Donna Thorland – Guest Blog and Giveaway

Lovers on opposite sides of a brutal war, with everything at stake and no possibility of retreat.

Major Lord Peter Tremayne is the last man rebel bluestocking Kate Grey should fall in love with, but when the handsome British viscount commandeers her home, Kate throws caution to the wind and responds to his seduction. She is on the verge of surrender when a spy in her own household seizes the opportunity to steal the military dispatches Tremayne carries, ensuring his disgrace—and implicating Kate in high treason. Painfully awakened to the risks of war, Kate determines to put duty ahead of desire, and offers General Washington her services as an undercover agent in the City of Brotherly Love.

Months later, having narrowly escaped court martial and hanging, Tremayne returns to decadent, British-occupied Philadelphia with no stomach for his current assignment—to capture the woman he believes betrayed him. Nor does he relish the glittering entertainments being held for General Howe’s idle officers. Worse, the glamorous woman in the midst of this social whirl, the fiancée of his own dissolute cousin, is none other than Kate Grey herself. And so begins their dangerous dance, between passion and patriotism, between certain death and the promise of a brave new future together.

 

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Set in decadent, occupied Philadelphia during the winter of 1777, The Turncoat is a swashbuckling tale of romance, war and espionage.

Say “winter of 1777” and most Americans think of Valley Forge. Of snow and hardship and barefoot soldiers and log cabins. But there was another side to that winter. In the 18th century, armies didn’t fight in freezing weather. They retired to winter quarters.

When Benjamin Franklin heard that the British had taken the rebel capital, he quipped: “Howe has not captured Philadelphia. Philadelphia has captured Howe.” In 1777 the City of Brotherly love was the largest in North America. The public buildings and private homes were elegant red brick Georgian confections, and the recently opened City Tavern was said to be as fine as any establishment in London.

General Sir William Howe set the tone for his officers, bringing with him from Boston his married mistress, Elizabeth Loring, said to be the most beautiful woman in New England and dubbed by Boston papers “the Sultana” for her extravagant dress and habits. His spymaster, Captain John Andre, spent his spare time organizing amateur theatricals and seducing the Tory daughters of the town. It was a winter of decadence and excess.

Into this dazzling world comes the heroine of The Turncoat, Kate Grey, farm-girl turned spy, tutored in espionage by the alluring Widow of Mount Holly, and determined to help Washington drive the British out of Philadelphia–until she falls in love with the British officer who has been ordered to discover and destroy her.

You can find out more about the glittering winter of 1777, and the world of The Turncoat, at my website: www.donnathorland.com

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For a chance to win a copy of THE TURNCOAT by Donna Thorland, leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn on Sunday. Open to US residents only.