Ella Matthews is one of my favourite Historical Romance authors. In fact, I’d go as far as to say she got me into the genre! I devour her books in one sitting, so I was over the moon when I got to work on a collaboration with her for Harlequin – A Season to Wed. Ella’s book, the third in the series, is called Their Second Chance Season and it is out now. I caught up with Ella to hear all about it…
Can you tell me a little bit about Their Second Chance Season?
Their Second Chance Season follows childhood sweethearts, Ash and Amelia, as they meet again after a long separation. Having separated under difficult circumstances, they both vow to have little to do with each other. Of course they very quickly find that’s impossible, and it’s not long before they are fighting their attraction to one another.
It’s part of our new Harlequin/M&B Historical series – A Season to Wed. What was your inspiration for this series?
I’d love to take credit for this series but it’s a collaboration between me and three other very talented authors, Virginia Heath, Lucy Morris and, of course, yourself. My memory is that we knew we wanted to write a series together and we worked from that point forward. I remember being in a hotel in Spain, sipping on a glass of wine while we all had a video conference about what we were going to do, which was for more pleasant than normal.
Why will readers fall for your hero? And what’s to love about your heroine?
Ash is loyal, strong and passionate. When misfortune befalls him, he doesn’t sit around whining about how unfair everything is. Instead, he gets up and gets on with sorting it out. I loved his strength of character and I hope readers will too (also he’s very handsome, which helps!). Amelia is a vibrant, fun young woman who’s been married to a dour man for several years. At the start of the novel, she’s emerging from her year of mourning and wants to embrace fun again for the first time in years. She adores cake, much like myself, and I loved writing about my favourite type of food throughout the novel.
What can readers expect from an Ella Matthews romance?
A dash of adventure, a couple who have a sense of fun and lots of yearning.
Why do you love the Regency era so much?
There’s so much to love about the Regency era that it’s hard to pinpoint one thing. One of my favourite aspects is the dancing. I love the idea of being led around the room by a tall, handsome man. When my husband and I dance together it’s like two people sort of wobbling in the same place, which is fun but not romantic in the least. I think it’s also the forbidden nature of romance, the idea that men and women weren’t allowed to be alone together adds to the yearning between a couple.
What Regency character from a book/film are you most like and why? And which male/female character do you most admire?
This is quite a hard question! I think maybe I’m most like Jane Bennett (not in looks!) but in the way she is quite quiet and tries to see the best in people, even with evidence to the contrary. My favourite Regency character is Venetia from the Georgette Heyer book of the same name. I admire the way she takes control of her own destiny, fighting for the life that she wants which is very different from what others think she should have.
What’s your Friday night and Saturday day perfection?
My children are just young enough that they still like to spend time with me, so my usual Friday night perfection would be dinner with them and my husband. On Saturdays, I love walking to our favourite beach and having a tea while watching the sea. But… if I was to choose a really perfect weekend, it would be on holiday, somewhere warm with several good books and lots of lovely food.
How many books have you written now, and what other books should we look out for from you this year?
In July I’m going to be releasing my first self-published Regency novel, which I’m very excited about. It’s the first in a four-book series following the lives of the Dashworth brothers. The Earl’s Unlikely Bride is Freddie and Emily’s story and I’m in the middle of putting the finishing touches to it. Before that, I’ve got a free online read available on the Mills & Boon website coming out in June. It’s a cute story about a slightly nerdy duke and Sienna, the sister of Amelia (from Their Second Season). All the characters from the A Season to Wed series have cameos, which was fun to do.
I’ve had a sneak preview of The Earl’s Unlikely Bride and I can tell you, it’s brilliant!
So lovely to chat to you, Ella. Thank you! You can buy Ella’s books on Amazon here Their Second Chance Season (A Season to Wed, Book 3) (Mills & Boon Historical) eBook : Matthews, Ella: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store