Guest Post & Giveaway with Vicky Dreiling

Today I want to Welcome Author Vicky Dreiling talking about

  ALPHAS, RAKES, AND CHARMERS – OH, MY!

Many years ago, I got hooked on historical romance. One of my favorites was Judith McNaught’s WHITNEY MY LOVE. The hero, Clayton Westmoreland, the Duke of Claymore meets the young Whitney at a ball and is entranced by her wit, vivacity, and beauty. He decides on the spot that he wants her for his own.  When Whitney first sees him, she thinks he looks like Satan. He is the quintessential alpha rake, and I found him irrisistable.          

 I’ve been hooked on bad boys ever since. J

Now in real life, most of us would hate these arrogant dudes, but in romantic fiction, it’s all about the fantasy--a strong, rich man who knows what he wants and is determined to do whatever it takes to get it.  Yet, these guys invariably have their own code of honor and a hidden vulnerability, one the heroine often comes to recognize. But the relationship won’t work well if the heroine is weak. She is the one woman who stands up to the powerful aristocrat. This type of hero is the archetype known as the Chief. He’s in charge of his domain. 

But there’s a variant on the chief.  The charmer is the hero who hides his vulnerability with his sharp wit.  In my upcoming historical romance HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, Marc Darcett, the Earl of Hawkfield, better known as Hawk, uses his charm and his wit as a defense mechanism.  No one, not even his oldest friend, knows Hawk hides secrets. Even I didn’t know—and I’m the author! 

Hawk starred as a secondary character in my first book HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. In that story, Hawk played the role of friend and comic advisor. Yet, he did demonstrate a serious side when his friend needed help.  I knew that Hawk would be the hero of the second book, but there was much I didn’t know about him. Then one morning I awoke, and a scene played out in my head DVD-style. I won’t spoil the surprise, but I will tell you that I was stunned by this revelation.  

In HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, Hawk reluctantly agrees to act as a guardian to his best friend’s sister, Lady Julianne Gatewick.  He believes she’s a good girl and will pose no problems – ha!  He has no idea that Julianne has long held tender feelings for him. Then one night at a ball, he unknowingly crushes all of Julianne’s dreams.  Julianne, however, is no shrinking violet.  She realizes that all the reluctant bachelors put off marriage in favor of unsavory pursuits, and she’s determined to make those rakes pay—all the way to the altar.

From the backcover copy of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL;

SCOUNDRELS, RAKES, AND ROGUES BEWARE . . .

Lady Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother’s best friend—for whom she’s long nursed a secret tendre—agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz.

But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for the Earl of Hawkfield to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any recently discarded, wickedly witty young miss would do. She secretly pens a lady’s guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends’ sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julianne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can’t resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of her kisses. He’s always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL will be on the shelves June 28, 2011

About Vicky

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle.  That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.”

When she’s not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage. 

For more information about Vicky’s books, visit her website: www.vickydreiling.com

Vicky will be give away 2 copies of HOW TO MARRY A DUKE to commenters - US & Canada only.Good Luck!!!!!

Vicy will be picking her own winner by herself so good luck!!!