It started with Adam part 2

As I told you in my previous post Adam was to be the main hero of the books with his twin St John as a secondary character. As the rivalry between the twins intensfied with St John forced to marry at gunpoint Meriel Sawle, the woman both of them had been rivals for, more of St John's story is revealed in the second book of the series THE LOVEDAY FORTUNES. Meriel, is a woman of great beauty and few scruples and she was determined to marry above her station, as a tavern keeper's daughter, for riches. In the meantime Adam has been forced by family duty to become betrothed to his French cousin Lisette as her sick father fears for her safety with the unrest brewing in pre-revolution France.

When first devising the characters for the series I wanted to introduce them to the reader so that on their first impression of them they were not always aware of the more devious side of their natures. Also diversity of personalities was needed to make them foils for their opponents. Meriel was obviously a scheming fortune-huntress but Lisette gave all the appearance of a sweet innocent. Nothing could have been further from the truth as was revealed in later books.
St John's victory over Adam in marrying Meriel is a hollow one. The passionate seductress in book one is now cold and manipulative influencing her weak husband in her schemes to acquire wealth.

Romance is never an easy path as Adam falls in love with Senara who despite her gypsy birth is too proud to share him when he must marry.
The great fun of a series is that the characters have the space to develop through their experiences and all facets of their personalities can be slowly revealed.

THE LOVEDAY FORTUNES Cornwall 1791
As the civil unrest in France gathers force, ripples of conflict are also reaching across the Channel, for the Loveday family are fighting their own private battles. Charles Mercer - Edward Loveday's brother-in-law - has been found dead, the reputation of his eminent bank in tatters. Charles has left the Lovedays facing emotional trauma and financial ruin.
But risk comes as second nature to the Lovedays. Adam finds refuge from the pressures of keeping the family shipyard solvent in the arms of Senara - whom he is determined to marry despite his father's threats of disinheritance. And St John, angry at having to curb his spending, throws his hand in with the Sawle brolthers - the notorious smugglers who rule Penruan by intimidation and violence.
As changing fortunes strain a family already buckling with internal tensions, each one of the Lovcedays must sacrifice personal ambitiion and unite to overcome such a crisis. But to some of them, sacrifice does not come easy...