Kirkland, Martha

PERSONAL: Born in Wetumpka, AL; married; children: two daughters. Education: Georgia State University, graduated 1977.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Signet, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. E-mail—mkirk-land@rakehell.com.

CAREER: Taught high school English, drama, and tennis; classical singer; tutor and literacy advocate.

MEMBER: Romance Writers of America.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

The Message, Avalon (New York, NY), 1994.

The Marrying Season, Signet (New York, NY), 1995.

The Secret Nabob, Signet (New York, NY), 1996.

The Ruby Necklace, Signet (New York, NY), 1996.

The Honorable Thief, Signet (New York, NY), 1996.

The Gallant Gambler, Zebra (New York, NY), 1997.

Pratt's Landing, Jove (New York, NY), 1997.

The Righteous Rogue, Signet (New York, NY), 1997.

Three for Brighton, Zebra (New York, NY), 1998.

The Artful Heir, Signet (New York, NY), 1998.

The Noble Nephew, Zebra (New York, NY), 1998.

The Magnolia Tree, Jove Books (New York, NY), 1998.

(with Janice Bennett and Valerie King) Summer Kittens, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

The Seductive Spy, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

A Gentleman's Deception, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

To Catch a Scoundrel, Signet (New York, NY), 1999.

An Uncommon Courtship, Signet (New York, NY), 2000.

Miss Maitland's Letters, Signet (New York, NY), 2000.

That Scandalous Heiress, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2000.

His Lordship's Swan, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2001.

Mr. Montgomery's Quest, Signet (New York, NY), 2001.

The Rake's Fiancée, Signet (New York, NY), 2001.

Miss Wilson's Reputation, Signet (New York, NY), 2002.

An Inconvenient Heir, Signet (New York, NY), 2003.

The Secret Diary, Signet (New York, NY), 2003.

A Perfect Scoundrel, Signet (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to anthologies, including Seductive and Scandalous, edited by Alana Clayton, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1997; For Mother, with Love, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1998; and Blessings of Mossy Creek, BelleBooks, 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Martha Kirkland has established a reputation as a prolific author, primarily of Regency romances. Her 1995 novel, The Marrying Season, is the story of Colly Sommes, a Regency maiden whose disdain for the possibility of marriage is weakened when handsome Lord Ethan Raymond visits her country home. Colly is shocked to learn, however, that marriage is not Ethan's intention—he mistakenly thinks that Colly has deceived his younger brother. Colly, then, is faced with the need to undeceive Ethan and to win romance at the same time.

The Secret Nabob is the story of Madeline Wycliff, a young Englishwoman who turns down the advances of a handsome sailor in order to save her sister from the awful fate of an unhappy marriage to an unscrupulous lord. In Kirkland's The Ruby Necklace, a young Englishwoman, Evaline, finds herself in a closed coach with a rakish lord, Liam Whitcomb, about whom she has been warned. The question is: which will win out, Evaline's virtue or her desire?

In The Honorable Thief, protagonist Honor Danforth, whose Christian name reflects her essential character, is forced to steal from an unconscious man after being unjustly fired from her job as a governess. A Library Journal reviewer called the novel "charming" and "well-written," containing "nicely handled sexual tension and a surprisingly chilling dash of evil."

The Gallant Gambler is the complex tale of Judith Preston, who lives with her tyrannical grandfather. Judith's grandfather tries to force her half-sister Lilia into becoming engaged to Andrew Camden, the heir to an estate. Andrew's brother, Zach, arrives to try to derail the engagement. In this he is seconded by Judith, though Judith incorrectly believes Zach to be disreputable. Although Judith and Zach agree that Zach himself should try to win Lilia's heart, he is secretly growing attached to Judith. A farmer's son, meanwhile, is attracted to Lilia.

Kirkland shifted scenes to the post-Civil War American South in her next novel, Pratt's Landing, the story of Emma Lawrence and Sam Watson, the offspring of two families who are sworn enemies. When Emma calls on Sam, a lawyer, to settle the deed to her family farm, the two are attracted to each other in a variation of Romeo and Juliet.

The plot of The Righteous Rogue revolves around the discovery by Vincent, Lord Thornton, that someone has been impersonating him. Tracking down a lead to a rundown estate where the impostor had been seen, he encounters a beautiful but impoverished young lady, Janine Morgan. While Vincent is trailing his double, he and Janine fall in love.

Kirkland's next novel, Three for Brighton, focuses on three young ladies of noble background who have been cheated of their inheritance. They journey to Brighton and pretend to be heiresses in order to land a rich husband for the beauty of the trio, Constance. They find, however, that true love interferes with their plans in unforeseen ways.

Kirkland's The Artful Heir is the story of Sarah Sterling, a London art restorer's daughter. During her father's illness, Sarah travels to an estate recently inherited by Matthew Donaldson in order to inventory the estate's art collection. Donaldson, who has received the estate unexpectedly, is uncomfortable with his new social position and untrusting of a woman's ability to inventory his art. Sarah, while demonstrating her competence, discovers that some of the art is forged, and some of the genuine art has disappeared from the estate. For a reviewer in Writers Write, the novel was "a fun and lighthearted read" featuring "a lively and likable heroine," "a compelling and unusual hero," and an "intriguing" plot.

Set during the Civil War, The Magnolia Tree is the story of Letty Banks, who protects her half-sister, Ocilla, the daughter of a slave, from her cruel father. Letty meets and is attracted to Thorn Bradley, a balloonist she later reconnects with when he is on reconnaissance for the Union army, but she has already left her home to build a life with Caleb, a blacksmith.

An Uncommon Courtship features two romances. Eloise Kendall has held a grudge against Gregory Ward since they were children and he tossed her into a pond, ruining her dress. Gregory returns to their village to seek help from his mentor, Colin Jamison, and he and Eloise, now adults, again meet to iron out their differences. Colin, who never married, finds a partner in Lady Theo Deighton, a widow with whom Eloise lives. Jean Mason wrote in a review for Romance Reader that "by making her two male characters politicians, Kirkland adds additional interest to her creations."

In Miss Maitland's Letters, Lorna Maitland is engaged to Paul Clement, whose family wants him to marry her to save them from bankruptcy. Paul, who is away fighting Napoleon, cares little for Lorna and tells his friend Stephen Rutledge that he does not intend to answer her letters. Stephen does, however, and they develop a warm and loving relationship through their correspondence. "This plot has been done before," noted Blythe Barnhill for All about Romance online, "but Kirkland's hero and heroine make the story fresh and interesting."

The protagonist of That Scandalous Heiress is Marianne McCord, who leaves her life as an unpaid servant to her aunt to run a household that she receives as an inheritance and who flirts with a relationship with the rakish Adam, Viscount Jensen. Miss Wilson's Reputation also features a strong and independent woman who runs a jewelry design business in London. Randolf Dunford is the baron who first meets her when he is looking for a piece for his mistress, but eventually falls for Harriet, who responds after many misunderstandings are cleared up.

Cordelia Barrington poses as a gypsy as she protects the baby of William, a wealthy friend whose murder she witnessed, and who had been secretly married to Maria, the gypsy woman who died giving birth to their child in An Inconvenient Heir. Delia and Robbie hide at the home of Maria's grandmother while she contacts his paternal grandfather and tries to prove the boy's legitimacy, while at the same time questioning the mo-tives of others who would claim the family fortune, with one of them proving to be an honorable man with whom she finds love. Booklist contributor Patty Engelmann found the novel to be "a wonderfully done, gentle romance."

The "scoundrel" of A Perfect Scoundrel is Tony Portman, a first-born twin and brother of Alex, recently returned from war. Tony, who will inherit the family estate, imposes on the honorable Alex to impersonate him, which Alex does for a returned favor. Alex has been loved by Juliet Moseby since she was a young girl, but she has never dared to hope he would return her feelings, since she is beneath him, having been born illegitimate. Juliet is the only person who can tell the brothers apart. In reviewing the book for Rakehell online, Barbara R. Hume wrote that she has "enjoyed Martha Kirkland's Regencies for several years now. I feel that I can always depend on her to deliver a story that I can take delight in. My belief proved correct yet again with … A Perfect Scoundrel."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 1998, Patty Engelmann, review of The Magnolia Tree, p. 1998; December 15, 2002, Patty Engelmann, review of An Inconvenient Heir, p. 738; June 1, 2003, Patty Engelmann, review of The Secret Diary, p. 1752.

Library Journal, November 15, 1996, review of The Honorable Thief, p. 48; February 15, 1999, Kristin Ramsdell, review of The Seductive Spy, p. 137.

Publishers Weekly, July 27, 1998, review of The Magnolia Tree, p. 74.

ONLINE

All About Romance, http://www.likesbooks.com/ (December 18, 2005), Mary Sophia Novak, review of An Uncommon Courtship, Blythe Barnhill, review of Miss Maitland's Letters.

Rakehell, http://www.rakehell.com/ (December 18, 2005), Cheryl Sneed, review of Miss Wilson's Reputation and An Inconvenient Heir, Kelly Ferjutz, review of The Secret Diary, and Barbara R. Hume, review of A Perfect Scoundrel.

Romance Reader, http://www.theromancereader.com/ (December 18, 2005), Jean Mason, reviews of An Uncommon Courtship, That Scandalous Heiress, and An Inconvenient Heir, Kathy Sova, reviews of His Lordship's Swan and Miss Wilson's Reputation.

Writers Write, http://www.writerswrite.com/ (January 11, 2006), review of The Artful Heir.