Spotlight & Giveaway: ROYAL HAZE 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, ROYAL HAZE!

Thank you so much for having me here today to talk about ROYAL HAZE. I’m overjoyed (and a bit sad) that The Painted Daisies series is now done. I can’t wait for everyone to get the final book.
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

ROYAL HAZE is a fast-paced, roller-coaster of an adventure with a stunning HEA and plenty of surprises. D’Angelo Castelli has lived his life in the shadows, protecting from afar. He has one goal—save his homeland. He’ll do anything to make sure his people and his way of life continue. For the last several years, this duty has had him following Nikki Rani and her bandmates, righting wrongs and meting out justice in the dark.

But as the clock on his island’s future ticks down, he has no choice but to step from the shadows, take Nikki, and hand her over to a life she was destined for without ever knowing it.
What he has no intention of doing is falling for her or claiming her as his.

But once they’re alone, running from those who will do anything to keep her from getting to the island—once she’s taunted him with her fiery defiance one too many times—he can’t stop himself from taking her…
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

“What was she thinking? Taunting him? He could break her. Break her in half without even sweating. But somehow, a piece of her craved it.”

This is one of my favorite lines because it showcases a bit about both of them. How he’s someone to be feared, and yet not. How she craves the dark, dangerous edges of him. And how she’s strong enough to face it all anyway.

There are also a lot of themes that play with light and dark in this book because of who these characters are—the hidden protector and the famous rock star. But it also mirrors the marks on their souls, so these lines also became favorites:

“You can’t be next to me and standing in the shadows at the same time. It doesn’t work that way.”

“I’ve been in the shadows for a reason, Nicolette. My darkness…” His throat bobbed. “I don’t want it to dim your light.”

“The only way I’ll survive this is if we do it side by side. Not one of us in the light and the other in the shadows. Whatever happens, we get through it together.”

What inspired this book?

When I was researching band names for this series, I eventually stumbled upon the painted daisy flowers and knew that was what I wanted to call the band. Then, once I realized there are actually hundreds of types of daisies (did you know that? I didn’t), I thought it would be cool to do something that twined other daisies into the stories. So, in addition to The Painted Daisies being on the band members’ instruments and merchandise, specific daisies also represent specific members. For example, Fiadh is known as the green jewel daisy in the band, and that was also the name of her book in the series.

When I found the name ‘ROYAL HAZE’ daisy, the entire series came into focus for me. The band member who was represented by that flower would have the final book in the series. It would reveal a whole host of secrets that had started way before the first book ever took place.
That’s a long way of saying…daisies inspired the book. LOL.

But also, MUSIC!!!!

I’ve been dying, dying, dying to write a story that used Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift’s “The Joker and the Queen” as one of the chapter titles, so I finally got to do that in the book. And after Taylor released her MIDNIGHTS album, “Mastermind” was the only thing that kept running on repeat while I was writing it.

All the chapters in ROYAL HAZE are inspired by songs (like all my novels), you can catch the playlist here: https://spoti.fi/3IWaDPK

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

My female main character, Nikki Rani, surprised me multiple times. I had no idea when I first created her that she was going to be such a strong, vibrant, kickass heroine. But as the other stories unfolded, and she remained quietly on the sidelines, I realized, she was waiting. Waiting to show the world, her friends, and her family just what she was really made of. And boy does she!

But… the biggest surprise in this entire five-book series was D’Angelo Castelli. I had a totally different hero planned for Nikki to begin with. Someone who would have been an Indiana Jones type of character. But when I was writing book two, a character came into being… a secret, shadowy, hidden character… and I knew he would be the one to follow Nikki until the end of time. I had the most fun writing him and twining him into every book.

What was your favorite scene to write?

This entire book was a blast to write, so there are a number of scenes that had me smiling (sometimes for all the wrong reasons, ha). But I’d been waiting for five books to write about Nikki’s secrets, and so this scene was especially meaningful:

“Nicolette, you must tell me where you got it.”

Her gaze widened, searching his face. No one called her that. No one. Not her father. Not her friends. It was a name on a birth certificate that she’d never heard breathed aloud.

Her teeth clashed together, the top sliding along the bottom, sparking pain through her temples she knew she’d regret and couldn’t stop. It was all coming undone. The secrets—the lid she’d tried to shove over them, locking them away with the steel of her willpower. Everything was crumbling.

“If I tell you…they’ll come for me,” she whispered, fear and regret curling through every syllable.

It hardly seemed possible, but his dark gaze seemed to gentle as he said, “They already have.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

Even though each of the books in the series has its own HEA couple with its own completed suspense plot, there is a mystery that runs through all five books that doesn’t get resolved until this book. So, writing the scene where it all comes together—where all the secrets are revealed—and doing it in a way that wouldn’t disappoint anyone who’d been on this adventure with me, was a lot of pressure. And a lot of work.

I can’t give you too much of that chapter, because of all the spoilers, but I can give you this little snippet where she’s all alone and facing three adversaries.

“As if he was right beside her, she could hear her dad again and feel his palm pressing against her chest. This will give you more strength than any training ever can. Men have lifted cars off children because of it. It won’t fail you when you need it most. Your heart will be the thing that saves you.

Would it be enough? The desperate need to save the people she loved?

She’d never thought she’d have to find out.”

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

This book and the series are absolutely an accumulation of all my writing styles to date. It has heartbreak and tears, suspense and mystery, longing and a steamy slow burn. You get a teeny bit more heat than some of my other series, but it has every single bit of the emotional upheaval my readers have come to expect.

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

I want people to walk away from this book, and the entire series, feeling like they were on a journey, climbing a mountain, and now they’ve finally reached the summit where the heights are dizzying and the views spectacular. I want people’s hearts to be so full they feel like they are going to burst. I want them to think “Holy gadzooks that was EVERYTHING!”

Because that’s how I felt when I finally hit the end. Like I’d done something enormous and huge and life-changing.

I hope people love it that much.

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

I’ve spent two years writing and stockpiling The Painted Daisies series, so I gave myself a little bit of a break to rejuvenate. I’ve mostly been concentrating on releasing the series with my publisher and Podium Audio. But in the last month, I started working on a completely new standalone! It’s a heart-wrenching single-dad romantic suspense with another fiery female lead who was inspired by one of my favorite television characters—Veronica Mars. I’m hoping to release it late this year or early next year.

In the meantime, I’m hoping folks binge-read the entire (and now complete) Painted Daisies series!

SWEET MEMORY, is a second-chance, opposite-sides-of-the-track story. Trouble—that’s what her sister calls him. But she can’t resist, not even when his past threatens her world.

GREEN JEWEL is an enemies-to-lovers, single-dad romance. He did it. She’ll prove it. Her body’s reaction to him be damned.

CHERRY BRANDY is an opposites-attract, forbidden romance. Being on the run with only one bed is no excuse to touch her…until touching is the only choice.

BLUE MARGUERITE, a frenemy, second-chance, celebrity romance. She vowed to never forgive him… She may have to work with him to save her sister, but he’ll never have her body or heart again.

ROYAL HAZE, is the stunning conclusion to the series. It’s a forced-proximity, on-the-run romance. He was ready to torture, steal, and kill to defend the world he believed in. What he wasn’t prepared for…was her.

I hope you’ll get swept away in the adventure!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Signed paperback of Royal Haze and 12-pack of The Painted Daisies Character Cards.
U.S. only, sorry!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I’ve never been much of a royal romance reader (except The Princess Diaries, do they even count?), so tell me all your favorite royal romance books.

 
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Excerpt from ROYAL HAZE:

“I didn’t buy you a Christmas gift, but I can give you something today.” When she looked over at him, a single brow rose in curiosity. “I’m going to teach you to savor your food. Well…at least these treats.”

“Those are desserts.”

“Yep. Haven’t you ever had dessert for breakfast?” When he just stared, she laughed softly. “No. You probably haven’t.” He still didn’t respond, but she swore his lips twitched. She took out a treat and handed it to him. He eyed it and then popped the entire thing into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

She gave out an exasperated huff. “That is not at all how you’re supposed to do it. Close your eyes.” He didn’t, and she rolled her eyes at him. “Just do it, Kraken.”

Slowly, watching her all the while, he let his lids drop.

She took another tart from the box, broke it in half, and lifted it to his nose. “First, just smell it.” When his lids started to open, she took her other hand and pushed them over his eyes. “Don’t cheat. Smell.”

His body went completely still at her touch, but after a long moment, he did as she asked, inhaling deeply.

“What do you smell?”

“Citrus. Fig. Sugar.” His voice was gravelly.

“Good. Do those scents remind you of anything? Transport you to some long-forgotten memory?”

“Banquets in the Great Hall.”

She rubbed just the crust on his lips. He jerked back, and she chuckled.

“Don’t be a baby. It isn’t going to bite you. Lick your lips.”

He hesitated again, but then he swiped at the hint of crumbs. She hadn’t thought this through, because being so focused on his mouth and his tongue brought sensual images to mind of places on her body where she’d love for them to land. Of other ways they could find pleasure in the simplest of sensations.

Her voice was breathy when she asked, “What do you taste?”

He tried to open his eyes again, and his thick lashes fluttered against her palm like a butterfly kiss. Every fiber in her being lit up.

“Same. Fig. Citrus. Sugar. But also butter.”

“What feelings does the taste evoke?” His throat bobbed, and his hands that were crossed over his chest gripped his biceps so hard the tips turned white, as if he was fighting for control. A decadent thrill coursed through her in knowing this experience was as torturous for him as it was for her. When he said nothing, she used her foot to kick against his shin and prompted, “Come on, Kraken.”

“Joy.”

The single syllable was a heady aphrodisiac, sending tingles over her body from head to toe.

“Open your mouth.” He did, and she placed a small portion of the treat on his tongue. “Don’t swallow. Just…explore it.”

She sounded completely wrong. She sounded like she was in the throes of an orgasm, and damn if it didn’t feel that way. Watching him close his mouth, knowing his tongue was trailing along the bits of the pastry in ways she wanted it to explore her…it was insanely erotic. Maybe the most sensual experience she’d ever had. She’d never be able to eat gobeletti again without this memory taking over.

“Okay, swallow, and then tell me what you feel, and taste, and remember.”

She watched his throat move, the long, strong column bobbing. Eyelids fluttered again, but she didn’t let up until, in one fast, smooth motion, he’d grabbed both her wrists, pulling them away. The dark abyss of the ocean took her in, and far from being cold, it was ablaze with heat.

“Tell me.” Her whispered words were almost a beg.

“You. That’s all I can smell and taste and feel.” The words tore from somewhere deep inside him. Pained admissions that seemed to cost him everything and added further to the sensations flooding her.

She leaned her body forward and placed her lips on his.

And the world seemed to explode.

Lights. Colors. Sounds. All blending into this life-shattering experience she’d never be able to repeat.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

The stunning conclusion to The Painted Daisies series…
I pledge allegiance to her and only her.

Singer and lead guitarist Nikki Rani will do whatever it takes to keep her mom and her band safe, even if it means keeping secrets about her friend’s murder. She failed her loved ones once and won’t be taken in again by a ridiculous story.

There are no fairy tales in her future. Especially not with a broody stranger who’s more likely to offer heartache and pain than redemption.

D’Angelo Castelli has been raised for a singular purpose―to protect the monarchy. He’s dedicated two years to hunting the people trying to bring it down, and now he has mere days to retrieve the woman key to saving it all: Nikki Rani.

As the clock ticks down, D’Angelo makes one last desperate move to save his country and reveal a murderer. He thought he was prepared for everything. He was ready to torture, steal, and kill to defend the world he believed in.

What he wasn’t prepared for was her.

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Award-winning author, LJ Evans, lives in Northern California with her husband, child, and the three 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 Ted Lasso, Wednesday, 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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