Today I am so excited to welcome our guests! Two of my favorite historical authors are here to visit today! Ava March and K.J. Charles are here to talk to us about their latest releases, Viscount’s Wager (Ava) and A Fashionable Indulgence (KJ). They have also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving K.J. and Ava a big welcome!
Writing Regency M/M: A chat with Ava March and KJ Charles
KJC: You’ve written a lot of Regency m/m, whereas this is my first venture into the period (I’m Victorian by inclination). Obviously the Regency is a classic period setting for romance, but is there any particular aspect that drew you to it?
AM: I love the element of excess from the Georgian era coupled with the strict adherence to proper behavior that comes to characterize the Victorian era.
KJC: Oh yes, the Regency as betwixt and between.
AM: Also, when I ‘found’ romances years ago, I fell in love with Regency romances. Devoured them. So when I started writing my own, I naturally went to that era.
KJC: Yes, I bet a lot of us start on Regency. All those rules of propriety that are made to be broken, which of course goes double for queer romance. And also, the clothes. I do love the clothes. Plus, also, it was very much a period where men were open about their feelings. The Romantic poets, the way men were allowed to be sentimental, the way society as a whole was moving from an ideal of marriage-as-arrangement to the dream of finding passionate romantic love.
AM: Oh, yes, the clothes! I love Regency men’s clothes. All those layers to remove. I love a man in a suit, and during the Regency (and Victorian), men essentially wore suits all the time. Wasn’t Brummell’s attire the basis for today’s men’s suits?
KJC: I blame Brummell for a lot. I like the Georgian peacocks: men in absurdly bright colours and wild fabrics and clocked stockings. Boo to restraint.
AM: And the heels. Can’t forget about the Georgian peacocks and their heeled shoes.
KJC: Yes, it’s funny. On the one hand we know that homosexual acts could get you a death sentence so people have this view of the period as very scary for male/male couples, but at the same time, the general modes of behaviour for men then were more free. Men were affectionate to each other, able to express their feelings, and could dress like RuPaul if they wanted. (Well, not quite, but you know what I mean.)
AM: Definitely! And men could travel together, stay at each other’s homes, go all sorts of places together without having anyone bat an eye. In a way, it makes it easier for male/male couples to spend time together when compared to male/female couples of the period.
KJC: Yes, I’ve not written a het Regency, but there of course you have a lot more problems getting your upper class characters at least together.
I did find out when I was researching that there was quite a movement in the turn of the century to lift the ban on male homosexual acts. Jeremy Bentham wrote a paper on why sodomy shouldn’t be illegal. I mean, gay rights in 1800. History could have taken a different and better path.
AM: But the church was so entrenched and so a part of the monarchy back then. Still, to think how the world could have been a different place over the last 200 years if the ban had been lifted back then…
KJC: There was this awful move towards Evangelism in the 1820s onwards that pretty much took the fun out of everything. All sorts of nascent movements towards women’s rights and freer sexuality got squashed.
AM: Which lead to the Victorian era and all that repression. Dreary times indeed, but it makes for good conflict fodder in romance novels. And in romances, we can give our characters the HEA they deserved and should have been able to have.
KJC: That’s one of the reasons I like historical romance. Let’s do the past again, and this time, how about we get it right.
AM: Indeed!
Blurb
When he learns that he could be the heir to an unexpected fortune, Harry Vane rejects his past as a Radical fighting for government reform and sets about wooing his lovely cousin. But his heart is captured instead by the most beautiful, chic man he’s ever met: the dandy tasked with instructing him in the manners and style of the ton. Harry’s new station demands conformity—and yet the one thing he desires is a taste of the wrong pair of lips.
After witnessing firsthand the horrors of Waterloo, Julius Norreys sought refuge behind the luxurious facade of the upper crust. Now he concerns himself exclusively with the cut of his coat and the quality of his boots. And yet his protégé is so unblemished by cynicism that he inspires the first flare of genuine desire Julius has felt in years. He cannot protect Harry from the worst excesses of society. But together they can withstand the high price of passion.
You never forget your first love, but is a second chance worth the gamble?
Anthony, Viscount Rawling, knows exactly what he wants in life and he isn’t above having a look about London for it. When he spots recently widowed Gabriel Tilden at a ton function, he thinks he might have found love…again.
Gabriel is as gorgeous and reserved as he was when he broke Anthony’s heart seven years ago. But they were only adolescents then…surely Anthony won’t hold the incident against him. And especially not when the attraction between them is stronger than ever.
Gabriel came to London in search of distraction, and a teasing Anthony is impossible to resist. As Anthony introduces Gabriel to the pleasures that can be found in the city—and in his bedchamber—their bond deepens into something more. Yet both men are hiding secrets that could pull them apart forever…
Bio
Ava March and KJ Charles are rewriting the past one HEA at a time in Viscount’s Wager, published by Carina Press on 10 August, and A Fashionable Indulgence, published by Loveswept on 11 August.
Viscount’s Wager
A Fashionable Indulgence
Giveaway
K.J. and Ava have brought a great giveaway for their book tour. It includes copies of each book and a $25 ARE gift certificate. Just follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter.
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Huge KJ Charles fan and excited to have found a new author to check out in Ava March. Except I keep making my problem of too many books, too little time even worse.
Thanks for the work you do, Jay!
Oh Ava writes fabulous historical! Definitely check them out!
I’m on the list at my digital library for both of these. I read the first in the series by Ava March and look forward to this one, especially since it is a second chance romance. I loved the Magpie series and Think of England and look forward to this new trilogy by KJ Charles.
I can’t wait to read both of these! The cover of A Fashionable Indulgence is one of my favorites this year. It’s so gorgeous!
Both are on my wishlust! Thanks for the chance!
Two of my favourite historical romance writers. Great giveaway. 🙂
I love finding out why they like certain periods 🙂 can’t wait to read them
I bought A Fashionable Indulgence but haven’t read it yet. I’m looking forward to it.
I was never a fan of historical/alt history until I read KJ. Now I’m totally hooked, buying her books in both electronic and paper.
Both of these books sound wonderful! Thanks for a chance to win them.
I only like historical in m/m, so I’m looking forward to these!
Please count me in. Thanks!!!
I love historical m/m but they always seem to be forgotten in between the amounts of contemporary set stories I read. I’ve had my eye on one of these for a while though, and the other one I just noticed a couple of days ago, so please count me in too.
Love both authors. Hope that the Viscount Wager gets released on audio 🙂
Great chat and give away! Both books are on my wishlist 🙂
Oh I love both these writers. Am almost through A Fashionable Indulgence, just lovely.
Great post I never used to read historical’s until I read a book by KJ Charles and now I love to read them.
I like the idea of re-doing history. Please write us some of that. 😀
Both of these are on my wishlist & am especially looking forward to reading Viscount’s Wager since I have already read the first 2 in the series. Thanks for the very entertaining post here & the giveaway!
I’ve read some books by Ava and liked them. KJ is a new to me author, so thanks for this post and the giveaway chance.
I love historical novels and making it a MM one makes it even better.
I’m a huge fan of historical books. I started reading them back when I was 12 years old (of course M/F). I was really happy to find M/M historicals. I’ve been reading Ava for longer than KJ but I enjoy reading both. 🙂
Love your books. Thank you so much for the interview and the giveaway.
I used to be a fan of hisotricals but got tired of them. NOW however, I would love to give M/M historicals a try! I loved the blurbs for both books. Thank you for the post and the giveaway!
These books both sound wonderful. Thanks for a fun joint chat.
Now that I’ve read the blurb my wishlist has grown. I want to learn more about these characters.
I’ve always liked historical romance but haven’t read many m/m ones. Adding this one to my wishlist.
I have enjoyed several books by Ava March and I have a few by KJ Charles on my Kindle to read after several people recommended her Magpie series. Both of these sound great, I look forward to reading them both 🙂
I’m a fan of both of these authors. Thanks for the contest!
Thank you for such an informative interview! It’s always fun to hear from these two great authors. Thanks for the chance to win!
I love to sound of both of these books. I would love to read them
falice.sidoma@yahoo.com
Congrats on the new releases! Looking forward to reading them.
Thanks for writing awesome books!
Love both these authors, so please count me in!
I’m so excited about both of these books. Loved the chat.
I can’t wait to read these two books.
Hi Val – re:Viscount’s Wager on audio… Coming soon. Not sure exactly when, but it is coming out on audio from Audible. Likely before the end of the year.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by!! 🙂