Award-winning novelist Rusty Blackwood has announced the release of the hardcover edition of her latest novel, Before The Grandeur: The Making of a Horsemaster, now available for purchase. The book serves as the prequel to Blackwood's acclaimed Autumn Trilogy, a series that has garnered multiple awards and a dedicated readership. The move to hardcover is significant for collectors and fans who prefer durable editions, as it completes the hardcover collection of the series. Blackwood herself expressed enthusiasm for this release, stating that having Grandeur join the other hardcover books in the trilogy finishes the collection perfectly for the consummate collector and readers who favor this format.
The novel explores the origins of Cyril Landon, a character central to the Autumn Trilogy. Set in the village of South Wood Chester, Gloucestershire, England, the story follows Cyril, a young man born into poverty whose prospects appear bleak. However, his determination and grit lead him to a labourer's position at a local farm, which opens doors to a future he had never imagined. The narrative delves into themes of ambition, loyalty, and the transformative power of seizing opportunities, offering readers a deeper understanding of the difficult journey that precedes the grandeur awaiting them in the first book of the trilogy, The Perils of Autumn. Reviewer Richard Prause of Readers Favorite praised the novel for focusing on simple, powerful moments rather than manufactured plot twists, calling it a perceptive exploration of ambition and loyalty. Another reviewer, Asher Syed, noted that the book will be a boon for existing fans and a brilliant introduction for new ones.
The release of the hardcover edition is also notable because Blackwood is offering the book at no charge during this timeframe. This gesture allows readers to familiarize themselves with Cyril Landon's backstory, which is rooted in England's horrific war years, before delving into the rest of the series. The prequel's availability in hardcover and for free aims to broaden the audience for the Autumn Trilogy, which has already received significant recognition. The Perils of Autumn, the first book in the series, was named a finalist in the Fiction Romance category by the International Book Awards in 2019 and by the American Book Fest in the same year. It also received a 5-star rating from Reader's Favorite.
The Autumn Trilogy is set primarily in the early 1970s and centers on Autumn Leeves, a young Kentucky woman born to an unwed mother. The story follows her journey as she becomes a nurse and is assigned to care for the terminally ill wife of Cyril Landon, a middle-aged English equestrian master and owner of a successful Thoroughbred racing stable near Lexington, Kentucky. The series weaves together romance, concealed secrets, and the equestrian world, demonstrating that determination and grit can turn uncertainty into triumph. Blackwood's other works include the 5-star rated romantic fiction novel Willow's Walk and Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, both of which have received praise from reviewers and readers alike.
For those interested in exploring Blackwood's work, the new hardcover edition of Before The Grandeur: The Making of a Horsemaster is available at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rusty-Blackwood/author/B0092XLBRM. More information about the author and her books can be found at http://www.rusty-blackwood.com.
