I’m in a classic mood, so I wanted to highlight one of my favorite stories: “The Scarlet Pimpernel”! The book was written by Emmuska Orczy, and it is a romantic adventure story set during the French Revolution. 

Here's the Goodreads summary:

It is 1792 and France is in the grip of a seething, bloody revolution. Mobs roam the Paris streets hunting down royalists, barricades block any chance of escape, and every day hundreds die under the blade of Madame la Guillotine. But in the hearts of the condemned nobility there remains one last vestige of hope: rescue by the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel. Renowned for both his unparalleled bravery and his clever disguises, the Pimpernel’s identity remains as much a mystery to his sworn enemy, the ruthless French agent Chauvelin, as to his devoted admirer, the beautiful Lady Marguerite Blakeney.

First published in 1905, The Scarlet Pimpernel is an irresistible novel of love, gallantry, and swashbuckling adventure.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/431145.The_Scarlet_Pimpernel

Ok, so to fully understand my love of this book, I think I need to explain that I grew up LOVING Robin Hood. 

Exhibit A:

Some re-incarnations I've loved better than others (the 1938 version pictured right above is pure gold!), but seriously, I LOVED Robin Hood. 

I still do, in case you couldn't tell :)

But considering my intense love of Robin Hood, I guess it was only natural that when I stumbled upon The Scarlet Pimpernel, I was fated to fall in love with this story. There are similar themes, including protecting those who cannot protect themselves, ingenuity, adventure, out-smarting the villains, and a straight-up heroic arrogance that’s just so charming.

My first encounter with "The Scarlet Pimpernel" was when I was sixteen, and my brother played me some songs from the musical. I was instantly hooked by the beautiful music and the thrilling story, and when I saw it was based off a book, I rushed to get my hands on said book. Since then, I've re-read it, I've read some of the sequels, I have seen the movies, I adore the musical, and it is even high on my "If I Get Amnesia" list, which tells my family which movies and books to prioritize in case I ever forget everything and get to re-experience my favorite things. (Does anyone else have this list?)

No? Huh....

Moving on!


I've raved a lot about this book, so let me try and focus on the actual book. 


"The Scarlet Pimpernel" follows Marguerite, a famous actress from Paris who has recently moved to England after a whirlwind romance with Sir Percy Blakeney, an English aristocrat. While Marguerite is lauded for her quick wit, Percy is foppish and ridiculous. Opposites can attract, right? 

When Chauvelin, a former acquaintance of Marguerite's, comes to England to investigate and capture the infamous Scarlet Pimpernel who saves French aristocrats from the guillotine, he goes right to Marguerite. Chauvelin threatens Marguerite's brother, who is in Paris, to coerce her into helping him uncover the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Marguerite doesn't want to help stop the mysterious hero--she, like every other woman in England, is totally in love with--but she will do anything for her brother...

Betrayal, adventure, and romance abound in this book. Not to mention plenty of witty repertoire, surprising twists, and suspense. It's a great classic! It is not as well written as some, and the first chapter may be a little slow/confusing the first time you read the book, but I promise the story is worth it!

I avoid spoilers in my reviews......but this time it is hard, because there's so much more I feel like I could say if spoilers were allowed! So here's the deal: You read it, and some day I'll do another post where we get to talk about it more :)

Note: If you have somehow made it to this point in your life and you do NOT know the story or spoilers of The Scarlet Pimpernel, I beg you to read the book first. The musical and movies will totally give it away. That being said, I adore the movies and musical, so you can totally watch them after reading the book :)

My favorite movie versions are:

The 1982 version with Jane Seymour, Anthony Andrews, and Ian McKellan. Jane Seymour makes a great Marguerite, and how can you not love that hair?

Plus, she can really get in Chauvelin's face when he's being all villainous:

​And I just think Percy is hilarious:

I also love the 1934 version, with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon. They have been pictured above in the black and white GIFs, but I love that version, so it deserves another GIF here:

Fun fact: Leslie Howard loved the story so much that he wrote his own re-telling and set it in Nazi Germany. It is super interesting! It's called Pimpernel Smith. Winston Churchill loved it :)

Have you read The Scarlet Pimpernel? Have you seen any of these movies? Do you agree that it's time for another remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel? Let me know in the comments!

And thanks for reading!

Hi all! Just wanted to drop a quick post to say Royal Decoy is out! I've been so thrilled to see the excitement you all have for this book, and I can't wait to hear how you like it. Thanks for being the best, most supportive readers out there!

It's real, and in hardcover, and I am just so happy that this very long road has led me here.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085299HQN

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51585276-royal-decoy

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So, what did I spend release day doing?

1. Looked at the clock at 12:02am and thought--"This is it. Release day!" And promptly had a hard time falling asleep.

2. Slept in (see above)

3. Made--and ate--Strawberry & Nutella Crepes (see below)

4. Spent hours on social media and email as I checked in with my readers, family, friends, and favorite bloggers, just loving the fact that I'm celebrating an amazing day with amazing people--even if social distancing meant no big party at a bookstore, like I have done in the past.

5. Read some of my library book, because, well, reading is my favorite thing to do.

6. Sat on the couch next to my sister, Kimberly, and kept telling her all the exciting comments and posts I saw online, while she tried to read. 

7. Looked at this picture Kimberly took of me--and stopped bugging her. (I mean, can you say blackmail? I'll share it with you guys because we're friends, but seriously...that's going no where else!)

8. Sent THE PRINCE AND THE PRISONER bonus short story to everyone who pre-ordered ROYAL DECOY (I hope you all enjoy Grayson's story! And if you are still wanting the story, you've got time! Just order Royal Decoy TODAY and fill out this form: https://forms.gle/8h6tj3GNfjAj9qgV9)

9. Read some of the 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads, because that makes me feel like my book has done exactly what I wanted it to do.

10. Planning a yummy dinner of chicken bacon ranch pizza and cheesey breadsticks from my favorite local pizza place: Pizza Plus.

All in all, a pretty amazing day. Thanks for celebrating with me!!

Hi Dear Readers!

Next week will bring us to June, which means release day is getting SO CLOSE! I wanted to share the blog tour schedule with you today, so you can see all the amazing things lined up! (Please note that the schedule may change a little, so be sure to follow me on social media to stay up to date!)

In case you haven’t seen the cover or summary for Royal Decoy, here you go!:

A SERVANT blackmailed into becoming a princess’s decoy.
A BODYGUARD determined to keep her alive.

A PRINCE forced to execute his father’s brutal laws.
A PRISONER used to keep him compliant.

A WORLD on the brink of war.

In one horrible night, Clare goes from kitchen maid to royal decoy. She has three months to become the princess's perfect double so she can ensure her betrothal to an enemy prince. Desperate to survive, Clare throws herself into self-defense training, taught by her distractingly attractive bodyguard. The danger increases when a ruthless assassin begins stalking her, intent on ending the tenuous peace.

Across the northern mountains, Prince Grayson is his father’s ultimate weapon. He carries out the king’s harsh orders because the one person he cares about is his father’s prisoner. Grayson's silent obedience is tested when his father plans to exploit the marriage alliance between two of their greatest enemies. If Grayson submits, the blood of thousands will spill. If he resists, the girl who means everything to him will die.

The fate of Eyrinthia hangs in the balance. Some want peace. Some want war. All will be thrown into chaos.

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Pre-order Kindle edition for 4.99 today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085299HQN

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51585276-royal-decoy
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Royal Decoy releases June 18th, but there will be so much to celebrate before then, including an awesome blog tour lined up. The Fantastic Flying Book Club put together an amazing tour for the 12-18th (thank you Patricia!!). The tour will include reviews, interviews, excerpts, and other fun extras, including giveaways! There will also be other awesome blogs dropping reviews and extras starting June 1st, and some have already posted!
​
Already Live Reviews:

Check out Lisa's review @ Bookworm Lisa: https://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/2020/05/royal-decoy-by-heather-frost.html

Check out Silvia's review @ Darkest Sins: https://darkestsinsblog.com/royal-decoy-by-heather-frost/

You can also see other early reader reviews @ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51585276-royal-decoy


Link to The Fantastic Flying Book Club Blog Tour Schedule:
https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/05/tour-schedule-royal-decoy-fate-of.html


Additional Blog Tour Stops:
June 1 - Getting Your Read On http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/ (Review)
June 2 - Heather Frost’s Blog https://www.heatherfrost.com/blog (Meet the Bodyguards post)
June 3 - Why Not? Because I Said So! https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/ (Review)
June 4 - The Nature of Pages https://thenatureofpages.wordpress.com/ (Review + Author Interview)
June 5 - Singing Librarian https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/ (Review)
June 6 - Chapters and Pages https://chapterspagesbooks.wordpress.com/ (Review)
June 7 - A Court of Coffee and Books https://acourtofcoffeeandbooks.com/tag/ya-book-blogger/ (Review + Excerpt)
June 9 - Mundie Moms http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/ (Review + Chapter Reveal)
June 10 - Crossroad Reviews http://www.crossroadreviews.com/ (Review + Excerpt)
June 13 - Wishful Endings https://www.wishfulendings.com/ (Review)
June 16 - Literary Time Out https://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/ (Review)
June 18 - Indie Fantasy Review https://indiefantasyreview.home.blog/ (Book Blast)
June 18 - Darkest Sins https://darkestsinsblog.com/ (Author Interview, Review previously posted)
June 18 - Gina Rae Mitchell https://ginaraemitchell.com (Review + Author Interview)

I’m so excited for the upcoming tour, and for the 18th!

Also, I have an exciting announcement that I'll be blogging about next week, so be sure to check back next Wednesday! It may have to do with the benefits of per-ordering Royal Decoy...

Hello Dear Readers!

I promised some exciting news today, so here it is: I'm offering an exclusive gift when you pre-order ROYAL DECOY!

As a reader, I love getting bonus scenes and extras, which is why I decided to share an exclusive short story with anyone who pre-orders ROYAL DECOY! 

ABOUT THE STORY:

Grayson is his father's ultimate weapon--but he wasn't always. THE PRINCE AND THE PRISONER is the story of how a young Grayson met the little girl who would change his life forever.

Grayson is quickly proving to be a fan-favorite, and I LOVED writing this short ROYAL DECOY prequel from his POV!


TO CLAIM YOUR GIFT:

All you have to do is order ROYAL DECOY, take a screenshot/picture of the receipt, and fill out the form below. Then, after ROYAL DECOY releases, you will receive via email THE PRINCE AND THE PRISONER!


NOTE ABOUT PHYSICAL COPIES: 

Since you can only pre-order the Kindle edition of ROYAL DECOY at this time, I will also extend this to any physical copy purchases made on release day, June 18th! Just make sure you follow the same steps and fill out the form below so I know where to send your gift!

Claim your pre-order gift here: https://forms.gle/u3PpeGAU5KPLFxKEA

Thank you for pre-ordering!

I'm taking a turn to post during the Royal Decoy blog tour, and for this stop I wanted you to meet the princess's bodyguards. They're a big part of the story since we're dealing with assassins, rebels, and of course our decoy for the princess, Clare. Bodyguards are rather needed in this story!

I'm going to share a picture I used for inspiration while writing the bodyguards, and I'll share three things about each of them. (As well as an inspiration pic!)


BENNICK
- He is the princess's lead bodyguard and the youngest captain in the history of Devendra.

- He believes that the only family that matters is the family you choose.
​
- He takes it upon himself to train Clare, the princess's decoy, in self-defense. (And she may have a hard time not staring at him sometimes...)

​VENN
- He loves a good laugh and is a bit of a flirt (with a grin like that, you can't blame him!)

- He's best friends with Bennick, although when you hear the story of their first meeting, you'll wonder how that came about. 

- He loves his long hair, which he usually wears in a ponytail. (You'll have to imagine that, because this picture doesn't have it. But this image perfectly captured his personality!)

CARDON
- His childhood wish was to become a soldier; becoming one of the princess's bodyguards is a something he never would have imagined, but now he can't see himself doing anything else.

- Kindness is one of his defining traits.

- One of his favorite stories to tell is not about his own heroics, but a time when the princess actually saved his life. 

​DIRK
- He's kind of like the fatherly figure in the group and is often the peace-keeper.

- He's been a royal bodyguard for many years, and some wondered why he wasn't given the position of the princess's lead bodyguard. (The truth is, he didn't want it, and he thought Bennick would do a better job.)

- He doesn't speak his mind often, but when he does his words are powerful.

WILF
- Sometimes described as a "bear of a man", Wilf is not one you want to cross.

- He has suffered tragedy, and it shows in every line on his gruff face.

- He was selected by Bennick even though the king--and Wilf--considered his career as a bodyguard to be over.

​That's the lineup! Who are you most excited to meet in the book and learn more about? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!