Guestpost:10 Reasons to Fall in Love with Ella Raines by Laura Kaye + Giveaway

Filed in featured , Giveaways , Guest Post , Laura Kaye , The HEA Lover Posted on July 30, 2012 @ 7:00 am 31 comments

Today we’re very happy to welcome Laura Kaye on Book Lovers Inc. Laura’s new Fantasy Romance, West Of Want came out earlier this month. This is the 2nd book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series.  Laura is here today to tell us all about her heroine Ella Raines.  Stay tuned and you could win a copy of the book. Let’s give a warm welcome to Laura!

I’m very excited to be celebrating the release of my new fantasy romance West of Want, the second book in my Greek-mythology-based Hearts of the Anemoi series! As much as I love the Greek gods in this series—their supernatural powers, the fraternal dynamics between them, their distinct hurts and wants and needs, their abs (look at that cover!)—I’ve really enjoyed writing the heroines, too. These women need to be equals to incredibly powerful, paranormal creatures. They need to be able to handle the knowledge that this whole other world exists. And they need to be up to the task of giving each of the Anemoi heroes his redemption.

And that’s why, one of the things I love about West of Want is the heroine, Ella Raines. So, here are ten reasons you just might fall in love with her, too:

10. She refuses to let life knock her down. Ella has been through the ringer when West of Want starts, and yet she remains resilient. She refuses to give up. She refuses to give in to the heartache. Instead, she uses those hard knocks to motivate herself to be more.

9. She’s an expert sailor. This expertise takes years of practice and hours and hours out on the water to achieve, which is admirable to begin with. Personally, I’ve always loved the water, and Ella’s expert knowledge allows her to thrive there and be great at something I’d love to know how to do.

8. Ella’s open-minded. She’s willing to hear someone out before judging. She’s willing to keep an open mind before ruling something out. And she really, truly listens. Along with her open-mindedness, she’s forgiving, too. And all of these qualities are ones Zeph truly admires in her.

7. She keeps a head in stressful situations. And boy does she go through some stressful situations! A god almost kills her? Then she wakes up in a room with a strange man, a strange man that has light coming from his eyes and hands? And that’s just in the first pages! LOL Her ability to keep her wits about her in the middle of a crisis shows her strength and is another reason I love her.

6. Ella wants to give back. Despite everything that’s happened to her, Ella determines to not only live, but thrive. And one way to do that is to contribute her time, money, and energy to a good cause, one that fits into what she holds dear in life. I find this a truly admirable quality.

5. She fights back. At a particularly dark moment in the book, Ella knows she’s out-powered and trapped, but she still fights until the very last, and refuses to give in to fear or despair. She’s a real person, but in this moment she’s particularly bad ass, and I like to think I’d be as courageous as her in a similar situation.

4. She refuses to cower before evil. In another dark moment, Ella stands strong in the face of true evil. This shows not only her courage, but also her integrity and character, and is one of the reasons I truly fell in love with writing this heroine.

3. She is understanding and compassionate, but refuses to be a doormat. Ella is willing to listen, consider, and forgive, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to let someone get away with bad behavior without also being totally honest with how she was hurt. I respect someone who is strong enough to stand up for themselves and strong enough to forgive wrongs and hurts.

2. She takes good care of Zeph. When Zeph is injured, caring for him becomes her first thought and first priority. In that moment, she can be strong for him, and he is overwhelmed by her caring and attention.

1. She’s got a good dose of bad ass power running through her veins. You’re just going to have to trust me on this, because it’s too big of a spoiler to explain! Mwuhaha!

For me, all of these add up to one relatable, strong, and even kick-ass heroine, and I hope you’ll agree that she’s completely lovable and totally worthy of Zephyros, Supreme God of the West Wind and Guardian of Spring.

GIVEAWAY! Would you like to know more about Ella? Post a question for her or her author lady, and we’d both be happy to chat with you! One commenter who leaves their email address will win an ebook of West of Want!

Don’t miss the West of Want in the Wild (thru 8/24) giveaway events, too!

Thanks for reading!
Laura Kaye

Buy Laura’s Books Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

“Laura Kaye’s captivating writing and vibrant world-building will have readers hooked on the gods of the Anemoi. WEST OF WANT is steamy, spellbinding, and a must-read for all romance fantasy fans.” ~Elisabeth Naughton, author of the Eternal Guardians series

About West of Want:
Betrayal is all he’s ever known, but in her, he’ll find a love strong enough to be trusted…

When Marcella Raines’ twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she’s gravely injured–and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce–Ella fights to survive.

Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn’t protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he’s sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph’s heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her.

Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting…everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want–a love that can be trusted.

 

About Laura Kaye:
Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of over a half-dozen books in paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with all things paranormal. A published non-fiction author, Laura’s work as an historian and training as an archaeologist help her create vivid and accurate portrayals of other times and places. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Laura is generously offering an ebook of West of Want for 1 lucky commenter

All you have to do is leave a question for Ella or Laura and you’ll be entered in the contest

(You can read our full giveaway policy  here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

This giveaway is open to all!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, August 11th, 2012; we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Caro The HEA Lover


Caroline is a HEA loving, yarn addicted French who's desperately hoping to get a HEA of her own. If she's not reading then she can be found knitting while listening to Audiobooks or watching Tv shows. Her secret addiction is reading websites that make fun at other people's expense (DYAC, Failbook)! Caroline also blogs at the Secret HEA Society with Susi.

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31 Comments

Join the Discussion
  • aurian July 30, 2012 at 7:07 am

    Oo great guestpost Laura! I have a question for Ella, whom I already like thanks to this post: What made you fall for Zeph, and do you sometimes wish he was just an ordinairy handsome man, and not a god?

  • Laura Kaye July 30, 2012 at 10:14 am

    Thanks for hosting me here at Book Lovers!

    And thanks to Aurian for kicking off the questions! Here’s Ella’s response:

    I wouldn’t change Zeph one bit. I fell for him because I knew he just got me – my fears, my needs, my dreams – and that’s a rare thing to find in another person.

    So there you have it! Ella and I will be stopping back in to answer more questions, so keep ’em coming! 😉

  • Gail Nichols July 30, 2012 at 10:27 am

    Ms.Kaye,This a new book for me. How did you come up with the idea for the book?

    • Laura Kaye July 30, 2012 at 11:54 am

      Hi Gail! This book is the second in a series, so I knew I’d be writing about one of the Anemoi gods, since each one will be featured in one of the series books. In Greek mythology, Zephyros has a pretty detailed story full of betrayal and lost love, so I used a lot of that mythology as his backstory, and it was so much fun! Great question! Thanks!

  • Viki S. July 30, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    I love Zeph and can see why Ella fell for him. Even after all he’s been through he’s still a really good guy.
    How much fun did you have writing his tortured back story?

    • Laura Kaye July 30, 2012 at 12:32 pm

      Awesome question, Viki! So much fun! Although I’m not great at being mean to my characters, but he had so many fun things to play with! 🙂

  • Lisa G July 30, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    Which book did you enjoy writing most? What inspired you to write about the Anemoi?

    Wolphcall(at)bellsouth(dot)net

  • Fedora July 30, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    Ella, what do you like to do in your free time?

    f dot chen at comcast dot net

    • Laura Kaye July 30, 2012 at 4:50 pm

      I sail whenever I can. And I love to garden. Those are my favorite pastimes, next to doing just about anything with Zeph.

  • Kelly July 30, 2012 at 2:28 pm

    I don’t have any questions for Ella. She is what I would love to be- no fear doesn’t cower to evil a badass. etc……

    • Laura Kaye July 30, 2012 at 9:45 pm

      Isn’t that the truth, Kelly! Thanks for your comment! 🙂

  • Diane July 30, 2012 at 6:18 pm

    Do you have a set idea of how many books will be in the series and will we see recurring characters?
    diane.sadler at gmail dot com

  • June July 30, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    My question would be for Ms. Laura: What do you do to celebrate a new release? Special dinner, buy yourself a little something, eat a special dessert?

    • Laura Kaye July 30, 2012 at 9:47 pm

      All of the above! Let’s see, after Hearts in Darkness and Forever Freed released last spring, my husband bought me a necklace and we went out to a nice dinner with a group of friends. After In the Service of the King released, I bought myself a beautiful ring with my first advance. On the night Her Forbidden Hero released, I was alone, so I got cozy with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s LOL! I haven’t done something special for West of Want yet, but I’m thinking about it! 😀

  • donnas July 31, 2012 at 1:19 am

    Sounds great. Looking forward to reading it.

    My question is – What is the best part of writing this series?

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    • Laura Kaye July 31, 2012 at 3:13 pm

      Fun question! I’d have to see it’s the interactions and dynamics between the brothers, the discovery by the heroines of the heroes’ paranormal natures, and the use of Greek mythology in the conflicts and characterizations! 🙂

  • erinf1 July 31, 2012 at 10:19 am

    What a great post!!! It’s always fun to get to “know” characters a bit before reading. I loved, loved, loved NoN and I’m really looking forward to reading this newest edition! My question for Laura is: when you start to write these books, do the characters “come to you” as is or do you find yourself working w/ a detail or an image and go from there?

    Congrats on the release and here’s wishing you many, many more 🙂

    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    • Laura Kaye July 31, 2012 at 3:14 pm

      Usually the characters comes to me long before I find an image that represents them. And I usually know all their features right from the start! Good question!

  • Tamsyn July 31, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    Ella sounds like a true heroine! Love her character already! I would love to know more about her. Ella, what is your type of hero?

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    tamsyn5(at)yahoo(dot)com

    • Laura Kaye July 31, 2012 at 3:17 pm

      Ella says: Well, I could simply say, ‘Zeph.’ But to give you a little more, I’ll say that my idea of a hero is someone who is honest, loyal, willing to sacrifice for the good or safety of others, and giving. All of which is true of Zeph!

  • Victoria Zumbrum July 31, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    I would love to read this series. It sounds very good.

    • Laura Kaye August 1, 2012 at 12:23 pm

      I’m so glad! Thanks Victoria!

  • bn100 August 1, 2012 at 12:14 am

    Congratulations on the book! Great list of reasons.

  • Maria pronounced Mariah August 2, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    I feel like a complete dunzt…until recently I had no clue this was part of a series. I thought it was the start of a new series and I was completely lost.

    • Laura Kaye August 2, 2012 at 10:19 pm

      LOL Maria! We’re still early in the series, so you haven’t missed too much! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

  • Yadira A. August 4, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    Hi Laura!
    What are you currently reading?

    • Laura Kaye August 7, 2012 at 10:31 am

      I’m not in the middle of anything right now, but two days ago I finished Gina Maxwell’s Seducing Cinderella and loved it! 🙂

  • Hai-Yen August 5, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    Greetings, Laura!
    You already know I’m a BIG fan of yours 🙂 In fact, I own all of your books in print as well as in ebook format! Other than the BDB series, do you have other favorite series and/or authors you would recommend? Thanks and happy release tour!
    hai-yen.huynh@sympatico.ca

    • Laura Kaye August 7, 2012 at 10:33 am

      xoxo Hai-Yen! I love Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series (paranormal), Lisa Kleypas’s Travis series (contemporary), Laura Wright and Lara Adrian’s paranormal series, and I also enjoy Ward’s fallen angels series, though not as much as BDB! 🙂

  • Vanessa N. August 11, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Did she always know about this bad ass power she has?

    mythic021@gmail.com

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