Portobello Book Blog

I’m joined today by historical fiction author Rachel Brimble who’s going to tell us about herself and her novel, A Widow’s Vow. First of all, would you tell my blog readers a little about yourself?

Of course! I am a published romance author of over 25 novels which include contemporary romance, romantic suspense and historical romance. For the last few years, I have been concentrating on historical, but who knows when that might change!

When I am not writing, I love to knit, read and spend time with family and friends – I also watch FAR too much TV (mostly period or crime drama)

What inspired you to start writing?

I wanted to write once I discovered Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven series! I was obsessed and decided writing was what I would do – I started writing short stories and would bind them together with ribbon. As you can expect, life soon took over and it wasn’t until my youngest daughter started school full-time that I had a ‘now or never’ moment. That was in 2005 and my first novel was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2007.

I am pleased to say that I have had at least two books a year published ever since – long may it continue!

In a nutshell, what is your book about?

A Widow’s Vow is the first book in a Victorian trilogy set in the city of Bath – the story centres around three women with three very different backgrounds who have all found themselves living and working together as prostitutes. This book focuses on Louisa and her journey of rebuilding her life after tragedy. Along the way, she meets new people who help and hinder her but ultimately this is a book of survival and triumph.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

I didn’t, thank goodness! I am absolutely terrible at coming up with titles and always grateful when a publisher decides on a title😊

How do you plan to celebrate publication day?

I usually celebrate every publication day with a meal out with my husband and daughters, but as they are getting older (they are 22 and 20), it is more often than not just me and Mr B!

Do you have a work in progress just now?

Yes, I am currently working on the second book in a new historical series – book 1, set in the court of Queen Victoria, is currently under submission so I am in a state of constantly checking my email while working on book 2. Wish me luck!

What are you reading just now?

I am always reading at least two books at any one time and, at the moment, it is Tidelands by Philippa Gregory & Saving Missy by Beth Morrey

Is there a book you’d love to see made into a film?

Apart from mine?? Kidding!

I would love for The Girl From The Savoy by Hazel Gaynor to be made into a film – I adore the characters, the hotel setting, the glamour of Edwardian London… The story is rich with danger, possibility and a young woman striving for more. It would be fabulous onscreen!

How can people follow you or connect with you on social media?

I am very active on social media – especially Instagram 😊

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/

Website: https://rachelbrimble.com/

And finally, if you could be a character in any book you have read, who would it be and why?

I would have no objection to being Eve Dallas from J D Robb’s In Death series – I mainly read historicals, but I absolutely love this crime series set in the future. Eve is a lieutenant in the NYPD and she is a tough cop who gets the job done but also has a heart of gold when it comes to victims, her friends and her lover, Roarke.

She is feisty, sexy and cares about the world deeply and although I might have moments of being each of these things, I am definitely not as wonderfully consistent as Eve!

About the book

From grieving widow…

1851. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath the only things she has left of him. And now the debt collectors will come calling.

To a new life as a madam.

Forced to leave everything she knows behind, Louisa finds more painful betrayals waiting for her in the house in Bath. Left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has nothing to turn to but her old way of life. But this time, she’ll do it on her own terms – by turning her home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she’s determined to spare the girls she saves from the street the horrors she endured in the past.

Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path? 

A Widow’s Vow is the first in a gripping and gritty new Victorian saga series from Rachel Brimble. You won’t be able to put it down.

Buying link: A Widow’s Vow