Bronwen Evans: Invitation to Ruin

Hello from Wellington, New Zealand. My name is Bronwen Evans and this month I have my debut novel, Invitation to Ruin, (RT 4.5 Star Review) published by Kensington Brava, released in the US (1 March 2011).

Invitation to Ruin is a gritty, sensual historical, set in the Regency era. The hero, Anthony James Craven, Earl of Wickham, aka The Lord of Wicked, is dark and tortured due to his appalling childhood. He was raised by a brutal father who ran the largest slave trading company in England.

Anthony spends his days losing himself in pleasure, and he has sworn to never marry and bear children, certain that in doing so, he’ll ensure the evil in his family’s bloodline dies out.

Needless to say, he is thwarted in his attempts to remain a bachelor. Due to his twin brother’s scheming, Anthony is found in a compromising situation with the heroine, Miss Melissa Goodly, and is left with no option than to marry.

Melissa is, at first, horrified to be married to the Lord of Wicked. Until she realizes that Anthony has a heart, and she’s determined to win it.

Once they marry, Melissa cannot understand why her devastatingly attractive husband does not come to her bed. The more he pushes her away, the more she is resolved to turn the tables and open his shuttered heart to love. And though Anthony tries to resist the sensual siren that his wife has become, his plans for a companionable relationship are unraveling in the most pleasurable way...

Read an excerpt http://www.bronwenevans.com/books.html

I did a lot of research for Invitation to Ruin because of the slave trading element, the major plot in the book. Of course I knew that slave trading wasn’t abolished in England until 1833, but the Slave Trade Act was passed in 1807, making it illegal for British ships to carry slaves. The hardest piece of information to find was the price of a slave in England. There was plenty of information available for the USA slave trade but difficult to find in England. I also had to research where the auctions were held, what ports were used etc.

I found the parallel between the Regency period’s lack of rights for women and the slave trade interesting. Hence my idea to have the slave trade as a background to the book. Here is what Publishers Weekly had to say

…Melissa is an anachronistically but appealingly independent and stubborn lady who isn't afraid to complain that women of her era are often treated little better than slaves, and a subplot involving England's 19th-century abolitionist movement adds depth to this enticing read. Strong characterizations, smooth plotting, and plenty of explicit sex will appeal to fans of modern Regencies. (Mar.)

I hope you enjoy invitation to Ruin as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to pop by my website, http://www.bronwenevans.com/ and let me know.

Now it’s your turn to research - GIVEAWAY

I have a signed copy of Invitation to Ruin to giveaway. You need to answer the following question: What is Anthony’s twin brother’s name. (Hint read the first chapter blurb) Email me at romance@bronwenevans.com with ToteBags Contest as the heading. I will draw the winner on 12 March. Void where prohibited.

Bronwen Evans lives in New Zealand and writes Regency historicals. Her second book in the ‘Invitation to’ series will be releases in early 2012. Visit http://www.bronwenevans.com to learn more about Bronwen's books.