Claire Hadleigh

As I work on the first draft of Betrayed in Brighton , I find I'm enjoying the research into the history of Brighton as a popular seaside resort for the Regency period of England. Think Cape Cod, early 1800s! Because of the oppressive heat wave in London during the Season, my characters will head to the shore and enjoy the restorative powers of sea bathing, fresh air and sunshine. The more I read about people bathing for medicinal reasons, the more intrigued I become. Numerous writers refer to this popular phenomenon, which became the thing to do in the mid-1700s. Brighton, late 1700s  (bathing huts heading into the sea) ca. 1829 - Dippers are on the left; lady preparing to undress; other women frolicing Jane Austen, Fanney Burney and even the Prince Regent went bathing in Brighton's chilly waters, usually guided by "dippers," men and women who aided their forays into the salty waters of the English Channel -- Franny Burney, August 1773 “Ever si...

I'm so excited by this beautiful cover for the next ebook in my Merry Widow series, which takes place in Brighton, England in the early summer of 1816!  The cover designer is Melody Simmons , who creates amazing covers for both ebooks and print. Book #1, Snowbound Seductions , had a lighter, merrier tone as it was set during the Holiday season, 1814, and featured the growing love between Meredith Lambert and William Burnham, the Duke of Huntington. This story focuses on the Duke's sister, another young widow, Lady Alexandra Chase, and Major Fergus Pendleton. Theirs was more a romp than serious, in the first story, or at least that's how Lady Alexandra viewed it. But the good major was serious about marriage. But then Napoleon rears his head once again in March, 1815. Life is like that, isn't it? Just when you thought it was safe to jump back into life, bam!  So this is where Book #2 begins.  A bit more angst, a bit more suspense. Sometimes one just has to up th...