Spotlight & Giveaway: A Lady’s Rules for Ruin by Jennifer Haymore

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jennifer Haymore to HJ!

Hi Jennifer and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Lady’s Rules for Ruin!

 
Thanks so much for having me!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

A LADY’S RULES FOR RUIN is about a Regency lady who has zero interest in getting married, even though her family (and society) keeps pressuring her to do just that. So she comes up with a great solution to her dilemma: she devises a plot for her own ruination!
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Frances Cherrington barely managed to curtsy at her partner before spinning around and hurrying off the dance floor. The warm air of the ballroom pressed in on her as she weaved through the dense crowd, passing people dressed in every manner of attire from simple dominoes to the full regalia of the King of Prussia.

The Worthington Masquerade was always the most scandalous party of the Season.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Early in the book, the hero, Evan, discovers a scandalous secret that can ruin him. It was such a big secret, even I didn’t know about it until I was in the middle of writing that scene.
• Part of the book takes place in the Lake District in England, one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in the UK. It is beautiful.
• The kids in this book were modeled loosely after my own three children, and they were so much fun to write. They are absolutely essential to Evan and Frances’s happily ever after.
• Frances’s twin sister is an Egyptologist–and I myself LOVE learning about ancient Egypt. But Frances has no interest in it whatsoever, lol.
• My playlist while writing this book was heavy on Harry Styles and One Direction. In fact, while I was writing it, I saw Harry Styles in concert…twice!

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

So many things attract them to each other, but one of the first is that they’re so surprised how they always seem to be on the same page. This is shocking to Frances, who never seems to agree about anything with anyone.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

Surprising
Overwhelming
Passionate
Intense
Impossible
 

The First Kiss…

She didn’t like kissing.

But his lips…

Maybe kissing his lips wouldn’t be so bad. Thinking of those perfect lips on hers made a shudder course through her. And suddenly she wanted him to kiss her more than anything she’d ever wanted in her life.

“Yes,” she breathed.

He took her brandy from her clenched hand and set it, along with his glass, on a nearby table. Then he slid his fingers behind her neck, their tips sinking into her hair, and drew her close. He brushed his lips gently across hers, and they were so warm and soft, hers parted slightly.

He sipped at her mouth, a leisurely perusal, like he was exploring something delicate and delicious, taking his time.

All her previous knowledge of what kissing was crumbled to dust and blew away under the soft, erotic feel of the Earl of Winthrop’s lips over hers.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

This is one book where a bunch of scenes are crowding together, saying “Me, me! I’m your favorite!” so this is a tough one. But I think my favorite is when Evan and Frances reunite in the Lake District in England and they find themselves in a rowboat together:

“Don’t tempt me. I’m already too tempted. I don’t want to ruin you.”

“I’m already ruined,” she reminded him.

“No. I’m not speaking of mere kisses.”

Her skin prickled. “I know.”

He groaned and tugged her toward him to kiss her again, this time softly. He pulled back far too soon. “I’m going to row to Shorewood now,” he said, reaching up to loosen his cravat and unbutton his coat.

Then, in his shirt and waistcoat, he took up the oars and swung them over the lip of the hull and back into the water.

Her jaw nearly dropped as she watched muscles strain against the confines of his shirt as he rowed in long, deep strokes, each pull making the boat leap forward eagerly.

This man was truly exquisite.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Definitely the scene in which Evan meets his little brother Bobby for the first time:

Of all the places Frances had expect to run into the Earl of Winthrop, an orphanage was at the bottom of her list. What was he doing there?

The man in question gaped at the boy beside her in shock.

Frowning, she glanced between the earl and little Bobby Dickens, and her breath caught in her throat. The link between them was clear as day. Bobby was slight and small, his face rounded with youth, where Winthrop tall and broad, his face chiseled and masculine.

But the eyes?

There was no denying it. Where Bobby’s eyes were bright and striking like a lion cub’s, Winthrop’s were more muted, the eyes of a caged beast rather than a wild one. But the same unique amber hue lay under the outward color.

The earl had a son. And, judging by his horrified expression, the existence of the child had only very recently been revealed to him.

She pursed her lips. Well, well, well. The perfect lord wasn’t perfect, after all.

Readers should read this book …

If they’re looking for a story where two soulmates embark on a verrrrry rocky road to finally find love in each other and the family they create.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m super excited about my upcoming enemies-to-lovers historical romance (tentatively titled Dukes Dive In) releasing in early 2024. And then I have a pair of YA historical romances coming soon. We’re calling it “Bridgerton meets The Summer I Turned Pretty. ” SO EXCITED!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Coffee/tea and a book! Two winners will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card and a Kindle copy of A LADY’S RULES FOR RUIN. US only.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I love traveling to England and visiting places like the Lake District, but I also love the Southern California Beach near where I live. What is the most beautiful place you love traveling to, near or far?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from A Lady’s Rules for Ruin:

They kissed for long moments. She didn’t know exactly how long, and she didn’t care. All she cared about was this man and how he was touching her. How he was making her feel. Her nerve endings were on fire, her heart pounding. He tasted like the country, fresh and clean, as he coaxed her lips open with his tongue to deepen their connection.

“Mmm,” she said against him, and she mimicked his movements, pressing against him, fisting her hands in his coat as she pulled him even tighter to her.

Finally, he drew back. They stared at each other, their chests heaving with their breaths. He smiled, his eyes flashing with something akin to victory. “You’re flushed.”

She touched her lips with her fingertips. “I’m…” She dropped her hand and stared at him. “Hot.”

“So am I,” he said with a small wince. “You have no idea.”

There was no way he could feel like she did. She was overheated all over—even her big toe was buzzing—and he looked perfectly composed.

“I…I don’t like kissing,” she said in a tremulous voice.

He frowned. “You didn’t—”

“I mean before,” she said before he got the wrong idea. “I considered kissing quite an unpleasant endeavor. And in that, I was the anomaly among my sisters. As usual.”

But it turned out her sisters had been right. Kissing was wonderful—she knew that now—but only when you were engaged in the act with the right person.

Her knees felt wobbly. Lord, she needed to sit down before she melted into the carpeted floor. In this room, however, that particular problem was easy to solve. Chairs and sofas were scattered everywhere. She selected the closest chair and sank into it.

He was studying her carefully. “And now?”

“Now…” she mused. She touched her tingling lips again. “Well, now I understand. Kissing is”—a tremor ran through her body—“a pleasure I could never have imagined until today.”

“So that means you liked it.”

She nodded.

His smile bordered on cocky. “You like kissing me better than you liked kissing Mr. Salt.”

So he did know about her ruination. She blinked at him, feigning innocence. “Salt? Salt who?”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

She’s found the perfect plan to avoid marriage…

Miss Frances Cherrington has long been criticized as independent and prickly. And she’s fine with it. Truth be told, she’d prefer to be a spinster—damn her family’s desires. But it’s a conversation with the devilishly handsome yet highly infuriating Earl of Winthrop that inspires the perfect escape from her nuptial troubles. Frances could ensure that no one will marry her—by happily ruining her own reputation…

The Earl of Winthrop knows more about ruin than anyone suspects. He’s just uncovered a secret that would tear his name—and everything he’s worked for—to the ground. Certainly, marriage is out of the question…to say nothing of his growing attraction to the forthright and delectable Miss Cherrington.

Though all London is abuzz with Frances’s “disgrace,” she’s determined to use her freedom however she sees fit. Even if it means spending more time with a man who sets her body on fire. But when Frances’s misdeeds catch up to her, the ruinous disaster she finds herself in blazes out of control, taking all of her options with it.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Haymore is the author of sexy historical and contemporary romance.

You can find Jennifer in Southern California trying to talk her husband into yet another trip to England, talking to one of her kids on the phone, brainstorming a new five-minute dinner menu, or crouched in a corner of the local bookstore writing her next novel.
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