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August 2009, HarperCollins e-books, (ISBN: 978-0-06-193336-3)
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A dark and troubled soul, Captain James Hawkins seeks freedom from his tortured past as the infamous pirate, Black Hawk. But when he meets a seductive beauty on the island of Jamaica, he finds a passion greater than any foray at sea.
Sassy, fierce and independent, Sophia Dawson knows her heart's desire-and it's the sexy brigand who tempts her with promises of pleasure. In his arms, she finds erotic delight and respite from duty as her mad father's caretaker. But a storm lurks on the horizon as the couple's heated affair attracts scorn from the islanders. Will James and Sophia weather the brutal tempest...or will there be trouble in paradise?
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After I'd completed writing THE INFAMOUS ROGUE (book one in The Hawkins Brothers series), I still wanted to pen more about Captain James Hawkins and sassy Sophia Dawson. The tale seemed unfinished to me. I had sketched their pasts in back-story that appeared in THE INFAMOUS ROGUE, but my editor had asked me to cut those scenes from the book as she felt they slowed the story's otherwise lively pace.
And so, with even less about James and Sophia's stormy love affair in print, I knew I had to keep writing. I submitted a proposal for a novella (a first for me). The proposal for the prequel was accepted and I went straight to work, penning James and Sophia's first love affair...on the island of Jamaica. Why Jamaica? Why not England? I have author Jean Rhys, and her fabulous book WIDE SARGASSO SEA, to thank for that.
After reading about historic Jamaica in the book, I fell in love with the setting. It seemed right to set off for the West Indies. And I'm so glad that I did! The sultry island setting is as much a character in the novella as the protagonists. The steamy nights reflect the characters' steamy affair. And their subsequent heartache-in paradise-serves as an emotional climax impossible to achieve in any other landscape. Of course, MISTRESS OF PARADISE is only half the tale. To see how James and Sophia reunite in England, don't miss: THE INFAMOUS ROGUE.
If you'd like to read the other books in the series, the order is:
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