom
Wow, what a lot of snow! I am happy you were able to escape and write an intriguing book!