Maggie Blackbird

Today, I have USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke in the interview chair.  We’re discussing her latest release Irresistible, book six in the Phoenix Club, a Regency romance.  Be sure to read my review.  And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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1. What are your favourite TV shows?

Darcy:  I love Ted Lasso and All Creatures Great and Small. Some favorites that are now finished: The Last Kingdom, Downton Abbey, Peaky Blinders (not finished in the US yet, but close!), Ozark. I’m also really enjoying Sanditon and am looking forward to the return of Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

2. What is your favorite meal?

Darcy:  Probably my mom’s chicken cordon bleu. She makes it for our birthdays. 

3. If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?

Darcy:  I’ve written several series. The current one, The Phoenix Club, is about a club in Regency London founded as a place for misfits and those who are excluded. I hate the idea of FOMO (fear of missing out) and the Phoenix Club gives everyone a place. Next, I plan to write about a group of friends.

4. Is there a writer you idolize? If so, who?

Darcy:  Not really. I do greatly admire Amanda Quick and was fortunate enough to become friends with her during the pandemic!

5. How did you come up for the title of this book?

Darcy:  All the books in the Phoenix Club series are single words and start with the letter I. This book is called Irresistible because the hero and heroine must pose as a married couple while trying to determine if another couple are French spies. Though they must keep things professional, they find each other quite irresistible!

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Title: Irresistible
Series: The Phoenix Club, Book Six
Author: Darcy Burke
Genre: Regency Romance
Publication Date: July 26, 2022
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press

Blurb:  Jessamine Goodfellow has spent six Seasons avoiding the parson’s trap, and spinsterhood is finally within her grasp. A brilliant scholar, she longs for adventure and new experiences, things her family frowns upon. Presented with the opportunity to use her puzzle-solving talent on a secret mission for the Foreign Office, Jess eagerly accepts. Even when it means posing as the wife of a scorchingly attractive Scotsman who she must also covertly investigate as a possible double agent.\

Lord Dougal MacNair, the new Viscount Fallin, has always completed his assignments for the Foreign Office alone. Now he’s saddled with an overly enthusiastic amateur partner. She possesses a remarkable intellect, but something about her isn’t quite right, and after two failed missions, Dougal is certain someone is working against him. Battling their secret suspicions, Dougal and Jess dive deep into their cover as a married couple, which arouses temptations they find irresistible. Danger is all around them, but it’s their hearts that may be the most imperiled.

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“Have you ever given up on a cryptogram?”

“No.”

“And I imagine some of them weren’t easy.”

She exhaled. “No, they were not.”

“I assumed as much. I know you, Jess, and you’re tenacious.”

“We haven’t even known each other a fortnight,” she scoffed. “Not officially anyway.”

“What does that mean, ‘officially’?”

She took a generous drink of brandy. “We have met before. Four years ago. I remember it distinctly.”

“Four years ago?” Damn, now he felt terrible. “How can you be sure?”

She gave him a haughty look of certainty that quite frankly pricked his desire. “Because I am. You asked me to dance at the Edgemont Ball.”

He’d danced with her. Four years ago. And never again. Worse, he didn’t remember it. He was an absolute cad. “I should have remembered you. I can’t imagine why I didn’t.” he said softly.

Sentiment, which he preferred to indulge in small, manageable doses, threatened to send him to her chair, to take her hand and beg her forgiveness. A husband would do that. A lover. He was neither and since they were alone, there was no reason to continue the pretense. Only, he was fairly certain he was no longer pretending.

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I requested to review this book for the tour because I read a previous book by the author and really enjoyed it.  She truly has the gift for writing great historical romances, and for Irresistible, she did not disappoint.  I can see why she’s a USA Today bestselling author.

Jessamine Goodfellow has one goal in life—to become a spinster.  As stated in the blurb, Jess, as her intimates call her, becomes part of a mission for the Foreign Office.  Not only must she determine if a couple are spies, but she must also secretly investigate her partner.  I adored Jess.  She is not only extremely independent, but she is a kind and caring woman who simply wishes to live her own life—something not done during the Regency for ladies of good breeding.

Lord Dougal McNair is the new Viscount Fallin, and before he retires from the Foreign Office, and take his rightful place in Scotland and marry, he must return to London for his last mission.

I am not the biggest fan of the marriage of convenience trope, but Ms. Burke hit this one out of the park, probably because the situation the duo is placed in is very believable, and the duo are very likeable.  I enjoyed the mystery part of determining if the other couple were spies, and Jess having to spy on her partner.  The romance between them blossomed naturally since both wanted to maintain complete professionalism.

I couldn’t see the twists and turns happening in the novel, which was refreshing, because I can usually spot them before they happen.  Nice way to surprise me, author.

I also enjoy older heroines in historical romance, and Jess is a wonderful heroine readers can root for.  Yes, she’s innocent, but she’d mature enough to know what she wants, and when Jess wants something, she’s no shrinking violet.  That was refreshing to see.

I’m not familiar with the Phoenix Club series, still, I wasn’t lost in the novel.  The book operates as a standalone.

Ms. Burke is a strong writer, and she takes you back to the period of the Regency and paints a realistic picture of the scenery, dialogue, and social issues.  I highly recommend you give the book a read.  You won’t be disappointed.

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Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Click here to Join her Reader Club.

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow).

They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, an older rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, and a collection of neighbor cats who hang out on the deck and occasionally venture inside. You can find Darcy at a winery, in her comfy writing chair, or binge-watching TV with the family.

Her happy places are Disneyland, Labor Day weekend at the Gorge, Denmark, and anywhere in the UK—so long as her family is there too.

Follow Darcy:  Web Site | Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Goodreads | Newsletter

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