Thursday, February 13, 2014

Valentine's Day in the Regency Era



Welcome to the Cotillion Authors Blog Tour & Scavenger Hunt!
—International—
February 14-17, 2014
Janice Bennett • Kate Dolan • Susana Ellis • Saralee Etter • A.S. Fenichel • Aileen Fish • Barbara Miller • Hetty St. James • Elaine Violette

Cotillion is the traditional Regency imprint of the Blush line from Ellora’s Cave. The books' settings range from London ballrooms to country estates, and the heroines may be wealthy or impoverished. Heroes may be titled or untitled, but even if they are rakes, no one goes beyond kissing in these books.

The theme for this tour is Love in the Regency Era. Hop around, comment on the posts, look for answers to the authors’ scavenger hunt questions. There will be 10 lucky prize winners (see contest details below)…although you’re already a winner if you find a new story or author you're going to love. And now...

Book One of the Wishing for Love series
           Chocolate. Lots and lots of dark, rich chocolate. Oh, wait. We aren’t talking about what I want for Valentine’s Day. We’re talking about what it might have been like in the Regency era. Sorry about that.
Do you suppose Valentine’s Day was as tricky then as it is today? The guys having to get it just right or risk disappointing or even angering their loved one? Or the young ladies having to pretend the execrable missive received from their ardent swain was the epitome of wondrous verse? Sound familiar?
Yes, they did send Valentines in those days. Not cards, of course, but letters and poems and occasionally little gifts. And just like today, woe betide the gentleman whose missive failed to live up to his lady’s expectations. Composing the perfect verse or sentiment is never easy. It’s no wonder booklets were published back then, containing ready-written selections for the literarily challenged.
February 14 would have been very early in the London Season, while many of the haut ton still remained in the country. Sending Valentine’s Day notes could have provided an excellent excuse for a gentleman to renew his pursuit of a lady whose family had removed to the country and was thus temporarily beyond his reach. The mail, it is said, was very, very busy for this occasion.
I wonder how these young gentlemen felt when posting their offering to their beloved. Did the terrors of possible ridicule or rejection hang over their heads? Did they fear the young ladies would giggle over these missives with their friends, possibly quote them back in tones of contempt? 
True love quite often needs a little help.In my Wishing for Love series, a mischievous fairy godmother and her feline assistant dabble in matchmaking—with unpredictable results.
 
My scavenger hunt question:  How would most Valentine's Day missives have been delivered? 
Click on the Cotillion Authors Blog Tour & Scavenger Hunt page and type in the answer next to my name. Don't forget to fill in your own name and email address. Then you can come back here and read about my own contest or click on another author's name to go on to the next blog on the tour.  When you're finished, check to make sure the spaces for your name and email address are filled in correctly, and submit your answer sheet to the tour coordinator . If you submit an incomplete answer sheet, you may come back later and make another submission with the remaining answers when you have more time.  Any questions about the scavenger hunt should be directed to the tour coordinator .




  The Grand Prize for the Scavenger Hunt will be awarded to the participant with the most correct answers to the authors’ scavenger hunt questions. In case of a tie, the winner will be chosen randomly. The name of the Grand Prize winner will be posted on the Cotillion Authors Blog Tour & Scavenger Hunt page the following week.

And now for the question for own contest: What do you think a Regency romance needs to be a really great read?
To enter, send your answer to  janice@jebennett.com . You can keep it short or make it as long as you want. All entries must be received by midnight, PST, of February 17. On the 18th, I'll hold a drawing from all entries, aided, I'm sure, by my cats who love to attack anything I'm stirring up in a container. The prize for my winner will  be a digital copy of any one of the three books in the Wishing for Love series--Candlelight Wish (Book One), Starlight Wish (Book Two) or Moonlight Wish (Book Three). I'll post the name of the winner both on my blog and on my website: http://www.jebennett.com

To read blurbs on the Wishing for Love series books, please go to my website.

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