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When-Good-Earls-Go-BadThursday I finished the copy edits for my February 2015 novella, When Good Earls Go Bad. Here’s the blurb:

What’s a lovely young woman doing asleep in his bed? Matthew, Earl of Selkirk, is shocked to discover it’s his new housekeeper! She’s a far cry from the gray-haired woman he expected. Matthew is no fan of surprises, and Annabelle Tyne is pure temptation. Perhaps he shouldn’t have had her hired sight unseen.

Annabelle, co-owner of the Quality Employment Agency, is no housekeeper, but she wasn’t about to lose a potential client simply because there was no one to fit the bill. Imagine her shock when the earl arrives at his London townhome and she’s awoken in the night by the most attractive man she’s ever seen.

Matthew is a man who lives life by the rules, but sometimes rules are made to be broken … and being bad can be very, very good.

And here is the part where he ends up in her bed:

Annabelle had never been so comfortable before, or at least it felt that way. The bed was soft and warm, the house was quiet, just a slight rustling of something, fabric maybe? Then the feel of another body easing into—

“What? Who? What are you doing in here?” she said, kicking at the other occupant of the bed, who was not only someone she’d not invited in, but definitely not anyone she’d even ever met before.

It was light enough in the room, thanks to the moonlight, to see it was a man, which did not reassure her. From what she saw of his expression, however, he was just as startled as she was to find her there. Well, she was not startled to find herself there, but she was startled to find him.

Perhaps she would not be the best person to lead the How to Speak to Annabelle course, since she barely understood herself what she was thinking.

“Who are you?” His voice held a foreign accent, but it was his obvious outrage that she listened to the most.

“Who am I?” she said, pushing herself back into the corner of the bed, her back making a comforting contact with the wall. “Who am I? I am supposed to be here, whereas you . . .”

“Are supposed to be here also,” he replied, before she could finish her sentence.

And the foreign accent clicked it all into place, and she felt her stomach whoosh in panic and terror and . . .

“You’re the earl. And you’re early.”

His face did not change, not even when she stressed “early” as in earl-y.

“And who are you?” he said, folding his arms across his—oh my goodness—naked chest.

“The housekeeper?” Annabelle hated that her voice rose at the end, as though she weren’t quite sure herself. “The housekeeper,” she said, this time in a much firmer tone. But not nearly as firm as his chest was; it was rippled throughout with all sorts of intriguing muscles and a light dusting of dark chest hair, and his shoulders were so broad it seemed he filled the room, or at least her vision of the room.

And suddenly she was even warmer in her bed than she’d been five minutes ago.

The Scottish earl should not be this attractive, which she could tell even only by the moonlight. Imagine the impact when she viewed him with the full strength of the sun. She shuddered at the thought, only the shudder somehow seemed to feel more like a shiver. Of something.

“You were not to arrive until tomorrow,” he said, his voice, despite the nice Scottish burr, practically dripping disdain.

“Well, I’m here, and so are you, and here we are, and you are nearly, well, if I might say so, you are nearly naked,” Annabelle finished in a rush, trying very hard not to look there, not where there were some interesting parts covered by his underclothes.

Even in the dim light she could see when he realized just how he must look, his eyebrows raising up so far up his face it seemed as though he might just take flight, his eyes wide.

“Mrs. Housekeeper, I promise you, I am not in the habit of . . .” he began, then spun on his heels—or his bare feet, actually, since he wasn’t wearing boots, presenting Annabelle with a view of a very strong, very broad back, with some even more interesting divots that were on either side of his lower spine.

This was probably the zaniest book I have ever written (which is saying something!), and I had such fun writing it. It comes out February 10, 2015.

Megan

GraphicPursueFinally! Woot! The Duke’s Guide to Correct Behavior, the first book in the Dukes Behaving Badly book is out Tuesday, and I am so excited.

Here’s the synopsis:

 All of London knows the Duke of Rutherford has position and wealth. They also whisper that he’s dissolute, devilish, and determinedly unwed. So why, everyone is asking, has he hired a governess?

When Miss Lily Russell crosses the threshold of the Duke of Rutherford’s stylish townhouse, she knows she has come face to face with sensual danger. For this is no doting papa. Rather, his behavior is scandalous, and his reputation rightly earned. And his pursuit of her is nearly irresistible—but resist she must for the sake of her pupil.

As for the duke himself, it was bad enough when his unknown child landed on his doorstep. Now Lily, with her unassuming beauty, has aroused his most wicked fantasies—and, shockingly, his desire to change his wanton ways. He’s determined to become worthy of her, and so he asks for her help in correcting his behavior.

But Lily has a secret, one that, if it becomes known, could change everything…

I got some great early reviews already:

“Frampton superbly balances passion with humor, avoiding cliché through rich characterization. The result is warm, kindhearted, and utterly delightful.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Frampton’s romance has charm to spare, and readers will find it impossible to resist her flawless characterization, fanciful plotting, and deliciously fizzy wit.” —Booklist

“Frampton’s enchanting tale of a lively governess and desolate duke is just what historical readers cherish-a humorous, touching, fast-paced and sensual love story. Frampton has what it takes to become a fan favorite.” —Romantic Times (4 Stars)

I love the notion that I have a “deliciously fizzy wit.”

And I’m off writing more in the Dukes Behaving Badly series, this time with a very proper duke, one who knows precisely how to behave–until he meets the heroine.

Hope everyone has a great short week ahead, with plenty of reading to go along with that turkey!

Megan

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Balogh-Only-EnchantingThis past week, I read Mary Balogh’s upcoming (10/28) release Only Enchanting. You know those books that make your heart squeeze tighter with each page? How you love the characters and are hoping they make it through? Yup. I got the worst book hangover from that one, I haven’t even wanted to read a romance since*.

Balogh has written some of my absolute favorite books ever, and she’s also written a few that I’ve DNFed. But even the ones I Didn’t Finish were written beautifully, I just didn’t connect with the characters or the plot in some way.

But Only Enchanting–it is just stunning, and it’s not like it’s got any kind of huge dramatic action. If the two characters didn’t end up Happily Ever After, it’s not as though the world would have shifted; they just both would have remained unfulfilled in their lives. Which would have been sad for them, of course, but not been a crisis.

Refreshingly, when there is a misunderstanding, the hero and heroine TALK to each other. And things aren’t always perfect after, but at least they’ve communicated.

So, beyond highly recommending this book–it got me to thinking about why writers write; we want to capture that heart-squeezing moment on the page and hopefully cause that reaction in our readers.

In me writing news, my editor accepted the revision for my February 2015 novella, When Good Earls Go Bad; this week, I’m revising Put Up Your Duke, which is due to my editor on Halloween (spooky!). And then, no deadlines for a while, good timing with the holidays approaching.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend reading and writing!

Megan

*I’m reading William Gibson’s Neuromancer, which is mind-blowingly awesome.

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The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior by Megan FramptonTen days ago, I turned the manuscript in for Put Up Your Duke, the second book in the Dukes Behaving Badly series. My editor has already read it (!), and there are minimal edits (!!), so I will be turning edits in for that plus my novella, When Good Earls Go Bad, on November 1. If my head doesn’t explode.

I have a newsletter sign-up as well at my website, meganframpton.com. The sign-up thingy is just to the right on the home page, and I promise not to deluge my subscribers with too many newsletters, mostly because that would be work I don’t want to do.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working on another proposal, further adventures in the Dukes Behaving Badly series, and this duke is entirely staid and doesn’t behave badly at all until he meets the heroine. He’s a fun character to get to know. Here’s a smidge of it thus far:

          “Yes.”

So easy to say, Lasham thought. And lord knew he heard it enough. Did dukes ever hear the word ‘no?’

The answer to that, of course, would be “no.”

He stared out at the crowd on the dance floor, a milling whirl of men and women, the best people of his Society, all of who had likely said “yes” to him at some point or another. Or at least wanted to, if asked.

Lasham took too big a swallow of his wine, knowing his headache would only be exacerbated by the alcohol, but unwilling to forego the pleasure of being able to suspend his constantly analyzing brain for a few minutes of blessed numbness.

He knew he had nothing to complain about (“Is there anything about which you’d like to complain, Your Grace?” “No.”), but he wished he weren’t constantly on display, constantly reminded of his Dukeliness with every “yes.”

And I’ve been reading, too! Of course. Because I always read. I joined the Old School Romance Book Club started by Sarah MacLean, and am currently reading Julie Garwood’s The Bride, which is great fun (I also got to read Sarah’s upcoming release, Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover, which was incredible).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Megan

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Clive-Owen-The-KnickI’ve been absent, lo these many weeks, while on deadline for the second book in my Dukes Behaving Badly series. And now I’ve got it (sort of) finished, and I also have a title–Put Up Your Duke.

Yes, the dukely hero also boxes, as dukes do (!). He is in a marriage of convenience, and because he and his new duchess have not yet, um, done things, he heads out to the boxing saloon each morning to punch away his frustration.

Eventually, his wife asks him for boxing lessons, and that is fun, too. And then she punches someone she dislikes immensely, and takes great satisfaction in that.

Other than that, I’ve been caught up in the delicious drama of Outlander, anticipating Sleepy Hollow’s return, LOVING The Knick (starring my fave, Clive Owen), and doing a lot of reading (yay for a long subway commute!).

How is everyone doing?

Posted in Risky Regencies | Tagged | 2 Replies