Guest Post and Giveaway: Mia Marlowe, Author of A Rake By Any Other Name

I have a fun guest post this morning from Mia Marlowe, author of A Rake by Any Other Name. Please enjoy, and be sure to enter the giveaway below!

Hullo! Eliza Dovecote, at your service. (You can’t tell, I’m sure, but I’m giving you my best curtsy!) I’m Miss Sophie Goodnight’s lady’s maid. The folks at Manga Maniac Café asked Mia Marlowe, my author, what five things I might have to complain about in regards to my employer. ‘Tis a difficult job to find five things since I owe a good deal to Miss Goodnight, but I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work. I shall endeavor to please.

1. Miss Goodnight is not what you might call a pattern sort of lady. In fact, she’s not a lady at all. She seems to delight in reminding me that her family is as common born as mine. The difference between us, of course, is that her father is simply swimming in lard and dotes upon her, while I barely remember mine. He lit out, leaving my mum with a passel of mouths to feed. Now that I’m earning a lady’s maid salary, I have good bit more to send home. I have Miss Goodnight to thank for that. Oh! Wait a moment. This was supposed to be about my complaints, weren’t it? Beggin’ your pardon, I’m sure.

1. Because Miss Goodnight’s not the conventional sort, she’s not used to having a lady’s maid. I have to almost force my service upon her. In fact, we had to travel to London so she could order a new wardrobe that requires my help for her to wear. Yes, she’s perfectly capable of dressing herself in her old things, but why should she have to?

1. Miss Goodnight doesn’t much care what other people say about her. If she wants to do something, she does it, devil take the hindermost. Everyone at Somerfield Park was scandalized when she breezed into the parlor after a ride with Lord Hartley, covered in mud with her hair tumbling around her shoulders. They were taking some jumps and landed in a soggy patch, she said. Whatever they were doing, both she and Lord Hartley appeared to have enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

1. My employer is not a very good hostess. Please don’t think this impertinence on my part. Miss Goodnight would agree with me. Her attempt at having a lady’s tea resulted in disaster all around. Of course, that was also the time when I came to Miss Goodnight’s notice and she offered me the position as her maid, so I should be grateful for small calamities.

1. Miss Goodnight has very little idea about the way things ought to be done with regards to the order of things Below Stairs. Before I entered her service, I was only a scullery maid at Somerfield Park. By lifting me to the position of lady’s maid, she caused me to skip over several rungs on the servant’s ladder. I ought to have moved up to parlour maid, and then if I proved worthy to chamber maid. Only the best, most experienced servants aspire to the position of Lady’s Maid. Yet, here I am, only one step lower than Mrs. Graham, the housekeeper at Somerfield Park. Again, I’m thankful Miss Goodnight isn’t aware of the breach of order she’s created.

Can I say some good things about my employer? Oh, thank you ever so. One of the best things about Miss Goodnight is that she has given me some good advice about David Abbot. He’s the first footman and ever so handsome. I have a feeling if I follow my lady’s advice, I’ll have David noticing me in no time.

And for something good, I hope.

And now, my author says I need to ask a question so’s you’ll feel like talking with me here. How about you? What sort of work do you do? Do they give you more than half a day off each week? That’s what we get at Somerfield Park, though Miss Goodnight will make an exception if I ask off for something special.

A Reluctant Lord. A Resistant Lady. A Superfluous Fiancée.

And a Devastating Family Secret…

When Richard Barrett, Lord Hartley, is abruptly called home to take the reins of the estate, he discovers the extent of the family’s financial straits. The remedy: marry the heiress their families have picked out for him. Unfortunately, he’s already planned to marry someone else.

Miss Sophie Goodnight isn’t too keen on becoming his purse with feet…and she sabotages all attempts to woo her. But when Lord Hartley discovers the shenanigans in his father’s past, he realizes that deciding between two beautiful women is the least of his problems.

Mia Marlowe is a rising star whose Touch of a Rogue was named one of Publishers Weekly‘s Top Ten Best Romances for Spring 2012. Mia learned about storytelling while singing professional opera. She knows what it’s like to sing a high “C” in a corset, so she empathizes with the trials of her historical heroines. Mia resides in Boston, Massachusetts. For more visit www.miamarlowe.com.

Buy Links for A Rake By Any Other Name:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1sfvrXt

Apple: http://bit.ly/1wCvcUG
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1o0l4FT
BAM: http://bit.ly/ZeSiFr
Book Depository: http://bit.ly/1vO3N2I

Chapters: http://bit.ly/ZMrFbj

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1rthIGo

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pIPzeQ

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