Today I'm bringing Adrienne deWolfe to my blog with her historical release, Scoundrel for Hire, the first book in her Velvet Lies series. Keep reading to get a taste of this book, along with my impressions of it. Make sure to visit the other blogs hosting this tour to learn more about this book and fill out the form below for your chance to win a slew of great prizes from Amazon GCs to writing critiques to many other goodies!
But beneath Silver's cool veneer, Rafe encounters a sweet vulnerability and an aching secret that threatens to send his whole world up in smoke.
Now the wily scoundrel must choose: walk away or wager the one thing he can't afford to lose—his heart.
EXCERPT:
"I know this is just a lark to you," Silver whispered fervently. "But my whole world will come crashing down if you don't pull off this masquerade."
Those pewter eyes held her spellbound. For a moment, she forgot that one poorly timed lie, one spiteful wisecrack, and her scoundrel for hire could destroy every happiness she'd ever known.
"This is the point of no return," he said softly.
Rafe was right, of course. His reminder was almost as disturbing as the heady scent of his sandalwood cologne, the intoxicating allure of his warmth, the thrill of his heart-tripping closeness.
"Don't tell me you’ve suddenly developed a conscience," she rallied.
"Nothing so drastic." A smile teased the corner of his mouth. "But wooing your papa’s gold-digger will keep me busy in the nights to come. And that won’t leave much time for you and me to get … acquainted."
His innuendo spread a glittering stream of shivers from head to toe. “I shall endeavor to muddle through,” she retorted on a ragged breath.
"Come now, Silver. The very thought of Celestia in my arms makes you jealous. Admit it."
Her traitorous heart was skipping beats.
"You, sir, suffer from delusions."
"Do I?" His voice lowered to a throbbing murmur. "I can see how your pulse speeds whenever I draw near. Your eyes dilate, your skin flushes..." He shifted, his lips parting above hers in the most hypnotic way. "You would much rather I lavished my kisses on you …"
Those pewter eyes held her spellbound. For a moment, she forgot that one poorly timed lie, one spiteful wisecrack, and her scoundrel for hire could destroy every happiness she'd ever known.
"This is the point of no return," he said softly.
Rafe was right, of course. His reminder was almost as disturbing as the heady scent of his sandalwood cologne, the intoxicating allure of his warmth, the thrill of his heart-tripping closeness.
"Don't tell me you’ve suddenly developed a conscience," she rallied.
"Nothing so drastic." A smile teased the corner of his mouth. "But wooing your papa’s gold-digger will keep me busy in the nights to come. And that won’t leave much time for you and me to get … acquainted."
His innuendo spread a glittering stream of shivers from head to toe. “I shall endeavor to muddle through,” she retorted on a ragged breath.
"Come now, Silver. The very thought of Celestia in my arms makes you jealous. Admit it."
Her traitorous heart was skipping beats.
"You, sir, suffer from delusions."
"Do I?" His voice lowered to a throbbing murmur. "I can see how your pulse speeds whenever I draw near. Your eyes dilate, your skin flushes..." He shifted, his lips parting above hers in the most hypnotic way. "You would much rather I lavished my kisses on you …"
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Ms. deWolfe has created an entertaining series starter that brings together two apparently different people under the guise of a scam that doesn't go as planned. When emotions get in the way and the past comes back to haunt them their burgeoning relationship might be over before it starts in this historical read populated by colorful characters and flashes of the supernatural.
Rafe grew up as a constant reminder of his mother's shame. His religiously over zealous father constantly belittled and damned him trying to taint his siblings against him, thus making him feel alone and worthless. After setting off at an early age to make a living for himself he stumbled across a group of talented actors/grifters who taught him a way of living but enforced his feelings of loneliness as they used any display of care and compassion against him. It's hardened his heart making him doubt faith and love and all these betrayals he endured made me ache for him. There are still flashes of his caring nature as seen in the affection he shows a homeless otter (and which results in some humorous and sweet moments) and in his dealings with Silver which opens his heart even further as he sees an unexpected connection between them. He's a charming fellow who still feels indebted to a small group he calls family even after being hurt time and again. He finds it easy to open up to Silver though and is protective of her and willing to sacrifice himself once he realizes what she means to him. Theirs is a relationship that started off as adversaries but quickly evolved into a playful and flirty friendship that morphed into a deep and abiding love that gave both of them someone to count on.
Silver lost her mother at an early age too and has had no one to comfort her as her father's a fanciful sort with his head in the clouds. He's a dreamer and she's the thinker who's kept their business flourishing. She's strong-willed but wary of men and love after being brutally betrayed by a despicable and dishonorable man of wealth whose painful shadow still haunts her. With her father's upcoming nuptials she formulates a plan using Rafe to stop it as she doubts the sincerity of the oddly prophetic woman. There's also a bit of jealousy involved that she's no longer the apple of her father's eye that she'll never admit. I felt sympathetic for all Silver's gone through that has turned her into a brittle and untrusting woman. Rafe brings a smile to her face and makes her feel like a woman with the sensual feelings he engenders in her. They're a delightful couple with their mutually scheming ways and the guilt they both feel regarding their actions. Their mutual loneliness binds them together and keeps them fighting for their HEA in the face of death.
The premise of this story is a uniquely entertaining one that nicely blends building sexual tension amidst a battle of wills. Their scenes together sizzle in the rapid-fire dialogue and underlying sensuality and had me looking forward to each time they were alone. Rafe and Silver really want nothing more than to be happy. At first they're willing to sacrifice others to reach that goal but their innate goodness wins out which puts their lives in jeopardy in a heart-pounding and fast-paced conclusion where the past comes back to take their happiness before it's barely begun. The secondary characters are a distinctive group where not everyone does what's right but in the end they come together to assure a HEA. There's unexpected twists and turns that add a bit of mystery and suspense as well as a bit of the paranormal permeating the storyline that felt a bit out of place at times but certainly made for memorable moments. After an exhilarating start the middle section felt a bit draggy but once evil reared its ugly head the roller-coaster storyline sped to a unique and satisfying conclusion that has me wanting to read the other books in this series. I applaud Ms. deWolfe's talent in redeeming this drool-worthy slightly tarnished bad boy and look forward to the next hero she creates.
My rating for this is a B+
*I received this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Other Books in the Velvet Lies series:
Book 1: SCOUNDREL FOR HIRE
Book 2: HIS WICKED DREAM
Book 3: SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL
Book 4: DEVIL IN TEXAS (Available 2014)
Adrienne deWolfe is a #1 Bestselling Author and a recipient of 48 writing awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year. She consistently delights readers with sexy, action-packed, western-style romances, including her Wild Texas Nights series and her Velvet Lies series. In addition, she is the author of the bestselling non-fiction ebook series, The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published.
Fascinated by all things mystical, Adrienne writes a weekly blog about dragons, magic, and the paranormal at http://MagicMayhemBlog.com to help her research her upcoming YA Epic Fantasy series. She also writes a weekly blog with fiction writing tips and advice about the business of writing at http://WritingNovelsThatSell.
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/
Facebook (Writing Novels That Sell): http://facebook.com/Writing.
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Google+ (Writing Novels That Sell): https://plus.google.com/
Story Critiques and Mentorship for Fiction Writers: http://writingnovelsthatsell.
Subscribe to the Newsletter for Writing Novels That Sell: http://eepurl.com/eGgbs
Subscribe to the Newsletter Magic and Fantasy Book News: http://eepurl.com/wGwan
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/
Twitter (Fantasy Fiction of Adrienne deWolfe): http://Twitter.com/SolMage
Twitter (Adrienne deWolfe's Writing Page): http://twitter.com/
YouTube Channel (Writing Novels That Sell): http://www.youtube.com/
Velvet Lies Series: http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.
Wild Texas Nights Series: http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.
The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published (Series): http://writingnovelsthatsell.
Fascinated by all things mystical, Adrienne writes a weekly blog about dragons, magic, and the paranormal at http://MagicMayhemBlog.com to help her research her upcoming YA Epic Fantasy series. She also writes a weekly blog with fiction writing tips and advice about the business of writing at http://WritingNovelsThatSell.
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/
Facebook (Writing Novels That Sell): http://facebook.com/Writing.
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Google+ (Writing Novels That Sell): https://plus.google.com/
Story Critiques and Mentorship for Fiction Writers: http://writingnovelsthatsell.
Subscribe to the Newsletter for Writing Novels That Sell: http://eepurl.com/eGgbs
Subscribe to the Newsletter Magic and Fantasy Book News: http://eepurl.com/wGwan
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/
Twitter (Fantasy Fiction of Adrienne deWolfe): http://Twitter.com/SolMage
Twitter (Adrienne deWolfe's Writing Page): http://twitter.com/
YouTube Channel (Writing Novels That Sell): http://www.youtube.com/
Velvet Lies Series: http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.
Wild Texas Nights Series: http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.
The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published (Series): http://writingnovelsthatsell.
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ReplyDeleteHi, Jody! Wow! What an in-depth review! Your character analysis reminded me a bit of this amazing psycho-analyst I used to do marketing for -- and how she would describe her insights into client personalities. :-) Looking forward to chatting more with you and your readers. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for being here Adrienne! Yeah, I unfortunately don't know how to write short reviews. I was an English major in college and my reviews reflect that as they end up looking like a thesis. LOL! I look forward to learning more about the series and other reader's thoughts.
DeleteThe Scarf Princess
Since you're interested in the series, I have some cool news for you: My publisher asked me to write a Novella, to be included in an anthology of Western Romances, for publication in Spring of 2014. No working title yet for the anthology -- although I've dubbed my novella SHADY LADY. The hero is Cass, who is the "other man" in the love triangle in SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL, and who gets his own book in DEVIL IN TEXAS. SO excited . . .
DeleteHowdy, Rita! I love to see a familiar "face"! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, it makes the book sound even better. And Adrienne, I wanted to let you know that there's something wrong with the pin this image option on the Rafflecopter. The image won't show, I just wanted to let you know.
ReplyDeletetiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks for letting me know, Emily! I'll check it out. Thanks, too, for following my tour.
Deletegood luck with the book. I hope I win as I am greedy like that ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for following my tour!
DeleteGreat review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
Sounds like a great read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com