Who is Ben Burton?

This blog entry was suggested by one of my colleagues, Jo-Ann Roberts, who urged me to post something about the hero in Wicked Wagers, the second romance in The School for Sophistication series, which is due to go live on October 15. After all, she wrote, "Readers want to know what the hero looks like!" Okay, Jo-Ann -- this one's for you!

Here is how I imagine Benjamin Malory Burton to look -- he's tall, rugged, has honey-gold hair, deep blue eyes and a set of lips that makes my heroine, Julia Montford, swoon time and time again. Some of you may recognize the actor, James Norton, best known for his starring role in the British TV mystery series, Grantchester. As I scoured the images on Google and Pinterest, I kept returning to Norton. I've never watched the series (my bad!), but there was something about Norton that rang true for a former British Cavalry officer from the Napoleonic Wars. And when I stumbled on this image, I was convinced I'd found Ben Burton.

Can't you picture Norton in the formal black-and-white evening wear of the Regency period -- substitute the bow tie for a silk cravat, right? Breeches and Hessian boots? You bet!

The character of Ben is somewhat gentle for all his height and muscular build. He's a tease, loves his little nephews and is willing to work with his hands to repair a dilapidated hunting lodge. In other words, a man who is willing to work to build a future for himself and the woman he loves.

But he's also a man with a plan and his determination to woo and wed Julia pushes him beyond his normal rough-and-ready demeanor. Nothing, however, goes smoothly in the course of seduction, and yet Ben is willing to turn to Lady Caro and the Dowager for their help in learning a little sophistication.

And that's what makes him a hero, in my mind.

You can order Wicked Wagers here (more vendor links are still loading, such as Barnes and Noble, and is also available for pre-order on Amazon here.

And if you haven't read the first book in The School for Sophistication series, The Viscount and the Virgin, you can find the ebook vendors here.

"The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp.

The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story."

Ursula K. Le Guin

HAPPY READING!

Claire H.

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Claire Hadleigh

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