We would like to welcome Shana Galen to Buried Under Romance today!
About the Book:
Her name is Bonde, Jane Bonde . . .
A beautiful and eligible member of the ton, Jane has more than a few secrets: she’s one of the Crown’s most elite agents. She may be deadly, but she doesn't know a thing about fashion, flirtation, or love . . . until Dominic Griffyn shakes up her carefully stirred world and asks her to be his bride. He’s exactly the kind of man she’s not looking for. And he’s dangerous, because falling into his arms is so much more satisfying than saving England from her enemies.
He’s an improper gentleman who needs a wife. . .
Tall, dark, and tortured, Dominic Griffyn is haunted by demons from his past. When his stepfather insists that he marry, Dominic allows himself to hope that the beautiful but mysterious Miss Bonde might help him forget his troubles. As they grow closer, it’s clear that there’s more to Jane than danger. She might be just what his neglected heart needs.
Her name is Bonde, Jane Bonde . . .
A beautiful and eligible member of the ton, Jane has more than a few secrets: she’s one of the Crown’s most elite agents. She may be deadly, but she doesn't know a thing about fashion, flirtation, or love . . . until Dominic Griffyn shakes up her carefully stirred world and asks her to be his bride. He’s exactly the kind of man she’s not looking for. And he’s dangerous, because falling into his arms is so much more satisfying than saving England from her enemies.
He’s an improper gentleman who needs a wife. . .
Tall, dark, and tortured, Dominic Griffyn is haunted by demons from his past. When his stepfather insists that he marry, Dominic allows himself to hope that the beautiful but mysterious Miss Bonde might help him forget his troubles. As they grow closer, it’s clear that there’s more to Jane than danger. She might be just what his neglected heart needs.
Spies in Truth and Fiction
In my latest release, Love and Let Spy, I feature a spy who is the best the Crown has to offer. Like James Bond in modern times, my spy isn’t afraid to takes risks, shoots to kill, and always gets her man. That’s right. My ultimate spy is a woman—Bonde, Jane Bonde.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written a heroine as a spy. I write fiction. I can do anything I want with my heroines. But I’m happy to say that I also have historical backing. There were female spies during the Napoleonic Wars. One of the women spies I researched rather extensively was Grace Dalrymple Elliott. She was a courtesan and was said to have born the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales. She also happened to be in Paris during the French Revolution. Elliott was a staunch royalist, and her position as an Englishwoman and a former lover of the ducd’Orleans made it possible for her to act as a spy.
Elliott didn’t spy in the way we might think of today. She wasn’t running around with a pistol or infiltrating enemy headquarters. Instead, she would visit Marie Antoinette in prison. In the course of the visit, the Queen would secrete letters to her Austrian relatives to Elliott and when Elliott next took a trip to the spas in Belgium, she’d turn the letters over to the Austrian spies.
As you can see, there was none of the immediacy we imagine when we think of spies today. There weren’t cell phones or the internet. In the past, it might take weeks or months for messages to be exchanged.
Elliott is also credited with saving one of the King’s personal guards. After the attack on the Tuileries, the revolutionaries wanted to kill all of the men who had protected the royal family. They just about succeeded, except a handful of men, including a lieutenant escaped. He somehow made his way to Elliott’s house in Paris and begged her to hide him. She hid him under her mattress (actually, people slept on several mattresses at the time, so he was hidden under like 7 mattresses). Believe it or not, the French soldiers decided to do a house-to-house search. When they came to Elliott’s house, she stayed in bed, on top of the mattresses hiding the wanted man. She distracted the soldiers with her charms, and they didn’t bayonet her mattresses. The lieutenant had been hot and close to suffocation, but she saved him and helped him escape the country.
Were there female spies in the Regency? Yes. Were they common? Absolutely not. I imagine there were a handful, if that many. It’s hard to know a lot about spies of that period because spies, out of necessity, are secretive. Added to the confidential aspect of their job, spying was not considered an honorable or laudable profession at that time. A real man stood on the front lines, didn’t sneak around behind it. Remember that this was the time armies marched to face one another and shot at each other point-blank. When they ran out of ammunition, they used the bayonet.That was considered courageous.
In truth, spies of the Regency period were nothing like they’re portrayed in romance novels. Spies of today are probably not much like James Bond movies either, of course. But it’s fun to take some reality and mix it in with fiction.
Do you have a favorite real or fictional spy?
Her name is Bonde, Jane Bonde…
A beautiful and eligible member of the ton, Jane has more than a few secrets: she’s one of the Crown’s most elite agents. She may be deadly, but she doesn’t know a thing about fashion, flirtation, or love…until Dominic Griffyn shakes up her carefully stirred world and asks her to be his bride. He’s exactly the kind of man she’s not looking for. And he’s dangerous, because falling into his arms is so much more satisfying than saving England from her enemies.
He’s an improper gentleman who needs a wife…
Talk, dark, and tortured, Dominic Griffyn is haunted by demons from his past. When his stepfather insists that he marry, Dominic allows himself to hope that the beautiful but mysterious Miss Bonde might help him forget his troubles. As they grow closer, it’s clear that there’s more to Jane than danger. She might be just what his neglected heart needs
In my latest release, Love and Let Spy, I feature a spy who is the best the Crown has to offer. Like James Bond in modern times, my spy isn’t afraid to takes risks, shoots to kill, and always gets her man. That’s right. My ultimate spy is a woman—Bonde, Jane Bonde.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written a heroine as a spy. I write fiction. I can do anything I want with my heroines. But I’m happy to say that I also have historical backing. There were female spies during the Napoleonic Wars. One of the women spies I researched rather extensively was Grace Dalrymple Elliott. She was a courtesan and was said to have born the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales. She also happened to be in Paris during the French Revolution. Elliott was a staunch royalist, and her position as an Englishwoman and a former lover of the ducd’Orleans made it possible for her to act as a spy.
Elliott didn’t spy in the way we might think of today. She wasn’t running around with a pistol or infiltrating enemy headquarters. Instead, she would visit Marie Antoinette in prison. In the course of the visit, the Queen would secrete letters to her Austrian relatives to Elliott and when Elliott next took a trip to the spas in Belgium, she’d turn the letters over to the Austrian spies.
As you can see, there was none of the immediacy we imagine when we think of spies today. There weren’t cell phones or the internet. In the past, it might take weeks or months for messages to be exchanged.
Elliott is also credited with saving one of the King’s personal guards. After the attack on the Tuileries, the revolutionaries wanted to kill all of the men who had protected the royal family. They just about succeeded, except a handful of men, including a lieutenant escaped. He somehow made his way to Elliott’s house in Paris and begged her to hide him. She hid him under her mattress (actually, people slept on several mattresses at the time, so he was hidden under like 7 mattresses). Believe it or not, the French soldiers decided to do a house-to-house search. When they came to Elliott’s house, she stayed in bed, on top of the mattresses hiding the wanted man. She distracted the soldiers with her charms, and they didn’t bayonet her mattresses. The lieutenant had been hot and close to suffocation, but she saved him and helped him escape the country.
Were there female spies in the Regency? Yes. Were they common? Absolutely not. I imagine there were a handful, if that many. It’s hard to know a lot about spies of that period because spies, out of necessity, are secretive. Added to the confidential aspect of their job, spying was not considered an honorable or laudable profession at that time. A real man stood on the front lines, didn’t sneak around behind it. Remember that this was the time armies marched to face one another and shot at each other point-blank. When they ran out of ammunition, they used the bayonet.That was considered courageous.
In truth, spies of the Regency period were nothing like they’re portrayed in romance novels. Spies of today are probably not much like James Bond movies either, of course. But it’s fun to take some reality and mix it in with fiction.
Do you have a favorite real or fictional spy?
Her name is Bonde, Jane Bonde…
A beautiful and eligible member of the ton, Jane has more than a few secrets: she’s one of the Crown’s most elite agents. She may be deadly, but she doesn’t know a thing about fashion, flirtation, or love…until Dominic Griffyn shakes up her carefully stirred world and asks her to be his bride. He’s exactly the kind of man she’s not looking for. And he’s dangerous, because falling into his arms is so much more satisfying than saving England from her enemies.
He’s an improper gentleman who needs a wife…
Talk, dark, and tortured, Dominic Griffyn is haunted by demons from his past. When his stepfather insists that he marry, Dominic allows himself to hope that the beautiful but mysterious Miss Bonde might help him forget his troubles. As they grow closer, it’s clear that there’s more to Jane than danger. She might be just what his neglected heart needs
About the Author
Shana Galen is the national bestselling author of fast-paced adventurous Regency historicals, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice The Making of a Gentleman. 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 to a man she calls Ultimate Sportsfan and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making. The family is owned by two cats Baby Galen named Mickey and Maisy. Shana loves to hear from readers: visit her website at www.shanagalen.com, download her free author app for exclusive content and first looks, or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.
Website: http://www.shanagalen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShanaGalen
**Giveaway INFO**
- One copy of LOVE AND LET SPY to a random commenter! Giveaway ends Tuesday, August 12th
Congrats on the new book
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Debbie.
ReplyDeleteI love historical romance and espionage! So fun! Great guest post. :)
ReplyDeleteLove and Let Spy sounds like a fantastic read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the amazing giveaway!