The idea for AN IMPOSSIBLE ALLIANCE started when I re-watched the movie, “Notting Hill” with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. In this film, Julia is an actress, and is shooting a period piece--maybe late nineteenth century--in England. Hugh visits her on the set.
I
thought, what if my heroine is an actress (or a would-be actress), in a Regency
period piece, and then suddenly time-travels back to Regency England? At first
she’d believe she was still on the movie set. Were the people she met actors or
extras--actual folks living in twenty-first century England?
Or,
in Willa’s case, the people turn out to be genuine Regency inhabitants.
Bingo!
BE
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Eighteen-year-old
Willa Berkeley lives in the shadow of her famous actress mother. Although
Willa’s greatest hope is to be a ballet dancer, she agrees to her mother’s
desire for her to journey to England and take a small acting part in a major
film production. Once on-site at Highbridge Hall, she learns the horrendous
reason behind her mother’s “request.” Distraught, she makes a wish for
happiness at the Hall’s supposedly enchanted lake. When morning comes, Willa is
still at Highbridge Hall, however the film’s crew are no longer around. What in
the world happened?
WISHES
CAN COME TRUE
Ian
Laydon, the Earl of Wrexham, returns to his father, the Marquess of Dunhaven’s,
estate, Highbridge Hall, after an exhausting tour of duty mediating at the
Congress of Vienna. His father wants Ian to marry a neighbor’s daughter,
Arabella. Ian is a dutiful son; he plans to propose but his heart is unengaged.
He wishes he could have a marriage as loving as the one his parents have. Oddly
enough, right after his wish, he comes across an enigmatic young woman sitting
against the granite bridge in front of him. Can she possibly be the answer to
his wish?
Lights, camera,
action... time travel! Modern day Willa, on-site on a movie set in England,
makes a wish and then wakes up in the year 1815!
Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Universal Link.
Available in print at Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z13GZ3H
This
book is part of the prestigious Elegant Regencies line.
Here are some fabulous reviews:
5
Stars! One of the things I love about Susanne Marie Knight’s time-travels is
that she uses a different method of time-travel in each book. Here, the method
is a lake enchanted by fairy folk. The protagonist is a contemporary young
woman on the verge of adulthood who struggles to find her way in her
unsympathetic world. Willa has very real concerns; she comes alive for the reader.
The novel is filled with believable characters: from the consumed-by-duty hero;
to the headstrong, flighty Regency miss; to the sullen cousin; to name only a
few. For a magically different romantic read, head over to the enchanted lake
and read AN IMPOSSIBLE ALLIANCE!--Regency Fiction World
5
Stars! AN IMPOSSIBLE ALLIANCE is a charming time-travel Regency, complete with
vivid characters, an interesting plot, and set in 1815 with accurate historical
details. The main character, Willa, is only eighteen. How she grows from an
insecure teen to confident young woman took this particular reader back to her
youth! I stayed up all night to read this one. Enjoy this trip back to the
past!--Twists On Romance Reviews
5
stars! An enchanting love story. Willa Berkeley is feeling sad, rejected, and
betrayed by her own family, that and an overwhelming desire to find love,
affection, and happiness leads her to make a wish to the fairies of an
enchanted lake. We embark with Willa on an adventure to the 19th century, more
precisely to the year 1815. This time-travel romance is intriguing, sensitive,
and full of historical details and cultural customs that go beyond a simple
romance, bringing context, way of living, and much more. Congratulations, Mrs.
Knight for giving us another page-turning romance.--S. A. Santos Reviews
5
Stars! A delightful escape from these troubled times! In this novel the lead
character Willa time travels from a movie set at an old manor in the United
Kingdom in 2021 back to the same old manor during the Regency era. She soon
finds herself entangled in the affairs of the family that lives at the manor
during that time and becoming romantically involved with the heir to the title
and fortune of the Marquess who owns the manor. There are a number of different
threads to the story that keep it interesting, especially the relationship
between Willa and Lord Ian Laydon, the son of the Marquess. The problem for
Willa is she finds herself more wanted and loved in the “new” time period than
she ever was in 2021. It makes for a dilemma: Should she stay where she is and
hope to marry Lord Laydon or somehow try to go back to the time she came from?
Read the book to find out. You won’t regret it!--Steve Arnett Reviews
I
eagerly awaited Ms. Knight’s newest time-travel Regency and oh yes, I love AN
IMPOSSIBLE ALLIANCE!--Reader Comment
5
Stars! A wonderful time travel love story! This author keeps surprising me! I
have all her books now and am eagerly waiting for the next one!--Reader
Review
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For
my tidbit from real life, I’ll include this: My heroine, Willa, is just
eighteen years old. So, I had to jump back in time myself to reconnect with the
angst of an eighteen-year old. Yikes. I reread diary pages from that period in
my life and discovered I was rather emotional (no surprise), sometime clueless
(ah well!), and yep, insecure.
I
made Willa conflicted in her feelings as she tries to figure out not only her
path in life, but also the male of the species (good luck with that!)
Here’s
a scene set-up showing some of Willa’s confusion.
Scene Set-Up:
Misunderstandings
abound! Ian Laydon returns to his ancestral home and believes the woman he
finds by the enchanted lake is his neighbor’s daughter--and soon-to-be his
intended--Arabella Carswell. However, it’s Willa Berkeley who wakes up after a
wish at the enchanted lake. She believes she is in the middle of a film shoot
with actors rehearsing their lines.
EXCERPT:
The
beauty of the lake distracted Ian. Perhaps it would soothe Arabella as well.
Pulling her with him, he stood on the sandy shore and watched a family of
mallards noisily float on the surface. As he did not have treats for them, they
sailed past. Once the ducks were out of range, he picked up a stone and hurled
it out onto the water. It skimmed and skipped on the surface, and then sank
with a plunk.
“There.”
He turned to her. “I feel better. Would you care to try it?”
She
wrinkled her finely sculpted nose. “No. I don’t understand any of this. Is this
part of the script? Are you and I suppose to--”
“Supposed
to what?” She looked so desirable, he leaned over and nuzzled his chin against
her well-formed ear. This close to her, he was lost indeed. “Supposed to kiss?
I have been wanting to kiss you, my dear.”
He
took a great liberty. He knew he did. But as he had told her, they were almost
engaged. What would be the harm? Before she had a chance to slip away, he
curved his arm around her and pulled her even closer, enjoying her feminine
feel against his chest.
“Allow
me the pleasure, my moppet,” he murmured. Then his lips touched hers.
So
soft, so pliant, so wonderfully sweet. He tightened his hold and traced his
tongue over the fullness of her lips.
For
a moment, he had her. She did not move. She was his. The next second, she
jerked away.
Her
green eyes flashed fire. “No! You’re not that... that slimy goat of a director,
are you?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you enjoy Willa and
Ian’s love story.
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing with a Twist!
