My English Heritage and Historical Romance Into the Lion's Heart

The connection I feel to the past and those who’ve gone before me is the ongoing inspiration behind my historical romances, including the time travels in my ‘Somewhere in Time’ series, and more lately, my Ladies in Time series. I’ve done a lot of research into family genealogy and come from well-documented English/Scots-Irish folk with a smidgen of French in the meld, a Norman knight who sailed with William the Conqueror.  One family line goes back to Geoffrey Chaucer.  And there’s a puritan line with involvement in the Salem Witch Trials—my apologies to Susannah Martin’s descendants--but that’s another story.  With Into the Lion’s Heart, I more deeply explored my British ancestry.

Set in 1789 England, the story opens with the hero, Captain Dalton Evans (fought in the American Revolution) journeying to Dover to meet the ship carrying a distant cousin, Mademoiselle Sophia Devereux, who’s fleeing the French Revolution.  *Pause here to note all the research the revolution took, not to mention Georgian England in general, Cornwall in particular, rum smuggling, stage-coach travel and sailing in the late 18^th century....you get the idea. But I digress. Back to Dalton who’s irked with his mission, not only because he finds it tedious, but he resents the French, partly as a result of their aid to the Americans during the war and some of the Frenchmen he fought during that lost cause.  Plus he thinks French aristocrats are arrogant.  However, the young woman he rescues from the sinking ship is nothing like he expects and rocks his world.

During all the copious research, I discovered this is a fascinating time period on both sides of the channel.  I’m already hooked on The Scarlet Pimpernel, having read all the books in that series several times and watched every film version (have my favorites) and I'm drawn to other novels and productions set in this era, such as the rich epic series, Poldark--read the books and own the earlier Masterpiece Theater production. Loved the newest version.

As to the language ‘thing,’ my youngest daughter, Elise, who graduated summa cum laude with a double major in art and French, was a huge help with the sprinkling of French words and phrases.

Blurb: As the French Revolution rages, the English nobility offer sanctuary to many a refugee. Captain Dalton Evans arrives in Dover to meet a distant cousin, expecting to see a spoiled aristocrat. Instead, he’s conquered by the simplicity of his new charge. And his best friend Thomas Archer isn’t immune to her artless charm, either.
Cecile Beaumont didn’t choose to travel across the Channel. And she certainly didn’t expect that impersonating her own mistress would introduce her to a most mesmerizing man. Now she must play out the masquerade, or risk life, freedom – and her heart.~

Into the Lion’s Heart is available at Amazon in kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Into-Lions-Heart-Love-Letters-ebook/dp/B005I63Y3Q

From Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers.

Awards and Reviews:

 

2012 Reader's Favorite Finalist

"This is a brilliant historical romance by Beth Trissel. You can feel her passion in the story, very well written and characters that you can feel. Into the Lion's Heart will take you through a journey of love,and enough surprises to keep you hanging on. If you love a beautiful historical romance you will enjoy this story!"

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewer: Wanda from Romance Writers Reviews

 

"Into The Lions Heart is a historical romance novelette that is sure to delight the fancy of those who read this genre... If you have never read any of Beth Trissel's books, this will be a great start and make you want to read more. I have always liked her style of writing and hope she does not change. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by Lynn F. for Readers Favorite

 

I simply adored INTO THE LION'S HEART by Beth Trissel. I'm not an avid reader of historical romances or even the simply sweet romances, but this tale kissed a delicate smile on my face and I have to admit, my heart melted. Not only was the writing superb and in context with the time and place, but the plot itself was very well done.
Rating five out of five stars and a Top Pick from The Romance Reviews
Reviewed by Erinne 

 

The Family Herbal by Sir John Hill and ‘Honey of Roses’ Recipe

18th century botanist Sir John Hill, also an apothecary, playwright, actor, novelist, and journalist, was quite an accomplished gentleman. Sir John is also among the most vilified men in Georgian England for his attacks on the Royal Society, with whom he was at odds. Disappointed by the society’s refusal to elect him a fellow, coupled with his disapproval of their scientific standards, Hill wrote many strongly worded reviews of the lauded society. And they weren’t the only ones to come under fire by Hill, outspoken to a fault. He was attacked in turn, but back to his charming and informative work, The Family Herbal.

Hill states his herbal is intended to inform those who live in the country and are desirous of being useful to their families and friends, or charitable to the poor in relief of their disorders, of the virtues of wild plants, and describes his book as, ‘An account of all those English plants which are remarkable for their virtues, and of the drugs which are produced by vegetables of other countries: with their descriptions and their uses, as proved by experience.’

He prefaces his herbal with detailed explanations as to which part of the plant is used and the steps in preparing the desired form for administering its healing properties. I’ve spent hours reading over these and writing them up. Fascinating stuff that now forms a new session in the herbal lore workshops I give, the next one for Celtic Hearts Romance Writers in May (also open to nonmembers).

I love Hill’s many references to the ‘charitable lady’ who is concocting herbal medicines for her family or community and he gives painstaking instructions and recipes for making juices, infusions, decoctions, distilled waters, cordials, tinctures, conserves, syrups, oxymels, vinegar of squills, ointments, plaisters (plasters), essential oils…

His recipe for honey of roses:

“Cut the white heels from some red rose buds, and lay them to dry in a place where there is a draught of air; when they are dried, put half a pound of them into a stone jar, and pour on them three pints of boiling water; stir them well, and let them stand twelve hours; then press off the liquor (liquid) and when it has settled, add to it five pounds of honey; boil it well, and when it is of the consistence of thick syrup, put it by for use. It is good against mouth sores, and on many other occasions.” (Which means it has many other uses.)

If you are desirous of acquiring a copy of The Family Herbal, I came across a copy, reprinted much in the manner of Hill’s original work, at Amazon.

*Image of red rose and larkspur from our garden by daughter Elise. All images royalty free.

Award-winning Historical Romance Into the Lion's Heart On Sale!

I’m best known for my Native American themed historicals and time travels, but am even more versatile than that. My often overlooked historical romance Into the Lion’s Heart is set in Georgian England (1789) at the explosion of the French Revolution.

This  novella took as much research as a full novel and I labored long and hard over it. The story kicked off the historical romance line by The Wild Rose Press called Love Letters. The idea behind the line is that a letter is responsible for bringing the hero and heroine together. Amazing how many ways this can happen. And, of course, I’m rather taken with my particular twist.

The connection I feel to the past and those who’ve gone before me, especially after doing a lot of research into family genealogy, are the ongoing inspiration behind my work. I come from a lot of well documented English, Scots, and Scots-Irish people, with a smidgen of French in the meld–a Norman knight who sailed with William the Conqueror on the Rowland side. One line of the family goes directly back to Geoffrey Chaucer, all fascinating and compelling to me. In my first English historical, I more deeply explored my British ancestry.

Story Blurb:

Will the English captain save a woman the French Revolution would devour when he knows the truth?

As the French Revolution rages, the English nobility offer sanctuary to many a refugee. Captain Dalton Evans arrives in Dover to meet a distant cousin, expecting to see a spoiled aristocrat. Instead, he’s conquered by the simplicity of his new charge. And his best friend Thomas Archer isn’t immune to her artless charm, either.

Cecile Beaumont didn’t choose to travel across the Channel. And she certainly didn’t expect that impersonating her own mistress would introduce her to a most mesmerizing man. Now she must play out the masquerade, or risk life, freedom – and her heart.

2012 Reader’s Favorite Finalist
“This is a brilliant historical romance by Beth Trissel. You can feel her passion in the story, very well written and characters that you can feel. Into the Lion’s Heart will take you through a journey of love, and enough surprises to keep you hanging on. If you love a beautiful historical romance you will enjoy this story!” Rating: 5 out of 5 stars  Reviewer: Wanda for Romance Writers Reviews

“Into The Lions Heart is a historical romance novelette that is sure to delight the fancy of those who read this genre… If you have never read any of Beth Trissel’s books, this will be a great start and make you want to read more. I have always liked her style of writing and hope she does not change.” Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Lynn F. for Readers Favorite

“I simply adored INTO THE LION’S HEART by Beth Trissel. I’m not an avid reader of historical romances or even the simply sweet romances, but this tale kissed a delicate smile on my face and I have to admit, my heart melted. Not only was the writing superb and in context with the time and place, but the plot itself was very well done.”  ~Five out of five stars and a Top Pick from The Romance Reviews, Reviewed by Erinne 

***For a limited time, Into the Lion’s Heart is reduced to .99 in Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nookbook, The Wild Rose Press, and other online booksellers.

My English Historical Romance

A Top Pick from The Romance Reviews

Book Reviewed by Erinne (author,reviewer)

"I simply adored INTO THE LION'S HEART by Beth Trissel. I'm not an avid reader of historical romances or even the simply sweet romances, but this tale kissed a delicate smile on my face and I have to admit, my heart melted. Not only was the writing superb and in context with the time and place, but the plot itself was very well done."

The connection I feel to the past and those who’ve gone before me is the ongoing inspiration behind my historical romances, including the time travels in my ‘Somewhere’ series.  

I’ve done a great deal of research into family genealogy and come from well-documented English/Scots-Irish folk with a smidgen of French in the meld, a Norman knight who sailed with William the Conqueror. One family line goes directly back to Geoffrey Chaucer. And there’s a puritan line with involvement in the Salem Witch Trials—my apologies to Susannah Martin’s descendants–but that’s another story.  Which I hope one day to write.

With Into the Lion’s Heart, I more deeply explored my British ancestry.  This rich ancestry has me traveling all over the place like a vagrant spirit.

                 

Back to the story: Set in 1789 England, Into the Lion's Heart opens with the hero, Captain Dalton Evans (fought in the American Revolution) journeying to Dover to meet the ship carrying a distant cousin, Mademoiselle Sophia Devereux, who’s fleeing the French Revolution.  *Pause here to note all the research the revolution took, not to mention Georgian England in general, Cornwall in particular, rum smuggling, stage-coach travel and sailing in the late 18^th century….you get the idea. But I digress. Back to Dalton who’s irked with his mission, not only because he finds it tedious, but he resents the French, partly as a result of their aid to the Americans during the war and some of the Frenchmen he fought during that lost cause.  Plus he thinks French aristocrats are arrogant.  However, the young woman he rescues from the sinking ship is nothing like he expects and rocks his world.

During all the copious research, I discovered this is a fascinating time period on both sides of the channel.  I’m already hooked on The Scarlet Pimpernel, having read all the books in that series several times and watched every film version (ask about my favorites) and am drawn to other novels and productions set in this era, such as the rich epic series, Poldark–read the books and own the Masterpiece Theater production.

As to the language ‘thing,’ my youngest daughter, Elise, who recently graduated summa cum laude with a double major in art and French, was a huge help with the sprinkling of French words and phrases.  And she can debate with anyone who begs to differ with her translation, why she chose a particular verb or whatever.  My French is weak, so I’m going with her and will just say it’s a beautiful language.  I hope you enjoy the story.

Blurb: As the French Revolution rages, the English nobility offer sanctuary to many a refugee. Captain Dalton Evans arrives in Dover to meet a distant cousin, expecting to see a spoiled aristocrat. Instead, he’s conquered by the simplicity of his new charge. And his best friend Thomas Archer isn’t immune to her artless charm, either.

Cecile Beaumont didn’t choose to travel across the Channel. And she certainly didn’t expect that impersonating her own mistress would introduce her to a most mesmerizing man. Now she must play out the masquerade, or risk life, freedom – and her heart.~

Into the Lion’s Heart is available at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers.

My New Contract With The Wild Rose Press~

As mentioned earlier, and official now, I’ve signed with The Wild Rose Press for my eighth story, my first English historical entitled INTO THE LION’S HEART.  Release date to be determined but I anticipate sometime in May.  At approximately 25,000 words, this story will come out as an English Tea Miniature Rose, but it took as much research as a novel because the time period and setting were different for me. Actually, it's my ninth contract with the Wild Rose Press because I also signed for my FREE READ, Night Hawk, but I digress.

As Into The Lion's Heart is set in England in 1789 at the explosion of the French Revolution, I researched the entire revolution and various aspects of life in Georgian England.  The heroine sails across the channel, so I delved into seafaring vessels and terminology.

Fortunately my mother has read the brilliant Master and Commander series twice and was also a help.  Throw in more research into Dover and Cornwall, smuggling, highwaymen…took me months to write this.

My gracious editor, Senior historical editor Nicole Darienzo, assures me that all hard work paid off, so I trust my readers will agree.   You will be hearing more about Into The Lion’s  Heart in the coming months.

I’ve long been a British junkie, so the setting of a story on English soil was inevitable.  My ancestors are English Scots-Irish and our roots well documented in family genealogy which continues to inspire me.  I was also inspired to write this story by my love of such novels as The Scarlet Pimpernel and Poldark, which came out years ago as a Masterpiece theater series.  I loved it.  Read the novels and watched the series.  And I’ve long been a huge Pimpernel fan.  Poldark opens (initially) at the same time period as my story and then continues forward as the saga unfolds.  The Scarlet Pimpernel is set later during the blackest days of the French Revolution during the Reign of Terror.  I may get to that more bloody time in a later story.


My fascination with England continues.  Given the choice, I am more likely to watch a British murder mystery or historical (the two in one being my favorite) than most anything else.  Netflix have been great for supplying me with stellar productions.   Some of you may wonder how one who is such an ardent fan of colonial America could be so drawn to all things English, but in early America, the New World and the Old World were very intertwined.  The common thread in all my work, is my passion for the past.  And yes, I will return to my beloved colonial America.  Stay tuned.