Tag Archives: romance books

Meet Three Characters from To The Wild Horizon.

Today, I am delighted to welcome Imogen Martin to introduce three characters from her latest novel To the Wild Horizon. Over to you, Imogen …

Thank you for inviting me onto your blog Carol.

To The Wild Horizon is my second historical romance and came out in February. It is the story of the Oregon Trail: the pioneer journey from the Midwest to the Pacific coast. Whilst I did plenty of research to get the details right, at its heart this is a slow-burn romance. Here’s an introduction to three characters.

Grace Sinclair

Grace is brave, determined and resourceful. Her parents have died and the most important thing for her is to take her brother Tom to join their older brother who has settled in Oregon. While preparing to leave, Grace shoots her landlord in self-defence. Fearful that being arrested would leave Tom, a twelve-year-old with no-one to protect him, she decides to join the next train leaving town. As the army captain in charge will not let single women travel alone, she pretends to be married. Inevitably, this lie catches up with her.

I loved writing Grace. She has many of the characteristics I admire in a woman. She is hard working, prepared to endure hardship, and helps her fellow pioneers whenever she can. Importantly, she is brave enough to challenge male expectations about what a woman should and shouldn’t be. Grace has many skills: being able to handle a gun is one of the most important.

Captain James Randolph

Whilst Randolph may be tall, dark and handsome, there is no getting round the fact that he’s a misogynist. As the story progresses, the things that shaped his personality are revealed. Initially he’s furious that Grace has deceived him but she talks him into a deal that might let her travel further. He watches her each day in hope that she will fail, but instead begins to fall in love with her. High moral standards are important to Randolph, so he is troubled by his feelings, as he still believes she is a married woman.

Randolph is partly based on a historical figure Captain Randolph B Marcy (as my favourite romantic hero is Mr. Darcy, I thought the coincidence of the name was encouraging). Captain Marcy travelled the Oregon Trails many times and wrote an important book much used by pioneers: “The Prairie Traveler: a handbook for overland expeditions.”

I use images of actors when writing, and this shot of Tom Hughes playing Prince Albert helped me visualise Captain Randolph.

Jane Eliot

Jane is a shy young woman, aged 19. She has a beautiful older sister who sets her cap at Captain Randolph. Jane develops a relationship with Corporal Moore and this leads her to being attacked by an unknown man. Grace puts her own safety at risk in order to find out who the culprit is.

For much of the book, Jane lacks confidence and does not stand up for herself. One of the things I like most are characters who develop over time. In the end, Jane is crucial to the dénouement of the story.

Thank you for the great introduction to your characters, Imogen. I really like the sound of Grace Sinclair. x

About the book:

Missouri, 1846: In the frontier town of Independence the sound of a gunshot shatters the night. As the pistol drops from her hand and clatters to the ground, Grace knows she has no choice but to leave. Now.

In this inspiring and deeply moving story of love, courage and endurance, a young woman on the run from the law sets off on a desperate journey of survival on the treacherous Oregon Trail.

This unputdownable and heart-wrenching historical novel shows the true strength and resilience of a woman’s heart, even when she has everything to lose and the odds are stacked against her. Fans of Kristin Hannah, Amy Harmon and Olivia Hawker will lose themselves in To the Wild Horizon.

What readers say about To the Wild Horizon:

“Incredible!!!!!” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“One of my favourite reads of the year. I absolutely loved it. A heartwarming, enticing, and intriguing tale of courage, love, compassion and resilience. This story will keep you on edge until the very last page.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t fall asleep because I had to know what was going to happen next. Incredible… I loved every second.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Storm Publishing
Publication date: 7.2.2024

Link to purchase: To the Wild Horizon.


About the author:

Imogen Martin writes sweeping, historical fiction. Her first two novels are set in nineteenth century America.

As a teenager, she took the Greyhound bus from San Francisco to New York. Over those three days of staring out of the window at the majestic mountains and endless flat plains, stories wound themselves into her head: tales of brooding, charismatic men captivated by independent women.

Since then, she has worked in a coffee-shop in Piccadilly, a famous bookstore, and a children’s home. She has run festivals, and turned a derelict housing block on one of the poorest estates in the UK into an award-winning arts centre.

During 2020 Imogen was selected by Kate Nash Literary Agency as one of their BookCamp mentees, a mentorship programme designed to accelerate the careers of promising new writers.

Married with two children, Imogen divides her time between Wales and Sardinia.

Discover more about Imogen and her work: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

You can also visit Imogen’s website and join her monthly newsletter. (Sign up to get a FREE map of the Oregon Trail you can look at while reading.)


Meet Three Characters from The Broken Vow.

I am delighted to welcome Luisa A. Jones to my blog as she discusses three of the characters from her latest novel, The Broken Vow. Congratulations on the new book, and over to you Louisa …

The main character in this book is Charlotte Fitznorton, a spoiled girl of nineteen and the rather obnoxious stepdaughter of the heroine in the previous book, The Gilded Cage. I was keen to explore Charlotte’s story further, as despite being so unpleasant in the earlier book, I felt she deserved a chance to become a better person. The most plausible way to bring this about was to make Charlotte suffer – we authors can be so cruel! Charlotte could only come to a better understanding of the world and of other people by experiencing loss, hardship and responsibility. By ensuring that her comfortable existence was tipped upside down, I could teach her some valuable lessons and bring out a more likeable side to her character. However, she needed a reason to truly change. Charlotte’s initial motivation for action is selfish: she’s desperate to save her plans to marry into the aristocracy. It’s only later on, with help from her friends, through hearing differing perspectives on her family’s past, and through hard work, that she comes to question whether she’s actually on the right path.

Another important character in the book is Maggie Cadwalader, also a minor character from the previous book. As a working-class girl, Maggie’s life is very different from Charlotte’s, but in the course of the story, their paths come to cross. In The Broken Vow, as in The Gilded Cage, I was keen to explore the lives of ordinary working people as well as the rich and to show how the Great War changed people’s lives, whatever their class. Women on the home front made a vital contribution to the war effort, a contribution which, in my view, hasn’t been adequately acknowledged. In creating Maggie’s story of dangerous work in a munitions factory, I hope I’ve been able to offer some recognition of what so many women might have experienced.

The third character I’d like to mention is new to this book: Charlotte’s friend and role model, the formidable Venetia Vaughan-Lloyd. Like Charlotte, Venetia is a young woman of means. However, her experience of a disability, past heartbreak, and political activism, as well as charitable work, means that Venetia’s awareness of the “real world” is much more developed than Charlotte’s. She’s kind-hearted, forthright, witty and generous, and a character who seemed to take on a life of her own as I brought her into the story. She first starts to influence Charlotte by taking her to a lecture by the suffragette leader, Mrs Pankhurst, which was tremendously fun to write. Venetia likes Charlotte for who she is, but constantly challenges her naïve views and really brings out the best in her, speeding her personal growth.

I hope readers of The Broken Vow will come to love these young women as much as I do!

Thank you so much for introducing your characters Luisa, I am looking forward to reading The Broken Vow and learning more about them. x

About the book:

Marriage was what Charlotte had been brought up to. After all, it provided a happy ending for all the heroines in the novels she sometimes read. So it would be for her… right?

Born into luxury, Charlotte Fitznorton has always known a life filled with lavish parties and a line of suitors, all part of a future neatly laid out for her by her father, Sir Lucien. She is to marry well and continue the line at Plas Norton, the family seat. When Eustace Chadwycke – son of a viscount – proposes just before leaving to fight in France, it seems Charlotte’s destiny is perfectly falling into place.

Then, tragedy strikes. Her father dies unexpectedly, and her future hangs in the balance – threatened by her hated stepmother Rosamund’s surprise pregnancy. News of Eustace, returning from the war broken by its horrors, leaves Charlotte fearing her engagement may be as fragile as her inheritance.

Determined to at least save her impending marriage, Charlotte pours her energy into turning Plas Norton into a healing place for Eustace and other war-weary soldiers. But small-minded townspeople, a bossy head nurse, and her newborn baby sister’s arrival push Charlotte to her limits.

Just as hope is slipping through her fingers, a mysterious stranger arrives at Plas Norton. This newcomer holds the power to upend everything Charlotte has fought to preserve. Will she have the strength to protect her legacy, or could this unexpected visitor awaken a desire in Charlotte for a different life altogether?

A beautiful and heartbreaking historical novel, if you loved anything by Fiona Valpy or Lucinda Riley, this book is for you.

Click here to discover more or to purchase.


Also by Luisa A. Jones:

1897. Rosamund bows her head and steps slowly down the aisle. The satin of her gown whispers against the stone floor and a single tear falls into the bunch of yellow roses twisted in her trembling hands. Despite rumours of his cruelty, Rosamund has no choice but to become this man’s second wife.

After her wedding, Rosamund finds herself trapped in Sir Lucien Fitznorton’s lonely country estate. As she wanders the chilly halls, made shadowy by drapes of heavy velvet, she longs for the lost comforts of her childhood home, where she was the beloved only daughter to a doting father, now buried miles away. As a young woman with no fortune of her own, only death can release her from this misery.

Until she meets Joseph, her husband’s gruffly handsome new chauffeur. With his mop of salt-and-pepper hair and lilting accent, Joseph is from another world. One of clambering children and tea at scrubbed kitchen tables, the hollow scratch of hunger and long hours of hard work. Despite their differences, they find themselves increasingly drawn to one other.

But Sir Lucien is not only cruel, he’s devious too, and soon Rosamund finds herself caught in a dangerous web of secrets and lies. Is Rosamund’s fragile marriage nothing but a golden cage, trapping her between two men who desire her… and to what end?

One holds her captive and the other offers a hope of escape… but who really holds the key to Rosamund’s gilded prison?

A gripping and emotional historical novel, fans of Lucinda Riley and Tracy Rees won’t be able to put this book down.

Click here to discover more or to purchase.


About the author:

Luisa A Jones lives in South Wales, and takes inspiration from the Welsh countryside, towns, history, and of course its people. Her writing explores the dynamics within relationships, the pressures that mental health issues can exert on people, and how these can be overcome.

Luisa studied Classical Studies at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London. Her previous jobs have included tour guide in an historic house; teacher in both primary and secondary schools; careers adviser; and corporate trainer/assessor.

Luisa loves using her creativity for crafting and baking, as well as writing historical and contemporary fiction with romantic elements. She and her husband are the proud owners of Gwynnie, a Volkswagen camper van built in 1974, which inspired the story behind Luisa’s first book, Goes Without Saying. They have three children, a dog, and two cats.

Becoming an author fulfilled a lifelong ambition. Her first historical novel in The Fitznortons series, The Gilded Cage, was released by Storm Publishing in 2023, followed by the sequel The Broken Vow in January 2024.

Discover more about Luisa A. Jones and her work here: websiteX (Twitter)FacebookInstagramThe Broken VowThe Gilded Cage


Exciting book news!

I am very excited to share the news that my new book, A Summer of Second Chances, is now available for preorder.

It is due for release on April 27th 2021 in ebook format, though I believe the paperback will be released at the same time, or soon after. I will update on Facebook and Twitter when I know more.

Here’s the gorgeous cover by Choc Lit’s cover designer, Berni Stevens. I am so pleased with it. I am a little bit in love with the chocolate Labrador, who is called Granger in the story, and I so want to move in to Dapplebury House.

 Here’s the blurb:

Does first love deserve a second chance?

Ava Flynn sometimes feels like the clothes donated to her charity shop have seen more life than her, but ‘maximum dedication for a minimal wage’ is what it takes to keep her mother’s beloved wildlife charity, All Critters Great and Small, running – especially in the village of Dapplebury, where business is certainly not booming.

But when Ava’s first love, Henry Bramlington, returns to the village, suddenly life becomes a little too eventful. Henry escaped Dapplebury many years before, but now he has the power to make or break the village he left behind – All Critters Great and Small included. Can Ava trust the boy who ran away to give both her and her charity a second chance?

Preorder available here: Amazon (other retailers following soon)


In case you are wondering why it is being released by Choc Lit and not their imprint Ruby Fiction (as the Lisa Blake series was) the answer is simply that this book fits the Choc Lit criteria of being written from both the female and male perspective. It was a lot of fun to write.


To find out more about the inspiration behind A Summer of Second Chances, take a look at my Pinterest board. When I start to write, I like to collect pictures for inspiration. Gathering them together helps me focus on the mood and connections within the story. Here are just a few of the pictures you will find. 

I hope you like the look of A Summer of Second Chances. This is always a nerve-wracking time waiting for early reviews to come in. Thank you to all those who have preordered already; your support is hugely appreciated.


In other book news, Maybe Baby is now available in ebook, audio and paperback. The eagle-eyed among you may spot the paperback in some stores on the high street as shops begin to open their doors on April 12th. 

And finally, please sign up for my newsletter, it would be great to have you on board:

Thank you for reading. xx