I'm so happy to welcome Roni Loren to my blog today to talk about breaking rules, and her new book -
Her first love has returned, and he's brought a friend...
After running away from
home and the boy who broke her heart, Evan Kennedy has kick-started the perfect
new life with her celebrity fiancé. So what if said fiancé prefers guys? She
knew the deal. And with her ticket to The Ranch, an exclusive resort where any
fantasy can be satisfied, she knows she can find someone to fulfill her
less-than-traditional desires on the side.
She just never expected that
man to be Jace Austin, her old heart-breaker—all grown up, hard-bodied, and
holding out a collar. She knows it’s probably a world-class bad idea—especially
since Jace has brought along his buddy Andre, who’s every bit as irresistible.
But if they can stick to the no-strings rules, so can she.
Too bad Jace has never
been so good with rules. Evan is convinced “forever” is a word used only in
greeting cards, but Jace and Andre have one last fantasy of hers left to
fulfill. It’s time to go big or go home. And neither man has ever been a fan of
going home.
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On Rules and Rule Breakers
First, thanks so much for having me here on the blog! Roz pointed
out to me that many of my stories tend to have rule breakers in them and wanted
me to talk about that a bit. What’s funny is that before she said anything, I’d
never really thought of it that way. But looking at everything I’ve written, it
seems to be true, lol. Apparently, I love a rebel.
Part of it is because I write BDSM romance and just having
characters in that lifestyle in general requires rule-breaking personalities.
It’s not exactly socially acceptable to want to tie up and whip your lover. But
the other reason is--what is interesting about someone who always follows the
rules and the prescribed path? (Although I’m currently writing a book that is
going to play with that idea because I have a pretty straight and narrow
hero--an anomoly for me, lol.) I want people who haven’t been sheep in their
lives, people who aren't afraid to forge their own path and do their own thing.
And in MELT INTO YOU, I have taken that rule-breaking concept
even further than I have in the past. Jace, the main hero, has never met a rule
he didn’t want to break. He’s the black sheep of his family and pretty much
gives the finger to anyone who tries to control him or label him. Of course,
underneath his rebellious bad boy self, he’s got a soft, vulnerable side. But
you’ll have to read the book to find out what really keeps Jace up at night.
Then I have Evan, the heroine, who has lived on the streets, been
through hell, and is now marrying her gay best friend on purpose, even though
he’s in love with someone else. She’s definitely walking her own road.
And finally, there’s Andre--Jace’s roommate, a dominant, and a
cop. A cop who happens to like sharing women with his best friend and may
possibly be in love with his aforementioned best buddy.
None of my characters have ever felt like they fit in with the
rest of the world...and they don’t really want to. I think that’s what appeals
to me most about rule-breakers. It takes a certain confidence to not want to be
like everyone else. Plus, I come from a family of
do-your-own-thing-and-who-cares-what-others-think people, so it may be in my
blood, lol.
These characters sound wonderful, Roni. I do love people who color outside the lines!
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Here's an excerpt from MELT INTO YOU.
“Stop
fighting or you’re going to drown us both.” The rumbling male voice came from
behind her, and the grip on her arms tightened. “We’ve got to get out of the
undertow.”
Her heart
jumped into her throat, but she forced herself to stop struggling so the
stranger could help. His breath was warm on her neck as he pulled them both
backward, but he didn’t say another word. The water seemed to be fighting their
progress, and the man adjusted his hold until he had his arms hooked beneath
her armpits. She wanted to tell him to let her go, that she knew how to swim,
but her thigh was burning like a swarm of wasps had attacked it and her head
was spinning again.
A few
hard-fought minutes later, packed sand scraped against her heels, and she
sucked in a deep sigh of relief. The man dragged her another few feet until
they reached dry land, then set her down and kneeled next to her.
“Are you
okay?” he asked, his broad chest heaving beneath his soaked T-shirt.
She lifted
her gaze to the concerned eyes staring down at her, an odd sense of déjà vu
washing over her. “I, uh . . .”
“I heard you
scream. Are you hurt?” He touched the side of her head, evaluating her.
She wet her
lips. “My leg . . . Something stung me . . . I
lost my balance.”
He glanced
down the length of her—the mostly naked length of her. Shit.
She
shot up into a sitting position and scooted backward, but his hand locked over
her knee as he stared down at her upper thigh, which was still burning like
she’d roasted it over an open fire.
“Damn, it
got you good.”
“What are
you talking about?” She tried to jerk her leg from beneath his grip, but he
held her firm as he examined her.
“Jellyfish,”
he said, frowning at her. “Your whole thigh is striped. That must hurt like a
sonofabitch.”
She stared
down at the red tentacle-shaped lines around her thigh. “Well, it doesn’t feel
awesome.”
He chuckled,
the rich sound seeming to vibrate from deep within his chest, and something
stirred in the back of her brain. He climbed to his feet. “Here, let me help.”
“Don’t you
dare pee on me,” she said, the words slipping out before she could rethink
them.
He tilted
his head back in a full laugh this time, the sound echoing down the beach.
She cringed.
“I’m sorry, I—”
He raised a
hand, his eyes still lit with humor. “Don’t worry. The urine thing is just an
urban myth. And I’m definitely not going to ruin my ‘just saved pretty girl
from drowning’ hero status by taking a leak on you. I’m not that stupid.”
She couldn’t
help but smile. “Oh, a hero, huh? So this is all a big pick-up routine? Find
drowning girls and ride in on your white horse?”
“Absolutely.”
He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it off, revealing miles of taut
skin, sinewy muscle, and tribal-style ink running across his shoulder and down
one arm, rendering her momentarily speechless. Water dripped off his soaked
hair—which looked to be blond, though it was hard to tell in the moonlight—and
slipped down his now bare chest. Her gaze locked on the tiny droplets, tracking
their path down to the band of his shorts until they disappeared. Oh, blessed Lord.
He cleared
his throat, no doubt catching her in her perusal, and squatted next to her. His
hand slipped under her knee. “Here, seawater actually helps the sting. Let me
wrap this around your leg, and then we can go to my room. We’ll get you feeling
better.”
She cocked
an eyebrow at him. “Oh, really. Might want to tap the brakes there, Rico Suave.
Despite my state of undress, I don’t just go to strangers’ hotel rooms. I’m not
quite that easy.”
Dimples
appeared as he fought a smile. “Oh, not quite that easy, but
easy. Duly noted.”
Here's where you can get MELT INTO YOU.
Amazon (ebook)
Amazon (print)
***************************************
Meet Roni
Roni wrote her first romance novel at age
fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually
talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she
likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a
New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If
she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching
reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er,
rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the author of The Loving on the Edge
series from Berkley Heat.
Website: www.roniloren.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/roniloren
Facebook: www.facebook.com/roniloren
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/roniloren
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Roni will award an eBook copy of "Still Into You" to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop and a Book Grab Bag - Autographed copy of CRASH INTO YOU along with these books: Raziel by Kristina Douglas, Blood Stains by Sharon Sala, The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons, and Deadly Valentine by Justine Davis and Cindy Dees to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US/Canada only).
Wow! Those are some great prizes!!! Leave a comment below to enter your name in the drawing, then click here to continue on the tour!
What do you think about rule breakers? Who is your favorite rule-breaking hero or heroine?
Thank you for hosting Roni today.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new release, Roni!
ReplyDeleteJennifer Lynne
I like stories that push bounderies or sometiems break rules because I don't know what to expect. As long the characters are great and it's a story that appeals to me, thumps up!
ReplyDeleteCambonified[at]yahoo[dot]com
^^ A memorable rule-breaking hero for me is Knight from "Knight" by Kristen Ashley. He's far from perfect and a bit conterversial but there's no denying how much he cares for the heroine. He's loyal and very protective.
ReplyDeleteI do love rule breakers. They make stories much more interesting. One of my favorites was Wraith from the Demonica series. He was such a tortured character that he got to where he did not care about the rules and actually loved to break them. That is until he had to face the consequences on his actions :) But the entire time he was a good character deep down, very caring.
ReplyDeletemanning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
I like a good rule-breaker. My favorite right now is Lucky from Eden Winters' DIVERSION. Not only is he a rule-breaker as a character, he's also one in the world of m/m romance: not handsome, and the first to admit he's deeply flawed as a human being. But you end up rooting for him, and his lusty personality and quick, dirty wit make him sexy!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Jacob from The Vampire Queen series by Joey W Hill, is my all time favorite rule breaker. He makes up the rules as he goes along and then ends up breaking them. Super post about breaking the rules. As I get older, I'm kinda getting into all the rebellion, so I like to read about others who do the same. Melt Into You sounds like a very interesting read.
ReplyDeleteluvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com
I like reading about rule breakers. I think Lothaire from Immortals After Dark is a rule breaker.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks to everyone for stopping by! :D I loved all the suggestions for rule breakers. I haven't read a lot of those, so I may have to add some of those books to my list!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to Roz for hosting me, I really appreciate it!