Featured Book: Brentwood’s Ward

From the back cover:

It takes a criminal to catch one, and Nicholas Brentwood is just the man for the job. Reformed in more ways than one, the rough-around-the-edges Brentwood is a member of the Bow Street Runners, London’s early nineteenth-century fledgling police force. There’s none better than Brenwood at catching the felons who ravage the city’s streets, and there’s nothing he loves more than seeing justice served.

Beautiful and beguiling, Miss Emily Payne is not the sort of miscreant Brentwood usually hunts down. When he is assigned as her bodyguard, he vows to protect her from her father’s enemies, who will stop at nothing to carry out their mission fueled by greed and revenge.

All her life, Emily has longed for love, but it remains beyond her grasp. This season she’s determined to find a husband, which is quite the undertaking with a hound-dog guardian like Brentwood watching her every step. If he would just give her some measure of freedom, she is sure she could win the heart of society’s most eligible bachelor.

Emily’s headstrong persistence challenges Nicholas in ways he doesn’t expect, but of one thing he’s certain—of all the cunning criminals he’s dealt with in the past, this time he’s met his match.

An interview with author Michelle Griep:

Finish this sentence. Inspirational fiction is . . .

A fantastic way to experience Biblical truths in a format that sticks with you long past the closing of a book.

What’s your favorite scene in Brentwood’s Ward?

Call me a romantic, but I love the part where Emily descends the stairs, dressed and ready to attend a ball, and faces Nicholas, who for the first time is clean-cut and impeccably attired. The electrical charge in the air is positively zingy.

Are you anything like Emily Payne, your main character? If you could cast her in a movie, whom would you choose?

Dare I admit this out loud? Yeah. It’s no secret. I love shopping! Though I don’t adore hats as much as Emily. I’m a shoe girl.

Rosamund Pike was the inspiration for Emily’s looks. Check her out on my Brentwood’s Ward Pinterest Page.

Describe Nicholas Brentwood. What actor would you hire to play him?

His blue-eyed gaze looks past any pretense, zeroing in on any secrets you might have. He doesn’t give two thoughts to his appearance, yet his dress coat and trousers ride the lines of his body as if crafted by an aristocrat’s tailor. His hair is dark and unruly, matching his sometimes changing moods. He’s not a safe man, but he is a very loyal one, moving heaven and earth for those he loves.

Gerard Butler was my inspiration for Nicholas Brentwood.

What do you want your readers to take away from this novel?

That no matter what, God is in control. Nothing surprises Him. There is nothing we can do or not do to make him love us any more—or less.

Do you have another novel in the works? Tell us about it.

I can’t get enough of these Bow Street Runners! Nicholas has a fellow officer, Alexander Morton, who’s begging for a story of his own. That’s what I’m working . . . Moore’s Maiden:

Honorable ALEXANDER MOORE goes undercover as a rogue gentleman to expose a traitorous plot against the king—and a master he is with his disguise, for JOHANNA LANGLEY believes him to be quite the cad. But when Johanna is swept up in the intrigue, Alex must choose between his mission and the woman he’s come to love.

For fun, what do you like to snack on while you write?

Chocolate and java, separate or together, either way is a win win.

About the author:

Michelle’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of BRENTWOOD’S WARD, A HEART DECEIVED, UNDERCURRENT and GALLIMORE. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

You can learn more about Michelle and her books at:

http://michellegriep.com

Thank you, Michelle, for stopping by.

Michelle is offering a copy of Brentwood’s Ward to one of you if there are at least ten comments. Please answer this question in the comment box along with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. You have until 1/29/14 to enter.

Michelle asks:

Who is your favorite British Author?