Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen & Author Guest Post

Let’s Just Be Friends by Shana Galen


I love supporting characters, don’t you? These characters are often a lot of fun to write. Some demand to be the hero or heroine of their own book. And there are other supporting characters that try to steal the book and run away with it.

Stealing the book is especially true of Gideon, Marlowe’s best friend and a thief in my new release Earls Just Want to Have Fun. Marlowe is a pickpocket who runs with the Covent Garden Cubs, the best gang of thieves in London. Marlowe is the only girl in the gang, and for her own protection she tries to be just one of the guys. Gideon has looked out for Marlowe since she was little and is very protective of her. Marlowe thinks of him as a friend, and he’s a good enough friend to let her keep thinking that.

Top 5 Signs You Think of Him as Just a Friend

1) You have him lace up your stays. As the only woman in the gang, when it was time to dress as one, getting ready was a tricky business.

And Marlowe didn’t care one way or another whether Gideon fastened her stays. He was more her friend than a man.
2) He kissed you, but neither of you felt anything.

They’d kissed a few times, when they’d been a bit younger, but neither had felt anything. There was no spark—not that Marlowe knew what spark felt like, but Gideon said he did, and the two of them didn’t have it.

3) He uses paternal lines on you.

"Marlowe, I'm not having this conversation with you right now. Pull up your shift and turn around. "

4) He is someone you can count on no matter what happens.

She had Gideon. That much was true. He was like family, but though Gideon protected her from the worst of Satin’s tirades, he couldn’t save her completely. Not without getting himself killed.
5) He warns you when he thinks you are about to make a mistake in matters of the heart.

“He’s one of them. He’ll use you and discard you. I’ve seen it a ‘undred time.”

Do you have a favorite supporting character in a movie or novel—maybe one you want to see get his or her own story?

About the author:

Shana Galen is the bestselling author of passionate Regency romps, including the RT Reviewers' Choice The Making of a Gentleman. Kirkus says of her books, "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun," and RT Bookreviews calls her books " lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making. Shana loves to hear from readers, so send her an email or see what she's up to daily on Facebook and Twitter. Visit her website at www.shanagalen.com


Title:  Earls Just Want to Have Fun
Series:  Covent Garden Cubs #1
Author:  Shana Galen
Published:  February 3/15 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Length:  384pgs
Format:  ecopy
Genre:  historical romance
Shelf:  review
Rating: ★★★★★

Back Cover Blurb:

His heart may be the last thing she ever steals . . .

Marlowe is a pickpocket, a housebreaker—and a better actress than any professional on the stage. She runs with the Covent Garden Cubs, a gang of thieves living in the slums of London’s Seven Dials. It’s a fierce life, and Marlowe has a hard outer shell. But when she’s alone, she allows herself to think of a time before—a dimly remembered life when she was called Elizabeth.

Maxwell, Lord Dane, is intrigued when his brother, a hired investigator, ropes him into his investigation of the fiercely beautiful hellion. He teaches her to navigate the social morass of the town while his brother attempts to confirm her true identity. But Marlowe will not escape so easily. Instead, Dane is drawn into her world of danger and violence, where the student becomes the teacher and love is the greatest risk of all.

My Review:

This novel had me in stitches almost constantly while at the same time highlighting the class distinctions of the time. The differences in living conditions were shockingly apparent throughout the novel, adding an extra layer to the story as a whole. I love the contrasts between the different classes and areas. The stark darkness versus the vibrant balls engaged me intellectually, while the romance and the lives of the characters engaged me emotionally.

Galen took her well written, engaging story and kicked it up another notch with an unforgettable cast. I appreciate the fact that the cast encompasses multiple social classes, and that the distinctions are very apparent, even if they are ignored by some of the characters. I found that the main characters of the novel really engaged me. They were the type of people that you instinctively want to get to know. Their relationship with one another was also the stuff that dreams are made of. Not only did they have chemistry that leapt off the page, there was also understanding, connection, and real love.

This novel is priceless. It engaged me on so many different levels. It will be re-read many times and will not be easily forgotten.


Be sure to enter the tour wide giveaway!

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for hosting me and for the lovely review!

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  2. love the 5 top signs that you think of him as just a friend! i would love to see Brianna from the Brennan sisters books by Jane Porter get a book of her own.

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    1. Oh, I love Jane Porter's books. Great choice!

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