Book Recommendation - A Noble Scheme
When it comes to historical fiction, Roseanna M. White tops the charts of authors that I have to read. Her stories are filled with complex characters, great development, intriguing plots, great banter, solid faith elements and beautiful story arcs. A Noble Scheme is now one of my favorites of hers. Though it does not have as much light humor in it as some of her others, this dealt with greater spiritual depth and the full gamut of emotions. This is book 2 in The Imposters series and though the story stands alone, I do recommend reading book 1 first in order to get a feel for who The Imposters are and their dynamics. Here's a bit about this book:
1909
In the opulent and perilous world of high society’s most elite–and most dangerous–families, two investigators must set aside their broken hearts to uncover the truth.
Gemma Parks is known to the London elite as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talents to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the firm’s members through her columns. Yet her clandestine work would be more exhilarating if it weren’t for the constant presence of the gentleman who broke her heart.
Graham Wharton has never had eyes for anyone but Gemma, and she left his heart in tatters when she walked away from him. When the Imposters take on a new job to recover a kidnapped boy mistaken for his aristocratic cousin, Graham is determined to use the time with Gemma to not only restore the missing boy, but to also win back the only woman he’s ever loved. As they trace the clues laid out before them, Graham and Gemma must devise a noble scheme to save the boy’s life and heal their hearts.
1. What was your inspiration for this story?
A dream, actually! This is the only series I can claim that about, LOL. I woke
up one morning from this dream of an Edwardian-era group of private
investigators called the Imposters. I knew siblings were involved…and a twist
with other characters that I ended up using for Gemma and Graham. Of course, I
can’t tell you what that is, but you’ll find out halfway through A Noble
Scheme. =)
2. Which character do you best relate to in this story?
Which one was the most difficult to write?
One might expect me to claim to be most like Gemma, since
she’s a writer, but actually none of the lead characters are particularly like
me…and of course, all of them have a bit of me. You know how that goes,
LOL. Writing the strained relationship between Gemma and Graham and getting all
the revelations about what caused that strain to land right with the reader was
definitely the challenge! I was still working on it rather late in the
editorial process and had to bring in fresh eyes to help me see if it was
hitting how I wanted it to. That conversation with my beta reader helped it all
come together!
3. Did anything surprise you in the story as you were
writing? Or did anything happen during the writing to change the
trajectory of the story?
The main plot points stayed true to how I envisioned them,
but there are always surprises along the way and details that emerge as I go.
In this one there were definitely side characters who took on a life of their
own!
4. What was the most interesting thing you learned in your
research for this novel?
I learned about natural, temporary hair dyes and makeup
techniques that actors would have used in the era—things like beet and carrot
juice to dye the hair red for a few days. That was definitely fun. =) And I
also loved learning more about the architectural oddities that Graham tells us
about, like monasteries that are buried under current buildings, from the age
of the Viking invaders, and escape tunnels the monks built to take refuge from
them.
5. I won't spoil the main element here, but I love that you
got the idea about what the issue was between Graham and Gemma from a book
collaboration. How difficult was it to write about this pain?
Yes, I had no idea what had come between Gemma and Graham
as of when I finished writing A Beautiful Disguise, LOL. It wasn’t until
a vacation after I turned that one in that I began exploring possibilities for
their strained relationship, and a book I’d helped edit played a huge role in
what I decided on. This book, and hence my own, explores the depths of a pain I
haven’t personally experienced…but one I’ve stared in the face of. Again,
trying not to give too much away, LOL, but as is always the case for me in
writing, by exploring it here, in a work of fiction, I find myself able
to grapple better with the questions that arise in life, and to understand a
small sliver of the workings of our loving Father, even when things go wrong.
6. What are you hoping readers will glean from this
story?
I hope readers really pause to ponder the direct
correlation between loving God and loving others. Gemma and Graham say some
things to each other in the course of this book that are cruel, yes, but which
also strip away the walls we hide behind. As Gemma is pondering the fact that
Scripture tells us that “you will be forgiven in the measure with which you
forgive,” she realizes that it’s not God standing in heaven, with mercy and
grace in His hand that He’s refusing to pour out on you until you come to heel.
It’s our own hearts, too frozen by bitterness to receive those life-giving
waters. It’s our own hands, closed into fists, that can’t open up enough to
catch what He is always pouring out. It isn’t until we open our hearts
and hands to forgive those who have hurt us—even God, as Graham realizes, when
we blame Him for something—that the ice begins to break up. And then, when we
finally let a bit of God’s mercy in, that forgiveness and grace from the Father
helps break up the rest of the ice.
But as always with our loving God, we have to make the
first move. We have to unclench our hands. We have to want the work to
be done.
7. Is there any "behind the scenes"
fun or trivia you'd be willing to share with my readers?
How about a recipe? Gemma has a sweet tooth (unlike
Marigold), and in this one we see her enjoying a slice of a very traditional
English tea cake, Victoria cake. It’s basically two layers of white cake with
jam, whipped cream, and fresh fruit in the middle (whatever variety you like),
dusted with powdered sugar. Yum, am I right? You can find it here: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/2023/03/victoria-cake.html
8. What is coming next and when can we expect it?
Well, we have the final book in the Imposters series coming
in November, and I am so excited to finally—FINALLY—write Yates’s story,
because this guy just didn’t want to stay on the sidelines, LOL. An
Honorable Deception features Yates, his neighbor Lavinia from book 1, who
recruits herself into the Imposters, and a beautiful new client, Lady Alethia,
who comes to them for help in finding her missing friend. This next book ties
the world of the Imposters to the world of Shadows Over England and the
Codebreakers, too, which I am soooooo excited about! If you’ve read those and
liked Mr. V or Barclay’s crew, then you definitely don’t want to miss this
final book in the series.
But actually, before that one comes out, I have a Christmas
story releasing too, in September! Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor is an
Edwardian holiday romance inspired by the original Nutcracker story, and it was
just such fun to write!
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.Roseanna M. White's website: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/
Roseanna M. White's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite
My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6294452574
Comments
Post a Comment