A Very Modern Marriage by Rachel Brimble

 He needs a wife...

Manchester industrialist William Rose was a poor lad from the slums who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, but in order to achieve his greatest ambitions he must become the epitome of Victorian respectability: a family man.

She has a plan...
But the only woman who's caught his eye is sophisticated beauty Octavia Marshall, one of the notorious ladies of Carson Street. Though she was once born to great wealth and privilege, she's hardly respectable, but she's determined to invest her hard-earned fortune in Mr. Rose's mills and forge a new life as an entirely proper businesswoman.

They strike a deal that promises them both what they desire the most, but William's a fool if he thinks Octavia will be a conventional married woman, and she's very much mistaken if she thinks the lives they once led won't follow them wherever they go.

In the third installment of Rachel Brimble's exciting Victorian saga series, The Ladies of Carson Street will open the doors on a thoroughly modern marriage – and William is about to get a lot more than he bargained for...

 Wild Women Authors is pleased to feature A Very Modern Marriage, a historical romance by Rachel Brimble, released by Aria Fiction. First up is Octavia Marshall.

Good morning, Octavia. Thanks for spending time with us. Let’s begin with where you are from. Oxfordshire, England.

Please tell us a bit about A Very Modern Marriage. The book opens at the wedding of one of my best friends, Nancy – a woman I once thought would never marry. Ever. Then she met theatre manager Francis Carlyle and everything changed. Her marriage put me in a place where I had to look at my own future and what I want to happen.

A Very Modern Marriage follows my struggle and how I meet Manchester cotton mill owner, William Rose. William and I are soon in the messy process of negotiating a deal – one that could go very wrong for one of us…

What did you think the first time you saw William Rose?  I first saw William when he came to the Carson Street house – a house where I live and work as a prostitute. A high end prostitute. It was quite clear from the beginning that he was reluctant to be there but had been dragged along by a couple of his associates. We were sparring partners to begin with but soon a growing respect emerged, and I came to look at him in a different way…a very different way.

What was your second thought?  This is not the direction I wanted things between us to unfold.

Do you feel it was love at first sight? No, most definitely not – although I did notice his eyes and the way he had a certain way of looking at me…as though I was the most interesting person in the world.

What do you like most about William? His intelligence and passion – especially for his business and family. Both are equally as important to him.

How would you describe him? Hardworking, intelligent, canny, caring

How would he describe you? Surprising, strong, ambitious, loyal

What made you choose prostitution for a career? Hah! I wouldn’t say anyone chooses prostitution – it was a case of doing what I must to survive. I came from a privileged background and probably one of the most unlikely women to end up working in the sex trade – that’s why I will never take anyone or anything for granted ever again.

What is your biggest fear? Losing my best friends Louisa and Nancy – they mean everything to me.

How do you relax? I read – I am completely, entirely, proudly book obsessed!

Who is your favorite fictional character? Jane Eyre – such a wonderful character and story.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? I can’t quote her exactly, but Nancy is forever telling me to relax more, take a leap of faith more often and believe in myself – such beautiful advice that I am battling to follow, but know I will get there in the end.

Thank you for spending time with us, Octavia. Now we’d like to chat with Rachel.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Rather than books, I’d say authors Nora Roberts and Jean Fullerton have influenced me the most as a writer – and rather than movies, I’d say British TV period dramas have impacted my love of writing historical novels rather than contemporary.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel?  It wasn’t so much a private life event that I was able to write this story but more of how deeply I was affected by The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. It is a non-fiction about the five victims of Jack The Ripper. I found it truly moving and wanted to go back and talk to these women – tell them how I wish their lives had never led them to living in Whitechapel.

It was that which inspired me to write a trilogy about three prostitutes who I could give a happy ever after.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them?  I am published with Aria Fiction and was told about them by some fellow members of the Romantic Novelists Association. I now have seven books published with them and have worked with four different editors – I’ve loved them all!

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Far too many to name! My list is monstrous – the next two I will be reading are the third Bridgerton book An Offer From A Gentleman and self-development book The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? My next book, Victoria & Violet, published by the Wild Rose Press, and will be released on October 17 2022 – it is an historical romance set in the court of Queen Victoria. I am excited and nervous as it is the first book I have written where I have included real people and events. A long-held ambition of mine!

The best places to keep up with me and my books are:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/home?lang=en-gb

Website: https://rachelbrimble.com/

Buy link: https://geni.us/xa9ln5