Brisbin, Terri

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Brisbin, Terri

PERSONAL:

Married; children: three.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Berlin, NJ. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Dental hygienist in NJ; writer.

MEMBER:

Romance Writers of America; New Jersey Romance Writers.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Award for best medieval romance, Affaire de Coeur magazine, for The Dumont Bride; RIO Award of Excellence for best short historical, Reviewers International Organization, for The Countess Bride; two-time RITA finalist for Best Short Historical Romance, Romance Writers of America.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

A Love through Time, Jove Books (New York, NY), 1998.

A Matter of Time, Jove Books (New York, NY), 1999

The Queen's Man, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Dumont Bride, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Once Forbidden, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Countess Bride, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2004.

Love at First Step (novella; included in The Christmas Visit), Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Norman's Bride, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Betrothal, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2005.

The Duchess's Next Husband, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2005.

The King's Mistress, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2005.

The Maid of Lorne, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Taming the Highlander, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of unpublished novel Secrets in the Game. Editor of professional journals and newsletters.

SIDELIGHTS:

Terri Brisbin had enjoyed reading romance novels for years before she tried her hand at writing her own, in 1994. She did not find a publisher for that book, titled Secrets in the Game, but in 1998 she did succeed in publishing her second work, A Love through Time. The plot concerns Maggie Hobbs and Alexander MacKendemin, modern-day inhabitants of New Jersey who meet while vacationing in Scotland. Transported through time to the fourteenth century, they must cope with the harsh, primitive life of that time and place. Alexander is mistaken for a lo- cal noble, and must marry to create an alliance with a neighboring lord; Maggie is scorned as his mistress. Things become even more complicated when Alexander's double returns. A Publishers Weekly reviewer praised Brisbin's characters as being "exceptionally well-drawn." Pat Engelmann, reviewing the novel for Booklist, noted that while the realities of life in medieval days are accurately portrayed, the author also provides ample "humor and entertainment."

The King's Mistress, published in 2005, is "a rare delight," according to Booklist reviewer John Charles. The title character is Lady Marguerite of Alencon. Once a favorite mistress of King Henry Plantagenet, she is later relegated to be the wife of a nobleman, Lord Orrick, whose territory lies in the north country. Neither Orrick nor Marguerite is happy with the arrangement, but true love eventually blossoms as they get to know one another. The Duchess's Next Husband, also published in 2005, concerns a duke whose life changes when he learns he has only a short time to live. Praising the setting, plot, and characterization, Lynne Welch in Booklist called it "historical romance at its best." John Charles also had praise for Brisbin's novel The Maid of Lorne, which he described as "splendidly satisfying" reading from a gifted writer.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1998, Pat Engelmann, review of A Love through Time, p. 210; December 15, 2004, John Charles, review of The King's Mistress, p. 714; April 15, 2005, Lynne Welch, review of The Duchess's Next Husband, p. 1436; December 1, 2005, John Charles, review of The Maid of Lorne, p. 30.

Publishers Weekly, September 28, 1998, review of A Love through Time, p. 99.