The Winter Wife by Anna Campbell ~ author interview and review

The Winter Wife -A Christmas Novella
by Anna Campbell
Published: November 29, 2012
Genre: Historical Romance
Purchase: Amazon

Will a chance meeting on Christmas Eve…

Alicia Sinclair, Countess of Kinvarra, cannot believe that fate has been so cruel as to strand her on the snowy Yorkshire moors with her estranged husband as her only hope of rescue. During their rare encounters, the arrogant earl and his countess act like hostile strangers. Now that Alicia has fallen into Kinvarra's power, will he seek revenge for her desertion? Or does the dark, passionate man she once adored have entirely different plans for his headstrong wife?

..deliver a second chance at love?

Sebastian Sinclair, Earl of Kinvarra, has spent ten wretched years regretting the mistakes he made with his young bride, but after long separation, the barriers between them are insurmountable. Until an unexpected encounter one stormy night makes him wonder if the barriers of mistrust and thwarted desire are so insurmountable after all. When winter weather traps Sebastian and his proud, lovely wife in an isolated inn, could the earl and his headstrong countess have a Christmas miracle in store?

I am very excited to have the chance to interview Anna and want to welcome her to the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. As many of you know I loved her novel Seven Nights in A Rogue's Bed, if you missed my review you can check it out here.

Interview

Welcome Anna please enjoy some delicious hazelnut coffee or peppermint tea and try a cookie.

These are delicious and I am happy to be here, the tea smells heavenly 

    In your bio it states that you began writing your first novel in the third grade. Was there ever anything else you wanted to be?

Nothing sensible. There was the stage where I wanted to be a prima ballerina! And even then, I always thought I’d write romance once I hung up the ballet slippers.

Your heroes are all swoon worthy and slightly flawed and I adore them. Are they inspired by real people?

Thank you for saying that about my heroes. They’re so real to me when I’m writing the books. I think there are elements of real people in all my characters and certainly I use my experience of life to create them. On the page, though, they tend to become very much their own people. I like flawed characters – they’re more interesting and more real and it gives me somewhere to take them as they develop through the story. If they’re perfect already, where’s the character arc going to go?

I loved flawed characters and they become very real to me too :)

Did you always want to write romance fiction?

Pretty much. I read THE WOLF AND THE DOVE by Kathleen Woodiwiss when I was in my early teens and that pretty much sealed my fate. I love that in a romance you can concentrate in such minute detail on that dance of the growing relationship (usually one step forward and two steps back!). I also love writing happy endings so I guess romance was it for me!

What book are you working on now and can you share anything?

I’m currently writing the third installment in the “Sons of Sin” series which started with SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED. Title and release date to be confirmed, but I suspect some time in 2014. It’s the story of Camden Rothermere, the Duke of Sedgemoor, who has devoted his life to restoring the family name after it’s tarred by scandal. What happens when fate matches him with a woman who can’t play by the rules? I’m having great fun with this story. Cam is a man who pretty much arranges everything to suit him and when he falls in love with his headstrong wife, his nice organized world falls to pieces in a big way. 

Wahoo! I cannot wait for book two and am delighted you are working on the third. 

Since it’s December I have to ask- what is your favorite holiday tradition?

My favorite holiday tradition is taking the time off between Christmas and New Year to loll around and read and watch TV and swim. Last year, sadly, I was on deadline and I missed my break. This year, let me at that TBR pile! Other traditions include lots of bubbly! ;-)

We take the week off between the holidays too and enjoy the downtime with our family. Enjoy and I hope you catch up on some reading *eyes TBR pile *

Quick and easy:

Coffee or tea? Tea

Salty or sweet? Salty

If you could have a super power what would it be? Flying

Book on your nightstand? The Regency Country House from the Archives of Country Life by John Martin Robinson (gorgeous!)

Favorite song at the moment? Do you mean current song? I like Mumford and Sons’ “I Will Wait”. Favorite classic at the moment is “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” by Franki Valli.

Well I can agree on all of those Anna, except the tea over coffee *hums Franki Valli song*  

Thanks so much for stopping by Anna!
Now it's time to review her newest release, a tale that is near and dear to her heart; The Winter Wife.

My Review of The Winter Wife

The Winter Wife: A Christmas Novella offers a tale of love and second chances. Anna Campbell has long wanted to do a Christmas novella and I quite enjoyed her first one. It’s the tale of an estranged couple either too proud or too stubborn to work things out and their chance encounter on a deserted Yorkshire road in the middle of a snowstorm. Maybe it was the magic of Christmas or fate that brought them together but the tale that unfolded was delightful.

This was a quick, entertaining read that I consumed in a single evening. Alicia Sinclair, Countess of Kinvarra has been ruined for any other man by her husband. After a series of misunderstandings and foolish pride, they separated and have lived apart for the past ten years. Sebastian Sinclair, Earl of Kinvarra has been plagued by the memory of his estranged wife and the mistakes he has made. Circumstances force them to spend the evening at an overcrowded in and I adored every snarky, romantic, passionate moment of this tale. My only complaint is that I would have liked this to be a full length novel.

If you are looking for a quick historical romance with a little Christmas magic then The Winter Wife is sure to delight. Campbell’s novella gave us a strong sense of the characters and an understanding of their troubled past. Filled with passion and second chances this is sure to get you in the holiday mood. My hope is that the author will deliver a full length Christmas novel next year. *hint*

Four cups of hot cocoa out of five