Tag Archives: Ballrooms

Regency Romance outside the London Ballroom: Cathy Maxwell and The Devil’s Heart

Hi friends! Today we’ve got Kim visiting with us. 🙂 She’s been a long time visitor to the blog, and I also believe she’s a “wrangler” for Cathy Maxwell. So if you get Ms. Maxwell’s newsletter, yes, she’s that Kim. 😀 Or I’m just wrong, overtired and cranky from missing RT. Your pick. 😉

Regency Romance outside the London Ballroom: Cathy Maxwell and The Devil’s Heart

I am an unabashed fan of Downton Abbey. The Edwardian ensemble is a visual treat – the house, the village, and the countryside – sights fans would not see if the melodrama took place in a London Ballroom. The Ballroom is the center of most Regency Romances … and that’s why I appreciate when an author takes to the countryside. Cathy Maxwell not only takes to the countryside, she delivers readers to the soul of Scotland, the Highlands, in The Devil’s Heart, Book Three in the Chattan Curse:

They call her the Unattainable. Lady Margaret Chattan spurned every suitor for her hand, vowing never to marry. The only way to break the curse plaguing her family for two centuries is this ultimate sacrifice. But now her brothers’ lives are in danger. Determined to save them, she risks her very soul by traveling into the heart of the highlands to battle a force that has transcended time.

Heath Macnachtan is not superstitious. Laird of the most independent, nonconforming, madly infuriating clan ever to grace Scotland, he believes he has his hands full. And then, a woman lauded as one of the most beautiful in England, arrives on his doorstep with wild accusations and a mystical quest . . . one that just might help him discover who murdered his own brother.

But the real danger for Heath and Margaret is not a supernatural foe, but a very real love that could destroy them both.

I have traveled to Scotland and scoured the Highlands for crumbling castles. I have sat in quiet solitude as the wind whistled through the romantic ruins, breathing life into the stones that have witnessed a violent history. Maxwell captures the majesty, mystery, and magic of the Highlands in The Devil’s Heart. But it’s more than countryside, it’s the characters. Lady Margaret Chattan abandons London society to confront a long dead witch. Heath Macnachtan transforms from Naval Officer to unexpected laird of a poor clan. Together, they find love against all odds … the thrilling climax requires a box of tissues.

Check out an excerpt for The Devil’s Heart on Cathy’s website at cathymaxwell.com. Follow on Twitter @maxwellcathy and Facebook at the Cathy Maxwell Fan Page.

I would like to share The Devil’s Heart with one commenter here at A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet.

I guess the question comes down to me, because I like having substance to comments. I find it more interesting. So my question is – or slew of questions but you can pick your favorite to answer (or all of them!): do you have a favorite setting for books? Have you ever been to Scotland? Or a Regency themed ball? Ever read a book set somewhere that you then desperately wanted to visit?

Or just say how your weekend is going. (If you’re at RT, I don’t wanna hear it, unless you’re going to send me something. E.g. my favorite author. ;))