by Lynne Graham, author of Roccanti’s Marriage Revenge (Harlequin Presents, April 2012)
Roccanti’s Marriage Revenge is the first book of a trilogy entitled Marriage by Command and begins the story of the three Blake sisters, who have lived so long under the hard rule of their father’s iron fist that even the shackles of an arranged marriage seem like a reprieve–at first! But they all go from the frying pan into the fire! For their convenient husbands are men of the world, international, experienced and oh-so-devastatingly sexy!
Ruthless Vitale Roccanti’s target for revenge is Zara’s father. But who pays the price? Zara! Vitale assumes that Zara is a spoilt little rich girl, never suspecting that beneath the polished facade, Zara is very vulnerable. He doesn’t care what it will do to her life when he sets out to seduce her and wreck her very public engagement, thereby blowing her father’s financial plans out of the water and plunging Zara into a big scandal.
Vitale, toughened and cynical after years of childhood abuse while in the care of a drug-addicted mother, is determined to avenge the death of the sister, who rescued him from that nightmare. It doesn’t occur to him that Zara, who grew up being told that she was stupid because she was dyslexic, might also be damaged by her family background.
Zara is marrying to please her parents, never dreaming that real love might come her way after a devastating betrayal by a boyfriend when she was naive teenager. In fact my hero and heroine both have childhood traumas to overcome and much more in common than they would ever believe.
I tend to create heroes and heroines, who are born into dysfunctional family situations because that often feels more true to life. How many of us enjoyed blissfully happy childhoods that support and strengthen us through the daily challenges we meet? Can you rise above a troubled family background? Learn from parental mistakes and make a better effort with your own family? Or will you stumble and fall back into the bad patterns that are familiar?
Lynne, I really enjoyed this one and have the next on the list on my TBR pile. Also loved the addition to your animal menagerie in this one
!
I think a troubled background definitely adds depth and character to the hero/heroine and gives us as writers a lot more to play with…although I’m currently writing a hero who has had a very happy upbringing and happily married parents so that’s a different type of challenge!! I have to give him some angst…or maybe I’ll just leave that to the heroine?!
x Abby
Hi Lynne,
I love your revenge stories. And I just adore an innocent heroine who gets caught up in the hero’s plans. Can’t wait to read another gem from you.