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Betrayed by Rebecca York – Interview, Review & Giveaway

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Betrayed by Rebecca York – Interview, Review & Giveaway

 

BETRAYED
Rockfort Security series –  Book #2
by Rebecca York
Release Date: July 1, 2014

BetrayedCoverAmazon / Barnes & Noble /  The Book Depository

Description:
There is a spy in S&D systems who is leaking top-secret information that could lead to extreme disaster. It’s up to Shane Gallagher to uncover the mole and set things right.

Systems analyst Elena Reyes had no intention of stealing company secrets until her brother’s life was threatened by the cruelest of mobsters. When Elena finally confesses her deeds to Shane, he’s ready to do everything he can to keep her out of danger. But will Shane’s help be enough to protect them, or will his good intentions leave them all for dead?

 

Review:
Betrayed by Rebecca York is the 2nd book in her Rockfort Security series. I enjoyed the first book of this series, and was looking forward to reading this. Happily, Rebecca York continues with another suspenseful and captivating action packed story.   Shane Gallagher, whom we met in the last book is our hero and from the get go, he is the kind of hero we all want to save us, not to mention, totally swoon worthy.

Elena Reyes is our heroine, and she was a sweet and charming one; not the usual kick assed heroines. The story starts with a bang, as while in HR, Elena overhears someone threatening the director, and before she could walk out, they are all hostages. Flying through the window comes our hero, Shane. During the scuffle, Elena manages to help him stop the intruder.

What follows is a very exciting story, where Shane and Rockfort Security have been contracted to find the mole in S&D, who is leaking confidential information about a new product. What Elena doesn’t know is that she is one of the suspects, since she works in the IT area, where the leak is suspected. Having been literally thrown together, Shane and Elena find themselves attracted to each other. In a short time, as the danger escalates, someone is after Elena to get them the information they want, and they are threatening to hurt her brother. Shane realizes that Elena is not the real culprit, and works with her to find out who is.

In a roller coaster of a ride, at every turn, they are attacked, and barely escape with their lives. Rather than give any spoilers, I will only say that this was an enthralling adventure, with pulse pounding action. Shane, Elena and the other members of Rockfort Security must be a step ahead to find the true perpetrator. There are also some twists along the way.

The romance between Shane and Elena started off sweetly, as she was a virgin. But then it became very steamy, as they both could no longer hold back their lust. They made a great couple. Rebecca York does it again with another exciting romance suspense that will keep you turning the pages until you reach the end. I finished this book in one day. I totally recommend you to read this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

Interview 1

Exclusive Interview with Rebecca York

What first inspired Betrayed?

My husband is a techie, and I wanted to write a story that involved computer security. But computers are not real sexy. At least I don’t think so, which led to my writing a security-guy hero who suspects my techie heroine of industrial espionage. And, of course, they get into big trouble together when the bad guys close in on them—including a harrowing escape from a speeding boat.

How did you get to know your two main characters Elena and Shane?

I usually feel closer to my heroes than my heroines. I love getting involved in their hair-raising adventures. To understand them better, I try to have some of the same experiences they do—like shooting guns, flying in small planes, and scaling heights that scare me. I like getting into the male point of view and imagining how I’d react if I were a guy.

But in this story, I especially liked writing Elena. I’ve visited Central America a number of times, and I love the culture. I love the people, the food, the fabrics, the music. The scene early in the book where Elena is recalling a frightening experience in the market back home comes straight from my experiences prowling open-air markets in Guatemala. Well not the scary part, but the setting. I usually tell people that my heroines are a lot like me, only nicer.

Shane seems pretty comfortable during the shoot-’em-up scenes in the book. What is his background?

Shane was an investigator in the army military police, so he’s got the tough-guy training as well as the investigative skills he needs.

Elena is a quiet heroine, but very, very determined to clear her name and help her brother. Where does she get her inner strength?

I believe Elena always was strong, because she came from a culture where the weak get trampled, but her parents made her stronger by not valuing her. Without her inner strength, their attitude would have crushed her.

The bad guy in the story is front and center. How do you get into the head of the villain?

I get into the head of the villain the way I would any other character. I think about what he wants and why he wants it. In this case, the guy grew up poor, and now he craves everything that proves he’s a success—a lot of good food, a luxurious place to live, underlings who fear him. His comfort is of prime important to him, but you’ll notice that he has no compunctions about torturing and killing other people.

During your career, you have written in just about every romance subgenre, from contemporary to paranormal. What made you come back to romantic suspense for Betrayed and the first Rockfort Security novel Bad Nights?

I never knew “romances” existed until a friend asked me if I wanted to try and write one. I asked her to bring me some, and she brought me shopping bags full of them. When I read the stories, I loved them because the plot was focused on two people getting to know each other, working out their relationship, and ending up with a HEA. Previously, this had only been the subplot in the fiction I read, which was mainly mystery, suspense, adventure and science fiction. I wrote several romances, but I wanted to incorporate the mystery, suspense and adventure elements into my books. Basically, I’ve never stopped writing romantic suspense, although I do often incorporate paranormal elements into my characters and plots.

Will there be a third book in this series readers can look forward to?

Yes, I’m finishing up Private Affair now. It’s the story of a woman who hated her high school years, but she comes back for her tenth reunion to try and find out who murdered her former best friend and several other classmates. And to investigate the killings, she needs a Rockfort Security agent, Max Lyon. He was the high school bad boy, and their relationship starts out rocky but quickly heats up.

 

About the author
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York’s writing has been compared to that of Dick Francis, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Maggie Shayne. Her award-winning books have been translated into twenty-two languages and optioned for film. A recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, she lives in Maryland near Washington, DC, which is often the setting of her romantic suspense novels.

You can find Rebecca at the following links:

Website: / Goodreads: / Facebook: / Twitter:


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D.B. Reynolds-Interview and Giveaway with the Author

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D.B. REYNOLDS-Interview and Giveaway with the Author

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TRC:  Hi D.B. and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of LUCAS –the latest novel in your Vampires in America series.

We would like to start with some background information.  Would you please tell us something about yourself?

D.B.  Thanks for inviting me to the Cafe. Something about myself … I’m married, no children. My darling husband (DH) and I live near Los Angeles, in one of those flammable canyons you always hear about on the news. I love books and movies, travel and writing.

TRC:  Would you please tell us what the initials D.B. stand for in your name?

D.B.  D. B. Reynolds is my pen name. The initials represent family names, and are my way of paying homage to some important people in my life.

TRC:  Many authors begin their love of writing at an early age.  What was the catalyst that sparked your interest in writing?

D.B.  I’ve been a reader all my life, and always dreamed of being able to write the kind of books I enjoyed reading, to be able to tell stories that would draw people in the way the stories I loved did for me. I wrote on and off since high school. But then at a critical juncture in my life, I met a woman who’d been an acquiring editor for several of the big Sci-Fi houses. She read a couple of my short stories, and told me I really could write. It was her encouragement that motivated me to give it a serious try.

TRC:  Please list the top 5 things you would like to accomplish in the next 10 years.

D.B.  Not necessarily in order …
Write the last two books of the current Vampires in America story arc, and start a new one!
Publish my new Urban Fantasy series (while still writing my Vampires in America, of course.)
Travel somewhere I’ve never been, with my DH, naturally.
Read lots of amazing books.
Clean out my closets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRC:  Would you please give us a run down on the premise of the VAMPIRES IN AMERICA series?

D.B.  The books revolve around the Vampire Lords who rule all the vampires of North America, which is divided into eight territories, one to each Vampire Lord. The Vampire Lords are extremely formidable, with the literal power of life and death over the vampires they rule. They can kill with a thought, but they’re usually not that kind, preferring to get up close and personal when dealing death. My vampires are patterned after the classic vampire. They’re aggressive, territorial and violent. They embrace the power their vampirism gives them and relish the drinking of blood from the vein. There is no soul-searching, no self-hating. And when it comes to their mates, they’re extremely possessive and protective. Each book in the series arc introduces a Vampire Lord and the human woman who will be his mate, or in Sophia’s case, the man who will be hers. The books are also full of action and adventure, with a mystery or a crime to be solved, a wrong to be avenged.

TRC:  BETRAYED is your August 2012 e-novella in the same series.  Would you please tell us something about the premise?

ORDER LINK: Amazon

D.B.:  BETRAYED was the first Cyn & Raphael e-novella. Many of my readers wanted more of Cyn and Raphael, the first two characters introduced in the series. But they’re very dominant personalities—especially Raphael, who is probably the most powerful Vampire Lord in existence—and when the two of them are in a book, they tend to overshadow everyone else. So, I’m writing the Cyn & Raphael e-novellas to let readers keep up with their story, while still introducing the new lords and their mates in the books. In BETRAYED, someone sends an assassin after Raphael, and Cyn is determined to find out and kill whoever it was. Of course, the last thing Raphael wants is to put Cyn in the line of fire, so he and his people pursue their own hunt, while trying to keep Cyn out of it, even if it means betraying the trust she has in him.

TRC:  LUCAS is the latest release (October 2012) in your Vampires in American series.  Would you please tell us something about the premise?

ORDER LINKS: Barnes and Noble / Amazon/ The Book Depository

D.B.:  Lucas Donlon is a Vampire Lord. Charming and irreverent to his friends and lovers, he enjoys everything about his life as a vampire. When hostilities with his neighboring Vampire Lord come to a head, war is imminent, and Lucas will prove to be every bit as lethal as he is charming. But then we meet FBI Special Agent Kathryn Hunter, who is about to step into it and complicate Lucas’s life. Her baby brother has gone missing under circumstances that suggest a vampire is involved, and she will do anything to find him, even if it means going against both her FBI bosses and Lucas. Waging war against their enemies and each other, Lucas and Kathryn will risk everything to keep the most deadly vampire war in hundreds of years from engulfing every vampire, and human, in North America.

TRC:  How many books do you have planned for the series?

D.B.:  My current contract is for eight books, and four Cyn & Raphael e-novellas. But my publisher has already expressed an interest in carrying the series beyond the original eight books, with a new story arc.

TRC:  If you could virtually cast the Vampires in America using models and actors with whom would you cast the main characters in the series?

D.B.:  I get asked this a lot, and it’s really difficult. When I’m writing, I have a very specific image of my characters in my head, but it usually doesn’t relate to anyone in the real world. My vampires are all really big, intense guys, so casting looks-wise would be difficult enough, but to get that intensity, you’d need people who could act.

TRC:  If you could change anything about the series what would it be and why?

D.B. : Honestly, there’s nothing. I love every one of my guys, and have been very happy with the final manuscripts. Well, except for Rajmund—his story came in much longer than my publisher expected, and I had to do some serious cutting, but I was able to post a couple of the cut scenes on my blog. On the other hand, I would love it if I could someday get a new set of covers with original cover art. I’d love to see an artist’s version of my Vampire Lords.

TRC:  How do you handle the stress and anxiety of writer’s block?

D.B.:  Knock on wood, I’ve never experienced true writer’s block. There are times when the story doesn’t flow as smoothly as I’d like, but in those cases, I put in a place holder and skip to another scene. And when I go back, the stubborn scene is always there in my head. Generally, I find the best cure for writer’s block is writing. Once I lose myself in the narrative, the words always come.

TRC:  Who or what has been the biggest influence in your personal life? Professional life?

D.B.:  The biggest influence in my personal and professional life was my mother, who really encouraged my education and reading. She died before my first book was released, but I know she’d be proud. On a strictly personal note, I have a large and supportive family, and my wonderful husband who’s the most brilliant person I’ve ever known—and I’ve met some brilliant people.

TRC:  On what are you currently working?

D.B.:  I’m currently working on the first book of a new Urban Fantasy series. It doesn’t have vampires, but it does have werewolves, demons and human/demon hybrids. I’m also working on the outline for the next Vampires novella and book, and I’ll be starting those in late January.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Chocolate, that’s a food, right? Or maybe potatoes.

Favorite Dessert – It’s not dessert if it’s not chocolate.

Favorite TV Show – I have a few, but I really enjoy Criminal Minds, Supernatural, and Grimm.

Favorite Movie – Terminator (the first one)

Last Movie You Saw – Skyfall. Daniel Craig is a fantastic Bond. Easily the best since Connery.

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Dark

Do You Have Any Pets? – No

TRC:  Thank you D.B. for answering our questions.  We wish you all the best in your writing career.  And you made a wonderful choice for the image of LUCAS on your latest cover-Francis J. Cura.

D.B Reynolds is offering WINNER’S CHOICE of any ONE book in her VAMPIRES IN AMERICA series to one lucky member at The Reading Cafe.

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe.  If you are not a member, please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.

2.  If you are using Twitter or Facebook etc, please post your email address, along with your comment, as Twitter and FB etc do not allow for email addresses

3.  Giveaway is OPEN internationally

4.  Giveaway runs December 17-20, 2012

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