Mallory Crowe
Trusting the Boss (Billionaires in the City #4)
6/19/2015
Blurb:
STAND ALONE CONTEMPORARY BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
Billionaire heiress Emma Devaroux has been living a
safe-yet-mundane existence in Georgia for too long, but when she learns her
sister, Joslyn, has been arrested, she heads to New York City to find out what
really happened. Unfortunately, as an unemployed debutante, she’s not exactly
qualified to be leading an investigation. But help is at hand in the form of
the handsome, former military man Jace Lance who happens to be the one who got
her sister arrested in the first place.
Jace thinks Emma is crazy for even considering working with
him since he’s the one who stopped Joslyn from killing his former client.
However, he can’t deny that the sexy southerner is in over her head when her
tycoon cousins try to hire him to make sure Emma doesn’t find out the truth
about what really caused her sister’s murderous actions.
As they begin to uncover the truth together –and get to know
each other intimately – it becomes clear that the more answers they get, the
more danger Emma is in. Jace is determined to protect her, but how can he keep
her safe when her whole family is in on the conspiracy?
Buy links:
$50 Gift Card
3 Sets of Billionaire in the City ebooks
About the Author:
Mallory Crowe has lived in Michigan her whole life and has
been in love with romance ever since she’d skip to the end of every novel, just
to make sure the hero and heroine survived and ended up together. She lives
with her husband and three dogs. When she’s not writing, she’s spending too
much time in front of the TV, hiking, or working with various animal rescues.
EXCERPT # 1
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to turn around
and go up those stairs. Once you’re out of here, you’re going to forget you
ever met me and pretend that there’s nothing Victoria Green can tell you that
you don’t already know.”
A deep anger settled in her gut at the idea of this virtual
stranger telling her what to do. “And if I don’t?”
Jace leaned in, until his face was inches from hers. “Well,
for starters, I will throw you over my damn shoulder and carry you out of here
until you’re far enough away I’m sure you’ll leave me alone. Think I’m
bluffing?”
For a long moment, Emma debated the merits of slapping Jace
right in his smug face. Screw slapping—punching would be much more effective.
“What’s it gonna be, Georgia? Are you walking out on your
own or do you need assistance?”
Emma shook her head. Jace wasn’t worth the bruised knuckles.
“I’d rather avoid being touched by a Neanderthal, thank you very much,” she
said in her sweetest voice, laying her natural accent on a bit thicker than
normal.
If he wanted to get rid of her, fine. She’d leave
gracefully. Her anger simmered just beneath the surface as she walked up the
stairs. Let him win the battle. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to give up
and when all was said and done, she’d win the war.
EXCERPT # 2
“Are you okay?”
Another shiver racked through her. “No. I’m cold and
pissed.”
Her Southern accent was more noticeable in her anger and he
cracked a small smile. “You have seaweed in your hair.” He plucked it out and
tossed it back into the black water.
Emma set her hands on his chest and pushed up. “Do you have
any idea how much seaweed was down there? It was disgusting! I thought it was
going to grab me and pull me down.”
Jace had swum through his fair share of seaweed-infested
water and he knew exactly how disconcerting it could be. But he couldn’t stop
himself from giving her a hard time. “Come on. You’re not saying a little old
plant scared you?”
She gave him a playful punch to his chest. “You’re such a
show-off. I can’t believe that you made it all the way out there without an
issue and I took two steps and fell in.” She glanced to her left and rolled her
eyes. “Not even your phone fell in after all that!”
Jace let out a laugh and caught her wrist as she went in for
another blow. “Hey, I’m not going to apologize for being good at what I do. I
walked on the edge closer to the support. You ran out right onto the weakest
part of the planks.”
Emma stared down at him and in a flash, the joking air was
gone, replaced by something decidedly hotter than the ocean water that now
soaked through their clothes. “I guess I hired the best,” she said softly.
EXCERPT # 3
. “Nothing fancy. Just a t-shirt and sweatpants, but at
least they’re clean and dry.”
“It’s perfect.” She held out a hand.
“I’m sure they’ll be big, but the pants have a drawstring,
so they should stay up.”
“Thanks.” She started to turn to the bathroom, but at the
last minute, she twisted back around. “What did you intend to say?”
“When?” he asked, but his clenched jaw told her he knew
exactly what she was asking about.
“I walked out of the bathroom and you said you didn’t mean to…something.
I’d like you to finish your sentence.”
He cocked his head and considered her for a moment. “I don’t
think you really want me to answer that.”
Emma squared her shoulders. “I think I’m a grown woman and I
asked you a question.”
“Fine. I didn’t mean to ogle you like a fourteen-year-old
virgin. I should’ve been more professional than that.”
The corner of her mouth hooked up. “I knew it! You were
affected by that kiss last night.”
“The kiss you started. And yes, I’m a red-blooded male. You
can’t expect me to be a robot when a woman like you makes a move.”
Her heart beat faster in her chest as she replayed his words
in her mind. She’d gotten what she wanted. An admission that she wasn’t the
only one going insane. Now she should turn back and get dressed and pretend
this whole conversation never happened. “A woman like me?”
Jace reached up and ran a piece of her wet hair through his
fingers. “What do you think you’re doing, Emma?”
She opened her mouth but no words came out. Her second
attempt was a bit more successful. “I don’t really know. I kind of like not
knowing, though.”
INTERVIEW
How did you come up with the idea for this story?
Well this was a character built story. Jace was a small side
character in TEMPTING THE BOSS and I liked the idea of giving this badass guy
more to do and I needed a woman who could handle him, but also was in need of
his skills in some way. So in creating a heroine for him, I ended up creating
this entire family that the next four books are going to be based around.
Where do you find your inspiration?
My biggest source of inspiration is music, by far. When I
hear a great new song, my mind just takes it as a jumping point to creating an
entirely new world or universe. I also have different playlists to listen to
depending on the mood of my story, be it a really dramatic, sexy or sweet scene
I’m writing.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your
writing?
I’d say the most challenging part of writing is staying
focused on the story I’m trying to write. I get a lot of new ideas and only a
small fraction of those would be viable stories. So I need to push all these
new plot bunnies out of my mind and stay
focused on the love story at hand.
What are your current projects?
Currently I’m working on my next book in the Billionaires in
the City series which will be about Emma’s cousin Michael and a girl from the
IT department at his company who gets in over her head. On the side, I’m slowly
going through some paranormal romance manuscripts I wrote a few years ago and
hoping to get them cleaned up for a 2016 release.
Tell us about your first book. What would readers find
different about the first one and your most recent published work?
My first published book is Book One in the Billionaires In
The City series. I’d say the biggest difference would be that with each
manuscript I write, I have (unintentionally) ramped up the suspense. I love a very
strong external conflict and nothing is sexier than a protective guy, so the
danger aspect of the books have
increased with each new one. I don’t think I’d call TRUSTING full on romantic
suspense, but there is an element of danger added for sure.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to
grasp?
I don’t write anything with a particular message in mind. I
write because I want to entertain my readers and give them an escape for the
few hours that they are invested in my characters. That being said, I do tend
to sneak a lot of rescue dogs (which are a passion of mine) into the books and
I also try to have strong independent women who fall into love even if they
don’t NEED a man.
Does music play any type of role in your writing?
I LOVE music and some songs are hugely inspirational to
me. Sometimes an entire song will have
me thinking up a new idea or it might just be one lyric or even the tone I get
from the beat. The first book in the Billionaires in the City series was
actually inspired by a slowed down version of a rap song. The song is about the
rapper offering to get his girlfriend anything she wants, be it expensive
champagne or extravagant trips. For some reason, my mind turned that into a
secretary running all around New York getting her playboy boss anything and
everything he asked for and eventually she gets fed up and leaves. And that’s
the set up for book one.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your
life?
I actively avoid basing anything in by books on real life.
That being said, I’m a CPA and come from a business background, so that really
helps with writing business and corporate based romances.
What books have influenced your life most?
There’s not one that really stands out, but the entire genre
of romance really shaped me growing up. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was
the book that taught me that romantic troubles and humor transcends time.
Christine Feehan is the first paranormal author I fell in love with and Jayne
Ann Krentz writes these amazing couples that contradict and complement each
other at the same time.
Are there any new authors that have grasp your interest?
I was only recently made aware of some of the indie all-star
authors out there, so in the past year, I’ve been devouring Kathleen Brooks,
Cali MacKay and Evelyn Adams.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your
readers?
I never really expected TEACHING THE BOSS to take off the
way it did, and I’m so grateful not only for readers giving me a chance, but
for following through all the books in
the series. It means so much to me that people are connecting enough with the
characters that they want to follow them through all the books
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
The best way to keep updated about new releases and special
offers is through my newsletter sign up at mallorycrowe.com. I also have am very
active on facebook and love to keep in touch with readers
Do you have a special time to write? How is your day
structured writing-wise?
I have a great support group of other writers who I’m in
contact with every day. We’re all crazy ambitious and trying to get new books
to our readers as often as possible and together we make sure we stick to the
goals we set for ourselves. So we will set aside chunks of time during the day
to write and we encourage each other to keep to our schedules.
Why did you choose to write contemporary romance stories?
I chose to write romance because those are the only stories
that ever come to me. It’s strange because in life I’m very much a realist, but
when it comes to books, television and movies, I NEED there to be some sort of
love story and a happily ever after.
What is for you the perfect book hero?
I love heros that you hate at first and adore by the end of
the book.
When you start a book, do you already have the whole story
in your head or is it built progressively?
My stories definitely build progressively. The beginnings
are normally very well engrained in my mind ahead of time (because the
meet-cute is my favorite scene to write and read of any book) and I also like
to have some idea of the climax. What everything is building to. So knowing
those key scenes in the book I bridge the story together.
TRUSTING THE BOSS was a different beast. It’s a standalone
romance, but there are elements from the plot that carry over into the next
three Billionaire In The City books. So when I started writing TRUSTING, I also
had key scenes for books coming up in the series that I was preparing some set
up for.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve always had stories going on in my mind. I’d get really
frustrated when TV shows didn’t go exactly the way I wanted them to, and I’d
think of these elaborate plot lines and episodes that would be better. I knew I
wanted to write romance from a relatively young age, around high school.
However I set it on the backburner until I was established in a “real job”. So
after I did all the expected things of going to college, getting a career,
getting married, I carved out the time to actually start writing. And then I
never stopped…
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve had stories constantly playing in my head for as long
as I can remember, however I never thought I would be a good writer. I think
that crafting a good story and writing a good story are two separate talents
and it’s hard to get both to work together. So I never really considered myself
a writer until I started on my third book. That’s about when I actually felt I
was writing well.
List three books you have recently read and would recommend.
I really loved Feels Like Home and Loving Bailey from Evelyn
Adams. Kathleen Brooks’ Women of Power series was also amazing! Book One is
Built For Power. For a steamier read, I go to Cali MacKay’s Passion and
Surrender.
Tell us something that people would be surprised you know
how to do.
Well before I started writing, I was a licensed CPA and
passed all sections of the exam in one try and I don’t think most people expect
accounting and romance author to go together in one person. I’ve met so many
fellow romance writers who have the most interesting backgrounds or former day
jobs. It’s fascinating when you realize that creativity isn’t only limited to
certain types of people.
Will you write more about these characters?
For sure! The heroine of TRUSTING THE BOSS, Emma Devaroux,
is the sister of someone introduced in the 3rd book in the series and the next
four books will all focus on the not so functional Devaroux family. Emma and
then her three cousins (who are all brothers) each get their own book as they
try to clean up a relative’s mistakes and end up getting pulled into an FBI
investigation.
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