The Scarlet Dove by Beth D. Carter
Welcome to the blog Beth
Please tell us a little about your new release (The Scarlet Dove) without giving too
much of a spoiler away.
First of all, it’s a historical ménage romance set in 1888.
It’s about a woman trying to find her place in a male-dominated world that has
set parameters for how “proper” women should be.
Did you found any cool tidbits in your historical research
for this book?
So a lot of this story is about my heroine, Liza, and her
desire to find her place in the wild west. She has a wild dream of becoming a
doctor. I did a lot of research on if that was a possibility. I always try to
use historical characters in my stories, if possible, and I was able to
incorporate some of that into The Scarlet Dove.
Was it difficult getting the heroes to a point where they
could let their guard down and be open to the possibilities of love?
My two heroes, Blue and Apollo, are cousins. They’re
tracking a dangerous killer and abductor of women. When they come across Liza,
they’re unprepared for their attraction to her. I think it confuses the hell
out of them and their jealous of each other. A ménage relationship isn’t in
their radar at all, so love takes them by surprise.
How did you find that great balance between conflict and
romance?
Conflict can intensify emotions. I like using it to develop
a bond between the characters.
What part of the story was the most fun to write?
There is a very funny scene where Apollo and Blue put Liza
on a train, and then realize the bad guy is on the train, so they race after it
and jump onto it. It was like writing out a scene in a movie. The dialogue is
hilarious.
Do you have a favorite line?
I have so many it’s hard to narrow down to just one. Apollo
and Blue have a great repertoire,
flowing back and forth. Many lines can’t be taken in one context since there is
a reason behind it. Here’s one: (in response to Apollo asking “What can happen
on a train?” )
“Remember
when you asked what could happen on a train?” Blue murmured back. “Now you
know.”
What is your favorite subgenre of romance to write?
I love paranormal and apocalyptic stories. They are very
freeing to the imagination, and IMO, it really strips down a person’s
relatability. I’ve just finished up an “end of the world” story, book one, and
am plotting the second one now.
Are you in any of
your books?
Don’t all writers put themselves in their stories? There’s a little bit
of me in every book, I think. Maybe it’s just a random thought or a gesture,
but something of me is in all my characters.
What’s on the horizon?
Several things. I have a story coming out in an anthology.
I’m finishing up edits in the last book of my World of Danger series. I
submitted book 1 of 2 of an apocalypse story. I have a time travel ready to
submit. And I have a couple more outlined, waiting to be written.
Can Liza
find her place in a lawless world?
When Liza
Trent decided to become a mail order bride out west, she never imagined her
fiancé would die before she arrived. His death places her in debt, and the only
way to pay off the money is by auctioning off her virginity against her will.
When she’s rescued by two handsome men, she mistakenly thinks they’re
assassins. Despite her reservations, she accepts their protection.
Only the two
men, Apollo Beck and Blue Hawke, aren’t assassins. They’re Texas Rangers sent
after a man who preys on women, and their dangerous hunt has just brought Liza
into the line of fire.
Confused with
the attraction she feels for two men, Liza has a difficult decision before her:
commit to loving Apollo and Blue or commit to her burning desire to become a
doctor…unless she’s found and taken for revenge first.
Content Warning: contains violence, strong language, and
explicit sex scenes, including anal sex
Genre(s): Historical Romance / Menage
EXCERPT
"It's him," Liza whispered in a
hate-filled tone. "The man who tricked me."
"Reynolds," Blue spat.
"All three of you!" Reynolds screamed.
"You'll pay! You'll pay for everything!"
The gun wavered in an unstable hand. Blue and
Apollo glanced at each other and then charged forward. A shot exploded and
Apollo went down. Blue tackled Reynolds to the ground. The two men rolled
around, each trying to get the upper hand.
Apollo did his best to try to focus on the two
men, but agony lanced through him as he tried to get to his feet. Black spots
danced in front of his eyes, and he honestly didn't know how bad he was shot.
And then a pair of soft, steady hands took his
away. "Let me see," Liza softly said.
"Uh," he moaned. "Blue—"
"Is holding his own," she
interrupted him. Though she carefully probed, the pain rippled through Apollo,
and he halted her hand. "You need medical help," she told him.
"Get Reynolds first," he panted.
Her eyebrows arched. "You know him?"
"I was sent to kill him."
Her mouth fell open, and she looked from him
to where Blue still fought with Reynolds.
"There's a blade in my boot," he
whispered, wiggling his right foot and bringing her attention back to him.
"Give it to Blue."
She hesitated for only a second before
reaching for the marked boot. He felt her hand slide in and grab the hilt. She
slid it free and rose, turning to the fight that had attracted several people's
attention.
"I have a knife, Blue!" she called
out.
In a flash, Blue spun away from Reynolds and
grabbed the knife from Liza's shaky hand. As he turned back, he let it fly.
They watched as it flipped end over end and buried itself into Reynolds's
shoulder, right where the arm and chest met. For a moment, no one moved. Then
the confused crowd rushed to help Reynolds, who stumbled away, and Blue turned
to grab Liza's hand and hurry over to Apollo.
"You need medical attention," he
said without preamble, mimicking Liza's earlier statement.
"Not here," Apollo growled.
"Help me up."
"You should rest," Liza said.
"You think anyone is going to help the
people responsible for burning down half the town?" As he sat up with a
gasp of pain, Blue let go of Liza's hand to help him stand. "Is Reynolds
dead?"
They all looked at the small crowd that had
moved in to help Reynolds when the blade had got him, only to see the crowd
starting to point at them and talk. Reynolds was nowhere to be found.
BUY LINKS:
Bio & Social Media Links:
I like writing about the very ordinary girl
thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be
lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers.
I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to
write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to
think outside the box. I love writing
characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who
find redemption through love. I love to hear from readers so I’ve made it
really easy to find me on the web:
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/BethD.Carter/e/B00EOTD1T0
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