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Author Interview with Madeline Hunter
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Today on the blog we have one of my favorite authors spilling the beans on her latest release. I fell in love with her The Rarest Blooms series and often find myself eradicated from a reading slump between the pages of one of her stories. Check out our interview below:
About the Author:
Madeline Hunter’s first romance was published in
June, 2000.
Since then she has seen twenty-four historical romances and one novella published, and her books have been translated into twelve languages. Over six million of her books are in print. She is a seven-time RITA finalist, and two-time RITA winner. Twenty-three of her books have been on the USA Today bestseller list, and she has also had titles on the New York Times printed list, Publishers Weekly list, and the Waldenbooks paperback fiction list. She has received two starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times has awarded twenty-two of her books 4 1/2 stars. Madeline is a Ph.D. in Art History, and she teaches at the college level. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.Find Madeline Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter
About the Book:
Most women will give him anything he wants. She is not most women…As a well-known barrister and the son of a duke, Ives confines his passionate impulses to discreet affairs with worldly mistresses. A twist of fate, however, has him looking for a new lover right when a fascinating woman shows up in his chambers, asking him to help save her father from the gallows. Unfortunately, he has already been asked to serve as the prosecutor in the case, but that only ensures close encounters with the rarity named Padua Belvoir. And every encounter increases his desire to tutor her in pleasure’s wicked ways...Having always been too tall, too willful, and too smart to appeal to men, Padua Belvoir is shocked when Ives shows interest in her. Knowing his penchant for helping the wrongly accused, she had initially thought he might be her father’s best hope for salvation. Instead, he is her worst adversary—not least because every time he looks at her, she is tempted to give him anything he wants…
Read an excerpt: here | Read a review at RT Book Reviews
Get Your Copy Today!
The Interview
RJ: Welcome and thanks for stopping by Not Another Romance Blog, Madeline! Congrats on your latest book, TALL, DARK AND WICKED (October 6, 2015 | Berkley/NAL). Could you give us the author’s cut of the book’s blurb?
MH: As a well-known barrister and the son of a duke, Ives confines his edgy sensuality to discreet affairs with worldly mistresses. A twist of fate, however, has him looking for a new lover right when a fascinating and unusual woman shows up in his chambers, asking him to help save her father from the gallows
RJ: Let’s get to know more about your Hero and Heroine (Ives and Padua). What are some of their flaws and positive qualities? What attracts them to each other?
MH: The sensible Hemingford brother, the lawyer with sage advice, Ives also has a volatile streak in him. When it surfaces, he is apt to throw the first punch. He has refined sensual tastes, and by that I mean erotic refinement. Think a few shades of light gray. He avoids real romance in his life, for reasons he never contemplates. Being a lawyer, he can be a bit preachy about the logic, or lack of it, behind others’ choices and activities, especially when it comes to his older brother the duke..
No one is more astonished than he is when he falls hard for Padua Belvoir, the daughter of a man he is expected to prosecute for a major crime. What he calls desire is actually more, and as the story progresses he makes choices that could ruin his reputation, and he risks all that he has built.
His most endearing qualities are his bond with his brothers and his willingness to defend criminals if he thinks they are innocent. On the other hand, his decision to become a lawyer---not totally unheard of for a man of his birth, but hardly appropriate and extremely unusual--- was mostly a way to thumb his nose at the eldest of the brothers, who died prior to the series beginning. At least he does not pretend it was anything other than an immature way to irritate someone he disliked!
Ives has a little list of the six essential qualities in a mistress, and Padua fits them all. Most significant is that she has what he considers the most important one--- loyalty. She stands by her father even as her father repudiates her. Among her virtues are things that her world and the men in it normally do not admire---She has always been too willful, too independent and too smart to appeal to men. She is perhaps too careless with her reputation, too, and even with her sole means of employment, and her habit of stating her mind’s thinking creates problems that she doesn’t need. She harbors a romantic streak in her, that prior to the book’s time got her into trouble at least once.
They are initially attracted by physical qualities. Even though Padua is not a typical beauty, Ives finds her quirks, like her unusual height, elegant and provocative. From their first meeting each intrigues the other as distinctive and interesting. There is the magnetism of equals meeting from the get-go.
RJ: Is there anything special you can share behind the inspiration for the book’s plot, characters, or setting? Also, did you incorporate any quirky research findings into the story?
MH: Ives’s character developed in the first book in the series. In the course of that book there is a little exchange/misunderstanding regarding which brother another man’s wife meant when, in a letter her husband found, she referred to her lover as Hemingford. Ives explains he never allows his mistresses to call him that. He much prefers they call him Lord and Master. With that line I saw an inner life for this secondary character, who, with his written contracts with mistresses, orders that part of his life as neatly as the rest. What, I asked myself, if he met a woman who makes his life very messy?
Padua is named after the city in Italy where her mother studied at the university and received a degree. There were several such cities in Italy where woman could obtain a higher education, and even teach. The history of those women and those institutions was very interesting to me, so I gave her this background and the dream, fading fast, of literally following in her mother’s footsteps. I chose the university in Padua because that worked as a woman’s name, where, for example, Bologna does not.
RJ: I understand that this book will be the second in The Wicked trilogy. What is the premise for this series and how did the idea for it come about?
MH: In my last couple of series, the males characters have had a bond, and their give and take while together, away from the ladies, was a lot of fun to write (and, I hope, to read.) They joke with each other, and there is a lot of good-natured male goading too. My editor suggested I consider a series that is male-centric. The men would need a connection, and I chose having them be brothers because an overarching plot point came to me, the event that serves as the catalyst for the first book’s beginning, and the final book’s plot. That plot required they be brothers, all sons of a duke.
RJ: What makes a good romances novel to you and who are your favorite authors?
MH: I like stories with stakes that require the characters to grow in their understanding of themselves, and each other. Also stories where the characters seem very real to me, and are experiencing the kinds of things real people experience, and processing it all that way too. I like there to be a meaningful secondary plot that brings them together and that weaves into the romance. I have enjoyed books by many authors, and have a long list of auto-buys, but some of my earliest favorites that I continue to read are Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, and Amanda Quick.
RJ: What projects are you currently working on and what can we expect from you next?
MH: I am writing the third and last book in the trilogy, The Wicked Duke. When book #1 opened, the eldest of the brothers and the then current duke has died unexpectedly. There is a chance he was poisoned, and suspicion falls on brother number 2., Lance, who inherits the title. The Wicked Duke is his story, and revolves around that mystery and its solution, and the woman he pursues because of his need to clear his name.
RJ: Final Question: Let’s say your book gets its own PBS Masterpiece Classic adaptation; which actors and actress would you ideally cast to portray your characters?
MH: Wow, don’t I wish! For Ives, I would seriously consider James Caviezel and for Padua, Anne Hathaway.
RJ: Thanks again for visiting my blog and I can’t wait to get to know Ives and Padua better! Best wishes on TALL, DARK AND WICKED available 10/6/2015!
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I hope you all have enjoyed this interview and will get to know Ives and Padua through Hunter's latest release! What's your favorite book by one of Madeline's go-to authors: Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, and Amanda Quick?
Coming Soon: Anticipated Releases for April 2011
I hope my list of Anticipate Releases helps you pick some great books! I can't wait! Enjoy!
Here are the Anticipated Releases for April 2011!!!
April 5th- Will see some pretty awesome books coming into a store near you! Get those credit cards ready! Christina Dodd's AMAZING Governess Brides series will see it's 9th installment hitting the shelves this day, as well as another bride-esque series-this one coming from debuting author Cheryl Ann Smith. And don't forget to check out Erica Ridley's latest historical. (also, Ms Ridley has a wonderfully entertaining website and you can view a corresponding 'Scandal Sheet' for her release.)
'Taken By A Prince' by Christina Dodd
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
"Lovely Victoria Cardiff is very prim, very strict, very sure that England is the only civilized place in the world. She’s about to find out she’s right. Only Victoria knows the truth about dashing, dissolute, dangerous Saber Lawrence—that he is a renegade prince plotting to seize control of his country. To ensure her silence, Saber kidnaps Victoria and carries her away to his castle deep in the woods. There they hide the truth about their past: a glittering ball, angry words, a passionate kiss. He vows to vanquish her reserve … but soon finds an English governess is not so easily seduced …"Source
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'The School For Brides' by Cheryl Ann Smith
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
"It's never too late to live happily ever after...
Miss Eva Black spent her life concealing her mother's past as a courtesan. Now a spinster, her beauty hidden away under a dour disguise, Eva spends her days schooling courtesans to be suitable wives. But one vengeful duke does not appreciate Eva turning his mistress into a lady. He plans to seduce Eva into becoming what she detests: a courtesan. But he doesn't expect her to be a woman of such beauty and so many secrets."Source~*~
'Too Sinful To Deny' by Erica Ridley
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
One look at the towering ocean-side manor that is to be her new home, and exiled socialite Susan Stanton knows: This is a place haunted by secrets and riddled with menace.
For Susan, there is no escaping it. At best she can stay clear of the most dangerous element of all--dark-haired smuggler Evan Bothwick, a man whose shaded countenance cannot hide his wicked intent.
But Susan has a secret of her own--a special gift that renders her privy to the darkest mysteries lurking within the walls of the manor and in the labyrinthine cellars beneath. And the only man who can help her make sense of it all is Evan, the very scoundrel and rogue she would do anything to be able to resist..."Source
Fat Tuesday (for books) is APRIL 26th, 2011! SOOOOO Many amazing reads are coming out on this day! The FANTASTIC Madeline Hunter will end her beloved Rarest Blooms series with the book we've all been waiting for, as well as Sarah MacLean's dearly regarded Love by Numbers series will come to a close in April. But where some series are ending, a whole bunch are planning to keep adding to theTBR count: Mary Jo Putney adds to her wonderful Lost Lords series, Kieran Kramer gives readers another Impossible Bachelor book, and Maya Rodale's Writing Girl Book series will see another tale. And don't forget about the new single novel bythe ever-lovely Anna Campbell that is coming that day- right along with the first book in a new highlander series by Margaret Mallory! (Programing Note: Anna Campbell will stop by on the 29th the month for some book chat and a giveaway and Sarah Maclean will swing by next month for a cool interview! )
'Dangerous In Diamonds' by Madeline Hunter
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
When Daphne Joyes rejects this notorious hedonist’s seduction, she assumes that he will forget about her and continue on his path to hell. Instead her beauty, grace and formidable composure captivate him, and she becomes one of those fascinations to him. That he intends to have her, and soon, is actually the least of the dangers that his pursuit of her presents. More troublesome is his interest in her past and her history, and the way he keeps poking his nose into the secrets behind the distant relative’s bequest that gave him ownership of the property where she lives."Source
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'Nowhere Near Respectable' by Mary Jo Putney[read edit] |
| Read an excerpt: here |
But Damian Mackenzie has secrets that leave no room in his life for courting high-born young ladies—especially not the sister of one of his oldest friends. Yet when Kiri’s quick thinking reveals a deadly threat to England’s crown, Damian learns that she is nowhere near as prim and respectable as he first assumed... and the lady is far more alluring than any man can resist..."Source
*Edit: I've been informed that Nowhere near Respectabe will be out in May, not April. I follow and go by the release dates on amazon.com or the publisher's website, and even if a release is late in the month (includes last day of month), I'l count it as that month's release. Mary Jo Putney DOES have a reissued slated for APRIL (as in April 5th),called 'The Bargain' Make sure you check it out!
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'Midnight's Wild Passion' by Anna Campbell
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
The dashing, licentious Marquess of Ranelaw can never forgive Godfrey Demarest for ruining his sister - now the time has come to repay the villain in the same coin. But one formidably intriguing impediment stands in the way of Nicholas's vengeance: Miss Antonia Smith, companion to his foe's unsuspecting daughter.
Having herself been deceived and disgraced by a rogue-banished by her privileged family as a result and forced to live a lie-Antonia vows to protect her charge from the same cruel fate. She recognizes Ranelaw for the shameless blackguard he is, and will devote every ounce of her intelligence and resolve to thwarting him.
Yet Antonia has always had a fatal weakness for rakes…"Source
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'A Tale of Two Lovers' by Maya Rodale' |
| Read an excerpt: here |
Lord Simon Roxbury is a godsend to gossip columnists everywhere. this notorious rake has recently been caught in an extremely compromising position by none other than The London Weekly‘s Lady of Distinction. Rumor also has it that Lord R received an ultimatum: be wed or be penniless.
She is scandalous.
As A Lady of Distinction, Lady Julianna Somerset typically reports on other people’s scandals, but soon she finds herself embroiled in a very public battle with an irate Lord Roxbury–one that leaves her reputation in tatters and her position at The Weekly on the line.
Together they’re…respectable?!
With no other choice available, these two enemies unite in a marriage of convenience to rescue both their reputations and secure his fortune. With their rivals intent on revealing the charade, Lady Julianna and Lord Simon inevitably surrender to temptation. It may just be a love match after all…"Source
~*~
'Cloudy With A Chance At Marriage' by Kieran Kramer
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
Captain Stephen Arrow is just home after years of service, and he’s in no hurry to give up his hard-won freedom. The meddlesome bluestocking Jilly Jones is exactly the kind of woman he doesn’t need…But there’s something about her that keeps drawing Stephen back to the bookshop. With her sparkling wit and understated beauty, she seems like a surprisingly real match for Stephen. But will a scandalous chapter in Jilly’s past stand in the way of their heated attraction? For this bachelor, nothing is impossible…"Source
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'Eleven Scandals To Start To Win A Duke's Heart' by Sarah MacLean
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
Bold, impulsive, and a magnet for trouble, Juliana Fiori is no simpering English miss. She refuses to play by society's rules: she speaks her mind, cares nothing for the approval of the ton, and can throw a punch with remarkable accuracy. Her scandalous nature makes her a favorite subject of London's most practiced gossips...and precisely the kind of woman the Duke of Leighton wants far far away from him.
He swears by reputation.
Scandal is the last thing Simon Pearson has room for in his well-ordered world. The Duke of Disdain is too focused on keeping his title untainted and his secrets unknown. But when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage late one evening--risking everything he holds dear--he swears to teach the reckless beauty a lesson in propriety."Source
~*~
'The Guardian' by Margaret Mallory
 |
| Read an excerpt: here |
After years of fighting abroad, Ian MacDonald comes home to find his clan in peril. To save his kin, he must right the wrongs from his past . . . and claim the bride he's long resisted.
As a young lass, Sìleas depended on Ian to play her knight in shining armor. But when his rescue attempt compromised her virtue, Ian was forced to marry against his wishes. Five years later, Sìleas has grown from an awkward girl into an independent beauty who knows she deserves better than the reluctant husband who preferred war to his wife. Now this devilishly handsome Highlander is finally falling in love. He wants a second chance with Sìleas - and he won't take no for an answer."Source
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And there you go! April's rarest blooms all ripe for the picking! Speaking of ripe, this month's crop was SO bountiful, there seems to be a few more release I feel I should mention. And they don't get any riper than Isobel Carr's 'Ripe For Pleasure' and Kathryn Smith's 'When Tempting A Rogue'. Both are released on April 26th and BOTH look like stellar reads!!! Click the images for info on their Amazon pages!
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