HERO TOUR: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING CAN BE WONDERFUL

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TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING CAN BE WONDERFUL
The Stellato Siblings Series -- The Men
by Lise Horton

   “I wish I could, but I’ve got my book group tonight.”
   His sigh was exaggerated against the backdrop of site noise. “Can I at least hope it’s a dirty book group so you’ll have some steaming-hot ideas of nasty things to do to my body when we finally can connect in the flesh?”
    “Well, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE does seethe with an undercurrent of restrained Edwardian lust.”
    “I’m guessing that’s a no for a fictional fornication smorgasbord?”
   Her giggling made the department secretary, Alice Keyes, look up with a smirk. “You certainly do have a way with words.”
   “Just call me the Shakespeare of smut, Professor. Okay. Have fun and I’ll call you after and warm you up. It’s chilly today.”
   “A dose of Nick is far superior to hot cocoa. I’ll be home by eleven. Have a safe day.”
   “Think of me naked.”
   “Always.”
   “I have got to get me one of those,” Alice muttered in a stage whisper, as she fanned herself with a departmental budget report.
   As she was feeling expansive, she took pity on the girl. “It just so happens Nick has two big, bold brothers who are currently unattached. What’s your preference? Handsome security specialist with a rather immature but appealing personali-ty? Or a hunky fireman with a similarly immature bent?”
   “Can I have both?”
   “Stellatos are best in small doses, Alice. I’ve learned it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.”
   “Too much of a good thing could be wonderful.”

My debut novel, WORDS OF LUST, is the story of eldest Stellato brother, Niccolo. Nick is the first to find true love but he won’t be the last. His brothers Vincenzo and Alberto, books 2 and 3 in my series, all meet the naughty women of their dreams.

Though the Stellato sisters each get a story, too, I’m finding it wonderfully easy writing the three brothers’ torrid tales. Crafting dark, tormented heroes with flaws, failings, and over-protective instincts is what I call a good time.

Take Nick:  “I know you can take care of yourself, but I’m just hardwired to be protective of women. It’s what my pop does, it’s what my brothers do. It’s a genetic mutation, I guess.”

He’s apologizing to Serafina for going all Neanderthal. In WORDS OF LUST, it is Nick, however, who comes to grip first—with his own issues, and hers, and works to fight for her and overcome them. I’ve got my multi-layered hero really going the distance to make the relationship work. He fights for her life, and he fights for her love.

In Book 2, HOT IN THE CITY, Alberto meets Alice, and despite his stereotypical "goombah" behavior in Nick’s story, all of his in-stincts are to watch over her, protect her and her Down’s Syndrome son Graham, and yes, love her to pieces. Again, it is Alice who resists. She fights the attraction, fights the desire, all while fighting her own fears of having to face life and all of its hardships on her own. She’s never known a true, loving man in her life: Her father abandoned her and Graham’s father took off when he found out his child wouldn’t be perfect. Despite Berto’s sometimes immature sense of humor and his bachelor lifestyle, he’s a solid man when it really counts. He, too, has a secret that has made him wary of women. He is dyslexic and Alice is a brilliant student whose apartment is filled with books. Girls made fun of Berto in high school and he’s vowed never to let another woman get so close. But, like Nick, when he meets Alice, his love makes exposing his secret easy. He divulges that secret to prove to her that he isn’t like the other men in her world. He can be trusted. And he can be the man who stands by her side to face what life has to offer, including the care of her son. And it takes every trick in his macho arsenal to get her to accept this truth.

Book 3, LIGHT MY FIRE, is middle brother Vincenzo’s story of hot lust and a wild woman. Vincenzo’s an FDNY calendar hunk. He’s lived through 9/11. And, he’s sworn off any kind of relationship beyond a simple wham bam thank you ma’am, because he loves his job, and his loyalty to his fellow firefighters is unwavering. Women want his bod, but they don’t want to make a commit-ment to a man who puts his life on the line every day. He’s bitterly watched his eldest brother meet the love of his life, and his younger brother get a family of his own. Vin doesn’t hold out hope for himself, but when he meets Nell Davis he finds someone who forces him to compromise, to make the romance work. Again, he’s the tormented guy. And again, he ends up being the char-acter willing to explore his own psyche, lay his emotions bare, and fight for the love he never thought he’d find. Nell is a stunning actress; her life is worlds away from Vin’s life of smoke and heroism. His quiet courage makes her feel as though her career is frivolous. It’s up to Vin to prove she is the balm that heals his soul, and that love is worth the risk of putting your heart on the line when the man who loves you puts his life on the line.

I’m so excited to see how the next two stories turn out. Because getting my heroes to step up and be the sensible romantics is taking them way out of their collective comfort zone and forcing them to face their fears. But the risks win them great rewards: The loves of their lives.♥


Lise Horton’s debut novel, book 1 of the Stellato Siblings Series, WORDS OF LUST, is available on September 9, 2013, from Carina Press. Get more details on Twitter @Lisekimhorton, Facebook, Pinterest, her blog, http://lisehorton.blogspot.com or her website, www.lisehorton.com.

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