We are happy to welcome back to BLI Entangled author Robin Covington, who stops by to tell you about her latest release, His Southern Temptation, the second book in her The Boys Are Back in Town series! So please give her a warm welcome, read on to learn which sexy actors she could picture as playing her heroes and if you share with us your pick you could even win yourself a copy of His Southern Temptation!  😀

Stella: Hi Robin, welcome back to Book Lovers Inc! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Robin: Hi Stella – thanks for having me back. I’m a pretty ordinary person. I’m 44, a wife and mother of a son and daughter (10 & 8) and I work a day job as a civilian attorney for the U.S. Navy. I’m a lead singer in a band and I love to watch Grimm, Castle, Hawaii 5-0 and The Walking Dead.

Stella: Are you a planner or pantser? Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? How do your novels come to life?

Robin: I am a mix of both. I do write a loose scene outline of each book – just to keep me on track and then I write the book. I allow myself to deviate if I want but the outline keeps me getting too far off course.

I usually think of the first line in my book and that is how the story unfolds. In my upcoming June release for the Brazen line called, Playing the Part, I had the line “The guy had an axe sticking out of his head” pop into my mind and since I don’t write a murder mystery I rolled it around for a while. Eventually, I came up with a guy sitting in a golf cart on a movie lot with a prop axe through his head . . . and the story of an action movie hero and romance novelist unfolded. But, I didn’t keep the line throughout edits . . .

For His Southern Temptation, the first line I thought ended up being at the beginning of chapter two when all was said and done, “You never forgot the sound of a round chambered in a gun three feet away from your head.” When I had that one in my head I saw the entire book unfold like a carpet . . . awesome.

Stella: That does indeed sound awesome! What do you think is the difference between a reader and a real Book Lover?

Robin: A reader is someone who enjoys books but will put them down in the middle, do something else and pick it up again when they don’t’ have anything else to do. A Book Lover is a person who just has to have a book to dive into, loves it, lives it, breathes it. They put down a book and have to start looking for the next story to sink into.

Stella: Your latest novel, His Southern Temptation, the second book in your The Boys Are Back in Town series just got released by Entangled Publishing, congratulations! Can you tell our readers a bit about this series of yours and what they can expect of His Southern Temptation in particular?

Joe Mangianello as Jackson

Robin: Thanks! I am so excited about this series. It is planned for four books but my readers have been begging me not to stop there and I’m thinking about it. ; ) But, I didn’t give any of the Boys brothers so . . . I’ll have to think of some cousins.

The series is about the Boys: Jackson, Lucky, Teague, and Beck.

These are the kind of men every southern daddy hopes never catch the eye of their daughters. Lifelong friends, born and raised in the small town of Elliott, VA, they left town the minute the ink was dry on their high school diplomas and made lives of their own choosing far away.

None of them ever planned to return.

But, fate has brought them home to confront their demons, re-evaluate the past, and find their future in the women who can finally make it all make sense.

His Southern Temptation is about Lucky. He is back in town after a career as a Black Ops Marine and he’s ready to settle down to a quiet life where he doesn’t have to kill people. When his best friend’s little sister (and his secret on-again, off-again lover) shows up in town he knows who wants to settle down with . . . but Taylor needs to be convinced. I love the twist of the guy chasing the girl and many readers have said the same thing. It’s a nice change and was so much fun to write.

Alex O’Loughlin as Lucky

Stella: Could you introduce Lucky and Taylor, the hero and heroine His Southern Temptation to us? 

Robin: If it’s okay with you, I’ll let Taylor and Lucky describe each other. They do know each other best, after all. I wasn’t sure if they’d be honest in front of each other so I cornered them separately at the Southern Comfort Diner.

Lucky: Describe Tay? She’s fearless. Really. She didn’t have the most loving background and her parents were demanding but she broke out and made her own life far away. She surfs, travels the world, has crazy sexy tattoos and piercing and is so gorgeous. She gives me peace and makes me crazy with her stubborn temper but I’ve never met anyone else like her.

Taylor: Lucky is hot – but don’t tell him – he’s got a huge ego already. Not really. He has the biggest heart hidden underneath the joking and he’s had so much pain in his life. But, he’s a great son and friend and a Marine to the core. Faithful. That is what he is in his heart of hearts.

Stella: If they had a life song (a soundtrack for their life/personality), what would that be?

Robin: I do have a playlist for this book and their song is “Want To” by Sugarland. The imagery of this song- the two people who want each other but need to make the choice about whether to take a step towards a relationship or to walk away is absolutely the choice they need to make in this book.

The chorus is my fave:

The whole world could change in a minute
Just one kiss could stop it spinning
We could think it through
But I don’t want to if you don’t want to
We could keep things just the same
Leave here the way we came
with nothing to lose
But I don’t want to if you don’t want to

Stella: If your The Boys Are Back in Town series were to be made into a movie or TV series, who would be your perfect cast?

Robin: Oh – I sooooo have this one figured out! Dream casting is a yes for me. Jackson (Book 1) would be Joe Manganiello and Lucky (Book 2) would be played by Alex O’Loughlin. Teague (Book 3) is Jensen Ackles in my head and beck (Book 4) is Jason Behr.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

Stella: Can you share with us a behind the scenes secrets about His Southern Temptation or the series? 

Robin: All the Boys were inspired by my cousins and some of the guys I grew up with in rural Virginia. They were always hunting, fishing, playing football, racing cars and getting up to no good. But, they were tight – really close and always had each other’s back. I just love the dynamic that existed between them – brothers by choice – and I really wanted to explore that.

Some of the crazy stuff in the books is based on rel-life events but I’ll forego mentioning any names to protect the guilty. ; )

Stella: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read His Southern Temptation?

Robin: 1. The twist of the alpha male chasing the girl is so fresh and sexy. When Carly Phillips read this book she emailed me and said, ‘Oh, to have a man want you like that.” It is hot.
2. Taylor is a modern woman who has to struggle with the dilemma of whether she can really have it all. She is you and me and all our girlfriends.
3. The sex is hot. Really. You’ll need to take a cold shower.

Stella: Could you please summarize His Southern Temptation for us Twitter-style (in 140 characters or less)?

Robin: Do you want to get lucky? Hot alpha pursues the love of his life and puts it all on the line. But, the woman he needs is the one he shouldn’t want.

Aaak! I suck at twitter . . . don’t laugh.

Stella: Not laughing, just smiling 😉 The 1st book in The Boys Are Back in Town series was called A Night of Southern Comfort, while Book #2 is His Southern Temptation. What is the significance of the title, and their connection to the South? (or just the cocktails? 😉 *winks*)

Robin: I wanted to set this series in a small town in Virginia like the one where I grew up. So, I made up a town at the foot of my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains, added in all the amazing things I remember from my childhood. I try to weave in all the things I love about my home state – colleges, places, food, music, and tradition. I also have a few secondary characters named after family and friends – they get a kick out of it.

Southern Comfort was also inspired by the drinks that Jack and Kayla have the night they met but mostly it is about the location. Book 3 is tentatively titled, Slow Southern Burn.

Stella: How many more books do you have planned in the series and who will be the hero/heroine? Have we already met them in previous books?

Robin: I originally planned just the four books but so many readers have asked me to keep going so I’m talking about it with my editor. I have a few books to write before I could get back to Elliott, VA but I would love to if the readers want it.

The hero in Book 3 is Teague Elliott (the brother to the heroine in His Southern Temptation) and he’s been in both books so far. He’s an attorney in DC and is only in town to wrap-up his father’s law practice since he took off with his 25 year old paralegal and divorced Teague’s mother. He has his life all planned out but I had so much fun rocking his world.

Beck is the hero of Book 4 and he’s an ER doctor, adrenaline junkie womanizer. He is going to meet his match in a woman from his past.

Stella: What is your favourite part of a romance novel to read or write? The beginning, the first meeting, first kiss, getting to know each other, first love scene, big fight, HEA, or something else?

Robin: I LOVE to write the sex scenes. I think that it has the most potential to reveal the inner core of each character and to force them to grow. My characters can pretend that they can fool around and not fall in love but I love to prove them wrong. People are the lost vulnerable during sex and I have so much fun exploring that.

Stella: What is next on your schedule? Any future plans you’d like to share with us?

Robin: I have 10 books under contract with Entangled for their Indulgence, Covet and Brazen lines. I’ll finish out the Boys books in 2013 and I have a Brazen coming out in June. And then I get to dip my toes into the paranormal world – very excited about writing something completely new.

Stella: Could you share with us something, a trivia that not many people know about you?

Robin: In my first book, A Night of Southern Comfort, I have a plotline that involves bootlegger tunnels That plotline came to me from family lore about when my family used to make moonshine and run it through tunnels. I just HAD to use it.

Robin Covington, who NYT Best Selling authors, Robyn Carr and Carly Phillips, said was their new “auto-buy author”, writes sizzling hotcontemporary and paranormal romance.

A Night of Southern Comfort, her best-selling debut novel earned 4.5 stars and was touted by RT Book Reviews as bringing a “fresh, modern feel to the genre while still sticking to the things that get our adrenaline pumping — sex and danger”. When she’s not exploring the theme of fooling around and falling in love, she’s collecting tasty man candy, indulging in a little comic book geek love, and stalking Joe Mangianello.

Robin is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Washington Romance Writers, a faculty member at Romance University, a member of the Waterworld Mermaids, and a contributor to the Happy Ever After blog at USA Today.

Robin lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, brilliant children, and ginormous puppy.

You can find Robin on her website, blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads and Twitter.

His Southern Temptation by Robin Covington

Book #2 in The Boys Are Back in Town series

Some women are bad. Some women are a bad idea. The best ones are both…

A former Black Ops assassin, “Lucky” Landon has had more near-misses than a man should ever have. Now he’s out of that business and settling into the simple life in his small hometown. So the last thing he ever expected was to end up at gunpoint. Or that the woman holding the gun would be his best friend’s little sister and Lucky’s on-again/off-again lover.

Taylor Elliott is Trouble, and she likes it that way. And seeing Lucky again? Well, he’s been her dirty little secret for the past few years and everyone knows that secrets in a small town are almost impossible to keep. But Taylor has bigger problems on her plate. Like the local mob boss who wants her dead.

And right now the only thing standing between Trouble and disaster is a hottie named Lucky…

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon – B&N – iTunes – Kobo

Excerpt of His Southern Temptation by Robin Covington

She was tall, her length stretched out under most of his six foot three inch frame even with their legs tangled together. And he could feel every inch of her long, silky-skinned limbs as they extended out of the sexiest, tiniest pair of boy shorts ever sold without a warning label. Those shorts, coupled with the tiny tank top, left absolutely everything to fuel his imagination.

Damn, she smelled good too. From where his face rested in the crook between her face and her shoulder he was enveloped in the combination of coconut and a sharp, exotic floral scent. Their exertion had caused the unique combination to intensify, and he couldn’t resist taking one last deep breath and dragging it in. It reminded him of the beach, long summer days, and suntan oil.

“Are we going to lie here all night?” Her voice was breathy, but she maintained a healthy edge of “kiss my ass” in the delivery.

“Nope. Only until the sheriff arrives and he confiscates the gun you tried to kill me with.”

“I didn’t try to kill you.”

“Sugar, if you point a gun at me you better be prepared to—” Lucky lifted his head to get a good look at his would-be-assassin, and the shock of her identity hit him between the eyes, swirled around for a bit and melted his brain. The hair was different, shorter and colored in broad stripes of blonde and darkest brown, but he’d know those eyes anywhere—hazel with all the colors of autumn on the mountain—just like her brother Teague. Just like all the Elliotts.

“Holy shit. Taylor?”

“Lucky?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Shock, instant remorse at the way he’d tackled her, and the crazy need to touch her threaded together in his mind in a confusing jumble of conflicting desires. The only clear thought was that Taylor was here—in the flesh— after two long years. He didn’t even mind his hands shaking as he released her arms from over her head, trailing his fingers down one smooth cheek, and finally stopping to cup her jaw in a light grip that forced her to maintain eye contact. Not that he needed to—her gaze never wavered from his. The warmth of welcome and the edge of heat in her expression made his fingertips tingle where they stroked her skin. “The last time I saw you in Elliott, you were stealing my car.”

Robin has generously offered an ebook copy of His Southern Temptation to a lucky commenter! 

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us:

 Who would you cast as your own personal bodyguard?

(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 4 May 2013 and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good Luck!

About Stella

Stella is a proud bookaholic and a self-taught multilinguist in training. Besides reading, her other great passions are travelling and baking. When she is not globetrotting she lives in sunny Budapest, where she loves to spend her free time preparing (and feasting on) delicious cookies or devouring equally yummy books. Her favourite genres are urban fantasy and romance and she couldn't live without her daily dose of sunshine. Besides being the Latin Lover on BLI Stella also blogs about books and a bookish life on Ex Libris.

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