Darling reader, these past few weeks have been rough. Hubs is in the hospital after surgery for a persistent issue. This was a planned procedure, and he seems to be recovering well, but imagine preparing to move house and having to put that on pause for medical issues. Not fun. The good news: Doc thinks he can probably come home Wednesday, and most of the big pre-move chores are handled. Work on my WIP is chugging along slowly–not easy to focus under these circumstances. What’s kept me sane is a steady diet of romance books. Speaking of same, I’m pleased to introduce this week’s guest author, the lovely Lucy Leroux, author of steamy romance and much more. Welcome, Lucy, and tell us about your latest book!
Not all queens want a knight to rescue them…
To the outside world, Caroline Wentworth is the new cold and cutthroat CEO of the struggling Wentworth Hotel chain. Always dutiful, Caroline lived by her father’s constraints, squeezing into the suffocating mold of the perfect southern socialite. Since his death, she runs the show and makes the hard calls he refused to face, earning her the title of ‘Ice Queen’ from her employees.
FBI Agent Isaac Rivera is used to assertive people, but he’s met his match with Caroline. Convincing this driven and overworked woman that she’s in danger is his hardest mission yet. Just when he thinks he has her where he wants her, Caroline blindsides him again with her determined independence. Refusing to back down, Caroline has a hotel to save, and can’t possibly get sidetracked by an irresistible FBI agent. With danger looming and his heart burning, can this Knight thaw the fiery Ice Queen?
Excerpt:
“Hold on.” Isaac went to the doorway to pick up the discarded heel. He handed it over before reaching down and swinging her into his arms.
“Agent Rivera,” Caroline hissed as he stepped into the hall.
“You shouldn’t put weight on that leg,” he said. Despite her luscious curves, he found it easy to handle her weight. He could have carried her all over the hotel.
“Is the nurse practitioner the hotel has on-call working tonight?”
“This is not a good idea. Please put me down,” Caroline said, squirming in his arms.
Clearly, she had never been dramatically swept off her feet before.
“Not until someone checks out that ankle,” he said.
Cringing in his arms, she turned her head to check their surroundings. “What if someone sees?”
“The nurse,” he prodded.
“We try not to call her in for staff unless it’s an emergency,” she said. “Which this isn’t. My ankle is just tender—I don’t need medical attention. And please take the service elevator at least.”
He shifted her weight, bringing that perfectly shaped leg up. “There’s no visible bruising. If it still hurts in the morning, I want you to call her.”
Caroline groaned, giving up. She rested her head on his chest, going limp.
Isaac relaxed when she did, enjoying the feel of her in his arms.
Don’t get used to it. And he definitely shouldn’t get hard at the idea of carrying her over the threshold of her room. That was just begging for trouble.
But he couldn’t seem to help himself. He didn’t bother to turn on a light once they arrived at her suite. The moonlight from the window was enough to see Caroline’s king-sized bed just beyond the sitting room.
Knight is Free on Kindle Unlimited!
Sounds delicious! Let’s meet the author.
A 7-time Readers’ Favorite Medal Winner. USA Today Bestselling Author. Mom to a half-feral princess. WOC. Former scientist. Recovering geek.
Lucy Leroux is the steamy pen name for author L.B. Gilbert. Ten years ago Lucy moved to France for a one-year research contract. Six months later she was living with a handsome Frenchman and is now married with an adorable half-french 5yo who won’t go to bed on time.
When her last contract ended Lucy turned to writing. Frustrated by a particularly bad romance novel she decided to write her own. Her family lives in Southern California.
Lucy loves all genres of romance and intends to write as many of them as possible. To date she has published twenty novels and novellas. These includes paranormal, urban fantasy, gothic regency, and contemporary romances with more on the way.
A few questions for Lucy:
Tell us about your inspiration for this story.
Knight Takes Queen is a spin-off of a story I love. The heroine, Caroline was the rejected fiancée in one of my steamiest books and my only menage, Peyton’s Price. When writing PP, I discovered Caroline was not who I thought she was. I was expecting a spoiled princess heiress and realized when writing that book that she was actually a savvy businesswoman living in a pressure cooker who used her socialite status as a shield. I could not wait to write her story. Well, it’s finally here and I paired her with a tough as nails and uber-hot Hispanic FBI agent.
Rivera takes one look at Caroline and wants to rip her clothes off because by god she deserves an alpha sex god! Don’t we all?
What do you love about the genre you write in?
I write what I love to read, namely hot steamy romance with smart heroes and heroines. I hate stories that can be resolved by the two love interests having a simple conversation so I don’t write those. My stories have outside conflicts, problems the hero and heroine have to work together to solve. And I love those happily-ever-afters!
Do you write in other genres?
Yes, I write kick-butt paranormal romance and kindle-melting gothic paranormal regency, check out the Discordia and Hex freebies below for a FREE taste!
Tell us about your journey from aspiring writer to published author.
I used to be scientist. I was working in France, but when the money became French (I was there on a US grant) so did the personnel 😛. But I had met someone and he wanted me to stay so I spent all of 2013 writing and published my first romance, Making Her His in 2014.
Authors always seem to have a teetering To Be Read pile. What’s in yours?
I am a serial re-reader. Lately, I love Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews. Right now I’m working through Dean Koontz Odd Thomas series because I saw the movie and I 💜 Anton Yelchin, RIP.
What makes you put down a book without finishing?
Bad writing and not enough happening! I also detest graphic depictions of violence against women.
Which authors have inspired you?
I mentioned my love of Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews but the only reason I read them was because my Elemental books were compared to theirs!
Before I started writing I loved to re-read my Julie Garwood books over and over. I partially modeled my Singular Obsession books on her Buchanan-FBI series. I also read fifty Lynne Graham novels back to back before writing my first book Making Her His. I love those old Harlequins but hated that the main conflicts could be solved by the hero and heroine having one or two honest conversations. So mine are more intricate than that, but they were still a huge inspiration!
Huge thanks to Sadira Stone for granting me this guest spot!
I have a number of freebies new readers can try to sample my work!
Singular Obsession’ books are a combination of steamy romance and suspense that feature intertwining characters in their own stand-alone stories. Readers call this series “real”, “swoon-worthy” and “addictive”… Confiscating Charlie is a FREE novelette in this series!
If you like a touch of gothic darkness in your romance check out my Spellbound Regency series!
Get a taste with the Hex, a free prequel short story.
Or try my clean Urban Fantasy series under my other pen name, LB Gilbert.
You can also join either of my newsletters for a free full length book!
www.authorlucyleroux.com/newsletter
www.elementalauthor.com/newsletter
You had me at the last line of your blurb.”Can this knight thaw the fiery ice queen?” I love that line.
Oh, sounds like a dandy story! Wishing you all the best.
I love Caroline! I love it when the heroine is a hard-working woman who gives the hero a hard time.
I love RS and this looks like a good one. Congrats! I enjoyed your interview. I didn’t see the Odd Thomas movie but I read the books. I wasn’t aware Anton Yelchin was in them, nor was I aware of his death. How sad! I did see him in Fright Night.
Caroline sounds like a great heroine! Congratulations on the book.