On the fifth day of give aways…
… my author gave to me, an advance copy of The Summer Country!
I am so very excited to be able to share this book with you!
Here’s the official description:
The New York Times bestselling historical novelist delivers her biggest, boldest, and most ambitious novel yet—a sweeping Victorian epic of lost love, lies, jealousy, and rebellion set in colonial Barbados.
Barbados, 1854. Emily Dawson has always been the poor cousin in a prosperous English merchant clan—merely a vicar’s daughter, and a reform-minded vicar’s daughter, at that. Everyone knows that the family’s lucrative shipping business will go to her cousin, Adam, one day. But when her grandfather dies, Emily receives an unexpected inheritance: Peverills, a sugar plantation in Barbados—a plantation her grandfather never told anyone he owned.
When Emily accompanies her cousin and his new wife to Barbados, she finds Peverills a burnt-out shell, reduced to ruins in 1816, when a rising of enslaved people sent the island up in flames. Rumors swirl around the derelict plantation; people whisper of ghosts.
Why would her practical-minded grandfather leave her a property in ruins? Why are the neighboring plantation owners, the Davenants, so eager to acquire Peverills? The answer lies in the past– a tangled history of deceit, greed, clandestine love, heartbreaking betrayal, and a bold bid for freedom.
A brilliant multigenerational saga in the tradition of The Thorn Birds and North and South, The Summer Country will beguile readers with its rendering of family, tragedy, and the endurance of hope against all odds.
For a chance to win an advance copy of The Summer Country, here’s your question: 1810s (the tail end of the Napoleonic Wars, the Enlightenment, Empire-waisted dresses) or 1854 (Victorians, steamships, hoopskirts)?
The winner will be announced on Sunday.
The Summer Country makes its appearance on June 4, 2019. In the meantime, it’s available for pre-order from your favorite bookstore, on Kindle, Nook, and all those other e-reader things, and in audio. I’ll be posting much more about it as we get closer to June!
1810’s for sure, please! 😀
1810, but I’ll read anything you write!!!
1854 for me. The glimmers of modern life one sees taking root in that age fascinate me
Definitely 1810s!!! (Pink fan here! :D)
1810s.
1854. (Love those steamships!)
I’m gonna go with 1854 😊
1854…..empire waist dresses don’t look good on me. Plus, it a the dawn of the modern era which is fascinating!
1854. Hoopskirts. Swoon.
1810s definitely!
1854 for sure! Love the Victorians and the idea of hoop skirts, but they’re not fun to wear.
1854 I have always loved the Victorian era
1810 seems much more comfortable and practical for me.
Empire waist. Even today that gives the illusion of me being skinny ROFL!!
1810s
I would have to say 1854. But really I am torn. Can I just say, you are one 9f the loveliest authors I have met? I cannot wait for your new book.
That is so sweet of you! Thank you so much, Jennifer!
Sorry but I can’t decide. Most likely 1854 as there were a few more technological advances.
1854
I can rock a hoop skirt!! Lol!
1810s. No question.
1810 most definitely. Love empire waisted dresses.
This is hard, but I’m going with 1854.
Oh please give me the hoop skirts of 1854!!
Love the beauty of those fabulous dresses!!
This book looks fabulous!!
1854
1854. Love those Victorians!
1810’s for sure. Great transition period
1854
Oh, please can I have an 1854 hoop skirt?!? The Victorian era is one of my very favorites!! Plus, the Facebook quiz I took just yesterday says that’s when I truly belong in time. 😁
1810s for sure.
1854, but it’s gotta be from a slightly different angle. I’ve real a lot of books about this time period but it seems they’re all very similar.
1854. Like the Victorians
1854 for sure!
1854- empire waists do NOT do good things to my body! Also the Industrial Revolution makes my engineering heart happy!
1854
Why not both? If I truly had to pick though, probably 1854… Hoopskirts would look far better on me than an empire waist gown! 😉
1810s absolutely
Gotta go with the 1810s. The Enlightenment is such a fascinating time!
1810s. I like an empire waist!
Definitely the Empire waist dresses would be the most flattering, altho I think Victorian is maybe more interesting….but no tight lacing ! Ugh.
I would choose 1854. I’m not a fan of empire waist dresses and love reading about all the scientific and cultural changes of the Victorian period.
Gotta go with 1854 and the Steamships.
1854 with hoopskirts!
1854!
1810…love the time period …and the fashions!
1854 for me! Love that time period.
1854!
I think 1854, but it would depend on where. There is a big difference between London and say, the frontier edge of PA or VA, for example. And then the Civil War in a few years, ugh.
1854. Hoop skirts came around again when I was in high school. Steamships entered in a wave of immigration to this country and my ancestors came to America searching for opportunity.
1854 for me the mystery of the victorian’s era
I love the Victorian Era, so 1854 for me! I cannot wait for this new book! Thanks for the chance!
1810!
1854 – steamships and hoop skirts all the way!
1854. So many important changes were happening at that time.
1854! I love that era.
1854 for me!
1854 for me! But I wouldn’t be opposed to 1810’s.
1854!!! That’s EXACTLY 100 years before I was born!!
1810’s definitely
Empire-waisted dresses seem much more practical and end of the Napoleonic Wars had changed the world a lot for that was when technology had began rooting in
1810s. The clothing would be much more flattering with my figure 😉
I would love to be in both 1810 and 1854. It would be amazing to be in those times.
I love the Victorian Era, so it’s 1854 for Me! The Summer Country sounds wonderful, I cannot wait to read it! Thank You!
1854…. Victorian age! But I also love novels set earlier in the 1800s as well.
Tough choice, but 1810!
1810″s I think!
Without any doubt 1854 to be in the peak of Queen Victoria’s reign and her brood scattered around the Europe is alluring especially with the modes of travel in those days
Lets try again! I love the Victorian Age so it’s 1854 for me! I love your books! thanks!
1810–while not my most flattering dress option, I couldn’t imagine the wasp-like waist and the corseting and dieting required to make it happen!
1854, I always love to read about the Victorian times.
Empire over hoop skirts…so, 1810.
1854! Thanks for the chance! This book is on my TBR list and I would love to get a chance to read an advanced copy. 😊
1810s!!
The 1810s without a doubt. I love the time period, and empire waisted dresses flatter me😉
1810s.
Hmm I would say 1810. Dress, hair style and men in breaches 😉
1810
1854
Can’t wait to read the new book!😀
1810s! Empires waist dresses are so much more flattering for my figure!
Definitely 1810s for me…keeping at Jane Austen as possible 🙂
1810’s!
I can’t wait to read your new book! It was at the top of my Christmas list this year!!
I think I have to go with the 1810s. Early American Republic is my area of study. Any excuse to rub shoulders with Jefferson, Adams, and Austen.
1810’s! Empire waist all the waaaayyy!
1810s
1854 – hoop skirts, steamships, etc.
Empire waist dresses are way more flattering than hoop skirts!!
1854–hoop skirts and North & South 🙂
1810- love looking like a Jane Austen character
Probably 1810s.
1854 definitely
1810s!!
I am such a fan of the Caribbean island of Barbados and its residents. This island in the 1800’s will tell me even more about their unique history. If readers have not traveled there they really need to!
I couldn’t agree more! The history is fascinating and so complex. I love how every survey on the sugar islands always says “the sugar islands blah blah blah… except for Barbados”. I had to make very sure that whatever I was reading was specific to Barbados, because the experience in Jamaica and the other islands was SO different.
1854, love that era!
1854 – fascinating era
1854 for sure.
1854 ( despite empire style dresses from the earlier period 😁)
1854 as my prom dress was a hoop skirt!
I’m all for 1810 and the empire waist gowns and Jane Austen!
1810 🙂
That so hard! I think I would say 1810s. There’s something about that era that I really like.
Definitely 1854!
1854 for sure! Really like the Victorian era. 🙂
Can my 1854 hoopskirt have pockets? If so then definitely a hoopskirt.
1810! Love the empire waist dresses. Hate the hairstyles though.
Hard choice, but I would choose Victorians
1854, please! Thank you!
Probably 1854
1854, I love the Victorian age.
My daughter and I LOVE your pink carnation books and the period of early 1800’s, but my favorite is the Victorian era so I’ll go with that.
1854, I think.
1854 for me. Thank you for the chance to win
I tend to gravitate towards Georgian/Regency, so definitely 1810s!
I would love to ride on a steam ship in 1854.
Going to lean towards 1810. Less Cholera. 🙂
1810s. I love the Empire waisted dresses.
1854! Gotta love the Victorian’s
1854 for me please!
1810s… cleaner air and easier to sit down!
Definitely 1810s!
Hoop skirt, 100%
1854 for sure!
1854 for me!! Thank you for the opportunity to win an advanced copy.
1810s☺️
1854 for me. Yes! Love the Victorian era plus we’re so much closer to having all the electricity things I need to survive. lol
1854… Hoop skirts amuse me. I’d almost certainly hate to wear them but the style is fun to look at.
1854! Can’t wait for your new book!
1854. The promise of change to come!
1854 .
Can I choose both?
1810’s thank you! All those soldiers….
1810s, but I have would love reading a novel by Lauren or the 3 Ws set in either time period. Happy Holidays!
Oh, 1810s absolutely. The gentlemen were so much more raffish and rakish and all that.
1810’s
1810s booooo corsets
1810 would be a very interesting time with all the changes.
1810 please.
1854. Love Victorian and hoop skirts!
1810s!
1854. I live in a town in New Zealand (Oamaru)which has retained its Historic buildings etc of the Victorian era and has become a mecca for tourists to visit the quirky shops and business’s . November is a busy month with the Heritage Celebrations when the town is full of people dressed in Victorian clothing
1810s, please.
Definitely 1810s!
1854!
The earlier the better. 1810s would be great.
1854 please. Yay for steamships.
So looking forward to your book!
1810 please!
1854 Victorian. Oh! the oppulence.
1810’s for this girl!
1854 for me! Definitely Victorian!
Oh, definitely the 1810’s.
1810! I love the Empire waist!
1854. Love Victorian styles !!
1854 you also get bloomer suits, and the women’s suffrage movement has been a thing for a few years in the U.S. at least. (I have an 1850’s style bloomer suit in a steampunk print that I wear at cons, especially if I’m going alone and don’t have somebody with me to lace me into something.)
Thats such a hard decision! I love everything about 1810’s but also love the hoopskirts! So I’ll say 1854 because I love how the hoopskirts make the waist look smaller!
Ooh that’s a tough one! I’ll go with 1810
1854 and the Victorians for me.
1854
Hmm…it is a hard decision, but my pick is 1810. I love the fashions from both, but I look better in empire.
1810 🙂
1854
1810s… though fashion is going to be shortly going crazy!
Linda Arbuckle Hunter
18810
1854 – love those hoop skirts.
Going with 1854 – love the Victorian era.
1810s for sure
1810s.
1810s, but I wouldn’t say no to an 1854 adventure either! 🙂
Definitely 1810s. Hoop skirts are too hard to work!😊
1854 big dresses and hoop skirts.
1810 – empire waists!
1854!!!
1810
1854!
1810’s! Empire waists!
1810’s because the clothes were less restrictive (no thanks, corsets and huge skirts!) and for the extremely slim chance of bumping into Jane Austen.
1854!
1854…..era of modern invention. Not too fond of hoop skirts though.
1810’s
1810s. Love me an Empire-waist!
Going Victorian. Better medicine, and the dresses would suit me better!
The empire waists of the 1810s suit me just fine!
Victorian for me.
1810s because empire waists are always flattering!
1810 I couldn t take those hoop skirts!
1854
Victorian times all the way! But, I would want to live as Lady of a manor, a small enough manor not to be tied up in politics, in the English countryside 🙂
And I would need my hubs along with me, of course.
I’ve always been more interested in Victorian (1854) over Regency (1810).
1810s, love those dresses!
1854
1810’s the empire waists are so pretty!
1854 – love reading about the Victorian period. Can’t wait to read your new book!
Regency over the Victorians. I have to figure out how to plausibly meet Jane Austen, since she didn’t conveniently do book tours.
1810’s 🙋🏼♀️Happy holidays, Lauren! I will always read anything you write no matter the time period!
1854, I love the Victorian era. Imagine having a truly traditional Victorian Christmas!
The end of the Napoleonic Wars.
1854! 🙂
1810’s
Um, yes. Both. Who can choose?
1854
1854 so I could have a classic Victorian Christmas!
1854 for me, although both sounds good.
Oh, the 1810s for sure!
Definitely the 1810’s.
1854 for the steampunk, 1810’s for the dresses!!