Immerse yourself in a vibrant Victorian community in the Ladies of Roderick Glen
By M. CLARE HAEFNER | Covers courtesy of Bespokebookcovers.com
Some books are meant to satisfy, leaving readers with a happy ending as the last line sends the main characters into a certain future. Others leave readers wanting more, ending at a moment in time and leaving many possibilities for the protagonists as life continues beyond the page. Central Texas author Kristie Self’s Ladies of Roderick Glen series does both.
The charming collection of tales begins with The Piano Teacher. Following her father’s death, Melody Creston is penniless and desperate to escape an unwanted marriage to her father’s solicitor. She flees London and lands in the country village of Roderick Glen where a friend helps her gain employment teaching piano to the Earl of Rockingham’s youngest daughter.
Melody, who lived much of her life in isolation, quickly begins to feel at home among the villagers, and finds herself falling in love with the earl’s second son, Lord Henry Roderick. But if her secrets come to light, she fears it could unravel her sense of security and her chance at happiness.
The Piano Teacher is everything a Victorian romance should be, charming, elegant and filled with witty banter. As Melody and Henry’s tale unfolds, readers also get to know Roderick Glen’s colorful characters including its other leading ladies — the governess, Fiona Campbell; the dressmaker, Marigold Pendleton; the postmaster’s wife (and keeper of town gossip) Jane Quinn; the countess, Lady Lucinda Roderick; as well as her youngest daughter, Lady Victoria; and Victoria’s friends, CeCe Quinn, Merry Wesley and Abigail Kinsey. Self pulls the reader into the story, making the Victorian-era village feel like home.
While each book in the series, which also includes The Dressmaker, The Governess, The Socialite and The Headmistress, gives a main set of characters the chance to secure their happy endings, the strong supporting cast enriches each tale as their lives intersect and keeps the reader longing to know what happens next.
Self, who lives in Lott, is a banker by day but a writer at heart who spends her free time focused on storytelling. Her heart comes through clearly across the pages as she weaves and reveals the secrets of the ladies (and gentlemen) of Roderick Glen, creating a collection of books you won’t want to put down.
Pick up the first five (available on Amazon.com and as part of its Kindle Unlimited collection) and start reading before the series continues with a holiday novella, The Innkeeper’s Christmas Miracle, which will be released Oct. 15.
