Anne Gracie and Marry in Secret

by Mary Jo

I've loved Word Wench Anne Gracie's Marriage of Convenience series, and I pounced on Marry in Secret, which has just been released, along with an audiobook version.  Today Anne is here to talk about the book and the series.   

MJP: In a brief recap of the series, Book 1, Marry in Haste, features Cal Rutherford, Lord Ashendon, an intrepid army officer who finds himself terrorized by a gaggle of uncontrollable young females for whom he is responsible.  The book won the Holt Medallion for best historical romance, and won three awards from ARRA, the Australian Romance Readers Association: best historical, best historical couple, and Anne was named the Favourite Australian Romance Author. 

Book 2 is Marry in Scandal, and it was nominated for ARRA's Favourite Historical and Favorite Ongoing Series.  The heroine is Lady Lily Rutherford, Cal's gentle younger half sister.

Now we have Book 3, Marry in Secret and the heroine is the forceful Lady Rose Rutherford, the older of Cal's two half sisters.  I've liked how perfectly the titles--Marry in Haste, Marry in Scandal, and Marry in Secret--have suited the stories.  Which came first--the stories, the titles, or did they evolve together?

AG: Thanks for that lovely introduction, Mary Jo. With Marry in Haste, and Marry in Scandal, the titles came after the stories, but for Marry in Secret the title came first. I'd never done that before. My books are usually called "Prue and Gideon" or "Rafe and Ayisha" until they're finished and my editor and I work out a title that we can agree on.

This time I was talking to my friend Carol about how hard it was to find good "Marry in ..." titles, when she said, "how about Marry in Secret" and I thought ooh, nice — but it didn't really fit with the story I was contemplating, but hadn't yet started. Then I realized that in Rose's backstory there was the perfect opportunity for a secret marriage. And that kind of thing would be typical of Rose as she was then, so then I was off and running.

And when I wrote to my editor with the title, she loved it. 

MJP:  Can you tell us about Rose and her story?

AG: Rose is beautiful, opinionated, stubborn and a rule breaker. When Cal, the Earl of Ashendon, first encountered his nineteen year old half sister (in Marry in Haste), she was bored and rebellious — and up to mischief.

At the start of Marry in Secret she is preparing to make a loveless convenient marriage, but very soon we learn why, and it has everything to do with what she was up to as a rebellious teen. When her long-lost secret husband returns from the dead, he's a changed man. Rose's challenge is now to open up her heart again and learn to make her marriage with this relative stranger work.

MJP:  Now tell us about Thomas, please!

AG: Thomas is a man of honor. As a young naval officer he met, wooed and married the sixteen year old Rose in a secret wedding — he says to protect her in case of pregnancy. Rose's family, however, believe he married her for her fortune. Then he was shipwrecked and thought to be drowned at sea. He has returned four years later a different man — hardened, ruthless, closed-up and cynical — at least on the outside. And he has responsibilities and secrets that he's reluctant to reveal.

MJP: What was your most challenging problem in writing these characters?

AG:  Revealing various parts of their backstory is always a tricky, business: deciding how much to revel when. And how. But that's the same with every book. Working out how Thomas had been affected by his experiences and how to show it was also a challenge — Thomas was the kind of man who never talked about emotions, and since he also refused to be pitied, he wouldn't open up about what had happened to him. But Rose gently persists, and gradually she penetrates the shell he'd built round himself, and we learn the truth.

MJP: Can you give us an excerpt so we can get a taste of Marry in Secret?

AG: After Thomas's dramatic reappearance at Rose's wedding to the duke, Rose's brother Cal and Ned, her sister's husband, discuss the situation:

          "Where do you think he's been all this time?"

          Ned pursed his lips, considering. "He's dashed reticent about it. Got to be something shady."

          Cal nodded. "And his reappearance—timed perfectly for the "speak now and forever hold your peace" part—too blasted melodramatic for words. Got to be calculated for maximum impact."

          "And in front of half the ton—no chance of hushing it up now."

          Cal grunted agreement, and lapsed into another long brooding silence. Then he said, "You're sure Lily didn't know about this wedding? Those girls would happily lie through their teeth for each other."

          "No. I saw Lily's face when it all came out. She was as shocked as you and I."

          "But if it was a real marriage—and it does sound like it was—why would Rose keep it a secret all these years?"     

AG: There's a longer excerpt — the opening chapter containing the "speak now or forever hold your peace" part — on my website.

MJP: There have been some lovely reviews: 

"Thank you Anne Gracie for once again giving us wonderful characters, a beautiful romance, and for the amazing way you touch on horrendous topics while giving us a profound understanding of how things were. I couldn't stop reading, and now I can't wait for George's story!"

            Malvina, Goodreads review

"I just spent the most fabulous weekend with this book and the wonderful characters that had me sighing and smiling throughout this story. Anne Gracie, your stories rock.  They have everything that a romance reader wants in a story they are moving there are smiles and so much emotion from characters that become friends. Make yourself comfortable for this one because you are not going to want to put it down."

    Helen, Goodreads review

"Nothing is more delicious than a heroine determined to overcome a noble hero’s scruples, and watching Rose win Thomas over is a true pleasure. A charming supporting cast and witty banter are paired with emotion and a dash of suspense to make Marry in Secret a deeply enjoyable historical romance."

            Bookpage

MJP: Anne, will there be a book giveaway?

AG: Yes, indeed! I'll send a book to someone who leaves a comment or a response to this question: What's the most interesting or unusual or the nicest wedding you've attended?

MJP: So tell us about weddings, and good luck on the giveaway!

Comments

[Kareni]

Congratulations on your new book, Anne; it sounds wonderful!

The most unusual wedding we attended was that of my nephew. He and his bride are enormous fans of the outdoors. For their reception, they invited families and friends to come camping for four days. It was BYOT (bring your own tent), but they hired a cook and provided all the meals. There were campfires every night, and it was fun and relaxing. I did a lot of reading!

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Anne - Can't wait to read Marry in Secret and am panting for George's story (pardon the pun - it will assuredly also feature Finn the dog - hence the panting). As for weddings - I haven't been to that many. I think my sister's wedding was fairly memorable. It was very small and held in my house, because my father couldn't have handled a huge affair; he wasn't well. We had 43 people, including the Rabbi and his wife. The dining room was transformed into a buffet arrangement. Prime rib and Duck a l'orange. We didn't have one room that would accommodate everyone, so the den and the "playroom" were emptied of furniture and rented tables and chairs were set up. There was a guitarist for entertainment. Well, he was part of the entertainment. I was the other part. As I was about to sit down to eat, my mother informed me that I would be singing, wandering back and forth between the two rooms. Think songs from Fiddler on the Roof and folk songs in Hebrew and Yiddish. BTW - I never did get to eat any of the food. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Kareni. That "camping" wedding sounds like a wonderful get together. Quite a family and friends reunion. Though a little dependent on getting good weather. I love sitting around a campfire at night. I bet a lot of good stories were told.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Kareni — and yes, Finn will definitely be in George's story.
Wow, what a lovely intimate wedding — though I'm not sure about you not getting fed. It's supposed to be "sing for your supper" not sing without it *g*

[LilMissMolly]

I listened to Marry in Haste last year and loved it! The most interesting wedding I ever attended was on Long Island, NY. The ceremony was outside and it was so windy, items were flying up onto the beach. The reception was so over the top with an appearance by Dame Edna!

[Lillian Marek]

I've been enjoying this series no end and I'm really looking forward to this book.

The most "interesting" wedding I've attended was in February, 1969. That was the year of the blizzard that ended Mayor Lindsay's political career. The wedding reception was in Queens, where the snow plows never came, and by the time the reception was ending, no one could get out. The bride and groom couldn't leave for their honeymoon, and the father of the bride spent the night nervously watching over a couple of hundred drunken Irishmen singing "The Boys From the County Cork."

No one in the family has ever been able to top that one.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh wow, LilMissMolly, that sounds quite dramatic -- and Dame Edna would add quite a surreal touch!

[Anne Gracie]

Wow, Lillian, that really does sound amazing. Hard to imagine being snowed in in the heart of a big city. And I can imagine that the drinking might have got a wee bit out of hand. LOL

[Julie]

I don't think I've been to any unusual weddings, but one time we had to have some Marines firemen-carry guests who got too drunk to move out on their own two feet.

[Annette N]

Last May, my son, Tim, married Becca. They live in Phoenix. But, the wedding was in Las Vegas. No, not at one of those chapels. They had it in Vegas because the guests came from all over the country.

There was family for both sides. But, the majority of the people were friends of both Tim and Becca. People they had known since childhood, gone to school with or known from work. They set aside a block of rooms at a hotel, made arrangements at a restaurant for after the service, and hired a bus to take everyone to a park.

It was a lovely sunny day. The service was conducted by a friend of Becca's. The vows were written by both parties. There was a relaxed feeling about everything and a feeling of love.

Everyone who was at the wedding loved the two main parties. It showed at the party at the restaurant. It showed in the faces of everyone in attendance.

Yes, I am not an unbiased party. But, even though it was not as grand as many weddings, it was the one which had the most feeling of peace and serenity and happiness.

[Annette N]

Oh, I forgot one thing. Becca is originally from Wisconsin. And at the park, right in our line of sight, there was a huge tent with Green Bay Packers logo in the colors of green and yellow.

Tim married her in spite of the fact he is a devoted Dallas Cowboys fan.

[Margot]

I am eager to read this new book but I think I will first re-read the first one - I have read the second one three times.

My daughter married 10 months after my husband - her father, passed away. Before he died, knowing that he would not be there, he asked if there was a way he could be part of the wedding. They asked him to write something to be read during the ceremony. The wedding was planned, paid for and organized by the couple at an old house near O'Hare airport in chicago. The ceremony was held at sundown outside as airplanes were flying low overhead to land. The two families were meeting for the first time and many childhood classmates and college fronds were there. I walked her down the aisle and his father walked with him. My brother read my husband's letter and needed to stop each time a plane flew by which brought a much needed chuckle from all as he would have enjoyed that. A friend of their officiated.
For me it was a bitter sweet wedding.

[Anne Gracie]

LOL Julie, not what sounds like a memorable scene. It reminds me of when Kristin Higgins was in Australia for a romance readers conference. For some reason some firemen were in the hotel -- maybe to check the fire alarms or something, but she got talking to them, and told them her husband was a fireman and she was a writer here to speak.

And they said "Would you like us to pick you up?" -- and of course she said yes, and there were some very memorable and wonderful photos. *g*

[Anne Gracie]

What a beautiful wedding, Annette — it sounds perfect, exactly what you want a wedding to be. Thank you for sharing it.

[Anne Gracie]

LOL -- that's True Love.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh Margot, what a beautiful, moving story. So hard for you all not having him there, and how hard for him, knowing he wouldn't make it. But it sounds like he was there in spirit. I bet you were all in tears as that letter was read out, so perhaps those planes helped. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

[Patricia Franzino]

The green bride. I used to work for three ministers at a church. One of the ministers performed as many weddings as he could fit into a weekend or during the week, so that he would make enough money for him and his wife to go on grand vacations all over the world.

At one of these weddings, sometimes he officiated at up to seven weddings in one week, there was a bride waiting in the garden area to enter the church. She was entirely dressed in various shades of green. It began with her shoes, then went to her stockings, short skirt, jacket and short vale.

Maybe this was her lucky color, but all of us in the church office had a bit of diversion in the usual work day.

[Anne Gracie]

Wow, Patricia, I always thought green was supposed to be an unlucky color for a wedding. I personally love green, but I can see it would have caused a few eyebrows to rise.

I remember when I was little, a friend of my older sister wore a wedding dress trimmed with red satin and black lace and that was regarded as something quite shocking by the older generation. She looked stunning, I remember.

[Michelle H]

The most unusual wedding I know of was one I couldn't attend. My son's friends (who we love, and unofficially adopted) were getting married the weekend Hurricane Rita was supposed to hit Houston. The one that caused the frighteningly huge mess on all the roads leaving the city causing ridiculous (as in very bad) problems for thousands of stranded people and all branches of city services.

They had to cancel the cake and a lot of other things. His brother, the best man couldn't fly in from N.Y.S., their parents could not drive from the burbs surrounding Houston into the city. My son was supposed to be the photographer, which he did also but ended up being the best man too. The minister finally called and said 'if we're going to do this, let's get it done, I want to get out of town!' So they got married.

It was a frightening time. We were worried to death for our son, and were having a terrible time getting through for updates. They planned to get going out of town as soon as the ceremony was over and we were asked if they could come up to where we were living at the time because the bridal couple couldn't make it to their honeymoon destination. I'm panicking thinking we're having honeymooners visit, and I'm worried out of my mind for them making it on the roads up to our location. Then our son called and said he gave up, he was staying, the roads were parking lots. More scary worries.

Rita ended up being (Thank You God,) a very mild storm compared to Hurricane Katrina the month before. The couple had a beautiful ceremony for the family and friends in the following spring. They now have a totally amazing six year old.

Gasp! Anne that excerpt. I have got to start this series soon. I listened to the 'Four Seasons Brides,' The Chance Sisters, last winter I think and just found them so wonderful. Loved them! Now like everyone else I am wanting you to finish the next book about George so I can read or listen to them straight through. Yeah, I'm one of those kind of readers. But best of luck on the launch of this one!!!

[Karin]

I haven't been to a lot of weddings, but the most beautiful ones have been outdoors. One was in the New Jersey State Botanical Garden which is gorgeous.
I guess my own wedding was a bit unusual. We eloped to a tiny town in Vermont. It was so small that the one lawyer in town was also the Justice of the Peace, and the town clerk who issued our license also worked as his secretary. So after she issued the license, we saw her a couple hours later, when she was one of the witnesses for the wedding.
Oh, also my husband was in such a rush to get married that afternoon, he didn't give me time to go to the hotel and change into the nice dress I brought. So I got married in my jeans.

[Sue McCormick]

I don''t have a wedding story. Just wanted to say that I just finished Marry in Secret today and it was WONDERFUL! (I believe I just broke some "rules" and shouted, but I wanted to shout.)

[Mary Jo Putney]

Wow, Michelle H., just reading about that sound scary! I'm glad that everything turned out less bad than expected, and the couple had a lovely ceremony for everyone in the spring.

This series of Anne's is great--worth waiting for. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin, clearly he was very, very anxious to have you become his wife. It sounds quite cozy, but maybe it would have been nice if he'd let you change into your dress!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Isn't Marry in Secret terrific, Sue? I adore 'return from the dead' stories, and Anne did this one so well.

[Anne Gracie]

Michelle, what a scary story — but it sounds like you all handled things so well, and what a good idea to have a special ceremony later. And it sounds like they'll have some great stories to tell that six-year old when he's a little older.

As for the series, I'm writing the 4th story at the moment. *g*

[Anne Gracie]

Wow, that man was certainly in a hurry, Karin. LOL. It sounds like a very small, intimate wedding. And jeans are pretty cool, anyway.

[Anne Gracie]

Aren't you lovely, Sue -- thank you. It's always a bit of an anxious time when a book comes out, so I'm delighted you enjoyed it. Thanks for shouting. *g*

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Mary Jo. I really appreciate your kind words. And the interview, of course. *g*

[Quantum]

Afraid all the weddings that I have been invited to have been fairly ordinary ... though my own was wonderful!

I do remember the wedding of Prince Charles to lady Diana Spencer which I watched on television. The highlight for me was Kiri Te Kanawa singing Handel's 'Let the Bright Seraphim'. I think most people here in the UK knew of Kiri after that. Just wish she could have sung at my own wedding. LOL

a rather poor recording here:
https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/kiri-te-kanawa-royal-wedding-performance/

[Anne Gracie]

She's wonderful isn't she Quantum -- and yes what a treat to have her sing at one's wedding. Thanks for sharing the link.

[Vicki L]

Hmm, most of the weddings I've been to have been "regular" though there have been a few with very hilarious moments.

Though sometimes the setting has been different. Like a nephew got married at a brewery and the wedding part itself was maybe 10 mins where you stopped the drinking and eating to have the ceremony and then resume the drinking and eating. The food was provided by a food truck.

One I attended (a friend of my husbands) they wrote their own vows. They were kind of bizarre vows but what has always stuck in my mind is where the woman says "I promise to try to be faithful." Ummm...at that point I dissolved into stifled laughter. Several years later they did get divorced. Never knew the reason.

A cousins daughter got married and instead of having a unity candle they had Unity Dirt. Everyone had to bring dirt from home and it all got mixed together. My youngest nephew (he was 7) and I went up at the same time and he was VERY puzzled as to what we were doing.

By the way, I don't need a copy of Marry in Haste as I finally found a copy on Friday. I'm hoping to read it this next week. Reading all the rave reviews is increasing my impatience to read it.

[Jeanne Behnke]

Here we go Green Bay Here we go!!! Congrats!