Elizabeth Hoyt Guest Blogs & Book Giveaway

Elizabeth Hoyt Meditates on the Second Book in a Series

So the other night I sat down and looked at one of my to-be-read piles and picked out Christina Dodd’s SCENT OF DARKNESS. This is the first book in her paranormal Darkness Chosen series…and over a year old. This despite the fact that Dodd is an auto read for me. Sigh. Yes, I’m waaaay behind in my tbr pile. But as I’d figured SCENT OF DARKNESS was a wonderful read and the next morning I skipped off to my local book store to find the second book in the series, TOUCH OF DARKNESS.

They were out.

No problem, I thought, I’ll try the big box book store in town.

Also out.

Okaaaay. How about the other big box book store?

Out.

By this time I was getting slightly obsessive. When my critique partner and I made a road trip up to Chicago, we stopped to do some drive-by signings (run in, sign our books, run out again.) I knew I was in trouble when I automatically started looking in the D’s (for Dodd) instead of the H’s (for Hoyt) at each store. Four more stores didn’t have the book. At this point I was beginning to think I’d hallucinated the title. Every store had a whole shelf of Dodd’s back list, including the three other books in the Darkness Chosen series. I began compulsively looking at the front of her paranormal books, each of which listed TOUCH OF DARKNESS as the second book in the series.

Fortunately for my sanity (and that of my critique partner) the fifth store had TOUCH OF DARKNESS. I did a found-the-book victory dance that would’ve seriously embarrassed my teenagers had they been there and ran to the front to buy the book, feeling like I was clutching pure gold.

Which brings me to my own series. You see my current release, TO TASTE TEMPTATION is the first book in a four-book series, The Legend of the Four Soldiers. It occurred to me, somewhere in the midst of frantically trying to find Dodd’s second book, that if my readers are anywhere near as obsessed by my books as I was by Dodd’s series, I’ll be a very happy camper indeed.

Here’s one of the blurbs on Amazon.com for TO TASTE TEMPTATION:

The ton loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they're giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. What the ton doesn't know, though, is that Samuel is in London because of this massacre. He believes his regiment was given up to the enemy and won't rest until he finds the traitor.

Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated with Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother. Samuel suspects that the person responsible for her brother's death is Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale, a family friend since childhood--and Emeline's fiance. Despite Emeline's belief in Vale's innocence and her refusal to break off her betrothal, she and Samuel begin a passionate affair. But can their relationship survive the fallout from Samuel's investigation?

Notice how the blurb sneaks in mention of some guy named Vale? Yeah, he’s the hero of the second book in the series, TO SEDUCE A SINNER. Fortunately, I’ve already received reader mail about Vale (some of it on the first day the book was out!) so I think he’ll probably do all right in his own book when it comes out this November.

So tell me what series you’re following…and what book you’d go to eight different book stores to look for! I’ll pick one person from the comments column to win an autographed copy of THE RAVEN PRINCE.

Cheers!
Elizabeth Hoyt

www.elizabethhoyt.com