Spotlight & Giveaway: The Duchess and the Wolf by Lydia Drake

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Lydia Drake to HJ!

Hi Lydia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Duchess and the Wolf!

 
Thank you for having me!
 

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

Red Riding Hood meets the underworld glamour of Moulin Rouge in Regency London!
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Susannah Fletcher was lost in the woods of Mayfair. She could have sworn she saw her friend, Annabelle, standing before her a mere moment ago. Though everyone here was masked, including Susannah, she knew her friend by the distinctive purple velvet gown and mass of gold hair. But in the space of a heartbeat, a man had passed in front of Susannah and Annabelle had vanished.
“I should never have allowed her to talk me into this,” Susannah muttered.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• This isn’t the first book in which Susannah’s appeared. She was a supporting character in my debut novel, Cinderella and the Duke.
• The male lead, Rafe Winters, is a little bit of a combo of Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders and the wolf from Red Riding Hood.
• I had to do research into classical music and the history of tiramisu to write this book. Some of the research was delicious!
• If you liked Julia and Ashworth in Cinderella and the Duke, they have some funny moments in this one as well.

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

Susannah sees Rafe as pure danger. He’s a man from the streets who’s risen to become a wealthy club owner, a far cry from her normal, safe life. The fact that he’s devilishly handsome doesn’t hurt. For Rafe, Susannah’s incredible talent as a musician immediately sets her apart from everyone else. He needs her musical skills to help him achieve the pinnacle of professional success, but her music also speaks to something inside of his soul he thought was long dead.
 

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

Passionate, intense, revelatory, combative, sexy
 

The First Kiss…

Takes place onstage after a rehearsal and a fiery argument.
 

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

Heart pounding, Susannah slipped through the curtains. Her mouth fell open when she saw what awaited her. This wasn’t a private dining room so much as it was an intimate chamber one might find in a Persian palace. Lush silk wall hangings warmed the space, and long, low tables ran along every side of the room. A lavish supper had been laid out already with every kind of dish available. And seated at a table set for two in the center of the room was Rafe, a bottle of champagne uncorked beside him. He poured the fizzing drink into a glass and offered it to Susannah.
“Here, Miss Fletcher. You look like you could do with a bit of refreshment.” His grin was wicked, and he was well-pleased with himself.
 

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

It’s towards the end of the book. No spoilers, but Susannah’s mother, Constance, has irked Gregory, Susannah’s brother in law, for the final time.

“I’m sorry, my love, but I can’t allow such audacious behavior to go unpunished.”
“You are not about to challenge Constance to a duel.”
“Don’t be absurd,” the duke said to his wife. “Of course we shan’t duel. But the time has come to retrieve my stick.”
Julia rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Not this mother-in-law stick business again,” she muttered.
“I don’t intend to strike her, but she deserves a good poke.” Gregory was all bristling rancor as he charged into the breakfast room. “I shall poke and poke at her until she is gone from my house!”

Readers should read this book …

If they’d enjoy an opposites attract romance with heat and heart in Regency London.

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

My next book is coming this December! It’s called The Governess and the Duke. It features Gothic castles, a swoonworthy duke, a witty governess, and a talking raven. I’m really excited for it to come out!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’m offering a Ten dollar ($10) Amazon gift card!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you had to perform under a different name, what would you call yourself?

 
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Excerpt from The Duchess and the Wolf:

Susannah’s relief was short-lived as the man, or Winters, as he’d been called, came to the edge of the stage and glowered up at her.
“You, girl. Come down, I want to talk to you.”
“I…” What would Julia say? Probably that Susannah should stand her ground and not allow a man to order her about like that. “I prefer it up here, thank you.”
“Fine.” His ice blue eyes traced down her form. “I can get a better look up your dress at this angle.”
Of all the insolence! Susannah strode off the stage and down the steps, cheeks flaming. The handsome, horrible man stopped her exit.
“If you didn’t want anyone playing the instrument, you ought to have blocked off the stage.” Susannah had to force herself to be, well, forceful. But she believed she was managing it.
“You got a little fire to you.” He nodded. “I like it.” Once more, he looked her up and down. “For a prim society miss, you seem to handle yourself well.”
“You don’t know anything about me. How do you know I’m from good society?”
He gave a sharp, predatory grin. “Trust me, Red. You speak posh, and you played some fancy music like you’ve been practicing your whole life. None of the girls from down the rookery know their Mozart.”
He was a quick man, but also hard. There was an edge of danger about him that Susannah knew she must reject.
“And no true gentleman would have ever spoken to a lady as you’ve been speaking to me, so we both understand each other.”
Where had that come from? There was something about this dreadful Mr. Winters that ignited a fire inside of Susannah. She did not feel so afraid to speak her mind when in his presence. After all, why should she? They would never meet again after tonight.
“I’m no gentleman. You can be sure of that.” He took a step nearer, looming above Susannah. Her heart thrilled at the low, husky quality of his voice and the obvious strength in his body. Even though it was not proper, for a moment she wondered how his stubble might feel against her skin if she kissed him. Susannah had never kissed a man before. Until tonight, she’d never wanted to. What would it be like?

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Susannah Fletcher has everything a young lady could desire: wealth, the attentions of a well-to-do duke, and a reputation as spotless as an angel’s petticoats. Yet, she would throw it all away for one opportunity to perform her music on stage–scandalous as that may be. Which is precisely when the rich and menacing “Wolf of Mayfair” makes her an offer she couldn’t possibly refuse…

Born on the streets of London, Rafe Winters knows only ruthless ambition. But he’s missing one thing: respectability. It’s within reach…if he can draw the polished aristocrats to his establishment with a classically trained musician, and just a soupçon of mystery–like the flame-haired Susannah. Of course, he’ll have to make it worth her while. After all, he’s not a complete beast.

Now Susannah performs in a red cloak as the enigmatic “Red Duchess” and all of London is entranced–along with Rafe. He promised her he’d do everything to protect her reputation onstage. But off-stage, the wolf is waiting for Susannah to stray from the path and into his arms. No matter the risk…
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Lydia Drake is a reader of all things romance and a drinker of all the tea. She’s been a die hard historical romance fan since her first viewing of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. The book is wonderful too, of course, but sadly it has no scenes of Colin Firth diving into a pond. A New Jersey resident, her favorite activities include taking the train to New York City, scouring used bookstores, spending time with her family and wrangling her hyperactive cockapoo puppy.
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