Welcome
to my stop on author Rachel Brimble’s Virtual Book Tour for
The Temptation of Laura,
presented by Goddess Fish Promotions. Please
leave a comment or question for Rachel to let her know you stopped by. Rachel will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift
certificate to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, please be sure to
leave your email address with your comment. You
can also follow the rest of Rachel’s tour here, the more stops
you visit, the better your odds of winning. My review will post this weekend (due to ill family).
I
often get asked how I divide my time between contemporary and historical novel
writing and in an ideal world, I like to alternate the two subgenres to keep my
writing fresh and interesting. For the reader and me!
I
began my career writing contemporary because I’d always been told to ‘write
what you know’. I have devoured romantic suspense for as long as I can remember
and so my first two novels with The Wild Rose Press were romantic suspense. I
then wrote a romantic comedy. Throughout writing and promoting these books, my
mind started to wonder whether I could attempt an historical….after all, I
didn’t ‘know’ how to abduct or murder anyone as the characters did in my first
two books J
Like
most (if not all) writers I read voraciously and reading historical work,
whether novels or biographies, is amongst my favorite choices. I love history!
I am drawn to Royal history especially, but also love the social and industrial
changes of the Victorian era. As I was, and still am, intimidated by including
real people and events in my work, I decide my first attempt would be Victorian
and focus entirely on fictional characters and their emotions.
Emotion
is key in romance and love, hate, revenge, loss, joy and tenacity would have
been felt in the same way in the late 1800s as they would today. So with this
thought at the forefront of my mind, I dove straight in and wrote The Arrival
of Lily Curtis (The Wild Rose Press). It sold a lot more copies than my
previous contemporary work so that gave me the confidence to continue.
Today,
I am lucky enough to write contemporary romance and romantic suspense for
Harlequin Superromance and Victorian romance for eKensington. I love that my writing has fallen into a
routine that I find so satisfying. I now aim to alternate my releases between
contemporary and historical…although this year, it is a little more heavy on
the contemporary!
The
Temptation of Laura is the sequel to my debut with eKensington, The Seduction
of Emily. Laura started out as a secondary character in the first novel, but
even as I was writing her smaller part I knew she deserved her own story. Laura
is a prostitute struggling for a better life while harboring a lifelong love of
the theater. When her path crosses with stage star, Adam Lacey, her entire life
is bound for a stratosphere beyond her wildest imagination…
The Temptation of Laura
By Rachel BrimblePublisher: KensingtonRelease Date: February 20, 2014Genre: Historical RomanceLength: 246 PagesISBN: 978-1601832214ASIN: B00F8J6PTSAbout the book:Laura Robinson has always been dazzled by the glamour of the stage. But perhaps acting and selling one’s favors are not so different—for Laura must feign pleasure with the men she beds to survive. Now, with her only friend at death’s door and a ruthless pimp at her heels, escaping her occupation seems impossible. Hoping to attract a gentleman, she attends the theater. Yet the man Laura captivates is no customer, but a rising star and playwright…Adam Lacey has been driven to distraction since the moment he saw Laura. She is his ideal leading lady come to irresistible life—and so much more. Certain they can make the perfect team on and off stage, he is determined to win her heart—and discover her story. But that is precisely what Laura fears. And she has no idea that Adam harbors shameful secrets of his own. Will the truth free them to love—or destroy all their dreams…?
Excerpt
What
was she doing inside Adam Lacey’s house, sitting upright and rigid upon a
settee she could never afford? Laura crossed and re-crossed her ankles as she
glanced around his drawing room. His home was masculine, bare of trinket or
flower, but compared to her and Bette’s place, it screamed of achievement. He’d
left her to go upstairs and change out of his wet clothes. She glanced at the
wall clock. The ten minutes she’d been alone could’ve been an hour.
She
needed to leave. Get out of there.
Standing,
she stepped toward the door just as it swung open and Adam entered. Her breath
caught. The man was ridiculously handsome. His dark blond hair was darker than
usual, after his unplanned swim, and his face scrubbed clean. Her gaze drifted,
of its own accord, to the smattering of chest hair just visible at the vee of
his open-necked shirt. The man was unfairly relaxed. Laura inhaled.
Handsome—stupidly, stupidly handsome.
He
halted, his smile dissolving. “You’re leaving?”
He
moved to touch her, seemed to think better of it and dropped his hand to his
side. Their eyes locked and silence descended. Her heart beat fast with the
knowledge she would’ve given the world to stay there. Eye to eye; toe to toe
with a man who fascinated and intrigued her.
She
stepped back. It was too dangerous. The atmosphere between them too potent. Her
attraction to him kicked and punched at her heart. It was strong enough to make
her want to kiss him, touch him and bring that dazzling smile to the surface
over and over. For little more than another breath, she would risk everything
to run her fingers over his biceps and up to the plane of his wide shoulders…
Laura
blinked as her mouth drained dry. What had she been thinking by coming here?
She hadn’t been thinking. In that moment when he asked her to accompany him
back to his home––nothing but desire had whipped through her. Nothing but
interest had leapt in her veins and obliterated her common sense. The fervor
and lust in his eyes bespoke of a man who clearly had an agenda entirely
different to hers.
Laura
blinked and looked past him to the door. “I have a friend. She’s sick. She
needs me and the medicine I bought before I came upon you at the park.” She
brushed past him, through the door and into the hallway. “I shouldn’t have come
here. I’m sorry.”
“Laura,
wait.”
Ignoring
him, she hurried toward the closed front door. She had to get out of there. If
she looked at him again, she’d falter. Her rationale already hung on a hair’s
breadth. His footsteps sounded at lightning speed behind her and when she
clasped the door handle, his hand closed over hers. She stared at their joined
hands and her body heated.
“Laura.
Please. I need to talk to you.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Rachel
lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the
UK. After having several novels
published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In
2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013.
She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in
April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.
Rachel
is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of
America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or
walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black
Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West
England.
She
likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow
romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Links:
Website: http://rachelbrimble.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
A wonderful excerpt & I look forward to your review.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi again Mary!
DeleteThanks for being here and hoping for a review :)
Rachel x
thank you for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeletejslbrown_03(at)yahoo(dot)com
Hi Lisa!
DeleteGood luck with the contest :)
Rachel x
Great post today. I too am a voracious reader, and no matter how many genres I sample I always return to historical romance as my first love.
ReplyDeleteilookfamous@yahoo.com
DeleteGood to know, Elise! I hope you'll try my series of "darker" romances - I'm intrigued that people are surprised that I choose to write about the poorer side of the Victorian era. I'd love to know what you think of my books...good or bad :)
DeleteRachel x
Love the excerpt, sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Hi Rita!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the contest :)
Rachel x
Interesting post
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
liked the excerpt and great cover! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com
ReplyDelete