For more information about Vanessa and her books, visit her website and connect with her online at Facebook, Twitter, 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
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…
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)
