Heros. There are songs dedicated to them. Quite a few songs
actually. Everyone loves a hero.
But I strongly suspect how we define a hero varies from person
to person.
Sometimes a hero is the boy who tells his friends to stop
picking on his next door neighbor just because he has a lisp. Or maybe it’s the
young man who asks the girl who’s clinging to the shadows if she’d like to
dance even though her dress isn’t this year’s fashion. Then again it might be
the man who helps repair the roof on his elderly aunt’s roof so it doesn’t leak
anymore.
In fiction, particularly a romance, a hero is often created with
a much stronger story line. They are men who rescue people or animals from
raging fires, doctors who save lives every day or scientists who discover cures
to horrific diseases that might affect thousands. Or they’re the characters who
were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the heroine or a city of
people by disabling a ticking bomb or stepping in front of a bullet.
For me, while that action, adventure and nail-biting drama is
exciting to read, what defines the hero are the simpler things. It has to do
with loyalty and dedication and a willingness to love and protect the heroine
above all others. Even when the threat comes from himself.
I want to see stories where the big, strong, macho hero falls so
deeply in love that he is willing to open himself up and expose that Achilles
heel to one and only one person - his heroine.
*sigh*
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Title: Loss of Control
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Date Published: July 10, 2014
Genre: Sensual Romance - contemporary
Word Count: 33k
Jeanie’s lousy boss has sent her on
yet another business trip. At least this one has a bonus—she gets to work with
“Steve the Stud”, the office hottie who makes all the women weak-kneed, for the
whole week. When she finds him to be smart and fun as well, she has no clue how
she’ll finish the trip while staying professional.
Steve got burned the last time he
dated a coworker and has vowed to never put himself in that position again, no
matter how much he can’t stop thinking about Jeanie and her freckles. When
Jeanie finds evidence of fraud, Steve works more closely with her than he
imagined. It’ll take all his control to maintain his promise while Jeanie
struggles with an ethical dilemma.
Buy links:
Excerpt:
“Steve Waltman. Audit.”
Jeanie shook his hand and looked
into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. That had to be one of the reasons the
girls in the office were all smitten with him. Not only did he fill out his
jacket nicely but the sandy-blond hair and blue eyes were a traditionally
lethal combination. And so far he seemed to be a nice guy, with a sense of
humor to boot.
If she wasn’t careful she could be
in serious trouble.
“Jeanie Madison. I’m in Accounts
Payable,” she said, letting her hand linger in his a little longer than usual.
“Jeanie. It’s nice to put a name to
a face. We have been coming and going at the same time these days. Where are
you off to this morning?”
“Indianapolis. What about you?”
“Same.” Steve tucked his folded
newspaper under his arm. “You going in for the transition?”
“Yeah. You too?”
“Afraid so. Looks as if we’ll be
hanging out together this week.”
A little flutter started somewhere
deep in Jeanie’s belly. She wasn’t sure if it was from hunger or nervousness at
the thought of being in the same location, probably even the same hotel, as Mr.
Hottie for a whole week.
“Guess so.” Erotic images of Steve
and herself in a hotel room triggered another burst of heat through her body. A
little distance might be best before her cheeks burst into flame. “I was just
going to get coffee.” As a second thought she added, “I’ll make you a deal. If
you’ll watch my bag and save my seat, I’ll grab some for you too.”
Steve checked his watch. “That
would be great. Black coffee with a couple of creamers and a sweetener.”
He reached for his wallet but Jeanie
waved him away from it. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it.” She pushed her
suitcase up against her vacated seat then turned to make her escape.
“Thanks. I’ll buy next time.”
“All right,” she tossed over her
shoulder as she picked her way through the somewhat crowded aisle.
It was just a short walk to the
café but it gave her time to settle the butterflies in her stomach. However it
wasn’t long enough to halt the naughty thoughts rolling around in her head. As
she waited in line she watched the girl behind the counter decorate the top of
someone’s drink with a mound of whipped cream and a swirl of chocolate.
In Jeanie’s mind that mound of
whipped cream belonged on Steve’s bare chest.
Or perhaps lower.
With a cherry on top.
Giveaway:
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a comment and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a copy of one of Dena’s
“Naughty Nooners” (winner’s choice of Cherie’s Silk or Working It All Out) as
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Author Bio:
Dena Garson loves to read romance—the hotter the better. When
one of her BFFs said “one of us should be writing this stuff”, she took up the
challenge. If she isn’t writing, she’s designing jewelry but somehow she still
manages to make it into the office on a regular basis.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.denagarson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dena.garson.7
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DenaGarson
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/dgarson
Kryssie Fortune here, and I'm sighing too. Whether it's because, like you, I like my heroes with a vulnerable streak that only the heroine sees, or it's because of Steve's Paul Newman eyes, I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and definition of a hero! Not an erotica reader, but thought your excerpt enjoyable. :>)
ReplyDeletethanks for the great excerpt! This sounds fun :) thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Dena,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I totally agree with you that the best heroes are willing to make sacrifices. Thanks so much for visiting with me today. :-)