Guest Post with Author Noelle Adams and Giveaway

Meet author Noelle Adams.

Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

Places to find Noelle:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | 

Seducing the Enemy wasn’t inspired by one particular thing. It was a combination of several things that played into my imagination all at once. Here is a list of some of the various inspirations for the book. Some of them are rather unexpected!

1. Historical Romances – Even though Seducing the Enemy is a contemporary romance, I wrote it after I’d been reading nothing but historical romances. I was really interested in exploring how some of the themes I found fascinating in historical romances might play out in a contemporary setting and with contemporary characters. That’s how I ended up with Cyrus Damon, the eccentric billionaire who tries to live like he’s in a past century. Harrison, the hero, is part of this family so he has to deal with different kinds of family pressures and expectations, based on his uncle’s eccentricities with history.

2. Provence – One of the biggest inspirations for the book was my love for Provence, France. It’s such a beautiful place in the world and so rich with history and culture, and I knew I wanted to write a book set there. In the original version of Seducing the Enemy, about a third of the book took place in Provence, so the setting ended up being really important. Most of that was cut in the editing process, so now Provence is only a setting at the very end, but it was still a huge influence on the book.

3. Jane Eyre – Jane Eyre is one of my favorite novels and, as I was writing, Jane Eyre references kept popping up in dialogue and Marietta’s reflections. Because Marietta is visiting a big old estate in England and dealing with a frustrating, taciturn man, the connections seemed to work really well. I also had to throw in how much I despite Wuthering Heights, but that reference was mostly just for fun.

4. Rosemary & Thyme – I mean the British show about the two gardeners who solve mysteries. I might be the only person who still watches this show, but I just love it and have watched all the episodes several times. I was rewatching one of them that featured the “language of flowers,” and that was how I was inspired for Harrison and his embarrassing expertise in floriography.

5. A wasp – When I’d just started writing the book, I was chasing a wasp around my office and trying to swat it dead. One of my coworkers walked in, and I almost swatted him instead. As soon as it happened, I knew something similar had to happen with Marietta and Harrison. I still really like that scene in the book!

So those are some of the diverse inspirations for Seducing the Enemy. Some of my other books have had more straightforward inspirations, but this one really was a combination of things.

After being injured in a tragic accident as a child, Marietta Edwards has lived a sheltered life. Finally recovered, she wants to indulge in pleasures entirely new to her, beginning with seducing a sexy stranger. It’s her bad luck when she realizes that the man who awakened her body and emotions is none other than Harrison Damon. Their families have been embroiled in a fifteen-year legal battle. The man she’s given herself to is her worst enemy.

The heir to a vast fortune, Harrison believes the unforgettable night he spent with Marietta is just a fling. Then he discovers she’s an Edwards—a woman born of the family he despises most. He shouldn’t see her again, but no matter how he tries, he can’t quench his attraction for her. He doesn’t know what her game is, and he won’t let her seduce him again.

Can two people destined to be enemies find love with each other?

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

Once she finally picked out her book, he escorted her back to her suite.

In the hall outside her room, she glanced up at him, speaking for the first time in ten minutes. “I am sorry about your eye. Is it very bad?”

She seemed genuinely concerned and his resistance softened slightly. He remembered with a glimmer of amusement how exasperated she’d been in the library in battle with that wasp. “It’s fine. Next time, you’ll have to try harder.”

After a flicker of indignation, she offered a faint grin. “Yes. Next time, I’ll make sure I use a marble bookend instead of a magazine.”

He chuckled until he realized what she’d done. Then he slammed down his defenses again. She’d always been able to make him laugh, but what an absolute fool he was to so easily believe her sincerity.

The best defense was a good offense. “What is your game here?”

Marietta’s lips parted, and her gray eyes grew huge and round before blazing with anger. “I don’t have a game. And if you had a brain in your idiotic head, you’d know it.”

“I won’t let you harm me or my family.” He wasn’t touching her, but he’d stepped forward to trap her against the wall. “And I won’t let you take advantage of my uncle.”

She nearly sputtered with fury now. “What do you think I’m going to—” She broke off, and her teeth nearly snapped as she caught his implication. “Of course that’s what I’m doing! I’m here to seduce your uncle and trick him into marrying me. Then I can give him a son and disinherit all of you pesky nephews!”

He had briefly considered that possibility, but her sarcastic, bitter tone confirmed it probably wasn’t the truth. His uncle would never go for it anyway.

Still, her evident sincerity made him even more suspicious. He edged closer. She was so much smaller than he was—soft and seemingly fragile, quivering with her back against the wall.

But she wasn’t afraid of him.

“It won’t work.” He wanted to use his viper voice but couldn’t control himself enough to do it well. “Whatever it is you’re trying won’t work.”

She sucked in a harsh breath and stared up at him.

The sound of her caught breath reminded him how she’d sounded when he’d brought her to climax. He forced away the memory of Marietta’s passionate sweetness in bed. Her sensual, yielding body. Her apparent innocence. She’d been a virgin. At least, that’s what she’d said.

“You won’t be able to seduce him. And you won’t get me in bed again either, so you can save your pretty virgin routine for someone else.”

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs For Entire Tour:

• 1 $25 Gift Card (Amazon or Barnes & Noble)

To Enter: 

• Please leave a comment or question for Noelle.
• Please leave your email address along with your comment to be entered. 
• Giveaway ends December 18th.

Good Luck! 

Special thanks to Noelle Adams & Goddess Fish Promotions for sponsoring this tour-wide giveaway.