BLOOM BOOKS ANNOUNCES JUNE 2023 PUBLICATION OF THE MISSUS

THIS PASSIONATE AND THRILLING LOVE STORY IS THE FOLLOW-UP
TO THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, THE MISTER, BY E L JAMES,
AUTHOR OF THE PHENOMENAL BESTSELLING FIFTY SHADES TRILOGY

CHICAGO, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- #1 New York Times bestselling author E L James today revealed the cover of her upcoming book, The Missus, (on sale June 20, 2023) via social media. This follow-up to James' #1 New York Times bestseller, The Mister, is a passionate and thrilling love story; a sequel that fans have been demanding from the renowned author of the phenomenal bestselling Fifty Shades series. James teased out publication news to readers a few days prior to today's announcement, eliciting a flood of excited response from readers:

Omg yes been waiting for this. Absolutely loved the first one. ❤️ ~ @cuteshelly

Y'all can't imagine how long I've waited for this 😍 ~@VanessaCastihoo

I'm booking the day off work 💃🏿 ~ @abiola.deb

The Mister, a modern take on Cinderella, explored the power dynamics and the intense love story between Maxim Trevelyan, an aristocratic "spare" who unexpectedly becomes a British earl upon the passing of his brother, and Alessia Demachi, a mysterious young Albanian who is harboring a dangerous secret. In a 2019 interview with USA Today, the author shared, "This (book) is about two people finding each other and trying to maintain a relationship when there's so many things against them." As The Mister unfolds, James explores the roles and the strengths of the two main characters, who find themselves in a desperate battle against much more than the social rigidity of English upper classes. Alessia, a piano prodigy in her home country, is intent upon protecting herself at any cost from the sex traffickers who have smuggled her out of Albania. The novel ends on a "will they or won't they" moment, as many wonder if Maxim's devoted protection of Alessia will extend to matrimony…and that is where The Missus breathlessly picks up the narrative. James said, "What happens once the glass slipper fits? The Missus explores exactly that."

"I adore The Mister," shares Bloom Books editorial director Christa Désir, "and The Missus is a really beautiful and incredibly satisfying follow-up. It reads like a modern-day Regency romance." James would likely agree, having previously revealed that the books were inspired by the hundreds of historical romances she read prior to becoming a published author herself.

From Albania to London, and the wilds between, The Missus tells a poignant story of romance, interrelationship, and a love that transcends all obstacles.

The Missus will be available everywhere books are sold on June 6, 2023.
Visit https://www.bloombooks.com/the-missus.html for more information. An unabridged audio edition of the book will be simultaneously released by Penguin Random House Audio.

About the Book:

What happens once the glass slipper fits…?

Maxim Trevelyan, reluctant Earl of Trevethick, has pursued the woman he loves to the wilds of Albania. Having fought for and won her, he now has to wed her, at the sharp end of a shotgun.

But can a reformed rake like Maxim ever make a good husband – or will his own notorious reputation and the scandalous secrets of his aristocratic family destroy his newfound happiness?

Alessia Demachi has defied and outwitted kidnappers and traffickers, and won the heart of the man she loves, but can she make this marriage work? Confronted by Maxim's lurid past, his forbidding family, and the looks and whispers of London's elite, will she ever be seen as Maxim's countess – or will she always be his former cleaner?

From the majestic mountains of Albania, through the rural idyll of the English countryside, to the shady glamour of contemporary London, The Missus is a spellbinding journey of love, longing, acceptance, and redemption. 

About the Author

E L James is an incurable romantic and a self-confessed fangirl. After twenty-five years of working in television, she decided to pursue a childhood dream and write stories that readers could take to their hearts. The result was the controversial and sensuous romance Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. In 2015, she published the #1 bestseller Grey, the story of Fifty Shades of Grey from the perspective of Christian Grey, and in 2017, the chart-topping Darker, the second part of the Fifty Shades story from Christian's point of view. Freed, the third book in Christian's arc, was an instant #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly and Apple Books bestseller. Her books have been published in fifty languages and have sold more than 165 million copies worldwide. E L James has been recognized as one of Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World" and Publishers Weekly's "Person of the Year." Fifty Shades of Grey stayed on The New York Times Best Seller List for 133 consecutive weeks. Fifty Shades Freed won the Goodreads Choice Award (2012), and Fifty Shades of Grey was selected as one of the 100 Great Reads, as voted by readers, in PBS's The Great American Read (2018). Darker was long listed for the 2019 International DUBLIN Literary Award.

James was a producer on each of the three Fifty Shades movies, which made more than a billion dollars at the box office. The third installment, Fifty Shades Freed, won the People's Choice Award for Drama in 2018. E L James is blessed with two wonderful sons and lives with her husband, the novelist and screenwriter Niall Leonard, and their beloved dogs in the leafy suburbs of West London.

About Sourcebooks

Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial company that brings extraordinary authors to readers in dynamic, data-driven ways. We create books that transcend categories and defy odds, and we have been honored with hundreds of national bestsellers and awards. We are a company of enthusiastic booklovers passionate about connecting books to readers in new and innovative ways. Story by story, book by book, we have changed more than 100 million lives. Join us as we change 100 million more. Visit sourcebooks.com for more information.

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Media Contact:
Pamela Jaffee, Bloom Books / pamela.jaffee@sourcebooks

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