Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Guest Post: Brooklyn Ann + Giveaway!

Today I have Brooklyn Ann on the blog to celebrate her newest paranormal/historical, The Highwayman's Bite






Subverting the Stockholm Syndrome Trope





A lot of romances that deal with a heroine falling in love with her captor are scorned for the scenario being set up as Stockholm Syndrome. However, I think many of them work, and I certainly hope that mine does in The Highwayman’s Bite.


Here’s my list of what makes a captor/captive romance work:



1.     The hero is kidnapping the heroine for a noble cause.

In The Highwayman’s Bite, Rhys Berwyn is a rogue vampire who still cares for his mortal descendants. He robs the carriages of the nobility to give his great-grand-niece money to pay the mortgage on the family farm. A mortgage that the heroine’s uncle, the Lord Vampire of Blackpool, holds. 

When Rhys gets word that his family will be evicted, he kidnaps Vivian Stratford, the Lord of Blackpool’s niece for ransom, along with her paid companion and fencing tutor, Madame Renarde, my first transgender character.



2.     The hero is extremely nice.

Although I can appreciate the whole “grouchy Beast tamed by the Beauty” trope, hell, I’ve done that take in BITE AT FIRST SIGHT, I think it works better when the captor can’t help being a total sweetie.

I played that up in this book. Rhys’s compassion makes him unable to stop making efforts to make Vivian’s captivity more comfortable. He lets them go for rides on their horses and fences with them. It even becomes a joke, that he’s the worst kidnapper ever. Rhys is also accepting and understanding of Madame Renarde’s being transgender, and when she falls ill with pneumonia, he releases her.



3.     The heroine has all the control.

Although Rhys is the captor, he cares about Vivian so much that he will give her anything she wishes. Even, eventually, her freedom, which she refuses because she believes in Rhys’s cause.

When it’s time for “sexy-times,” it is her decision and all about her consent and pleasure.



4.     They have the time to get to know each other as people.

This is the best part of the captor/captive romance, in my opinion. Lots of time in close quarters for the hero and heroine to bare themselves to each other. In more ways than one. This is especially great in a historical, because otherwise, the heroine can’t go anywhere unchaperoned.



5.     The heroine sees the situation as fun.

Although the “I hate you!” thing on the heroine’s part can make for a great romance when done right, I thought it was more fun for my heroine to revel in the adventure of it all, taking a break from ballrooms and drawing rooms to spend time in a seaside cave with a handsome highwayman. And when she finds out that he’s a vampire? Well, you’ll just have to read to see how that plays out.


~ Brooklyn Ann





The Highwayman's Bite by Brooklyn Ann
Publisher: Broken Angels (December 5, 2017)
Series: Scandals with Bite, 6
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Historical


One stolen kiss 

When Vivian Stratford ruins her reputation by challenging a suitor to a duel, she is packed of to her great uncle’s estate until the scandal blows over. On the way, her carriage is stopped by a rakish highwayman. Vivian unsheathes her rapier and duels with the thief. He steals a kiss before disappearing into the night.

Rogue vampire, Rhys Berwyn, robs carriages to help his mortal descendants pay the mortgage on their farm. Sadly, he cannot steal enough to pay off the massive debt owed to the Lord Vampire of Blackpool, and time is running out before his family will be evicted.

Will change her life forever…

When Rhys discovers that the beautiful swordswoman he encountered is none other than Blackpool’s niece, he abducts her and holds her for ransom for the money to save the family farm.

While he keeps Vivian tucked away in a seaside cave, Rhys has trouble keeping his promise to leave his delectable hostage untouched. 



Where to Buy*:
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Formerly an auto-mechanic, Brooklyn Ann thrives on writing romance featuring unconventional heroines and heroes who adore them. Author of historical paranormal romance in her critically acclaimed “Scandals with Bite” series, urban fantasy in the cult favorite, “Brides of Prophecy” novels, and the New Adult winner of the 2016 Reader’s Choice Award, “Hearts of Metal Series,” she provides love for the broken and strange. 

She lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with her son, miscellaneous horror memorabilia, and a 1980 Datsun 210.

She can be found online at http://brooklynannauthor.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

For exclusive updates, sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for Brooklyn Ann’s Newsletter at http://​brooklynannauthor.com​




Where to Find Brooklyn:







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I completely agree, Brooklyn! When handled well -- and it sounds like The Highwayman's Bite IS -- this can be a great trope to read.


Do you have a favorite "kidnapped heroine" romance? Or anything to add to Brooklyn's list about how to make this trope work without veering into the "um....nah, that's not a romance story!" territory? (We've all read at least one like that...*sigh*)




Enjoy!



Until Next Time,

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