Rebecca Brooks | Putting Adventure into Romance Novels

Like the heroines I write about in my sexy contemporaries, I love to travel and
seek out new adventures. I don’t always know where those adventures are going to
lead—but isn’t that part of the fun?

Shortly after my husband and I decided to get married, a Swiss friend of his who
lived in Zurich came to stay with us in New York City for a few days. It turned
out her parents owned a house in the mountains in Switzerland (omg) that they
used for skiing but that stayed empty in the summer (omg omg) and that they’d be
happy to have us use for our honeymoon (omg omg omg).

If you’re not really sure of the benefits of marriage when you can live with
someone and build a life together without getting the state involved, I have one
word for you: honeymoon.

If you’re not really sure whether you have time or money for a honeymoon and
someone offers to whisk you to their family’s Swiss chalet: TAKE IT.

My husband and I had gone on a day hikes in the New York area before. It was
something we knew we enjoyed doing together. But going to Switzerland was our
first big, international trip. Should we have done something like that before
getting married, in case we killed each other? Should we have planned a more
typical honeymoon, lounging on a tropical beach?

But it turned out to be a dream trip for both of us. We spent two weeks in the
Alps and another week in Zurich. We climbed mountains, went on long, rambling
walks from town to town, and hopped on busses and trains just to see where we
wound up. We read and slept and sampled every bar of dark chocolate we could
find. And we discovered that we make a pretty good team, even when we missed a
bus or wound up lost in northern Italy. Maybe especially then.

In my newest release, MAKE ME STAY, book 1 in the Men of Gold Mountain series, I wanted to write a hero and heroine who would be opposites in many ways, but perfectly matched when it comes to adventure. I knew from the beginning that Austin was going to be a ski racer. When crafting Sam’s character, it was important to me to make her a strong skier in her own right so she could have fun with him on the slopes. Sam isn’t perfect, but when she falls, she gets back up. And she falls because she’s pushing herself, not because she needs the hero to save her (ugh).

As things move from the mountainside to the bedroom, the cold mountain winter
really heats up! But no matter the challenges Sam and Austin face—and there are
plenty of obstacles to overcome before they earn their HEA—their love of skiing,
the mountains, and the outdoors draws them together. Is there anything better
than finding your adventure buddy? Sam and Austin would say absolutely not, and
I agree. I know there’s only one person I want to keep traveling with, hiking
with, and getting lost with as long as I can. If we ever win the lottery, you’ll
find us on a plane to Switzerland together.