The Ransom Pre-release Party Week 2!

Welcome to the Pre-release party for The Ransom!!
Last week's winner, chosen by Random.org, is EMMA! Congratulations Emma!!
I'm giving away another copy next Friday, so don't forget to comment on today's post. 

Every Friday through March 7th, I'll be posting something about the book and characters and giving away a free copy of The Ransom (either e-book or print) to one lucky winner. All you have to do is read through the post and answer the question I pose at the end. Simple, eh?

For those of you who haven't read my Legacy of the King's Pirates series (What are you waiting for? Just kidding)  you won't be lost. Though some characters from the series are mentioned in this story, it is really a stand-alone.

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Port Royal, Jamaica 1692

Living in a city deemed the wickedest in the world is no easy task for Miss Juliana Dutton. To make matters worse, with an ailing father and a drunken fool for a brother, she is forced to take over the running of the family business in order to survive. When a meddlesome suitor threatens to discover her secret and cast them all onto the streets, she agrees to a spurious engagement with the town buffoon, Lord Munthrope. She only hopes the man is trustworthy.

The Pirate Earl, Alexander Hyde, son of the infamous Captain Edmund Merrick Hyde, is the most feared pirate in Port Royal. Disillusioned with the religion of his parents and the pleasures of the world, Alex staves off his emptiness by leading a dual life to hide his deepest secrets.

A long-time enemy is out to destroy Alex and take Juliana for his own. Struggling to maintain her faith in the Divine, Juliana faces her problems bravely, but the harder she tries, the more it seems everything is working against her. Unwittingly, she and her weak fiancé become entangled in the hostility between  the Pirate Earl and his enemy, while even more dangerous forces are rising up to destroy them all.

Allow me to present to you the hero

Alexander Edward Hyde, Lord Munthrope

What can I say? Alex is a hunk. I modeled him after the actor, Chris Hemsworth. Need I say more? He’s 25, tall, built, with coal black hair and indigo eyes. But it isn’t his looks that command respect, it’s his confidence, his demeanor, and his intelligence. Not to mention his skill with a cutlass. Sent to Port Royal as a preacher at age 20, Alex gave up on God after tragedy struck, threw off the religious shackles of his youth, and plunged into a life of debauchery. Soon, his skill and wit made him the most feared pirate in Port Royal, the Pirate Earl. But even that success left Alex empty. He longs for a father’s approval, a man who was absent most of Alex’s childhood, “saving the lost”. Consequently, Alex is mad at God—if He even exists—for stealing his father away. His new life’s philosophy is eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. In fact, Alex welcomes death. At least in the grave he wouldn’t feel the emptiness clawing away at his insides anymore. That is, until he meets the enchanting Juliana Dutton.

Strengths: Charming, Intelligent, Skilled, Successful, Courageous, Kind, Honorable

Weaknesses: Proud, Pessimistic, Volatile, Bitter, Sad, Empty, filled with Shame

Quirks:  Alex runs his thumb and forefinger down the sides of his mouth when he is thinking—a unique gesture that may give his true identity away.

Inspiration: Alex is an odd mixture of the character types of King, Bad Boy, and Wounded Hero.  He really isn’t a bad boy, though he behaves like one some of the time. He wants to be king of his world and manages to elevate himself to a position of great power, but inside he still longs for the approval of his father. And, though he had loving, Godly parents, he is deeply wounded by their long absences in his childhood. He feels abandoned by not only by them, but by God Himself, if the Almighty even exists. Alex has come to doubt many things, especially the very meaning of life.  Alex is the kind of man who wears the crusty hard exterior of a villain but who inside is a man of honor and character and goodness. Who wouldn’t love a man like that?

Question: 
Alex is not your typical romance novel hero. What about Alex intrigues you? What about him are you looking forward to experiencing in the book ?

Leave your answer, along with your email address.  (Print copies only available in the US. E-book copies everywhere).

P.S. This book is not yet available in stores. Release date is the first week of March!

Thanks for joining the party!! Come back next week and play What will the heroine say next??


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