Readers who enjoy heart pounding stories will find themselves drawn to this tale of a man looking for redemption coming to the aid of a woman who's no damsel in distress. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Flawless Danger by Rachel Woods, as well as learning about the balance between romance and suspense from Ms. Woods, then learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour. In honor of this next installment in the sensual and suspenseful Spencer and Sione series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a signed print copy of this book too!
Balancing romance and suspense can be tricky. It’s not an exact science, nor is it magic. But a writer should be less of an illusionist—using tired plot tropes and stereotypes to distract and misdirect—and more of an alchemist, deftly and accurately measuring elements of romance and suspense to produce the desired results: Explosive chemistry that can’t be denied. In other words, a book that the reader can’t put down.
Often, the balance of romance and suspense is dictated by the plot and tone of the story. A light hearted caper with lots of comedy can be heavy on the romance with just enough car chases and flying bullets to break up the steamy sex scenes. Contrastingly, a military thriller or police procedural would need to focus more on the suspense angle and less on the smooching—after all, how will the hero and heroine catch the diabolical serial killer if they can’t go five seconds without tearing each other’s clothes off?
In my own writing, I like to call my romantic suspense, “Sexy. Dangerous. Fiction”, which I define as, “When sexy girls find themselves in dangerous positions, every addictive caress is a collision, every tantalizing touch is an invitation to terror and every hypnotic kiss holds the promise of deception. Passion is diabolical and love comes with the seductive warning: Caution—desire destruction ahead."
Additionally, I’ve been able to create characters who may not be heroes but they aren't exactly villains, either.
My new novel, Flawless Danger, was a challenge to write because I wanted equal parts “sexy” and “dangerous” but I love twisty plots so you’ll probably find more danger.
Of course, I always leave it to the readers to determine the success of a novel. So, I invite you to check out Flawless Danger and let me know what you think about how I mixed the romance and the suspense—or, rather, the sexy and the dangerous!
Trying to rectify the mistake that unleashed his dark past, Sione runs to the rescue of a beautiful woman staying at his resort, saving her from a brutal attack... The sly beauty who doesn’t want a hero is no damsel in distress, considering the suspicious circumstances she seems involved in. He should stay away from the beautiful liar, but something about her makes him want to forget his doubts and do anything—even if it means relying on his violent instincts—for a chance to be with her.
EXCERPT:
Sighing, Spencer shook her head.
She wanted to explain why she’d decided to “date” Ben. She wanted to tell him she’d stolen from him because she was afraid of his feelings, and even more afraid of her own feelings, afraid she would lose herself if she fell in love with him.
But, would he understand?
Could she even explain it?
“So, Step Two is get close to the resort owner,” she said, rubbing her eyes, trying not to cry. “And then what? Get into his closet and steal from him?"
“I told you the favor won’t be anything criminal,” Ben said, an edge in his tone. “There’s no law against getting close to someone."
“Just how close do you want me to get?"
“Close, but not too close,” Ben said. “When it’s all over, you have to be able to walk away, and not look back. You have to be able to turn your back on him, even if he’s bleeding on the floor, begging you for help."
He seemed to be unable to resist trying to get under her skin, and this time, he’d gone too deep.
Deeper than the knife she’d plunged into his gut.
BUY LINKS FOR THE PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT IN THE SPENCER AND SIONE SERIES, FLAWLESS MISTAKE:
AMAZON | BN
AUTHOR INFO:
As a pre-teen, a young Rachel quickly tired of the Sweet Valley High Series and moved on to work by Sidney Sheldon, Jackie Collins and Dominick Dunne, which was just the spark necessary to fuel her love of writing. Her first stories were written on a Brother typewriter during long summer days in Texas, where she always had an extra typewriter ribbon and correction tape handy.
Rachel later studied journalism and graduated from the University of Houston where she published articles in the Daily Cougar. She is a freelance writer and blogger with a penchant for melodrama and a frequent traveler to beach locales. Many of her stories take place on the islands, which she has visited around the world.
Rachel writes complex, multicultural stories centered on strong women in jeopardy, fighting for love and their own lives. When not writing, this read-a-holic can be found listening to audiobooks, reading the Book of Jeremiah, or scouring soap opera blogs. Rachel resides in Houston with her three sock monkeys.
**********GIVEAWAY**********
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for hosting!!
ReplyDelete