Monday, June 22, 2015

A ROYAL MUSE MONDAY with Christina Hollis



MUSE MONDAY
It’s lovely to be here today—thanks for the invitation, Brenda. Although I’ve written quite a few novels (you can see all my titles on display at http://bit.ly/1HGQX9O), my first book for The Wild Rose Press, His Majesty’s Secret Passion, was only released in February this year. That was really exciting, especially as I’d originally written it as a treat for myself. His Majesty’s Secret Passion is set on a sun-drenched Greek island, a long, long way from the wet and windswept countryside where I wrote it! Imagining a passionate summer romance was the perfect antidote to the short, dark days of a Gloucestershire winter.
When readers wanted to know what happened to Krisia, a minor character in His Majesty’s Secret Passion who was thrown into a major job crisis, my single title magically turned into the first part of series called The Princes Of Kharova. While the first book is about a king who meets a woman who’s more than a match for him, the second book, Her Royal Risk, tells the story of  a playboy prince pitted against a serious, hard-working woman in a fight to save their country. They’re supposed to be on the same side, but they can’t stop pulling in opposite directions. The action takes place in the fictional country of Kharova, which is in the eastern Mediterranean. That gave me another chance to fantasize about stunning scenery, beautiful weather, a tough, handsome hero and romantic evenings under the stars....
Here are the details for the first two books in the Princes of Kharova series:
Leo Gregoryan diverts the energy he once poured into his dream of becoming a doctor toward his royal duties. All he needs right now is a stress-free vacation–no future queen need apply. Sara Astley escapes to the luxurious Paradise Hotel after a personal disaster. She hides her broken dreams behind a tough exterior, and her stubborn streak makes her a challenge Leo can’t resist. His special brand of hands-on persuasion seduces her into enjoying the holiday of a lifetime. Their fling can't hurt either of them–or can it? Leo's focussed on being the ideal hero. Sara knows what she wants, and that’s independence. Then a revelation tears them apart, meaning things can never be the same between them...
Playboy Prince Athan is a brilliant soldier—and the world's worst boss. 
Landed with the task of bringing order to his working life, dedicated personal assistant Krisia only takes on the job out of loyalty to her king. 
A past disaster means Krisia is determined not to fall in love with gorgeous Athan. When she does, heartbreak isn't far behind. 
Then, a secret Athan has been fighting to hide comes to light, threatening his future. Krisia must stifle her pain, and work more closely with him than ever before.  If their emotions take over, they both risk losing everything...
Extract from Her Royal Risk:
It wasn’t until I joined the army I felt I’d become part of a real family. A proper family.”
“What about your sister, Maia?”
Athan snorted. “You know as well as I do, my sister hates the outdoor life. Besides, she was always tagging along after you.” The frustration of kicking around the palace with no one to talk to came back to him in a rush.
“You were jealous?” Krisia paused with a forkful of smoked salmon half way to her beautiful lips, then added the killer blow, “Of me?”
He’d never thought about it like that before. “Yes. Yes, I suppose I was. Who wouldn’t want to be top of the class in every subject?”
“Not you, surely?”
“Are you mad?” He curled his lip. “The only person who could come out with a line like that is someone who’s never failed at anything.”
“But you’re head of the army and chief of security now, Athan. How much higher can you possibly go?”
It was another thing that hadn’t occurred to him, and it took this woman—the bane of his childhood—to point it out to him.
“True.” He lifted his glass in the mockery of a toast to her. “I always thought you were too clever by half, Kris. I was wrong. You’re too clever by three-quarters.”
He took a drink. He was about to make it a big one, then reconsidered. Alcohol never managed to come up with any good answers to his problems. Kris, this mastermind with letters after her name, might be a better bet. He put down his glass. Placing his finger on the base, he pushed it aside in a measured gesture. “Leo’s the king. It’s my job to support him. I take that seriously. The best way I can show my loyalty is by running the army and coming down heavily on Mihail and his rebels whenever I can.’
“King Leo makes a big thing about not being happy when other people hand out jobs to their relatives. Doesn’t that worry you?”
At last, Athan could feel the conversation heading his way. He finished his starter, then leaned back in his chair, taking his ease. “No. I’m the best man for the job, end of story. I got this position on merit alone.”
“I know. I also know all our old tutors are lost for words about it.”
He twitched a shoulder. Bringing up the past couldn’t bother him, as long as the talk centred around his army career. “I’m a practical man, Kris. How much of your book learning do you use in everyday life? Not a thing,” he said without giving her time to argue. “I can make my way in the world anywhere I choose. If my brother decides there’s only room for one Gregoryanak here in Kharova and boots me out, then that’s fine by me. Does it worry you this new job of yours could vanish in a round of job cuts?”
Her reply was fast, and furious. “Yes. Yes, it does.”

Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches to the third book in the Princes Of Kharova series, which has the working title Heart of A Hostage. To find out more, sign up to my mailing list here: http://bit.ly/1eKihHg

Buy Links:
His Majesty’s Secret Passion:     http://bit.ly/1ujX5zc
Her Royal Risk:                          http://bit.ly/1GQPIIq
My social media links:

4 comments:

  1. Great excerpt, Christina. Good luck on book 3.

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    1. Thank you! Her Royal Risk was a lovely book to write.

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  2. Love the excerpt. Congrats on the books and best wishes with #3.

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  3. Thanks, Angelina. That's very kind of you!

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