Winners of To Surrender to a Rogue

CONGRATULATIONS 

to the Winners of 

To Surrender To A Rogue (Circle of Sin Trilogy) by Cara Elliott
 

Sorry this is so late... I have been busy and fighting some sinus allergies which have sent me to bed early a couple of nights.
THE WINNERS ARE:

www.FLMNetwork.com

Thought I'd make it on water to go along with the cover.

I will send the form to be completed by the winners.

Thank you to everyone who entered. My copy will come up again in the future in a giveaway choice but you can always buy the book to enjoy!

Giveaway Five Copies - To Surrender to a Rogue by Cara Elliott

Check out my review:  "This really is an entertaining historical romance with the rogue rescuing the damsel in distress."

To Surrender To A Rogue (Circle of Sin Trilogy) 

by Cara Elliott

THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO HACHETTE AND ANNA for the opportunity host this give away.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. For your main entry make a comment on one of these three items a) - c). Make sure you leave your e-mail address!
a) Tell me something special you like about art lessons or archeology.
b) Check out the Author's Website and tell me something you found interesting there.OR
c) You can visit five fun facts and comment on one of those.

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

3. For another entry, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

4. For TWO extra entries comment on the review post.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Five total entries possible.)  MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL!  Five winners!

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons

* This contest will close Midnight (Central) on July  19, 2010. The winners will be randomly selected from all entries.

Review - To Surrender to a Rogue by Cara Elliott

Enjoy a very sexy adventure with a beautiful antiquities expert and a devilish rogue.
As Mary Putney says on the cover, this is "A sexy read."
Title: To Surrender To A Rogue (Circle of Sin Trilogy)
Author: Cara Elliott

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forever (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446541311
• ISBN-13: 978-0446541312

Rating: 4.5 of 5

 Product Description:

An expert in antiquities, Lady Alessandra della Giamatti arrives in Bath to excavate newly discovered Roman ruins-only to find herself caught in a web of evil intrigue by a blackmailer threatening to expose her scandalous past. The one man who can help her is Lord James "Black Jack" Pierson, a fellow member of the expedition and a sinfully handsome rogue whose tempting presence ignites a different sort of danger.

Jack has clashed with Alessandra in the past, so when she suddenly surrenders her body he can't help being suspicious. Is she a scheming temptress? Or is she truly a lady in trouble? As desire and deceptions swirl around them, Alessandra and Jack must find a way to win each other's trust. For if they don't work together to uncover a shocking truth, their enemy-and their own simmering passions-may destroy them and everything they cherish.

Review:  This really is an entertaining historical romance with the rogue rescuing the damsel in distress.

Lady Alessandra is as smart as she is beautiful.  Both she and her six year old daughter, Isabella, are rather brazen and have the fiery Italian temperament.  Alessandra had trusted the wrong man after the death of her husband and now that man is back to blackmail her with threats to harm Isabella.

Lord James “Black Jack” is a wonderfully handsome, artistic and surprisingly sensitive rogue. Who would think that this nobleman, a former military man with a “dangerous” reputation, would be a studying artist.  Or that he would be seriously interested in working on an archaeological dig?

The clash between the volatile Italian and the stubborn rogue is immediate. The story has a great opening line: “You tied my daughter to a tree?” With that you just know that sparks are going to fly.  There is good relational conflict between the heroine and hero that keeps the book lively. Alessandra has reason to hold her secrets and not trust any man but she longs for the steely strength and safety she senses when she is with Jack.  Jack is strongly attracted to Alessandra but he begins to suspect that something “havey-cavey” is going on and he doesn’t know if she is a superb liar and actress or an innocent caught in a bad situation.  Fortunately they are able to come to trust each other but circumstances still put Alessandra and Isabella in danger.

There is an appropriately smarmy villain who is working in cahoots with others whom Alessandra does not at first realize are involved. I really like how cleverly Jack is able to set up defenses to foil the villain and how he listens to his military instincts to come to Alessandra’s rescue. Here is a description I really like when Jack claims that he is able to fight the battles they must face he says: "Pierson men are born soldiers, formed from steel and gunpowder."

At the beginning of the book I thought it was a bit heavy on the sexual imaginations and visual pictures. This smooths out as you continue to read so that the innuendos blend better with the plot line and character developments and “sex on the mind” does not seem so emphasized.  When the author gets to some sexual scenes with our passionate couple those scenes are creative in setting and technique.  They are nicely steamy and not vulgar.

The story brims with the snipping conflict and later tension and danger. The well defined characters, intriguing plot and finally the steamy romance make this a solidly entertaining read.

xxx

This book was supplied by Hachette to review and host for giveaway.
Enter the giveaway to win one of five copies!

Questions and Answers with Cara Elliott, Author of To Surrender to a Rogue

Please join me in welcoming Author Cara Elliott who graciously answers some questions for today's Blog Tour stop.

Q. You share on your website that you enjoyed a semester at Yale teaching "Reading the Historical Romance Novel” class.  How id that class come about and do you have any more plans for teaching at Yale or elsewhere?

Cara:  Mix two romance writers with several glasses of chardonnay . . .

Lauren Willig and I are both Yale grads, and one evening at Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC we started talking about how romance should be treated as a serious genre of literature, and how we would structure a class. Laughing, we both said, “Oh, wouldn’t it be fun to teach a seminar at Yale on the subject.” But the laughter quickly died away as a simultaneous spark lit in our eyes . . and so we decided to submit a proposal. After months of drafting a detailed syllabus, complete with critical readings, and being interviewed by a committee of students and professors in New Haven, our idea was accepted!

The experience was really amazing. Our students were so much fun to work with and the weekly discussions were absolutely fascinating! What struck me the most was how strongly romance resonates with this generation of readers. I loved watching their faces as they discussed the different books we read for class, and talked about their feelings on what makes a great hero and heroine. No matter what the specific plot or point of view was, they all reacted so passionately to the basic conflicts and characters. And they took such joy in celebrating the redemptive power of love. 

I have to admit, I had forgotten how much work school is. But that said, Lauren and I are hoping to teach the class again next spring!

Q.  You were educated and trained in art and graphic design. Do you get to use these skills in your writing?

Cara:  I think my art background definitely colors my writing. Visual images are very important to me and I feel that shapes my storytelling. Since I’ve been trained to “see”  and “sense” in a medium other than words I feel strongly about trying to create a vivid feel for my settings—the smell of the smoke in the air, the color of candlelight on a face, the look of filigree gold and garnets against silk.

Q.  Was there a big transition in writing style from your alter ego Andrea Pickens to Cara Elliott?

Cara:  It was really a natural progression. The styles are similar—but with added spice! Cara Elliott books are a bit “hotter” than my previous books. And that was actually quite easy. I just had to close my eyes and imagine Johnny Depp in tight leather breeches, and . . . well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!

Q.    Do you get much input to your sumptuous covers?

Cara:  Well, with my background in design, I naturally always have opinions! However, I have to say that the art department does a fabulous job! I feel really fortunate to such lush, beautiful covers.

Q.  In To Surrender to a Rogue what thing would your heroine never be caught dead doing or saying?

Cara:  Hmmm. Alessandra has been badly burned in the past by trusting a handsome face, so she’s sure that the last thing in the world she will ever do is give in to temptation. However . . .

Q.    What made you choose the trilogy title of “Circle of Sin?”

Cara:  My heroines are a close-knit group of female scholars who each have a dark secret in her past. They have sinned . . . or have they? You’ll just have to read the books to find out!

Q..  In writing the Circle of Sin trilogy is there a particular character you had the most fun with?

Cara:  Oh, that’s too tough a question! I really have a soft spot in my heart for all the characters in the Circle of Sin. It was really fun and challenging to write not only the dashing heroes and heroines, but to also create the supporting cast of children and older, wiser confidants. Each has a unique personality and I came to feel they were a wonderful family of friends. It was really hard to say goodbye to them!

Q.    Do you think the works of James Gillray and some of the other artists you feature at your website were very shocking for their times?

Cara:  They were really the Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert of their era—focusing on everything from politics to persona; peccadilloes, their sharp satire provided a colorful commentary on events in the news. And the public just loved it!

Thank you to Ms. Elliott for sharing her answers with us today.

Visit with Author Cara Elliott on BlogTalkRadio Today at 2PM ET

Join Hachette and me today, June 8 at 2PM ET, for a BlogTalkRadio show with Cara Elliott, author of TO SURRENDER TO A ROGUE.

 

Listen to internet radio with grandcentralpub on Blog Talk Radio