Sandy M’s review of All Night with a Rogue, (Lords of Vice, Book 1) by Alexandra Hawkins
Historical Romance published by St. Martin’s 2 Feb 10

I love finding new authors to read. Not that my old favorites don’t cut it anymore, there’s just nothing wrong with new blood being pumped into the market. And Alexandra Hawkins is making a big splash with her new Lords of Vice series about seven friends, rakes and rogues all of them, who challenge their lady loves to take them as they are. Her debut book gives us the first of these really bad boys, and imagine his surprise when he comes up against something he truly wants and for the first time in his spoiled life he can’t have it.

I love the way this book starts out. It’s unique but fun. The heroine is literally up a tree, trying to get away from an annoying dinner partner, and she trades one trap for another. But this second trap teaches Juliana a few things about sex and the feelings it can arouse in a person even if they aren’t one of the participants; teaches her something of how women can please men in ways she never imagined; teaches her spying on others in compromising positions, however innocently, may not end the way she expects.

Sin has grown up getting anything and everything he’s wanted, by fair means or sinful. Thus his nickname. As he’s being pleasantly pleasured by his current mistress, he discovers a beautiful voyeur in the tree above them. Gamely distracting the current woman in his life, he takes on the next as he becomes more intrigued with his beautiful tree fairy. Innocent though she may be, Sin is determined to have her and he always gets what he wants. It just so happens she’s the very same woman his sister wants ruined, and she asks Sin to do the honors. In need of a new pastime, he agrees and is shocked to learn Juliana is also his tree-climbing spy.

Thinking she’s easily gotten out of an embarrassing situation, Juliana is surprised when Sin returns to aid her from her perch and then begins his seduction of her on the spot, though she doesn’t know it yet. When she does realize what he’s up to, she really doesn’t have a chance against his charm and her seduction is complete in no time. Juliana knows when the season comes to an end and she and her family return to their home, Sin won’t even remember her name next year. But in the meantime she’s going to enjoy this dalliance for all it’s worth.

And then things begin to go wrong in a very big way. Her mother’s gambling to keep the family afloat takes a nosedive and Juliana is the one to pay the price. Forced to leave Sin and unable to tell him so, when he finds her in the company of another man, harsh words are said, punches are thrown, Sin drinks himself into a stupor and Juliana awaits a night of horror. It seems there’s no way for these two to come together ever again.

In the beginning, Sin’s arrogance and selfish ways worried me. Though he’s full of fun and sin, I wasn’t sure he could be turned around into the hero he’s meant to be. I should have known better. Once he learns what Juliana is going through after their public fight, he turns into a very dangerous rogue and goes after what he hopes will be his. And a little groveling never hurts. Juliana is a strong lady. She’s the one to suffer for those she loves. I admired her when she walked away from it all with her attitude intact, especially toward Sin.

The only thing I wanted more of was another love scene or two with these two. They’re a dynamic couple together and they sizzle when making love. A couple more scenes would have added a little more to their allure. I did enjoy all of Sin’s friends, the other Lords of Vice. We are introduced to each, get to know them enough to anticipate their books in the future. It will be quite interesting to see what Ms. Hawkins does with them all.

A very nice start to an intriguing series. I’m looking forward to every one.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Notorious, handsome, and decadent, the Lords of Vice prowl the glittering ballrooms of Regency London— breaking rules and hearts with equal aplomb. But even the wildest rogue must eventually meet his match…

Seduce Lady Juliana Ivers and then cast her aside: Those are his sister’s instructions. Alexius Braverton, Marquess of Sinclair—known as Sin to the ton—is happy enough to oblige, especially when he catches a glimpse of his target. Juliana is completely unlike the empty-headed chits who barely hold his attention for a week. A true gentleman would leave her to find a worthy suitor. But then, a Lord of Vice would never claim to be a gentleman.

Juliana is expected to marry well to improve her family’s finances, even if she secretly longs to make a living through her musical compositions. A dalliance can only complicate matters, though not even practical Juliana can help succumbing to the aptly named Sin. But one unforgettable night will draw her into a scandalous affair—and a seduction begun as sport will soon become deliciously, dangerously real… Read an excerpt. (click excerpts page)

Other books in this series:

So glad you could make it back to Duck Chat!

Alexandra Hawkins joins us today, so sit back and enjoy!

Starting off strong with her Lords of Vice series, Alexandra is a new voice in the historical romance genre. All Night with a Rogue, her debut book, kicks off the three-book series that will hopefully expand to cover all seven of the fascinating rakes she’s given readers in ANwaR. So if you love a bad-boy hero, you’re going to have a heck of a time reading these books.

Alexandra is married and lives with her family in Georgia. Like the rest of us, she discovered romance at an early age. That helped fuel her already fanciful imagination, and now her first book is published. A dream come true all authors can attest to.

Be sure to leave Alexandra a question or comment, because she’s very graciously offered up a copy of All Night with a Rogue to one lucky reader.

Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Welcome to The Good, the Bad and the Unread, Alexandra. Let’s start off by talking about your new series, Lords of Vice, generally and then we’ll get to those handsome lords individually. Would you tell our readers about the series overall, where the idea came from, and did it turn out as you originally envisioned?

ALEXANDRA HAWKINS:   Thanks for inviting me to stop by, TGTBTU!

I came up with the general concept for the Lords of Vice series first.  I have a weakness for bad boys, and the Regency rake has always been one of my particular favorites.  My short pitch for the series was:

Notorious, decadent and outrageously handsome, the Lords of Vice prowl the glittering ballrooms of Regency London’s polite society, breaking rules and setting hearts aflutter while they indulge every carnal whim . . . every desire . . .

Just reading it again, gives me all sorts of ideas!  I decided to give my rakes their own private club so there was a constant in the series that connected the seven men while each book focused on a different hero.

I only have one book out, but I’m happy with the results so far!

DC: If you could retire any interview question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

AH:  That’s an easy one.  Where do you come up with your ideas?  It’s a fair question but it’s not like there’s an idea spring in my backyard.  Ideas for stories come to me at odd times.  I might be vacuuming the living room when a scene pops into my head.  Or I might see something on TV that inspires me.  I’ve even used ideas that I’ve culled from my dreams.

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

AH:  Often.  I usually just go with it.  I’ve come up with some interesting scenes because I’ve let my character have his or her way.  Other times, it’s frustrating.  Frost, in particular, was a very difficult character because he didn’t want to cooperate.  I remember emailing one of my friends and telling her that Frost was a complete ass and I was tempted to kill him off in the first book.  I didn’t.  Now that I’m working on book three, I’ll admit that his quirky sense of right and wrong has grown on me.

DC: The first book in your series is All Night with a Rogue, which was just released yesterday. We meet Sin and Juliana in this book. Would you tell our readers about them and give them a sneak peek into their story?

AH:  When the story opens, Sin has begun to question his life.  He’s bored, cynical, and he craves a challenge.  He initially thinks his host’s wife will cure his ennui until he glances up and sees the heroine perched in a tree.

For Juliana, this is her first visit to London.  Her mother has brought Juliana and her sisters to town in hopes of securing solid matches for them because the family is in a financial fix.  Juliana has doubts about her mother’s plans, and longs to explore her secret dream of having her musical compositions published.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

AH:  Sometimes.  It’s usually the male characters that cause trouble.  I wish I could say that I win all the arguments, but twenty-one years of marriage have taught me the art of compromise.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

AH:  A really bad migraine.

DC: What is it that draws you to write historicals, especially the Regency era?

AH:  The first romances that I glommed were traditional Regencies.  I fell in love with the country houses, the costumes, and elegance of the period.  That world seemed so perfect.  So much so, I didn’t quite trust it.  As a writer, I longed to pull off those polite masks and ferret out everyone’s dark secrets.

DC: Till Dawn with the Devil is due out in August. This is Gabriel and Sophia’s book. Would you give us some insight into their relationship?

AH:  Gabriel, known as Reign, hasn’t been very lucky when it comes to love.  His first marriage was a loveless, grievous debacle.  When his pregnant wife was found dead at the foot of her bed, many people believed he had murdered his wife in a drunken rage.

Lady Sophia has felt like a burden her entire life.  A terrible childhood accident left her visually impaired so her independent spirit has been battered by her limitations.  Her wastrel brothers ignore her, which usually suits her.  However, she’s lonely and longs for some excitement in her life.

Then Lady Sophia meets Reign, and her adventure begins!

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

AH:  Within the romance genre, I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at romantic suspense or something paranormal.  Outside the romance genre, I’d lean toward horror.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

AH:  Trust your instincts.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

AH:  She looks before she leaps.  She also draws diagrams.

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

AH:  Dark and edgy with a splash of humor.

DC: The next book in the series is After Dark with a Scoundrel. Can you give us just a hint of what to expect when it’s released in 2011?

AH:  Book three is Dare and Lady Regan’s story.  Lady Regan is Frost’s younger sister, and let me tell you, she can be just as unpredictable as her brother.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

AH:  Good question.  I need a creative outlet, so I probably would have started my own business.

DC: Do you have any works in progress you can tell us about?

AH:  Till Dawn With the Devil is in production.  I’m also working on the first draft for After Dark With a Scoundrel.

DC: What else is on the horizon for Alexandra Hawkins?

AH:  I hope to write more Lords of Vice stories.  If not, I’ll move on to another project.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    – Dark

- smooth or chunky peanut butter?    – Chunky

- heels or flats?     – Flats

- coffee or tea?     – Tea

- summer or winter?      – Summer

- mountains or beach?      – Beach

- mustard or mayonnaise?      – Mustard

- flowers or candy?    – Flowers

- pockets or purse?      – Purse

- Pepsi or Coke?     – Coke, preferably Cherry Coke Zero

- ebook or print?     – Print

And because we still enjoy the answers we get:

1. What is your favorite word?    – Yes

2. What is your least favorite word?   – Whatever

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – Music

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – In-laws

5. What sound or noise do you love?     – Laughter

6. What sound or noise do you hate?     – That beeping sound the garbage truck makes

7. What is your favorite curse word?    – Crap

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?      – Archeology

9. What profession would you not like to do?     – Animal Artificial Insemination Technician

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?   – “You did good, kid.”

DC: We’re so glad you were with us today, Alexandra. Thank you!