Anyone else notice that Regency and Victorian era novels are having quite the resurgence in the book-loving world? Erica Vetsch’s Serendipity & Secrets series, with their appealing covers and romantic storylines, is hitting the spot for readers looking for a Darcy and Knightley-esque escape!

I’m delighted Erica is sharing all about her secretive Earl and her wallflower who is hiding a few non-wallflower tendencies, from her latest her second in this series, The Gentleman Spy!

With thanks to Audra Jennings and Kregel, we have a copy of The Gentleman Spy to give away and you can enter via the form below.

Enjoy meeting this endearing couple…

He only wanted a duchess for a day–but she’s determined to make it a marriage for life

When his father and older brother suddenly pass away, the new Duke of Haverly is saddled with a title he never expected to bear. To thwart the plans of his scheming family, the duke impulsively marries a wallflower. After all, she’s meek and mild; it should be easy to sequester her in the country and get on with his life–as a secret agent for the Crown.

But his bride has other ideas. She’s determined to take her place not only as his duchess but as his wife. As a duchess, she can use her position to help the lowest of society–the women forced into prostitution because they have no skills or hope. Her endeavors are not met favorably in society, nor by her husband who wishes she’d remain in the background as he ordered.

Can the duke succeed in relegating her to the sidelines of his life? When his secrets are threatened with exposure, will his new wife be an asset or a liability?

Introducing Marcus & Charlotte

Physical Stats

Marcus:

Height: 6’1”

Hair colour & style: Brown, worn long and usually clubbed back at his nape with a tie

Eye colour: Smoky gray-blue

Favourite accessory or clothing style: He loves a battered cloak that he wears when he’s undercover as the spy known as Hawk.

Charlotte:

Height: 5’7”, a bit taller than most ladies of her era.

Hair colour & style: Dark blonde, initially worn skewered back in a tight knot, but after her engagement to Marcus, she adopts a more modern style with curls.

Eye colour: Jade green (Marcus is a sucker for green eyes. 🙂 )

Favourite accessory or clothing style: Initially she dresses quite starkly (as per her father’s dictates) but she discovers freedom in being married to Marcus, and with the help of Diana Whitelock adopts a more fashionable style. She has a russet dress that she particularly likes.

Resembles…

Can’t live without…

Marcus: a purpose, a job, a quest. Marcus’s identity has always been tied up in his work for the Crown.  If he loses that, what…and who…will he be?

Charlotte: books! Charlotte loves books, especially history books! Though it was frowned upon for women of the Regency period to be too learned, Charlotte must read and learn. Even if…or especially if…her father forbids it!

Strengths

Marcus is easy-going, slow to anger, but he’s also always in pursuit of justice. He will go to great lengths to get to the bottom of a problem, and he can keep a secret.

Charlotte is loyal and sees the world in a very black/white, right/wrong way. She’s quick to try to solve a problem, and she believes in telling the truth no matter what.

Vulnerabilities

Marcus guards his heart and his way of life. He is sure he can keep everything in his life tidy and separate, his work, his faith, his family, and his relationships. He’s desperate to keep everything in its correct box, because he’s afraid of the chaos that would happen if the lines get blurred.

Charlotte is afraid that God will never give her anything good. She’s lived in a household full of hypocrisy, where her father has pretended piety while oppressing his family and conducting and adulterous affair. She longs for someone to truly love her, but she’s afraid that it will all be yanked away from her if she lets down her guard and accepts that love.

Passions

Marcus is passionate about his work for the Crown, protecting the country from enemies within and without. He takes his responsibilities as the Duke of Haverly and the head of his family seriously. With talents in housebreaking and knife throwing, he enjoys his work as a spy, and he’s passionate to keep that work a secret from his wife.

Charlotte is passionate about her work rescuing and helping women who have been forced into prostitution in order to survive. She is a crusading type who cannot resist helping, sometimes even those who don’t want her help. She loves books and history and learning, and she has well-thought-out opinions that she wants to share…in spite of very few people being interested! 

What book would they recommend?

Marcus: Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. A secular series of novels about an Israeli art restorer who is also a spy. He’d probably also recommend the Sherlock Holmes novels by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Charlotte: The Kingfisher History of the World Encyclopaedia and the complete works of L. M. Montgomery. 🙂

What has shaped their character and resilience?

Marcus: has been shaped by his life as a second son, not expected to inherit the title, as well as his time at university and as an officer in the Royal Army. He’s a protector by nature, and he’s self-disciplined.

Charlotte: has been shaped by the books she’s read, by her parents’ distant, non-affectionate parenting style, and by a teacher at the girl’s boarding academy she attended for many years. She has learned to get by on little affection, and to lose herself in a book to escape the unpleasantness of life. 

Your inspiration for the characters

Marcus: he was a secondary character in The Lost Lieutenant, and I fell in love with him right away. I knew he was hiding secrets, and I loved that he was wry and witty.

Charlotte was based upon an amalgamation of character traits I admire. I wanted her to always be learning through reading, a bit naive when it came to the wicked ways of the world, holding a deep well of love she wanted to give to someone, smart, passionate, and a bit stubborn.  

Background to the story

The Gentleman Spy is book two in the Serendipity & Secrets series, so it sprang naturally out of book one, The Lost Lieutenant. The idea for the series, for book one, actually came from a ‘What if’ question. What if a man became an earl by accident? What if he was gifted an earldom by the Regent, but he couldn’t remember what he did to earn the bequest?

From there, it was a matter of finding characters to suit that story and creating their world.

So fun to meet these two, Erica – thank you!

Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she married her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks.

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