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Showing posts with label Tracey Devlyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tracey Devlyn. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Welcome to Tracey Devlyn, Author of A Lady's Revenge, PLUS Giveaway

Hello Tracey! Thank you for sharing at Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf.

Martha, thank you so much for having me at Martha’s Bookshelf. Really excited to be here.

Questions for Tracey:
Q1  What inspired you to combine thriller/suspense elements with historical romance?
As a reader, historical romance was always my first love. I found, though, that I gravitated toward historicals with a suspense subplot. For me, the suspense adds an extra layer of interest and reveals a different side of the hero and heroine. From a writer’s perspective, I just love torturing my characters. J

Q2  Are the three books in your contract with Sourcebooks part of a series and if so did you have each book plotted out before you started the first one or did the subsequent books flow from the first book?  If they are stand alone would you share a little about the genre, idea, why they were accepted as a group of three?
Yes, the three books are part of a series. Since the main characters in books two and three are closely associated with the heroine of A Lady’s Revenge, the storylines flowed naturally from book one. But I only had a general idea (aka one descriptive paragraph) of the subsequent stories when I sold.

Q3  Please share with us one surprising thing about your experience writing A Lady’sRevenge, or about something else related to your career as a writer.
As writers, we’re constantly being told that our first story will likely not sell, that we should consider it a learning experience and move on to the next. We’re told these things to spare us a certain amount of heartbreak and to keep us moving forward. The advice is well meant and, at times, spot on. But sometimes, we have to go with our gut and trust that it will let us know when the gig is up. My gut told me to give A Lady’s Revenge one more chance, and I did. I’m so glad I listened.

Q4  How do find your characters and personalities?  Is there any special inspiration?
Great question! I’ve never thought about this before. Looking back, my heroes and heroines tend to reveal themselves pretty quickly. Normally, one character shows up first and then I come up with a perfect foil for that character. The secondary characters develop out of a need to showcase the hero and heroine and they often provide some much-needed comic relief.

Q5  Which word would you use to describe yourself and your personality?
The only thing that comes to mind is “Git-R-Done,” but that’s cheating. J

Q6  How do you handle it when some element of what you're writing decides that it just doesn't want to work the way you want it to?
Most of the time, I go with the flow and trust that the current doesn’t take me over a ginormous waterfall.


Questions for Cora

Q1  Which word would you use to describe yourself and your personality?
Survivor
Q2  What is something you would never be caught dead doing/saying?
I’d never let my brother Ethan have the last word. He’s rather too sure of himself and must be reminded of who’s boss.
Q3  Do you have any pet peeves?
Having to wear a dress. They’re dreadful contraptions, especially when combined with corsets. I love my silk pai jamahs and wear them as often as I can. But don’t tell Guy. He thinks they’re far too provocative to be wearing about.
Q4  What do you do for fun when you aren’t “serving” your country or pursing your vengeance?
I love lounging lakeside on a blanket with Guy. Sometimes we practice our Tai Chi together and I find that so soothing. When Guy’s not around, I enjoy honing my knife-throwing skills. A lady in my line of business never knows when the need to protect oneself (or others) might arise.
Q5  What is the one thing your readers would be surprised to know about you?
When I was in France, I realized I had another talent besides ballroom spying. Matchmaking. No, no, no, I did not actively employ this special skill on my enemy. I simply observed the interactions of others and placed wagers with myself. If I had turned my talent into a trade, I would be an independently wealthy woman. I wonder if this secret skill will be useful now that I’m back in England?
Final Question for giveaway: 
If you (either Tracey or Cora- LOL) could have readers finish a sentence what would it be?
BONUS Question:  If I were a kitten, my fur would be the color of______.

Thank you again for sharing.

Thanks—love the format of your interview questions. So fun!

Please leave a comment for a chance to win a print copy of A Lady’s Revenge (U.S. and Canada only, please.)

* * *

BRIEF SUMMARY OF A LADY’S REVENGE:

A British agent flees her French captor’s torturous dungeon and falls in love with the decoder responsible for her imprisonment.

NOTHING GETS BETWEEN A LADY AND HER VENGEANCE
In a daring rescue, beautiful and wily secret operative Cora deBeau is reunited with her childhood friend Guy Trevelyan, who wants so much more from her now than friendship…

HE’LL STOKE THE FIRE UNTIL THEY BOTH GO UP IN FLAMES
But Cora’s mission against the French has become personal, and even the fire between her and Guy won’t deter her. When it comes to getting sweet, cruel revenge, nothing will stand in a lady’s way…

* * *

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracey Devlyn writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey toward the heroine's happy ending). An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website at:


TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY FOR A PRINT COPY 
1. Comment on this Interview or my Review. This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, Answer Tracey's Bonus Question at the end of the interview above (in red.)

3.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

4. For two more entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Five total entries possible.)

THERE WILL BE ONE WINNER.
* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* Limit one win per household.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on April 27, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on April 28 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.

Book Review: A Lady's Revenge by Tracey Devlyn

This is an exciting and engaging read.

  • Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402258224
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402258220
Genre: Historical Romance, Suspense
My Rating:  4.0 of 5.0

Publication Date: April 3, 2012
"Dark historical suspense that will capture your imagination, fuel your fears, and captivate your heart." -- Kelsey Browning, co--founder of Romance University

Nothing Gets Between a Lady and Her Vengence...
In a daring rescue, beautiful and wily secret operative Cora deBeau is reunited with her childhood friend Guy Trevelyan, who wants so much more from her now than friendship ...

He'll Stoke the Fire Until They Both Go Up In Flames...
But Cora's mission against the French has become personal, and even the fire between her and Guy won't deter her. When it comes to getting sweet, cruel revenge, nothing will stand in a lady's way ...

Review: 
Cora was only a child when she saw her parents killed by a Frenchman. She and her brother were raised in an unusual household where they were trained to serve England...as spies. When her guardian sends her to France to learn the secrets of a French agent, Valere, Cora is ready to go and do whatever it takes, including seduction. Unfortunately after several successful months she is exposed as a famous English spy.  Although Valere is obsessed with her, he is willing to allow his henchman to brutally torture her for her secrets.

Guy and Ethan, Cora’s brother, are on a mission to rescue the famous female spy, The Raven. They are shocked to discover Cora in the dungeon they are searching. They make a harrowing rescue and bring Cora home to their guardian, and boss. They suspect that Valere will be hard on their heels and to make matters more tense there is apparently a mole in the high echelons of the agency.

Guy and Cora go into hiding, battling wills all the way.  Guy is determined to do whatever he can to keep Cora safe. Plus he is determined to convince her that they can have a future life and family together. Cora has to recover from emotional trauma as well as her physical injuries. She doesn’t feel she is worthy of any man and she especially doesn’t want her reputation to injure Guy’s chances to make a successful marriage arrangement. When she finally realizes she can tolerate his touch she discovers that she yearns for him and maybe she can at least have some time with him.

I enjoyed the fast paced action in this story with fighting that rivals a swashbuckling movie. However it frustrated me that there were so many times that Valere slipped through the bodyguards and defenses and so many times that Cora was lucky to slip through his clutches...but not always. I liked that Guy specialized in ciphers and I wished there had been more of that aspect developed.

I liked the strength and integrity in Cora and Guy. Cora was a little -  well, actually quite -  independent and stubborn, thinking that she needed to keep Guy safe.  It seemed clear that they would have been safer if they had worked together instead of continually going off on their own.  That is part of the character conflict even if it irritated me.

There are interesting secondary, supportive characters, especially Cora’s feisty maid Dinks. There are also some sweet kittens that jump in between Guy and Cora for some fun.

Ms. Devlyn’s writing is impressively sharp and well balanced with good detail.  The sex scenes are more detailed and more often than I prefer and contributed to this being a bit longer than needed. But those readers who like the strong and steamy sex romances will appreciate that.  If you like intrigue and action with a strong romance then this is a book you should enjoy.  This is an impressive debut novel and I look forward to the sequels. 
~~~~~~~~~~~
A taste of fun dialog: 
{Cora} “I don’t recall you being so very wicked in our youth.”
....{Guy}“Do you not? I seem to recall you commenting on my mischief not but a few days ago.”....
{Cora} “Indeed, I did. In your case, mischievousness equates to annoying. Like an insect. Wickedness is an entirely different matter.”
   He laid his hand over his chest. “You likened me to a gnat?”
   The smile she sent him was several degrees warmer than wicked. “Aye. One I wanted to swat many times.” Page 259
Thank you to Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.  Be sure to check out the Author Interview for a chance to win a copy of A Lady's Revenge. 
I will add this to my ARC Challenge and New Author Challenge lists.

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