For The Love of Sara Guest Post by Hazel Statham

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How many times can a heart be broken? How many times can love be denied? Sarah and Alexander were destined for each other but after just four short weeks of marriage, their lives were torn asunder.

Alexander, Earl of Thorne thought he had found his ideal mate but, when Sarah absconded shortly after their marriage, his world came crashing down. Now, five years later, he discovers her in a remote Yorkshire village.

Sarah had thought she was safe, but when, severely injured in a freak accident, her husband is thrust once more into her life, she fears her dark secrets and the fact she has a son, will become known.

Despite her own desperate longings, she continually repudiates Alexander’s efforts of reconciliation. However, fate conspires against her, and when her home is made uninhabitable by floods, she and her young son are forced to accept his aid and return to her former home.

Discovery threatens and, despite her breaking heart, she plans to leave Alexander’s life. What is this secret that makes it so imperative that she should abscond from him yet again? Can two broken hearts cleave and emerge victorious or will life's cruel forces tear them apart forever?

First I want to thank Ms. Statham for being on the blog today. When I asked Hazel Statham to write a post for the blog I asked her why she writes romance set in the regency period. This is her answer...

Why Regency

For me, writing in the Regency period has always been easy. It has often been joked that I was born in the wrong century as my writing voice is of that period.
I find I have an empathy for those times, especially during the time of the Peninsular Wars. You will find many of my stories relate to this period in British history. I find it difficult to explain my ‘feel’ and knowledge of the era but I suppose it relates to the fact that I have devoured Regency and other historical books from my early teens. Georgette Heyer has always been a great inspiration to me and nothing pleases me more than when my work is likened to hers.

However, in writing Regency it’s important to get it ‘right’. It’s the author’s responsibility to create a feel of the early nineteenth century. If I state facts, they are as accurate as I can make them and the use of traditional speech patterns also helps to create an atmosphere. Over the years many words have changed their meaning and usage so it is important not to give a modern day feel to the dialogue.
Romance itself has changed very little over the years but one must observe the mores of the day. To me, it is wrong to transpose the morals of today’s world onto earlier eras.

I am fascinated by the romance and elegance of the Regency period and this is what I hope to recreate in my work. So much emotion can be conveyed with merely a glance or a word.

I write Traditional Regency Romance and close the bedroom door when my hero and heroine retire. In true Regency tradition, the romance is in the characters and situations I create. I don’t write to a formula but there is humor and pathos and sometimes heart-rending situations, but always there is a happy ending.

If I succeed in bringing the era alive in my readers imagination and even for only a moment transport them into this wonderful time in history, then I am delighted to share my Regency world with them.

Excerpt:

His body felt numb as consciousness slowly returned. He could hear the rumble of the cart wheels and was aware that they moved, but he felt no sensation in his body. His eyes opened and she was there. For a brief moment, his senses refused to comprehend the fact and confusion reigned.

Sarah’s breathing caught as she felt the shock of his eyes upon her. She knew not what to say or how to respond.

“Why?” was all he said, his voice, full of confusion, scarcely above a whisper.

She understood his question but had no words of explanation to offer. Now was not the time for the confrontation that must surely come. Instead, she deflected his question and concentrated on the immediate situation. Leaning close to him she asked, “Do you have pain?”

He moved his head from side to side in silent negation. “I feel nothing.”

“I’m taking you to my home, and the doctor has been called,” she said.

He drifted into unconsciousness once more and she wondered what damage had been wreaked on his frame by the heavy cask.

The cart halted before a riverside cottage with thatched roof, situated on the northbound road. A well-tended garden with a low stone wall separated it from the roadway, but the gate remained open. Hastily dismounting from the cart, she hurried to her front door.

“Rose! Rose!” Sarah called as she entered the small hallway. A round motherly figure instantly appeared from the parlor.

“It’s my husband and he’s injured,” Sarah offered in hasty explanation.

Rose’s eyes widened. “Your husband? Here? What shall we do?”

Sarah remained calm. “We shall tend to his injuries,” she said, holding the door.


Hazel will be awarding winner's choice of either a Cream Coin Freshwater Pearl necklace or a digital copy of DOMINIC or HIS SHADOWED HEART (international giveaway) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

To increase your chances of winning follow the tour HERE the more places you comment the better your odds of winning.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Hazel Statham began writing at the age of fifteen, finally committing to paper the stories she spun as a child. Writing has been her passion ever since, although marriage, motherhood, and career left time for little else. Once she retired, however, she was able to devote herself to writing full-time, publishing her first novel in 2007. A long time student of history, she writes mainly in the Regency and Georgian eras, though she has been known to dabble in the medieval as well. She lives in Staffordshire, England, with her husband, Terry, and their beloved yellow Labrador, Mollie.

Hazel loves to hear from her readers and promises to answer all mail.

Website address www.hazel-statham.co.uk

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