RT’s Morgan and Whitney are back to discuss a digital historical romance as we continue our month of e-Book Dishes. This week it’s a look at The White Swan Affair by Elyse Mady. When Hester’s beloved brother disappears, she turns to landlord Thomas Ramsey for help. Hester has loved this swashbuckling man from afar, and he is equally entranced by her. But with Hester’s brother in prison (and her scandalous past) standing in the way of a happily ever after, does this couple have any hope for a future together? 

Whitney: This story is a historical romance lover’s dream. With an uncanny accuracy for both setting and language, The White Swan Affair sweeps the reader back in time to 1810 London.

Morgan: The author goes to great lengths to craft an authentic tale. And because I’m not first and foremost a historical romance reader, the story’s language — all the “whilsts” and such — threw me a little, but it wasn’t long before I fell headlong into the story.

Whitney: I can say without a doubt that this e-book has the most compelling plot I have read in a very long time.

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Historical romance author Paula Quinn has just released Conquered by a Highlander, the fourth book in her popular Children of the Mist series. All four books received a rating of RT Top Pick! In today's interview with RT's Morgan, the author reveals how she uses real-life politics and religion in the series. Quinn also lets us in on why this new release is very close to her heart. And then don't miss your chance to find out what's ahead for this talented writer. (If you were wishing for more Highlanders, you might get your heart's desire!)

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Elizabeth Lowell is one of the undeniable queens of romance, having written everything from historicals to contemporaries and beyond. In recent years she’s made her writing home straddling the line between mystery and romantic suspense. However, her latest novel, Beautiful Sacrifice, places her firmly on the romance side of the divide. Today we snag five minutes (and five questions) with the incomparable Lowell on Beautiful Sacrifice’s release date! Plus, learn how you can snag your own copy of Lowell's new release at the end of this post!

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From the outside, it seems like Beautiful Sacrifice heroine Lina, the professor, is the brain and hero Hunter, the security expert is the brawn. But your characters are certainly more complex than this. Besides her intelligence and his protective instinct, what do you consider your characters' greatest strengths?

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It is with great sadness that we report that romance author Monica Jackson passed away late yesterday due to complications that arose during surgery.

Jackson began writing in 1997 with Midnight Blue and over the course of her career published eighteen more romance novels. These stories all share a multicultural element. Although the author mostly wrote contemporary romances, she also edited and contributed to the 2007 paranormal anthology Creepin’, L.A. Banks, Donna Hill, Janice Sims and more. Jackson was nominated for an RT Career Achievement Award in 2001. The author was in the process of releasing several of her older works as e-books at the time of her death.

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Historical romance author Julia Quinn has a particular skill at transporting readers back to the Regency era. We cherish the time that we spend between the covers of her tales, treated to a different period and place, where people are often more refined or at the very least, better dressed! And you know that, without a doubt, when you sign up for a Quinn romance, you will also get at least a few chuckles (or in the case of her latest novel, some full-on belly laughs).

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Name: Evonne Wareham

Book: Never Coming Home

Current Home: On the coast of South Wales, in the UK

Job (when you are not writing): Mature Student

Author Icon: There are many authors I admire, but I think my first real inspiration has to be Mary Stewart — independent heroines, enigmatic heroes, mystery and adventure, in romantic settings. 

When did you start writing?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making up stories inside my head, but the road to publication has been a long one. I studied other writers, took classes and experimented to find out what I really wanted to write. And, of course, life and career also intervened, taking me away from writing for stretches of time — but I always came back.

What was the process like from writing to publication? We would be especially interested in finding out what happened after the American Title Contest.

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Anything You Want kicked off Erin Nicholas’ contemporary romance series, Anything & Everything. So what do you get when you mix a pregnant wannabe singer with the town she’s always hated and the one man who refuses to fall for her “little ole me” act? A tale of modern-day love that will thrill fans of Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl and Susan Elizabeth Phillips … and the first book that we are devouring for our month of Dishing about e-reads!

Morgan: I know that a romance author’s job is to throw obstacles onto the path to true love, but the perils and pitfalls that Sabrina and Marc face are really quite tremendous.

Whitney: Agreed! Like it’s not enough that heroine Sabrina unexpectedly pregnant and her baby’s father is not in the picture ...

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The word mom is synonymous with “support.” When we were little, she helped by making school lunch, doing laundry back in the day, and remembering to pack snacks. Now we have adult relationships with our moms, which are equally important. There’s nothing quite like knowing your mom, grandma or godmother has your back. These women also play an important role in fiction, particularly romance. From the Fairy Godmother to the matchmaking mother, the nosey grandmother to the opinionated almost mother, these women are familiar types and often-beloved secondary characters. In honor of Mother’s Day, we are sharing a quick look at some of our favorite fictional moms in TV, books and movies and RT staff picks for our top moms in fiction.  A big holiday-inspired “we love you” to all the characters (and women) that help move a story forward, worry about the main characters, matchmake and do such a great job keeping the world running smoothly.

THREE HISTORICAL ROMANCE MOMS

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This month seven medical professionals (and one very lucky heiress) find love in scrubs in the four new titles from Harlequin’s Medical Romance imprint. You'll meet reunited exes, couples that fall in love at first sight, baby drama and, of course, a generous helping of medicine!

In Sue MacKay's The Dangers of Dating Your Boss, New Zealand paramedic Ruby has already loved and lost the sexy Dr. Jack once. She'll fight to keep from falling back in love with her new boss, but Dr. Jack won't make it easy. Meanwhile, in another corner of the world, hero Cade tries to prove that he's the No. 1 Dad in Texas. But can this surgeon who once picked his job over his family prove to Dr. Belle and their son that he's in it to win it? You'll have to read Dianne Drake's latest to find out.

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With over four months of 2012 already under our belts, we’ve been noticing a curious trend — the governesses are missing! A time-honored traditional occupation of historical romance heroines, women employed to watch over other peoples' children are a staple of the genre. Back in 2011, we met eleven historical heroines who found love while taking care of small people did so in books that received RT ratings of four stars or higher. (And of these eleven novels, five of the books included the word “governess” in the title!) So who is taking care of children so far this year? So far, it's been a mix and match bag ...

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