Dec
20 2013 |
Guest Post by Zoe Archer
Q: When is an aristocrat not an aristocrat?
A: When he works for Nemesis, Unlimited.
Your second question just might be: What is Nemesis, Unlimited? In the highly stratified world of Victorian England, where the wealthy and powerful reign, Nemesis is a secret organization of men and women who seek to right wrongs that have been perpetrated against the weak and powerless. Their unofficial motto is “Vengeance by any means necessary.” Nemesis may be the good guys, but they’ll do whatever it takes in order to get justice for those who cannot get it for themselves. (Or, as I like to define them, Nemesis is like the old school A-Team in Victorian England. *g*)
Simon Addison-Shawe is everything that a Nemesis agent shouldn’t be. He’s rich. He’s powerful. He’s the son of a nobleman. And yet Simon was one of Nemesis’s founders. When he was younger, instead of buying a commission in the army, he enlisted and worked his way up through the ranks—even fighting with distinction at the infamous battle of Rorke’s Drift. He’s not a typical aristocrat, and he’s not a typical Nemesis operative, who usually come from the middle and lower ranks of Society. He’s a mass of contradictions–a man who has nothing to gain from helping those less fortunate than himself, and yet, that’s his sole purpose. He uses his role as a Society gentleman only to further his interests for Nemesis.
Oh, and did I mention that he’s impossibly good looking, in the classical blond-blue-eyed English mode? Yet he gets down and dirty when it comes to carrying out a Nemesis mission.
In DANGEROUS SEDUCTION, the second book in the Nemesis, Unlimited series (which can be read as a stand alone), Simon actually goes undercover. His disguise is that of a machinist, and he goes to the tiny Cornish village of Trewyn in order to uncover corruption and abuse at the Wheal Prosperity copper mine. As a former soldier, Simon thinks he has his strategy all planned out.
But he doesn’t count on Alyce Carr, one of the workers at the mine, and a tireless fighter for the people of the mine and her village. Alyce is fiery, determined, and far from a lady. Yet when she and Simon meet, it’s clear that it will not only be a battle of wits and wills, but also a struggle to keep the explosive attraction between them at bay. With danger all around, Simon definitely has his work cut out for him.
So, my question to you is, how do you like your heroes? Aristocratic? Or rough and working class? Or maybe they’re like Simon—a mixture of both? One commenter will win a copy of DANGEROUS SEDUCTION (US and Canada only).
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DANGEROUS SEDUCTION
Nemesis, Unlimited Novel #2
Available Now from St. Martin’s Press
Alyce Carr has no time for the strange man in her little Cornwall village, no matter how breathtakingly handsome he is. Life in Trewyn doesn’t allow for much fun—the managers of the copper mine barely provide the miners and their families with enough food. Outsiders are suspect and flirts are unimaginable, but Simon Sharpe is as keen as his name…and Alyce can’t ignore him for long.
As the founder of Nemesis, Unlimited, Simon Addison-Shawe is well accustomed to disguise and deceit. Yet he’s not prepared for Alyce’s dogged defense of her people and the injustices the copper mine has dealt them. With Alyce’s help he can change the fate of an entire town, and convincing her to join him is only part of the thrill. Together, they ignite a desire in each other much too powerful to deny. But at what cost?
Buy:
Zoë Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there’s nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master’s degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF THE ROSE series and the paranormal historical romance series, THE HELLRAISERS. She and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, created the steampunk world of THE ETHER CHRONICLES together. Her gritty Victorian romance series, NEMESIS, UNLIMITED, launched this year. Zoë and Nico live in Los Angeles.
December 20th, 2013 at 4:59 pm · Link
a little of both
December 30th, 2013 at 1:07 pm · Link
I like them both ways. (Take that as you will!)
What I really like though is those boots!!!!!!! Oooh, I want!