Welcome to the Party! (Amazon Gift Card, Ahoy!) Back to Blog
Update: Thank you for all the wonderful comments!! I randomly picked the gift card winner and that commenter is…Patty C.! Congrats, Patty!
Thanks so much for coming to my ANGEL OF DARKNESS release party. Lots of great guests will be checking in today with fun posts, excerpt, and, of course, giveaways. To get things started…
I’ve got a $20 Amazon.com gift card up for grabs. I’ll email this card directly to the winner, so the lucky commenter can get started spending on Amazon right away. To enter this giveaway, just tell me…why do you think bad boy heroes are so appealing?
Because the her of my new novel, ANGEL OF DARKNESS, definitely falls into that bad boy category. Sure, he’s an angel, but he’s an angel with one very dark side (um, yeah, there’s a reason he’s called the ANGEL OF DARKNESS–the guy isn’t full of goodness and light). He’s not about guarding and protecting people. He’s about death. Destruction. Or at least he was about those things…
Until the day Keenan fell for a vampire.
EXCERPT FROM ANGEL OF DARKNESS
Darkness.
Keenan blinked and found himself on his knees. He’d been tossed onto a gleaming marble floor. Keenan knew who would stand before him even before he allowed his gaze to lift.
Azrael. The leader of the angels of death.
“What have you done?” Azrael—Az— demanded.
Keenan closed his eyes and saw a woman bleeding out in an empty alley. Shivering with cold. “She still lives.” He rose to his feet, letting his wings spread behind his back.
Az shook his head. “No.”
Fear gripped him. “What? I didn’t touch her, I didn’t—”
“You confess to disobeying your orders.” Az’s face tensed. “You disobey—”
She was dead? Determined to get back to Nicole, Keenan spun away from Az. No one else would take her over, not after what he’d risked.
“You knew the penalty for such an act.” Az’s words froze him.
Yes, he knew he had to answer for taking the vampire’s soul, but—
“I’m sorry, Keenan. You… you were a good angel.”
Were. Keenan whirled back around to face the blond angel. “I didn’t—”
“No, you did not. That’s the problem.” And there was sadness cloaking the words, when there was never any emotion in the angel’s voice. Never much emotion in any of them.
No love. No fear. No hate. Only duty. That was the way it should have been.
Except when I looked at her, I …felt.
“Temptation can destroy us all.” Az’s all- seeing bright blue gaze raked him. “You had the chance to obey. You knew when the moment of her death was at hand, but you killed one not on your list.”
“He was a vampire!” The rage was new—something that had developed only when he saw the pain Nicole suffered. “He was torturing, killing, he deserved—”
“We all get what we deserve.” Az’s chin lifted. “Beware, my friend, this will hurt.”
What?
“I’ve heard it’s the fire that makes you scream the loudest.”
There was no fire—
The wind hit Keenan again, wrapping around him, but this time, its grasp felt like the edge of a hundred blades.
Az watched him with a hard stare. No more emotion. Maybe it had never been there. “Did you think we did not know the lust you held in your heart?”
What would angels know of lust? What would they know of anything but following orders, protecting the weak, living in that vast, blank world of nothing?
“Why do you think she was given to you?” Az asked.
And he finally understood. A test. One he’d failed because he hadn’t been able to watch Nicole slip away.
“You broke our rules. You took a life not yours to extinguish.” Az’s cold voice floated to him. “And you failed in your duty.”
To take Nicole’s life. But, no, Az had told him that she didn’t live; he’d said—“Where is she?” He’d had to shout to be heard over the fury of the wind.
But there was no answer. Nothing but the wind howling. And then the fire came.
The fire ripped through his body, starting at his feet, burning up, up, even as Keenan fell, plummeting from the sky.
Expelled from my home.
He flapped his wings as he tried to fight that controlling wind, but—
He cried out in agony as the fire spread to his wings. This was no phantom fire—real flames ate at his skin and burned his flesh. Burned his wings, his wings— No!
He’d never known pain, but after this day, he would never forget it.
The wind stopped. His body hovered in the air, his shoulders hunched and his wings burning. He tried to move his wings, tried—
He dropped, falling straight for the earth below, and he burned as he fell. Burned and burned.
Az had been right. The fire made him scream the loudest as he became the one thing he’d always dreaded.
A Fallen.
Babd boys make for worthy reformers and with that they have the potential to pack a lot of wisdom and knowledge. Babd boys appeal to my curious nature. They are unexpected, exciting and dangerous. It’s a thrill to know them. 🙂
Why are bad boys sound so appealing? The unexpectedness. A gal really does not know what is going to happen with him, the adrenaline rush, the thrill of being naughty or having the chance of being naughty with the bad boy (and that does not necessarily mean sexual). Some really don’t want them to be reform. The danger acts like an aphrodiasiac.
Bad Boys are fun because it’s always fun to be bad! They can bring out your wild side! That’s why they say, “Nice Guys Never Win”, because Bad Boys always come in 1st.
Bad boy heroes are appealing because unlike in real life, they’re always attainable for the heroine. Generally they’re simply misunderstood – or good boys who’ve realized behaving just isn’t worth the effort. >:-D But they’re almost always safe, in addition to being protectors.
I think that bad boys are appealing because it’s the thrill of danger that is appealing and then watching them fall for a female!
I think that the appeal of the bad boy hero lies in his intensity. He is always bigger than life, the hottest guy in the room, the quintessential alpha male. He operates outside the lines of what society deems “respectable” but ALWAYS has a heart of gold. He is fierce with his protections which calls to us on a primal level, and the sex? Well, the passion of a bad boy is unparalleled and what woman could possibly resist having that kind of intensity? Not me!! *SWOON!*
Congrats on your new release ~ I can’t wait to read Angel of Darkness!! *woo-to-the-hoo*
Bad boys are soooooo appealing because, as women, we want to (a.) be the one that changes them, (b.) live on the edge, (c.) a combo of both a and b and (d.)they are just so damn sexy.
True story–
My hubby of the past 21 years was the epitome of bad boys when I first met him. He had long hair, scruffy face, and a shady and somewhat questionable background that turned me on. The fact that my dad would totally hate him was a plus—I was a bit of a rebla back then.:)
So, what made us stick together?
Beneath all that roughness was a heart of gold and a man who today still loves me–just the way I am.
I am so very blessed.
And he is still very sexy.
They are appealing b/c they are unexpected and full of adventure. Plus they are usually very good looking 🙂
Bad boys are so appealing especially in books, tv, ect. because they take us where we (or at least I) would never go in real life. We can dream about going places and doing things that would never really happen. Traveling the world, going into battle, back in time, saying what we want or if we really want to be honest having that romp against the wall in the alley! The bad boys are the ones that aren’t scared to make anything happen atleast in books and we love it and can’t get enough of it!
Maria pronounced Mariah
I think that we love bad boys because we are told to stay away from them.
This book sounds wonderful 🙂 I think bad boys are so appealing because of the mystery that surrounds them.
I have wondered about that many times cos I would not want a bad boy myself, too much work. But to read about them yes! I like how they change for a woman
I think they are appealing because they are so alpha and protective. I love the loyalty that comes with a man that doesn’t necessarily follow the rules to obtain what he thinks the people he loves need.
Bad boys have an air of danger and we many like to think they can be the one to tame them.
God, they are so appealing! I guess because they’re always way more interesting than anyone else, and it’s fun and unusual to see them falling in love/being really sweet to someone. Plus I’d atleast never, probably even interact with many bad boys in real life, so reading about them in books is awesome.
Bad boys are appealing, because they are exciting.
Gotta love them Bad Boys! They are always the dangerous ones that we all wish that we could have. Congrats on your new release my friend! I can’t wait to read it!
Bad Boys make great heroes because they have that little bit of danger and they always end up turning into a marshmallow when they find their one true love! Plus I think it’s because we think we can “reform” them lol
Bad boys are appealing because the appeal to the side of us that wants the danger and to be swept off our feet. We want the heart thumping, pulse racing, adrenaline coursing love life.
Yum.
There is something dark and dangerous about them. And a worthy heroine can redeem them and make them good or better than they appear. They really add excitement and adventure to the relationship.
I think deep inside we all kind of want to be bad. 🙂 And it’s always fun to see a bad boy go from bad to good for the love of a good woman. 🙂
Love bad boys… their attitude, there confidence… it is fun seeing what a woman and her love can do…
I think the bad boys appeal to our primal senses. That–and the fact that most of us *really* couldn’t spend our lives with one. 😛
ah bad boys. When you’re reading you don’t have to deal with reality so a bad boy is just that much more hotter. If he ticks you off you can just close the book for a while. lol I love a alpha male unless he tries to tell me what to do. Big surprise lol
Lisa B
Bad boys give us the opportunity to see the contrast to their softer side, & to be ‘the one’ that makes them mend their wicked ways (or at least some of their wicked ways).
Bad boys are so entertaining. Watching them struggle to accept love while balancing their protector instincts is a pleasure to read about.
To me it’s the unpredictable factor, a bad boy will keep you on your toes never knowing just what will come next.
Bad boys are so hard to find in real life that the only way we can get our fix is to have fabulous authors to create the perfect Bad Boy!! Alpha Bad Boys are my favorite!
i defenitely love bad boy, even i have chatting with my friend and agreed that bad boy always have a special part in heart especially if the bad boy finally succumbed to the woman he really fell in love 😉
Because they are unpredictable!
Oh gosh, are you serious! hahaha! Because they are the dark to the light… They are the evil to the good… They are the wrong to the right! They are the hot to our chocolate! =) They are just prefect!
Hi Cynthia!! Congrats on your new release, I cannot wait to read this book!! Oh how I love your parties! I have had so much fun reading all the exerpts and notes from the other authors. Now have a long, long list of must reads! I love to see the good overcome the bad in the bad boy heroes. It is such a heart wrenching struggle to see them endure all the pain but it is amazing when the good prevails. I love it!!
Bad boys are so appealing because they are rule breakers but usually are the most loyal. And usually the bad boys are dripping with sex appeal and know how to use it. Yummy!
Bad boys are so appealing because even though they are bad when they find that perfect other they show a softer side.
So late, late to the party!
But since the doors haven’t been locked shut yet, here’s my two cents worth:
I think we all yearn to be the one that bad boy is good for. The one to whom he shows the tender, consider, generous, caring, compassionate inner core.
Of course, we also want him to be basically a decent guy, regardless of all the bad boy outer trappings.
They are so bad and good girls are always attracted to the bad boys, they want t reform them and think they can do it through love.
bad boys are awesome cause we always think someone can make he good
meandi09@Yahoo.com
I think most women love the idea of a bad boy because they like the challange of trying to be the one to tame him… Of course, we only think we’d like to tame him lol
because there is the chance of making them into good guys and the chance to redeem them. 🙂
I love bad boy heroes! I like to read them as they are challenge to be tame 😉
I love bad boys because they’re hot! Also, I think wanting to change them is part of our romantic delusions! I want my bad boys to have big hearts along with their bad boy attitude!
Congratulations on the new release! It looks and sounds amazing. I think part of the fascination with bad boy heroes is our secret desire to be a little bad ourselves – oh, and our innate sense that we are the ones who can “save” them from themselves.
Bad boys are appealing because they have a touch of danger, but deep down they are good guys.
Bad boys in romances are always appealing because they may be bad but they still have lines they won’t cross. They just play with a different set of rules. And what good girl doesn’t want to walk on the wild side?
Great excerpt!
I love bad boys because they’re confident, passionate and unpredictable.
Bad boys are so appealing because they’re just that; bad boys. But each one of them are good in some way or another. Confident, cocky, for some reason we women just can’t get enough of them. lol It’s always awesome when you have a bad boy who is fiercely protective of you and totally in love with you.
Bad Boys are so appealing because us girls just want to throw our hair down and do something naughty once in a while 🙂 They are dark, dangerouse and are overcoming some sort of obstacle and we just want to be there to watch them overcome it and see them come out on top
I wish I knew why I love bad boys so much. I guess it’s because they just seem so much more committed once they really do fall in love. You know they would do anything for you and that’s pretty appealing.
Bad boys are so appealing because we women like a challenge. We like to take on bad boys as a “project”. We like to believe that underneath that tough as nails exterior is a gentle, lovable soul. ♥