Friday, July 17, 2015

Today's Special - - Vanessa Kelly


I'm happy to welcome Vanessa Kelly back to the Romance Dish today! Vanessa's newest addition to her Renegade Royals series, How to Marry a Royal Highlander was released on June 30th and it's terrific. Edie and Alec are so much fun! I loved reading their story and cheering them on the whole way. If you haven't started reading this series yet, I highly recommend you give it a try. 

For more information about Vanessa and her books, visit her website and connect with her online at FacebookTwitter, and Goodreads

Please join me in giving Vanessa a warm welcome! 



Hi PJ! Thanks for hosting me today—I love being here with you and your readers!

If you’ve read any of my historical romances, you know I always have a bit of suspense in the mix. Some books have a fair amount of adventure and suspense (I’m looking at you, MASTERING THE MARQUESS and HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY), and others are pretty light on the nefarious villains and sticky situations. It all depends on how my characters react to the story—and each other—while I’m writing it.

My latest historical romance series, The Renegade Royals, features heroes who are the illegitimate
sons of England’s royal dukes and also happen to be spies for the Crown during the Napoleonic Wars. In HOW TO MARRY A ROYAL HIGHLANDER, the fourth and final book in the series, the war is over. Captain Alec Gilbride, Renegade Royal, military intelligence officer, and sexy Scot, is leaving the spy business to return to Blairgal Castle, his ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands.

Like the other books in the series, there’s a villain and there’s danger, both for Alec and for his heroine, Edie Whitney. But there’s something else—in addition to the romance and sexy times, that is. There’s a lot of humor, probably more than any of my other books.

And there’s one reason why: Edie and Alec are hilarious together. From their first meeting, they’ve been giving each other the gears. That doesn’t change even when they begin falling in love.

Here’s an example of what I mean. This except follows Edie and Alec’s first kiss, which is generally a moment fraught with emotion:

“Get off of me,” she hissed, trying to struggle her way out of his embrace. “Are you deliberately trying to destroy my reputation?”

Alec mentally sighed. He almost wished someone would catch them, since it would make things a damn sight easier for both of them, although she had yet to realize it. But now that a small portion of his blood was finally heading back to his brain, he realized what an idiot he was. If he had any hope of winning Edie over, this certainly wasn’t the way to go about it.

She was worse than a nest full of French spies when it came to playing havoc with his plans. It was time to get the situation—and her—under control.

“Do I have to kick you in the shins to make you let me go?” Her cheeks were pink and her eyes shot daggers at him. But her full mouth was rosy and damp from his kisses, and her breasts heaved against her trim bodice. She looked so damn tempting that it took every ounce of his discipline not to carry her off to the nearest empty bedroom and have his way with her.

That was the most enticing image to come into his brain in a very, very long time.

No, ever.

“Stop wriggling about like a worm on the end of a hook,” he growled.

“I cannot believe you just called me a worm,” she snapped, wriggling harder as she tried to escape.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” He wrapped his hands around her waist and picked her straight up off her feet. She squeaked out a startled protest, but he simply plopped her back on the padded window bench and braced himself in front of her to prevent her from bolting.

Her eyes flashed from behind her spectacles, promising all sorts of retribution, but her lenses had gone partly foggy.

“Can you even see?” he asked.

“Confound it.” She whipped off her spectacles and rubbed them on her sleeve before jamming them back on her nose.

Her gaze said quite clearly that she would like to rend him, limb from limb.

“You needn’t look at me like I’m some sort of ogre,” Alec said, “or like I’m going to ravish you right here in the hallway. I promise you, I’m not.”

She stared at him a moment longer, then looked down pointedly at the fall of his breeches. “Really? You could have fooled me,” she said.

And it goes on from there! Do you like humor mixed in with your romance? Who are some of your favorite funny romance writers? One person who comments will win a copy of the previous book in the series, HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY.



How to Marry a Royal Highlander (Renegade Royals 4)
Vanessa Kelly
Release date: June 30th

Illegitimate yet thoroughly irresistible, the Renegade Royals are leaving behind their careers as daring spies for the greatest adventure of all…

At sixteen, Alasdair Gilbride, heir to a Scottish earldom, fled the Highlands and an arranged betrothal. Ten years later, Alasdair must travel home to face his responsibilities. It’s a task that would be much easier without the distracting presence of the most enticing woman he’s ever met…

After one escapade too many, Eden Whitney has been snubbed by the ton. The solution: rusticating in the Scottish wilderness, miles from all temptation. Except, of course, for brawny, charming Alasdair. The man is so exasperating she’d likely kill him before they reach the border—if someone else weren’t trying to do just that. Now Eden and Alasdair are plunging into a scandalous affair with his life and her reputation at stake—and their hearts already irreparably lost…
                                                                                                                     

Lost in a Royal Kiss (Renegade Royals #0.5)

Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard (RR #1)

Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom (RR #2)

Tall, Dark, and Royal (RR #2.5)

How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy (RR #3)

  




Google Play: http://bit.ly/1KsMZrB



40 comments:

  1. I love a touch of humor in everything I read. Julie James comes first to mind, but there are so many.

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    1. Mary, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never read Julie James. She's definitely on my list!

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  2. As in life, humor always helps!! Jill Shalvis is my first thought.

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  3. Hi PJ! Thanks so much for hosting me today, and for your lovely comments!

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  4. I do like humor in my romance books. SEP, Theresa Romain, Jill Shalvis, Karen Hawkins, Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl

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  5. Hi, Vanessa. I'm on deadline for a freelance project, but How to Marry a Royal Highlander is on my Kindle waiting for me.
    I do like humor mixed in my romance. Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, Loretta Chase, and Anne Gracie have written some of my favorite mixes. I'm also loving Megan Frampton's Dukes Behaving Badly series.

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    1. Hi Janga! *waves madly* I'm definitely checking out Megan Frampton's latest.

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  6. I love humor mixed in with romance. Tessa Dare's A Night to Surrender had me in stitches, as have Thea Harrison's Elder Races series, and Sherry Thomas' His at Night.

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  7. I love humor mixed in with romance. Tessa Dare's A Night to Surrender had me in stitches, as have Thea Harrison's Elder Races series, and Sherry Thomas' His at Night.

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  8. I like humor mixed with romance. Some authors that come to mind are Julie James, Julie Anne Long, Julia Quinn, Susan Elizabeth Phillips & Rachel Gibson.

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    1. I'm a huge fan of SEP. She mixes humor and heart so well.

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  9. Theresa Romain does a great job with humor. So does Valerie Bowman!

    Denise

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  10. Wonderful post. Humor is always appealing. Authors whose books which I enjoy are Eloise James, and SEP.

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  11. Humor spices up and adds a great deal to the enjoyment. Authors who incorporate humor into their novels which are fun are Jill Shalvis, Julia Quinn and Julia Petersen.

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    1. Petite, love Julia and Jill - I'll have to check out Julia Petersen.

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  12. Thanks for such a wonderful post! I do enjoy humor in my romance. Some of my favorites are you, Jill Shalvis, Eloise James. and SEP.

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  13. I do enjoy humor in my romance and one of my favorites is Julia Quinn. I also enjoy Eloise James, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jill Shalvis.

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  14. I love humor in my romance! I enjoy Eloisa James, SEP, JAK, yourself and Julia Quinn, among others.

    Mary M.

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  15. I love humor in my romance books. Two authors who come to mind are Jill Shalvis and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

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  16. For humor, I'll read a book by Jill Shalvis, Susan Mallery, Alice Clayton, or Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

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  17. I love Eloisa James....her dialogue is so fantastic she has be laughing out loud...in public!

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  18. I always love having humor in the mix! Molly Harper writes some of the funniest books ever!

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  19. I do love humor in my romances, it just adds another dimension to the story. Some of my favorite authors certainly bring the laughs in their stories: Jill Shalvis, Julie James and Julie Anne Long. I love having a good laugh when I'm reading whether it's something a character is doing or a situation they find themselves in.

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  20. Thanks for the excerpt, Alec and Edie sounds like so much fun together! And a big yes to adding humor to romance, I enjoy having my funny bone tickled! LOL. As for favorite funny writers, I absolutely adore the hilarious Jill Shalvis. Then there's also Penny Reid, Julie James and Kristan Higgins who also writes funny romances.

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  21. Vanessa, thanks so much for visiting with us yesterday and thanks to everyone who stopped by! So sorry for my absence. I'm out of town and was without internet for all but yesterday morning. Sometimes that's a good thing but not when you're all leaving such terrific comments! :)

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  22. I love humor in my books. I think Rachel Gibson is the best at that.

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  23. I love humor in my books, Christie Craig books are just so funny I really enjoy them.

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  24. I love humor mixed with Romance. It just makes it so much more. Jill Shalvis is one I immediately thought of.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  25. Humor is a necessary part of a story for me. Even in a dark story, it needs to be there. It may seem inappropriate, but those who deal with grim situations - military, emergency responders, doctors, law enforcement - have their own special brand of dark humor. Humor helps people deal with situations and helps life be a bit better.
    Off hand, the only writer I can think of right now that incorporates humor well into her stories is Mary Connealy. There are many others, and I appreciate them.

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  26. Yes, I like humor mixed in with the romance. Eloisa James and Julie Anne Long always have bits of humor mixed in their stories, and they're two of my favorite historical authors.

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  27. Humor definitely adds a frequently much needed light touch to any story. Kasey Michaels does a good job with that.

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  28. I appreciate humor in a story, especially when you're not expecting it. Karen Hawkins mixes romance and humor in a style of her own.

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