Guest Author & Giveaway: Patricia Grasso featuring Marrying the Marquis
Monday, November 30
***This giveaway has ended, but don't let that stop you from reading the post :) Thanks for joining the fun.***
My guest today is Patricia Grasso, and like so many of my current favorite historical romance authors, she was an accidental library find. The first book I read was To Charm a Prince. I didn't decide to read it because it had an enticing cover, or a seductive title, but because it was available and it was a regency romance. Despite this, it was love at first read, and I am so thankful that I picked the book up because I was definitely charmed by this love story.
I have read all of Patricia's romances and have loved each and every one of them, especially To Charm a Prince, Pleasuring the Prince, To Love a Princess, and To Tempt an Angel, but really I don't think you can go wrong with any of her books. The men always make mistakes, the women eventually forgive them after making them pay in some way, and somewhere along the way they fall in love....and the butler is usually key in helping the heroes see the error of their ways. They are fun, romantic, and sensuous. A great combination for a romance novel.
Patricia's newest book, Marrying the Marquis, is the third book in the Flambeau Sisters series. The series is about seven young women who were bastard born to a Duke, who each have a "special" talent, who struggle to come to terms with their father, whom they felt abandoned them and their mother who committed suicide. What I love about this series is that while their are sad moments, there are also many moments of fun between the sisters and their stepmother who teaches them how to stand on their own among the privileged ton, a father learning to be a "father" to young women, and the men who are brave enough to capture them.
Marrying the Marquis is about Blaze....a red haired, freckled, vegetarian who is an animal lover/whisperer who has sworn never to marry in fear of having her freedom restricted. Ross is her Scottish hero who is enchanted by her uniqueness, and has decided that Blaze is the perfect wife for him and will use any means, including her love for animals and her attraction to him to make her his wife.
Welcome to Seductive Musings Patricia!
My first brush with romance happened in my high school junior year. I discovered GONE WITH THE WIND and hid it behind my American history book to read during class. The ending left me dissatisfied, though. Rhett and Scarlett needed a happily-ever-after. Believing in happily-ever-afters shouts romantic-at-heart.
After graduating high school without distinction, I attended college. Again, without distinction. I held several part-time jobs during my college days: file clerk for an insurance company, long-distance telephone operator, kimono-wearing waitress in a Japanese restaurant.
And then I started my teaching career, eighteen years in the 8th grade and thirteen years at the high school. When I wasn't hanging out in bars looking for Mr. Right, I was reading historical romance.
Then I decided to write my own. Actually, I decided to talk for five years about writing my own. A friend finally told me to stop talking and start writing.
So I began my first novel (HIGHLAND BELLE) and made every mistake known to man. Blunder is a more appropriate word, but I did learn from all those blunders.
For twenty years, I taught full-time and wrote full-time which kept me out of bars. That saved me from hundreds of horrid dates with Mr. Wrong.
After five years of writing for nothing but love, I sold my first novel in 1990. Since then, I've sold eighteen historical romances and won several awards. (National Readers' Choice Award, New England Readers' Choice Award, Romantic Times Reviewers Choice and KISS Awards, B. Dalton and Bookrak Awards for bestselling author. My books have been translated into fifteen lanugages and are sold in twenty countries.
If I had my life over, would I become a writer? Nope. I would love to be a Victoria Secret model. Perhaps in my next incarnation?

Miss Blaze Flambeau, the Duke of Inverary's daughter, likes most animals but most gentlemen annoy her. Blessed with a special gift, Blaze is an animal communicator. When her father gives her a thoroughbred racehorse, Blaze decides to enter her filly in Newmarket's most prestigious races and win enough money to build an animal refuge. She does have a problem, though. Her filly is fast but flawed and needs specialized training in order to win the races.
Enter Ross MacArthur....
The Scottish Marquis of Awe. MacArthur is one of three suitors for Blaze's and in marriage and is an experienced thoroughbred breeder who owns several champions. He insists on helping Blaze train her filly and win the races.
Danger stalks Newmarket....
England's premier jockey is murdered and one of the thoroughbreds, a contender for the championships, is poisoned. Someone wants to win badly enough to murder both man and animal. And then the villain targets Blaze....
Daughter of a wealthy duke, Blaze Flambeau has no shortage of gentlemen vying for her hand in marriage-yet all she desires is her independence. She'd much rather devote her energies to caring for her prized thoroughbred than to the fortune hunters who knock down her door. But her father is ready to see her wed, so he makes her a bargain: she may participate in the racing season only if she gives each suitor a fighting chance at her heart.
One man, however, makes Blaze a far more scandalous proposition: her reputation or his bed! For Ross MacArthur, Marquis of Awe, knows something that could ruin her, and he will not hesitate to use it to win her. Blaze cannot let the Scottish rogue have his way-or her innocence-but never in her life has she been so tempted. Perhaps the Marquis's scheme doesn't pose such a dilemma after all...
My many thanks to Patricia for being my guest today. Marrying the Marquis releases tomorrow, December 1st. I've been waiting for this one for a year and am very excited about it. You can find her at her website PatriciaGrasso.com.
To celebrate the release of Marrying the Marquis, Patricia has offered to giveaway a signed bookmark to anyone who wants one, just email her with your name and mailing address (sorry US only)...and she has also generously offered to giveaway TWO signed books from her backlist!
To celebrate the release of Marrying the Marquis, Patricia has offered to giveaway a signed bookmark to anyone who wants one, just email her with your name and mailing address (sorry US only)...and she has also generously offered to giveaway TWO signed books from her backlist!
Here's how you enter to win one...
Ways to earn entries:
- Mandatory: Answer both questions: What is your favorite book by Patricia Grasso, and why? and...What book from her backlist intrigues you the most and why? You never know you might just win it! (good for 1 entry)
- Become a follower of Seductive Musings, and/or mention that you are already a follower in your comment (good for 5 entries)
- Blog about this contest on your blog and leave a link with your comment (good for 15 entries)
- If you don't have a blog, don't worry you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they leave a comment on this post and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend)
- Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)
How to enter:
- You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment
Rules and disclaimers:
- This contest is open to residents of the U.S. only
- The contest will end Saturday December 5th at 11:59 pm EST and winners will be posted after they have been selected
- Winners will be selected using Random.org
- All winners will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
- The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
- Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit
- All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice
Good Luck!!!

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