Spotlight & Giveaway: Down & Dirty by Rhenna Morgan

Posted April 1st, 2019 by Sara in Blog, Spotlight / 30 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Rhenna Morgan to HJ!

Hi Rhenna and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Down & Dirty!

Hey, there! Thank you for having me!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Down & Dirty is the final book in the Men of Haven series—at least for now. Axel McKee is a naughty Scot with a mind for business and a deeply seated love for music. Of all the brothers that make up the Men of Haven series, Axel has historically been the most reticent to consider relationships. Or at least that was the case until he met Lizzie Hemming—a stellar performer with the potential to take the rock world by storm. All she needs is a champion she can trust, and once Axel first hears her voice and sees her on stage, he knows he wants to be that champion…in more ways than one.

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Ringing ears, a raw throat and throbbing feet. Every pleasure had its price. A consequence to be paid after the indulgence was over.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Ah, yes! I do love fun facts!

Naming characters for my books happens in all kinds of interesting ways, but for this book, the heroine’s name came from suggestions made by my reader group on Facebook. (Rhenna’s Romantics) Several of the readers chimed in on what they thought our leading lady’s name should be and one of them hit on Elizabeth with Lizzie for short. Since the reader’s last name was Hemming, I went with Lizzie Hemming—hence how our heroine came to be named!
Interestingly, many of the songs that made up my playlist for this book came from Halestorm—a group that has one hell of an amazing woman fronting the band. And her name? Lzzy Hale. (Yes, she spells it without the i.  ) If you want to listen to the playlist I put together for DOWN & DIRTY, you can find it and all the others I’ve made for other books here: http://rhennamorgan.com/playlists/
Finally, a little interesting tidbit about Axel’s guitar collection. Many of the guitars that I listed in the scene where Lizzy learns more about Axel’s love of music (and hears him sing for the first time) were based upon guitars my father has collected over the years. He’s sold most of them now, but I grew up watching him obtain new “babies,” fawning over them, and playing them for hours. So, my hope is that there’s a lot of authenticity that comes across in that part of the book.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

You know, every book I write ends up having a little piece f me, or what I’m going through at that time of my life, wrapped into the story. This isn’t intentional. It just happens. And the beauty of it (I hope) is that it allows me to personally connect with readers in a unique way.

For both Axel and Lizzy, I was able to incorporate my history in music. My sister and I used to have a band of our own and spent many nights on stage angling for a career in music. Alas, I realized I’d have to make a decision on the kind of life I wanted to have—one filled with music, or one where I could put groceries on the table. Hence, the correlation to Axel’s decision to be responsible and set his music aside to support his family.

Lizzy’s deeper character arch reflected some life lessons I’ve got through recently as well. Not the physical abuse, thank God, but the emotional ramifications of what can happen to a person when they give too much of themselves up to please someone else.

And Axel…well, he’s loaded with many wonderful, supportive, and super sexy traits found in my own life partner. Truly, he’s taught me what it means to be loved and supported, and I enjoy so much putting a real-life hero in every book I write.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

I almost always go with the first scene where the hero and heroine meet because it’s a critical moment when the chemistry has to be just right. For Axel and Lizzie, that moment happens at the end of the first chapter where Lizzie is about to get shorted on pay by a bar owner and Axel decides to intervene. While the dialogue is pretty tame, there’s a lot of emotional posturing going on between them—two alphas sizing each other up and figuring out who is going to be the Dominant. (Which, of course, is Axel.)

He faced her fully and held out his hand. “Axel McKee.”
Damn, but the man’s voice was a weapon. Rich, deep, and made all the more intoxicating with the accent. But that was nothing compared to his presence. To the raw, masculine energy emanating off of him and the startling focus behind his brilliant green eyes.
He kept his hand steady. Patiently waiting for her to take what he offered.
A crossroad moment.
How she knew it, she couldn’t say, but she felt it in her bones. Intuited the gravity of the situation the way prey recognized a predator had marked them as a target.
And yet, rather than run, she lifted her hand and pressed her palm against his.
Oh. Holy. Hell.
A shiver she didn’t have a prayer of containing moved through her and her breath hitched with all the subtlety of a woman who’d just felt a man’s lips on the back of her neck for the first time.
His fingers tightened around hers. A tangible testament that he’d felt and witnessed her response, which in itself should have mortified her. Instead the deepened connection resonated through her like a tether in the middle of straight-line wind.
“Lizzy Hemming.” The quaver in her response and the sexual rasp that went with it slapped her well-honed sense of self-preservation back into place, and she tugged her hand free with an awkward abruptness. “Though, you appear to already know that.”
“Everyone in this bar knows your name.”
“True, but not one of them saw fit to saunter over here and put my band’s income at risk.”
His smile really was a killer. Quick and loaded with mischief. “Vic’s an idiot, but he’s not that stupid. You covered a week’s worth of hourly wages for half of his staff on his cut of the door alone, and the way he’s trained his bartenders to short people on most of the drinks, you put him squarely in the black for the rest of the month. The last thing that’s gonna happen is you losing a booking.” He cocked his head the same way he had with Vic, only without the dangerous vibe behind his eyes. “Now, if you’re ready to stop playing gigs like this, that’s a whole different conversation.”

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

My hope for any story is that the readers will be able to unplug from the everyday world for just a little while and enjoy relatable characters and situations, but to do so in a way that doesn’t overdose them on drama or angst. Life is complicated and stressful. I want their time with my stories to give them a break, make them smile, and remind them that happily ever after IS possible.

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

In book four of the Men of Haven series, I introduced a new character—Sergei Petrovyh. He’s a Russian mobster looking to break apart from his family in Russia and build his own family in the United States. I knew I wanted to keep the family aspect found in the Men of Haven series alive and well, but I wanted to give Danny, Ivan, and Rex some time to “breathe” and develop their story lines. So, I decided to branch off and do a NOLA Knights series featuring Sergei and his brothers, Kir and Roman. I just finished book one, HIS TO DEFEND, featuring Sergei and his lady love, Evette Labadie. The stories are based in New Orleans, so you can bank on some seriously colorful characters with periodic cameos from the Men of Haven crew.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 1 print copy of DOWN & DIRTY by Rhenna Morgan (entrants limited to North American mailing addresses)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: The Men of Haven series features six alpha men with very different professions and personalities–a biker, an ER doc, a cowboy, a hacker/sexy geek, a body guard, and a naughty Scot. Which of these alphas tends to be your favorite?

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Excerpt from Down & Dirty:

“I’ll give you one thing,” Jace said strolling into Axel’s office without so much as a knock. “Your woman’s stellar on stage.”
His woman.
It shouldn’t resonate as good as it did. Hell, he barely knew the woman, but he’d been fascinated with her for months. Drawn to her in a way that defied logic or reason. It was instinct. The same whisper to act that had guided him in business for years and had helped him and Jace escape the hard life they’d been born into. “I’m never wrong with the talent we book here.” He glanced at Jace as he moseyed up to the wide window beside him. “And can it with the my woman shite. I’ve got enough hurdles to clear with this one as it is. Don’t need you adding height to the challenge.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Sometimes once you clear the first one, the rest even out, or disappear altogether.” He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a folded white napkin and handed it over. “Candy’s been trying to find you since the band’s last break.” He smirked. “Guess she’s not used to her hands-on boss hiding in his office.”
“I’m not hiding. Just givin’ Lizzy a little space.” Axel snatched the napkin and opened it. Blue ink in sharp lines shone up at him.
I hear you’re here tonight. I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to play in person if you have time after the last set.
An elegant, but dramatic L marked the end of it. Fitting for the woman who’d thoroughly commanded the stage below him all night. And damned if knowing she’d taken a step and reached out to him didn’t snare his focus like the rest of the throng below. “How does she know I’m here?”
“She’d done her homework. Knew we owned the place together and asked me point blank why I called instead of you.”
So, she’d at least been curious enough to find out who he was and what kind of opportunities might be available if she picked up the phone and dared to call. Then again, she may have done that after Jace had called with the possible booking. “Yeah? How’d that go?”
“Well, you definitely yanked her chain going toe-to-toe with Vic without her knowing who you were, but I’d say she’s figured out maybe you’re not in the same class as Vic and knows a peace offering when she sees it.”
God, he wished he could say tonight was a peace offering. The truth was, he’d moved the band they had booked here to another venue and made a hole for Lizzy for purely mercenary reasons. Like giving her a glimpse of what he could offer her if she’d let her guard down enough to trust him.
And man, watching her when her guard was down was a thing to behold. Thanks to the cameras piped into every nook and cranny of Crossroads, he’d watched his fill of the woman without her armor in place while they’d set up this afternoon. How easygoing she’d been with her bandmates and quick to laugh while trading lighthearted barbs with them. On stage, she was magnetic. A force to be reckoned with. But in person, without that mask she kept in place, she was a whole different person. Big smiles. A rich, throaty laugh. Languid movements that spoke of comfort rather than anything crafted to draw attention and sky-blue eyes that sparked as if she held a thousand secrets.
He wanted those eyes aimed at him. To be welcomed not just into the circle of those she trusted, but closer. To reach the secrets behind those eyes. To touch the soul that fueled the lyrics she wrote. To pry that armor off her and guard her so she didn’t need it anymore.
Serious thoughts. Disturbing thoughts for a man who’d been perfectly comfortable with only casual relationships.

Book Info:

The Men of Haven: fierce passion, unyielding loyalty.

Especially when it comes to their women.

A powerful man

Axel McKee abandoned his musical career years ago in favor of becoming a power player on the music scene. His dreams of the spotlight are over—and he’s better off for it. Working with his Haven brothers and building their empire is enough for him.

One who commanded attention with nothing more than a look

And then came Lizzy. A dynamic, beautiful powerhouse of a performer unlike any he’s seen or heard before. Her presence leaps off stage and into the heart of anyone who watches her sing. Axel wants her. Wants to help her and collaborate with her… But more than anything, he wants to be with her.

And every ounce of his attention was locked on her

Two things are immediately obvious: Lizzy’s been burned before, and earning her trust will be Axel’s biggest challenge yet. If he can get this fierce, stubborn, talented woman to see the passion and care that he’s offering, he might get a chance at a new dream—sharing the spotlight with the woman he loves.

Meet the Author:

A native Oklahoman, Rhenna Morgan is a certified romance junkie. Whether it’s contemporary, paranormal, or fantasy you’re after, Rhenna’s stories pack romantic escape full of new, exciting worlds, and strong, intuitive men who fight to keep the women they want. For advance release news and exclusive content, sign up for her newsletter at http://RhennaMorgan.com. You’ll also find all of her social links there, along with her smoking hot inspiration boards.
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