Spotlight & Giveaway: Disguised as Love by LJ Evans

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author LJ Evans to HJ!

Hi LJ Evans and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Disguised as Love!

 
I’m overjoyed to be here today chatting with you about my first-ever enemies-to-lovers romance!

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

 
Enemies-to-lovers
Surly FBI Agent
Genius Scientist
Commanding hero risks everything
Fast-paced, adventure
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

CRUZ
I hated cigarettes. Not only the insidious smell that snuck into every orifice and vein, but the way the men I was surrounded with used it as a means of showing how little they cared about anyone around them. As if they didn’t give a fuck if you were there or not. They’d blow smoke straight into your face just to see if you’d react and then tap the ash with fingers that never quivered. So, it was the tremble in Ivan Gennady’s hand as he inhaled, as much as the sweat beading at his hairline, that proved something had shaken him to his core.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• As I said, Disguised as Love is my first-ever enemies-to-lovers story, and the dynamic between these two was addicting to write. Chemistry pops off the page from the first time they’re together until we say goodbye to them. I’ll definitely be writing more of this trope.
• The hero, Cruz Malone, is actually a billionaire from a music family who followed his heart into undercover work. I love the dimension this adds to him, but also how unimpressed it allows him to be by the opulent palace Raisa grew up in.
• Raisa first appeared in my original Anchor Novels as a side character. Her half-sister, Georgie, is the heroine in Forged by Sacrifice. I hadn’t even considered Raisa’s story until one of my male readers reached out and said he couldn’t wait to see what she did with her life. As soon as he said it, my brain filled with an image of a burly FBI agent showing up at her door, and her throwing in his face that she’d never give him what he was looking for on her family. It took 3 years and 9 books for Raisa to finally get her own novel, but the wait was absolutely worth it because she’s badass in a way I wouldn’t have written her 3 years ago.
• I make playlists for all my stories (every single chapter has a song), and Disguised by Love’s is moody and tension-filled just like the story itself. Demi Lovato’s “Kingdom Come” has become the anthem for the book, but you’ll also find lots of Linkin Park ballads, R&B, and sensual pop songs on the list. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://spoti.fi/3Hlg2NO
• Everybody loves those Pretty-Woman-type makeover scenes, right? In this book, Cruz is the one to get the makeover, and right in the middle of it we get a super-charged, chemistry-filled moment with Cruz and Raisa that may have made everyone in the shop swoon.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Cruz is first physically attracted to Raisa when she’s in a red dress that covers her from neck to toe and shoulder to wrist and yet shows off every single curve when they meet at a mutual friend’s wedding. But what really turns him on is the control she exhibits when he tells her about her father’s death, the bravery she shows in returning to a place that can only mean danger for her, and the complete defiance she tosses at his every command.

“She looked like an avenging angel, blonde and glowing in the warm lights of the hall. Face set in grim determination. Bravery, whether it was foolish or not, wafted from her. She wouldn’t stop. She was here, determined to finish what she’d come for, and all I could do was follow her even knowing doing so could get me killed.”

Raisa is attracted to Cruz’s surly, powerful presence as much as his looks. Finding safety in her world has always been difficult, and as much as she hates that he’s an FBI agent trying to bring her family down, she also can’t deny the sense of peace she finds at his side.

“This man…he tugged something from the inner recesses of me. It was a desire to submit. To just give in to whatever he wanted…whatever he commanded. I hated it and craved it all at the same time.”

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Compulsive, undeniable, intense, fiery, and sensual.
 

The First Kiss…

“I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me the truth.”

This pissed me off. I stormed back to him, shoved a finger into the brick wall of his chest. “You are the one who insisted on coming. I told you it was a mistake. I’ve told you all I could. I know nothing about Rurik or Papa or even Malik’s businesses. I know nothing about being promised to anyone. I assumed Papa didn’t want me to come back because of my breakthroughs with the photovoltaic nano cells. You…you don’t get to come here and act like you have some hold on me. I don’t owe you anything. If you die here, it’s on you.”

I was rambling, and the feeling I had was completely opposite of what I said. If he died here, it would haunt me for the rest of my life.

“Feel better now?” he asked, calmly as if none of this was disturbing him.

I growled. “No. You are completely infur―”

He yanked me up tight against his body, and his mouth landed on mine. The shock caused me to freeze. His lips were enticingly soft when they’d always appeared so hard, and the heat of them seemed to melt into me, spreading a honey-like glow and causing my skin to prickle like it did when stepping from the cold into the warmth of the sun. A knot in my chest let go, and then I was kissing him back.

He shifted so his hand tangled with my hair, forcing my head to tilt as he deepened the kiss, tongue flicking against the seam of my mouth. My brain was screaming to push him away, but my body was craving more. I wanted to know if the inner recesses of him would taste like the salt water and clove he smelled of, so I let him in.

He groaned as I opened for him, and I swallowed the sound as my body ignited. My hands went to the nape of his neck, nails scratching into the dense weave. Our tongues battled it out, exploring, demanding, each wanting to control the heated embrace―the most passionate kiss I’d ever had in my life. Every single cell of my body was responding. My limbs curled into him, my core seeking his and that’s when I came to my senses.

I shoved at him with all my might, but he didn’t let me go. He held me tight as we stared into each other’s faces, our gazes falling to lips and heaving chests before our eyes met again. I was in the arms of a federal agent. I’d kissed him, knowing exactly why he was there. To bring my family down. To ruin Papa’s name. Arrest Malik. Arrest Papa’s friends. I was being used… and I couldn’t lose sight of that.

I struggled again, and he stilled me. “Stop fighting. We have an audience.”

His eyes flicked toward the house without moving his head.

“What? Who?” I demanded quietly.

“Your brother,” he said so softly. “If you keep struggling, he’s going to know we lied.”

The tension left my limbs. I leaned my forehead against his chest, hating the way my body wanted to kiss him again. Wanted to explore every single recess of his chiseled body. Hating that the kiss had been as fake as our relationship when I’d felt more human…more real…than I had in years with his lips on mine.

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

Only one? There are so many scenes in this book that I adore. Each one a moment where one of them gives in just a little, slowly stripping back their reserves, unveiling themselves. Here’s one as they’re on the run.

“My father used to tease my mother that they were each other’s kryptonite,” he said, evading my question.

“Kryptonite isn’t a real chemical,” I insisted.

“I never understood it,” he acted like I hadn’t even talked while his hand continued to explore the contours of my face. “Why would he think they could destroy each other? Why would he let anything that could destroy either of them remain that close?”

The car was so tiny and Malone was so huge that we were almost on top of each other as it was, but he moved his face until his lips were almost brushing mine. They were so close I could feel the vibration of his words along my skin.

“But now I get it,” he continued. “Because I can’t walk away from you even as I see both our worlds crumbling apart around us. It’s like you’ve tied invisible strings around my veins and every time you move, my body gets dragged right along.”

My heart hammered. His words were as beautiful as they were cruel.

I ground my teeth, as frustration and anger soared through me, and I tried to pull away again. But all it served to do was cause his beautifully, full lips to twitch.

“That fire…holy h*ll. I like it almost as much as I like this…” and then he was kissing me again. It had none of the fierceness of our kiss on the boat. That one he’d let me lead. That one had been fueled by fear and sadness and relief that we were still alive. This was a slow promise. A taste of wine before you’re poured the full glass. His mouth glided across mine with grace and warmth and every single inch of me melted into it. Body. Soul. Heart.

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

I love this scene with them at a rooftop bar with a view of St. Petersburg at night because it shows so many layers of the story. The swoony emotions, Cruz and Raisa’s inner battles, and the suspenseful action:

“I want you to leave. I’ll have Ilia increase my security. You need to go.”

He shook his head slightly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t want you here!”

“Too bad.”

I pushed at him again, and he easily grabbed my wrists, wrapping them both in one of his palms. The other went to my throat, completely surrounding it as he stroked the skin as if it was tantalizing. I stilled, the silky touch scorching me with a desire that left me breathless. How could I want him so badly when I knew the truth? It baffled my scientific mind that normally saw cause and effect clearly. It was as if some unknown ingredient had been added to the mix while I wasn’t looking.

“You’re fire and ice,” he growled. “I’ve never been so damn tempted by a woman in my life.”

He kissed me again, and it wasn’t gentle. It was brutal and punishing, as if it was my fault he was drawn to me. As if I’d done it on purpose when it was the last thing I wanted. He’d come into my carefully constructed world and torn it apart first with the news about my father, then with kisses and sweet words, and now with the lust that filled me.

The click of a gun’s hammer had us both opening our eyes. Fear filled mine, but Cruz’s were completely furious.

“Hello, asshole,” Damien said from behind Cruz. The barrel of the gun was pushed against Cruz’s temple.

Cruz didn’t even hesitate. In one swift movement, he let go of me and twisted Damien’s wrist that held the gun painfully behind his back. The gun dropped, and Cruz kicked it away before pushing Damien into the rail next to me. Damien’s face was contorted with anger, but Cruz’s had become deadly calm. Cruz leaned in and snarled, “Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not nice to sneak up on people?”

I moved, tired of the third pissing contest of the day. I picked up the weapon that had been kicked away, shivering as the cold metal hit my palm, and directed it at the two men while trying not to let my hands shake.

“Didn’t anyone tell you barbarians that women aren’t turned on by guns and violence?”

Readers should read this book …

If you like enemies to lovers, fake relationships, chemistry-filled moments, and fast-paced suspenseful adventures, this story will tickle all your hot spots. Even if romantic suspense isn’t normally your cup of tea, the intense dynamic and emotional depth of the characters might surprise you. If you’re like my mom, who swore she didn’t like suspense stories because they made her anxious, I might convert you just like I did her. It’s pretty much all she reads now. LOL

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

These days I’m working on my brand-new series that’s starting this summer. The Painted Daisies is an interconnected, slow-burn series with an all-female rock band, their protective alpha heroes, and a murder mystery that will keep you guessing till the very end. Each romance plot will have its own HEA, without a cliffhanger.

The heart-stopping Prequel, SWAN RIVER, gives you hints of what’s to come in all five novels.
Book One, SWEET MEMORY, is Paisley and Jonas’s second-chance, opposites-attract romance.
Book Two, GREEN JEWEL, is an enemies-to-lovers, single-dad romance.
Book Three, CHERRY BRANDY, is an opposites-attract, forbidden romance.
Book Four, BLUE MARGUERITE, is a Hollywood celebrity, frenemy romance.
Book Five, ROYAL HAZE, is an antihero, secret society romance.

You can add them to your Goodreads TBR shelf today: https://bit.ly/PaintedDaisiesGR

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An eBook of Disguised as Love and a $10 eCard. Open internationally, but winner must be able to claim eCard via US Amazon store or via PayPal gift.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do you love mystery and suspense as much as me? What’s a suspense show you adore?

 
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Excerpt from Disguised as Love:

“I’m going to need complete access to you if I’m going to keep my promise.”

I stopped, my eyes meeting his in the mirror. They were so dark it was like looking into the depths of the old well we’d played around as kids. As if a person could get lost in them. I couldn’t afford to get lost in anything right now. Especially not when I knew the truth about why he was here. He was after my father’s good name, my brother’s future, and whatever bratva he could bring down along the way.

“You’ll have the same access Ilia does,” I told him. “I just said you were my extra protection.”

“No. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

I scoffed. “That’s going to be pretty much impossible. I’m not taking you into the bathroom with me.”

The irony wasn’t lost on either of us that we were, in fact, in my bathroom.

“We’ll say I’m your boyfriend,” he tossed out.

I laughed. “It would be a cold day in hell before I’d ever let you be my boyfriend, pretend or otherwise.”

As I brushed past him to put the case in my luggage on the bed, my entire body reacted to the small touch, just like it had in the car. His gaze had felt like a brand, trying to scour me, and I refused to be marked, even if I’d never felt such a sizzling reaction to another human being in my life. I’d had sex. Plenty of damn good sex. But this man…he tugged something from the inner recesses of me. It was a desire to submit. To just give in to whatever he wanted…commanded. My jaw clenched. I refused to give that much control to anyone, especially not an agent of the U.S. government.

“You know it’s the best solution,” he pushed when I didn’t respond.

“No.”

He closed the distance until he was standing right behind me as I packed. I could almost feel his breath stirring my hair.

“Are you afraid you’ll like it?” It was a taunt. A dare. I knew it, and yet I couldn’t help reacting to it. I whipped around to face him. My chin barely reached his chest. I looked up as my finger poked the brick that was his pectoral muscles.

“Back off, Antonne,” I said his undercover name sarcastically. “Papa trained me himself in self-defense, and my stilettos can cost you a ball or two.”

If I hadn’t been standing practically in his embrace, I wouldn’t have seen the flare of heat that rushed through his gaze before he hid it. My body wouldn’t have had a chance to react to it. But it did. It betrayed me because it liked everything about this man who I was supposed to hate.

His lips curled up. “I’d like to see you try, little one. Might be fun.”

The unexpected tease had my mouth falling open.

“Don’t call me that,” I growled. “And we both know size doesn’t equal performance.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

He’s a surly, undercover agent set in his ways.
She’s a genius scientist from the family he’s investigating.
One mistake can cost them everything, including their hearts.

After years working to bring the Leskov family down, Special Agent Cruz Malone is determined not to let the sexy, blonde scientist of the family stop him. Tying her to his side with a lie seems like his only option until having her there becomes his riskiest venture yet.

Avoiding her family’s criminal world was Raisa Leskov’s wish and her father’s command, so being summoned home comes with inherent danger. When a broody agent storms in promising to protect her, she lets him. But that doesn’t mean she’ll just sit back and watch while the infuriating man dismantles her world…or her heart.

From award-winning author LJ Evans, comes an achingly emotional, slow-burn romantic suspense that whirls you around the globe and back with surprises every step of the way.

An interconnected HEA in the Anchor Suspense Novels. Can be read standalone.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Award-winning author, LJ Evans, lives in the California Central Valley with her husband, child, and the terrors called cats. She’s been writing, almost as a compulsion, since she was a little girl and will often pull the car over to write when a song lyric strikes her. A former first-grade teacher, she now spends her free time reading and writing, as well as binge-watching original shows like The Crown, A Discovery of Witches, Veronica Mars, and Stranger Things.

If you ask her the one thing she won’t do, it’s pretty much anything that involves dirt—sports, gardening, or otherwise. But she loves to write about all of those things, and her first published heroine was pretty much involved with dirt on a daily basis, which is exactly why LJ loves fiction novels—the characters can be everything you’re not and still make their way into your heart.

Her novels have won multiple awards including CHARMING AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, which was Writer’s Digest’s Self-Published E-book Romance of the Year in 2021.
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