(Crime Royalty Romance #2)
Publication date: March 27th 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Charlie Sykes takes everything and everyone at face value—and believes life would be a lot easier if everyone else did, too. Aussie Jace Knight, international hotelier and purported playboy, has never met anyone like the absurdly literal and obliviously beautiful American who applies for his personal assistant position. The trouble is, how do you pursue a woman whose definition of flirting comes straight out of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary? That, and he’s not the only one after Charlie. Seems Mr. Knight might not be a reformed criminal after all.
Soon, Charlie’s immersed in a whirlwind of international espionage that takes her from the hip streets of Sydney to the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the wild, desolate outback. A dangerous trap’s being set, but how will Charlie protect herself and prevent a tragic betrayal, when she can’t even sort out what her heart’s telling her?
Soon, Charlie’s immersed in a whirlwind of international espionage that takes her from the hip streets of Sydney to the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the wild, desolate outback. A dangerous trap’s being set, but how will Charlie protect herself and prevent a tragic betrayal, when she can’t even sort out what her heart’s telling her?
Excerpt
#1
I slid
into a soft leather upright, and put my satchel on the floor beside me. Mr.
Knight said nothing.
I
waited, calmly, expecting him to peruse my prominent breasts, especially since
my nipples were no doubt peaked through my thin blouse and bra. But, he did
not, which I greatly respected. Instead, he openly appraised my face, and
finally, smiled.
“So
Miss Sykes, what brings such a beautiful yank to Sydney then?”
“My
looks are not at all pertinent, Mr. Knight.” His smile dropped. “I chose Australia
spontaneously,” I offered, having enough sense not to share the Muriel’s Wedding
detail. “I simply moved here to start fresh.”
He
leaned forward in his chair, examining me much closer, eyes narrowed. “There
are only a few reasons why a woman such as yourself leaves America for down
under . . . Miss Sykes.”
I
waited for his assumption.
“You’re
running from someone. An ex? Husband? Boyfriend?”
I did
not like the way he eyed me just then.
“Incorrect
on all counts,” I informed him. “I have never had any of those. But I do not
believe my sexual history, or lack of it, is pertinent to the job interview.”
As I spoke, his full lips had popped open and his eyebrows had hiked farther
up, creating strong lines in his forehead.
“Here
we go,” I thought, frowning. Something I was doing was confusing him. Of
course, I had no idea what it was. My tone of voice? Something I had said? It
was like trying to figure out an alien
alphabet. I cleared my throat. “However, you can be rest assured I am in
Australia for no reason other than a desire to live life, finally, and that I
have no intentions of leaving.” I did not want him to think I was not capable
of a long-term commitment to the company should things work out.
Excerpt
#2
I
swung my legs around and glanced up into his eyes. Night was just beginning to
fall. I had left the window open and a lovely breeze swept across our veranda
lifting the curtain behind him. He had added a dress jacket to his dark blue
jeans and mauve dress shirt. I picked up the familiar scent of his cologne,
sandalwood and lime. His giant gold Rolex glowed in the light. His eyes held
nothing but darkness.
I
breathed out, smoothed my hair, and spotting my heels, leaned over to strap
them on.
“Do
you know why I hired you, Charlie?”
What a
peculiar question. I was about to answer yes, when I realized, given my lack of
hospitality and personal assistance experience, no, actually I could not be
sure. I shook my head as I took his hand and rose to stand. His brow was stern
and his mouth was flat.
“Your’s
was the first pair of eyes I stared into in a long time, ever really, that I
could see straight through to the bottom.”
Oh. He
must be speaking figuratively. Was that a compliment? His thumb rubbed my hand
like it was a feather. Perhaps he was practicing pretending to be lovers?
“Maybe that was wrong of me, to think how I
wanted to keep you like that forever. Maybe hiring you, bringing in you close .
. . maybe that’ll change you.”
I
stared up at him, hearing my heart pound. Wait. Maybe . . . he was suspicious.
“Are
you saying you regret hiring me, Mr. Knight?” I tugged my hand free.
I
could not meet his eyes.
“No.”
I did not dare look in his eyes. “But I’m worried I will,” he stated flatly. He
stepped close after I stepped away. “Look me in the eye, Charlie, and tell me I
won’t regret hiring you,” he demanded suddenly, his voice calm, deep and
impending.
I need
a glass of water to swallow my heart back down.
What
had happened? Why this sudden strangeness?
Excerpt
#3
“Look
me in the eye.”
I did
as he asked.
“Now
ask me.”
“Are
you,” I caught my breath, “involved in criminal activities?” I sounded very
quiet. Not myself.
I felt
a burn in my nose, and my eyes grew blurry. He blew air out of his nose and
stepped closer, but I stepped back, needing space to stay the course.
“Don’t,”
I said.
“Don’t
what?” he asked, tenderly.
I
flashed on him again, surprised. His face had grown lighter, calmer . . . maybe
as he took in my sadness. He had uncrossed his arms, and tilted his head to the
side.
No. I
knew what he was trying to do.
“Seduce
the truth away,” I answered, remembering how he had reassured me in Port
Douglas with physical affection.
His
mouth popped open.
“I
deserve better.”
He
flinched, and, after a moment, glanced away.
Purchase:
Why We Want
Australian Men
How Lesley Young imagined her dude from down under in her
romance novel The
Australian
If you’re picturing a Hemsworth right now, you already know
of what I speak. Let’s face it, dudes from down under have something special.
After all, they’ve been stealing leading roles for years (think Russel Crowe,
Eric Bana, and Hugh Jackman). In writing the second book in my Crime Royalty
Romance series (the crime is light! the love is not!), The Australian,
I had to sort out just what it was that makes those Aussies boys so special and
layer it into my hero. Here’s how:
May the surfer
culture live on Of course, tan and fit surfer men are not on every Aussie
street corner, but they are more common down under. And while my hero, Mr. Jace
Knight, was not a surfer, I did want him to embody that casual, laid back
attitude that makes those boys so charming. Not only does Jace look smoking hot
in his cozzie
(strine for swimsuit)—as noted on the book’s cover—he’s so playful and open,
you forget he’s one of the most powerful men in all of Australia.
They own rugged
masculinity What does that even
mean? Well, let’s just say that I don’t know for sure that Australian men can
single-handedly wrestle a crocodile, make dinner and pitch a tent out of surfboards
while cracking a few adorable jokes. But what really matters is that we think
they can. That kind of rugged masculinity is rare, exclusive and highly valued
by North American females who tire of Channing Tatum’s pretty boy dance moves.
My Australian is ruggedly masculine in every way, and proves it in a pivotal
scene in the wild Outback that requires life-or-death bravery.
They’re down to
earth I’ve been told Australian men treat everyone the same—they
fight for the underdog and have basic, fair expectations about life and what it
has to offer—and that the same goes for their women. My Australian doesn’t play
games, or put out pretenses. And he expects the same from his heroine Charlie
Sykes. Unfortunately, she’s caught up in a web of lies that force her to try
play him (she is, of course, wholly inadequate).
The Australian
is a coming-of-age love story between a highly intelligent, awfully literal
heroine and a man whose moral code is questionable, but whose honor is not. I
layer in lots of culture, and descriptive details of some of Australia’s most
popular tourist sights. The ride is wild—literally and figuratively.
Thanks for featuring my post. The Australian is available at http://amzn.com/B00V89O7EC.
Sign up for news about my next book at lesleyyoungbooks.com and visit
facebook.com/lesleyyoungbooks and @lesleyyoungbks.
3 Rules For Writing a
Hugely Successful Sex Scenes
Author Lesley Young shares
her handy tips for writing super-realistic, super-hot sex scenes
I don’t claim to be an expert at writing sex scenes. In fact, I’m
downright embarrassed and weirded out when I read my own. “Did I write that?”
*gasp* Or, “Please, don’t let me mother ever read this.” *cringe* But I must be
doing something right since one recent reviewer at Wicked Reads—a great book
blog—did recently make the following hugely complimentary proclamation about my
latest romance novel, The Australian:
“I have to say absolutely the best virginity losing scene I've
read in a book so far.” So, feeling buoyed, I thought I’d share a few totally
unproven tips that I deploy.
I never script a sex
scene. By “script a scene,” I mean I don’t plot out when and how romantic
relations (see I am feeling self-conscious here), ahem, sex, occurs. I
certainly do outline primary storytelling components, which in the end gives me
the bones to my chapters. And that means I will generally know when
hero-heroine encounters take place to move the plot forward. However, I let the
love story components happen 100% naturally, whenever it feels right, just like
it might happen in real life. I am so deeply into my characters’ hearts and
minds that their first kiss, their first interlude, and the big moment, almost
happen to me as it happens to them. I like to think that’s what makes it so
thrilling for readers, too. As for how the scenes unfold, again, I’m so caught
up in the experience, I literally don’t think about where his hand goes next,
or who sighs. I just experience-write it in the moment.
Benefit: Spontaneously
written sex scenes are original. You can’t screw up your flow, tone or
description because you’re not over thinking anything. I would go so far to
argue that if you have to script your sex scenes, in other words, preplan every
detail, edit, and edit, something’s wrong. Either you’re not into your
characters, or you’re forcing something. Step back. Assess.
I focus on sensual
empowerment. I write first-person novels, so I never have to write from the
mind of a man, and the truth is, I couldn’t. I only know what I know, which is
how a woman feels when she’s having sex, and . . . here’s the really important
part—what she wants or imagines the man to be feeling. I stay focused on her
experience, oh sure, I describe the physical pleasure, but never without or
separate from her mind and her sensual pleasure and how it relates to the hero
she is with. Not only is this far more realistic, you can’t help but empower
your heroine in the sack when you do this. I find so many romance novels forget
that sex is an exchange of pleasure—not just being had by a man.
Benefits: There are
two benefits to writing this way. The sex is not only more realistic, it is
heartfelt. And when the heart’s on the line in the bedroom, the sex is
high-stakes. Second, you will find that your hero’s actions in bed are that
much more impactful and original. Why? Because he’s not necessarily thinking or
feeling what the heroine thinks he’s feeling, if that makes sense. There’s room
for the unexpected, and the surprise when it happens is stronger because the
reader was caught up in the heroine’s expectations.
I try not to idealize sex
(within reason—I am writing romance here). I’ve written two virgin-losing
scenes now, in The Frenchman and The Australian—believe it or not, I do
not only write about virgins!—and in both cases I was advised by people to
alter or modify those scenes slighly. I was torn because the advise in the
first book was to tone down the pain Fleur experiences when Louis takes her.
The advise in the latter was to tone down Jace Knight’s reckless blind desire
to take his heroine. I ended up taking the advice, but only after I gauged
whether I was falsifying the experience or somehow idealizing it. No sex scene
in real life is perfect or scripted—unless it’s porn. And I don’t write porn. I
write romance.
Benefit: We do enough
idealization in romance novels by making our hero super fit (show me a romance
novel where the dude’s got a paunch). And so, I prefer my heroes to be
imperfect in the bedroom. It makes the sex more realistic, but also it makes
him more endearing. He might express the wrong desire in the wrong moment, or
the two of them might not orgasm in every scene, but you appreciate him the
more for it. The point is to play with the bedroom tropes, and where
appropriate protect the concept of mutual respect.
Finally, don’t forget to describe all the senses. I hope these
tips help with your next sex scene! The
Australian is available at http://amzn.com/B00V89O7EC. Keep in
touch with me at lesleyyoungbooks.com, facebook.com/lesleyyoungbooks and
@lesleyyoungbks.
AUTHOR BIO:
Lesley Young is a genre-defying author of unforgettable heroines who experience thrilling life- and love-altering journeys. Her debut novel was Sky's End; her most recent stand-alone series, Crime Royalty Romance, includes The Frenchman and TheAustralian. She loves to hear from readers.
Author links:
Author links:
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL) $25 Amazon Gift Card - ends April 16th:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Enjoyed reading the author bio. Love it she is a genre defying author
ReplyDeleteThis kind of stories are some what a girl wants. :D
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Lesley's Why We Want Australian Men! I agree totally! I also loved the excerpts! Thank you for the post and the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt and the rules :) Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs an Australian this is a must read for me.
ReplyDeleteGreat guest post, thanks for sharing that and everything else!
ReplyDelete