Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Laura Frantz & The Rose and the Thistle

We’ve had several of my favorite people on the blog this week – Kimberley Woodhouse, Shelley Shepard Gray, and now the fabulous Laura Frantz! So excited to have her here today to talk about the characters in her new historical romance The Rose and the Thistle!

THE ROSE AND THE THISTLE by Laura Frantz
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Revell
RELEASE DATE: January 3, 2023
PAGES: 414

In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley’s father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems–a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.

Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies–and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.

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blythe & everard

by Laura Frantz, author of The Rose and the Thistle

When I begin a novel, I only have in mind the barest sketch of what a character looks like, at least physically. For The Rose and the Thistle I only knew our heroine was tall and pale and blonde, our hero tall and dark. The entire novel is mostly written from an intuitive knowledge of a character’s personality and what makes them tick though they often surprise me while writing.

Once I finish a novel I’m always asked by at least a few readers for photo inspiration or a real life celebrity lookalike. And I’m always surprised that my idea doesn’t match the hero and heroine in their head. Everyone has a unique vision. But it’s sure fun to compare!

Let’s start with our heroine…

Blythe Hedley or Lady Blythe, as far as the British peerage is concerned, is a Northumbrian aristocrat. Daughter of an English duke, Blythe is not a beauty, at least by early 18^th-century standards. The ideal woman back then was voluptuous, even plump. Thin wasn’t in as it smacked of poverty. Poor Lady Blythe is not only slender but very tall, taller than most of her male contemporaries which helps seal her spinster status. Blythe is brainy, not beautiful, but clueless about men. She adores books, not buff gentlemen until– well, no spoilers for you😊Blythe’s strength is her compassion, her weakness pride.

There’s an actual British royal in existence today who nails Blythe’s look – Lady Gabriella “Ella” Windsor. Isn’t she lovely? Especially on her wedding day in 2019!

Next is our hero…

Everard Hume, the laird of Wedderburn. Laird is the Scottish equivalent of the English lord. He is new to his Lowland earldom, having been on the European battlefield for a decade or more away from Scotland. He is large and in charge, shrewd, brusque, and sums up someone in a trice. His strength is his decisiveness and an ability to see past appearances, his weakness a lack of vulnerability.

Reach back into the 1990’s to a longer-haired Michael Bergin who worked for Calvin Klein and you’ll see Everard’s twin. Just imagine him in 18^th-century attire!

I’d love to hear readers thoughts about who they have in mind for Blythe Hedley and Everard Hume – you may differ from the author and that’s fun, too!

Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including The Frontiersman’s Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Lacemaker, and A Heart Adrift. She is a proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. A direct descendent of George Hume of Wedderburn Castle, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion, Laura lives with her husband in Washington State. Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.

Revell is offering a print copy of The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz to TWO 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.

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What about you? What makes you want to read The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz? If you’ve already read this book, how did your mental picture of the characters match or differ from Laura’s?