I am so excited to have Lauren Blakely here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Interview and Giveaway.
Thanks Lauren and Sourcebooks for allowing me to join your Sapphire Affair Blog Tour!
Please take it away, Lauren!
Interview with Lauren Blakely
1) How do you describe your Jewel series?
The Jewel series is a sexy two-book enemies-to-lovers romance with a dirty-talking ex-military hero and the gorgeous adventurer he teams up with to hunt millions in stolen jewels. It’s full of banter, heat, cat-and-mouse games, and lots of twists and turns in a tropical setting.
2) Jake and Steph are featured in not one, but two novels. What is it about this couple that made you extend their time on the page?
Jake and Steph have a tall order. They need to recover millions in stolen jewels. That’s not a job for one book!! The search for the jewels brings them together, throws them apart, raises new questions, challenges their assumptions about love, and also makes them want to get frisky at a lifeguard stand, in a parking garage, on the beach….but I digress! The point being, Jake and Steph have a lot of ground to cover in the Caymans on the quest for the jewels and also romantically as they come together. It was simply a story that couldn’t be confined to one novel!
3) These two don’t make it easy to trust each other as each keep secrets. Did Jake and Steph have any surprises in store for you as a writer?
Constantly! They made me work hard in Sapphire Heist especially! And I did NOT expect that ending in The Sapphire Affair! I was shocked when THAT THING happened at the end of the first book. Shocked, I tell you.
4) Where there any movies or books that inspired the jewel theft plot?
Yes! I absolutely adore heist movies. They are my favorite! I always wanted to write a fantastic heist storyline since one of my all-time favorite movies is Ocean’s Eleven. I also adore the Thomas Crown Affair, and The Italian Job. And I watched How to Steal A Million with Audrey Hepburn while writing The Sapphire Affair and aspects of that movie informed The Sapphire Heist in particular.
5) What kind of research did you have to do in order to make Jake a believable bounty hunter? (Was he inspired by any fictional or real life characters?)
Um, I watched half of The Rundown with The Rock, in which he plays a bounty hunter. Does that count? But seriously, I spent time researching retrieval of stolen goods, and studying famous cases, such as that of a Stradivarius stolen in London after a performance. (Which inspired opening scene in The Sapphire Affair). After that, I started assembling details of Jake’s rather unconventional job.
6) You have just found millions of dollars in jewels--what’s the first thing you would do?
Turn them in. I can’t help it - I’m a goody two-shoes! But when the authorities say “Keep ‘em” I’d use the money for animal charities.
7) What can readers expect after the Jewel series?
Many more books! After the Jewel series, I’m releasing my next standalone rom-com, Well Hung. That’ll come out in September, and it follows Big Rock and Mister O, both of which released this year. Well Hung is hot, hilarious and romantic! And 100% all-male POV!
About the Book
Title: The Sapphire Affair
Author: Lauren Blakely
Release Date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
Bounty hunter Jake Harlowe knows how to track a criminal. So when a group of swindled shareholders hire him to trail their former CEO, Jake expects a quick trip to the Cayman Islands to close another case. Until a devastatingly beautiful woman gets in the way.
Steph Anderson is visiting the Caymans for a rock climbing and dive trip — or so she tells Jake. She’s really trying to find out whether or not her stepfather embezzled money from his company. The last thing Steph needs is the distraction of a sexy, charming man whose kisses drive her wild.
Soon, the pair discover they’re after the same target — and millions in jewels. While Jake can’t be certain Steph isn’t working for her stepfather, and Steph can’t be certain Jake isn’t after the diamonds for himself, they can agree the heat between them is intense, and neither can deny the passion for long.
But the morning after, Steph discovers that she just might have slept with the enemy, and now she’ll have to outwit him to get everything she needs.
Author Biography
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor. She is the author of eight New York Times bestsellers and sixteen USA Today bestsellers. Her series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire, as well as stand-alone romances like 21 Stolen Kisses and Big Rock. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. Lauren believes life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that romantic songs promise. She lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs.
Social Media Links
Website: http://laurenblakely.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenBlakelyBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenBlakely3
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860216.Lauren_Blakely
Rafflecopter Code
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