Hello everyone!! Ok, I believe I have mentioned once or twice that I love reading historical romances. I do. They are my favourite guilty pleasure. And whats better is that I have one of my favourite authors here today!! Vanessa Kelly!
MY SECRET IDENTITY
I’m so happy to be spending this lovely fall day with Sayde and her readers. Thanks for inviting me on, girlfriend!
I’d like to talk about secrets today because secrets seem to be a pretty big part of my writing life. In my latest Regency-set historical romance, My Favorite Countess, my heroine keeps lots of secrets, including hiding her true nature from most everyone she knows. To the world, Bathsheba is a beautiful but hard-hearted woman who cares for no one but herself. She does very little to dispel that impression as she sweeps through the ton, levelling people right and left with her scathing intellect and devastating wit. Trust me. If you get on Bathsheba’s bad side, you’ll be sorry!
Why the heck, you may ask, did I make this type of woman the heroine of my book? It’s because of her secrets. You see, Bathsheba first appeared as the villainess of my second book, Sex And The Single Earl, (this is Sayde, I so adore this book!!!) but even then the reasons for her rather nefarious actions seemed motivated by something more than greed or selfishness. As I went deeper into her character I discovered those motivations—she is fiercely loyal to her family, and is determined to protect them from hardship at all costs. Bathsheba suffered several tragedies when she was young, tragedies that made her responsible for the well-being of those who are not as strong as she. She’ll do what she has to in order to keep them safe, and the hell with what others might think of her.
Bathsheba has a lot of pride, too. So rather than beg for help or reveal the scandals in her past, she’s created a diamond-hard facade to protect herself and her family from the discovery of those secrets. Most people can’t see past her facade, but one man can. Yep. He’s my hero—the intelligent, noble-minded, and very sexy doctor, John Blackmore. As a man who has devoted his life to helping those in need, John is determined to get past Bathsheba’s secrets to find the woman within. Bathsheba, naturally, wants nothing of that, but John proves to be her Achilles’ heel. Their encounters are passionate and deeply felt and I loved writing about them.
Here’s another secret for you. I write my historical romances as Vanessa Kelly, but did you know I also write sexy contemporary romances with my husband under the pen name of V.K. Sykes? It’s a long story as to how this partnership came about, but let me just say that my hubby’s early retirement had something to do with it. There are few things more troublesome than a man underfoot with too much time on his hands, so I decided to put him to work. Thankfully, we’ve had lots of fun writing stories together so, in this case, having a secret identity has worked out very well.
Secret identities notwithstanding, there are a few elements I always insist on in my stories. I want them to be exciting, and star strong-willed, intelligent women and very sexy alpha males. You’ll find these types of characters in both My Favorite Countess, and in my latest V.K. Sykes book, Hardball. And, I’m happy to say, more than a few secrets to add some spice to the mix!
What about you, readers? Do you like books that contain lots of secrets? Do you crave heroes that are dark and mysterious, and drive the heroine crazy? And what about all those secret baby stories—love or hate? One person who comments will win a copy of My Favorite Countess, and another person will win a copy of Hardball.
Vanessa Kelly writes Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra, and has been named by Booklist as “one of the new stars of historical romance.” She recently won the Maggie Award for Best Historical Romance for her second book, Sex And The Single Earl. You can find her on the web at: www.vanessakellyauthor.com. You can find her secret identity on the web at: www.vksykes.com
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I love books with secrets, and more so, I love when the villainess of an earlier book becomes the heroine of the next. Working on one of those right now ; )
My Favorite Countess sounds fab, Vanessa, as does Hardball! Congrats on them!
Oh, good for you, Cathy! I love reforming the bad girl!
I love a book with a dark hero who is an alpha male! I love some mystery to the story as well. I especially love it when the hero is a self proclaimed bachelor who will never be tied down, because they’re always the ones who fall the hardest and find themselves dogging the heels of the lady they desire! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!
P.S. The cover of Hardball is delicious!
Thanks, Sara. The hero of Hardball is the classic self-proclaimed bachelor who swears he will never settle down. Man, is he is store for a big fall!
I mean…is he “in” store for a big fall. Sheesh!
Hi Sayde and Vanessa!
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. It’s a long one for some
When it comes to secrets I really really like them, they are mysterious and intriguing. They can also drive plot, provided the secrets don’t simply drag on when it’s obvious it should have long ago been found out. Secret baby stories tend to tug at my heart because there is a lot of stake and a new life to consider in the relationship equation. It’s a story line I enjoy because I get to see the characters develop even more, plus babies are pretty darn cute. It’s even better when these stories feature a dark hero and if he can drive the heroine crazy, that means he is able to get under her skin. I like banter in stories, if it is natural then it works to endear the characters to me.
I totally agree with everything you say, Na. And the secret babies really are a great way to ramp up the stakes.
Now you are making my brain work … for shame!
I did know about Hardball. I subscribe to your newsletter, so I read the excerpt not too long ago. Seems like working with hubs could be both thrilling and excruciating at the same time. As far as secrets, I think there is a line to draw. One huge secret or a couple of smaller ones, but you wouldn’t want the secrets to overshadow the “real story”. Not to mention, throw too many secrets out there and I doubt my brain would be able to keep up. Dark and mysterious is fabulous; especially when the heroine is driven to near insanity. Some of the best love stories develop from a frustrated beginning. I like to progress and growth that the characters commonly experience with such a scenario. Now secret babies – I’m on the fence. I don’t know that I have ever hated a secret baby story so much as felt the baby was unnecessary to the story. Most of the stories I have read have the secret baby at the end after hero and heroine separate for a bit before hero realizes he in a idiot and goes to get heroine conveniently after she had both had the baby and gotten her figure back. Not bad, but unnecessary, right? But, one story I read that was good was Johanna Lindsey’s Paradise Wild. The identity of the baby was dragged out possibly a bit too long, but the hero thought his “wife’s” baby was her “lover’s” baby when it was actually “hero’s”. That was a pretty good story. Thus, secret baby = fence. Anyway, I talk too much! I look forward to reading books by Vanessa Kelly and V K Sykes.
Kendra
kendraedens@gmail.com
Kendra, talk away! I love hearing what readers think about these topics. That’s why I ask questions like this – they’re so interesting to talk about!
I KNEW Bathsheba harbored a secret when I read Sex and the Single Earl (yes, loved the book, AND the cover *sigh*). I’m so glad you explored her character a little deeper and redeemed her for us. Nice cover here as well, Vanessa. The cover gods smile on you, for sure.
Thanks, Madison! Bathsheba was a character who simply refused to let go, so I had to explore what happened to her. And the cover gods certainly did smile on me!
I especially love historicals – my favorite genre. I also like dark and mysterious and strong women. And secrets are always intriguing. You have a gorgeous cover. As to baby stories, not so much, now that I am older. But I never rule anything out. I just never know what I’ll be in the mood for lol.
catslady, I’m the same. The book I pick up to read often depends on my mood.
I love a good secret! I love dark and mysterious heros the broodier the better! LOL! I loved Sex and Single Earl and I can’t wait to read Bathsheba’s book! Oh, the cover for Sex and the Single Earl is one of my all time fav! Thanks for sharing with us!
Johanna, the cover for Sex And The Single Earl is just awesome, isn’t it?
Love secrets. I’ve read Sex and the Single Earl, and I was very intimidated by Lady Randolph, so it will be fun to see what her secrets are.
Gayle, Bathsheba was a challenge, but it turns out she was just looking for her hero!
Love secrets, love dark and mysterious, not so keen on secret babies and really love it when hero and heroine drive each other crazy. Can’t wait to read this new one and will have to try out the books by you and hubby.
Thanks, Sue. I really love it when the hero and heroine drive each other nuts – so much fun!
I love hero and heroine with dark secrets.
It’s always fun to read the end when everything is revealed… Not so sure about baby stories though…
May, secrets are great for driving the plot, aren’t they?
I love dark and mysterious heroes! It gives the heroine so much to figure out, and we have fun along the way. I like secrets, but I enjoy reading about the characters dealing with the “fallout” (after the secret’s been revealed). It seems the only scenario proposed that I don’t like is the secret baby one, lol.
Julie, it’s so much fun to write the fallout after the big reveal!
I love secrets in a story, but not a secret baby. Bathsheba’s story looks great!
Thanks, Robin!
I like variety in my reading, so secrets, mystery, secret babies are all good. I like both Historical & Contemporary. I have My Favorite Countess, but have to go back & read Sex and the Single Earl. And Hardball looks fabulous – I haven’t read Vanessa under her alter ego.
Diane, I hope you enjoy Sex And The Single Earl! There are some good secrets in that book, too.
Secrets in a story add tension to the relationships between characters so it’s all good.
I love reading love secret. Just curious to know what’s behind the secret and feel happy when the secret discovered =D
Most definitely Yes! to books with a plot that is mysterious & with an unexpected twist at the end.
Love the dark mysterious alpha hero that has the heroine all tied up in knots!
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