Hello, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Gayle Feyrer and her new book, “Heart of Deception,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Gayle and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
Heart of Deception
by Gayle Feyrer
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BOOK BLURB:
Intrigue and treachery stalk the grimy streets and the royal courts of Elizabethan England. Returning from war, Rafe Fletcher finds his family accused of conspiring to murder Elizabeth and place Mary, Queen of Scots, on her throne. His only hope to save them lies in infiltrating the criminal underworld of nefarious siblings Nick and Vivian Swift.
Rafe discovers it’s Viv who is the mastermind of the duo. Bold, clever and ruthless, Viv is also loyal and fiercely passionate. Rafe fights the intense magnetism that pulls him ever closer to destruction. But desire defies every warning he gives himself and they begin a blazing affair--until murder and betrayal severs their newly formed trust. Restoring that trust may be the only way Rafe can save the Queen, his own family, and the woman he’s come to love.
Their adventure takes them from the fledgling theatres of Shakespeare’s London to the desperate corridors of Bedlam, from the deadly backstreets of the Clink to the glittering court of Queen Elizabeth. It is a world of dark secrets and darker intrigues. Will the fire of their passion burn bright enough to incinerate the lies, and illuminate the truth?
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BOOK TRAILER:
Check out Gayle’s Book Trailer for “Heart of Deception,” here:
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EXCERPT ONE:
Prickling with the awareness of being watched, Rafe looked up to the house, his search stopping at a shadowy form behind the great bow window. He stared up at the window until the shadow moved forward. Circular panes sparkled in the sun as the central casements opened to reveal a woman watching. Dark and slender, she looked clothed in flame, her velvet gown a blaze of scarlet slashed with black. A shock went through Rafe as her glittering gaze met his own, then slowly browsed him from head to toe.
Used to seductive appraisal, flirtatious or serious, still he flushed at the flagrant assessment, and the heat that flashed through him seemed to ignite in her eyes, bright within their dark. Rafe had never seen a lady with so bold a glance, which mocked as it weighed, invited as it challenged. But no lady would be here among these criminals, though the woman gazing down at him knew how to dress the part. Rubies burned at her throat, and ropes of sparkling jet draped her vivid scarlet bodice. The distinctive garb, the total presumptuousness of the woman, made him tense with suspicion. Slowly, her gaze swept his body, scanning the breadth of his shoulders and assessing the strong muscles of his thighs. … The black eyes sought his again, and he stared back defiantly, icy anger running in cold currents against his hot arousal. Rafe felt more than provoked—he felt deliberately tested to see how long he could stand in the fire.
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GUEST POST:
Writing Fierce Female Lead Characters:
When I was growing up there weren’t the strong women characters that have become more common. There were women in many professions, but it was still the exception other than teachers and nurses. There were few kickass heroines. I do remember reading Sheena, Queen of the Jungle comic, but that’s about it.
In what was on offer, the bad girls were usually a lot more interesting than the good girls. I was always enthralled by glamour, so I had to wonder why you’d go for June Allison in gingham with a Peter Pan collar when you could have Marlene Dietrich in slinky black satin or Lana Turner in pearl bra like her seductress in The Prodigal. I did like Doris Day, but it was because she got to be kickass in Calamity Jane, my favorite movie at eleven.
The first really tough female lead I remember was Emma Peel in the 60s, sleek in black leather. Later there was Angie Dickenson in Police Woman—but the men were always saving her. Things really began to change with Scully, and with the fabulous reinvention of Sarah Connor in Terminator II.
Check out this 27th Anniversary of “The X Files”
– Watching Dr. Dana Scully Facebook Post here:
I’d grown up addicted to bromance, because the male buddies seemed to have an equal relationship that wasn’t there with the stand by (behind) your man women characters. They went on adventures together. They also seemed to love each other more than anybody else. I did write women characters in my early short stories and my first obscure novel, but my writing took off writing m/m fanfiction for Star Trek, Blakes’ 7 and Wiseguy. The only hetero couple with as much oomph was Michael and Nikita, from La Femme Nikita. Kickass heroines were common by then—but Peta Wilson was an athlete and very believable in action scenes as well as being gorgeous. The lead actors were cast in my Paris mysteries.
Check out the author's fanvids for “La Femme Nikita” here:
https://archive.org/details/WindmillsOfYourMindLaFemmeNikitaFanvid
Check out this trailer for “La Femme Nikita” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjO0EHEBntg
But as fun as fanfic was, I wanted to try and be a “real writer” (some of my best ever writing is fanfic). I was told romance was the easiest market. I loved history. I wrote hot sex scenes, so I decided to give romance a shot. But I wanted my women to have complex relationships. I wanted, if the hero rescued the woman then, as Julia Roberts says in Pretty Woman “she rescues him right back.”
Check out this movie scene from “Pretty Women” here:
Most of my heroines have or gain athletic and self-defense skill—but not all strong heroines need be action heroines. All my heroines are given tests of courage that they pass, often with difficulty. They all grow, either by becoming emotionally stronger (Claire in Heart of Night) or by allowing themselves to become vulnerable (Marian).
All have flaws, even Veronica from The Prince of Cups and Theo from my Paris mysteries who are also wish fulfillment characters (I’d like to be that brave and forthright – and that talented). They both tend to be reckless, though I do listen to the voice going “Don’t be stupid.” They do try to weigh the consequences before plunging ahead. Marian is shut down emotionally. Both Marian and Viv are calculating. Vivian has a fierce temper, she’s manipulative, she likes power but more for the safety it’s given her than the control she has over others. They all gain, in wisdom, in independence, in their capacity for love. Both characters in a romance need to grow—both characters must change, a little or a lot, become worthy of each other.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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Gayle Feyrer began drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon and writing when she was twelve. She holds a Bachelor's in Pictorial Arts from UCLA, and a MFA from the University of Oregon in Creative Writing. In her varied career, she has been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties, illustrator, fiction teacher, and finally, novelist. A Libra with Scorpio Rising, Gayle’s romantic nature takes on a darker edge. She hopes these shadows bring depth to her romances.
A world traveler, Gayle has visited Paris, England and Italy numerous times. She lived for two years in Jakarta, Indonesia, with many trips around Asia. She currently resides across the bridge from San Francisco, with her husband and their two rescue cats, Charlotte and Emily, the Flying Bronte sisters, half Siamese and half tabby.
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CONNECT WITH GAYLE:
Tygerbright Press – Novels of Romance and Mystery:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/YvesFey
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/yvesfey
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/yves_fey
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6836429.Gayle_Feyrer
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92009196-heart-of-deception
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Deception-Gayle-Feyrer-ebook/dp/B0BSP8JMMW
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Heart-Deception-Gayle-Feyrer-ebook/dp/B0BSP8JMMW
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Heart-Deception-Gayle-Feyrer/dp/0985942169
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-deception-gayle-feyrer/1143302694
Kobo US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heart-of-deception-5
Kobo CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/heart-of-deception-5
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Gayle will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was fun to write.
DeleteHello. Sorry to log on so late to say hello. Sick cat - but she's getting better. Happy to answer any questions.
ReplyDeleteFabulous cover. Looks great.
ReplyDeleteInteresting book details.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting!
ReplyDelete