This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
A scandalous mistake…or a wicked way to happiness?
Hoping to compromise herself, Lady Amantha Easton sneaks into the bedroom of her would-be suitor only to find a total stranger there—a totally handsome, charming stranger to be sure—but not at all the man she plans to marry. She leaves his room with her reputation intact—barely—only to fall victim to the gentleman’s charms in a public place. Now Amantha must face the fate she’s tried to avoid—marriage to a man who will never love her.
All Rafael Beauregard wanted was a warm bed and a good night’s sleep…but what he got was an unexpected romp with a beautiful vixen and a fiery kiss that left him wanting more. An excellent trade, except now he’s got to marry Lady Amantha, one of the most willful women he’s ever met. So Rafe’s challenge is to persuade her that marriage to him might be the best thing for them both…once he convinces himself.
Read an Excerpt
“Oh, Raif!” She could scarcely breathe now. “That…feels…so good.”
“I thought it might. You’re awful sweet.” His low, sleepy voice sounded odd under the covers. On the verge of asking if he was well, she lost the thought when he lifted his head from her breast and crushed his lips to hers.
All else forgotten, she wouldn’t have cared if the house burned down around them. His lips were hot, insistent. Then he plied the seam with his tongue, softly urged it to part for him. She had no desire to resist and soon he had buried his tongue deep in her mouth. A tentative stroke of her own brought a growl of encouragement, and she abandoned herself to explore his willing mouth. She did things she’d never dreamed she’d do, with Raif or anyone else. And she only wanted more. “Oh, Raif. I never thought it could be like this.”
He chuckled. “How soon you forget, Jenny.”
“Jenny?” Amantha froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins. “Who’s Jenny?” Sudden anger lit a fire in her, and she pushed him away. “How many women were you expecting in your bed tonight, Raif?”
“What?” The sleepiness had flown from his voice. “You’re not Jenny?”
“You expected me to be?” This was a nightmare. They weren’t even married and Raif was being unfaithful to her.
“I didn’t expect anyone in my bed.” He threw off the covers and fumbled at the bedside table.
“What do you mean you didn’t expect me? We had planned this, Raif.” What the devil was the man playing at?
“We?” A match flared as he lit the lamp, the sudden light after the darkness almost blinding her. She put her hand up to shield her eyes.
“What do you mean, we?” He sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes. “Who are you, sweetheart?”
The voice, now unmuffled, certainly did not have the superior tone of Raiford Tolbert. Slowly Amantha lowered her hand to find a man with dark hair she’d never seen before peering at her.
Dear God, what had she done?
Author Interview
Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?
JJ: I’m originally from a little town in central Virginia called Petersburg. I always think I developed my passion for history because growing up I lived about a half a mile from the Crater National Battlefield. At that time there were little speakers at the site that told the story of the Battle of the Crater during the Civil War, and on very still days, I could hear the speakers telling the story while I stood on my front porch. I now live in Gloucester, Virginia, about two miles from the Yorktown Battlefield. So I’m still immersed in history!
What genre do you read? Who's an author you read? Name your top 5 authors.
JJ: Not unexpectedly, I’m an avid reader of historical romance. My top five authors I read are Jo Beverley, Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, and Diana Gabaldon.
Favorite sports.
JJ: Fencing, naturally. I took lessons in high school and wasn’t very good at it. But it came in handy when I took Stage Combat in college and now when I’m writing sword fights! I also watch football, but only the Superbowl. Not really a sports type person.
Favorite thing about the state/country that you live in.
JJ: My favorite thing about Virginia is its laser focus on history. Two major wars were fought all over the state and so many of the founding fathers were from Virginia it’s absolutely steeped in history. I also like that you can drive two hours-three hours and be at the beach, be in the mountains, or be in metropolitan DC. Also very lovely this time of year with all the trees blooming and brilliantly colored in the fall, especially in the Shenandoah Valley (where I went to undergrad school).
How long have you been writing? What inspired you to become a writer?
JJ: That is quite the story. I’ve been writing since January of 2009, so about 17 years now. In 2008 I became gluten intolerant and one of the side effects of going on a gluten-free diet was a rush of creativity about six months into the diet. I’d just finished reading Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Everlasting, loved it so much I said, “I can write something like that!” and sat down and started writing the first draft of what would become my first historical romance, Time Enough to Love.
JJ: That is quite the story. I’ve been writing since January of 2009, so about 17 years now. In 2008 I became gluten intolerant and one of the side effects of going on a gluten-free diet was a rush of creativity about six months into the diet. I’d just finished reading Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Everlasting, loved it so much I said, “I can write something like that!” and sat down and started writing the first draft of what would become my first historical romance, Time Enough to Love.
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
JJ: I am very much the plotter. I cannot start to write unless I have first made a 10-12 page outline of the book. Then I go back and start at the beginning and write straight through. I may come up with a new idea along the way, and if it’s good enough, I’ll go with it. But otherwise, I usually stick to that outline and just barrel through it. I call it my roadmap to a happy ever after.
As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?
JJ: Although I’d like to day bunny, because I love all things bunny, I’d like my spirit animal to be a cat. I’ve had cats in my life since I was a young child and they are my comfort animal. I’d take courage from them, I’d take grace and agility from them, playfulness and patience from them, and their independent spirit. All of these are qualities I admire in a writer.
JJ: Although I’d like to day bunny, because I love all things bunny, I’d like my spirit animal to be a cat. I’ve had cats in my life since I was a young child and they are my comfort animal. I’d take courage from them, I’d take grace and agility from them, playfulness and patience from them, and their independent spirit. All of these are qualities I admire in a writer.
Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
JJ: Although my immediate family have supported me tirelessly from the beginning, for sheer support both in writing technique and in giving me space to simply write, I have to say it’s my graduate school major professor, Patti Gillespie. When I was in grad school she honed my writing skills over draft after draft of my dissertation. She’s read all of my books in print and is a big fan, constantly encouraging me to be the best writer I can be.
How do you name your characters?
JJ: Truthfully, I don’t know what to tell you. Mostly the names just come to me, although occasionally I’ll use a favorite name from the period I’m writing in. I sometimes have the families in my books have a quirk about names (in As Long As You’re Mine Rafe’s mother named all her children after famous Italians of the Medieval and Renaissance—Rafael, Francesco, Donatello, Dante, Beatrice, and Isabella). And once the name for the hero of Only Marriage Will Do, Amiable, just came out of the blue when the character began to speak. I’d never even heard of that word being a name before, so I decided to make his mother a Quaker to account for it (his brother’s name was then Peaceable or Pax for short).
JJ: Truthfully, I don’t know what to tell you. Mostly the names just come to me, although occasionally I’ll use a favorite name from the period I’m writing in. I sometimes have the families in my books have a quirk about names (in As Long As You’re Mine Rafe’s mother named all her children after famous Italians of the Medieval and Renaissance—Rafael, Francesco, Donatello, Dante, Beatrice, and Isabella). And once the name for the hero of Only Marriage Will Do, Amiable, just came out of the blue when the character began to speak. I’d never even heard of that word being a name before, so I decided to make his mother a Quaker to account for it (his brother’s name was then Peaceable or Pax for short).
Tell us about your current release.
JJ: As Long As You’re Mine is a late Victorian Romance set in both England and America. It’s an enemies to lovers story about a woman who’s afraid to marry a man she might love (for fear he’ll break her heart like her father broke her mother’s), so she tries to marry one she doesn’t love, but gets herself compromised by the wrong man (who of course turns out to be Mr. Right). Of course, her disappointed suitor doesn’t take this lightly, and plots his revenge accordingly, hoping to break up the unhappy pair before they can fall in love.
Jenna, Thanks for being here at Always Reading. -Melissa
About the Author
Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all these elements into her own stories.
She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including Olive, an almost silent cat, Earl Grey, a very curious bunny, and a Shar-pei mix dog named Frenchie.
Blog: http://www.jennajaxon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jennajaxon1.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@passionistimeless
TicTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@jennajaxon1
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jenna-jaxon
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jenna-Jaxon/author/B005CHPBD2
Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/@1jennajaxon
Book Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS54DPYB/ref=sr_1_2
Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all these elements into her own stories.
She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including Olive, an almost silent cat, Earl Grey, a very curious bunny, and a Shar-pei mix dog named Frenchie.
Blog: http://www.jennajaxon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jennajaxon1.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@passionistimeless
TicTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@jennajaxon1
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jenna-jaxon
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jenna-Jaxon/author/B005CHPBD2
Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/@1jennajaxon
Book Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS54DPYB/ref=sr_1_2
1 comment:
Thanks for hosting.
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