Book Lovers Inc.
Romance Novel Reviews, Author Interviews, Commentary
Guest Post by Author Bronwen Evans + Giveaway
Today we are very happy to welcome Bronwen Evans here at Book Lovers Inc. Bronwen is here today to celebrate the release of her newest book, Invitation to Scandal with all of us and discuss about villains! Who doesn’t love a sexy historical romance and a discussion about hidden villains? I know I do 🙂
And as always, don’t forget to check at the end of the post how you could win your own copy of Invitation to Scandal! And also, keep in mind, that there will be a Grand Prize at the end of the Tour: a year’s subscription to RT Book Review Magazine, a $50 Amazon or B&N Voucher PLUS… a Book Basket of 30 SIGNED by the AUTHORS books!!! Quite a lot, right?
First of all, I’d like to say thank you very much to Book Lovers Inc for hosting me today. I’m thrilled to be here on the INVITATION TO ROMANCE book tour for my new Regency romance, INVITATION TO SCANDAL
If you had the chance to read my debut, INVITATION TO RUIN, you’ll know that I wrote a very dark ‘realistic’ villain in the book. I wanted the villain’s upbringing in that story, to contrast with my hero’s life. They’d had the same childhood, both growing up in the cruel world of slave trading, yet the villain grew inherently evil, while my hero survived and was inherently good.
Well, in INVITATION TO SCANDAL, I wanted a villain that remained hidden for the entire book. That is hard work I have to say. Why, I hear you ask, was that important? Because this book is about Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore’s search for redemption. He hopes the villain (a French spy) can tell him about his father’s supposed treason and solve his father’s death. So if the villain is revealed at the beginning of the story then the search for the spy, for you the reader, is over. I wanted you to be right there with Rufus as he tries to capture the spy. You’d experience his frustration at making very little progress, and see why he is so very keen to bed; whoops I mean seduce, information out of our heroine, Rheda Kerrick.
To catch his spy, Rufus must first find ‘Dark Shadow’, a notorious smuggler. The spy is using Dark Shadow’s network to send his communiqués. The story starts with Rufus catching Rheda with an unstamped barrel of French brandy and he’s determined to seduce her for information—the fact he’s wildly attracted to her is like a huge piece of cream filled chocolate cake to a woman on a diet. You know you want it but you know there is a hefty price to pay! [CLUE NINE: RUFUS]
Needless to say, Rheda takes my hero on a merry dance and is determined Rufus will never uncover the identity of Dark Shadow. Any guesses as to why? Tee hee—read the story and find out!
As I wrote INVITATION TO SCANDAL, I tried to put twists and turns into the story to keep you, the reader, and Rufus guessing. He got jolly cross with me and when the villain was finally revealed he couldn’t believe it!
If you get a chance to read INVITATION TO SCANDAL, I’d love you to drop me an email or comment on my website about whether you guessed who the villain was, and at what point in the book you knew for certain. I love surprises and I hope I’ve delivered a believable villain in a surprising way.
I’d love to hear what you think about the issue of hiding the identity of villains in romance novels. Does it add to the tension? Or is it annoying? Do you like following the clues as the hero or heroine has to?
About the Book:
Invitation to Scandal
Her secrets are coming undone…
Plagued by scandalous rumors, Rheda Kerrich will stop at nothing to restore her reputation and make an honest living for herself—and she’s determined to do it without a husband. But times are hard, and smuggling is a risky though profitable trade. So when a dashing agent for the English government catches her in the act, she desperately resists his charms and conceals her illicit profession. Until she realizes he may be the key to her ultimate freedom—and unbridled passion…
Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore, has never had trouble beguiling the ladies of Kent. When his search for “Dark Shadow,” a cunningly elusive smuggler, leads him to alluring and headstrong Rhe, her objections to his amorous advances merely incite a tantalizing game of cat and mouse. Soon, they’ll find the very secrets driving them apart could ensnare them in a love they can’t escape…
About the Author:
New Zealander Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She’s always indulged her love for story-telling, and is constantly gobbling up movies, books and theatre. Her head is filled with characters and stories, particularly lovers in angst. Is it any wonder she’s a proud romance writer?
She writes both historical and contemporary, sexy romances, for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. She’s won several romance writing competitions and is a member of several writing organization, including RWA, RWNZ, PASIC, RWAustralia and The Beau Monde.
Bronwen loves hearing from avid romance readers at romance@bronwenevans.com You can keep up with Bronwen’s news by visiting her website www.bronwenevans.com
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~*~*Giveaway*~*~
Bronwen has generously offered a copy of Invitation to Scandal for one lucky commenter! (paperback or e-book winner’s choice!)
All you have to do is answer one of Bronwen’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
Giveaway ends on Saturday, May 19th, 2012; we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good luck!
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I love books when you are blindsided by who the villian is. It makes me want to read it again to pick up on anything that the first time read it. I have to say your villian in this was completely twisted and I was very happy that he died. Who knows what would have happened if it was made public because of his dual personas. I can’t wait to find out how twisted his protege is.
Have you ever considered writing a series that the villian isn’t revealed until a few or several books into the series or at the end? I just finished reading a new release with that happening where everyone thought the villian was someone else, and everone was moving on without realizing that there was a still a threat. When that was revealed, the only thing I could say is my mouth dropped and didn’t want to believe it. I want to read the series again to see if there are any little hints that I missed because I didn’t know to look for them.
I love when books just give you clues as to who the villain is. I want to try to figure it out. To me, the book is just not that good if it tells me who it is. I want mystery. I want to try to follow the clues to the outcome like the hero and/or heroine do. Sometimes I’m wrong and then I go back and reread to try to see where I made my mistakes. It makes you think and adds to the mystery.
This book sounds amazing. Can’t wait to read it.
Thank you, Joanne. If you read Invitation to Scandal drop me a note and let me know at what point you guessed who the villain was.
If done right keeping the villain out of sight can add great tension, and I enjoy finding pieces of the puzzle right along with the hero/heroine. So I think your plot line sounds great! I better go find the first book and start there =)
Thanks for a great post and giveaway!
I like to be surprised and find out who the villain is along w/ the main characters. It definitely adds to the tension if you don’t know who it is.
I like following the clues.
As a writer it’s so hard to know if you are giving too much away. The balance between too much information and not enough is a fine line.
Good morning everyone
I wanted the villain to be a surprise so I hope I got it right. Thanks for stopping by.
I like to read a book that has me trying to figure out who the villan is all along. I don’t want to know early on in the story.
Your book sounds really good and i have added it to my TBR list.
Thank you, that’s very sweet.
I enjoy trying to figure out who the villian is based on the clues the author has provided and the “aha “moment when it all falls into place.
I love a book that leads a reader to question what the characters truly are and what makes them who they are by following the clues of their interactions with others, how they respond to others and the situations they face and how they present themselves to others.
Like in life the characters often present themselves one way to hide evil, their true personalities and even their love and caring of others as the case may be.
As in real life without looking for the clues of the “true person” underneath we can often be mislead by a fascade they use to hide their true intent. Fortunately in books we can enjoy the “hunt” to uncover the truth.
The true question is The Dark Shadow the villian he (or she) appears to be? Hum, maybe I should read those clues one more time!
I enjoy following the clues and am disappointed if the identity is revealed too early…but then I am a mystery fan also (-:
I love a book that hides the identity of the villain too, but I also like when the author lets you know who the villain is at the beginning of the book and you go through the excitement of wanting the character’s to figure it out and the disappointment when they don’t. You want to get into the book and shake them and say it’s this person! Why can’t you see it! LOL!
hi… bronwen
I like following the clue , more exaited to read
I don’t mind either way about the villain. Hiding the identity of the villain does make it more intriguing as to who the villain could be.
I don’t mind when characters hide their identities in a story when it fits into the storyline. Often it can give it tension and mystery which I like. I would prefer for the hidden identity to not be hidden until the end. I like it more when clues are given and the unraveling of a character is gradual over time.
I like to be reading along and figure out the clues with the hero and heroine and learn about the villain as they do. I think it is more satisfying.
I do love using my wits to uncover a villain. It’s a lot of fun. Getting the identity wrong means there were lots of twists & turns & red herrings – got to love that.
If a book’s well written then I probably wouldn’t mind either way. And as a big fan of romantic suspense, going along with the characters in their investigation seems interesting. I just don’t like it if the villain is really lame or cliche and not remotely scary. Thanks!
I like reading with like following the clues, cause i like mystery. LOL!!
It’s a lot fun when i trying figure who was villain. And when villain was not person was i though.
This book sounds great, and look like it will go in my long wish list.
Thank you for giveaway!!
Hi bronwen!
If the villain is hidden, the mystery is more pronounce don’t you think? We can wonder who the villain is, along with the characters. It’s absolutely much more fun that way.
Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
I totally agree! I love seeing the story unfold along with the hero and heroine.
While it’s also interesting (though less so) to see HOW the hero/heroine put the pieces if the villain is revealed from the very beginning, I’d rather if it we see it unfold along the way. I like a dash of suspense and mystery thrown into my reads. It adds to the intrigue and racks up the tension.
Yes I love not knowing who the villian is and following the clues. It makes the book very interesting. Thanks for the giveaway.
I am SO excited about this post! Bronwen Evans is a new author to me and I love the sound of her books. Thank you so much for introducing her to me!
sandy(dot)wolters(at)q(dot)com
I think it is best to let the hero and heroine uncover the villian later in the book to maintain tension. Done right, the suspense will add to the story. I do enjoy a romance with a touch of mystery and suspense in it.
tamsyn5(at)yahoo(dot)com
One of my first female smuggler books, is written by Stephanie Laurens, or Virginia Henley. But that was a long time ago 🙂 Of course, discovering who the real villain is, is half the joy of a book that has some suspense in it 🙂
IF it’s a mystery, I like to follow the clues. There’s nothing worse than if the villain is too obvious.
Yes, mystery always lead me till the end! 😀
Of course, a hidden villain must make me curious about all of the plot.
I like it that way.
Sometimes it became annoying, when the identity is being hidden too much, I mean the plot became “doesn’t make any sense” just because the author want to hide the villain. As long as it no “too much”, it must be great. 🙂
I like a suspense in my romance too but I like to see a sensible development. Too much too soon ruins the suspense but not enough clues can be frustrating. Gosh being a writer is hard – it’s the balance that is key.
I like to be surprised to find out that I was wrong about the villain. When I can guess and I’m not a quarter the way through, then the plot is thin and the reading isn’t as enjoyable for me. I do like the suspense of not knowing and having that extra “wham” at the end.
I love following the clues as the hero or heroine has to… I think it adds great tension and keeps things unpredictable, so I don’t get bored and wanna finish it fast so that I can move on.
It is kinds fun to try to figure out who the villian is. My favorite part, when ther is a villian, is when they get their comeuppance & their whole arrogant, superior air is shattered. Especially if it’s the heroine who does it.
That’s part of the suspense. Guessing who the Villain is and following the clues. It makes for a much exciting and adventurous read. This is definitely an exciting tour. 🙂
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Of course it hads tension, and mystery, and suspense and…..oh well you get the idea….I love it….bring on the clues! The pages just fly by because I just can’t seem to put a book down at times when i’m so caught up into the story.
Oh yes most definitely. It’s like a whodunnit! I hv to admit to being hopelessly obtuse at figuring out who the villain is unless I’m slapped on the head.