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Matrimonial Maps
By Kate Moore, Author of [amazon_textlink asin=’B07DT3P499′ text=’A Spy’s Guide to Seduction’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hoffmanmedia-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=”], Book 3 in The Husband Hunter Series
If you have ever stood on a street corner in a foreign land stretching out a map and clinging to a guidebook, you’ve had a moment familiar to sojourners at the turn of the twentieth century. The Victorians roamed the planet, armed with their Baedeker’s travel guides and maps, invaluable aids to finding one’s way in new territory.
In their enthusiasm for cartography of all sorts, they also attempted to map with wit and exquisite detail the emotional journey from singleness to married bliss through the stages of intimacy and the currents of emotion—doubt, agitation, suspense, and senseless joy. In an Atlas Obscura online article, Ella Morton, editor, offers a sampling of these fanciful maps from the collection of Rod Barron of Barron Maps. Morton describes the maps as “visual guide(s) for the adventure that is courting, engagement, and marriage.”
Two of the maps, one from an unknown cartographer and one from Samuel William Fores, come from the very years in which my Husband Hunter books are set. In each book of the series, a little blue–and–gold volume—The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London—accompanies the heroine on her journey with the hero to their happily ever after. Along the way, like all lovers, they must navigate past the very places that these delightful maps make visible, so as to avoid the perils of a loveless marriage or one made solely for gain. Some of my favorite spots from this treasure trove of romantic possibilities are the Sea of Propriety, the Rocks of Disappointment, Squabble Marsh, and the River of Kisses.
Wherever you might be on the journey from the Land of Spinsters to the Region of Rejoicing—and even if the trip is one you took long ago—you’ll enjoy exploring these feats of imagination.
About [amazon_textlink asin=’1516101790′ text=’A Spy’s Guide to Seduction’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’hoffmanmedia-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ee8de066-feea-4434-8700-d2e8046be77a’]
An independent lady is accidentally betrothed to a spy with a mysterious past in this Regency gem from beloved, award-winning author Kate Moore. A volume of tips for the marriage-minded brought them together, but their sweeping adventure will change all the rules of engagement …
When her desperate mother sends her The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London, outspoken Emily Radstock rails against the slim book of manners, boldly declaring that she should wed the first “imbecile” she meets and be done with the matter. Too bad Sir Ajax Lynley overhears her outrageous proposal and holds her to it. But he’s no dullard—he’s a wily government agent who needs the cover of a beautiful fiancée to pursue a deadly enemy. To resist his charms, Emily turns to the guide she disdains—and does exactly the opposite. Dress fashionably? She enshrouds herself in black crepe. Be demure? She steps into danger and faces down criminals alongside her “intended” … whose thrilling seduction may be anything but a charade.
About the Author
Kate Moore is a former English teacher and three-time RITA finalist, Golden Heart, and Book Buyers Best Award winner. She writes Austen-inspired fiction set in nineteenth-century England or in contemporary California. Her heroes are men of courage, competence, and unmistakable virility, with determination so strong it keeps their sensuality in check until they meet the right woman. Her heroines take on the world with practical good sense and kindness to bring those heroes into a circle of love and family. Sometimes there’s even a dog. Kate lives north of San Francisco with her surfer husband, their yellow Lab, a Pack ’n Play for visiting grandbabies, and miles of crowded bookshelves. Kate’s family and friends offer endless support and humor. Her children are her best works, and her husband is her favorite hero. Visit her online at katemoore.com or at the social media platforms below.
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