Guest post and review: How to Lose a Lord in 10 Days or Less by Elizabeth Michels

We are excited to welcome back author Elizabeth Michels.  She joins us with a guest post on writing a series.  Enjoy it after my thoughts on her latest book, How to Lose a Lord in 10 Days or Less.

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of publication: July 2014

He's the perfect gentleman...

After years hidden away from the mockery of the Ton, proud Andrew Clifton, Lord Amberstall, is finally ready to face Society again. But when his horse is injured on the road to London, Andrew finds himself literally thrown at the feet of the beautiful, infuriating, and undeniably eccentric Katie Moore.

...she's anything but a lady.

Katie always preferred the stables to society, so when she was badly injured in a riding accident, she was more than happy to retreat to the countryside and give up the marriage mart for good. She never expected an infuriatingly proper lord to come tumbling into her life - and she certainly never expected to find herself wondering what it would be like to rejoin the world at his side.

They couldn't be more different, and soon Andrew and Katie find themselves at odds about everything but the growing passion between them... and a keen awareness of a threat that may end their unconventional romance before it has even begun.

My thoughts:

I definitely can say that this one is my favorite of the series.  It keeps getting better and better.  How to Lose a Lord in 10 Days or Less is the third book in the Tricks of the Ton series.  It features Andrew Clifton from Book 1, the owner of the amorous horse. (loved that scene) and Katie who showed up in the second book.  I loved watching these two fall in love with each other.  It was slow, but so sweet.  Katie shows Andy how to let go of his need for order and Andy helps Katie get back her love of horses.  The choice he makes in the end for her was so bittersweet and made me really feel the depth of his feelings for her.

As in the other books, there is a little bit of a mystery and this one has a little twist.  We also get to visit with characters from the earlier books.  When they show up, you know there is some fun in store. and I was happy to see there was plenty of humor in the book .  I loved the dinner scene.  I can't wait to see what comes next!

It’s Time for Book 3! (A.K.A It’s a Series!)

In honor of yesterday’s release of the third book in my Tricks of the Ton series, let’s talk about series.  Aside from the fact that I’m fairly confident I just spelled the plural form of the word “series” wrong, series are awesome!  I love reading books in a series.  I love writing in a series.  It’s just all around fine holiday fun.  I enjoy a world that carries over from book to book, and the opportunity for characters to make an appearance in a different story.  When a book ends I’m always a little sad, so the idea that a character can live on in other stories appeals to me as a reader and a writer.  It’s really no surprise that when I started writing book one, it quickly turned into a series. 

HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS is my third book, and it lives up to its place in this series with plenty of scenes that include the characters from books one and two.  You see, Katie Moore happens to live on the estate next door to Thornwood Manor—home of the Duke of Thornwood and hero of MUST LOVE DUKES.    And of course, he is hosting house guests—house guests by the name of Steelings and Sue from DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA.  This makes for an interesting situation since the hero of this book, Amberstall, did not leave on very good terms with the Duke when they last met.  Now poor Amberstall is stranded next door to the man.  In this scene, Amberstall and Steelings are chasing after some men who tried to invade their tea on the terrace at Thornwood Manor.

If he could see where the men ran to, he might finally understand all of this madness. He glanced at Steelings, running alongside him toward the stables. “Did you see where they went?”

“Into that grove of trees. Did you see what they were doing to your lady’s carriage?”

“No,” Andrew ground out. They veered to the right of the stables and headed for the cluster of trees. “But I have an idea what they’re after.”

“What is that?”

“Me.”

Steelings made an inarticulate sound of understand­ing as he kept pace beside him. “Are these men the reason your lady came to tea with a firearm?”

“No.” He stopped to glare at Steelings.

“Are you planning to argue the fact that she’s your lady or that she brought a blunderbuss to tea to protect you?” Steelings asked with a grin.

“Both!”

“Interesting.”

“No, it isn’t the least bit interesting.” The last thing he needed was for talk of this day to spread.

Steelings threw his hands up in surrender. “Very well. I won’t speak of it again. Much like the incident in the field, it will never be mentioned.”

“Steelings?”

“Yes?”

                “You’re mentioning it now.”

“Perhaps we should continue our search for the men,” Steelings suggested with a nod toward the woods, but the men were gone.

Andrew scanned the spaces between the tree trunks, searching for a glimpse of dark clothing, but it was no use. They’d had quite the head start in making their escape. “They’ll come back. If they are indeed looking for me, as I suspect, they won’t go far.”

As they rounded the corner of the stables, he saw Katie and the other ladies now gathered by the car­riage. “They escaped,” he called out to them.

“I don’t care for the idea of ruffians trespassing on our lands,” Lily said with a shiver.

“Perhaps they’d planned to steal the horses, much like that chicken we caught them with,” Sue added.

Steelings moved to his wife’s side, leaning an elbow on the side of the carriage as he said, “If that was what they wanted, why not take one from the stables, not harnessed to a rig?”

“It is odd. The question does remain, why linger in the drive?” Andrew asked.

Just then, a loud crack split the air around them and Steelings staggered backward as the carriage collapsed from under his arm. His long limbs flailed through the air as he tried to grasp something solid. Sue reached for her husband, steadying him as the carriage crashed to the ground beneath him. Wood splintered around them as the back axle severed into two pieces and what was once the wheel now lay smashed at their feet.

Steelings looked up at Andrew with a wry grin as he mused, “I’m guessing that was supposed to happen on your drive back to Ormesby Place.”

Aren’t series fun?  Serieses…seriesessssssss…It looks wrong no matter what I do! LOL Thank you for hosting me today on From the TBR Pile! What’s your favorite thing about a series?

About the author:

Elizabeth Michels blends life and laughter with a touch of sass into the Regency Era. This flirty debut author turns ballrooms upside down, and challenges what lords and ladies are willing to do to get what they most desire. She lives in a small, lake-side town in North Carolina with her husband, “Mr. Alpha Male,” and her son, “The Little Monkey.” Elizabeth is furiously typing away at her next novel while dinner burns in the kitchen. She loves to hear from her readers. Please visit her website atwww.elizabethmichels.com