by: Karen Booth
Series: Little Black Book of Secrets
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 28, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
This socialite left her fiancé at the altar and now she needs a fake date to a wedding! What could go wrong? Find out in the third Little Black Book of Secrets novel by Karen Booth!
It started with one simple request:
“Pretend to like me for three days.”
Canceling her own million-dollar wedding made socialite Alexandra Gold infamous. Now the only way to avoid going alone to the wedding of this season—and keep vicious gossip account Little Black Book of Secrets quiet—is to bring a fake date. The almost-perfect candidate: architect Ryder Carson, her brother’s best friend. Ryder’s off-limits, yet tempting, despite their recent history. And as the celebration heats up, so do the sparks. But is it only a matter of time before Little Black Book reveals their secret?
From Harlequin Desire: A luxurious world of bold encounters and sizzling chemistry.
I’m doing great! I hope you’re doing well, too. Thanks so much for the interview!
I’m good. Thank you. I’m honored that you agreed to be interviewed. In the last two months, you have completed two series. Your indie-published Never Too Late series features characters over the age of forty dealing with situations that come around that age and falling in love. Your Harlequin Desire Little Black Book of Secrets series is about three childhood friends who find love while dealing with someone who is bent on destroying their reputations via social media. Can you give readers a little more rundown on the series?
With Never Too Late, there’s a reason I gave the series that title, and it’s because I believe it. I really want to normalize the idea that anyone can find love at any age. I wanted it to inspire hope for readers who maybe haven’t gotten there yet. With the Little Black Book of Secrets, that’s all about strong female relationships, which is at the core of almost every book and series I write, like The Sterling Wives trilogy or The Eden Empire series. Women supporting women is another thing I care about depicting. It doesn’t mean the characters always agree, but they’re there for each other when it counts.
Here’s a horrible question to ask. Who’s your favorite character and couple from the Never Too Late series and why?
This is such a hard question! Although, I’m not sure if it’s horrible. If I’m picking a couple, I have to say Brooklyn and Alec from the second book, Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All. Brooklyn is bold and a little out there, but ultimately, she puts her priorities in order. She’s not afraid to admit when she’s been wrong and make a change. Alec has such a soft and tender side to him. He has insecurities and he knows it. I absolutely loved that about him. Seeing the two of them sort out their issues made me so happy.
I’m glad you said Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All. Brooklyn and Alec are my favorite couple too! I’ve been a fan of yours for years. I LOVE your heroes. Sam Blackwell from your Eden Empire series, Chris Penman from your Forever series, and Andrew Sterling from your Sterling Wives series are at the top of my list. For you, what are some of the character traits your heroes HAVE to have?
The number one thing is a serious soft spot for the heroine. She is his ultimate weakness. I’m so drawn to that trait and love writing it. The other qualities are a sense of humor, brains, and respect for what the heroine wants and needs. He doesn’t have to make her happy, but he needs to want to try anything and everything to get there.
Oh. I love that last line. What’s your favorite romance trope to write and read?
I love rivals to lovers. I love a spirit of competition between the hero and heroine, then tearing that away until they have no more reason to feel so at odds with the other person. It front-loads the tension, and that’s what keeps me reading!
Let’s talk about How to Fake a Wedding Date. What can you tell me about Alexandra Gold and Ryder Carson?
I gave Alex the last name gold for a reason—her heart is made of it. She’s fiercely loyal. Ryder is, too, but the friction comes because he sees the world in black-and-white and Alex sees everything in between. In her mind, there’s room for their love, despite her brother’s objections. In his mind, his devotion to his relationship with her brother will always be standing in the way.
What do you love about them individually and together?
I love that they’re alike in so many ways. They’re both independent. They’re both loyal to friends and family. They’re both driven and strong. Together, all of that is magnified.
Was there anything about these two that surprised you?
The conversation between Ryder and Alex’s brother at the end of the book surprised me, mostly in just how fiercely he stood up for himself. It ended up being an even more powerful discussion than I first imagined. Ryder managed to say some seriously eloquent stuff!
I LOVED that conversation. I think it was definitely long overdue. How to Fake a Wedding Date, the third and final book in your Little Black Book of Secrets series is a best friend/sibling, forbidden love, friends to lovers, fake relationship romance. Did I get everything?
I really jam-packed the tropes on this one. You could also include curvy heroine and only-one-bed!
I forgot about those! What was your favorite part of the book to write and why?
I really love the scene near the beginning when Alex and Ryder kiss in front of a tabloid photographer, hoping to make their relationship appear real. It’s told in Ryder’s point of view, and it’s the first glimpse of just how much he wants her, even though he knows it’s wrong. I love his internal struggle. It’s a good window into his character.
I’m a huge fan of romantic gestures. That moment after the couple has broken up and decided that the other is the love of their life and they HAVE to get them back. How do you get into the mindset to write those scenes that just leave readers swooning?
I just put myself in my own mindset as a reader. What do I want to see happen? What am I hoping for? I sometimes ask myself if there’s a twist I can put on it, but I mostly just follow my own internal desires as a reader.
If I’m not mistaken, you have written and published 25 Harlequin books and about 15 indie books. How do you come up with your character names and keep your stories fresh?
I have a spreadsheet of character names, just so I don’t repeat them. As for picking them, I go on baby name websites and search for inspiration. I sometimes use a random name generator, but I never use exactly what they generate. I steal a first name or a last name. Keeping stories fresh is the number one hurdle with every new book I write. I think hard about finding unexpected events and twists on familiar themes. I’m very aware of repeating myself and try hard not to do it too much!
What are you currently working on?
I’m working on a new book for Desire, which will feature a curvy older heroine and a younger hero. It will be a standalone and will likely come out late in 2023. I’m also working on a new single-title book, with a title I love. That’s very much in the planning stages, but it has a matchmaker heroine and a British software exec for a hero.
These both sound good. Karen, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you so much for your time.
Thanks for hosting me. It was an absolute pleasure!
This is the scene where Alex and Ryder stage a kiss for the tabloids.
About twenty minutes into their leisurely stroll, he felt a gentle tug on his hand. Alex was walking even slower now. Hesitating. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Her tone told a different story than her words. She sounded anxious. With a nod, she gestured to a small stand of bamboo and wildflowers ahead to the right. Sure enough, a man with a camera was lurking in the shadows.
Ryder instantly felt protective of Alex. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and shield her from all of this. He knew what the press was capable of, especially when it came to her. Knowing that she was on edge made his instincts even sharper. She hated these people and she’d intentionally put herself in their path. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay. I promise.”
“Thanks.”
This wasn’t his world at all, but he had to take charge or Alex wouldn’t achieve her goal of a photo in the tabloids. “Honey, come here,” he said, a little too loudly. “Isn’t it beautiful tonight?” He led her to the railing on the west side, where there was a gap that framed a view of the Hudson River.
The water glimmered in silver and black, lit up by the lights of the city with a little extra help from the moon. They stood side by side and he carefully put his arm around her shoulders, then pulled her close. He could feel her breaths, and how shallow they were. He could only imagine what might be going through her head right now. The media had been so brutal with her. Relentless. And yet she was in the absurd position of needing to mold the narrative she knew they would pursue. He understood her need to fake it. This was about self-preservation. It was about moving on. He had his role to play, and he would not let her down.
He pulled her into an embrace, and for a moment, she rested the side of her face against his chest. He threaded his fingers through her hair, inhaled her sweet scent and kissed the top of her head. This was not an easy moment to endure. Every molecule of his body was telling him that this was right, while his brain was screaming that it was wrong. If Alex knew what was going through his head, she would have said it was black-and-white thinking. Maybe she really did have him all figured out. She certainly knew how to get to him. It would always be an exercise in restraint to be near her. This push and pull inside him would never go away. So it was time to do what they’d come here for.
As if she’d heard his silent conclusion, she raised her head and peered up into his face. Her eyes reflected so much vulnerability. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to fall for her right then and there. But he had his charge and it had nothing to do with love, even if it felt so damn real.
He cupped both sides of her face and slanted his head, then lowered his mouth until it claimed hers. The instant their skin touched, the connection had been made, and he closed his eyes and went with it, if only to put on the most convincing show possible. It wasn’t a difficult task. They already knew their way around each other. It took only a second before she was pressing hard against him, making his whole body go tight as her luscious lips parted and her tongue met his. The whole experience was so raw and natural. He had to believe that no one would ever think this had been planned. Or for their sake, he hoped to hell that was true.
Alex turned her head to the other side and went back in, deeper and harder with the kiss, curling her fingers into his shoulder blades and slipping her knee between his legs. Ryder felt his body respond with a rush of blood straight to his groin. He angled his hips away from where the photographer had been standing. It wasn’t going to do him any good if that got in the paper and he had to explain to Daniel why he’d gotten a raging hard-on while kissing his sister.
Slowly, he pulled his lips from hers, but not so far as to suggest that he didn’t want her badly. That was an easy thing to play for the cameras. He did want her, even more than he had the night they slept together. “Do you think that was good?” he whispered. “Was it enough?” His heart was beating so fiercely that he was surprised he had the energy to speak. And of course, there was the complication of his erection. But he’d worry about that later. He didn’t dare open his eyes, and instead simply waited for an answer.
She raked her fingers into the hair at his nape and pulled his head down, closer to her lips. “One more kiss. Just to be sure.”
Purchase How to Fake a Wedding Date from:
The Little Black Book of Secrets Series:
The Problem with Playboys ~ Review
Black Tie Bachelor Bid ~ Review
When she’s not creating hunky fictional men and the women who test them, she’s listening to everything from Otis Redding to Duran Duran to Superchunk with her college-age kids, honing her Southern cooking skills (she makes some mean collards), or sweet-talking her astoundingly supportive husband into whipping up a batch of cocktails.
Karen is co-founder of the 4500+ member Seasoned Romance Facebook group, devoted to the promotion of romance with characters 35+. She has been a finalist for RT Magazine’s Series Romance of the Year, RT Magazine’s Gold Seal of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA), the Booksellers’ Best Award, and the Holt Medallion. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages.
Places to find Karen Booth:
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