[Book Tour] Take Me Under by Rhyannon Byrd w/ Interview & Giveaway

TAKE ME UNDER

Dangerous Tides, Book 1

Format:  Paperback and eBook

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Publication Date:  June 4, 2013

Available at:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Ben Hudson had a thing for shy, sexy Reese Monroe from the moment he first saw her three years ago. Back then, she was married and living in Boston—two very good reasons for the Miami detective with a bad boy reputation to stay away.

But that was then…

Now Reese is divorced and moving to Florida, where her mother has rented her a small beach house—one that happens to be owned by Ben. Living right next door, he can’t get Reese’s soft curves out of his mind. He’s waited three long years to touch her in all the ways he’s been dreaming about, and this time he won’t let anything get in his way.

For Reese, Ben’s sudden advances are thrilling, but leave her stunned. With her limited experience in the bedroom, she never expects a man with such a wicked reputation to go after her. She knows she should be on guard, but he’s a temptation she can’t resist. And when trouble follows her down from Boston, threatening her life, Ben may be the only one who can help her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rhyannon Byrd is an avid, longtime fan of romance and the author of more than twenty paranormal and erotic titles. She has been nominated for three Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards, including best Shape-shifter Romance, and her books have been translated into nine languages. After having spent years enjoying the glorious sunshine of the American South and Southwest, Rhyannon now lives in the beautiful, but often chilly county of Warwickshire in England with her husband and family. For more information on Rhyannon’s books and the latest news, you can visit her website (www.rhyannonbyrd.com) or find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

What sparked your interest in becoming a romance writer?

Writing is something that I always wanted to do—and I even majored in Literature and Writing at university—but I don’t think I ever had that “OMG, I have to be a romance writer” moment until I started reading Anne Rice in my early twenties. I fell in love with her paranormal and erotic works, and could lose myself in them for days on end. It was like I had discovered this entirely new world that was not only mesmerizing and beautiful, but also completely addictive, and from that point on I was hooked.

What is your writing environment?

I write in my office, which I would show you a picture of if it wasn’t such a freaking mess at the moment. But it sits at the front of our house, has a beautiful little Victorian fireplace, a wooden bench in front of the window, and a desk which is entirely too big for the room. My mother-in-law gave me this lovely old bookshelf which my husband thought would look great sitting on the back of my desk and it works really well. Now the shelves are packed with books, I have my treasured, signed pic of Peyton Manning by my laptop, and an assortment of postcards cover the walls. It’s a quirky, comfortable space that I absolutely love, which is good, considering how much time I spend in there.

Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I usually have a pretty solid idea of who they are, but there are always surprises along the way and I love that. I especially love to see how different characters grow during the course of a story as they interact with the people around them. And sometimes it’s not until you’ve invested some time in a character that you truly begin to understand exactly what it is that makes them tick. I think it’s always fun at the end of a book to look back at what a character was like in the beginning and see how the events of the story have changed them.

Who is your perfect hero? And why?

My perfect hero is always an alpha male who has a good sense of humor. Someone who can kick ass to keep his woman safe, but still make her laugh. But I think what generally makes a hero “perfect” in my view isn’t so much who they are or what they do, but how they fall in love and show emotion. I’m not saying that they have to be overly emotional, because I’m an absolute sucker for the strong, silent alpha types. But as a reader, I need to walk away from a book feeling that the hero has fallen in love with the heroine in a way that is completely consuming and everlasting. I think authors like Linda Howard, Shannon McKenna, and Kresley Cole are masters of writing the incredibly sexy, super intense, totally badass alpha male who falls so utterly in love with the heroine you just know it’s the kind of thing that’s going to last forever, which is why their books will always hold the top spots on my keeper shelf. And in my own writing, this is definitely the kind of hero that I’m always hoping to create.

Which authors have caught your interest lately? Why?

Virna DePaul! I love her stuff, whether it’s her suspense, paranormals, or hot contemps. She writes great heroes and really strong heroines who can hold their own against their men. I’ve also recently discovered Beth Kery and I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to start reading her books. She’s amazing! I can’t wait until November when Because We Belong is released.

Flirting Questions:

Which actor or book character do you have a crush on? Gerard Butler! Mmm...

Hey, baby! What’s your sign? Capricorn

When was your last kiss? This morning when my hubby left for work. ;)

What’s an absolute no-no in a relationship? Lying!

How did you meet your significant other? In a Shakespeare class while at university in San Diego. This is kind of funny because we now live in Warwickshire, which is Shakespeare’s home county.

Flirting Quickies:

White wine or red? White

Coffee or tea? Tea in the morning and coffee after that.

Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate if it’s a milkshake, vanilla if it’s a sundae.

Sleep in or get up early? Sleep in, even though it never happens.

Beach or mountains? Beach!

Winter or summer? OMG, summer, summer, summer.

Cat or dog? Dog!

Clubbing or candlelight dinner? Candlelight dinner

Backpacking or luxury hotel? Luxury hotel. I think backpacking might kill me.

Morning or night person? Night!

Christmas or Halloween? Christmas

Rhyannon is giving away the following prizes at the end of her tour:

GRAND PRIZE:

·         $50 Amazon gift certificate

·         signed copy of Take Me Under

·         signed copy of Darkest Desire of the Vampire

·         BIG swag Pack 

RUNNERS-UP:

Three (3) runners up will EACH receive all of the following prizes below:

·         signed copy of Take Me Under

·         signed copy of Darkest Desire of the Vampire

·         swag pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TAKE ME UNDER Blog Tour Schedule

May 31 - June 14

5/31- Musings From An Addicted Reader (spotlight)

http://musingsfromanaddictedreader.blogspot.com/

5/31- Romance Junkies (interview)

http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/

6/01- Ramblings From This Chick  (interview)

http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/

6/01- Scorching Book Reviews  (spotlight)

http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.com/

6/02- HEA Romances with A Little Kick (spotlight & review)

http://hearomanceswithalittlekick.wordpress.com/

6/03- Book Monster Reviews  (spotlight)

http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

6/03- United by Books (interview)

http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/

6/04- GraveTells  (spotlight)

http://gravetells.com/

6/04- Wicked Readings by Tawania  (spotlight)

http://www.wickedreadingsbytawania.blogspot.com/

6/05- The Reading Cafe  (interview & review)

http://thereadingcafe.com/

6/05- Cocktails and Books  (spotlight)

http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/

6/06- Tiffy-Fit  (spotlight)

http://tiffyfit.blogspot.com/

6/06- Darker Passions  (spotlight)

http://darkerpassions.net/

6/07- Love In A Book  (interview)

http://www.loveinabook.com/

6/08- Babbling About Books  (spotlight)

http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/

6/08- Mimmi's Musings  (spotlight)

http://mimmismusings.blogspot.com/

6/09- Under The Covers  (interview)

http://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/

6/09- Reader Girls  (spotlight)

http://www.readergirlsblog.com/

6/10- Book Lovin' Mamas (interview & review)

http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/

6/10- Sassy Book Lovers  (spotlight)

http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/

6/11- Flirting with Romance  (interview)

http://flirtingwithromance.blogspot.com/

6/11- Books, Books and More Books  (spotlight)

http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/

6/13- Offbeat Vagabond  (spotlight)

http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/

6/14- Reading Between The Wines  (spotlight)

http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.com/

6/14- Riverina Romantics  (spotlight)

http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/