Spotlight & Giveaway: The Hero’s Bride by Charlee James

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Charlee James to HJ!

Hi Charlee and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Hero’s Bride!

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

The Hero’s Bride is the second book in the Unbreakable SEALs series and follows Navy SEAL Mason “Red” Williams and his teammate into Mexico to rescue Thalia Flores, a survivor of labor trafficking. When her employers in the United States realize she’s helped their daughter escape a forced marriage, they try to dispose of her by sending her back over the border. When Red discovers the courageous woman is the same Thalia who came to his aid when they were both children, he’s desperate to save her from another terrible situation and get her back to her friend. The problem is she was never a citizen, and he has no way of getting her back into the United States. He’ll have to convince her to marry him, even if it means eventually letting her go. Still, his feelings for her run deep, and he’s conflicted between doing what he thinks is right and what his heart wants.

Thalia never thought she’d come face to face with the lost tourist she helped decades ago, let alone believe that he’d someday rescue her in return. Mason is all grown up, now a warrior with the sweetness of the boy she’d once met intact. She’s drawn to him, but his offer of marriage is for all the wrong reasons. She won’t say yes to watch him walk away once she gains legal standing.
 

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

“Then why did you stop?” The way her green eyes sparkled nearly had him diving back into the kiss.
His lungs deflated in a rush of breath. “Because you’re important to me in a way that goes beyond desire. I want to earn your trust. Help you get on your feet. Experience what it means to be free.”
“Twenty years ago, when you made a promise, I thought your words were too good to be true. You followed through. I may not trust many people, but Mason, I do trust you. Then tonight, well, you made everything comfortable. Not only that, though. Special. Memorable. You cared enough to give me that. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“I do care, Thalia.” He cupped the side of her face, loving the way her soft cheek felt against his palm. I care more than I can begin to understand myself.

What inspired this book?

Unbreakable SEALs is the series that follows the Sworn Navy SEALs series. If you’ve read the Sworn Navy SEALs series, you’ll recognize some familiar characters as the timelines of both series intersect. We first see Thalia in Sworn to Defend when she helps Hannah Day rescue her sister Vivienne from a forced marriage by risking everything to get her a message. After I wrote Thalia’s character, I loved how loyal and brave she was, making her the ideal heroine of her own book.

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

I never planned to have Thalia and Mason meet, even briefly, before her rescue. I liked the idea of them having some history to bridge the trust between them.

What was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite scene to write was when Mason and Thalia are taking photographs to document their engagement. Even though neither are comfortable with the power dynamic between them, it shows the give and take that makes their budding relationship one of respect and sweetness.

“Mason suddenly slid off the wall and kneeled in the grass by her feet. Before she recognized that the move was purely for pictures, emotion slammed into her.
“Maybe this isn’t a typical marriage proposal, Thalia, but it is a promise.” He gave her a gentle smile, eyes filled with softness. “A promise that I’m going to help you discover what brings you joy. What it means to live free of restrictions or fear. I’m honored to bring you to my home. Honored to have your friendship.”
Mason reached into his pocket, and she could feel her eyes widen as her lips parted in shock. He pulled out a box, held it out to her, and opened the lid. Cushioned in the soft velvet was a stone of her homeland surrounded by what appeared to be brilliant diamonds. Once again, words seemed far from reach. She looked from “Mason to Sully, who was grinning. Had he gone to all this trouble just for the pictures? Surely, he wouldn’t be giving her something so special.
“Sweetheart, look at me.”
At the sound of Mason’s voice, she turned her attention back to the man offering her a chance at a new life and maybe more. It was the more she hoped for the most. She just had to be brave enough to reach out and take it.
“This is a gift. Something I want you to have no matter where we go, together or apart. May I put it on your finger?”
Still overcome by Mason’s words and his generosity, she lifted a trembling hand. He steadied it with his own and slipped the ring on. The gold band warmed her skin as it slid to the base of her finger.
She swallowed hard. “It fits. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but it does.” She glanced down at her finger, watching the way the diamonds caught the light, then back at Mason who was infinitely more beautiful than the exquisite piece of jewelry. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I see the woman you’ve become. I see you, Thalia, and I want to be right here as you come to see yourself, too. I will protect you with everything I am.” The statement erased all the softness in his face, leaving only determination and honor in its wake. The expression of a warrior.
“I know you will,” she murmured, touched by the depth of his words. Sully had wandered to the edge of the courtyard, giving them some privacy. “But this shouldn’t be one-sided. You can’t do all the giving. Make all the promises without expecting some back.”
“Thalia, you don’t have to—”
She placed her fingers over his soft lips. Ones that had branded her minutes ago. “Maybe I’m wrong, but somehow, I think I understand that you don’t expect much from others. I hope you know you’re worth promises, too. I vow to show you that your needs and feelings are important. I don’t want one-sided promises between us.”
Mason’s eyes slowly shut, his chest rising with an expansive breath. His thick auburn lashes lay against his cheeks for one heartbeat, then two, before opening. Emotion was steeped in the cobalt depths. She could’ve happily drifted in this moment, saturated in the warmth of Mason’s presence. His hands moved to frame her face. “You see me so clearly.” His gruff tone made a dull ache begin in her chest as she realized how much she wanted this. Wanted Mason for as long as she could have him.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

Mason and Thalia tiptoe around their intense attraction. I think balancing that intimacy with the danger and power dynamic between them was the most challenging piece to write.

“I know this is a lot to ask,” Mason began but her incredulous snort made him pause.
“A lot to ask? Of me? You’re offering to tie your name to a woman you don’t know who has dangerous men following. That’s a heavy burden to take on. I can’t ask you to do this for me.” She placed one hand on the mattress and angled her body toward him.
“A minute ago, you told me you trusted me.” The deep rumble of his voice seemed to reverberate through her body, sending tingles spiraling through her chest. “I can’t fully explain it, but I trust you, too.” He mirrored her body, angling to face her more fully. “The moment I saw your picture, I knew it was my Thalia who was in danger, and I nearly crawled out of my skin waiting to get to you.”
My Thalia. Those words made warmth hit her chest. The closest thing to an endearment she’d ever received. Being so close to him, processing his words, all with his shower-fresh scent mingling in the air, made it difficult to fill her lungs.
He lifted his hand slowly and smoothed a strand of hair away from her face.

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

The Hero’s Bride is a good representation of my writing style and genre.
 

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

I hope this book offers readers a nice escape from the real world. No matter what life throws at you, there are good people out there…maybe even the person they’ve been waiting for.
 

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

The Guardian’s Salvation, which is Sully and Jane’s story will be released later this year.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Winner will receive one ebook copy of THE HERO’S BRIDE plus one additional ebook of the winner’s choice from Tule Publishing.

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Excerpt from The Hero’s Bride:

Chapter One
Thalia Flores was bound and gagged in the trunk of a car. Although delirious from the Texas heat, she began to think of her confines as an industrial oven. Sweat trickled down the small of her back and dampened her hair against her face and neck. She took a shallow breath in through her nose and tried to calm the hysteria bubbling through her chest. She’d angered her employers before, but helping their daughter, Vivienne, try to escape a forced marriage was apparently the last straw. And she’d do it again. Despite how awful and cruel Vivienne’s parents were, Vivienne was her friend, and she had needed one when she first arrived in America, alone scared, and soon realizing she’d be more of a slave to her wealthy buyers, Agatha and Donald Day, than an employee.

The expression on Vivienne’s face when her father had dragged her from the rehearsal dinner venue was a look she wouldn’t soon forget. She thought Mr. Day would beat her or have someone else do it, but instead, he’d marched her out of the venue’s parking lot and forced her into the car of a man she didn’t know. He’d lifted his shirt slightly, revealing a gun. That was all it took for her to stay silent and comply when he pulled to the side of the road a few miles from the venue. He tied her hands, gagged her, and shoved her roughly into the trunk. Maybe she’d been stupid not to try to escape sooner. Would they have really shot her if she’d tried to run in the parking lot?

An angry tear slipped down her cheek. Anger at herself for getting into the car. Anger at the people who had controlled her for so many years. Anger at her father for sending her away. Her body bounced as the car went over several uneven surfaces. Earlier she’d tried to kick out the taillights, hoping to signal another driver, but they seemed to be reinforced somehow. That was hours ago. At least, that’s what it felt like. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been in the car, but with each breath it seemed like the oxygen was thinner and her heartbeat threadier. Without warning, the vehicle abruptly stopped, and her body rolled, slamming into the back of the trunk. She could no longer feel her arms, zip-tied behind her back. Her feet were also numb from the binding around her ankles.

Maybe at the beginning of her ordeal, she would’ve had the strength to lift both legs and kick her attacker, but now her body was drained. Her best bet was to wait for the first opportunity to escape. Muffled voices sounded outside the trunk. Gravel shifted and crunched as the talking grew louder. Her heart raced frantically, and her breath caught. The men were speaking Spanish—not uncommon in Texas, but something about the tone and dialect made a trickle of unease unfurl in her gut.

There was a clicking sound as the trunk opened. Blessedly cool air flowed into the stifling space, bathing her heated skin. She quickly tried to take in some details about her surroundings, but it was dark. The glaring beam of a flashlight shined into the small space, and she winced, shutting her eyes tightly as the men continued to talk in harsh tones. As one man leaned into the trunk, she caught the glint of a badge on his chest.

Police officer. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean the officer was here to help her, especially if they had crossed the border into Mexico. In a country where poverty and crime were rampant, people often had to make hard decisions for the safety of their families. Just like me. For a moment, the stream of light bobbed as the police officer handed the flashlight to her abductor. There was pressure on her wrists and something hard flopped against her side. It took her several seconds to process that it was her arm. Her hands had been bound so tightly and for so long, her limbs were dead weight. The man repeated the process with the ties around her ankles before grabbing her waist and throwing her over his shoulder. The jarring movement knocked the air out of her lungs.

The police officer said nothing as his heavy boots shifted over the gravel and dirt. His grip faltered as he attempted to open the passenger door of a truck. He swore and gestured to the other man to open the door. Metal hinges creaked and she was tossed onto the seat, and she slumped over, unable to use her numb arms to stabilize her body. She glanced out the window as her abductor handed the police officer a thick envelope and turned away. Her lungs seized as hope of a rescue was crushed. The officer lumbered around the front of the vehicle, his body illuminated by the headlights. He was stocky and moved slowly. She might not be able to overpower him, but she could probably outrun him. The driver’s side door jerked open and he pulled himself behind the wheel then yanked the gag from her mouth.

“Not a sound,” he rasped and turned the keys in the ignition. “Not that anyone will look twice at a screaming woman where we’re going.”

She attempted to lick her cracked lips only to find her tongue was just as dry. “And where is that?” she croaked.

A hint of a sneer crossed the man’s face and without warning his fist flew into the side of her head. Pain exploded in her temple and white dots blurred her vision.

“I said not a sound.”

The man’s voice sounded far away as the cab of the truck seemed to tilt around her. As delirium and a possible concussion pulled at her, her mind swam with images of a boy. Eyes the color of a dark blue sky, just after the sun vanished below the horizon with hair the oddest shade of chili-pepper red.

Chapter Two
Mason “Red” Williams crossed the hall of his condo building and knocked on his neighbor’s door. It wasn’t unusual for Mrs. Foster to take her time answering, so he waited patiently. Tiny, who was no longer a small fragile reptile, lifted a scaly arm and scratched lightly on the door. At nearly five feet long and pushing twenty pounds, the lizard had become more like a dog, following him everywhere he went. Except of course, on missions. Guilt slipped through him. After nearly three months assisting Mexico’s military to disband a massive drug ring alongside his teammate Sully, he was leaving again. When they crossed the border into Texas after his last mission, he’d had a message from a friend, Iron, seeking help to find a missing person. They’d met while stuck in a military hospital. While his gunshot wounds had healed, Iron had lost his leg, and debilitating PTSD had led to an honorable discharge.

Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door before the dead bolt slid from the lock.

“Oh! Tiny, you came to visit me.” The woman leaned over and patted the iguana on the head while Mason chuckled.

“Nice to see you too, Mrs. Foster.”

“I’m sorry, dear.” She straightened and gave his arm a grandmotherly squeeze. “Please come in.”

“I wish I could. Another mission has come up.”

“Again?” Tiny rubbed his head against Mrs. Foster’s leg, vying for her attention. “You need to tell your commander that he works you too hard.”

The visual image of Mrs. Foster laying into his lieutenant commander made him chuckle again, but this mission wasn’t at the request of the United States Navy. “I don’t think that would go over well. I was wondering if Kenny could check in on Tiny while I’m away.” Mrs. Foster’s grandson kept several snakes and a bearded dragon and had been looking after his iguana for years.

“He’d love that. You don’t need to pay him nearly as much as you do, though. Not when we enjoy Tiny so much.”

“I’m grateful to know that someone’s looking after him, and caring for him is a time commitment, so I’m more than happy to pay Kenny the same amount as I would to hire someone else who wouldn’t do half as good of a job.”

“You’re too sweet. It’s a wonder you haven’t found a woman to take care of you.” She smiled down at the lizard and stroked his head. “And my Tiny, here.”

“I’m not sure lizards are the same magnet for women as babies and dogs.”

“Oh, don’t listen to that,” she said directing her comment to the iguana. “He’s just not looking in the right places. I just cut up some fresh mango. I bet you’d like a treat, wouldn’t you?”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m all set,” he joked at the question that was clearly not intended for him.

Mrs. Foster laughed and brushed off his comment with a wave of his arm. “You always were a clown, young man.” She turned back into the condo with Tiny on her heels. Despite only having three legs, the lizard was fast when food was around, and where Mrs. Foster was, a treat was most surely nearby. He reluctantly followed them into the condo and waited while Mrs. Foster indulged Tiny, feeding him slices of fruit and crooning over him. He was sure Tiny spent quite a bit of time in the Fosters’ condo unit when he wasn’t home, even though the lizard had a room to himself in his unit with specialized lighting, basking spots, and even a shallow pond. Yes, the reptile was certainly a commitment, but he couldn’t deny that he loved Tiny. He’d had him for nearly twenty years, making the lizard a senior citizen.

Finally, with the mango eaten and several more doting comments, he took Tiny back to his condo unit and picked up his go-bag, ready to help his friend Iron, and his new woman, locate her best friend.

“So, what do we have?” Red asked as he opened the refrigerator and wrapped his fingers around two bottle necks, perfectly at home in his teammate Sully’s apartment. He deposited a beer in front of his friend and sat across from him at the kitchen table. Papers and maps were strewn over the oak surface.

“The woman, Thalia Flores, began working as a housekeeper at the estate of a wealthy family in Southlake, Texas. She befriended Iron’s woman, Vivienne, the one he helped rescue from a modern-day arranged marriage. She reports that Thalia was the same age as her, sixteen, when she started working for her family.”

Red had heard her name before, but he still sucked in a breath, his mind wandering to the image of the green-eyed girl who had helped him long ago. Of course, Thalia was a popular name in the region but that didn’t stop him from wondering what had become of his small but mighty rescuer. “Didn’t she find that strange? The age of the girl?”

“I asked Iron the same thing and he said Vivienne did question why Thalia didn’t attend school with her. The father put hands on her and the housekeeper begged her never to mention it again.”

“Bastard.” Red lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long drink. “Maybe Thalia thought she could get in trouble for illegally crossing the border and looking for work, but the dad’s reaction to his daughter’s simple question makes me think he has something to hide.”

Sully stretched back in his chair, the wood creaking with the weight of his large frame. At nearly six and a half feet, he was a large man himself, but his teammate was even bigger, earning him the nickname Sully after some blue monster from some kid’s movie. “Me too. Added to that, Vivienne last saw Thalia being led from the room by her father, Donald Day, before her fiancé told her she was in the country illegally and would be deported. Traffic cameras caught the same car stopping before the interstate and a woman fitting her description was moved from the trunk of the vehicle.”

“Fuck.” Maybe it was the woman’s name or perhaps her dire circumstances, but a bolt of urgency shot through him.

“My thoughts exactly. The last suspected sighting was in Round Rock just outside of Austin.”

“Jesus, that’s nearly three hours from where she was last seen in Southlake. If she was abducted, they did a shit job of staying off the radar.” It was clear to him that someone had prioritized time over the execution of the abduction.

“According to Vivienne, Thalia distracted her mother to allow her to get a note to her sister the day of her rehearsal dinner. The message is what tipped off her sister Hannah that Vivienne was in trouble.”

Bravery must be synonymous with the name Thalia and that made him want to rescue the woman even more. “So, maybe they rushed to get Thalia out of the picture, and planning was sloppy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”

A phone rang, and Sully leaned to the left to reach into his pocket for his phone. “It’s Jude.” He set his beer on the coffee table and answered their friend, a former teammate who ran a special task force for the Department of Homeland Security dedicated to human trafficking—specifically from Mexico to the United States.

“Here with Red. I’m putting you on speaker.”

“Good.” Jude’s deep voice, always serious, filled the room. “I cleaned up the grainy photo Iron forwarded to us and sent it to both of your cells.”

Red’s phone vibrated against his outer thigh, and he reached into his pocket to retrieve it. With a few clicks, he had the photograph open. He sucked in a breath and stared down at the image on the screen. Holy shit. A slight smile graced the woman’s face, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. Large, olive eyes. He shook his head and glanced back at the image. So many years had passed since he was lost in Colima, but the woman he was staring at in the picture had an uncanny similarity to the girl who saved him.

“Red? Did you hear that?” Sully cocked his head and looked at him, brows creased.

“No. Sorry. I just…” He just what? He couldn’t be sure the woman in the photo was his Thalia. The odds of that would be like getting struck by lightning and attacked by a shark on the same day.

“Just what?” Jude asked.

The room was silent as he considered how much he wanted to say.

“If you say nothing, that’s bullshit.” Sully narrowed his eyes. “We both know you better than that.”

“I’ve told you about the time I was lost in Colima. How I came to have Tiny. It’s been years, but hell, the woman in this photograph looks just how I remembered the girl who helped me, except all grown up. Then there’s her name.”

“The girl who rescued you in Colima was named Thalia?” Even if Jude was skeptical, his voice gave nothing away.

Red gripped the back of his neck. His pulse ticked up as he stared down at the image, the urge to jump into action coursing through him. “Yeah. And this is her. Sure of it.”

His friends didn’t ask any more questions or remind him how much time had passed since he’d last seen her. Their trust went much deeper than that after serving on the same SEAL team for several years. Even when he was injured on a mission and their team was split, the three of them remained close. For the next hour, they planned with a renewed sense of urgency. He wasn’t sure who Thalia had grown up to be, but he couldn’t imagine her courageous and kind nature had changed. If anyone deserved rescuing, it was Thalia.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

One good deed…

When Mason “Red” Williams agrees to help his former teammate extract his fiancée’s best friend from a human trafficking ring, he accepts the mission. But when he’s guarding the ‘package,’ he fights against a powerful attraction. He should only feel responsibility, due to the power dynamic. Yet when she’s threatened with deportation, Red’s offer of marriage sounds practical and protective because guilt has him hiding his true feelings.

Thalia Flores is tired of being a pawn between a corrupt, deep-pocketed family and the legal system. She’s finished with living in fear after Red rescues her, and she has her first glimpse of happiness and freedom. Loving Red is easy, but when she’s threatened again, his offer of marriage falls flat. He’s an honest and noble man, and she won’t say yes just to watch him walk away when she gains legal standing.

But then Red needs her help, and for the first time in her life, Thalia has some control, and she knows just what she wants to do.

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Meet the Author:

Contemporary Romance Author Charlee James was introduced to a life-long love of reading listening to her parents recite nightly stories to her and her older sister. Inspired by the incredible imaginations of authors like Bill Peet, Charlee could often be found crafting her own tales. As a teenager, she got her hands on a romance novel and was instantly hooked by the genre.

After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, her early career as a wedding planner gave her first-hand experience with couples who had gone the distance for love. Always fascinated by family dynamics, Charlee began writing heartwarming novels with happily-ever-afters.

Charlee is a New England native who lives with her husband, daughters, two rambunctious dogs, a cat, and numerous reptiles. When she’s not spending time with her tight-knit family, she enjoys curling up with a book, practicing yoga, and collecting Boston Terrier knick-knacks.
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