Book Tour: GRACE BY CONTRACT by Rachel Rossano

 

  Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.

  

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After her father uproots the family to the northern duchy of Brackenhurst, Grace Eldon and her four younger sisters struggle with a new life of hardship. Desperate to keep a roof over their heads amid mounting debts, she and her youngest sister seek employment in the Duke of Brackenhurst’s household despite fearsome rumors.

Scarred and maimed from a terrible fire Silas Isling, Duke of Brackenhurst, buries himself in his work to avoid the stares of pity and fear. When one of the new maids shows no fear at his appearance, he is intrigued. That is until his meddling steward gives her the task of cleaning Silas’ bookroom. It is a most unwelcome disruption since he prefers to be alone.

While a thief plagues his castle, an old nemesis reappears, and enemies invade in the guise of guests. Amidst the distractions and chaos, Grace brings some unexpected order. Once convinced his scars had stolen all hope for love, Silas finds his life forever changed by the quiet maid. Could she love a scarred Duke?

  

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This fantasy with its medieval feel to it, Grace Under Contract is an interesting romance full of intrigue and suspense.

Grace’s father, after pulling some shenanigans that put his family in a bad situation, moves his five daughters in the hovel of a home with their grandmother. Instead of working the farm to provide for his family and pay the taxes on the grandmother’s property, he spends most of his income at the local pub. He befriends and becomes beholden to Sir Webb who is after one of the daughters named Beauty. She is beautiful, but not overly intelligent. To cover the tax shortfall, Grace convinces Duke Silas’s steward to agree to a contract of indenture for both her and Beauty—her to cover the debt; Beauty to keep her out of the clutches of Sir Webb.

I enjoyed the growing relationship between Grace and Silas with his scars and disability. Never a dull moment with the vindictive housekeeper, the neighboring duke with political ambitions who wishes to cement a treaty with Silas through marriage with one of his daughters, and the spy who somehow breeches the castle’s defenses to steal food and weaken the duchy from within.

The tension was high, the action was engaging, the romance was sweet, and there were some surprises at the end that made this a must-read story.

  

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Official Book Tour: MERCY by Rachel Rossano

Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the children are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. 

Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.

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The royal wedding approaches and the country is alive with anticipation. 

 Among the craftsmen traveling to the capital is Constance Rendare and her family. An artist, a widow of an unhappy marriage, and the mother of a young son, she dreams of escaping the cruel servitude of her father’s household. 

 Wilard Naron serves the Earl of Dentin. He returns to the capital, his childhood home, to collect his earnings and finally free himself from his father’s reputation. 

 Kidnappings, bandits, and a plot against the king complicate the journey. The conflicts throw Constance and Wilard together as their circumstances grow steadily worse. The more the pair uncovers, the direr the future looks for the country and for them.

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The following are my book reviews of the three Novels of Rhynan:

Duty

          This book reads like a medieval romance although it has a hypothetical setting, and the names for the kings, castles, and deity are not historical. It starts with a conquered land and the ruling general, Lord Irvaine, being required to marry the noblewoman of the defeated landholding, Lady Brielle. With the men dead, the marriageable women are require to marry soldiers who will stay and work the land as well as provide a defensive force from foreign invaders. Lady Brielle’s cousin offered her up as guarantee for his change in loyalty to the new king, but she knows he cares nothing for her or her people. Although this union formed as a matter of duty to the new king, the question is whether or not it grows into a true romance, especially as this couple face challenges from inside and outside their rule.

          The author did an excellent job of world-building. She also created relatable characters. Written in first person, I found it easy to identify with Brielle—her concerns and her feelings for her family and her people. Plenty of conflict in this plot kept the story interesting and moving at a good pace. It was hard to put down and I hated to see this sweet romance end.

Honor

          Although written as a stand-alone, Honor seamlessly follows Duty as a fantasy set in a medieval-style world. Lord Dentin is mentioned briefly during the end of the first novel as a person who is driven and not given to feeling. He plays the starring role in this story as the reader discovers the reasons why he has developed the outward persona of being ruthless and uncaring. That gradually begins to change as he meets and interacts with Elsa, the last unmarried daughter of Lord Reeve. With an irresponsible brother pushing her family to ruin and an overbearing, demanding mother insisting she marry well to save them, she fights back to keep from being the forced pawn of others.

          The story is full of conflicts, dangers to be overcome, and enough action to keep the story interesting and moving at a good pace. I enjoyed the characters, especially seeing them exhibit their negative traits along with their strengths. Written in first person, the point of view alternated between Lord Dentin and Elsa. I enjoyed this story and can recommend it. Although not necessary in order to follow this story without feeling like gaps are missing, I do suggest reading the three stories in the Rhynan series in order.

Mercy

          This story follows Honor, although it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. I recognized Lord Dentin and his wife Elsa, minor characters in this book, from the previous book. I also eventually recognized the hero of this book, Wilard, as one of the minor characters in Honor.

          Unlike the primary characters in the first two books, Wilard and Constance are not nobility. They are craftspeople, both with difficult families that add to the conflict of the story. They start out working together to discover what happened to Constance’s father after he was abducted, which led to them helping Lord Dentin discover a plot against the king. Written in first person, the point of view alternates between Constance and Wilard. This story, along with plenty of action, involved an interesting cast of characters that added depth and interest to this sweet romance. I can recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading either fantasy or historical romances.

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Book tour: THE MAKING OF A MAN

Today's Wednesday Wonders is part of a book tour for 

The Making of a Man 

by Rachel Rossano

 

The Earl of Dentin returns. Eight stories ranging from short story to novelette in length give us greater understanding into why Dentin is the complex and enigmatic man he is. It also includes new adventures that happen between Honor and the next Rhynan novel. 

Passing the Mantle – An ill-fated hunting trip 
Forging Friendships – Recruiting able-bodied men ineligible for knighthood 
The Sword of Korma Monroe – A sword made for trouble 
Turning Point – A duke and an earl plot treason 
The Bittersweet Pear – A marital misunderstanding 
Isbeth’s Redemption – Dentin doesn’t make a good first impression 
A Squire’s Love – Reginald’s quest 
Restoration – A trip to Braulyn produces unexpected company 

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Rachel Rossano specializes in clean romantic fiction set in historical-feeling fantasy worlds. She also dabbles in straightforward historical romance and not-so-strict speculative fiction. 

A happily married mother of three small children, she divides her time between mothering, teaching, and writing. She endeavors to enchant, thrill, entertain, and amuse through her work. A constant student, she seeks to improve her skills and loves to hear from readers.

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Snippet #3

Lowen Reginald

The backdoor crashed open before we dismounted. An orange feline emerged, dragging the carcass of what appeared to be a goose.

“Get out of my kitchen, you fiend!” Gelsey tumbled out the door after it. Waving a broom and with her hair awry, she chased the large tabby across the yard in the direction of the back gate. Halfway there, the tabby gave up its prize and abandoned it without ceremony in the dirt while it made all haste to escape Gelsey’s well-aimed blows with the besom.

I scrambled down to fetch the carcass for her and offered it with care when she marched back toward the house.

“Pardon, my lord,” she offered Dentin a hurried bow. “The mid-day meal will be delayed.” Claiming the bird with barely a nod, she disappeared inside.

I watched her go until the door closed.

“What a shrew!” Starneck snorted. “I would hate to be hitched to her.”

“Watch your tongue,” Dentin admonished. “Gelsey is an even-tempered lass as long as you don’t mess up her kitchen.”

“Or steal the provisions,” I added as I caught the bit of Lord Dentin’s horse to hold it still for his dismount.

“Fair journey, my lord?” the groom asked as he emerged from the barn.

“Pleasant enough.” Lord Dentin glanced at Starneck’s turned back with a slight grimace. “The weather was fair.”

Though not the company. I suspected Starneck would not be joining us on the return journey. We settled the horses and Starneck and I unpacked the gear. Once the horse work was done and the weapons stowed, I headed into the main house.

With three sets of saddlebags across and over my shoulders, I wedged my way through the servant’s entrance and began the tricky negotiation of climbing the narrow back stair.

I was just rounding the first turn when Gelsey stuck her head out into the passage from the kitchen below.

“Is that you, Reginald?”

“Aye.” I leaned back against the wall behind me and turned just enough to look down at her over my load. She was a pleasant sight to behold, honey curls escaping her coiled braid and slightly angular chin balancing the softness of her wide eyes. Seeing that was well worth the increasing weight of the gear.

“Food will be ready in about a quarter hour. Will that be enough time for you to see to all that?” She gestured to my full arms with a flour-covered hand.

“Should be. I will be right down as soon as I finish with these.”

She flashed me a wide smile that warmed my middle far faster than any of her good cooking. She ducked back into her fragrant domain releasing a puff of savory scented air as she closed the door hard. Apparently she wasn’t taking any risks that the cat would return for another try.

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10 Random Facts about Rachel Rossano 

1. was homeschooled Kindergarten and then 4^th through 12^th grade. 
2.  has three kids, two boys and a girl, which includes a set of twins. 
3.  is a selective vegetarian, meaning she will occasionally eat bacon (because who doesn’t like bacon). 
4.  has more unpublished books than published (a fact she is working hard to change). 
5.  homeschools her three children. 
6.  hates folding laundry unless a movie is involved. 
7.  is addicted to home improvement/decorating shows (Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, Househunters International…), though her house definitely doesn’t reflect it. 
8.  only dated one person, the man she married. He is the inspiration for all of her book heroes and her toughest editor. 
9.  designs book covers for fun. 
10.  cannot ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, or fight with a sword, though she really would love to learn to do those things someday.

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