Spotlight & Giveaway: Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Melissa de la Cruz to HJ!

Hi Melissa and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Rings of Fate!

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

Rings of Fate is a fun adventure style romantasy featuring a barmaid with a deadly skillet and a handsome prince with a terrible secret. Curses, crowns, conversation! It’s a cozy and deliciously romantic read!
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

When you’re a barmaid, marriage proposals are a natural
part of the job. A drunkard can find salvation in the bottom
of a pint glass as easily as he can find love gazing across a
bar. Luckily for me, I’m very good at saying no.
“Still no, Shep,” I say firmly. “Don’t you remember I
turned you down yesterday?”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I rewrote this book a thousand times. Okay, maybe ten. But it’s the most I’ve ever rewritten.
• Dietan’s name is pronounced Dietan like Ethan. NOT Dye-tan. He does not die with a tan. That’s a joke my husband and I would make when we were creating this book.
• My husband and I have worked on all my fantasy books together since Blue Bloods, through Disney’s Descendants and now Rings of Fate, Sibylline and Kingdom of Waves.
• Many sex scenes were removed from this book due to pacing lol. I shall release them on my substack for paid subscribers!
• I have always wanted to be a bartender, hence Aren is a barmaid. My family owned a popular restaurant-nightclub and I’ve always wanted to be in hospitality.

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

Dietan is attracted to Aren’s striking eyes, smarts, and the fact that she doesn’t like him at first.
Aren is attracted to Dietan because he not only is he handsome, but he’s mysterious, and then she discovers he is also very kind and very brave.
 

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

Slow burn with lots of banter. Okay that’s six sorry.
 

The First Kiss…

Is at their fake wedding!
 

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

My favorite scene is when Aren wants to sleep in Dietan’s tent and he can’t let her because he can’t let her know his real feelings (just like a man!). It’s a lot of tension and feeling and I love how no-nonsense she is.

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

The Tent Scene!!!!

Readers should read this book …

If you want an escapist, cozy romantasy, come spend time with two of the most likable characters I have created. I love them. I want to hang out with them a lot.

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

Right now book two to all my fantasy books. Rings of Fate 2. Sibylline 2. Kingdom of Waves 2. and some new romances and fun Disney projects we haven’t announced yet!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Rings of Fate, Sibylline, This Song is About Me, My Ex-Husband’s Ex Husband. 4 books signed and personalized from Melissa de la Cruz!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do you think Aren suffers from Eldest Daughter syndrome? Why do eldest daughters think they are responsible for everyone? And is it a bad thing or a good thing? In a way without eldest daughters, what would happen to the rest of us? (As an Eldest Daughter myself I think we hold up the world lol)

Excerpt from Rings of Fate:

Chapter Three
Dietan
I smile and wave to the onlookers as my carriage rolls
toward the center of Evandale. “Hello! Hi there!” I call out,
flashing my most charming smile.
I am, after all, His Royal Highness, Dietan Cornwallis
Arthur William Maximillian Conrad Barclay-Bruce
Armandale-Macrae, Crown Prince of Loegria and heir
presumptive to Alarice. I have as many names as jewels on
my epaulets.
I am their future lord and liege, who will wed some
lucky Alarician girl to seal the deal.
The crowd’s cheers rise and fall around me, and I try to
focus on the variety of faces rather than the monotony of
this endless journey.
“Another dead-end town,” I mutter under my breath,
careful not to let anyone hear. “Who knew there were so
many?” Weeks on the road and the repetitiveness of this
quest have worn me down. Meet the mayor or local lord,
kiss the hand of every unmarried girl of eligible age, feign
interest, indicate nope, not her as often as necessary, then
go on my merry way to do it all over again at the next stop.
At least no one is pelting the carriage with tomatoes
this time, but I have the windows up, just in case. I still recall
the headache it gave my valet to scrub those red stains out
of silk and velvet.

The kingdom of Alarice is tense, accusing my kingdom
of Loegria of leaving their borders defenseless. There have
been too many bandits, too many marauders on the roads
lately. Naturally, they blame my father, King Donnel, for
failing to maintain the peace. They are demanding the
conditions of the treaty, my marriage, be fulfilled sooner
rather than later. So, here I am.
I glance out the window and blink, surprised by
Evandale’s idyllic charm. Unlike some other shithole
Alarician towns I’ve visited lately, this place is picturesque:
golden fields, tall trees, and clear blue skies for miles. The
sunlight spills over vibrant wildflowers and grassy meadows,
which seem to creep up on everything—houses, roads, even
sheep fields and pigpens. It makes me want to breathe
deeply, savor the clean air while I’m so far removed from
Lundewic’s crowded streets and the grime of the previous
tour stops. It’s…refreshing. Maybe it’s a good sign.
Since no one appears inclined to hurl tomatoes, I
unlatch the window and lean out, letting the breeze ruffle
my hair. Closing my eyes against the bright light, I revel in
the warmth on my skin. Sure, my fair complexion will likely
burn, but it’s worth it. A little sun is good for the soul, and
right now, my soul needs all the light it can get.
“Ah, such a lovely tour of the backwater.” Jared’s voice
cuts through my thoughts from the other side of the carriage,
where he’s draped lazily across the seat, his inky eyes halflidded
with boredom. Lord Jared Gruffudd Mackenzie,
eighth Duke of Glamorgan, and one of my oldest friends,
rarely holds back his disdain. With his deep umber skin,
handsome face, and vast estates that he rarely visits—
preferring, as one does, the delights of the capital—Jared
could boast he rivals me as the kingdom’s most eligible
bachelor. But he doesn’t because he’s also quite humble,
actually. It’s why we’re mates. Except right now he’s prickly.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” he continues. “Do
you really have to carry on with this charade of marrying
some Alarician bumpkin?”
“Don’t be a dick,” I reply, shooting him a look.
“Aw, fuck off,” he retorts, smirking. He always reminds
me of a sleek cat—his tendency to melt into seats, like a
barn cat on a bale of hay in the sun. He’s mostly bored and
indifferent, too.
“This whole ruse is ridiculous. Why would a princesearch for a bride here,” he gestures vaguely out the window,
“when you could have your pick of all the ladies at your
grandfather’s court? Here, she’s sure to have four hooves,”
he adds, shaking his head.
I wave at more villagers, keeping the smile plastered to my
face. “According to my mother, apparently my philandering
reputation precedes me. So the only Alarician noblewomen
who’ll have me are the social climbers. And besides, I’m
not doing this to actually get married, remember? No one’s
suspected our true mission yet.” I elbow him. “But hey,
maybe one of these ‘Alarician bumpkins’ will catch your
eye, my friend. And maybe Marcus’s, too!”
Jared’s laugh fills the carriage. The idea of any of us
marrying someone from one of these towns is clearly absurd
to him. He’s far too busy working his way through the
kingdom’s married countesses to consider settling down. So
many bored, beautiful, married countesses whose husbands
are off preparing for or hiding from the impending war
effort.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

She’s a barmaid who doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He’s a prince cursed to live one.

Aren Bellamore has no interest in being anyone’s princess. She’s too busy running the Raven’s Beak tavern, fending off unwanted marriage proposals, and dreaming of escape. But when a brush with death and a dangerously handsome stranger upend her life, Aren finds herself bound to a bargain that could change everything.

Prince Dietan has carried the cursed Rings of Fate―ancient weapons of devastating power―since childhood. The magic is killing him, and the enemies are closing in. To make the journey to reverse his curse, he needs a bride to hide his secrets. Aren wants freedom. Pretending to be his fiancée should give them both what they want.

But as their perilous journey pits them against political schemes, monstrous Kilandrar, and a growing attraction neither can deny, the line between make-believe and destiny begins to blur. And the fate of two kingdoms may depend on whether a cynical barmaid and a cursed prince are willing to risk their hearts.
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Meet the Author:

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publisher’s Weekly and #1 IndieBound bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages. Many of her more than seventy books have also topped USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and been published in over twenty countries. She is the principal and founder of Melissa de la Cruz Studio at the Walt Disney Company, which creates and develops intellectual property for Disney throughout all its platforms.

De la Cruz’s novel, The Isle of the Lost, the prequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants, spent more than fifty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, fifteen at #1, and has over a million copies in print. Descendants starring Kristen Chenoweth and Dove Cameron was the #1 cable TV movie of 2015, and #5 of all time, and its soundtrack the #1 bestselling album on iTunes. The series’ subsequent books, Return to the Isle of the Lost and Rise of the Isle of the Lost, were also New York Times bestsellers for many weeks. Beyond the Isle of the Lost, comes out in May 2024 as a prequel to the next Descendants movie: Rise of Red. There are currently eight million copies sold of the books worldwide.

De la Cruz is also known for the Blue Bloods series (with three million copies sold), and the Witches of East End series starring Julia Ormond, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Rachel Boston and Mädchen Amick on Lifetime Television. She is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Queen’s Assassin and the Alex & Eliza series. Her recent hits include the Never After series and Disney’s The Super-Secret Octagon Valley Society for middle-grade readers along with Going Dark and The Headmaster’s List for young adults. Upcoming books include the adult romantasy Rings of Fate, YA academia novel Sibylline and My Ex-Husband’s Ex-Husband, a romantic comedy novel co-written with Rachel Cohn.

De la Cruz’s four Hallmark Christmas movies, Christmas in Angel Falls, Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday, Pride Prejudice and Mistletoe (based on her novel) and Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen, were the top-rated movies for their Christmas season on the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Current projects in active development are Blue Bloods with Paramount and The Headmaster’s List with director Vince Marcello of The Kissing Booth and a YA reality show with SuperDelicious.

Melissa de la Cruz is the co-director of YALLFEST (Charleston, SC) and the co-founder of YALLWEST (Santa Monica, CA), the two largest and most vibrant young adult book festivals in the country, attracting more than 30,000 readers every year.

A former fashion and beauty editor, Melissa has written for The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa de la Cruz grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. At Columbia University, she majored in art history and English. She lives in West Hollywood with her husband and daughter.

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