Christmas At Thorncliff Manor - The Adventure Continues

Yes, this is really happening! The conclusion to Secrets At Thorncliff Manor is now available for pre-order in ebook format (print coming December 5th). I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting this book so it's great to be able to make this happen. For more info, please visit my website at www.sophiebarnes.com

More than love is in the air …
Join the Heartly family as they return to Thorncliff Manor for the holiday season where four sisters and four very handsome, very eligible bachelors, are about to enjoy a lively Christmastime filled with laughter and love. But aside from the covert matchmaking undertaken by the eccentric hostess, Lady Duncaster, the thrill of adventure is sweeping through the estate. Soon, all the guests will be entangled in a treasure hunt for a lost heirloom and secrets hidden for decades will rise to the surface as matters of the heart are finally revealed.
Will Fiona ever see the Earl of Chadwick as more than a friend? Will Emily find an unlikely love in the Marquess of Montsmouth? Can Laura recognize the man of her dreams in the Duke of Lamont? And is Viscount Belgrave able to open Rachel’s eyes to romance? The magic of Thorncliff is about to offer the last unmarried Heartly sisters a chance at their own happily-ever-afters. So sit back with a warm mug of cocoa and lose yourself in a Regency Christmas Romance…

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The Mayfair Chronicle

Doing publicity for a new release is a lot of work, but it can also be creative and fun! I'm really lucky that I have some great people to work with at Avon. A publicist has been assigned to my book but that doesn't mean that I won't be doing any work myself. One of my favorite things when it comes to PR is coming up with new ways in which to advertise my book. With my new Secrets At Thorncliff Manor series, it's not just the book itself that I'm trying to promote, but the entire concept of Thorncliff and all that it has to offer.
In the past, I've done an advent story leading up to my New Year's Eve release of The Scandal In Kissing An Heir, I've created my ambassador group, ordered various kinds of swag and printed limited quantity t-shirts for my At The Kingsborough Ball series.
This time around, I've brought The Mayfair Chronicle to life. For those of you unfamiliar with my books, this is a fictional newspaper that I created for There's Something About Lady Mary, and which has since shown up whenever a newspaper was necessary, just as the Belle Anglaise has become the most popular shopping destination for all my female characters.

The Inspiration behind Thorncliff Manor

World building is one of my favorite things when it comes to writing, and in my new series, Secrets At Thorncliff Manor, I've had so many opportunities to be creative. For inspiration, I started out with the general idea of Las Vegas having themed hotels, and then converted this idea into an estate with themed salons. I've looked at numerous pictures of British castles and interesting locations throughout Europe and other parts of the world, combining all of my favorite elements. The result, is the most magnificent guesthouse England has ever seen.
I present to you, Thorncliff Manor.

Owned by Lady Duncaster, an eccentric widow with a penchant for cake, Thorncliff sits firmly upon the English countryside, located between Bournemouth and Portsmouth. Though little of the original structure remains visible, Thorncliff was initially built during the twelfth century by a knight named William Holden. Since then, each generation has expanded on it, creating a vast edifice with a total of 187 rooms, fifty of which are bedchambers. There are eight themed salons decorated in unique styles that pay tribute to some of the wonderful places Lady Duncaster visited with her late husband, like India and China.
 

The conservatory is quite possibly the finest one in Europe, modeled after the orangerie at the Versailles Palace, albeit with more glass to allow for a more outdoors feel. The impressive library, housing a vast variety of books that have been collected over the centuries, is 180 feet in length with comfortable seating arrangements located throughout in order to encourage reading or simply a bit of quiet conversation in good company.
 

Other notable rooms include the smoking room, the dining room (with space for one hundred guests), the gaming room, the ballroom, the music room and the exercise room.

Heading outside onto a sprawling terrace, tables and chairs set amidst potted plants and climbing roses, provide the guests with a wonderfully relaxing environment in which to enjoy their afternoon tea. Seated here, one has a direct view of the front lawn and the lake that lies beyond it. A frigate, now used for outdoor dining, can be seen – it is named The Endurance and was purchased many years ago by the late Lord Duncaster as gift for his wife – a memento since they once traveled aboard it together. To the right of this, is a Chinese pavilion, perfect for enjoying a quiet talk, a cup of tea or a midnight kiss.

Following the lake to the left, one will find the rose garden, and beyond it, an elaborate maze that can take a fair amount of time to get through. On the opposite side of the lake lies the forest, along with other lawns belonging to the estate, the chapel, and a path leading toward a grotto. Of course, no estate of this size and history would be complete without hidden tunnels and passageways, so Thorncliff does have several of those as well, many of which have not yet been explored.
Rumor does have it that a treasure can be found on the estate, but Lady Duncaster isn’t convinced, even though some of her guests are quite determined to find it. Who knows how lucky they’ll be?

 

If you'd like to know more, please visit my website at www.sophiebarnes.com

The first book in the series, Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires, goes on sale April 28th and is available now for pre-order. 

Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires - Character portraits & quotes

It's March 28th and that means only one more month until the first book in my brand new series, Secrets At Thorncliff Manor, goes on sale. It's called Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires and although I haven't really kicked into promo gear just yet - I'm wrestling with another monster at the moment, namely the edits for the second book in this series - I thought I'd give you all a little sneak peak.
The first chapter is available HERE, via my website's Lady Sarah page. Here you will also find a sketch of the Thorncliff estate, as I envision it looking - I'll add another post during April with more details on that, like the history behind it and inspirational pictures that will have you drooling ;D
For now, I present the Heartly family, courtesy of artist Brittany Lounsbury:  www.brittanylounsbury.com as well as a couple of quotes. Let me know what you think!