Friday, January 22, 2016

Spanking Stories Book Club---Taming His Lady by Amelia Wren

I'm pleased to introduce you all to Amelia Wren, whose new book, Taming His Lady, is available today on Amazon.


Blurb: Lady Olivia Rowley is out of control. As the only daughter in a family full of sons, she’s a bit of a tomboy. She’s also the apple of her papa’s eye, which is why she’s able to get away with just about anything.
She’s refused to attend the London season for two years in a row, and at this rate, she will end up as an eccentric old spinster. Her mother, Lady Rowley, will not allow such a thing to happen. She arranges for Olivia to marry Lord Armand Bainbridge, who’s a bit of a wild child himself.


Despite the fact that they’re fiercely attracted to one another, their strong-willed personalities clash terribly. But if Armand can manage to spank Olivia into submission, they might just have a chance at happiness.


Questions for Discussion:
I know that very few people have read this since it just went live, so I'll try to keep the questions general. But, those of you who've had a chance to read this book, please chime in. :)
1. This marriage is arranged for Olivia and Armand by their mothers. Would you trust your mother to select your spouse? Do you think you'd do a very good job selecting a spouse for your child? 

2. This story is set in Victorian England, where being a spinster was considered a failure. The word 'spinster' hardly sounds glamorous. Now that we are much more 'evolved' as a society, do we still put too much emphasis on marriage, particularly as an indicator of success? 

3. Armand is a bit of a bad boy. What is the appeal of a bad boy, in fiction and in real life? 

4. If you were a lady in Victorian times, what would you like best---
A) having servants to do everything from cleaning and cooking to arranging your hair
 B) being called 'my lady' 
C) living in a grand estate
D) wearing fancy gowns 
E) having a cool English accent 
F) something else

Get your copy Amazon , Amazon UK, Blushing Books

Next week, January 29, we'll be discussing Kate Richard's Her Cowboy.

Come back Friday, February 12 for a discussion of Bound, Spanked and Loved by 14 Awesome Authors. Available now for pre-order. 




26 comments:

  1. Okay...I'll break the ice.

    1. No, I would not trust my mother to select my husband. I think I would do well selecting a spouse for my son, though I think he did a pretty good job on his own.

    2. Yes, I do think we put too much emphasis on marriage as a measure of success and 'having it all'. Many people feel free to comment on a person, even a stranger's, marital status like "Well, I'm sure you'll find just the right person," on the assumption that a single person must want to get married. I could go on, but the short answer is yes.

    3. They seem (and might actually be) dangerous so there's that element of mystery. They can also be funny and charming. Plus, I think there's the challenge of being the one to tame them. Whether that's wise...not always.

    4. A. I would particularly love to have someone style my hair because even after all these years. I suck at it.

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    1. Hi Celeste! I can't help but wonder what sort of man your mom would pick for you, haha.

      Excellent point about the appeal of taming a bad boy.

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  2. Thanks so much for featuring my book here today, Celeste!

    1. Sure, I'd let my mom choose a spouse for me. If only she knew some eligible men...

    2. I think so. Being married or having been married is like a sort of validation, it seems.

    3. I associate bad boys with excitement and adrenaline and all that good stuff. And they are so much fun to write!

    4. Ooh, it's a toss-up for me. Can't decide which thing I'd love more: wearing the fancy gowns or living in the grand estate.

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  3. Oh the hair thing...okay I'd love to have someone style my hair!

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    1. I hear that! All the options are so wonderful, to be honest.

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  4. It's nice to meet you, Amelia, and I wish you the best for your book. Now, to answer Celeste's questions...

    (1) My mother died long before such a choice would have been made by her for me. I would have trusted her to make that choice at the point at which I lost her. For my daughters, gosh but I WISH I could choose for them! They're 28 years old this month and have never even had boyfriends! (They're not gay, either, I asked.)

    (2) I don't think marriage is an indicator of success with regard to love. It is an indicator of success with regard to partnering and building something, whether that's financial security, a family, or a business.

    (3) A bad boy appeals to our need to win. We all want to be "the one" who turns him around and becomes his partner -- the partner he never knew he wanted. Bad boys are "unattainable" and we all want to win the lottery.

    (4) I would choose A. I am absolutely lazy when it comes to housework (though I do force myself and keep doing it), and my hair is about as boring as auburn mud.

    Good questions, Celeste. Again, good luck, Amelia.

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    1. I'm giggling about the fact that you, Kate and I all need help with our hair. Or at least we think we do. I wonder if that's a common writer trait?

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    2. It's nice to meet you too, Patricia, and thank you so much for wishing me well!

      Loved reading your answers. I found your thoughts on marriage as an indicator of success to be particularly insightful!

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    3. We need to form a hairstyle club for writers, but to be honest since our work uniform is often PJs, too fancy a style might look really interesting...giggling too!

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    4. Kate: I love that idea. Sign me up!

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    5. We will call it flannel and chignons :)

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    6. Flannel and chignons...hilarious!

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  5. Hi Amelia, your book sounds great! I wish you all the best with it. To answer the questions...
    1. I would NEVER want my mother to pick my spouse. She's a bad picker.
    2. I think there is too much emphasis on marriage, but I think as you get older, that tends to wane.
    3. In fiction, bad boys can be fun. In real life, honestly, I don't see the attraction. They don't do it for me--just the opposite. I see "bad boy" as immature and that's a turn-off.
    4. If I were a lady in Victorian times, I would like "F" the best. "Other" being the freedom entitlement provided from the hardship that most everyone else faced.

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    1. Thanks, Cara!

      Good point about the large disparity between the wealthy and the very poor. I wonder if I really could have ordered people around and expected them to wait on me. I'll practice on Mr. Jones and see how that goes. LOL

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    2. Thank you so much, Cara! So true about the privileges of wealth. I've been reading some really interesting stats on London via 1850 for my next book.

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  6. I'm sorry, I haven't read this book yet, but it sounds really good. I might just tuck into it tonight!

    To answer,
    1. I think - not counting my real mother - but in general if it were a good parent, I'd actually like an arranged marriage. Dealing with a 17 year old daughter, I'd be very interested in arranging her marriage!

    2. Hmmm, this is a good question. I'm not sure. My husband had been divorced prior to me, and I remember not being in a hurry to tie the knot. To me it was just a piece of paper others put more stock in than I did. When we decided to have a baby, many people asked if we'd be getting married soon, (and it was already 1999!) That was the last thing we wanted, not a marriage but to get married because others thought we should.

    3. Bad boys are simply yummy, the appeal I don't know for sure, I can say that it was fun for me, but not so much fun as I see my daughter veering there. In fiction of course, it's the hottest!

    4. A, of course, it is A! I hate cleaning... I hate doing my hair... Well, none of the rest would be a hardship either. :P

    Great Questions, Celeste. Amelia, good luck with your new book. I'll be sharing it will all of the BB social media outlets.

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    1. Thanks, Patty! The book just went live a few hours ago, so don't feel bad if you haven't read it yet. :)

      Good point about bad boys when you're the one pursuing vs. your daughter. Good luck with that one!

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    2. Thanks so much, Patty! I hope you enjoy the book. Loved reading your answers and I can't help but wonder how your daughter would feel about you arranging her marriage. :-)

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  7. I'm starting to think that instead of giving away kindles or ebooks, we need to be enticing readers (and writers) with hair care products or salon visits.

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    1. Totally. Readers (and probably especially writers) would love that!

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  8. Sounds like a great book! Congrats on the new release. :) Added it to my TBR list! :)

    Great questions, too. :)

    1. Nope, I would not trust my mother to arrange a marriage for me. I let her set me up on a blind date once and let's just say it didn't go so well, LOL. After that experience, I wouldn't even attempt to set my kids up with anyone.

    2. I think marriage and family is still viewed as an indicator of success...uh judging from the stuff all my real life friends post on FB. Sometimes it's like a competition for whose wedding is fancier, whose marriage is happier, whose kids are smarter, etc. etc. But at least a woman has a lot more options and can be viewed as successful for other reasons in the modern day.

    3. I associate bad boys with being adventurous and kinky, maybe with a dark and dangerous past, and that sounds like fun!

    4. All of the above, please! But if I had to pick one, of course, it would be A...if only so I didn't have to cook anymore!

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    1. Thank you so much, Sue! So true about people parading their marriage/wedding/kid stuff on FB. I have a self-help book I wrote under a different name and I have a whole chapter on why it's a bad idea to go on FB when you're depressed. A lot of what you see on there is an illusion.

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    2. So true about the FB posts.

      Good point about having more options. I don't think I would have done very well if my only goal in life was to get a husband.

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  9. I can't even imagine who my mom would've picked for me. She never really voiced an opinion. But no, I don't think I'd trust her. Do I think I'd make a decent pick for my kids? hee hee. Yes!!

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  10. Hi Celeste and Amelia,

    I'm late to the party but I'm here! Congrats on the new release Amelia and congrats on your first book! It's an exciting time for sure. Okay, my answers are below!! Thanks Celeste for hosting.

    1. Oh wow! No and no on arranged marriage. I've actually gone out with men my mother tried to hook me up with and it was always a disaster! Although I do know at least one couple who had an arranged marriage that works.

    2. I think in a way we do. And if you divorce, it's almost a second failure. When we lived in the US, my daughter who was/is a total tomboy was told - in first grade- that if she didn't start wearing pink, she was never going to find a husband! Yes, true!! A little girl in her class told her that which to me shows that it is some sort of focus even from a young age. Just a note, my daughter couldn't have cared less about what the girl said or about finding a husband! She took her ball and went back out to play!!

    3. Oh please!! :) Who does not love a bad boy???? Sexy sexy sexy...

    4. :) Just having someone clean up for me...that's all I need!

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I love getting feedback. Thank you for taking the time to comment!