Guest Post with Jillian Stone + Giveaway (US)

This is the first time we've hosted Jillian Stone but goodness, look at that gorgeous cover and the titles definitely captured our attention. Today, Jillian is taking us on a Victorian road trip with Detective Lewis.

WELCOME TO THE BLOG JILLIAN!!!

Meet Jillian:

In 2010, Jillian won the RWA Golden Heart for An Affair with Mr. Kennedy and went from no agent or publisher to signing with Richard Curtis and being offered a three book contract by Pocket Books. That same summer another manuscript, The Seduction of Phaeton Black, won the erotica category of the 2010 Romance Through the Ages contest and was offered a three book contract by Kensington Brava. Needless to say, she has been busy writing books this past year and a half! Jillian lives in Southern California and is currently working on synopses for three more adventures in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series.

Connect with Jillian: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Love on the Run with Detective Lewis. A Victorian Road Trip.

Some books seem to write themselves. Other stories, for whatever reason, seem to need more fussing over. My more trying manuscripts insist I take more time working out the plot twists or the relationship and character arcs. A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS was one of those books that just seemed to take on a life of it’s own.

Does that mean I never ran into troubled waters writing the manuscript? No, it doesn’t. During the writing of A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS I was stymied several times by either the pacing or the romance plot. In fact, I did two edits on the manuscript––so why do I say that this book was such a pleasure to write? I guess it’s because even as the author I was drawn into Fanny and Rafe’s story.

Here’s the blurb:

When Fanny Greyville-Nugent's father suffers a gruesome death in the clutches of his own machine, mourning his loss is not the beautiful heiress's only heartbreak. Scotland Yard is convinced he was targeted in a plot to halt the rise of industry, and Fanny's former fiancé, dashing and dubious detective Raphael "Rafe" Lewis, has been assigned to the case.

For the estranged ex-lovers, bringing the notorious assassins to justice proves as tumultuous as quelling pent-up desires. Fighting peril and passion at every turn of a dangerous journey from Edinburgh to London, they are pursued by an anarchist group hell-bent on destroying her father's mysterious entry into the London Industrial Exposition.

When an astonishing discovery about the couple's failed engagement surfaces, the sleuthing duo realize they can trust no one. Rafe confesses new details about his infidelity and Fanny risks all to avenge her father's murder. But will Rafe and Fanny triumph over the pain of their past?

Part of the fun of this story is that Fanny and Rafe are on the run for the better part of the novel. By train, velocipede, landship and submersible and along the way, they meet a number of helpful and not so helpful characters. Without being a spoiler, I’d love to share a few factoids about the assortment of conveyances––some of them rather odd, the hero and heroine use to escape from their pursuers.

Train

By 1887, the network of trains and train tracks crisscrossing Britain was comprehensive, but disjointed. Because the railroads were built and owned by private investment syndicates, there wasn’t much standardization. The train track gauges were different, requiring locomotives and cars to be custom built for each section of privately owned railway. And since one railroad company couldn’t use another’s tracks, this also might require passengers to change trains along the route to their destination. Railroad investment syndicates often went bankrupt, sometimes before the new route was even finished. On the upside? Rail speed. In A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS, Rafe boards the early train in London and arrives in Edinburgh in time for a funeral in the afternoon.

Velocipede

According to Wikipedia, velocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede is the bicycle. At one point in their escape, Fanny and Rafe use bicycles to put a bit of distance between themselves and their pursuers.

Landship

This highly experimental, prototype of a pedrail landship plays an interesting part in the novel, helping to get Fanny and Rafe from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Sorry I can’t be any more specific about this giant war engine’s role in the novel, but I can tell you that these landships were the precursors to the tank and were first put to use in World War I.

Submersible

One of the more colorful supporting characters in A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS, in an inventor who joins Fanny and Rafe in their increasingly perilous journey to London. One of his inventions is a three man submersible that he plans on entering in the London Industrial Exposition. The sub plays a key role in the story, but alas, that is all I can say. My lips are sealed.

I wrote A DANGEROUS LIAISION WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS to be a suspenseful page turner with a hero who has a lot to prove as well as make up for and a heroine who is up for both the romance and adventure. As a film student, I studied all of Alfred Hitchcock’s work and I particularly admire the romantic suspense films: Rear Window, North by Northwest, and To Catch a Thief. Thrills, chills, adventure––perhaps there’s a mystery to uncover, or a villain to capture, but at the story’s core, there is always a love story.

###

A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS:

Genre: Historical
Length: 404 pages
Publisher: Pocket (August 28, 2012)

When Fanny Greyville-Nugent's father suffers a gruesome death in the clutches of his own machine, mourning his loss is not the beautiful heiress's only heartbreak. Scotland Yard is convinced he was targeted in a plot to halt the rise of industry, and Fanny's former fiancé, dashing and dubious detective Raphael "Rafe" Lewis, has been assigned to the case.

For the estranged ex-lovers, bringing the notorious assassins to justice proves as tumultuous as quelling pent-up desires. Fighting peril and passion at every turn of a dangerous journey from Edinburgh to London, they are pursued by an anarchist group hell-bent on destroying her father's mysterious entry into the London Industrial Exposition.

When an astonishing discovery about the couple's failed engagement surfaces, the sleuthing duo realize they can trust no one. Rafe confesses new details about his infidelity and Fanny risks all to avenge her father's murder. But will Rafe and Fanny triumph over the pain of their past?

Pre-Order Your Copy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository | iBooks | Powell's
Other Books in Series:

Ooo...we would totally go on a road trip with Detective Lewis. And you can too. Jillian is giving away a signed copy of A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS to one(1) lucky US reader. Here's how to enter:

• Leave a comment answering Jillian's question: What is your favorite romantic suspense story­­––novel, film or TV? 
• Fill out the rafflecopter form below. You must leave a comment. All other entries are optional.

A huge thank you to Jillian for stopping by and for donating giveaway copy. Another thank you goes to Melanie at Author Rescue for forwarding correspondence between Jillian and us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway