Spotlight & Giveaway: The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Maddison Michaels to HJ!

Hi Maddison and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Bachelor Bargain!

 
Thank you so much for having me!!
 

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

She wants to expose London’s corrupt bachelors. He offers to help her, but for a price. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan….
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

The pelting rain lashed across Lady Olivia Haliford’s cheeks like the icy hands of death, battering the silent tears already coursing down her face without mercy. She stood there, soaked to the bone, her cloak and bonnet sagging after her parasol had long ago conceded defeat against the deluge, to now hang limply beside her cane.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The premise around this book involves three strong women deciding they’ve had enough of scoundrels taking advantage of women, and they decide it’s time to do something about it!
• This book has one of my favorite ballroom scenes ever!
• It’s set in the 1880s so there are some really awesome advances in technology that I used on the book – especially for a historical setting.
• This is a story about whether or not the power of love is enough to overcome the challenges of two people coming from two very different worlds…

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

Sebastian is first attracted to Olivia through the letters she sends him demanding an audience – no one ever dares to demand anything from the Bastard of Baker Street, let alone a duke’s daughter…so he’s intrigued by her from the outset.

Olivia is first attracted to the enigma Sebastian presents, for he is nothing like the man she expected to encounter, nor is he anything like the men that inhabit her world of Society…
 

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

Different worlds colliding with heat.
 

The First Kiss…

Then, before she knew what he was about, his hands circled her waist and he lifted her over onto his lap. She gasped at the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest and was lost when his mouth descended upon her own.

His lips were firm but tender, slowly coaxing her to open for him. The stubble of his chin rubbed gently against her skin, rough but oh so thrilling, too. She couldn’t help a soft moan from escaping her mouth as a sensation of wanton wickedness stole through her. Then, when his tongue began to gently tease her own, she was lost, every single inch of her body vibrating with desire.

His kiss was hot, heavy, and demanding. Nothing about it either wet or sloppy. This was a kiss from a man who knew what he was about. And Livie wanted more, so much more.

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

Oh that’s a hard one to answer because I have so many favorite scenes in this book! If I had to choose one it would probably be when Livie first confronts Seb.

SCENE:
“What are you willing to wager?” Seb asked as Lance pulled open the door to the office.

“Wager?” Lance stopped in front of the now open entrance and spun back to face him.

“Yes, a wager. You think Lady Olivia will be scared upon meeting me and flee, whereas I think the lady is made of sturdier stuff.”

Lance paused for a moment, his face lighting up with a grin. “You know I’m always up for a good wager. I’ll put down twenty pounds that as soon as this Lady Olivia claps sight of you, she won’t just be scared of you, she’ll hobble for the hills with that limp of hers, scared shitless of you.”

“I do hate to disappoint you,” the velvety smooth voice of a woman spoke from behind Lance, her crisp upper-class accent sending a shaft of awareness through Seb, placing all his senses on alert. “However, I have no intention of hobbling away scared of anyone.”

Lance spun around to the side, giving Seb a clear view of the doorway.

Seb swore under his breath. There, standing at the entrance to his office, stood a bloody angel. An angel dressed all in black, who had obviously been waiting in his outer rooms. She’d gotten past his clerk, Clint Kofsson, with the lad himself standing behind her, wringing his hands in distress.

He’d have to have a word with Clint later and remind him not to let anyone, even a woman as clearly striking as this one, get the best of him. Though, for a moment, Seb could understand the lad’s acquiescence, as he’d never seen a more compelling face than hers. She wasn’t classically beautiful, but there was something about her high cheekbones and creamy porcelain skin, along with the determined set of her chin, that gave her character.

And her eyes. Good Lord, they were sparkling crystal blue, clear across the room, and he was certain he could drown in the depths of them.

He was intrigued in spite of himself. But it wasn’t just her looks that had him fascinated. No, there was a keen intelligence and purpose radiating from her that was compelling. And, rather than taking offense at Lance’s words, there was instead wry amusement dancing in her gaze. An unusual woman to say the least.

“I’ve come to see Mr. Colver,” the woman continued, “and I have no intention of leaving until I do so. Now, which of the three of you is he?”

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

Livie and Seb in an alley of the Rookeries in the early hours of the morning, being shot at.

SCENE:
“Lady, you better have a damn good explanation for meeting an informant here and at this hour.” The muffled drawl of a man’s deep voice drifted across to her through the fog, a few feet to her right, piercing the unnatural silence blanketing the area.

Livie nearly jumped out of her skin; the sound had come from the shadows. She stifled a scream and swung around to face the threat, her cane held out in front of her. “Stay right where you are. I warn you, I am armed!” How on earth had a man snuck up on her? She hadn’t heard his approach at all.

She depressed the button on the handle of her cane and the sharp blade of the sword hidden within its housing swiftly deployed through the thin slit of the rubber bottom. The action didn’t seem to deter the man as he slowly stepped forward, coming to a halt just shy of where the blade was now pointing firmly toward him, a scowl covering his mouth and twisting up the edges of his scar.

“Oh, thank goodness, it is you,” she declared.

“You certainly are full of surprises, aren’t you?” Sebastian Colver said as he glanced down at her cane. “I suppose at least you had the foresight to come armed, if nothing else.”

“Do I need to be armed when meeting you?” Livie asked, relief washing through her that he was there. “You are late.”

“Late?” A cold light of fury came from his eyes. “I didn’t realize I had received an invitation to your predawn party.”

“My party?” The man’s words were making little sense. “I came here to meet you. At your request, might I remind you.”

“My request?” Sebastian shook his head.

“Yes, you sent me a note.” Was the man deliberately toying with her?

“I never sent—!” He took a step toward her and grabbed her hand. “We’ve been set up. We need to leave now.”

Without hesitation, Livie took his hand. “My carriage is around the corner.” She nodded up the alley toward the main street, valiantly trying to ignore the fission of energy shooting up her arm from his touch.

“Very well. Come.”

A loud cracking noise echoed all around them, and suddenly Livie found herself pushed to the ground as Sebastian dived forward, twisting them both to the side and taking the full brunt of the fall. As he exhaled harshly, another loud noise blasted Livie’s ears, and she realized that the noise was a gunshot.

Someone was trying to kill them.

Readers should read this book …

If you love historical romance novels of forbidden love, packed with mystery and suspense, then this is for you!

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

I’m currently editing book 2 in this series, which is Lady Kaitlyn’s story, tentatively titled THE BACHELOR BOUNTY and due to be released on the 15th Novmeber 2021. Then I have to write book 3, which is Etta’s story and due to be released on the 16th May 2022.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A $10 AUD Amazon Gift card (converted to the winner’s currency) and an ebook of THE BACHELOR BARGAIN!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Would you give up everything you’ve ever known for love?

 
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Excerpt from The Bachelor Bargain:

Shock rippled through her with the man’s bold pronouncement. “Did you really just dare to proposition me?”

His lips stretched into a thin smile, and his scar twisted dangerously. “I dare almost anything, my lady. Don’t you know that from your research?”

“I am not some doxy, and you very well know it!” Livie took several deliberate steps back, her cane at the ready in case her instincts about the man were wrong. “You are purposefully trying to intimidate and shock me, and such tactics, I can assure you, are failing to impress me.”

“I didn’t realize I was trying to impress you.” The man had the audacity to wink at her. “Forgive me, if I’d known that, I would have at least offered you a drink. Dear me, but where are my manners today?”

“Manners, Mr. Colver? Do you even know what manners are?” Livie narrowed her eyes at the man. He was having fun at her expense. “I highly doubt it. Perhaps I should offer to teach you etiquette lessons instead as you sorely need them.”

Instantly, his posture changed as he snapped to attention, his eyes bright with interest. “Etiquette lessons, you say?”

“I was not serious,” Livie spluttered. “Even if you would obviously benefit from such teachings.”

There was silence for a moment as Sebastian simply regarded her. “Your godmother is the Duchess of Calder, is she not?”

The abrupt change of subject had Livie at a loss for a moment. He had indeed researched her background as thoroughly as she had his. “Yes, she is. What of it?”

“And do you hold any sway with the Dragon Duchess?”

He was referring to Livie’s godmother by her nickname, something no one would dare do to the old woman’s face. Though Livie somehow suspected, Sebastian Colver would. “Why are you asking about my godmother? Do you intend to proposition her instead?”

Sebastian’s whole body went rigid and what could only be a look of horror, swam across his face. “Good God no, woman. Your godmother is seventy if she is a day.”

Livie shrugged. “She’s sixty-five actually. But what else am I to think when you blithely mention your lack of female companionship to only then mention my Aunt Demelza?” She was having a surprising amount of fun teasing him.

A reluctant spark of wry amusement crept into his eyes. “Well, you can be assured that my need for female companionship is not so dire. But I do believe we can strike a bargain.”

Livie felt her heartbeat kick up a notch. Whether it was in anticipation of his pronouncement or the shock of discussing such taboo subjects, she wasn’t certain. But, nonetheless, excitement was coursing through her. “You’ll agree to my proposal to fund the gazette?” She paused as a sudden suspicion gripped her. “What are your conditions to do so?”

“You’re a clever lady, aren’t you,” he commented, slowly rubbing at the stubble starting to grow along his jawline. “And yes, I do have conditions before I will agree to your proposal.”

“I’m listening, though I warn you now, if it has anything to do with your earlier suggestion about your lack of female companionship and me assisting with that, then my answer shall be a resounding no.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Bachelors, beware. For those who keep secrets and prey on the innocent, you will be exposed, with all your dirty little secrets laid bare to one and all. You have been warned…

Lady Olivia Haliford has had enough. Tired of seeing women lose their reputations, futures, and sometimes even their lives to scandal while the men walk free, she is ready to take back power and stand up for women everywhere. Along with her two closest friends, she plans to start an anonymous publication dedicated to dishing the dirt and exposing the secrets of society’s most eligible bachelors. But in order to do so, she will have to make a deal with the devil…

Sebastian Colver, known as the Bastard of Baker Street, is feared throughout London as the city’s most notorious gambling den owner and undisputed king of the underground. His life is nothing but darkness and danger, so he is shocked when the petite lady gracing his doorstep seems anything but frightened of him. He agrees to be a silent partner in the publishing of the Gazette if she will use her connections to sponsor his sister and launch her into Society and away from his dark world.

But exposing the secrets of the rich and powerful can be dangerous. Almost as dangerous as a lady falling in love with the king of the underground.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Indoctrinated into a world of dashing rogues and feisty heroines when she was a teenager and picked up her first ever Amanda Quick novel, Maddison Michaels has been a prolific reader and writer of historical romance ever since. She is the bestselling author of THE DEVILISH DUKE (which won the 2019 RWA Australia Historical Romantic Book of the Year), THE ELUSIVE EARL, THE MISTLETOE MISTRESS, and THE SINFUL SCOT.

Maddison’s historical novels are her way of time traveling back to Victorian London to experience a cornucopia of intrigue, romance and debauchery all from the comfort of her living room! She lives in Sydney, Australia with her own very handsome hero, beautiful daughter and two fur babies.
Maddison absolutely loves to hear from her readers and you can find her at http://www.maddisonmichaels.com/ or on most social media platforms!
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