musical code

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The Sound of Regency Romantic Suspense

As the end of May approaches, I am also approaching the final pages of my upcoming release, A Cantata of Love. While working on this Regency romantic suspense — book 4 in The Code Breakers series — I’ve been immersing myself in the sounds of early 19th century England.

Music is an important element in A Cantata of Love. I use it to reflect the ambiance of that time period, character development and as a secret code. Modern society offers such a wide range of entertainment and recreational options that we often forget how limited choices once were. Music was one of the primary forms of entertainment in Regency England. Think ballroom dancing, pianoforte recitals in the salon and operatic performances. Young women of the aristocracy were often encouraged to refine their singing talent or learn to play a musical instrument.

In A Cantata of Love, Lord Kendal must thwart the efforts of French spies who are attempting to communicate secretly through music. Could it be the street cleaner whistling a tune while he works? Maybe it’s the opera singer center stage at Drury Lane performing Geminiano Giacomell’s aria Sposa, non mi conosci.

Click here to listen to Sposa, non mi conosci on Youtube.

Napoleonic France is no place for an Englishman, especially Michael Harcourt, the Earl of Kendal, who is on a clandestine assignment for the Crown. Already injured and facing imminent discovery by Napoleon and Fouche’s men, Michael finds his escape made even more perilous when he is charged with the safety of a young boy who must be spirited out of Paris. 

Desperate to escape the terrible fate that awaits her if she remains in France, Lady Gabrielle De Valmont must disguise herself as a boy and rely on the cunning of a virtual stranger—an Englishman, no less—to smuggle her out of the country. When the Earl’s injury becomes severely infected, rendering him gravely ill, Gabrielle realizes it is now up to her to save them both.

Look for more heart-pounding adventure, international intrigue, and sizzling romance with the release of Book Four in The Code Breaker Series, A Cantata of Love coming June 14, 2016. Available for pre-order on iBooks.