Author Interview: Maureen Driscroll

Happy Monday, Readers. Please welcome the fabulous Maureen Driscoll. Ms. Driscoll writes a wonderful historical romance series around one family, The Kellington’s. I adore this series. It’s one of my favorite family series.

RRG: What inspired you to write a story about the Kellington’s? By the way, I have loved them from the very beginning!
MD: Thank you so much! I’ve had a lot of fun with the series. I started reading romance fairly late in life – I was already in my ‘40s. I fell instantly in love with it, especially Regency romance. I wanted to lose myself in that world. Then I started fantasizing about the type of men I would like to fall in love with. And that’s how Liam and his brothers came to life.

RRG: Why write historical romance?
MD: There’s something more romantic about the days when sex wasn’t a given. My books have a lot of sex in them, but I like the lead up to the main event, instead of the “sex on a first date” thing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not as much fun to read about for me. I should point out there are some modern writers I like very much, like Lisa Kleypas and Karen Hawkins. Of course, they also do Regency, so I may like their approach more just because of that.

RRG: If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?
MD: Liam Kellington is the head of the Kellington family. He would say nothing is more important than his beloved Rosalind and his family. He’d trade his title and all his wealth to ensure they were happy. Fortunately, he won’t have to.

RRG: What do you like to read?
MD: Regency is my favorite by far. I have this odd quirk where I can’t imagine life without at least semi-modern sanitation. The Regency era still left a lot to be desired in that area, but it was still much better than what came before. I read about knights, I just think about dirt and disease. I can read everything going forward from Regency, though I’m not a big fan of paranormal.

RRG: What song can’t you get out of your head?
MD: It’s not that I can’t get it out of my head, but when “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” comes on the radio, I must sing along. Don’t even try changing the channel. It’s the cheesiest song in the world and I love it.

RRG: Can you tell us what you are working on next?
MD: The first book in my next series. It’s about the Emerson family. In some ways they’re opposite to the Kellingtons. They have huge money problems – it looks like the head of the family Colin, Lord Ridgeway, may have to marry for money. Plus, while the brothers and sisters all love each other, they’ve not spent much time together in the past few years because their father was a tyrant and their mother extremely neglectful. But, in the end, they love each other just as much as the Kellingtons. And they’re all going to be thrown together.
My readers are incredibly kind. One of the comments I heard the most about the Kellingtons was how much they liked the family when they were all together. That’s what I’m hoping for with the Emersons, as well.

Favorites
Quote: I am the worst person in the world about quotes. I never remember anything. But I’m a huge fan of the movie THE HOLIDAY. There’s a scene where Kate Winslet is at dinner with Eli Wallach. She’s been talking about her relationship problems and he tells her she’s acting like the best friend when in fact she’s a leading lady, and that her boyfriend was a schmuck for letting her go. I rewind that scene over and over every time I watch it. Again, I’m terrible with quotes, but if you haven’t seen it, watch the movie just for that scene.

Season: I live in Los Angeles, so we have “lovely” and “too hot.” But I grew up in Montana, so I miss the beauty of fall and winter….to a degree. But I don’t miss driving on ice and the feeling you get when you step into a puddle of slush.

Beverage: I drink a lot of water. Soft drinks, I love Pepsi. Alcohol: Champagne and dark beer.

Candy: Chocolate and lots of it. And black licorice.

Holiday: Christmas. Even though it’s still weird to see Christmas lights on palm trees.

Animal: I don’t have any pets, but I’m super allergic to cats. They know it and love to rub against me. The most stand-offish cats in the world will cross the street just to touch me.

Thank you for being on the blog today, Maureen. Readers, you can reach out to Maureen via Facebook and Twitter.

You can purchase the Kellington Series on Amazon. The second book Never Miss a Chance is FREE on Amazon today. You can read each book as a standalone but I recommend reading them in order. The family chemistry is super and it makes the series even better.

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-Romance Reader Girl

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Review: Never Deny Your Heart by Maureen Driscoll (Kellington #5)

Sometimes you read a book and you just fall in love with the characters and the secondary characters. Then you realize it’s a series and you devour them all as fast as you can, but then you realize the author has not finished the series and you’re left waiting for the last book. So…you…wait…and wait… The wait is finally over! Below is my review for Maureen Driscoll’s Never Deny Your Heart (Kellington #5).

Rosalind Carson is a woman who has stood in the background blending for far too long. She is a smart woman who has a big heart and wants good things for her friends. Sadly, her family sees her as a means to an end. Her brother, a viscount doesn’t see Rosalind for the lovely, charming woman she is, but for the money she will bring into the retainers when she marries a nobleman five decades her senior.

William (Liam) Kellingtion, Duke of Lynwood is a man that walks into a room and all eyes are in him. Part of his charm is that he loves his family fiercely and will do anything to protect them.

Liam and Rosalind’s connection begins at the beginning of Kellington series. Between shy glances and secret conversations, their love blooms slowly. In each book we see just a little more of thier love unfold, as Rosalind is a close family friend to Liam’s sister Lizzie. Rosalind has loved Liam since she was a girl of 12. Liam doesn’t really acknowledge or discover his feelings until Rosalind is about to be married off to a man 50 years her senior. However, Rosalind has a different plan for her future that may or may not include Liam. Will Liam wake up and fight for what he wants or will he just let the one thing his heart truly desires go? 

I was so excited when this book came out I ignored my husband to read it!  This is a series you will want to start from the beginning to understand the connection between all the characters. Liam and Rosalind story is not smooth sailing and there are a few twist that you won’t see coming, which adds to the steamy factor. I have a special place for books that involve families with a strong connection and this series has it. We see all the Kellingtons together in this book helping Liam see that being is love is worth the risks. Rosalind breaks out and decides what is best for her and her life. It was a great story and series. I know, I will read it again.

You can purchase Never Deny Your Heart and other books by Maureen Driscoll on Amazon.

Reach out to Maureen Driscoll via her website or Facebook.

-Romance Reader Girl