Five Things You Need To Know About Gypsy Rose 8

The last word has been typed, the editing has begun, and cover art is now in the works. That’s right folks, the long awaited Gypsy Rose is coming at you in less than a month and I can truly say that out of all my releases, this one has me the most nervous. You all have been so patient (well, most of you. Some of ya’ll…I won’t even go there. LOL!) and you’ve give the Kings of Cardenas series so much love that I can’t help but be psyched out about it. I want this book to be everything you hoped it would be and more. As I go through the edits and tweak the story as close to perfection as I can get it, my hope is that it will raise the bar for the rest of the series.

While we’re waiting for all of that to happen, I thought I’d share with you a few fun facts about Gypsy Rose. 25 days left, and counting!

Five Things You Need To Know About Gypsy Rose

1. It features the very first hero of the Kings of Cardenas series that is not born of noble blood. If you’ve read The Lady Knights of Barony, you might recall the epilogue, in which the villian, Dorian Blake, is informed that the French government has stripped him of his lands and title and they now belong to his illegitimate half brother, a man named Adrian Wilshire. Adrian is the hero of Gypsy Rose, and while his inheritance has placed him in the position of a lord of the court with great wealth, his background is much different than the previous heroes of the series. His gritty, dark backstory makes him one of the Kings of Cardenas’ series most interesting heroes … at least, in my humble opinion.

2. Speaking of the hero, did I mention he’s a bare knuckle brawler? Seriously, he is. I was quite interested in reading up on the history of boxing, a pursuit that I felt gave our hero a bit of dimension. I once watched an episode of Family Feud, in which the contestants were asked what sport was named the hardest in a survey of 100. The number one answer was boxing. Think about it; these guys have to stand in the ring and keep a clear head, think a move ahead of their opponents, while being knocked senseless. It may be a violent sport, but there’s no denying the amount of strength, endurance, and dedication it takes. Now, imagine it’s the year 1856 and these guys are going at it without gloves! Yes, back in the day they did it without gloves.  Anyhow, I find it one of the hero’s most interesting attributes. It adds to his rough edge, though I warn you not to be fooled. Adrian is a fighter, but he’s also highly intelligent and well read. Tough AND sexy? Yes, please!

3. You NEED to read The Lady Knights of Barony before you read this book! And I am not just saying this because I want to sell more books. I am saying this, because since Lady Knights was released last August, I’ve gotten the impression from many readers that number 2.5 in the series is just a place filler to hold you guys over until Gypsy Rose came out. I cannot stress how much this is not the case. The reason it is numbered 2.5 instead of 3, is because it’s the book that was never suppoed to be written. You’ll recall, I’m sure, that the epilogue of The Second Son set us up for Gypsy Rose to be the next book. However, the Lady Knights were such a big hit with readers and reviewers, who wanted to know more about these strong women, I couldn’t not write it. It’s important to read, beacause even though it shifts focs from the other characters in Barony and Cardenas for a time, the villian is still left alive in the end. And, he is the very same villian who wreaks havoc on our hero and heroine in Gypsy Rose. The introduction to Dorian Blake is one you don’t want to miss and he might just be the series’ most frightening and derranged villians. If you haven’t read Lady Knights yet, and are waiting for Gypsy Rose, I encourage you to visit one of the links below and download it. You’ll be glad you did!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

AllRomance

iTunes

4. It features a romantic theme I thought I’d never use … love at first sight. I labored over the decision for weeks. It haunted me throughout the writing of this book as I wondered if I could sell Adrian and Tatiana falling for each other in the blink of an eye. But, in true Elise Marion style, I believe there’s enough struggle and angst (both internal and external) to make it all worthwhile. So, if you read the chapter in which the hero and heroine meet and roll your eyes at me for a minute, I won’t blame you. But I promise … it’s not going to go the way you think. I remind you of the many plot twists of The Third Son and how I like to switch gears when you least expect it. Trust me, and settle in for the ride. You won’t regret it.

5. Alexandra, the Queen Mother, makes a comeback. Many wanted to know the fate of Damien’s spiteful mother and questioned her disappearance in book 2. I promise you, she was never far from my mind. Where has she been all this time? On a tour of the Continent, but she’s back now and her role is not what you think it is. In fact, I wonder if the role she takes in Gypsy Rose, and the final book, The Gypsy, will have readers looking at her a bit differently. At least, I believe you will understand her just a little bit more.