Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of 29 novels including the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin). Her latest novel, Victoria & Violet is the first book in her new Royal Maids series with the Wild Rose Press and released 17th October 2022.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.
Want to keep up on all things Rachel then check out her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
What’s the strangest thing you searched for on the internet for your novel?
Ooh, great question! Hmm, although I’m not actually sure I searched for anything strange as such. For Victoria & Violet, most of my research revolved around the court of Queen Victoria, when she first come to the throne and then through her early romance/marriage to Albert. What I did find was I spent far too much time researching because I just LOVE royal history – the joy was finding sources of letters and reports on Victoria & Albert’s courtship and them coming alive for me as a couple.
What book (or author) made you fall in love with the romance genre?
I fell in love with the romance genre as I teenager when I discovered the Sweet Dreams series in the 1980s. These books gave a young girl all she needed to know about first love, puberty, vulnerability, and everything else in between. I progressed to Harlequin Mills & Boon and, since then, romance has been a permanent fixture in my reading choices…along with crime, biographies and women’s fiction!
What is your favourite trope? Why?
I love so many! But I think its either ‘friends to lovers’ or ‘second chance’ romances.
It’s the morning after, and a lover is making your main character the perfect breakfast in bed. What is it?
I will answer this question for Violet rather than Victoria because the novel is really Violet’s story even though Victoria plays a huge part! I think Violet’s perfect breakfast in bed would be two boiled eggs, toast and two cups of tea. Nothing flamboyant, but enough to start the day off just right 😊
What book are you reading currently?
I always have two books on the go at the same time…sometimes three. At the moment, I am reading Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie and The Island of Summer Sunsets by Susan Sands.
The rapid fire question – Going on vacation to a snowy cozy, secluded cabin or soaking up the sun on a tropical luxury beach resort?
Luxury beach resort!! I am much more of a sun person rather than a snow person – even as romantic as the cabin sounds 😊
