Warm Up Your Winter with Reluctant Heroes who become Romance Heroes

 

Grand Prize for the Warm Winter Reads Beach Book Blast event is a $50 Best Buy Gift card and $25 e-book card of winner's choice (Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes!)  Sign up on the main Beach Book Blast site using the rafflecopter tabs!  http://beachbookblast.blogspot.com/

Prize for One Lucky Romancing History reader here is a $10 iTunes gift card and digital e-book of Bright Scoundrel, Book Two of Reluctant Heroes Series. 

 (Leave a comment for me below to enter to win this prize! ) 

An author friend of mine once said that Romance Readers are Emotion Junkies. 

I agree with him, wholeheartedly. Now, before you take him to task because he's a man, realize that he actually writes Romance, and has done so for twenty years. He's done it quite well, as he has 25 books published, most of them by Harlequin. 

I'm an avid Romance Reader. Why? Because, as my author friend pointed out, I like the emotional pull of the story. I love falling in love with the hero, rooting for the hero and heroine to be together. I like worrying over them and wondering if they will ever overcome the obstacles and be together. I want them to have their happily ever after.  

As a Romance author, I've had a very hard task to complete; giving the reader a satisfying emotional read.  I want the reader to be entertained. I want the hero to sweep the reader off her feet along with the heroine. That's a tough task, a very difficult one as we don't all fall for the same types of heroes. 

I'm all for the alpha male. Make mine alpha, please! Donovan Beaumont in Dark Hero is my ultimate alpha hero. He's my dream, my fantasy.  But not everyone will like him. Some readers might be put off by him. And as a writer, I realize not every hero I create can be like Donovan, because Donovan is often arrogant, controlling, deceptive and downright overbearing. 

So, how do I follow a Strong Alpha Male lead from my first book in the series, Reluctant Heroes with a second, equally compelling hero?  What kind of hero can follow Donovan's very strong personality and still hold his own as a romance hero?

Published January 1, 2013

Well, the answer is simple.  This next Reluctant Hero is a Beta Male.  

Yes, that was a surprise, even to me as I usually write strong alphas.  

Kieran O'Flaherty does not march into the fray sword in hand. He uses his wits and his magical abilities to conquer a problem. He's a druid priest, a powerful sorcerer from a long line of druids. And he's also a bad boy when it comes to the ladies. Our hero this time around is not pirate or a warrior, he's a rake. Not that he pursues women like a dog; no--it's rather the opposite; The women come to him. He's gained a reputation in London as a scoundrel but the truth is, the women seek him out because of his charm and his magical allure. And the best part of it is, they don't leave unsatisfied. Nope, Kieran O'Flaherty knows that pleasing the woman only enhances his own sexual pleasure. 

So, if you are looking for something different to read this winter, a different kind of love story imbued with magic and suspense, give Bright Scoundrel a taste. Kieran is not your typical hero. He's a rich playboy: sort of a cross between Mark Sloan, the man whore on Grey's Anatomy and Baltazar Blake, the Sorcerer in the Disney Movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice. 

Mix 1 part man-whore

With Two parts Sorcerer!

Equals Bright Scoundrel Kieran O'Flaherty

Kieran might not be a straight up alpha but he does have strong alpha tendencies. He's confident in his manhood and doesn't need to bellow, stomp or kick ass to prove himself. He rises to the challenge to save his lady love when she's threatened, but he uses magic to come to her aid and vanquish the bad guy, and that's pretty darn cool.  

The story takes place in Ireland of 1802, in an ancient castle. Kieran returns to the land of his birth and encounters magical beings from ghosts, dark spirits and elementals, a banshee, and a hidden Fey among his servants. He leaves London to embrace a simpler life in the bucolic Irish countryside, but his retreat is anything but tranquil. When he arrives, he finds the steward of his estate is a woman--an avowed spinster, a feminist who is all prickles and spines and a seems to be the only woman immune to his charms.

Kieran O'Flaherty was a support character in the first book of the Reluctant Heroes series. He's the heroine's older brother. If you would like to try the first book, Dark Hero is currently free on Smashwords.com  (This 400 page historical romance is usually $3.99).

And if you would like a chance to win a $10 iTunes Gift Card and a free digital copy of Bright Scoundrel please leave a comment here about your favorite romance hero of all time. I'm always looking for a good romance to read, so share your desert island keeper with me. (Please be sure to leave an email address!) And don't forget to check out the other fabulous Warm Winter Reads Authors Blogs for more prizes, great reads and winter fun. 

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