Spotlight & Giveaway: Their Second Chance by Katee Robert

Posted February 27th, 2019 by in Blog, Spotlight / 61 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Katee Robert to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Katee and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Their Second Chance!

 
Thank you so much for having me!
 

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

This is a reunited lovers story about a woman who had to choose between duty and love…and chose duty. And the man determined to win her back.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Noemi Huxley walked into her suite in the Thalanian palace and took a deep breath. It was her first time being back here in nearly two years, first time being back since she took over as Head of Family, and the first time being back since her father had been tried and convicted of treason. This weekend mattered so much, it made her a little sick to her stomach. Every eye would be on her during this event, the King’s younger brother’s wedding, and she couldn’t afford to make a misstep.
She walked a slow circuit around the room, but the motion did nothing to quell her rising restlessness.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • Both Noemi and Isaac were originally almost-bad guys when I plotted this series, but as soon as they walked onto the page, they stole the show.
  • This book was originally written for the Read Me Romance podcast and recorded as an audiobook (it’s free!)
  • Both my inspirations for the characters originate from Game of Thrones — The Mountain for Isaac and Sophie Turner (Sansa) for Noemi.
  • I was, uh, more than a little surprised at both how filthy Isaac’s mouth was in this short–and how angsty the story ended up being.
  • Speaking of The Mountain, I got a LOT of inspiration from that guy’s instagram account (@thorbjornsson). He’s so huge and his wife is so freaking tiny, and it just makes my heart happy.

 

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

Isaac is attracted to Noemi because he sees beneath the surface she offers the rest of the world. She’s not perfect or pristine–she’s just as savage as he is.

Noemi loves that Isaac doesn’t treat her like a breakable thing. He SEES her.
 

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

Angsty, scorching, secret, forbidden, fling.
 

The First Kiss…

He should walk.
She’d made her choice, and Isaac had his pride.
But Noemi reached up and pulled her hair out of its band, letting the golden strands cascade around her shoulders, and he was lost. He moved toward her, and she met him in the middle, just like she always had. Noemi climbed him like a tree and wrapped her long legs around his waist, her mouth already seeking his by the time he grabbed her hips to steady her. She bit his bottom lip hard enough to make him groan and then her tongue was there, stroking his, tasting like the peppermints she always kept stashed in her army of purses.

 

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

It’s right at the end of the first chapter when they should really go their separate ways, instead…

“Get out of my way, Isaac.”
“You think you can just walk in there and start yelling, and everyone will bend over backwards to give you what you want?” He laughed harshly. “You know better.”
Yeah, she did, but that wouldn’t stop her. Getting a dressing down by Galen was better than dealing with this. Anything was better than dealing with this. She lifted her chin. “If you’re not going to rip this dress in half, then get your fucking hands off me, Isaac.”
He didn’t hesitate. One second she stood there, sure he’d laugh in her face, and then next her dress was floating to the ground in silken shreds.

 

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

It would be the first moment they lay eyes on each other after two years of not seeing one another.

She hurried to the door and opened it, only to stop short as a shadow fell across her entire body. She knew that shadow, knew it intimately down to her very soul. Noemi looked up, up, up to the familiar brutal face of the one man she’d hoped to avoid during her visit to the palace. She should have known she’d never be so lucky. “Isaac.”
“Lady Huxley.”
The cut stung, just as she imagined it was meant to. A reminder. A reminder of the intimacy they no longer shared, of the choice she’d been forced to make two years ago, and of all that she’d sacrificed, even if she’d gained the things she’d thought she always wanted.
She drew herself up, a laughable thing to do. Even though she was nearly six feet tall, Isaac Kozlov towered over her in both height and breadth. He filled the doorway and then some, and in any other place he would have to duck to walk through.

 

Readers should read this book …

If they like angsty reunited lovers with a whole lot of sexy good times involved, all wrapped up in a bite-sized story.

 

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

I’m currently working on two new series. One is the Island of Ys, which is sort of a revenge-filled dark contemporary Fantasy Island. The other is Wicked Villains, which are stories about the villains we grew up loving to hate…except they get the main stage and their HEA. First up is Jafar and Jasmine, and it’s titled Desperate Measures.

 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: $25 Amazon gift card

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do you love reunited lovers stories?

 
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Excerpt from Their Second Chance:

A knock on the door brought her back to the present. She couldn’t afford to be distracted now, not with the eyes of every noble in Thalania on her. The King and his Consorts had taken a risk overriding centuries of tradition and backing her claim to the Huxley Family, and she’d be damned before she did something to endanger the position. Mooning about would only result in missteps.
She hurried to the door and opened it, only to stop short as a shadow fell across her entire body. She knew that shadow, knew it intimately down to her very soul. Noemi looked up, up, up to the familiar brutal face of the one man she’d hoped to avoid during her visit to the palace. She should have known she’d never be so lucky. “Isaac.”
“Lady Huxley.”
The cut stung, just as she imagined it was meant to. A reminder. A reminder of the intimacy they no longer shared, of the choice she’d been forced to make two years ago, and of all that she’d sacrificed, even if she’d gained the things she’d thought she always wanted.
She drew herself up, a laughable thing to do. Even though she was nearly six feet tall, Isaac Kozlov towered over her in both height and breadth. He filled the doorway and then some, and in any other place he would have to duck to walk through.
Wait, why would he be walking through at all? He wasn’t here for her, no matter that he stood at her door. She’d burned that bridge two years ago when she’d chosen duty over something that might have been love.
No, Noemi. You can lie to him if you need to, but you must never lie to yourself. It was love.
Was being the operative word.
She lifted her chin, all too aware that she gave herself away with that one movement but unable to help herself. “Can I help you, Mr. Kozlov?”
Now it was his turn to hesitate. “We need to go over the plan for your protective detail.”
She blinked. “The palace has enough security that the nobles don’t need individual protective details. That’s the whole point of being in the palace.”
“I have my orders.” His rough features took on the stubborn set she knew so well. There would be no moving him.
She could stand here and argue until they were both blue in the face and ready to throw things, or she could let him in and deal with this behind closed doors—and away from curious ears. Her irritation rose in time with the beat of her heart, but he had her cornered and they both knew she’d rather die than make a scene.
She stepped back, letting belligerence snap from every movement. “Come in, then.” She didn’t wait for him, choosing instead to march into the main living area and pour herself a strong drink. It might not be quite noon yet, but if she was going to have to deal with her ex less than an hour after she arrived, she was more than entitled to the brandy. All the brandy.
Isaac walked into the room and gave it a cursory look. Nothing had changed since the last time he was here, when he’d bent her over… No, she couldn’t take that walk down memory lane. It simply hurt too much.
Noemi perched on the single chair, ceding the couch to him. Let him dwell on what they’d done the last time he’d occupied that exact seat. Not that she’d get a reaction from Isaac. He’d always had a superior poker face, and today was no exception. He sank onto the couch, his massive body taking up two-thirds of it, and met her gaze directly. Those blue eyes held absolutely nothing. No tenderness, no desire, certainly no love. It was just business, and hell if that didn’t hurt just as much as she deserved.
Isaac leaned forward and braced his elbows on his thighs. “The Consort has made personal security arrangements for a few key individuals, and you are at the top of the list. As such, I’ve been assigned to you.”
No need to ask which Consort Isaac meant. Only one of the Royal Triad had taken over as head of security. I’m going to kick your ass for this, Galen. Except she couldn’t, because throwing a fit about Isaac being assigned to her meant admitting they’d ever been more than acquaintances. “Assign me someone else.”
“Believe me, I tried. I don’t want to be in this position any more than you want me here, but Galen has his schedule and he’s not budging.”
There it was, the tiniest of cracks in his armor. If Noemi was a better person, she’d ignore it and go on pretending they were nothing more than almost-strangers. She wasn’t a better person. Not when it came to Isaac. “Would you like me to apologize for the choice I made? Would that do a damn bit of difference?”
“You know it wouldn’t.” He looked away.
Her gaze dropped to the roping scar that spanned his thick neck, testament to his time moving in worlds far darker than hers. Death had brushed by Isaac far too often for her liking, and she could count the resulting marks on his big body. She had counted them, tracing the scars with her mouth, reassuring herself that he was here, he was safe, he was hers.
No longer.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When Noemi Huxley was forced to choose between love and duty…she chose duty. Two years later, the last thing she expects when she accepts the invite to attend the Thalanian royal wedding is to come face to face with her ex—or to find out he’s assigned as her security detail for the event.
Isaac Kozlov let the love of his life get away once before, and he’ll be damned before he does it a second time. He’s got three days to bring Noemi around to his way of thinking, and Isaac’s pulling out all the stops to make it happen. He’ll play dirty to convince Noemi that happily ever after doesn’t just belong in fairy tales.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it ‘a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension.” When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | | Instagram |

 
 
 

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61 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Their Second Chance by Katee Robert”

  4. Caro

    Yeah, it’s fun to see how they changed in the time apart, in the eyes of the other, kwim?

  8. Jennifer Beyer

    I love second chance love stories. Sometimes people need time to grow in order to come together.

  9. Glenda M

    Love them – as long as one person hadn’t been unfaithful or other unexcusable thing.

  17. clickclickmycat

    Sometimes getting reunited is nice. It’s not my favorite thing to read about. (Audrey Stewart)

  19. Monique D

    I like them, as long as it’s based on something else than a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up in a few sentences.

  23. Teresa Williams

    I like them ok but they are not my favorite unless it includes a secret child.

  31. Mary Preston

    Yes, I love to know what pulled them apart and what has brought them back together.

  34. Karina Angeles

    Depends. If the guy is a cheater or is abusive-he doesn’t deserve a second chance.

  38. Chelsea B.

    They haven’t been my *favorite* in the past, but I’m always up to try them!

  43. Anita H.

    Oh yes, I very much enjoy reunited lovers and their second chance at a HEA!

  44. laurieg72

    Some reunited couples I can relate to their getting back together and getting it right for a HEA. Some though, I can’t forgive the reason they separated in the first place. Trust is essential in a relationship.
    It really depends on the author and how swayed I am by their character’s reformation and past history.