VBT – SHADOWS AND SILKS

Shadows and Silk Series
(Three Lessons in Seduction/Tempted by the Viscount)
by Sofie Darling

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURBS

Three Lessons in Seduction blurb

Lord Nicholas Asquith needs his wife. Too bad he broke her heart ten years ago.

Can he resist a second chance at the love he lost?

When Mariana catches the eye of the man at the center of an assassination plot, Nick puts aside their painful past and enlists her to obtain information by any means necessary, even if it means seducing the enemy agent.

Even if the thought makes his blood boil.

Only by keeping his distance from Mariana these last ten years was he able to pretend indifference to her. With every moment spent with her, he feels his tightly held control slipping…

Can she trust the spy who broke her heart?

Mariana spent the last decade forgetting Nick. Now she has the chance to best him at his own game, an opportunity she can’t resist, even as her view of him begins to shift. Increasingly, she wants nothing more than to seduce her own husband . . .

It’s only a matter of time before mad passion ignites, a passion never convincingly extinguished. A passion that insists on surrendering to the yearning of the flesh and, quite possibly, of the heart.

Tempted by the Viscount blurb

London, April 1825

Lord Jakob Radclyffe left his past behind in the Far East. Or so he thinks until a ruthless thief surfaces in London, threatening to ruin his daughter’s reputation. With the clock ticking, Jake needs the scandalous Lady Olivia Montfort’s connections in the art world to protect his daughter’s future.

Olivia, too, has a past she’d like to escape. By purchasing her very own Mayfair townhouse, she’ll be able to start a new life independent from all men. There’s one problem: she needs a powerful man’s name to do so. The Viscount St. Alban is the perfect name.

A bargain is struck.

What Olivia doesn’t anticipate is the temptation of the viscount. The undeniable spark of awareness that races between them subverts her vow to leave love behind. Soon, she has no choice but to rid her system of Jake by surrendering to her craving for a single scorching encounter.

But is once enough? Sometimes once only stokes the flame of desire higher and hotter. And sometimes once is all the heart needs to risk all and follow a mad passion wherever it may lead.

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EXCERPT (from Three Lessons in Seduction)

“Unbutton your dress?” Nick repeated. It wasn’t possible he’d heard those words in that order.

“Have you spent a single minute of your life bound within layers of corset, shift, and tightly buttoned dress? Has this ever been required for one of your spy missions?”

He couldn’t miss the scorn in her voice. “Never.”

“Then you’ll have to trust me when I suggest that it’s a bloody fantastic idea for you to unbutton me. You’ve done it before, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I haven’t,” he said, his voice incapable of more than a low, gravelly rumble.

She blinked, and a moment passed.

Reason bade Nick exit the room and abandon the entire proposition. Under no circumstance should he close the distance between them and place his hands on Mariana’s body. Paper thin layers of chartreuse silk and muslin between his fingers and her skin wouldn’t be enough.

A few quick steps could carry him to her.

A few quick steps could undo him.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links

Sofie spent much of her twenties raising two boys and reading every book she could get her hands on. Once she realized that she was no longer satisfied with simply reading the books she loved, that she must write them, too, she decided to finish her degree and embark on a writing career. Mr. Darling and the boys gave her their wholehearted blessing.

When she’s not writing heroes who make her swoon, she runs a marathon in a different state every year, visits crumbling medieval castles whenever she gets a chance, and enjoys a slightly codependent relationship with her beagle, Bosco.

WEBSITE:
http://www.sofiedarling.com/
BUY LINKS:
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Lessons-Seduction-Sofie-Darling-ebook/dp/B074WGWGMK/
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Lessons-Seduction-Sofie-Darling-ebook/dp/B074WGWGMK/

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sofiedarlingauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sofie_darling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofiedarlingluv/

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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Sofie Darling will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC

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Q&A With … Sofie Darling

Tell us about you as a person.

I love rap music. Sometimes, I need to co-opt that swagger to get my day started and my creative juices flowing.

If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?

Bill Murray. For the simple reason that I think he’d be fun.

What’s the story behind your latest book?

I read a historical novel set in early 19th century Dejima, Japan and was fascinated by the setting. Before 1854, Japan was closed to all Western trade with the exception of the Dutch and only on the small, man-made island of Dejima located in the Bay of Nagasaki. It wasn’t long before my half-Dutch, half-English sea captain came to me, and his story began to unfold in my mind, then on paper. And Tempted by the Viscount was born!

What is your writing process?

I’m a plotter. There’s this misconception that plotting is drudgery, but, for me, it’s the opposite. First, I tape together several sheets of paper and draw a line across it lengthwise. Then I grab a stack of yellow stickies and start jotting down scene ideas, snippets of conversation, and whatever comes into my head that will go into the story. When I start arranging and rearranging the stickies on the line—voilà!—the story begins to form. For me, this is the most fun and free part of my writing process.

Tell us about your main characters:

Jake is new in London. He’s been a sailor all his life, but he recently inherited an English viscountcy that he didn’t really want. He has two goals: sort out the estate’s finances and find a wife. Well, mostly a stepmother for his daughter Mina. She has a mixed-race heritage and for her to succeed in English Society, she will need a proper stepmother of impeccable reputation to guide and protect her.

Enter Olivia: with her pedigree, Lady Olivia Montfort might perfectly fit the bill, except she’s a scandalous divorcée and has sworn off men entirely. What she really wants is her own townhouse and complete independence.

When Jake’s past in the Far East surfaces in London and threatens Mina’s future. Jake and Olivia must strike a bargain to help each other.

If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead roles and why?

For Jake, Michael Fassbender with his arctic blue eyes rimmed with navy. For Olivia, Kirsten Dunst with her cute crooked tooth.

What are you working on next?

Book three of my series, Her Midnight Sin, is now in the hands of my editor, so I’ve started work on book four. Her Midnight Sin will release in April, 2019 and features the world-weary Captain John Nylander and feisty Lady Calpurnia Radclyffe, Dowager Viscountess St. Alban, as they vie against each other for the same Devon country estate. There will be pirates and apple brandy. 🙂

What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?

I think it’s a good idea for a writer to develop a newsletter and send it out with some regularity. Joining list builders with other writers from your genre can be really useful for gaining new readers.

What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?

A few months ago, I read Longbourn by Jo Baker. Her attention to Regency period detail combined with a great story about the “downstairs” help of Pride and Prejudice’s Bennett household just blew me away.

Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?

I consider myself to be a reader extraordinaire.

You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?

Invisibility. I love observing people, unobserved.

List 5 things on your bucket list:

1. To travel to Japan.
2. To have a porch with a view.
3. To taste absinthe.
4. To run a marathon though French wine country.
5. To enjoy *this* moment.

Where can readers find you on the web?

Website: https://www.sofiedarling.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sofiedarlingauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sofie_darling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofiedarlingluv/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16594212.Sofie_Darling
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sofie-darling

Any final thoughts?

Thank you so much for inviting me for a chat today. This was fun! Xo, Sofie