It’s always with pleasure that we welcome Zoë Archer on Book Lovers Inc!  Demon’s Bride, the second book in Zoë’s Hellraisers series came out earlier  this week.  This book is a mix of genres and the result is explosive! You can read my review later today.  Let’s give a warm welcome to Zoë! And don’t forget, you can enter to win a copy of Demon’s Bride!

One of the reasons why I love writing paranormal historical romance is that I get to do research. That might seem like a funny reason to enjoy something, but, in my case, it’s true. I love digging up interesting facts or learning unusual things about the past, then combining them with the paranormal.

When I researched DEMON’S BRIDE, the second book in my Hellraisers series, I knew that the hero of the book would be a man who actually worked for his fortune. Leo Bailey is a saddler’s son, and the only member of the Hellraisers who isn’t gently born. Unlike his friends who earn their money through their estates, Leo immerses himself in the world of commerce and trade. You can well imagine how the elite of London Society feel about that!

I discovered in my research that, during the 18th century, London’s economic heart was located in a place called Exchange Alley, also known as Change Alley. The financial center of the city could be found at the intersection of three roads: Cornhill, Threadneedle and Lombard. The Royal Exchange was located here, and coffee houses were abundant all around this area. These coffee houses served as meeting places for men of business, investing in shipments of goods from all over the world, and shares and commodities for English goods, too. Lloyd’s of London was actually founded here, beginning as a coffee house before becoming the powerhouse insurance market it is today. Jonathan’s coffee house also contained the new Stock Exchange. There were scores of coffee houses, all serving as the heartbeat that kept the blood of commerce flowing through not just London, but all of Britain—even the world.

When writing DEMON’S BRIDE, I tried to imagine what those bustling narrow streets were like. I pictured Leo purposefully moving through the crowds and securing a table for himself as someplace like the New Jerusalem coffee house. The air would smell of coffee and tobacco, and be thick with the talk of trade. This isn’t a place for women. No respectable lady would ever be seen here. So the sounds of Exchange Alley would be the sounds of men’s voices, the clink of cups and rustle of newspapers. (Most coffee houses provided newspapers for their patrons, so if anyone wanted to know anything about what was going on, they’d head immediately to the coffee house to read about and discuss the news of the day.) There would be an almost palpable energy to the place, as England stretches the boundaries of its empire and continues as one of the world’s greatest financial powers. Leo would feel that energy, and even feed off of it.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt Leo’s business dealing that, in exchange for freeing the Devil from his prison, Leo is given the power to see the future. All he has to do is touch a piece of money belonging to someone, and he’s given a vision of the financial disasters that will befall his intended target. With that kind of knowledge, Leo is sure to make the right investments. But even before he was given his power, his sharp and ruthless business sense earned him the name the Demon of the Exchange.

On the right hand side of the above image, you can just make out the Devil watching the scene with glee.

So, my question to you is: do you ever have meetings at coffee houses? And what’s your drink of choice? Personally, my favorite is a soy latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup. I’ll pick a winner from the comments to receive a copy of DEMON’S BRIDE. (Print for US/Canada, digital for international.)

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About the book:
DEMON’S BRIDE
The Hellraisers, Book 2

Hell to Pay

Leo Bailey may have been born to poverty, but ruthless business sense and sparkling intelligence have made money worries a thing of his past. It doesn’t hurt that the Devil himself has granted Leo the ability to read the future.

But even infallible predictions are a déclassé commoner’s trick to some members of the ton. They’ll never see Leo as their equal – one good reason to prove himself their better. And a noble marriage is an obvious start.

Bookish Anne Hartfield, daughter of a baron, is hardly the flashiest miss on the marriage market. But her thoughtful reserve complements Leo’s brash boldness in an attraction neither can deny. A whirlwind courtship sweeps Anne and Leo into a smoldering marriage before either can believe their luck. But happiness built on Leo’s dark powers can’t last. Soon, Anne will have to save her husband…or lose her heart.

About the author:

Zoë Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there’s nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master’s degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF THE ROSE series and the paranormal historical romance series, THE HELLRAISERS. She and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, created the steampunk world of THE ETHER CHRONICLES together. Her steampunk romance, SKIES OF FIRE, is now available from Avon Impulse, and Nico’s steampunk Western, NIGHT OF FIRE, will be available in July. Zoë and Nico live in Los Angeles.

Excerpt

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To buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters Indigo, Amazon UK

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~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Zoë has generously offered a copy of Demon’s Bride for 1 lucky commenter!  (Print for US/Canada, digital for international.)

All you have to do is answer one of  Zoë’s questions or leave a meaningful comment about the post.

(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

This giveaway is open to all: (Print for US/Canada, digital for international.)

Giveaway ends on Saturday, May 12th, 2012; we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Caro The HEA Lover

Caroline is a HEA loving, yarn addicted French who's desperately hoping to get a HEA of her own. If she's not reading then she can be found knitting while listening to Audiobooks or watching Tv shows. Her secret addiction is reading websites that make fun at other people's expense (DYAC, Failbook)! Caroline also blogs at the Secret HEA Society with Susi.

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