Author's Blurb
When his half brother Austin declares himself King, Crown Prince Dalmas of Ashdowne is forced to flee his castle or be put to death for treason. On his way to find proof Austin's claims are false, he prevents the imminent sexual assault of a beautiful young woman, killing Castle Guards in the process.
Fleeing a forced betrothal, Ravenna LoPresti of Wythmail finds herself a reluctant companion to sexy, lustful Dalmas on his journey to find the truth and win back his rightful Crown. While Austin and his Guards chase Dalmas, a Royal Proclamation declares a price on Ravenna's head as well.
Dalmas and Ravenna awaken each other's sexual desires, but will lust and growing love keep them together, even if they find the proof Dalmas needs? Or will Ravenna be forced to return to her kingdom and marry the Count, or be put to death for a murder she didn't commit?
The positive points:
Carolyn Rosewood's writing is smooth, and her hero and heroine come to life quickly. The Crown Prince on the run for his life and the young widow trying to escape a second arranged marriage were both deftly and sympathetically sketched. The plot involves political twists and convoluted laws, and Ms. Rosewood never loses track of any of them. She keeps the tension high both by giving the hero pursuers and traitors and by giving the heroine a rapidly dwindling amount of time to escape. The attraction between the hero and heroine is believable and sweet, and at the end, as the couple settle into a happily-ever-after, their declarations of love are both satisfying and right. The couple have gone through a great deal together, and their happy ending is deserved and gratifying. The heroine, in particular, was refreshingly free of irritating harshnesses added simply to make her seem "tough". Instead, she had an unexpected courage that was pleasing without being cloying.
The negative points:
The largest negative points were some of the plot points in the political intrigue. Some of the laws of the Crown Prince's land had the feeling of being made up simply to provide difficulties for the hero and heroine. In the hero's kingdom, the child of a prince or king by one of his official "courtiers", as they are called in the book, is accounted legitimate, whether the child is conceived before or after the king or prince's marriage, but if the king or prince does have sex with a courtier after his marriage, he is guilty of adultery, a crime punishable by death. This is not the outcome of any natural, legal evolution; this is a plot device. Furthermore, the mystery surrounding the death of the heroine's first husband does not show up until too far into the book, so it does not get sufficient development. It felt tacked on, as well. However, though these aspects did pull me out of the story, they did not ruin a story otherwise engaging.
Join us in welcoming the inimitable Carolyn Rosewood to our blog today! She's got this fabulous series of smoking-hot seduction stories out that are must-reads! Let's learn more about Carolyn and her work.
AD: Welcome to "Boundless as the Sea"! How long have you been writing? Writing romance?
CR: I'm glad to be here. I've been writing since I could print! When I was little my mother would take in typing to do at home for extra money. Sometimes she'd let me borrow her typewriter, and even though I didn't know how to type I'd hunt and peck out my stories, mostly about animals. I was the geek in high school school who carried around a notebook filled with hand-written stories. I'd never show them to anyone, but I'd sit in class and write when I got bored, which was pretty often. :)
I've been writing romance for about 12 years, but only got serious about it the past two.
AD: What first inspired you to write your Seduced by a Demon series?
CR: The Last Soul grew out of a challenge thread on Litopia, put there by my editor Emma Shortt. Emma is also a moderator on Litopia. TLS started out as a 1,000 word erotic horror. Emma liked it, and wanted me to expand it for possible publication with a different publisher. In the meantime, I accepted an offer to publish my sexy romantic suspense, Haunted Heart, with this same publisher, but under a different editor. I still wanted to work with Emma, so I approached her about turning TLS into a romance so I could submit it to Evernight. She loved the idea, and The Last Soul was born.
While writing TLS, Jahi's character popped off the page and I knew she had to have her own book. Her story is Hunted. And of course while writing Hunted, I knew from Teresa's first line she would have her own story as well, and that became Playing For Keeps.
AD: How long did it take you from the first draft of the first book until the last one was completed?
CR: I started work on TLS in February of 2011 and submitted Playing For Keeps in August. WHEW!
AD: Which of the three stories was the easiest for you to write? The most difficult?
CR: The Last Soul was the easiest. I'd never written anything so raw and sexy, and I just let loose and enjoyed writing Faina. I had fun with her, and the story just flowed. Playing For Keeps was a close second, although I was bogged down at first in trying too hard to wrap up the threads for all three books. Hunted was the story I struggled with, but I think it turned out all right in the end. :)
AD: Did any of your heroes or heroines give you particular trouble? Of what kind was it?
CR: Jahi gave me a lot of trouble. I had to dig deep to find her motivation.
AD: Which is your favorite of the three stories? Why?
CR: I love Playing For Keeps. And the only reason I love it so much is because Emma helped me make it shine. I think it's the best of the three.
AD: Which of the three couples is your favorite? Do you have a favorite individual hero/heroine? Is this favorite character part of your favorite couple?
CR: It's a toss up between Jace and Faina, and Damien and Teresa. Both couples were written so that their love story grew over time, and out of shared likes and experiences. My favorite heroine is Teresa. She's fun and flirty, but when she needed to put on her big girl panties and own up to the bad things she did, she didn't disappoint.
AD: Did you have all three stories in mind when you began?
CR: Not at all! Hunted grew out of Jahi's character, who was written as Faina's friend in TLS. And Playing For Keeps grew out of Hunted, where Teresa is the demon who betrays Jahi.
AD: Do you have any plans to return to your Seduced by a Demon world for a longer visit? Will we see a novel set there? If not, how can we convince you that you need to do this? Is ice-cream a sufficient bribe?
CR: LOL! Chocolate maybe...I have no immediate plans to return to that world, but since I love writing paranormal more than any other sub-genre, I certainly hope my readers will stick with me if I write a few more of them.
AD: What projects are you currently working on?
CR: I'm working on a naughty fairy tale for one of Evernight's new lines, a story about a man losing his virginity for their current anthology call, and I'm still trying to finish up my full length romantic fantasy, which takes place in an alternate universe. This manuscript has been with me for nineteen years. I'm not kidding.
AD: What is your usual "writing routine"? Please describe a typical writing session for us.
CR: Whenever, wherever. I work a full time job outside the home and writing during the day is out of the question. I try to sneak some in during the mornings, but most of it is done in the evenings after work and on weekends. I usually have my iPod going for background noise, and to block out the dogs next door who bark 24/7, and who unfortunately are in outdoor pens right outside my writing room windows.
AD: What is the most surprising thing about you?
CR: I'm just a normal wife and mom. Honest. :)
AD: I hear you there! Thanks for dropping by, Carolyn!
In addition to her website and publishing presence, you can find Carolyn on Facebook and Twitter.
Author: Carolyn Rosewood
Title: Hunted
Length: Novella
Author's Blurb
For the past four hundred years, Jahi Wickes has made forged documents and credit cards for the female demons who seduce men into signing away their souls. While enjoying the parades at Mardi Gras, she's ambushed by two angels. One is her former guardian angel, and the other is the Nephilim who’s tracking him.
Dagon has been chasing Vassago for three years. His first big break comes in the form of a cute, sexy demon. When he learns the real reason Vassago is hunting her, Dagon has more trouble than he bargained for. Not only was Vassago sent to guard souls in Purgatory after screwing up his assignment with Jahi, but the person who paid him to destroy her is one of her fellow demons.
What I Thought
The positive points:
I enjoyed the skill with which Carolyn Rosewood drew me into the story. From the first page, with its Mardi Gras parade and attempted capture of the heroine, I was interested. I wanted to know what happened next. I also appreciated that I did not have to have read the previous installment in her series to understand and enjoy this one. The sex scenes were steamy; each one was hot without being repetitive, which was quite a feat considering the proportion of the novella which was taken up with the sex. The plot had just enough twists to keep it interesting without overburdening the novella. Do not assume, however, this book, despite its angels-and-demons motif, to follow standard Christian mythology.
The negative points:
There were not many because Carolyn Rosewood writes in a smooth, readable style, well-suited to her subject matter. The biggest drawback for me was the rushing of the romance between Jahi and Dagon. It was not precisely a "love-at-first-sight" romance, despite the physical attraction so clearly present on both sides. Had it been a full love-at-first-sight, that would have been different. As it was, however, the love which grew up between Dagon and Jahi was not given, in my opinion, sufficient scope or time. This is a necessary constraint of the novella form, though, and not something I could legitimately hold against the otherwise extremely well-executed story.
Look for longer works from Ms. Rosewood in the future!
Adonis says...
Get it here.
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