Spotlight & Giveaway: Ways to Ruin a Royal Reputation by Dani Collins

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Dani Collins to HJ!

Hi Dani and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Ways to Ruin a Royal Reputation!

 
Hi Harlequin Junkie! Thanks for having me here today.
 

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

Sure!
Amy is a high-powered PR specialist who typically gets celebs out of trouble, but King Luca shows up and asks her to get him *into* trouble (briefly.) He wants to give up the crown to his twin sister who is a little bit older, but was passed over by their truly awful father.
As you can imagine, things don’t go completely as planned and Amy is the one who’s scandalous past winds up coming to the surface–*after* she’s started a raging affair with the sexy royal.
 

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

“Developing a rapport with a client is a way of building trust,” she said stiffly. “Given the personal nature of this work, and how I live in my client’s pockets through the course of a campaign, they like to know they can trust me.”
“I’ve paid top price for unquestionable loyalty. I don’t need the frills of bond-forming banter to prove it.”
Keep your mouth shut, she warned herself.
“Lucky you. It’s included with every purchase,” she blurted cheerfully.

What inspired this book?

I have to first give credit to the wonderful team at Harlequin. They asked if I wanted to participate in a trilogy with two of my favorite fellow authors, Tara Pammi and Clare Connelly. (I did!)

So much of my story is from the bible they provided, but I did look to Roman history in Sardinia to give Luca’s country some backstory and I specifically looked to Pompeii brothels for some of Luca’s father’s antics (Eg. he installed a sun dial of *very* suggestive statues.)

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

It’s always interesting to delve deeper into characters you’ve been given. I had a note that Amy’s wealthy parents had cut her off while she was at boarding school, forcing her to make her way on her own. I had to consider what their situation was that they would go to those lengths and discovered Amy still has a contentious relationship with her mother and an estranged one with her father.

For Luca to be so determined to give his sister the crown, I had to consider their relationship and bring his twin onto the page so I could see how they reacted. Luca was described as never having put a foot wrong so giving him the precise ruination was a challenge I very much enjoyed.

What was your favorite scene to write?

Well, the way they work out how she will cause his downfall was integral to my whole plot so I enjoyed working that out on the page. Luca is forced to reveal his father’s profligacy and Amy gets to show that she’s more than a bubbly socialite. She actually knows what she’s talking about!

But they also walk among the filthy statues in the sundial while they’re talking which led to this laughable line:

She followed his gaze and said with delight, “It’s a sundial! Half-past oral sex and a quarter till—” She slapped her hand over her mouth, cheeks flaring so hotly, she thought she’d burn her palm.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

In today’s world, it’s always tough to write a situation where a man in power–as Luca is when he hires Amy–accidentally falls into bed with her.

So, when it came to their being exposed, I thought it best if *he* was the one who was literally exposed (naked.) Coming up with the headlines turned out to be a challenge, but also a lot of fun:

Like Father, Like Son! one headline blared.

The king of Vallia continues a tradition of depravity by seducing his new hire, socialite Amy Miller of London Connection, who caused a stir in the late queen’s foundation with her publicity campaign for an upcoming gala…

Victim or Villain? the next asked while the photo’s angle revealed her seductive profile and Luca’s riveted expression.

The Golden Prince is dragged into the gutter by a gold digger…

Crown Jewels on Display! screamed the most tawdry headline. They’d blurred the photo, but Amy knew he’d been naked and fully aroused.

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

This is very much one of my classic Harlequin Presents. If you enjoy a royal romp with scandal and passion and glamorous settings, you’ll adore this.

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

Oh, there’s a wonderful message at the end when Amy reclaims her reputation. I hope readers find it inspiring.

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

One of the most exciting titles your readers should look for is the free online read that links to this story. Scandal Befitting a Princess is the story of Luca’s sister, Sofia, and it will begin posting on Harlequin.com April 12th.

Then I have three more books scheduled with Harlequin this year – Her Impossible Baby Bombshell, and my Secret Sisters duet: Married for One Reason Only and Manhattan’s Most Scandalous Reunion.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One signed print copy of Ways to Ruin a Royal Reputation, open internationally.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Do you enjoy multi-author projects? If so, which are your favourite sorts of links? This one is about three friends from boarding school, but family connections often seem popular. Which do you gravitate to?

 
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Excerpt from Ways to Ruin a Royal Reputation:

“I’m having trouble understanding why you’d willingly give up all of this.” She waved at her small flat. His private quarters were likely ten times more luxurious and grand. Looking up, she suspected his was that second-level terrace that looked out to the sea unobstructed.
“Allow me to enlighten you.” He jerked his head at the pebbled path that wove through the columns around the pond, indicating they should walk it.
She started along and immediately came upon a soldier performing a lewd act with a nymph, one that made her cheeks sting with embarrassment. It grew worse when she darted a glance at Luca and discovered him watching her reaction.
Her heart lurched, but he didn’t seem to be enjoying her discomfiture. If anything, his grim expression darkened.
“Oh, those Romans,” she joked weakly.
“My father commissioned them. He could have used the funds in a thousand better ways. My first act once I was crowned was tax relief, but I couldn’t offer as much as was needed. Our economy is a mess.”
Their footsteps crunched as they wound between the columns and wisteria vines that formed a bower, filling the air with their potent fragrance.
The statues grew increasingly graphic. Luca seemed immune, but Amy was as titillated as she was mortified. She was mortified because she was titillated.
Even more embarrassing was a stray curiosity about whether Luca would have the strength to have freestanding sex like that, arms straining as his fingertips pressed into her bottom cheeks. His shoulders would feel like marble beneath her arms where she clasped them tightly around his neck, breasts mashed to his flexing chest as her legs gripped around his waist. They would hold each other so tightly, they would barely be able to move, but—
“Do you know why Vallia needs a queen, Amy?”
“No,” she squeaked, yanking her mind from fornication.
“Because the king of Vallia is this.” He nodded toward the statuary. “A sex addict who never sought help. In fact, he used his position to take advantage of those over whom he had power.”
The butterflies in her stomach turned to slithering snakes that crept up to constrict her lungs and tighten her throat.
Amy knew all about men who took advantage of their position of power. It was adding a razor edge of caution to every step as they walked among these erotic statues.
Luca was a client, which made her feel as though she had to defer to him, but he wasn’t forcing her into an awkward situation for his own amusement. She might be blushing so hard the soles of her feet hurt, but he was radiating furious disgust. He was trying to explain why he was so committed to her doing this odd job for him.
Not that kind of job, Amy! She dragged her gaze off the woman on her knees before a gladiator.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

“Ruin me.”

And she’ll enjoy every delicious second!

The king of Vallia never wanted to ascend to the throne. But in order to abdicate, Luca needs a good, old-fashioned disgrace. That’s where powerhouse PR pro Amy Miller comes in! Amy’s revived the career of many a star. She can certainly torpedo that of a reluctant royal.

But when instant attraction ignites with Luca, Amy’s soon starring in the scandal. And the fire burning between them is anything but fake news. But will this explosive flame be extinguished by what’s hidden in Amy’s past?

Ways to Ruin a Royal Reputation is the first book in Signed, Sealed…Seduced, a multi-author trilogy written with Clare Connelly and Tara Pammi. Three best friends from boarding school start London Connection, an up and coming PR agency serving an exclusive clientele.

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

Meet the Author:

Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with some laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule’s Montana Born, but her backlist of sixty-plus books also includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy. When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. She lives in Canada with her high school sweetheart husband. They never go anywhere anymore. Lockdown…
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