Guest Post: Author Wendy Veilla - The Reluctant Countess

HEROES

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today!

Being a writer and prolific reader of romance I come across heroes’ every time I open a book, and I’m not talking about the types that fly about in a cape wearing a one piece form fitting suit, I’m talking about all heroes, especially the ones that have imperfections. To me there is nothing better than experiencing one evolving through the pages. What is it that touches us when we least expect it? Some are arrogant with flaws they struggle to keep hidden, others downright mean but put them in a situation where they need to protect then they’re your guy and we’re instantly on their side. 

In The Reluctant Countess my hero Patrick is arrogant and standoffish yet when he realizes Sophie is not the charlatan he originally believes her to be, he moves heaven and earth to make her safe and it was at this moment that I felt something for him. He was suddenly human with very real emotions.

I believe we all need to believe in Hero’s and I’m not necessarily talking about the tall broad shouldered hero with washboard abs, although let’s face it none of us would quibble if one stepped up when needed, I’m talking about everyday hero’s the people that unless you really stop to think about them, you don’t know they exist.

Is it old fashioned to believe that we need these people in our lives? Are they a dying breed? What do you think? Do you have plenty of hero’s in your life? I’d love to hear about your favorites be they in a book, movie or real life.

Wendy Vella is a lover of all things romantic. She started reading her first Georgette Heyer book at a young age and instantly fell in love with the Regency era. Writing is something she has always found time for; she penned her first novel at eighteen though she says it will never make an appearance further than the closet in which it currently resides.

After having her two children Wendy then joined RWNZ and started honing her chosen craft by entering competitions with some success and attending conferences. Her Clendon and Readers Choice award-winning historical romance The Reluctant Countess will debut in Jan 2013 with Random House in their Loveswept line.

She has an addiction to reading and loves a wide range of genres while her first love will always be historical. She relishes novels steeped in Romance and excitement with feisty heroines and delicious heroes, especially when they are set amongst the treacherous waters of London society.

Wendy is a sucker for a happy ending having secured her own. She has been married to her own dark brooding hero for 28 years and shares her home with two wonderful children, two dogs and anyone else who happens to be visiting at the time. Born and raised in a rural area in the North Island of New Zealand, Wendy loves the beaches and lush green rolling hills of her homeland and is proud to call herself a very patriotic Kiwi!

Visit my website: http://www.wendyvella.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorWendyVella

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/wendy_vella

Email: wendy@wendyvella.com

“THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS” can be purchased from Random House INC http://www.randomhouse.com/book/221633/the-reluctant-countess-by-wendy-vella

From rising romance star Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart.

Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society.

Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.