My mother, Nancy Nash, composed the lyrics and music for “Wild Bells,” the original carol in the book. You can find the full choral arrangement of the carol and a link to a vocal performance on my website. Talented musician and visual artist Maura Lefevre created the hand-calligraphed sheet music. Check out her shop PenandPear on Etsy! The inspiration for the character of Viola Beaton came from my mother, and from numerous women musicians, composers, and conductors whose works have been overlooked, forgotten, or attributed to men: Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Louise Farrenc, Teresa Carreño, and Chiquinha Gonzaga, to name just a few. I’m overjoyed that these brilliant composers are being rediscovered and their works reevaluated.

Acknowledgments

As always, my heartfelt gratitude to my brilliant agent, Alexandra Machinist, and to my editor, the inimitable Carrie Feron. Huge thanks to everyone at Avon Books, especially superstars Asanté Simons, Holly Rice, and Guido Caroti. I wrote this book surrounded by close family in a small town in Alaska. The love and encouragement of my partner, Brian, my parents, and my siblings infused every page. I’m so lucky to collaborate with fantastic beta readers, Rachel and Neile! I’m deeply grateful to the wonderful readers, bloggers, reviewers, librarians, and booksellers who enjoy my books. You’re the reason I keep writing. Thank you!

About the Author

LENORA BELL is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of historical romances. A teacher with an MFA in Creative Writing, Lenora has lived and worked on five continents. She currently lives in Alaska with her carpenter husband and two tiger-striped rescue kitties.

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Also by Lenora Bell

Wallflowers vs. Rogues series

• The Devil’s Own Duke
• Love Is a Rogue

School for Dukes series

• One Fine Duke
• For the Duke’s Eyes Only
• What a Difference a Duke Makes

The Disgraceful Dukes series

• Blame It on the Duke
• If I Only Had a Duke
• How the Duke Was Won

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