... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Bette Hansen.....
Can you please contact Amy Andrews on amy(at)amyandrews (dot) com (dot) au to receive your copy of Risky Business .........
And now for today's Sunday Smooch from At No Man's Command by Melanie Milburne ........
The shock engagement of the century!
It looks like our favorite tearaway, the notorious Aiesha Adams, is trying to change her spots. Inside sources have revealed that not only is she currently holed up in the Scottish countryside with the gorgeous aristocrat James Challender, but the pair are secretly engaged!
We've always had a soft spot for Aiesha, and with rumors of her unhappy childhood trailing her footsteps wherever she goes, we knew her wild streak hid something more. But we thought Aiesha and James were sworn enemies...perhaps when there are fireworks outside the bedroom, the sparks are just too impossible to resist!
Scene set-up [Aiesha Adams is a deeply flawed young woman whose tragic past is still influencing her actions in the present. A former street kid, she is now a Vegas lounge singer who keeps attracting scandal no matter what she does to try and avoid it.
There
was another thing I wanted to switch around. Instead of being a hardened playboy,
well to do bred, highly educated James Challender is uptight. Even a little repressed,
which is why the wild and willful and unpredictable Aiesha is such a threat to
him!]
Smooch -
Aiesha
lazily stroked her fingertip over the thick and neatly aligned Windsor knot of
his tie, close to where a pulse was beating like a piston in his tanned and cologne-scented
neck. She breathed in lemon and lime and something else that was elusive and
yet potently addictive. ‘What are you afraid of, posh boy?’ Her fingers slipped
down from the knot to play with the end of his tie like a mean cat does with a
mouse’s tail. ‘That this time around I might prove to be irresistible?’
She heard his jaw lock. Heard his teeth
grind. Saw his pupils flare as his eyes flicked to her mouth for a nanosecond.
‘I can resist you.’ His voice was so deep
and so husky it sounded as if it had been scraped along a rough surface and
only just survived the journey.
Aiesha looked at the dark pinpricks of
regrowth surrounding his mouth and chin. He had a strong, uncompromising mouth,
his top lip neatly sculpted, but his lower lip was fuller, rich with sensual
promise. Something unfurled deep and low inside her belly, like a satin ribbon
running away from its spool…
How
bad is too bad for a heroine? Are there
any traits or past sins you would not forgive her for? I would love to hear
your opinion! A signed copy of AT NO
MAN’S COMMAND is up for grabs for one commenter!
Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from His Irresistable Protector by Michelle Douglas will be posted!
Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver
I think I can forgive a lot more easily when it's about characters in a book. Putting it to the test in real life is not so ... er ... forgiving.
ReplyDeleteSo, I would probably forgive her for just about anything, especially since I am more interested in the love story than the details behind it. (Sad, but true.) As long as it makes sense and is written in a believable manner, I want to continue reading "their story".
Hi Laney4,
ReplyDeleteI'm the same. I don't mind what fictional characters do, but real people? Don't get me started!!!
Thanks for posting.
People can redeem themselves in real life. Books have a little more leeway in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy,
DeleteYou are so right! Thanks for dropping by.
I'm pretty willing to go along for the ride with a heroine's past, as long as it makes sense for her and fits the story.
ReplyDeleteMarcy Shuler
Hi Marcy,
DeleteThanks for your comment. Lovely to hear your opinion.
Ooh, Melanie, the sparks are going to fly between Aiesha and James, aren't they? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm obviously a bit harder on heroines than everyone else here so far, but there's a couple of things I'd find it hard to forgive a heroine. 1. I'll accept her abandoning her child as long as she's made sure said child is well looked after, but I won't accept if she's physically neglected her child. 2. If she's killed someone in self-defence or in an accident, I'll accept it, but not if she's plotted to murder them (this probably doesn't hold true for some paranormals). 3. I find infidelity a hard sell too.
Mind you, I wouldn't accept any of these things from a hero either. :-) Excellent question! This will keep me pondering for days.
Hi Michelle,
DeleteGosh, you got me thinking too! I didn't even consider all those bad things. I'd find them hard to forgive too. Aiesha is not bad at all, Just wounded.
Aiesha and James's story sounds brilliant! Love the smooch.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to have to have a think about what I would forgive in a heroine. I'm certainly with Michelle - I couldn't forgive neglecting a child!!
Hi Jennifer,
DeleteI suddenly realised I didn't put in the actual smooch, just the lead up to it. They are a very feisty couple. I really enjoyed writing their story.
Looking forward to seeing you soon in Sydney!
I can forgive most things in the characters I read about. The darker or saucier the past the more interesting the road to redemption, or at least a HEA, is.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
DeleteI like a dark past in a hero too! This time it's my heroine with a bit more darkness.
Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Melanie, I love bad and flawed heroines. Loved this story too :D
ReplyDeleteHi TashNz,
DeleteThanks so much for your comment. It was an emotional story to write. I had a box of tissues handy!
Hi Melanie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by to share an excerpt. I love the idea of an uptight hero with a heroine who's trouble!
Hm, what won't I forgive in a hero? Infidelity is a tough one and murder. That still gives a lot of scope!
Hi Annie,
DeleteYep, I agree on your pet hates. It would be hard to redeem those two.
Always lovely to hear from you. Can't wait to read your Chatsfield!
Hi Melanie
ReplyDeleteI have just finished reading this book and I loved it this one is so moving :)
I can forgive a lot of a heroine in a story but one thing that gets me is cheating while still in a relationship with the hero it is OK to split first but not before
Have Fun
Helen
Hi Helen,
DeleteThanks for your lovely comment. I'm glad you found the book moving. I really loved writing such a flawed heroine. I loved James because he was so uptight!
A bad heroine? Hmm.. Depends if she can get away with the man and if not then she should be vampish enough to make the Hero's life hell. What is the use of being bad if she cannot affect at least one life adversely. She should not be just bad .. but should be able to live her notoriety to such an extent that that she should be remembered by the readers ... and hated. :P
ReplyDeleteHi Rubina,
DeleteYou make a very good point. There will always be someone out there who won't like her! She does make James's life hell. But he forgives her for it in the end.
Thanks for posting.
Hi Melanie
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt! Aiesha sounds a little bit naughty and a whole lot fun :)
What wouldn't I forgive in a heroine? I agree with those who said neglecting a child. Mistreating an animal is another. And stealing a best friend's partner/husband would be pretty low also. Would be difficult to redeam a character from any of those three.
Good luck with At No Man's Command!
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
DeleteYes, you've hit the big ones there!
Lovely to hear your opinion. Thanks for posting.
Hi Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI think a heroine can be pretty bad in my eyes before I'm turned off - after all, I like to read about people different from my good-goody self! I think wilful abuse would be my stopping point.
Just read your Chatsfield novella - loved it! Looking forward to reading your next in the series!
Hi Samstillreading,
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed Engaged at the Chatsfield. I really loved writing it. Hope you enjoy Lucca in Playboy's Lesson, He's wicked!
Thanks for posting!
Melanie, thanks for visiting us here at the LoveCats! I love your smooch - looks like it will be a great read. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
DeleteThanks for having me!
Looking forward to seeing you at RWA.
xx
Melanie ~The one thing that is hard to forgive and really hard for me to understand are mean abusive people. The ones that will kick a pet, pick on someone just for "fun" and stuff like that. I would think it would be mighty hard to redeem them.
ReplyDeleteI'm not fond of cheaters but sometimes if the story is written right there is a way to forgive that. (Kate Walker had a heroine that thought her divorce was final but it wasn't yet. I think her husband was both abusive and dying.)
I really enjoyed your Caffarelli trilogy. I read it a few months ago.
Hi Kaylee,
DeleteThanks for your lovely comment about the Caffarelli trilogy. I am planning another trilogy for next year. I'm really excited about it.
Kate Walker is brilliant at pulling off the hard sell.
Fabulous almost Smooch, Melanie! I love the way James is being teased and tempted by Aiesha. Great chemistry! And the poor boy thinks he can resist!
ReplyDeleteAs for the unforgiveable flaws - I agree with what's been said here. Cruelty to or neglect of a child, murder (unless self defense), cruelty to animals, infidelity. Actually, they'd all be deal-breakers in real life too!
Hi Sharon,
DeleteYes, we all seem to be in agreement on the deal breakers!
James is in well over his head from the moment he pulls up at his mother's highland mansion. I loved torturing him with Aiesha. She was unstoppable at times!