Greetings, dear readers!

Let me sling a few bits of research at you real quick.

Ready?

First, there are three furniture makers considered the "big three" of English style--Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton. Sheraton was not particularly well known during his life and survived more on designing (and the books he wrote) than on making actual pieces of furniture, though he did take on a few students to whom he taught ornamentation and such.

Second, and this is where my mind was blown, nothing made by Hepplewhite still exists. 😳 There are plenty of remaining furniture pieces in his style--shields for backs of chairs, rounded arms, etc--but nothing actually made by his hand, that we know of.

That's just wild to me. So much from the time period still exists, even the most fragile of letters, jewelry made of hair, and the most delicate beetle-beaded gowns. But whole entire pieces of furniture--gone. This reminds me all those Jane Austen letters that were burned by her family. So much history--lost.

Apparently, I'm all in my feels about it.🤣

Anyway, why am I researching furniture makers (called cabinetmakers back in the Regency day)? For a book naturally. The Lord Who Adored Her and Other Love Songs.

Atlas's lady love is a cabinet maker looking for a safe haven from her controlling family, and Y'ALL this story also has me feeling all the feels. The themes and backstories are a bit heavier than I usually do, but Lord Atlas and Clara Bronwen deserve a happily ever after SO BAD. And because it's the last book of the Art of Love series, I got to write an epilogue that very much feels like an epilogue for the entire series, and it gave me so much joy. Then when I read it a month later--the joy remained. That's how I know. If I reread it and the joy dissolves with the heady moment of writing and inspiration, then it's flat. But if it remains months later... we're good. 😊

Thanks to the Brazen Belles readers for helping me retitle this book! I took all the feedback I got there to create a different option than the ones I originally thought I'd go with, and I'm pretty happy with it. Even though it's long. Apologies to my cover designer.

As far as covers go for Love Songs, I can tell you this: yellow, piano, curvy. I'm stoked.

Tell, if you've read the Art of Love books, which brother's book are you most looking forward to: Lord Andrew's or Lord Atlas's? The stoic workaholic who refuses to acknowledge his emotions or the former soldier who writes love songs?

You can read chapter 1 of Silhouette of a Spinster and Other Seductions, Lord Andrew's book, now on my blog!

Discover a new book!

Did you know you can get S. Cinders' Upon a Wicked Sea for free? Grab it here! I'm ADORING the cover.

Make sure to check out Rebecca Paula's gorgeous In Want of a Wife!

And then dig into Sherry Ewing's Knight of Darkness!

Then see if any of these steamy and sweet reads peak your interest for Valentines Day!

Happy reading!

Charlie Lane

Start Reading the Art of Love Series