Riveting His Attention by May Williams & Guest Post

By: Unknown on Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Before we get started today I'm going to hand things over to author May Williams for a few minutes.

My writing space alters from season to season. If the weather is warm, I’m on the front porch with a notepad propped on my knee as I spin out ideas and create characters. In the summer, I have ample time to observe the neighborhood. From my Adirondacks chair, I look directly at the local police and fire stations. In the smallish town where I live, these places provide optimal entertainment value and tons of masculinity. I have no lack of inspiration for my male characters. I just hope the guys across the street never figure out what I’m doing with that notepad all those hours.

During the colder months, I retreat to a little room upstairs in my old farm-style house. The space could be the fourth bedroom, but it’s too awkward in design with angles here and extra doors there to place a bed and dresser. Long ago, I claimed it as mine. Before I started writing, it was my sewing room. A couple sewing machines and a rack of fabric that I’ll probably never use (but can’t part with) still prove its double nature.

When I’m writing, I keep my back to the clutter (my grandmother had a clutter room and I’m dangerously close to achieving that honor myself). I have my desk in a little alcove, a bookshelf to my side for quick reference, and the banker’s style desk lamp I bought in high school perched nearby. I love the green glass shade. In the evenings I don’t flick on the overhead light. Instead, I use my little lamp and create a pool of light just on my desk’s surface. More intimate, more focused, great for writing.

My space is supposed to be pet free, but sometimes I give in and let Hillary enter. She’s my frenemy in the cat kingdom. I’m sure she despises me, but she loves my writing room and, hence, tolerates me when she must. Even now, she’s curled up behind me, her eyes half-open, plotting against me.

The window in front of my desk provides another view of the fire station, and when the leaves are off the lilac, I get almost as good a vantage point as my front porch. On the window ledge sit two of my favorite items. A lovely swan, graceful and elegant, carved from wood and a little sign reminding me that “they lived happily ever after.” I’ve managed to write several happily ever afters from this spot and plan to keep at it.

Title:  Riveting His Attention

Author:  May Williams

Published:  March 17th 2014 by Turquoise Morning Press

Length:  188pgs

Format:  ecopy

Genre:  Historical romance

Shelf:  review

Rating:  ★★★★

Blurb:

Lady Ella Harwich is capricious. At least that’s what her older brother thinks. However, when it comes to Jim Ferguson, Lady Ella is quite serious. One long, lingering kiss put Jim at the center of her romantic desires and at the top of her list of suitors. And she plans to keep him there. Unfortunately, Jim wants off her list because of a secret past, a career as a shipbuilder instead of a gentleman, and his own inability to resist her. Proving her love—and his worthiness for her love—is Ella’s only way to rivet his attention.

My Review:

This is a typical regency romance with a twist. It has all the marks of a regency romance, with the role of male and female flipped in some regards but not others. There is also lots of intrigue and suspense to top it off. Williams grabs your attention with her female protagonist’s coming of age and throws in a blue collar hero amongst a bunch of aristocratic scallywags. You can just feel the research that went behind the writing of this novel. Williams explains the workings of a steam engine without missing a beat in the story’s plotline.

I also loved the cast in this novel. The mix of character types makes it seem like a real family. The lead characters were especially intriguing. Both were fighting against preconceived notions of themselves. She wanted to show her family that she wasn’t flighty, and he needed someone to prove to him that the burdens of the past didn’t fall solely on his shoulders. It made for some quite entertaining moments, as well as some heartbreaking ones. There were a couple of characters that I never did figure out what their purpose in the story was, but they didn’t detract from the story as a whole.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable, quick read that was perfect for a sunny weekend afternoon. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy historical romances with strong female leads.

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About the author:

May loves romance. Big pink roses, chocolate hearts, sunset walks, but, most of all, she loves romance novels. She’s been reading romances since she first discovered the public library where the librarians didn't notice or didn't care what she was checking out even though she hadn't hit puberty yet.

Since then, May has continued to read every genre of romance, but she writes mostly historical. Places and time periods have stories to tell. And she likes to listen. Her most recent novels are Victorian era pieces where she can imagine beautiful gowns and elegant teas.

When May’s not writing, she manages a houseful of children, pets, and flowers grown in her garden.

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