So when Lady Francine, an alluring innocent if he ever saw one, outrageously requests he pose as her betrothed, he knows he should refuse. But he can't stop himself from participating in her outlandish scheme, especially when she adds one very unexpected, enticing element to her offer - herself.
Unfortunately, it's fast approaching the time of year when Lord Blakely loses all control and turns into a raging beast. If Lady Francine is unable satisfy his sexual appetites, will he be forced to reveal his untamed side?
Reviews for Ensnared by Innocence
"Obvious devotion to historical detail...Lyons did a tremendous job of making me believe that these two people and their interactions were really part of the Regency period...think Robin Schone's Victorian period historicals..." - Bev(QB) The Good, The Bad & The Unread
5 Stars! "I loved the moods created by the author, her detail to the period and her gift at recreating the society in which she cast her books and characters. The authoress of this book has paid magnificent attention to the complexity of human emotion." - Rae, Ecataromance
"Um so...I loved this." - Teddypig, The Naughty Bits
5 Angels! "The mystery of Lord Blakely...screamed I've got secrets. Once Lady Francine got him, they set the pages on an inferno with the fire that burned between them, and it got hotter as the book wore on. I can promise that you'll not regret picking up this book." - Missy, Fallen Angels Reviews
Visit Larissa Lyons' web site
Read FREE Short Stories by Larissa (adults only)
Read an excerpt from Ensnared by Innocence
About Larissa Lyons
Larissa Lyons loves to eat chocolate, avoid housework, and spin erotic fantasies for her husband to proofread. Too bad he isn't yet interested in acting them *all* out. >^..^< Readers are invited to visit Larissa's website at www.LarissaLyons.com and read about her attempts to work homemade brownies into a healthy diet.
Backlist:
Larissa's historicals
ENSNARED BY INNOCENCE, January 2008 Ellora's Cave
IMPURE LONGINGS, August 2007 Ellora's Cave
Contemporaries written with Alyssa Brooks
CANDY CORN & COCKY KISSES, October 2007 Ellora's Cave
ORCHIDS & ORGASMS, June 2007 Ellora's Cave
An Interview with Larissa Lyons
By Holly Hewson for The Romance StudioHH: Larissa, thanks for talking to us at TRS this month. Please tell us about your featured work, Ensnared by Innocence. LL: I'll be happy to-thanks for the opportunity!
Take a reluctant shapeshifting lion (who happens to be a Marquis) and a determined young lady that beseeches him for a favor, drop them into 1812 London, England during the time of Leo, when his curse is at its worst (or best, depending on how beastly you like your felines) and...voilà Ensnared by Innocence.
HH: This is the first story in your Roaring Rogues Regency Shapeshifters series. Where did you get the idea for this series? LL: Hmm…I believe my critique partner, Alyssa Brooks, can be thanked (or blamed!) for the initial idea. I adore Regency romances and I'm a total cat fanatic (I'm sure my name didn't give a you any clue...>^..^<) but when I kept floundering on what genre to write-contemporary versus sci-fi versus vampire, etc.-Alyssa suggested that I join two of my favorite subjects, Regencies & cats.
Being a Leo myself, my affinity for lions is deeply ingrained and combining them with my favorite time period seemed a wonderful fit.
HH: How does this first story realize your vision for this series? LL: Not only does Ensnared by Innocence tell the love story between Francine and Erasmus-and introduce Nash, the hero's brother-but writing it really helped solidify my Regency voice and commitment to historical detail. Most specifically, my love and use of Regencyesque words and terminology, gleaned through scouring documents, letters and early 19th century writings.
As one of my characters might say, Larissa Lyons makes a point of sprinkling the common gamon and patter of the day throughout her stories. Heroes become pitch-kettled the moment they lay eyes on their heroines-strong-willed females that have enough pluck to call their men a chuckle-headed lout (but only if it's warranted, mind you, and only when said men are too obstinate to admit their hearts go pintledy-pantledy when their lady loves are near).
Ensnared also sets the stage and lays the groundwork for future roaring-great books. :-)
HH: What can you tell us about the stories to come? LL: Deceived by Desire, which is Nash's story, has just been contracted by Ellora's Cave. Sparkish fine news, don't you think? >^..^<
Currently, I'm working on a contemporary with Alyssa. After it's submitted I'll be writing the third Roaring Rogue’s tail. Oops, I mean tale. After that, I hope to complete a few other projects I've been dabbling with and then I'll be diving into more Regency shapeshifters.
HH: What sort of research is going into this series? LL: Gobs. I'm a research fiend. Not by choice, but because my detail-oriented brain won't let me finish a sentence if I'm not sure whether my character would have said "zoom" in 1812 (for the record, they wouldn't-1886 is the first recorded occurrence). Most of my research leans toward the details of daily life during the Regency period. But with lion shapeshifters, there's an entirely different element to study-that of the big cats.
In the third story, the one I'm getting ready to start, the hero has spent more of his adult life in the form of a lion than he has as a human. I have several books on African lions-African because that's where the curse originated. Sadly, while reading up on these beautiful cats, I've learned a lot about the decimation of so many wonderful wildcat species, including the Asian lions. For Phineas' story, I'll be studying actual lion behavior as I get into his character, developing a sense of who he is deep inside and what types of mannerisms he would have after spending years alone and in hiding. Poor guy, he's quite tortured. I really need to give him a happy ending with a spirited lady soon.
HH: Regency England. Your publisher is actively seeking stories with this setting. Why, in your opinion, is this so? LL: They are? I wasn't aware of that. Shows how much I'm paying attention to the current market!
I used to study the submission calls from every major publisher and would start some new project in the "hot" market every time I had a new idea. Little got completed-it was almost like chasing a tornado. Then I read a quote from a centenarian, saying she didn't take pride so much in what she had done during her lifetime, but in what she had accomplished. That was my lightbulb moment and I knew I wanted to write stories that I could get excited about, no matter what the publishing market or those around me were doing.
HH: Okay, so that's good advice and it appears Regency is doing well in the market. So, from your point of view, historical romance is alive and well? LL: Definitely. There's a big a ebb and flow...vampires, chick lit, paranormal...fads will always be out there, spicing up the market, giving a kick to old ideas, but I strongly think the "main" three story settings will always remain popular to the fans that love them-contemporary, historical, and futuristic.
I was reading vampires before they were considered "mainstream popular"-from the original Dracula by Bram Stoker to the amazing talent of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro-so by the time the vampire craze took hold of romance, I'd already read everything I could get my hands on a decade before, so I admit I haven't read any current vamps (but yes, I have one started!).
Mr. Lyons prefers my historical stories-he likes the way the characters talk, the words they use (go me & my research) and the general ambience I create that takes him to another time and place. Heck, I'm just happy he's willing to read my stuff. :-)
HH: Why do you enjoy writing historical romance? LL: Hmm. You've stumped me here. Contemporary and futuristic are so, so much easier for me and move faster, but from the minute I read my first Signet Regency romance, The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh, I was 100% hooked and proceeded to scrounge used bookstores weekly for more, more, MORE!
When I first began composing stories, I wanted to write Regencies, but instead started with contemporary, thinking if I have to learn how to write, I didn't want to also learn about historical England. Big mistake, I think in hindsight, because there's nothing that engages my heart faster than writing about characters who live in a time that I would very much like to see, touch and experience, but can't. Ah…but in my mind, I very much can.
Writing in a historical setting sweeps me away, away from modern stresses, concerns, and problems. So I guess working through your question has prompted me to my answer-I write historicals to escape, but in the process, I create.
HH: What do you have coming up for lucky readers? LL: In addition to the next Roaring Rogues tale, there will be a few contemporary romances (hot ones, of course) co-written by myself and Alyssa Brooks. I hope to have an announcement soon about the first of these. They're longer, more in-depth stories so they've taken a loooong while to see the light of day, but I strongly think they're totally worth it. We also have something coming up soon with Cowboys! Modern-day sexy Cowboys that know what they want and go after it. Yee haw!
On another note, a sex toy review column I recently wrote is being featured at Lady Jaided, the online magazine from Ellora's Cave. I'm competing with other authors who would like to be the monthly columnist (Mr. Lyons isn't too sure about this one-Haha!). Also, a short story of mine was recently selected as a weekly winner at BetterSex.com's Summer Erotic Story contest. Anyone who's interested in reading more about either can swing by my website for current links and voting information.
HH: What are the biggest challenges you face in having brownies declared an official food group? LL: Gratified am I to see that you are taking this lofty aspiration seriously.
Challenges? Hmm...
- Hip Expansion (there's something about post-college desk-sitting that causes hips and thighs to expand exponentially).
- Rising food costs and my penchant for buying organic ingredients and happy eggs, whenever possible. (Happy eggs come from free-range, I hope happy chickens.)
- Zits (it seems no matter how, ahem, mature I become, cocoa and my face still don't agree).
- The FDA is the biggest problem, though. Don't get me started about full-time politicians and bureaucrats that don't recognize the value of home-baked chocolatey goodness when it wafts under their nose.
Fortunately, my perseverance continues and I have a number of yummy recipes for brownies and other goodies on my website.
Thanks so much to everyone at The Romance Studio for posting these great interviews each month. I love talking about writing and appreciate the fantastic forum. To learn more about my stories or get some of those gooey chocolate recipes, readers can visit my website at www.larissalyons.com. >^..^< Larissa
HH: Thank you!
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