Tag Archives: Exmoor

Final book for Mills & Boon : Rescued by the Rakish Lord

Linda has news, both happy and sad…

Rescued by the Rakish Lord by Sarah Mallory her final book for Mills and Boon

This month sees the publication of my latest historical romance, and it’s a cracker!

Sadly, it is also my final book for Harlequin/Mills & Boon

As you may have heard, Harlequin / Mills & Boon are closing their Historicals line next year. I cannot deny it is a very sad moment for those of us who enjoy reading (and writing) these feel-good romances set in the past.

But enough melancholy, more about the final book!

Rescued by the Rakish Lord…

foggy exmoor, riders in mist

foggy exmoor, riders in mist picture SM

…is a sparkling Georgian romance set on the edge of Exmoor in winter. The wild uplands can seem very bleak in the darkest months of the year, as you can see from the pictures in my blog about my West Country Tour. It is a setting that lends itself to a romantic adventure involving a spirited lady, a handsome hero and a dastardly villain!

Selina Wynter is happy living in a small market town on the edge of the moors, where she looks after her ailing father and manages his household and estates. Lord Deveril is a London buck with a fearsome (and unwarranted) reputation as a rake. Sparks fly when he encounters a fiery tavern maid, and he is intrigued when he discovers her real identity – “All the breeding and accomplishments of a lady, but the temper and spirit of a tavern wench!”

If you want a taster –

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Autumn in the West Country. A literary tour (sort of)

Exmoor autumn photo SMEvery year I make the annual pilgrimage south to visit old childhood haunts and enjoy a few days with family on Exmoor. This year, however, our West Country trip started further north, near Bath in fact, and somehow turned into a literary & historical pub crawl.

All in the interests of research, you realise: every day is a school day if you are an author.

First West Country stop

The George Inn Norton St PhilipThe George Inn  This is one place I have long wanted to visit, situated just south of Bath in the pretty village of Norton St Philip and I wasn’t disappointed. It was like stepping back in time. Apparently the inn has had a licence to sell alcohol since 1397, possibly a local licence from Hinton Priory, since the government didn’t start licensing alehouses until the 1550s. And please ignore the “diverted traffic” sign. It is not sending cars through that impressive stone entrance arch!

George Inn Entrance photo SM

The George is a beautiful building dating back to the 14th century with the upper storeys added a hundred years or so later. It began life as a wool store for the nearby Hinton Priory with accommodation for merchants coming to the annual wool fairs. It’s easy to imagine weary travellers arriving here and finding themselves in the galleried courtyard. Continue reading →

The Rabbit Holes of Research

Sarah has been peering down rabbit holes…

Joekyabby1, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Joekyabby1, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

We all do it. Rabbit holes, I mean.

Start thinking about a new book, set out to research something and end up going down a rabbit hole. Then we get engrossed in something that has little or nothing to do with our story!

This is what has happened to me when I began work on my latest historical romance. It’s set around Exmoor in the 18th century.

And it involves hunting. Yes, really.

I have a heroine… And I have a hero

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