Victoria & Violet
Royal Maids, Book 1
by Rachel Brimble
Publication Date: 17th October, 2022
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Page Length: 300 Pages
Genre: Historical Romance
When Violet Parker is told she will be Queen Victoria’s personal housemaid, she cannot believe her good fortune. She finally has the chance to escape her overbearing mother, a servant to the Duchess of Kent. Violet hopes to explore who she is and what the world has to offer without her mother’s schemes overshadowing her every thought and action.
Then she meets James Greene, assistant to the queen’s chief political adviser, Lord Melbourne. From entirely different backgrounds and social class, Violet and James should have neither need nor desire to speak to one another, yet through their service, their paths cross and their lives merge—as do their feelings.
Only Victoria’s court is not always the place for romance, but rather secrets, scandals, and conspiracies…
Welcome to The Coffee Pot Book Club! We’re delighted to share a cuppa with you. 🍵
Before we begin, please introduce yourself.
Hi Cathie! Thanks so much for hosting me here today.
I am the author of 28 romance novels, both contemporary and historical – although I have been concentrating on historical for the last few years. I live near the beautiful city of Bath, England with my husband of 24 years and beloved chocolate Labrador, Tyler. We have two grown up daughters currently living and working away from home.
When I’m not working, I love to read, knit, walk and watch far too much TV!
Could you tell us a little about your new novel, Victoria & Violet, and what inspired you to set your story at Queen Victoria’s court?
It has been an ambition of mine to write a novel with real characters and events for a long time and I decided to bite the bullet and go for it! I chose Victoria’s court for my first book in what I hoped would be an ongoing series because I am such a fan of the Victorian era. Having said that, this series is really about my obsession with past royal women! I am so excited for the opportunity to write this series…
When researching this era, did you come upon any unexpected surprises?
Not so much surprised with events because much of what I have included is quite widely known – but there were aspects concerning Lord Melbourne’s personal life that I had no idea about and made me really warm to him. You’ll have to read the book to find out more…
In Victoria & Violet, ‘real people’ are rubbing shoulders with your fictional characters. How did you approach the inclusion of real characters in your story? Was there an aspect of it that you found challenging?
I found the whole prospect HUGELY challenging and, quite frankly, terrifying! As I said before, including real characters is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I devour so many books where authors have done the same. What scared me was how to do it, what I was allowed to do with regard to imagined conversations etc and how readers would receive it. In the end, I just took a huge leap of faith and spent many hours researching and then allowed my imagination to run free. I hope I have written something enjoyable, believable and inspires readers to find out more about Victoria’s history…
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Oh, Violet, most definitely! The main character for this book was something I worried about for a long time and it was quite awhile before I managed to start plotting the story because I just couldn’t find my heroine. Then I was walking the dog one day and a young woman started talking to me in my mind, telling me about her overbearing mother and how she was trapped under her influence, albeit in a royal palace.
Once I was home, I started to explore who this character might be and soon I knew exactly who Violet Parker was, what she wanted, why she wanted it and what/who was holding her back from getting it – she is truly one of my favourite heroines. She seems quite a softy on the outside but has an unmistakable steeliness about her. You’ve been warned!
Victoria & Violet is the first novel in your new Royal Maids series. Can you share some details of future books in the series with us?
Of course! Although a series, the books will be single title novels in that they will only be linked by the royal connection and that the heroine of each book will serve a female monarch or consort.
I will be going from one ruling monarch to the next – so the next book is set in Edward VII’s court and will focus on his consort Queen Alexandra and her seamstress, Anna.
Thank you very much for this wonderful interview, Rachel. We wish you much success with Victoria & Violet.
Rachel Brimble
Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of 29 novels including the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin). Her latest novel, Victoria & Violet, is the first book in her new Royal Maids series with the Wild Rose Press and released 17th October 2022.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.
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Thank you for such a fabulous interview, Rachel. Best of luck with Victoria & Violet! x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for having me here today! I am looking forward to chatting with your visitors :D
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the Victoria series on TV I delved into bios of her - can't wait to read this new take on her court!
ReplyDeleteOoh, if you enjoyed Victoria, I am sure you will love Victoria & Violet! I hope you are tempted :)
DeleteI've not watched the series (yet), but I'm sure you'll enjoy reading Victoria & Violet, Adriana.
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