All posts by Celeste Bradley

ON BENDED KNEE – Wicked Worthingtons #6

ON BENDED KNEE - Wicked Worthingtons #6

ON BENDED KNEE – Wicked Worthingtons #6

– Buy On Bended Knee here!

I’m incredibly proud to introduce my new novel! The wildly unconventional Worthington clan is at a loss when it comes to silent, war-shadowed Lysander. Only former military nurse, widow Gemma Oakes can see the real man trapped within his darkness.

From New York Times bestselling author Celeste Bradley comes Book 6 of The Wicked Worthingtons Series. At last! The story of healing the war-torn heart of Lysander Worthington! read more

“Wicked Worthingtons” Under the Covers – Book 4 – I Thee Wed

I Thee Wed
In celebration of the release of Wicked Worthingtons Book 6, here is a look back at Book 4 – I Thee Wed – under the covers… While I was plotting I Thee Wed, I realized that my favorite moments were the moments of discovery. Orion makes a scientific breakthrough, but it pales beside the discovery of his humanity. Francesca discovers that she is not as alone in the world as she believed. And of course, Attie discovers a new way to blow stuff up! ☺ My “geeks in love” book became something more for me, something I didn’t expect. I discovered that there were many people out there who got this story and understood these characters. This made me feel understood as well! Order your copy Read the reviews! “This hugely fun novel is charming and delightful the whole way through.” — Publishers Weekly (★ starred review) “I Thee Wed has all the charming vivacity, scintillating wit, and incendiary sensuality of the previous books in Bradley’s incomparable, Regency-set Wicked Worthington series, making it a don’t miss for anyone who cherishes superbly written historical romances.” — Booklist (★ starred review) “Brimming over with humor and charm, this book is complete with characters that leap off the pages, sensuality, laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue and an ending that will make you sigh. What more can you want?” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) “This book was so much fun, I want to eat it.” — Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Read more reviews here! Awards for I Thee Wed   RT Award Nominee – Historical Love & Laughter Nominee   Booklist Starred Review   Publishers Weekly Starred Review   RT Book Reviews Editor’s Top Pick <!--   New York Times Bestseller   USA Today Bestseller --> From the New York Times bestselling author of With This Ring comes a Wicked Worthingtons novel of love that defies reason… Intelligent and driven, Orion Worthington aspired to be like his mentor, the acclaimed scientist Sir Geoffrey Blayne. Logically, Sir Geoffrey’s daughter would be Orion’s perfect match. So why can’t he keep his mind off the unruly girl who works in Sir Geoffrey’s lab? Orphaned fire-cracker Francesca Penrose hopes that London is modern enough to accept her brilliant mind despite her womanhood. But she can’t help noticing Orion’s mind…or his body. So they decide to run an experiment: if they give in to their passions, their attraction will simply fizzle out, with no impact on their hearts…right?

The Wicked Worthingtons     Siblings with big hearts and bad reputations!

Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6

Wicked Worthingtons   |    Runaway Brides   |    Heiress Brides   |    Royal Four   |    Liar’s Club   |    Courtesans   |    Holiday   |   Others read more

“Wicked Worthingtons” Under the Covers – Book 3 – With This Ring

With This Ring
Celebrating of the release of Wicked Worthingtons Book 6, here is a look back at Book 3 – With This Ring – under the covers… In With This Ring, the biggest surprise was Elektra. It can be difficult to write beautiful heroines. Often we don’t want to like the girl who has it all. Elektra definitely has it all—along with all the pressure that goes with it! A great match may be her family’s last chance to be saved from total ruin. Elektra determinedly uses her beauty as her only weapon against Worthington poverty and notoriety. When I included her in previous books, I had no idea she was so brave! Order your copy Read the reviews! “a laugh-out-loud funny novel from Celeste Bradley.” — Harlequin Junkie “With This Ring is a charming and very romantic story with lots of laughs along the way.” — Fresh Fiction “This wonderfully eccentric family brings mayhem and madness to new heights.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) Read more reviews here! Awards for With This Ring   RT Book Reviews Editor’s Top Pick From bestselling author Celeste Bradley comes With This Ring, a delightful tale about the lengths one woman will go to marry-at all costs… The Rules of Engagement Elektra Worthington is the lovely middle daughter of the eccentric, impoverished Worthington family. Her beauty means nothing to her except as her currency to return the Worthington name to its former glory of status, riches, and dominance in the ballrooms of Regency England. To this end, she will stop at nothing-even if she must kidnap a rich lord in the process. If this lucky gentleman is just returning from a long absence and knows nothing of the Worthington reputation, well, a girl shouldn’t look a gift lord in the mouth…right? The Price of Passion Lord Aaron Arbogast, returning to England after a decade-old scandal-of which he was not truly guilty, but instead took the blame out of loyalty to a good friend-is the last of his line. He will someday become the Earl of Arbodean and inherit the estate…if, that is, he can prove to his ailing grandfather that he is a reformed man. Falling for a woman like Miss Worthington could cost him everything. But his desire for her? Priceless…

The Wicked Worthingtons     Siblings with big hearts and bad reputations!

Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6

Wicked Worthingtons   |    Runaway Brides   |    Heiress Brides   |    Royal Four   |    Liar’s Club   |    Courtesans   |    Holiday   |   Others read more

“Wicked Worthingtons” Under the Covers – Book 2 – And Then Comes Marriage

And Then Comes Marriage
To celebrate of the release of Wicked Worthingtons Book 6, here is a look back at Book 2 – And Then Comes Marriage – under the covers… I write mostly quirky, self-assured heroines. Miranda was different for me. She is an ordinary woman, rather shy and repressed, who finds herself falling for not one but two outrageous, notorious men. Writing Miranda made me feel a bit vulnerable. I’ve always been shy and have always admired outgoing people. While this gave me insight into Miranda’s character, I ended up putting my own insecurities into the book for the world to read. I had to decide not to worry about it. In the end, I loved Miranda! Order your copy Read the reviews! “Bradley is at her best. The funny, charming romance, with its highly sensual edge, is a sure winner.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) “The book is a signature Celeste Bradley novel with her wit and engaging writing style. Her characters and settings come to life on the page.” —Night Owl Reviews (top pick) “In her typical mad-literary-genius fashion, Bradley cleverly concocts the second installment in her Regency-set Worthington series, and the end result is one of the most wonderfully original and wildly entertaining romances of the year. Written with a effervescent sense of wit and richly imbued with a surfeit of steamy sensuality, And Then Comes Marriage is too good to miss.” —Booklist “a witty, sexy historical romance that I couldn’t get enough of.” — Romance Junkies Read more reviews here! Awards for And Then Comes Marriage   RT Award Nominee – Innovative Historical Romance Nominee   RT Book Reviews Editor’s Top Pick From New York Times bestselling author Celeste Bradley comes And Then Comes Marriage, a story of romantic intrigue with a sensual edge … After years of being a quiet, dutiful wife, the recently widowed Mrs. Miranda Talbot is finally free to do as she pleases. As an attractive woman of independent means at a time when few women are, Miranda is suddenly turning heads all around London. When she meets the dashing Mr. Castor Worthington, she is swept away by his passion. Is he too good to be true? Little does Miranda know that there is more to Castor than meets the eye. In fact, he’s a twin. Castor’s brother, also a confirmed bachelor, takes his romantic pursuits-and rivals-very seriously. When Castor discovers Miranda is being courted by his own twin, his competitive nature takes over. Who will be the one to win Miranda’s hand and heart? The race to say I do is about to begin…

The Wicked Worthingtons     Siblings with big hearts and bad reputations!

Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6

Wicked Worthingtons   |    Runaway Brides   |    Heiress Brides   |    Royal Four   |    Liar’s Club   |    Courtesans   |    Holiday   |   Others read more

“Wicked Worthingtons” Under the Covers – Book 1 – When She Said I Do

When She Said I Do
In celebration of the release of Wicked Worthingtons Book 6, here is a look back at Book 1 – When She Said I Do – under the covers… So many people have been waiting for a story about Ren Porter, the damaged and reclusive spy from several Liar’s Club stories — but no one more then I have! Ren has been on my mind for so long. How to bring him back from the edge after all he’s been through? Then when I imagined the outrageous and unrestrained Worthington family, I realized that only one of that undeniably expressive clan could get through the layers of wariness and lost faith that surrounded Ren. I could not have hoped for a better match than quirky Calliope Worthington! Order your copy Read the reviews! “Brimming with her signature depth of emotion, delightful characters and perfect pacing, this sexy love story tugs on the heartstrings and makes you smile.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) “Celeste Bradley writes a great novel. You begin to feel for the characters from the beginning of When She Said I Do. I will definitely add Celeste to my favorite author list!” — Fresh Fiction “this book was full of everything I require in an entertaining historical romance!” — Feminist Fairy Tale Reviews Read more reviews here! Awards for When She Said I Do  RT Award Winner – Sensual Historical Romance Award Winner  RT Book Reviews Editor’s Top Pick From New York Times bestselling author Celeste Bradley comes When She Said I Do, the first Wicked Worthingtons novel… Angel’s Sin Caught in a rainstorm, Miss Calliope Worthington takes shelter in a seemingly abandoned mansion. But when she finds a string of pearls in a dusty chest, she is caught red-handed by the house’s reclusive owner—Mr. Ren Porter—a fiery demon of a man who demands that Callie pay for the necklace…with her innocence. Devil’s Bargain When he first lays eyes on the beautiful trespasser, Ren mistakes her for an angel. But when he realizes Callie is a thief, he strikes a bargain she cannot refuse. She must take his hand in marriage and pay him back in full: one night of passion for each stolen pearl. But when Callie surrenders to his desires—night after wicked night—he awakens something deep inside of her. Something powerful and passionate. Like a fairy tale come true, the monster she married has become the man she loves…when she said I do.

The Wicked Worthingtons     Siblings with big hearts and bad reputations!

Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6

Wicked Worthingtons   |    Runaway Brides   |    Heiress Brides   |    Royal Four   |    Liar’s Club   |    Courtesans   |    Holiday   |   Others read more

Believing

Dr. Seuss taught all of us about fantasy, about nonsense, and about red fish and blue fish. I’ve tried all my life to hold on to my sense of the absurd, to my willingness to look silly, to the dreamy sense of infinite possibility that I felt as a child, rocking in a rowboat on Lake Ponchartrain, staring at the sky.

I think it can be done. I don’t think you HAVE to grow out of something if you love it. I used to tease my daughters that if they declared there was no Santa, there would no longer be any need for me to pretend there was (in other words, no presents!).

via GIPHY

To this day, in their mid-twenties, they will stand up in public and staunchly declare that they believe in a fat home invader who exploits flying reindeer. Even though it is something of a family game, I think they like leaving that impossibility open to possibility, and so do I.

If you want to be a writer, or artist, or designer, software engineer, you are already acquainted with your imagination. You know that when you imagine something, you can probably create it. But have you really applied that force of belief to yourself? Can you remember what it was like to believe in something as wholeheartedly as you believed if you stayed awake long enough you would hear jinglebells? Can you believe in yourself that hard? Can you create yourself as a bestseller? Can you create yourself into a gallery, or a business, or even just a fitter version of yourself?

I believed in my creativity, and that creativity gave me dreams, big ones, and mine came true. I believed hard in family, and I have created and clung to a loving one. I believed hard in love, and I have love. I believed hard in fairytales, and people who told them, and now I am one of those people. Not everything came easily, not everything happened the way I’d planned (ha!) but it’s an adventure, a roller-coaster and a great source for storytelling.

Whatever it is that you want for yourself, put on your Santa hat, grab your fairy wand, mount your unicorn and go find it. When you believe, it might happen. When you don’t believe, it can’t happen.

Dream onward!

My Heroes: Nathaniel from To Wed a Scandalous Spy

Oh, Nathaniel, what have you gotten yourself into this time?

Known far and wide as Lord Treason, Nathaniel carries the burden of his ruined honor with fortitude, but he has vowed never to pass on that poor reputation to a wife or children. Let his ruined name die out with him, and let the Royal Four’s secrets be safe, and he swears to uphold the mystery of his true story.

That well-laid plan lasts about as long as a ride through the countryside, where a stray projectile from a slingshot wielded by a jinxed young woman cracks open his future like a shattered hornet’s nest. Forced at the point of a country innkeeper’s displeasure, Nathaniel must wed the young lady he has accidentally ruined. No one bargained on Willa, a quirky orphan with a sharp mind and a relentless belief in Nathaniel’s better nature, despite the rumors of betrayal.

To Wed a Scandalous Spy is truly one of my favorite novels that I have written. Willa and Nathaniel are so good for each other!

My Heroines: Willa from To Wed a Scandalous Spy

I love all my characters. Even the villains, because I empathize with being misunderstood. Still, every once in a while someone comes along, just strolling down the lane of my mind, and becomes one of my favorite people in the world.

Willa from To Wed a Scandalous Spy is one of my dearest friends. She’s smart and funny. She’s so loyal that nothing can convince her of Nathaniel’s guilt. Her blithe confidence in herself and the people she likes makes me want to be a better sort of person myself.

Even though she is quite pretty and comes from a good family, she is an orphan and a misfit in her little village. They love her dearly there, but they really need to get Willa out because every time a young man gets too close to her, something terrible happens to him! They are starting to run out of young men! Beloved jinx that she is, when a gentleman (who had an untimely mishap with his horse and a falling hornet’s nest) compromises Willa by accidentally spending the night unconscious by her side, Willa is cheerfully forced to marry him and be on her way to London immediately, where supposedly there will be many more young men to come to bad ends.

Willa was originally from a story called An Uncommon Fancy, which was never published as such because I turned it into the first book of the Royal Four series. Everything changed in that story, except Willa. She remained stalwart and perpetually upbeat, so sure that she could just MAKE things–and people–be better. Some books write themselves. Willa wrote her own story. I just typed it for her!

Book Gush: C. J. Redwine

I have another Halloween treat for you! Have you checked out the fantasy novels of C.J. Redwine?

The Shadow Queen begins the fairy-tale inspired Ravenspire series–and let me tell you, this ain’t your mama’s Snow White! Some people consider this YA, but I think it’s a fantastic tale for all ages. I’m not going to give you ANY spoilers (don’t you just hate spoilers?) but here’s a link to a big fat 4-chapter sample!

Many years ago, while I was living near Nashville, I met C.J. Redwine in a coffee shop. She tells the story much better than I could, but I will say that I am so proud that I knew her when!