Highlighting Meredith Bond’s thoughts about Greece in the 19th Century
I love it when an idea for a book turns into a research project. While it’s true that 90% of my research doesn’t actually make it into my book, the 10% that does makes the book richer and more interesting. This is what happened when I began to think about writing the last book in my Merry Men Series.
My heroine is the youngest sister of the Grace sisters, whom we met in A Dandy in Disguise (the eldest, Rose is the heroine of that book, and the middle sister, Laia has her own book, My Lord Ghost). All I knew of Thalia when I began thinking about her book was that she was an adventurous, outgoing, horse-loving girl and she grew up on an archaeological site in Greece. It made sense to me, therefore, that she would want to return to Greece, the place where she’d been happiest. And then I started researching Greece in the early 1800s.
I read travelogues of how to get there – if you go over land, be prepared to camp out because there are no inns along the way. If you go by sea, it’s a rough journey from England and there weren’t a lot of ships going that route. Oh, and then I learned that the Greek Revolution—when they fought for their independence from the Ottoman Empire began right around then. Yikes!
So how was I going to get a single young woman to Greece on the verge of war on her own? It seemed to be impossible!
Since I couldn’t get Thalia to Greece, I decided to bring Greece to her in England—in the form of my hero, Yiannis Istoriakis. He is sent to England by his father with the job of cataloging Greek artifacts which are privately owned. He has no idea that his country is on the brink of war, but he’s a passionate young man who takes his job very seriously… which leads to him doing a lot more than his father ever intended!
Needless to say, I had a great time learning all about the Greek revolution and what was known about it in England. I read newspapers from the time and even got to include a clipping from one in the book itself. Nothing could be better!
About the Book: My Gentleman Thief
Thalia Grace has a habit of flaunting Regency society—whether it be racing her horse against ungentlemanly earls or standing up to the arrogant lady patronesses of Almack’s. But after a handsome Greek artist comes to visit, she discovers her true calling—to follow in the footsteps of her archaeologist parents.
The talented Yiannis Istoriakis is passionate about Greek antiquities—he would do anything to ensure that they are treated with proper respect. But he never expected to become a thief…much less be so fascinated by the spirited woman he needs to become his accomplice.
As Thalia and Yiannis suffer through London’s social whirl while stealing priceless antiquities, they find that it’s their hearts that are in danger of being stolen.
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gentleman-Thief-Merry-Men-Book-ebook/dp/B07811J4XX
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/my-gentleman-thief
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-gentleman-thief-meredith-bond/1127621392?ean=2940154648292
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/766793
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/my-gentleman-thief/id1324688585?ls=1&mt=11
About the Author
Meredith Bond’s books straddle that beautiful line between historical romance and fantasy. An award-winning author, she writes fun traditional Regency romances, medieval Arthurian romances, and Regency romances with a touch of magic. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart,” Meredith loves to take her readers on a journey they won’t soon forget.
Merry has two independent children and a loving, supportive husband. She is currently living in Europe enjoying the Bohemian life.
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