Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Gentlewoman Apprentice by Emily Opal, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Gentlewoman Apprentice
Series: The Gentlewoman Series #5
Author: Emily Opal
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: September 3, 2026
Genre: Historical Romance
Every seam hides a secret. Every valentine reveals the truth.
When Margaret Cooper departs the slums of East London for an apprenticeship in a quiet market town, she topples the established order—and no one feels it more than Peter Sloan, the handsome tailor forced to teach her his trade.
Margaret is steeled to prove her worth in a man’s world and has no leisure for courtship. But when anonymous Valentines begin to arrive, each with gifts and words that pierce her heart, she feels truly known for the first time. If only she could unmask the hand that distracts her from her aspirations.
Burdened by a failing business and an ill father, Peter has no patience for a female apprentice who upends his orderly life. Yet through a reckless wager, he finds himself sending Valentines to none other than Miss Cooper. What begins as halfhearted duty blossoms into admiration—and dangerous longing.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Excerpt
He stepped into his mother’s still room and closed the door, shutting out the conversation filtering from the parlor. Dust floated across a stream of light. He inhaled the scent of herbs and fruit, bitter and sweet. The shelves lay nearly bare, with a few bottles of apricot ratafia and sage-rosemary wine. On a ledge, once replete with sweetmeats, sat a glass jar, sparkling crimson. He dusted the parchment seal and ran his thumb over his mother’s faded scrip: “Sour Cherry Preserves.”
He collected butter biscuits from the kitchen, grabbed another teacup, and entered the parlor. With some ceremony, he removed the seal from the cherry preserves and glanced at Miss Cooper. He wanted her to understand the significance of the gift, meant for her.
“I brought a treat.” He slathered jam on two slices of bread, gave one to Father, sat beside Miss Cooper, and offered her the second.
She took it and muttered, “Bread and jam do not make up for your failing your duty.”
Peter winced. Miss Cooper did not understand the weight of what he offered, but his father licked a cherry from his thumb, a dribble of joy straight from the hand of his beloved Deborah. It was foolish to have imagined anyone but Father could have appreciated the gesture.
More in This Series
About the Author
Emily Opal spent her childhood reading, having tea parties, and imagining she existed in another century. While pleased to live in a time when chamber pots are obsolete, she loves researching a bygone world full of hardships both foreign and relatable. Fortunate to find a spouse equally afflicted with wanderlust, Emily and her husband travel whenever and wherever they can. They live with their children and Labradoodle in Utah, where she enjoys mountain views and hiking but pretends to love skiing.
Connect with Emily by visiting emilyopal.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.Author Interview
Q: What inspired you to write The Gentlewoman Apprentice?
Emily: I learned that in Europe tailors (all male, as women could not join the guild) manufactured women’s clothing until 1675 when Louis XIV created a guild for female dressmakers. The history is nuanced, but this tidbit caused me to wonder about the women who forayed into this male profession. I also really love the movie You’ve Got Mail, so when I discovered that people used to exchange anonymous valentines, I had my story.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
Emily: About a year, including edits.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
Emily: On a personal note, writing is therapeutic, and I often find my own concerns falling onto the page. This time, it was Meg’s relationship with her younger sibling, Samuel. She feels responsible for him in a way that is impossible for her fulfill. As my own children are striking out on their own, Meg’s sentiment is mine. Ultimately, I trust God to find them, hold them, and bring them home.
The most surprising bit of research is that demand for chintz or printed cotton was instrumental in the industrial revolution. Colorful stamped and painted cotton came in from India and was so popular, it threatened British wool and silk industries. Calico Acts outlawed its purchase to the point that women risked having their chintz gowns torn off them by angry wool workers. But women wanted cool, easy-care cotton, so industrialists figured out how to make it quickly and cheaply.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from The Gentlewoman Apprentice?
Emily: “Were I a queen, an empress, or in possession of a great treasure, I would learn dressmaking. Even if I must do it alone, I will master the craft—if it takes ten years, if it takes a lifetime.”
I like this expression of Meg’s determination, an ambition which does not always serve her well. Her single-mindedness makes her blind to certain truths, and she almost misses out on love.
Emily: No, but if you do, some characters will mean more to you.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
Emily: I can’t remember why I chose mid-18th century as my era. There was a very specific bit of trivia involved that I simply forgot. But I love it. The more I learn, the more fascinating it is.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Emily: I am re-reading the Emma M. Lion series.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
Emily: I read every genre. If I had to choose, I’d say literary fiction and classics. And romance. And women’s fiction. See? I can’t choose.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Emily: Reading. But I have recently taken up crochet, so listening to a book while crocheting is my favorite.
Emily: Summer! I love having less of a schedule. I love sun. I love green trees. I love watching different flowers in my yard grow and expire over the months.
Tour Giveaway
(3) winners will each receive a book box with 18th century bits and bobs and a $20 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 7, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 14, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only for gift card. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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