Blog Tour & Giveaway: A Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan-Wilsey

Romance Newport Style

When I saw that one of the stops on my blog tour for A  Sense of Entitlement, book three in my Hattie Davish Mystery series from Kensington Publishing was Books-n-Kisses (Thank you for hosting!), the first idea for my guest post that popped into my head was of course romance!  I could tell the story of Miss Hattie Davish and Dr. Walter Grice.  I could give details about how the two met in Eureka Springs, AR in book one in the series and how Hattie at first resists Walter’s charms.  As a practical woman, Hattie knows it is uncommon and unlikely for a woman with no family, who must work to support herself, to be loved by a rich, gentleman doctor who does what he loves, not what he has to.  And of course, there is also Hattie’s severe phobia of doctors to consider.  But luckily Walter is used to getting what he wants, doesn’t take no for an answer and is smitten enough to pursue Hattie until she realizes he is worth the risk of a heartbreak.

But then the idea I had of writing about romance took a dark turn as I remembered what I had uncovered during my research for A Sense of Entitlement. For just as Hattie is getting comfortable with the idea of an orphaned hat maker’s daughter having a rich beau in her life, she goes to Newport, RI, where the gap between the social classes is too wide to navigate and heartbreak is pervasive.  While tackling her new responsibilities as social secretary to the wealthiest woman in America and tracking down the killer of an eminent banker, Hattie must face challenges of the heart as well. But Hattie is not exceptional.  Even for its historical residents, spending “the Season” in Newport was not for the faint or fair of heart.

I discovered adultery was, as Deborah Davis says in her book, Gilded: How Newport Became America’s Richest Resort, “so widespread in Newport circles that there was a sliding scale of misbehavior.”  As long as it wasn’t serious or threatened the status quo, it was tolerated.  However, there were some affairs that made headlines.  When Alva Vanderbilt announced her intention to divorce her husband William K. Vanderbilt, on the basis of adultery, she shocked all of Newport society.  Yet his infidelities were know to all to have occurred throughout the marriage.  But when a rumor surfaced that Oliver Belmont had been found hiding in Alva’s bedroom, it sparked public ridicule and threatened her position in society.

But Newport society could have an even uglier side when it came to romance.  In an era where rich American’s sought legitimacy through European nobility titles, daughters of Newport’s richest families where vulnerable to marriages that were more business transactions than love matches.  Again the examples that comes right to mind involves Alva Vanderbilt, who after her scandalous divorce would do anything to secure her place in society.  She decided that her teenage daughter, Consuelo, would marry Edwin William Spencer-Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough.  She didn’t give any thought to the fact that Consuelo was already very much in love with someone else, Winthrop Rutherford, a rich, handsome lawyer from an exceptionally good family.  Most mothers would be thrilled to have the descendant of the first governor of Massachusetts as a son-in-law but not Alva.  When Alva discovered the couple’s plan to elope, Alva literally imprisoned Consuelo in her room which was guarded twenty-four hours a day.  When Consuelo still refused to marry the Duke, Alva threatened to murder Winthrop Rutherford.  When that threat didn’t work, Alva feigned a mortal illness and begged Consuelo to grant her dying wish.  Of course the daughter conceded and married Spencer-Churchill, though she was heard to be sobbing beneath her veil throughout the ceremony, which a miraculously recovered Alva Vanderbilt attended.

To be fair, not all Newport society romances end in heartbreak.  Again using Alva Vanderbilt as an example, she ultimately married Oliver Belmont, the man found hiding in her closet years before, for love and not position, power or money, and lived with him happily, quietly and without controversy until his death.  And she eventually made peace with her daughter who divorced the Duke and married again for love.  So if Alva Vanderbilt could find peace and love in Newport, I have high hopes for Hattie.

About the Author:

Hardin-Baylor, Texas A&M University-Commerce and most recently, Iowa State University, publishing in several scientific peer-reviewed journals. A Lack of Temperance, her first novel and first in the Hattie Davish Mysteries series, was the #1 bestselling historical mystery on Amazon.com. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. A Sense of Entitlement, the third in the series, is due out in June. Anna lives in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with her inquisitive four year old, her old yellow dog and her very funny, very patient husband, where she is happily working on Hattie’s next adventure.

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Traveling secretary and dilettante detective Hattie Davish is bringing her talents to a small New England town whose wealthy residents have more secrets than they do money. . .

When Hattie Davish’s job takes her to Newport, Rhode Island, she welcomes the opportunity for a semi-vacation, and perhaps even a summer romance. But her hopes for relaxation are dashed when she learns that members of the local labor unions are at odds with Newport’s gentry. Amidst flaring tensions, an explosion rocks the wharf. In the ensuing turmoil, Mr. Harland Whitwell, one of Newport’s most eminent citizens, is found stabbed to death, his hands clutching a strike pamphlet. All signs point to a vengeful union member bent on taking down the aristocracy, but Hattie starts digging and finds a few skeletons in the closets of the impeccable Whitwell mansion. As she strikes down the whispers spilling out of Newport’s rumor mill, she’ll uncover a truth more scandalous than anyone imagined–and a killer with a rapacious sense of entitlement. . .

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Jennifer’s Review of A Sense of Entitlement

Review (4.25 Stars): This is the first book that I’ve read in the Hattie Davis series and I’m happy to say that I was captivated by the engaging characters of this mystery series. Hattie is sent to work as the social secretary for the wealthiest woman in America while she is on hiatus from Sir Arthur while he is out of town on business.  She quickly finds herself embroiled in a mystery when she discovers the body of a wealthy banker and has to investigate to save an innocent man from being blamed for the crime.

I really liked A Sense of Entitlement and the character of Hattie Davis.  She was very smart, articulate, and resourceful in a time where women were judged mainly by their social status.  I was amazed at how Hattie could live in this time period where she was treated so horribly by people because she was a secretary and still be gracious through it all.  I enjoyed the murder mystery in A Sense of Entitlement and will be getting the first two in the series this weekend to further acquaint myself with the delightful Hattie Davis.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of A Sense of Entitlement. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by June 14th, answer me this question in the comments:

What is your favorite time period to read about?