I'll be the first to admit that writing THE LAST KING was a
labor
of love—emphasis on the labor part. It's always challenging to
start a
new series after spending years being in a different world, but this book
had a
very specific problem that it took me far too long to figure out. Beckett
King,
the hero, was a freaking jerk. Not a sexy jerk—just a flat out jerk.
In the original version of the book, he's washed his hands of his family and
their money, left the woman he loves behind for her own good, and is
essentially
living on a beach out of the country. He was, to put it frankly, an
insufferable
ass.
How do you fix a character like that?
You break him down to his bare bones and rewrite from the ground up. Let me
tell
you, it hurts something fierce to take that drastic of a step, but the new
Beckett King that emerged as a result is one of my favorite heroes I've
written
to date. He still doesn't get along with his father, but he knows where his
responsibilities lie and makes his moves in response to protecting the
people he
views as his.
This new Beckett would never dream of leaving someone he loves behind, and
when
he starts pursuing our heroine, Samara, he does it with them on equal
ground. He
doesn't expect his money or family name to sway her, and he respects the
hell
out of her ambition and the fact that she's been the competition for as long
as
he's known her. He's alpha to the core, but he's not an alpha-hole. And
that makes all the difference in the world.
With Beckett driving the book, it became less a story about a man fighting
against an unwanted role in life and more a man fighting to preserve what
little
he has left of a fractured family—and to protect the people he cares about
in
the process. He heats up the sheets with Samara, but he's got an honorable
thread that acts as a compass through the story. And that is what
true
heroes are made of!
The Kings
#1
Ultra wealthy and super powerful, the King family is like royalty in
Texas.
But who will keep the throne? New York Times bestselling author Katee
Robert introduces a red-hot new series.
THE MAN SHE HATES TO
LOVE
Beckett King just inherited his father's fortune, his
company-and all his enemies. If he's going to stay on top, he needs someone
he
can trust beside him. And though they've been rivals for years, there's no
one
he trusts more than Samara Mallick.
The rebel. That's how Samara has
always thought of Beckett. And he's absolutely living up to his
unpredictable
ways when he strides into her office and asks for help. She can't help
wondering
if it's a legit request or just a ploy to get her into bed. Not that she'd
mind
either one. After all, she likes to live on the edge too.
But soon
the
threats to the King empire are mounting, and the two find family secrets
darker
than they ever imagined and dangerous enough to get them both killed.
Romance Erotica
Sensual | Romance
Contemporary [Forever, On Sale: April 3, 2018,
Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781455597109 / eISBN:
9781455597093]
Can
they control their attraction when their lives are on the line?
Katee Robert learned to tell stories at her Grandpa’s knee. Her
favorites
then were the rather
epic adventures of The Three Bears, but at age twelve she discovered romance
novels and
never looked back. Now living in Eastern Washington, she spends her time--
in
between ogling
men and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse--writing speculative
romance novels.
Tell us what you think of the transformation of a jerk into a hero. Tell us below to be entered to win an ecopy of THE LAST KING.
8 comments posted.
I like seeing bad boys or jerks become heroes of their stories... I am always up for seeing character growth!
(Colleen Conklin 1:17pm April 10, 2018)
It's fun to see big bad jerks show their softer side and become these super awesome heroes they have deep inside themselves!
(Maria Smith 8:45am April 12, 2018)
It like the idea. It adds an extra something to the story when the jerk gradually transforms into a hero.
(Anna Speed 12:28pm April 15, 2018)