Romance and Rakes in Tartan with Suz deMello

What’s a romance? You may think you know, but…

The standard definition of a romance has been undergoing some change lately, but the definition of romance has always been changing.

Right now, most of us see a romance as a love story between a man and a woman that contains a happy ending, with the heroine going off with Mr. Right. But that wasn’t always the case.

Centuries ago, people married for reasons other than love. They married for money, status or property, and love was something found outside marriage. The most famous romance in our literature, Romeo and Juliet, doesn’t have a happy ending, unless your idea of a good HEA is uniting in heaven.

Other forms of art reflected the belief that love was found outside marriage. Medieval troubadours traveled from castle to castle and sang about the joys of courtly love and romantic love. Art often depicted the clash between marriage and love, such as Tintoretto’s Venus and Mars Surprised by Vulcan (1545).

When did romance change, and why?

Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740) by Samuel Richardson, is often mentioned as the first romance novel. The main point, however, was not that the title character had found love but that her persistent rejections of the so-called hero’s attentions finally got her the prize: marriage.

A less moralistic novel, and one that’s often cited as the best of the genre, is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813). Despite its somewhat archaic style, it’s one of the most popular novels in English Literature, and for very good reasons. It doesn’t preach the way Pamela does, but instead reflects the real concerns young women had during the Regency: marrying well and marrying for love, or at least respect. Although arranged marriages for the purpose of uniting property or increasing wealth were still a custom in our culture, the desirability of gaining a life with a partner founded on love rather than money was taking hold, and is reflected in the literature of the time.

Each era has produced literature that’s reflective of the time, and romance novels reflect their eras, too. As the love ideal took hold, more romances were written that reflect the joy of love rather than its discouraging end, and cautionary tales took back seat to entertainment.

As time went on, and as mores altered, romances became steadily more erotic. The Flame and the Flower (1972) by Kathleen Woodiwiss is viewed as the first modern romance novel, even though it’s a sequel to Petals on the River. Both are quite racy compared to, say, Austen, and reflect changed attitudes regarding sex before marriage.

Our century

Perhaps the greatest changes have occurred in the last few years. First came chick lit, in which the heroine’s goal is not finding Mr. Right but hooking up with Mr. Right Now. Then writers of digital romance broke the hetero barrier and started writing LGBT romance, which doesn’t require the love story to be between a man and a woman. I’m reliably informed that the biggest consumers of M/M romance aren’t gay guys but hetero females. Go figure!

Rakes in Tartan

Set in 1816, my book reflects the mores and customs of the Regency. Heirs to their clans’ lairdships, Andrew MacReiver and Tor Kilburn must find suitable brides. As did many noblemen of the time, they journeyed to London for the social season after attending Oxford. They hoped to find love, but not a Nordic fairy, a dragon and a vampire assassin.

But, being a book written in the 21^st century rather than the 19^th, Rakes in Tartan ends happily.

Here’s what some reviewers have said about the previous books in the Highland Vampires series--These are customer reviews from Amazon.

5 stars... A new author to add to my list of favorite authors June 20, 2012

By jmaze

Temptation in Tartan is the first book I've read by Suz deMello. It won't be the last. The book is well written, easy to follow and easy to read… I would highly recommend the book and I hope that she plans another book to follow in this one’s stead.

 Desire in Tartan:

Five stars..."Engrossing... I was grabbed from the start of the book..." 
                                                                                --S.J. Foulkes (Amazon.com)

Five stars... "Super Read!!!... I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day."    --Becca (Amazon.com)

Five stars..."Such a wonderful read!!!... Such a wonderful book... Love this series!" 
                                                                             --Kimberly Jaksina (Amazon.com)

                                                             

Setting: London 1816

The social season promises both sex and danger for Torquil Kilburn and Andrew

MacReiver, Highland heirs arrived in London to seek brides. The Scotsmen must              

negotiate the complicated morés of high society to woo and win an exquisite

debutante and her passionate, unconventional mother while keeping their vampire heritage a secret.

But evil stalks the ballroom at Almack’s, the streets of Piccadilly, the drawing rooms of the ton. Headless bodies have been found drained of their blood, for another vampire haunts the streets of London, murdering noblemen. As he draws ever closer, Tor and Andrew must fight not only for love, but for their lives.

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Buy it HERE:

About the author:

Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello, a.k.a Sue Swift, has written seventeen romance novels in several subgenres, including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance editor, she’s worked for Total-E-Bound, Liquid Silver Books and Ai Press, where she is currently Managing Editor. She also takes private clients.

Her books have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller lists.

A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel. She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and planning her next trip.

--Find her books at http://www.suzdemello.com

--For editing services, email her at suzswift@yahoo.com

--Befriend her on Facebook and visit hergroup page

--She tweets her reading picks @ReadThis4fun and @Suzdemello

--Pinterest

--Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SuzATGoodreads

--Her current blog is http://www.fearlessfastpacedfiction.com

Special Release from Paige Tyler

Paige and I met through an online writers forum and we've hung out a few times in person at 
Lori Foster's Readers & Authors Get Together. 

She's a great gal, an amazing writer, and has a handsome "writer's research" assistant. 

I love Paige's work and want to share this announcement with every one. 

It's release day of Paige's re-release, the hot vampire romance VAMPIRE 101 

(Book One of Modern Day Vampires)!

I love the cover. Erin Dameron-Hill is the artist and it features Jimmy Thomas! Yummy!

Being a Vampire Isn't What It Used to Be!

Savanna Royce is a weekend Goth-girl who’s always been fascinated with vampires. She doesn’t really believe in them, of course, but that changes when she’s bitten by a rogue vamp and left for dead. Fortunately, two-hundred-and-seventy-eight-year-old vampire Kaige Travers is there to rescue her. Unwilling to let her die, he turns Savanna into a vampire to save her life—not knowing if she’ll thank him or hate him for it.

While Kaige is teaching Savanna what she needs to know about being a vampire, neither of them can deny the chemistry that’s there. Somewhere between getting her registered at the local vampire admin office and teaching her how to order blood on the internet, they fall for each other—fast and hard.

Just as things are heating up between the sheets—and everywhere else—they encounter one minor problem. The rogue vampire who attacked her is back and this time he wants to finish the job he started.

Pick up your copy today!

BUY LINKS

Amazon 

B&N

ARe

Tuesday Teaser - Sex, Lies, and Vampires by Katie MacAlister

After falling in love with Katie MacAlister’s writing style and characters I HAD to have more. So… the next time I took Mom to the book store, I found another. This book was originally published in 2005.

Sex, Lies, And Vampires

 I love the quirky heroine in this story, the 3^rd book in The Dark Ones series. (Yep… still haven’t picked up the 1^st yet.) This book was so fun to read, I couldn’t put it down. Perfect with a glass of red wine, a comfy blanket and cozy chair on a cold winter day.

Nell is a historian...and a charmer. When she inadvertently becomes involved with the supernatural world, Nell meets a Dark One (vampire) known as The Betrayer. Despite the scary title, The Betrayer (actually named Adrian) is incredibly sexy, and the chemistry between them becomes overwhelming. There is a lot of sexual tension and loads of romance. He tries to show his big bad self that all should fear, and she responds by calling him a fluffy pet name like sugarpants. Throw in some re-animated mummies, demons, kidnappings, and misunderstandings and you have the basic plotline of Sex, Lies and Vampires.

 

BUY NOW 

Tuesday Teaser - The Real Saint Nic & Drea Becraft

Let's give a warm RWBB welcome to our guest today, Drea Becraft!  Yay!

Thank you so much for having me on your blog.

Tis the season…yes that’s right the Christmas season. I have most of my outside family already bought for but my children only a few things so far. I am so looking forward to seeing all the faces of my loved ones as they open their gifts.

Below is the info on my newest release The Real Saint Nic…ONLY $0.99...I hope it strikes your fancy.

Blurb:

Aimee’s life changed one night, not long ago, when she staked a vampire to save another. Still reeling from that life changing night, Aimee decides to go home with Brenda, her best friend, for the holidays. She never expected Brenda’s brother, who comes off more like the Grinch then Santa, to have so many saint like qualities. Years spent alone, with no family or friends, plays heavy on her mind but Nic could possible be the one who changes it all.

Christma has always been a sore spot for Nicolai. He’s the real saint Nic, but society has him all wrong. He’s no saint. In truth, he’s a vampire. Over the centuries, Nic has spent the holidays fighting off the ridicule from his younger brother and giving to those less fortune, not seeing his own worth. Until one mortal, brought home by his sister Brenda, changes the holiday and his outlook on life for eternity.

Is it possible that Nic has finally found his Mrs. Clause? When worlds meld, can Aimee find the happy ever after she once asked Santa for so many years ago, or is she doomed to spend forever lonely on Christmas?



Excerpt:

With a flick of his hand, the lights next to the bed turned on as did a few lamps across the room. Once my eyes adjusted, I got a better look at the amount of presents. Hundreds, littered the room. The only space not filled was around the bed and a path to two doors in opposite directions. Red, green, and golds splattered the room in a festive show of color.

“You really are Saint Nic.” Astonished I tried desperately to keep my mouth closed.

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Why not?” Turning away from the presents I turned my gaze to Nic’s in question.

“Because I’m nowhere near a saint.” Brows furrowing Nic stared intently at the computer screen.

“Then how did you get the name?”

“That would be Jaysen’s doing. One day, not to long after I started giving the gifts, we got into an argument. I don’t remember most of what was said, after all, it was quite a while ago, but I do remember the comment was rather snide. To this day neither of us knows how it ended up outside our argument, but it still reminds me of that comment. Besides saints are deemed so because of the greatness they do for mankind all I do is give a few toys to some kids.”

Moved by the noticeable hurt in his eyes, a relentless knot twisted in my stomach. Though I still didn’t know him, the connection between us grew with each passing moment.

Whether it was hormones or the fact that we were supposed to be mates, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t stand to see him sad.

I scooted out of the bed and made my way to him, wrapping paper shuffling under my feet. Then, as if it were the most natural thing to do, I lowered myself into his lap and hugged him close. “To those kids you are the world.”

“That’s why I do it every year. Though not in the grand scale that everyone thinks. I try to help at least a few orphanages and hospitals each year.”

“See, you are a saint. Every year you create the biggest rush of hope and joy to the children across the world. Though you can‘t help them all, the small sacrifices you have made over the centuries have helped to shape our world and helps friends and families learn the true meaning of giving. Without you there would be no hope of a perfect

Christmas. If that isn‘t the act of a saint, I don‘t know what is.”

With a grunt in my ear, Nic’s arms tightened around me as he buried his head in the hair between my shoulder blade and ear.

Pulling away slightly, I raised my hands and held of each side of his head. My fingers ran though the silken strands of his hair using that leverage I brought his head up until our eyes met. Leaning down I kissed his full lips with a slight brush of mine.

You are the best mate anyone could ask for. Speaking while our mouths were still fused, Nic sipped from my lips slowly.

The Real Saint Nic Buy Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

ARe

Free Read

My Wish For Christmas Is You

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Growing up Drea Becraft wanted to save the world one dead body at a time as a homicide detective. After high school her dreams turned to the wayside when she found out she was going to be a mother. Eight years later she is now the mother of three beautiful girls, who are a handful, and married to her high school sweetheart. When she is not frantically getting two kids to and from school, to cheer practice, or cleaning up the after a full household she enjoys reading anything and everything she can get her hands on. After a few years of simply reading for enjoyment she began to get excellent ideas for stories of her very own and began to write them as much as time will allow. Watching as her dreams and characters become solid on paper has been exciting to say the least. Drea can't wait to share every dream one story at a time. Until then she enjoys tons of conversation and laughs on twitter, facebook, and yahoo loops and would love to hear from you on any or all of them.

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