Hunting the Hero by Heather Boyd ~ Wild Randall's Series #4 ~ Interview ~ Review ~ Giveaway

Hunting the Hero

Wild Randall's Series #4

By Heather Boyd 

Please leave a comment below to be eligible to win the prize. See prize details below :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interview: 
Crystal: I was given a wonderful opportunity to not only read Hunting the Hero by Heather Boyd but a chance to ask Heather a few questions as well. Thank you so much for joining me today Heather, I'm very honored to have you here. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Heather: Hello Crystal and company. Let’s see. I’ve been married to the most amazing man for the past 22 years, have two sons--one grown, one who thinks he’s an adult at 11--and am slave to the largest cat I’ve ever owned. His name is Morpheous. I’m sure most writers have similar lives, especially the cat part. LOL. 

I’m about to release a new novel, Hunting the Hero. The last book in the Wild Randalls series. It’s a regency historical romance. Here’s a little about the book.

She can lose her birthright, but not her heart!

Meredith Clark wants no part of her long-ago identity as Rosemary Randall. She's created a more exciting life as the courtesan, Calista, and her newest lover is both intriguing and rugged enough to capture her fancy. But the widowed Earl of Grayling craves more than this woman's dazzling intelligence and fiery passion. He wants her as his mistress, and if she won't agree to that, he'll settle for taking her home as his daughters' governess.

Determined never to be tied down to one person or place, Meredith prepares to run again. Yet something deep inside her yearns to stay -- until she discovers Constantine’s real identity. Now she's faced with the hardest choice of her life. Should she trust the man she's coming to love with the secrets of her past, or flee to save them both from an even greater heartbreak?

Crystal:  Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Heather: Is it bad that I love scenes where I cry as I’m writing them, where readers are pushed reach for the tissues, too? This scene is from late in Hunting the Hero. My darling girl Rosemary finally gives in to the past she’s tried so hard to forget.

“WHEN MEREDITH CLARK had come into existence, there had been no knight to rescue her, no family left to care if she lived or died. She had been alone and frightened and unprepared for life’s hardships. When she assumed the name Calista, it was to protect what was left of her dignity in the face of a terrible choice.
Names were important. Names defined who you were and how far you’d fallen in the world. In all her life, she had fought her identity. Her place in society and its suffocating expectations. With each new name she assumed, a little piece of herself had withered. Yet coming to this place had brought the past rushing back as if it had never been lost.
As night closed in on the rain-washed village, she pushed open the lych-gate and stepped into the graveyard, allowing the gentle hiss to lull her and its whispers to lure her closer to the crumbling grave markers. The thick grass cushioned her sodden footfalls, muffling her passage through the dead. Grizzled gray stone jutted toward the sky, angels and carved granite bestowing identity and position, even in death.
The rows of weeping headstones bore names and benedictions. Much loved. Sadly missed. Too good for this life. The poorer markers were no less poignant than the larger. She passed them all, stopping at one that bore no names. No identity and therefore no position to speak of. A simple stone edifice marked the passing of life. 
Together in death was all it said along with a year.
Together but unknown.
Together and dead.
The woman known by many names save her own sank to her knees on the sodden ground, little caring if her carriage dress became as ruined as she was herself. 
Names were important. 
The couple buried here should have a name carved into their headstone. They deserved to be remembered for the life they had lived, for the sacrifices they had made, the love they had freely offered even as they guided their children to adulthood with determination to succeed and ignorance of the true danger. The headstone should say they had been loved and still were. That they were missed. That they were too vital to be taken away in an act of cold cowardice.
“Did you know them,” asked a woman to Rosemary’s right.
Did she know them? Not enough. No amount of time would be long enough, but she was glad they could not see what she had become. Tears burned her eyes, but she would not let them fall. When she did, she feared the avalanche of feeling would break her. She would not give in to her sorrows. She had already lost so much today.”

Crystal: I have to say I too cried at that scene, it was so moving. Thanks for sharing that excerpt with us. Where did you come up with the idea for Hunting the Hero? 

Heather: Hunting the Hero, the fourth and final book in the Wild Randalls series, has been in the works for over two years. When I planned out the stories featuring the four Randall siblings, there was always the question of where they had all ended up. Book one Engaging the Enemy was eldest brother Leopold’s story and brought Tobias home by the end. Book 2 Forsaking the Prize was all about taming Tobias and Blythe. Book 3 Guarding the Spoils dealt with Oliver. That left only Rosemary’s whereabouts unknown. Readers have been clamoring for her book to come out. Rosemary may not have traveled far from home but her life had changed so dramatically from what her parents had planned. Of course being Rosemary, a very unconventional woman for her time, she needed to make coming home very difficult for me to write. I wrote several outlines that, while good, didn’t work at all in her opinion. So I started afresh and just wrote what Rosemary and Constantine told me to.

Crystal:  What are you currently working on?

Heather: I am currently working on the first draft of a new novel featuring Arabella from Hunting the Hero. Technically not a Wild Randall story but all my characters seem determined to have their story told. I am totally in love with Arabella’s hero, but my lips are sealed for now as to who he might be.

Crystal:  I have to say I have been hoping that we were going to get to read Arabella's story (I think I even included that in my review below) Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing? 

Heather: I’m a full time writer so working on new stories almost every day of the week is fairly routine for me. I’m a morning person, I even like Mondays, and I probably do most of my storytelling in the first half of the week. Music helps block out distractions if someone is home or the neighbors are being noisy. Once my son is off to school, I write till I get hungry or need coffee, take a lunch break and then go on new material if I can. Much like any other work from home job really but I stop when my 11yo comes home from school.

Crystal:  Did you have to do a lot of research for the Wild Randalls series? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Heather: Research for regency historical romance stories is ongoing. I chose to stick to one genre because I love the era and my research can be more focused than if I jumped around to different centuries.

Crystal:  Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Heather: I read a lot of authors and when I think about it now they are all over the place in terms of genre and sizzle factor--some hot, some not so hot. LOL Not sure I even could even claim to have a manageable favorite authors short list anymore. But ... one book I am most desperate to get my hands on is Spook Squad by Jordan Castillo Price. It’s book 7 in a paranormal gay series. It comes out tomorrow so I get a new release to read this weekend as I release my own book. Yippee.

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Heather: There is only one but it’s still technically a regency. I’d love to devote some time to finishing a paranormal regency romance series I toyed with a while back. Not wolves or vampires. Gargoyles really fascinate me. 

Thanks so much for having on your blog today Crystal. Now it’s your turn to announce the giveaway….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am excited to announce Heather  has granted me a copy of Guarding the Spoils (the second book in this series) to give to one lucky commenter on this post. So please leave a comment below along with your email address so you may be contacted if you are the lucky winner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review:

A few month ago I took a step out of my comfort zone and picked up a historical romance book. Heather Boyd is the author responsible for my new found fondness for historical romance. This author can tell a story that is not only highly entertaining but that has the powers to keep me totally enthralled from the beginning to the end. 

The series that mesmerized me so is the Wild Randalls Series. I just had the absolute joy of reading the fourth book in the series Hunting the Hero, Rosemary's story. If you were impatiently awaiting this story like I was, I think you will find it worth the wait. I thought each time I read another book in this series that I had found my favorite. Rosemary has had to be a very, very strong, independent, woman with a lot of spunk to get through life. I admire her so much for coming through her tough life but still having the ability to care. 

I loved Grayling, his love for Meredith/Rosemary, and his willingness to let her trust him enough to tell him her secret when she was ready. There are some really steamy scene's between these two. They have a VERY strong attraction from the moment they meet. Grayling knows they are meant to be together from early on but he has to work to convince Meredith that they should be forever. He also has to prove his is worthy of her trust. After all she has been through she has some major trust issues and is hiding a secret that she doesn't want to reveal to anyone, who she really is.

I also loved how Rosemary was able to walk into the life of Graying's children and totally turn their life right side up again. I was delighted with this part of the story. It showed just how big a heart she had and after all she had been through. She had the ability to help these sweet wonderful little girls heal and start to live again. Just like she was able to help Graying start to heal and fall in love again. I enjoyed reading Rosemary's story, I had been impatiently wanting to know what had happened to her. 

I'm not going to tell you anything about how she reunites with her brothers because this part of the book I found to be totally thrilling and was not able to set the book down at all. I enjoyed this whole family and totally loved this series. This is something about those Wild Randalls that I just adored! 

Overall, I just plain loved this book, I've loved this series and I have certainly become a HUGE fan of Heather Boyd's. I have a feeling if Heather writes it, I'm going to have to read it from here on out .

If you enjoy historical romance with some mystery, steamy scene's, and family connections I think you will enjoy this one. I know I certainly did. I hope Ms. Boyd has another story for us to find out what happens with Lady Arabella. Maybe we will get a chance to catch up with those Wild Randalls again. 

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my review. Of course I was impatiently waiting for this story and grabbed it as soon as I could. As always it is my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you. If you get a chance to read this story please stop by my blog and let me know what you thought :)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Bio: 


Bestselling historical author Heather Boyd believes every character she creates deserves their own happily-ever-after, no matter how much trouble she puts them through. With that goal in mind, she weaves sizzling English set love stories that push the boundaries of regency era propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. Brimming with new ideas, she frequently wishes she could type as fast as she conjures new storylines. While writing full time north of Sydney, Australia, Heather collects dust bunnies in all corners of the house and does her best to wrangle her testosterone-fuelled family into submission. You can catch Heather’s news at www.heather-boyd.com 

B&N Buy Link

Amazon Buy Link