The Wallflower Weddings Series by Vivienne Lorret

Ethan moved the quill off to the side, hovering over the blotter so the ink wouldn’t spot the ledger. He regarded Pen with a speculative lift of his brow. Had there ever been a time when she allowed him to ignore her?

As if unaware of this simple fact, she stared back at him, waiting for a response. He obliged her, repeating her ridiculous statement back to her, verbatim—all accept for the bit about the natives.  “You are going to hire a coach to take you as far away from here as possible. Quite possibly, you will never return. You might find yourself on the continent or on some sailing vessel—Though I might add that finding yourself in another place suggests a shock of some sort. In other words, a complete lack of planning.”

She let out a huff and crossed her slender arms, the action causing her woolen shawl to bunch over her breasts. “Oh, why do I even bother?”

“Haven’t the faintest.”

This time, Penelope glared at him, her nose wrinkling in a way that drew his attention to her freckles. He liked her freckles. They were balanced and orderly—four on the left and four on the right.

It was ironic that eight such sensible freckles could be on someone so lacking in sensibility.

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Fans of historical romance authors Lorraine Heath and Sophie Jordan will adore Vivienne Lorret’s latest Wallflower Wedding novel.

Delaney McFarland is on the hunt for a husband—preferably one who needs her embarrassingly large dowry more than a dutiful wife. After the unspeakable incident at her debut, Delaney knows marrying for love is off the table, but a marriage of convenience—one that leaves her free to live the life she chooses—is the next best thing, never mind what that arrogant, devilishly handsome Mr. Croft thinks. Delaney plans to marry for money … or not at all.

Ever since the fiery redhead burst into his life—in a most memorable way—Griffin Croft hasn’t been able to get Miss McFarland out of his mind. Now, with the maddening woman determined to hand over her fortune to a rake, Griffin knows he must step in. He must help her. He must not kiss her. But when Griffin’s noble intentions flee in a moment of unexpected passion, his true course becomes clear: tame Delaney’s wild heart and save her from a fate worse than death … a life without love..

Q: Vivienne, where had you gotten the idea for the Wallflower Weddings Series?

Strangely enough, the Wallflower Wedding Series began as an afterthought. I wrote a Christmas novella (Tempting Mr. Weatherstone) and submitted it to an Avon “call for submissions.”

When the novella was well received, my editor at the time suggested that I create a spin-off. I was so excited about the opportunity! Since Ethan and Penelope’s story lacked unmarried sub characters, however, I had my work cut out for me.

But then inspiration struck! I remembered that, in Tempting, Penelope enjoyed embroidery. So I gave her a circle of friends who shared that interest. Adding in a few details here and there… and voila, the Wallflower Wedding Series was born.

Q: Which title or couple was the easiest to write and which gave you the most trouble?

Hmm… This is a tough question. Each story had its share of smooth sailing, as well as bumpy roads. I practically held my breath the whole time while writing Emma and Oliver’s slow, burgeoning love. I was as eager for them to realize it as, I imagine, they were. I blushed when Merribeth “borrowed” that kiss from the deliciously naughty Bane. And I laughed (horrible of me, I know) during Delaney’s incident at her debut, all over Griffin’s shoes.

What gave me the most trouble for each book was reaching the end and knowing that I had to say goodbye. I suppose that’s why I proposed the Rakes of Fallow Hall Series, so that I could check up on them.

In fact, I’ll tell you a secret. I even added a mention of Bane in my upcoming novel, WHEN A MARQUESS LOVES A WOMAN.

Q: Which heroine do you feel most closely relates to your personality?

 Out of the Wallflowers, I’d have to say that I relate to Delaney McFarland. Sadly, we’re both socially awkward. In fact, the beginning of her story—the incident at her debut—is one of my own fears. Thankfully, I have never cast up my accounts in public (and knock on wood that it never happens), but there’s always that fear when facing a crowd.

I guess you could say that writers have secret ways of facing our fears by forcing our characters to live them out. It’s good for us, but not-so-good for our characters. On the bright side, I think Delaney handled the incident with a strength of character that even surprised me. 

Q: What is one of the most interesting things that you have learned from researching for your historicals?

 I just love research! Discovering little historical tidbits feeds my inner nerd. I can’t begin to tell you how tired my family is of hearing “Guess what I learned today?” So much eye rolling! 

But one thing, in particular, I found fascinating came from an 1800s play (the title of which I have presently forgotten). The main character went into a taproom and ordered his food and drink “hot and hot.” Instantly, I wondered what that meant. Did he want hot ale, too? Was this a popular figure of speech? Inquiring minds…

I searched online and found nothing. I went to the library database and found nothing. Then I asked my friend and local research librarian, but she didn’t know either. She came up with the same results that I had. However, she had a secret weapon that I didn’t have—connections. She knew a food historian.

This “hot and hot” became such a puzzle for all of us that, after compiling research, the food historian blogged about her findings. So cool!

In the end, she found that asking for your food and drink to come “hot and hot,” meant that you wanted everything when it was ready. No waiting. In other words, bring the ale now. And if the broth is done, then bring it to me, as well, while the kitchen prepares my leg o’ mutton, aspic and eggs. Um… yum?

Or, to put it in a modern context…  If you make pancakes in a skillet, one by one, then instead of waiting to compile a short stack for your family, you’d serve each steaming flapjack—butter melting, syrup oozing—one at a time, and fork at the ready.

So, the next time you’re at IHOP, pound your fist on the table hard enough to jangle the silverware, and tell the server that you want your rasher of bacon, scrambled eggs and each fluffy pancake “hot and hot”… because you’re worth it. ; )

Q: What is your favorite part of writing historical romances?

 All of it. I love the rules of society (and breaking them). I love the layers of clothing, and how even removing a glove can be racy. I love the fact that they didn’t have immediate knowledge of a potential scandal. There’s so much that can be done with slow-moving information. And on the flip-side, so much can happen when news or rumors spread like wildfire. It’s fun playing with the differences.

Also, as I mentioned before, I love the research and discovering new-to-me tidbits of history.  I often like to imagine how my current character would have reacted to the latest scientific invention, or how they felt about their changing world.

Q: What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on a proposal for a potential new series. At this time, I can’t go into detail, but I can tell you that I’m having a lot of fun with this new set of characters.

Also in the works, is a novella that will finish the Season’s Original Series and answer some important questions, such as:

• Will the evil Miss Leeds and Miss Ashbury get what’s coming to them?
• Will the Fates smile upon the overlooked but handsome Viscount Ellery?
• Will Gemma Desmond escape ruination after her father’s misdeeds? 

Are you curious, too?

Thank you for having me here today!

I wake up each morning, incredibly thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to write these stories. But even more than that, I feel immensely blessed to have readers who have enjoyed them.

Warm wishes and happy reading!

Vivienne

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