I Need a Hero!

By Kate

I’m thinking about heroes today. MY heroes, to be exact. I mean, the ones I write about in my books. Specifically, my three Harlequin Desire heroes, the Duke brothers: Adam, Cameron and Brandon.

I love these men!

All three of them were adopted by Sally Duke when they were eight years old. They had all suffered through rough early childhoods, but in different ways. Once they were together, though, they bonded in a way that might be considered even stronger than true brotherhood. That’s because they each had a powerful need for an unbreakable connection. And while they're considered brothers in the eyes of the law, naturally, their strong need for family is what makes them true brothers by choice.

It was so much fun to write their stories and explore what was inside each man’s heart. And I loved finding the perfect heroine for each of them. But it was just as exciting to describe them physically, because each of them are simply gorgeous, of course!

Here’s a short excerpt from SWEET SURRENDER, BABY SURPRISE, where Cameron’s heroine, Julia, first meets and describes the three Duke men.

Brandon thrust his hand toward Julia. “Hi, I’m Brandon, Cam’s much smarter and more handsome brother.”

Julia shook Brandon’s large hand. He was as big as a bear and, like his brothers, one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. He had shoulders as wide as the refrigerator and wavy, light brown hair an inch too long. He pushed his hair back, but several thick strands flopped onto his forehead, giving him an irresistible, bad boy look. Brandon looked powerful enough to snap a man in two with his bare hands, but he couldn’t have been more gentle with baby Jake.

Adam stepped forward. “Hello, Julia. I’m Adam Duke.”

She shook hands with the tallest and most serious of the three brothers. Adam was dark-haired and sophisticated, with a strong jaw and piercing blue eyes that focused completely on her. Julia’s first thought as she shook his hand was that Trish was a very lucky woman indeed.

“Adam’s frightening the womenfolk again,” Brandon said, and picked up his beer. “Listen, Julia, if you get scared and need a hug, I’m your man.”

Julia laughed and Trish rolled her eyes in amusement.

“Nobody’s hugging her but me,” Cameron muttered as he handed Julia a glass of crisp white wine. She smiled her thanks as his two brothers ribbed him.

The doorbell rang and his mother Sally ran out to see who it was.

“That’ll be room service,” Cameron said in a low voice behind her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited everyone to stay for dinner.”

“I don’t mind a bit,” she said, turning to smile at him. “Your family is wonderful. You’re so lucky.”

“I like to think so,” he said, staring at her intently.

“I should help get things together,” she said, feeling her cheeks burning. Cameron was the only man who could make her blush simply by looking at her.

As she gathered utensils, plates and napkins, she sized up the three Duke men. Cameron’s brothers were both gorgeous, but Cameron eclipsed them both with his tall, leanly muscular body, clear green eyes and beautiful smile. And that adorable dimple in his cheek was like the cherry on top. No wonder she was always blushing when he was around.

So … there's a brief sketch of my three Duke brothers! Now I’m wondering what actors I should cast to play them in the TV Miniseries. Hey, a girl can dream!

What do you think? Ryan Reynolds, anyone? Brad Pitt? Ooh, how about a young Robert Redford? Pierce? The Rock? Or maybe the fabulous Hugh Jackman?

I’m giving away a $20 Amazon gift card to one random commenter today! So let the casting couch sessions begin!

Launch Party! Kate Carlisle's SWEET SURRENDER!

By Kate

Hurray! The big day has finally arrived! It's SWEET SURRENDER, BABY SURPRISE release day.

This calls for a cake! No, make that cupcakes, in honor of Julia Parrish, my heroine, who has taken the West Coast by storm with her world-class cupcake creations. We’ll decorate our Cupcake Party with pictures of fabulous, colorful cupcakes.

Julia is sexy and she knows how to bake almost anything. How can Cameron Duke possibly resist her? Not to mention, she’s the mother of the son he didn’t know he had.

Seriously, what man can resist a woman who travels with her own ingredients for hot chocolate and whipped cream? Certainly not Cameron Duke! See for yourself in this excerpt ...

She reached into a drawer and pulled out her own hand mixer, poured cream into a bowl, threw in a heaping spoonful of sugar, and began to mix it up. Less than four minutes later, she had a bowl of thick, pillowy whipped cream. She poured the thick, creamy chocolate into two small coffee cups, added a dollop of whipped cream on top, and handed one to Cameron.

“Sip the chocolate through the cream,” she instructed. “That way, you get the hot with the cold, but you don’t dilute either.”

She stood inches away, watching him as he tried the concoction. He watched her, too, as he sipped the hot, creamy chocolate through the cool, soft whipped cream. It was possibly the most sweetly decadent thing he’d ever eaten.

“Well?” she said.

He stared at her and wondered what the chocolate and whipped cream might taste like when licked off her breasts.

“It’s almost immoral, it’s so good,” he said, his voice husky.

Her cheeks began to turn pink again and he found he enjoyed making her blush. He also savored watching her realize the direction his thoughts were traveling.

She coughed to clear her throat. “So, you like it?”

“Like it?” He took another long sip and emptied the cup. “Yeah. I’d suggest you package it, but I’m afraid it might be banned in thirty or forty states.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said demurely, and placed her cup on the counter. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. It was delicious.” He put down his cup and reached for her. “I want to taste it on your tongue.”

Before she could utter a word of protest, his mouth consumed hers.

Consumed. Isn’t that a great word? Devoured. Another good one. He hungered for her. Passion and food are closely intertwined, and poor Cameron is besieged on both counts. His deepest, darkest fear is that his father’s abusive anger lives inside of him, so he’s determined never to fall in love. If he keeps his flings frothy and casual, then he’ll never hurt a woman the way his father hurt his mother. But although Julia’s cupcakes are whimsical, she clearly isn’t made for “casual.” She’s a forever kind of girl, and Cameron doesn’t do forever.

Thank you for celebrating with me! Let's get the party going! What’s your favorite flavor of cake or cupcake? What was the last occasion on which you had it? What is your go-to treat when you want to celebrate a big event in your life? How do you feel about whipped cream?

I’ll give a random commenter a $25 Amazon e-gift card, which you can use to buy SWEET SURRENDER, BABY SURPRISE, naturally, or any of these cupcake books -- or whatever strikes your fantasy. The contest is open to anyone in the world who can use an Amazon e-gift card.

And don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list at www.katecarlisle.com!