The Baron and the Lady Chemist: Q&A with Alissa Baxter + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Baron and the Lady Chemist by Alissa Baxter, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Baron and the Lady Chemist 
Series: The Grantham Girls #2
Author: Alissa Baxter
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Release Date: August 3, 2023
Genre: Regency Romance (Sweet/Clean)

Their chemistry creates a chain reaction . . . but will love be the final result? 

Dorothea Grantham has always been fascinated by chemistry and spends most days conducting experiments in her laboratory at Grantham Place, staining silk with gold, silver, and other metals using chemical processes. 

Thea embroiders the beautiful gold and silver silk shawls she creates and enjoys wearing them, but her grandmother, Lady Longmore, advises her not to reveal to anyone outside the family circle that she has created the fashion items herself, concerned her granddaughter might be seen as an oddity. 

When Thea enters Society, her shawls attract a great deal of attention and become the talk of the town. James, Lord Castleroy, takes a particular interest in her work, having inherited a share in his grandfather’s silk mill in Macclesfield. 

Eager to invest in the ailing silk industry, the baron studies Miss Grantham’s silks with an admiring—and increasingly suspicious—eye, believing the fabrics to be smuggled imported silk. As he spends more time with the enterprising young lady, however, his interest in her quickly extends beyond his business affairs to engulf his guarded heart.  

But Lord Castleroy isn’t the only person in London interested in Thea’s exquisite creations. And when a silken web of intrigue entangles her in real danger, Thea must trust the devotion of a man she never expected—or intended—to fall in love with. 

Read Free in Kindle Unlimited!  

Note: This series is part of Dragonblade's Sweet Dreams line, so this is a sweet, wholesome Historical Romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader’s imagination.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in this Series

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About the Author

Alissa Baxter wrote her first Regency romance during her long university holidays. After travelling the world, she settled down to write her second Regency novel, which was inspired by her time living on a country estate in England. Alissa then published two chick lit novels before returning to her favourite era with her Linfield Ladies Series, a trio of Regency romances that feature women in trend-setting roles who fall in love with men who embrace their trailblazing ways... at least eventually. Her new Dragonblade trilogy, The Grantham Girls, continues this inspiring theme.

Alissa currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband and two sons. 

Connect with Alissa by visiting alissabaxter.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Author Interview

Welcome back Alissa! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and giving my readers a chance to get to know you and your new book The Baron and the Lady Chemist. 

I’m delighted to be here again. Thank you, Randi! 
 
Can you share 5 random facts about this book? 

Fact one – the story is about a lady chemist, Dorothea Grantham (Thea), who stains silk cloths using chemical processes. 

Fact two – the problem of silk smuggling in 19th century England is vital to the plot. 

Fact three  –  my heroine, Thea, makes exquisite silk shawls and scarves. She also decorates her own hats. 

Fact four – my hero, Lord Castleroy, believes at first that Thea’s silk accessories have been smuggled into the country and views them with a suspicious eye. 

Fact five – Thea’s experiments are based on chemistry experiments that were performed by Elizabeth Fulhame, a real-life lady chemist, in the 18th century. 
 
What type of research went into creating this story? 

So much research went into this story! I learned all about the British silk industry in 19th century England, Regency-era chemistry, and the various women involved in this particular scientific field at the time.  

 
What was the most interesting thing you learned in your research?  

I was amazed to learn that a woman, Jane Marcet, authored one of the most popular chemistry textbooks ever written. Her book Conversations on Chemistry (1806) contained a series of chemistry lessons featuring fictional dialogues between a lady teacher and her two female students. This book had many editions and was published in various languages. 
 
If you had to describe your main character in this story in just three words each, what would they be?  

Enterprising, creative, vulnerable 

 
Your female main characters all tend to have unusual jobs for women of the time. What is your favorite part of writing these trailblazing characters?  

It is wonderful to be able to honour in some small way the efforts of the real-life trailblazing women in history who pursued their scientific interests in the face of opposition from so many sectors of society.  

Can you tell us a little bit more about The Baron and the Lady Chemist?  

 

The Baron and the Lady Chemist is the second book in The Grantham Girls series from Dragonblade Publishing. This series is part of Dragonblade’s Sweet Dreams line and is, therefore, a sweet, wholesome historical romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader’s imagination. You can read the first two books in the series for free in Kindle Unlimited. The first book, The Duke and the Lady Gardener, which features Thea’s sister, Alexandra, is available for only $0.99 on Amazon. Although The Baron and the Lady Chemist is part of a series, it can still be read as a standalone. 
 
 
What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life? The most rewarding? 

 

My knowledge of chemistry before I wrote this book was rather sketchy. So it was very challenging to come to grips with a subject I knew so little about. It was also very rewarding to gain a better understanding, although I did complain on occasion that writing this story hurt my brain! 

 

 
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?  

 

After reading this book, I hope readers will appreciate just how far women have come in various parts of the world to be able to study the subjects of their choice freely. This privilege wasn’t an option for so many women who came before us, and it is not something I take for granted anymore.  

 
 
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.  

 

It has been a pleasure to be here. Thanks so much for having me! 

 

Before you go, where can readers follow along to see what’s coming next?  

 

If you follow me on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Alissa-Baxter/author/B001K8A8NA) or Bookbub (https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alissa-baxter) you should receive notifications about my upcoming books. Alternatively, you can sign up for my newsletter on my website (https://www.alissabaxter.com/).  

 

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $30 Amazon Gift Card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 8, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 15, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!