Love Painted in Red
by Cristiane Serruya
GENRE: Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Tavish MacCraig, thirty-three-year-old Highlander, forsook his
medical and military career, after being a POW for 6 months in Afghanistan, to
run his family’s internationally renowned art gallery in London, The Blue Dot.
Despite being surrounded by wealth and beauty, Tavish’s days are bleak, his
nights, living nightmares, and his heart, an empty shell. But when he meets
Irish painter Laetitia Galen, a powerful and sizzling attraction ignites
between them.
Laetitia, who fled hell on earth when she was sixteen, now works as a well-paid housekeeper in a forsaken country manor in Warwickshire and sells her paintings in an obscure gallery. To preserve her new life and recently found peace, she resists Tavish and The Blue Dot's fantastic offer of an exclusive contract.
Laetitia becomes Tavish’s obsession; Tavish, Laetitia’s unattainable dream.
Meanwhile, a man with a burning grudge plots his long-awaited revenge, which could destroy them all over again.
Laetitia, who fled hell on earth when she was sixteen, now works as a well-paid housekeeper in a forsaken country manor in Warwickshire and sells her paintings in an obscure gallery. To preserve her new life and recently found peace, she resists Tavish and The Blue Dot's fantastic offer of an exclusive contract.
Laetitia becomes Tavish’s obsession; Tavish, Laetitia’s unattainable dream.
Meanwhile, a man with a burning grudge plots his long-awaited revenge, which could destroy them all over again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Ireland
“We’ve been doing everything we can,” the private
investigator said in defense of himself. He looked pointedly at Geoffrey
Callaghan, hoping for some support.
“I’ll double the reward if you find her in the next three
months,” said a husky male voice. “Put more men on her. Do whatever is
necessary. I’ll pay the extra cost.”
The PI nodded once and quickly made his exit, not wanting to
hear the or else, which was implicit in the order. He had never been inside
that room. It was the first time in years that he had to deal with a person
other than Geoffrey, who was scary enough.
“They will find her,” Geoffrey said.
“If I were a suspicious man, I would wonder why you didn’t
have more men searching for her.” Bluish-white smoke rose from the corner,
which would be completely dark if not for an orange glow. “Or why you weren’t
more careful that night.”
“You were the one who chose her.” A faint smile touched
Geoffrey’s wrinkled, thin lips. “I told you she was a freak.”
He had no answer to that. “GO! Leave me alone.”
“That’s exactly what you asked of me years ago. Look what
happened.” Geoffrey smirked.
“Leave me alone.” He grabbed the nearest object—a Baccarat
ashtray—and flung it at Geoffrey’s head, who despite his old age, ducked,
avoiding being hit by the crystal but not by being showered with butts and
ashes from the homemade cigar.
“Don’t do that again, my son.” He shook his bald head at the
once handsome man sitting in the dark. “Don’t forget who gives the orders
here.”
“Do I ever?” A fury raced through the man’s blood. There had
been a time when many things could tame his unruly desires. Not anymore. He had
become dependent on the old man in front of him.
“I will go.” Geoffrey smirked. “But you need to relax. I’ll
send a cup of Yagé and a devotee for you to fuck.”
The man stayed silent for a moment. “Send the Yagé and the
devotee.”
“A wise decision. Be at peace,” Geoffrey said before he
closed the door behind him.
The orange light glowed brighter as he dragged deeper. He
imagined he could see her face and body take shape in the smoke as he exhaled.
She had become the reason he arose every day, breathed, and
endured pain. She had become his obsession.
He would find her. Touch her as she had touched him. Make
her scream as he had.
Until he tired.
Until she begged.
Then, only then, he would kill her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking with author Cristiane Serruya!
Hello
Sue, and thanks for hosting me. I’m so happy to be here with you and your
readers today.
What
is your writing environment?
I
have a home-office where I plan the plot, settings, time period, and characters
and do the editing. My favorite place to write is the big armchair I have on my
living room. There, drinking home-made ice-tea during the Carioca summer
(almost all year round) or hot tea in the Carioca two-week-winter and listening to music, I type away on my laptop
all night until the sun comes out.
Who
is your perfect hero/heroine and why?
First
of all, all my characters are my fave, especially the male chararcters! Don’t
ask me to choose between Alistair, Ethan, or Tavish! They are all great
book-boyfriends—ops! Don’t tell my husband. J
Now,
the heroines. While Laetitia, from Love Painted in Red, is lovely and adorable,
without question I’d choose Sophia Leibowitz, from TRUST Series. She is beautiful,
bold, intelligent, independent, and oh…a strong woman in expensive high heels. While
all those adjectives can be viewed only as qualities, I am pretty sure both
Alistair Connor and Ethan, her co-lead characters, would be saying she is too independent, too bold, too strong…and
they might not be so wrong, you know? But, hey! Perfect characters are pretty
boring, right? J
What
authors have caught your interest lately and why?
I’ve
read a great kidnapping police-thriller, titled Random Acts of Unkindness, by Jacqueline Ward. It’s a story within a story, both told by women,
in first point-of-view, and what is different from any other book I have read
in this genre, is that both stories are about almost the same plot-idea. It’s
awesome and very well-written! A turning-pages. I do recommend it for lovers of
suspense and thrillers.
What
type of book have you always wanted to write?
Hmm…the ones I write! J I love romances and with all the horrible
things happening in the world, unnecessary killings, religious and racial
strife, it’s great to be able to escape to a world where my characters have
survived bad things and are still able to find a fulfilling and healing
relationship with a happy ending—and don’t forget the steamy sex I got to
create. I’m in love with my characters even before I start writing. I was so
immersed in Tavish Uilleam and Laetitia from Love Painted in Red that
I needed a break before I jumped into the skin of Lady Chloé and From
the Baroness Diary: The erotic escapades of Baron Beardley’s wife, The Diaries
Series #1.
Top
3 things on your bucket list?
Number one, two, and three: learn how to type! After that, anything goes. J
Number one, two, and three: learn how to type! After that, anything goes. J
How
did you get the idea for this particular novel?
From
my TRUST
Series. *grin* Tavish Uilleam MacCraig appeared on my first release Entwined
Fates, TRUST Series #1. He grew so much as a character during the series
that I had to write his story.
A
war hero, a billionaire hunk, a lonely and tortured Highlander, whose heart no
woman has thawed yet, he was POW for 6 months in the hands of the Taliban while
serving as a doctor in RAF. After returning to civil life, he forsakes his
medical career and assumes a position on one of his family business. But the
scars in his soul—and body—are such that in spite of being surrounded with
beautiful things, he sees nothing but darkness.
He
was a great character to write, especially because I wanted him to be a
believable veteran dealing with PTSD, so I interviewed many veterans online and
it was an enlightening and heartbreaking experience. He came out beautifully—or
so I like to think—with his physical and psychological scars and yet full of
life strength and vigor.
What
is your favorite scene in your new release?
I
have many! *smile* But if I had to choose just one, it would be the first time
Laetitia stops Tavish from using a condom (not the one when he forgets to use it).
I
can’t really tell you why she does it because that, because it would spoil an
important moment of their love story. Despite it being a sex scene, it has
much, much more to it. This scene has such significance and impact on their
relationship and it is that heart-breaking moment when the characters would
share promises of endless love—the famous, or infamous, I love you—yet I realize it just now: neither Laetitia, nor Tavish
say those three words in the whole 470 pages of Love Painted in Red!
What are you working on now and when can we expect it
to be available?
The
Diaries Series, from which FROM
THE BARONESS’S DIARY: The erotic escapades of Baron Beardley’s wife is
the first installment, is a 20th century romantic erotica. It’s
already on pre-order on Amazon, release date on September 13th,
2016.
It started with a single diary entry I wrote and was
supposed to be a bonus scene for the print version of Love Painted in
Red, where Laetitia, a painter, used the late Baroness’s diaries to
develop a series of erotic paintings, but I realized I would be doing a
disservice to my readers if I didn’t develop Lady Chloé Beardley’s own story.
My first kid’s book—Prince Peter and The Kingdom of Perfection—is coming out by the end
of the year. I am writing The Diaries
sequel, which will be available by spring next year; and, finally, I have immediate
plans for co-authoring a full length comedy romance. After that, only God
knows. J
What
do you like to do when you are not writing?
I would love to have more spare time. It’s hard to find some while being a part-time lawyer, an almost full-time writer, a full-time mother of 2 teenage daughters, and wife of a six-foot-six husband. But when I find it, I read, go to museums, and most important of all, I pamper my family and spend time with them.
I would love to have more spare time. It’s hard to find some while being a part-time lawyer, an almost full-time writer, a full-time mother of 2 teenage daughters, and wife of a six-foot-six husband. But when I find it, I read, go to museums, and most important of all, I pamper my family and spend time with them.
What
is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?
When my daughters were younger, they hated my Kindle and nicknamed it:The Enemy. Since I started writing, they (and my husband) hate—absolutely hate to the point of groaning out loud—when I say I have a new idea for a book.
When my daughters were younger, they hated my Kindle and nicknamed it:The Enemy. Since I started writing, they (and my husband) hate—absolutely hate to the point of groaning out loud—when I say I have a new idea for a book.
I
have a website and a blog: Cristiane Serruya
Website and I love to connect and hear from readers, so feel free to stalk
me online: Cristiane Serruya on Goodreads, Cristiane Serruya Facebook Fan page, @CrisSerruya on Twitter, CristianeSerruya on
Instagram, CrisSerruya on
Pinterest, Cristiane Serruya's Amazon Page
Those
who want to receive my very, very sporadic emails about new releases and
promotions can sign-up here: Cristiane Serruya
Website. And to be part of my Street Team, sign-up here: Cris's Street Team
Thank
you for the opportunity to share my thoughts here and helping me promote my
work, Sue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Cristiane
Serruya is Brazilian and lives in Rio de Janeiro, with her husband, two teenage
daughters, and Loki, her Shetland sheepdog. She has studied in England, France,
Italy, and Switzerland and graduated in Law, with a Master’s in Business Law,
and a BA in Fine Arts. In 2012, she published her first romance, and is proud
of the awards her novels have received.
She
still works as a lawyer, but writing has become an essential part of her life,
and a fulfilling adventure, as it allows her to make friends all over the
world.
Links:
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GIVEAWAY:
Cristiane Serruya will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and
Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeletecongrats on the tour an thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting interview.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning about this book. I am looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDelete