posted on October 17, 2019 by Tina Gabrielle

Heroes with Disabilities

Hello! I’m Tina Gabrielle and I write adventurous historical romance featuring feisty ladies and bold heroes. I’m excited to be with Writerspace to celebrate my new historical release, HOW TO CAPTURE A DUKE, the third book in my Raven Club series. All my books are standalone reads.

Did you know Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, James Earl Jones, and Nicole Kidman have all struggled with stuttering? Many more famous people can be added to this list.

This book is straight from my heart, and I purposely chose a hero with a speech disorder. All through grammar school, I was treated by my school’s speech therapist. First, English was my second language. I’m a first-generation Armenian-American, and we spoke Armenian at home. Second, I had an articulation delay and struggled to pronounce certain words and sounds. As a five-year-old, I remember my speech therapist quite fondly. She had pretty long, brown hair to her waist, wore colorful high heels, and gave me candy after each session. She also helped me a lot, and over my entire grammar school career, my speech difficulties were resolved. I went on to become an attorney, and I’ve argued cases in front of judges in crowded courtrooms. Speech Therapists are real life heroes!

My hero, Tristan, the Duke of Keswick, has a bit of a stutter. Historically, it was difficult to find proper treatment, and I tried to show how people with this speech disorder struggled. Ineffective treatment could make it much worse. As a result, Tristan fears ridicule and avoids social events like balls and parties hosted by the judgmental beau monde. His matchmaking grandmother is determined to find him a wife, and hosts a house party at his country estate and invites eligible young ladies. The only problem: he doesn’t show. Tristan keeps to the stables. Horses do not judge. But when Olivia seeks to ride, she believes Tristan to be the stablemaster, and he doesn’t correct her. They share a lovely ride in the country and a passionate kiss.

Things take a turn for the worse when Oliva is accused of stealing a rival debutante’s necklace, and Tristan is her only alibi. She unwittingly becomes engaged to a duke. Tristan believes Olivia to be a title-scheming miss and plans on leaving her behind in the country after the wedding. But Olivia is not the type of woman who can easily be ignored, and fireworks soon ensue. She breaks down his barriers, one and a time, and helps him with his biggest struggle.

I enjoyed writing about Olivia’s feistiness and determination, and Tristan’s distrust and struggle to overcome his stuttering. Their relationship was special. I hope my book inspires some people, and you enjoy reading this story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it!

Here’s a blurb about the book:

Lady Olivia, the youngest sister of the Earl of Castleton, has no patience for the boring gentlemen of aristocratic society. She longs for a more adventurous life like the ladies who visit the Raven Club. But her plans are thwarted when her family drags her to a country house party to meet the elusive Duke of Keswick.

Tristan Cameron, the Duke of Keswick, finds Olivia in his stables. She believes him to be the stable master, and he doesn’t dissuade her of the notion. He has no interest in entertaining one of the spoiled, self-indulgent ladies who’ve invaded his home. Except, Olivia is neither of those things, and their shared kiss during a ride results in combustible passion.

And a potential scandal.

Olivia is relieved when the handsome stable master comes to her aid as her alibi, but that relief fades to anger when she suddenly finds herself betrothed to the harsh, foul-tempered duke.

Tristan believes he’s been trapped by a scheming, title-seeking lady. To make matters worse, she’s utterly captivating. He plans on leaving her behind in the country immediately after their vows, but Tristan soon finds himself battling temptation and Olivia’s stubborn determination to be the Duchess he doesn’t believe he deserves…

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GIVEAWAY! What do you find most intriguing about ‘”How to Capture a Duke?” The cover, blurb, excerpt or anything else? Please comment for a chance to win an ebook of the second book in the Raven Club series, HOW TO BEST A MARQUESS.

Tina Gabrielle

Tina Gabrielle

Best-selling author Tina Gabrielle is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She often picked up a romance and let her fantasies of knights in shining armor and lords and ladies carry her away. She is the author of adventurous Regency historical romances for Entangled Publishing and Kensington Books. Publishers Weekly calls her Regency Barrister's series, "Well-matched lovers...witty comradely repartee." Tina's books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, Lady Of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by Romantic Times Book Reviews. Tina lives in New Jersey and is married to her own hero and is blessed with two daughters. She loves to hear from readers. Visit her website to learn about upcoming releases, join her newsletter, and enter free monthly contests at tinagabrielle.com. You can also find Tina at: Twitter: @TinaGabrielle Facebook: facebook.com/TinaGabrielle Instagram: instagram.com/TinaGabrielleAuthor

4 thoughts on “Heroes with Disabilities”

    1. Thank you! I think it’s my favorite cover.

  1. Thank you for featuring “How to Capture a Duke!”

  2. flchen1 says:

    I do love that Tristan has something that makes him not the perfect duke. And I’m curious to see how Olivia ultimately changes his heart… Plus that COVER! The colors are gorgeous and perfect for this season!

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