Today we welcome author Jill Hughey and her book "VAIN".
An amazing historical romance set in Charlemagne's empire in the 830s.
And the third instalment in the "Evolution Series"
Book Synopsis
Lily had her life planned, neat and tidy as thread on a spindle, until her mother died and her father snipped at the seams of her future by abandoning Lily in their shop. A nobleman unexpectedly gives her hope when he brings fabric for a special garment. Lily survives on his first payment, and immerses herself in sewing and embroidering an incomparable garment for him, as her tidy plan continues to unravel.
Theophilus, Lord of Ribeauville, takes his responsibility to his townspeople seriously and, therefore, does not dally with local women. Desire wars with duty when Lily glances up at him while adjusting the hem on his Easter tunic. As her deteriorating circumstances push them together, Theo and Lily learn that the path to his heart just might be through his wardrobe, though the exquisite outfit she creates is the only part of her that fits in his precarious aristocratic world.
PRAISES FOR "VAIN":
It seems to me that the first review usually gives a synopsis, but that is not my style.
After getting the first book in The Evolution Series, Unbidden, for free when it was offered, I immediately bought, and loved, the next two. The entire series is excellent, but this is the best (however, much more enjoyable if you read the first book that laid the foundation for Theo's character.)
The characters were so rich and believable in this book, one of the best aspects of Jill Hughey's books. They struggle, they learn lessons, and of course are perfect for each other and fall in love.
This book made me laugh out loud several times. It lacks the violent aspects of the first two books but is oh so fitting for Theo, who while being a warrior is more of a politician and aristocrat. This book will also shock you. Theo can be a genuine bastard at times. It can also touch your heart, engage your sympathies and be uplifted.
The historical references are superb, the pacing wonderful, with perfect attention paid to foreshadowing, plot turns and human growth.
I love it! I have no idea how this author has remained independent, the publishing world is missing out on one of it's greatest diamonds.
- M. Palmer (Amazon)-
After getting the first book in The Evolution Series, Unbidden, for free when it was offered, I immediately bought, and loved, the next two. The entire series is excellent, but this is the best (however, much more enjoyable if you read the first book that laid the foundation for Theo's character.)
The characters were so rich and believable in this book, one of the best aspects of Jill Hughey's books. They struggle, they learn lessons, and of course are perfect for each other and fall in love.
This book made me laugh out loud several times. It lacks the violent aspects of the first two books but is oh so fitting for Theo, who while being a warrior is more of a politician and aristocrat. This book will also shock you. Theo can be a genuine bastard at times. It can also touch your heart, engage your sympathies and be uplifted.
The historical references are superb, the pacing wonderful, with perfect attention paid to foreshadowing, plot turns and human growth.
I love it! I have no idea how this author has remained independent, the publishing world is missing out on one of it's greatest diamonds.
- M. Palmer (Amazon)-
Quick Facts
Release Date: March 14, 2013.
Genre: Romance, historical, medieval
Genre: Romance, historical, medieval
Formats: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, iTunes, Kobo
GET IT HERE:
Excerpt
Lily did not know what had changed. For just a moment, her lord had appeared angry, and now he jerked at the tunic like it did not fit properly when, in fact, she had done admirably well. “Please, my lord,” she interjected when the pins and threads tacking the tops of the shoulder became visible between the pieces of fabric. “You do not have to decide now. You also do not have to destroy it. I will fix whatever has displeased you.”
He froze. His hazel eyes, heated instead of droopy with kindness, flicked onto her. “Will you?”
She retreated another step, unsure of his meaning. The distrust on his face oddly combined with sudden, intense interest. This fitting had become very strange. Her insides had sparkled when she touched him. Could he have sensed that? “My lord, if you are satisfied with the general fit, I will have plenty of work to do. You can decide about the sleeves and hem another day.”
He straightened, finally letting the hem drop, but kept his narrowed eyes on her. “I like the sleeve where you have it. I am undecided on the hem,” he finally intoned with careful enunciation.
She lifted her hand to indicate his arm. “Can I just mark it, sir? The roll will come undone when you take the tunic off.” His eyes narrowed even further. He nodded curtly. She scurried to find her chalk and made one quick streak of white on the sleeve. “Should I help you?” she asked, trying to recover their professional manner of dealing with one another.
“No. Wait outside while I change,” he ordered.
Oh, dear. She rushed out the door, flustered. What had happened? Everything had been fine until she’d begun making adjustments to his hem. That had felt horribly awkward to her. Had it bothered him too? She had been trying to do her job briskly, just as her father had always done. Maybe a man did not mind another man touching his hem but very much minded a woman doing so. Lily sighed, pressing her back against the wall, then resting her head there, as well. Even though she occupied the same world she always had, every day brought unforeseen and unfamiliar questions and challenges. She did her best to guess and fool her way through it all. In truth, the only time she felt comfortable in her own skin was when she worked on the lord’s tunic. Or at least she felt comfortable when her lord was not in the tunic as she worked on it.
She sighed. If only her father had returned. He would have that hem rolled and marked in a thrice. He would explain Riculf. He would talk to Cluny and set her life on the right course again.
Her lord emerged, once again smartly attired in the green tunic and mantle she had sewn last spring about this time. He did not know she had sewn it. Her father had done the fitting. She had made every cut and stitch. “Father is never coming back, is he?” she blurted.
The question did not surprise him. He stood straight and proud and confident in his own comfortable life. “Not soon enough,” he said.
At first she did not understand the answer. Then it clicked. Not soon enough to help you. Not soon enough to manage Riculf or Cluny. Not soon enough to return you to normalcy or even respectability. “He lives with a woman?” she asked, eager to familiarize herself with all the ugliness at once.
Her lord cursed softly under his breath. “Yes. He misses your mother desperately.”
Her hand flew up, and she pressed the back of it to her mouth, stifling an unwanted sob of distress. She turned away to compose herself. “It must be very difficult for him,” she observed with the feeling of seeing things from a great distance.
“I did try, Lily. I reminded him of his duty to you. I reminded him of your mother. I tried every argument.”
Unwarranted resentment boiled up in her. Who was this Theophilus to involve himself in her life? Why should she feel gratitude when he stood so calmly to tell her how bad things were? Why should he be allowed to make her uncomfortable in her own shop? How dare he? She bit the inside of her cheek against the angry, unfair slander she wished to shout at him. “Thank you, my lord,” she gritted as meekly as she could manage. “I appreciate your efforts today. I am sure you have pleasanter plans for tomorrow. Now, I must continue my work.”
She forced herself stiffly through the door. She did not close it until she heard her lord’s retreating footsteps. The tunic waited, lovingly spread on the worktable. Her strange, quick anger receded, replaced with the more sane and familiar despair. Her fingertip traced across the slightly overlarge shoulder to the clever neckline. This neckline was the only perfect thing left in the entire world, as near as she could tell. Tonight, she would rework the shoulders. Tomorrow, she would sew the pleats and join the body pieces and sleeves. Soon, she promised herself, she would make tiny invisible stitches around this neckline, and that would be one right thing. And she must consider the embroidery. She must devote some time to the pattern.
Blessedly immersed in her work, she did not let herself think about Father anymore.
She retreated another step, unsure of his meaning. The distrust on his face oddly combined with sudden, intense interest. This fitting had become very strange. Her insides had sparkled when she touched him. Could he have sensed that? “My lord, if you are satisfied with the general fit, I will have plenty of work to do. You can decide about the sleeves and hem another day.”
He straightened, finally letting the hem drop, but kept his narrowed eyes on her. “I like the sleeve where you have it. I am undecided on the hem,” he finally intoned with careful enunciation.
She lifted her hand to indicate his arm. “Can I just mark it, sir? The roll will come undone when you take the tunic off.” His eyes narrowed even further. He nodded curtly. She scurried to find her chalk and made one quick streak of white on the sleeve. “Should I help you?” she asked, trying to recover their professional manner of dealing with one another.
“No. Wait outside while I change,” he ordered.
Oh, dear. She rushed out the door, flustered. What had happened? Everything had been fine until she’d begun making adjustments to his hem. That had felt horribly awkward to her. Had it bothered him too? She had been trying to do her job briskly, just as her father had always done. Maybe a man did not mind another man touching his hem but very much minded a woman doing so. Lily sighed, pressing her back against the wall, then resting her head there, as well. Even though she occupied the same world she always had, every day brought unforeseen and unfamiliar questions and challenges. She did her best to guess and fool her way through it all. In truth, the only time she felt comfortable in her own skin was when she worked on the lord’s tunic. Or at least she felt comfortable when her lord was not in the tunic as she worked on it.
She sighed. If only her father had returned. He would have that hem rolled and marked in a thrice. He would explain Riculf. He would talk to Cluny and set her life on the right course again.
Her lord emerged, once again smartly attired in the green tunic and mantle she had sewn last spring about this time. He did not know she had sewn it. Her father had done the fitting. She had made every cut and stitch. “Father is never coming back, is he?” she blurted.
The question did not surprise him. He stood straight and proud and confident in his own comfortable life. “Not soon enough,” he said.
At first she did not understand the answer. Then it clicked. Not soon enough to help you. Not soon enough to manage Riculf or Cluny. Not soon enough to return you to normalcy or even respectability. “He lives with a woman?” she asked, eager to familiarize herself with all the ugliness at once.
Her lord cursed softly under his breath. “Yes. He misses your mother desperately.”
Her hand flew up, and she pressed the back of it to her mouth, stifling an unwanted sob of distress. She turned away to compose herself. “It must be very difficult for him,” she observed with the feeling of seeing things from a great distance.
“I did try, Lily. I reminded him of his duty to you. I reminded him of your mother. I tried every argument.”
Unwarranted resentment boiled up in her. Who was this Theophilus to involve himself in her life? Why should she feel gratitude when he stood so calmly to tell her how bad things were? Why should he be allowed to make her uncomfortable in her own shop? How dare he? She bit the inside of her cheek against the angry, unfair slander she wished to shout at him. “Thank you, my lord,” she gritted as meekly as she could manage. “I appreciate your efforts today. I am sure you have pleasanter plans for tomorrow. Now, I must continue my work.”
She forced herself stiffly through the door. She did not close it until she heard her lord’s retreating footsteps. The tunic waited, lovingly spread on the worktable. Her strange, quick anger receded, replaced with the more sane and familiar despair. Her fingertip traced across the slightly overlarge shoulder to the clever neckline. This neckline was the only perfect thing left in the entire world, as near as she could tell. Tonight, she would rework the shoulders. Tomorrow, she would sew the pleats and join the body pieces and sleeves. Soon, she promised herself, she would make tiny invisible stitches around this neckline, and that would be one right thing. And she must consider the embroidery. She must devote some time to the pattern.
Blessedly immersed in her work, she did not let herself think about Father anymore.
I love reading Historical romances. They are my favorite. Especially medieval. Who doesn't fall in love with a rich Lord that cares for he people and is good looking?
Lily is poor though and is not "bred" to be wed to the Lord. She is one step above of a servant because she gets paid. She is no way in the same class as Theo.
As time goes on every stitch draws them together closer and closer. Will they follow their hearts, or let society dictate who they should marry?
Society wins and they are forced to marry. Theo is too "vain" to realize this is a good thing, and their marriage is not made in heaven. Lily's life improves, because her class has, but what good is it with a broken heart?
Will Lily convince Theo to trust his heart in time? Will Theo's vanity run both their chances at love?
I had a hard time putting this book down. It was interesting and I wanted to find out what happened to lily (hoping that two men didn't leave her). The plot was great, and the writer did a great job of keeping the book interesting. There are other books that deal with other couples n the book, and another book even introduces Theo! So I do recommend reading them all! I am giving this book a 4/5! I was given a copy to review, but all opinions are my own. I also really liked the time era this book was set it!
Guest Post:
Life for Medieval Women
My historical romance series is set in the 830s, just after
Charlemagne’s reign, during the Middle Ages or medieval period of history that
most historians consider to span 500 -1500AD. Comparing the Middle Ages to
present day is a wide-open topic because things are so different now. I’ll limit myself to the Carolingian Empire in
the 800s.
I chose to write about Charlemagne’s empire because it has the
strong societal structure that many of us enjoy in historical romance, but is
not England or Scotland, which are heavily used in the genre already.
The three books in the series feature very different women
as heroines. In each, I created a woman who represents the female reality at
the time. None are warriors, none are formally educated, none escape societies
expectations of her, though each, in her way, exert her influence to make her
life suit her.
In Vain, my
heroine is from the merchant class. Her life in her parents’ weaving and tailoring
shop is very simple. They have a front room where they work and sell, and a
back room where they live. The home has one open hearth with a small hole in
the roof to release smoke. Fabric is woven on a rough frame of wood. Metal pins
and needles exist but are too precious for her to buy. Hers are made from bone
or thorn. She eats bread, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables grown or gathered
nearby, and meat rarely. She drinks watered wine or ale. It sounds dismal, but
Lily loves her life, and she fights to maintain herself when she is
unexpectedly left alone.
Theophilus, the hero in Vain,
is a nobleman. (Don’t worry, his name is often shortened to Theo, so you won’t
be reading that eyeful for an entire book.) When he is forced to marry Lily,
her transition to life in his great house is challenging because she has
crossed a societal boundary, and he is pretty angry at having marry her.
Life as a noblewoman is still rustic by our standards. She
has an outside wells and latrine, her kitchens walls are black with soot from
an open cookfire, and only she and her husband enjoy much privacy. Most of the
nobility can’t read or write, entrusting such work to clerks, though I found it
hard to stick to that with my heroes. In addition to clerks, there are servants
to do the less pleasant physical work, a much better selection of food from the
countryside around town, and social diversions.
The Evolution Series fits into the medieval historical
romance category because it is more rustic and gritty than, say, a regency. In
my recent release, Vain, I say that
in this time period “lives were, for the most part, everlasting struggles for
survival.” Though those struggles are not the main focus of my stories, suffice
it to say that none of my heroines gets the vapors because an earl steals a
kiss on the veranda. Each of them has a life path she is trying to follow, and
I do my best to show her story while respecting the reality of the time period.
Now you just have to pick which one to read! The stories
stand on their own, so you can start anywhere. The titles describe the hero of
each book. I list them here in order, with a short description, and they are
available on most online book vendors.
Unbidden - When the emperor chooses a husband for Rochelle, she tries to drive her
betrothed away, but by the time she realizes she might want to keep him, she has been too
successful and other forces are dividing them as well. Unbidden is currently on Amazon only.
Redeemed - Can a quiet widow help a damaged,
secretive man find redemption?
Vain - A tailor’s
abandoned daughter fashions a vain nobleman’s tunic, finding passion between
the neckline and hem as misfortune forces her into his precarious aristocratic
world.
Thanks for visiting today!
The Author
Jill Hughey has loved historical romance since sneaking peeks at her mother’s library years ago. She has enjoyed writing just as long. She prides herself on deep character development, and settings that take her readers on long, satisfying journeys to places they have probably never been in a book before.
Jill lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. Her hobby is singing lessons, in which she studies classical soprano and some lighthearted works.
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Tour Schedule
April 3: Laurie's Non Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews: Interview.
April 4: Love in a Book: Review and Top Ten List.
April 5: A Writer's Life: Caroline Clemmons: Interview.
April 6: Bunny's Reviews Blog: Guest Post.
April 7: A Novel Idea Live: Live Interview.
April 8: Deal Sharing Aunt: Review and Guest Post.
A Novel Idea Live Blog: Promo
April 12: April 12: My Devotional Thoughts: Review and Guest Post.
April 13: Tina's Book Reviews: Guest Post.
April 15: Pure Jonel: Review and Guest Post.
April 16: A Book Lover's Library: Guest Post.
Thanks for having Jill today!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite genre would probably be straight history or, if it's very well done and doesn't tinker too badly with a given timeline, historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteI love historical fiction too. I've really enjoy Bernard Cornwall who does a great job of showing how rough life really was in the medieval period instead of glossing it up.
DeleteThanks for visiting!
My favorite genres are YA Urban Fantasy with romance or action/adventure, anything with vampires, witches, faeries, aliens well you get the picture. And my new favorite genre is YA Dystopian. Thank you so much for a chance to win and for being a part of this fun and awesome blog hop!!
ReplyDeleteI like anything I read to have a pretty strong romantic element. I haven't read my YA. I guess I feel too old to relate, which is pretty depressing.... Who is your favorite YA Dystopian author?
DeleteThanks for stopping by!