I’m so please to be hosting award-winning author Darcy Burke on the blog today. Darcy is a lovely person, and she writes wonderful historical romance (and contemporary romance, too). She’s here to tell us about her latest series and book, Scoundrel Ever After.
Thank you for having me here today, Vanessa! Now that my Secrets and Scandals series is finished (sniff!), I’m reflecting on the characters and stories. I really loved the multi-book redemption arc of Ethan Jagger. Reformed bad boys are one of my favorite tropes and I especially love a series that introduces a character as a villain (or as seemingly irredeemable) and lets you see the transformation from “hell no!” to “ hell yes, please!” What surprised me, though, is that I had not one, but two, female characters who traveled a redemption arc.
The first book in this series, Her Wicked Ways, features a spoiled London debutante who’s banished to the country to reform herself. Instead of multiple books to transform her, she (hopefully!) went from immature and selfish to independent and selfless. That book took place over several months, so her evolution and that of the love story definitely had time to percolate and grow. Still, reformed heroines are harder than heroes!
So why’d I do it again? head/desk. In the second book, His Wicked Heart, I introduced two secondary characters to befriend the heroine (Olivia). They were Lydia and Audrey, who ended up being heroines of their own books. But I didn’t introduce them with that in mind. Lydia, in fact, was more of a frenemy. She was a gossip and a bit condescending to Olivia, who was new to Society. Audrey was much softer and I knew earlier with her that she needed her own book. Lydia, on the other hand, was a tough sell. She’d been introduced as a foil and to make her into heroine material, I had to figure out why she was the way she was. I surprised myself when I paired her with Jason Lockwood, but I’m so happy with how their story turned out. It seemed natural—and exciting—that the socially vilified Jason would find love with the gossip-mongering Lydia.
I’m sure there’ll be reformation of some kind in my next series, Regency Treasure Hunters. One of the heroes, Lord Kersey, appeared very briefly in Her Wicked Ways. He had a somewhat notorious reputation he was trying to live down. We’ll find out how successful he was! I’m planning for the first book in that series (a prequel novella) to be out this summer.
Redemption is definitely one of my favorite themes and as I said, reformed bad boys is one of my favorite romance tropes. What are your favorite themes and tropes? What do you think of reformed heroines and what are some of your favorite books that feature them? One lucky commenter will get a copy of Secrets and Scandals Volume 1, which includes the first three books in the series!
Wow! That’s a very generous giveaway, Darcy – thank you! Personally, I’m very fond of the reformed heroine, since my third book, My Favorite Countess, featured a heroine who had to follow a pretty steep course of redemption. What about you, readers? What are some of your favorite themes and tropes. Does it include redemption? Let us know, and I’ll also throw in a copy of My Favorite Countess for Darcy’s winner!
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her devoted husband, their two great kids, and two Bengal cats. Darcy writes hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and sign up for her new releases newsletter, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/darcyburke, or like her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans.
I’m a great fan of marriage of convenience stories. Love a great redemption story.
Love them both, Mary!
I love MOC also but haven’t written one yet. Hmmm. 😉
Hi Darcy I love marriage of convenience stories too, it throws the two main characters togethwr and you get to see how they interact a they figure each other out. As for a redemption story I love those my favorite so far is Lisa Kleypas’s Devil in Winter.
Alexisa, Devil is Winter is an AWESOME book!
Devil in Winter is one of my all-time faces. Sebastian is just so… le sigh.
I love friends to lovers/enemies to lovers tropes. I like that the characters already have a “history” and I love the discover that they didn’t quite know the other person as well as they thought they did!!! I don’t mind a hero that needs reforming but I have a hard time with a “bratty” heroine. There’s a fine line between brat and scandalous 🙂 Thanks for sharing and congrats to Darcy on the newest release!
Erin, it’s often a lot easier on the writer to build on an existing relationship, that’s for sure!
I also love the enemies to lovers trope. One of my faves is Velvet by Jane Feather. It’s my favorite Regency spy novel. Very hot!
Love your books Darcy! To Seduce a Scoundrel is one of my go-to favorite romances!
Aww, Nancy, you rock! I love TSAS. I just love me some wounded hero. 🙂
My favorite subject is reuniting lost lovers.
So romantic! 🙂
tortured hero
I can’t get enough tortured hero. 😀
Who doesn’ t love a marriage a convenience, I do.. and redemption, oh and a tortured soul to name a few…thank you for writing such delightful stories!!
Aprilr
You’re welcome, April! And thanks for stopping by!
I am very fond of rags to riches stories. I do like to mix it up though
His Wicked Heart, Book 2 of Secrets and Scandals, is very rags to riches for the heroine, Olivia. It’s a bit of a Cinderella story, complete with fairy godmother!
Sounds like a very interesting story! 🙂 It’s so fun watching a marriage-of-convenience turn into something more.
Thanks Mary!!
I like a good romance with a lot of twists and turns, but always happy ever after.
Always HEA, Leslie!!
I like enemies to friends because I love how the couple trade sassy comments…
Sassy is always good! 🙂
Great giveaway. Thank you
Thanks for stopping by Kimia!
I’m a fan of enemies to lover stories and marriage of convenience. Who doesn’t love the drama that each of them have. It’s always like interesting because they are trying to fight their feelings for each other while accomplishing what they want to do.
Drama makes everything better!! Thanks for coming by today. 🙂
My most favorite theme is second chance at love, but I do love a story with a heroine who needs reforming. I know I’ve read a few great stories like that, as well as a reformed hero, but the only one I can think of off hand is Julie Anne Long’s The Peril’s of Pleasure. Her Cynthia Brightly was not so nice when we first encounter her, and it took me a while to warm up to her.
I have a second chance love story planned in one of my series. I’m really excited about it! Thanks for stopping in today, Barbara!
This type of story has a lot of drama because the H and h have to learn to interact with each other successfully. That’s why I like marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers and that type of stories.
I agree Trudy! Thanks for coming today! 🙂
Thank you, Vanessa and Darcy. My favorite romance theme is love vs. fate. Two people who love each other must overcome tremendous obstacles, on both the inside and the outside, to attain the fulfillment of their love. It’s quite a struggle; but such is the power of love.
In the words of that great behavioral psychologist, Cole Porter: “If we got to fight, let’s fight for love!”
Excellent, Mary Anne!
Also, my favorite kind of hero is a good guy. Yeah, I know. I’m weird!
I like good guys too, Mary Anne! The hero of Her Wicked Ways, Fox, is a really good guy. Love him!
I like to read about a character whose circumstances have gone bad, so the bottom has fallen out, so to speak; they struggle but persevere and in the end are better off than when they started.
I love that sort of story too, Gretchen!
I love that too–survivors are very compelling. 🙂
I love to read and am always looking for new authors to explore. These books look great and I can’t wait to get started on them.
Thanks Kelly!
My favourite is the reluctant bodyguard/guardian. I love it the hero finds himself falling for the person he’s supposed to protect, tries hard to resist & can’t. Ummm I guess I’m cruel 🙂
A friend of mine just wrote one of these. Love it!
I love marriage of convenience, torturted/wounded hero, rich guy rescues poor girl, in love with best friend’s brother and many more.
Classics, Crystal!!
My favorite themes/tropes are Enemies to Lovers and variations of Beauty and the Beast, where the beast many times needs redemption.
Never Love a Scoundrel is a little bit of Beauty and the Beast. Thanks for visiting, Janie!
I like where the guy is never looking or does not believe in love and then he meets THE ONE and falls instantly in love.