Padme's Library: Blog Tour: Sweet Hart by Rae Marks

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Blog Tour: Sweet Hart by Rae Marks

Title: Sweet Hart

Author: Rae Marks

Series: Hart Consulting #1

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: May 11, 2021

Publisher: First for Romance/Pride Publishing

Cover Design: Erin Dameron-Hill

Summary:

In order to stay alive, Bray and Sam must appear to be lovers.

What happens when pretending becomes too real?

When Brayden stumbles into a covert operation, Sam has to keep him alive. Together they navigate their unexpected attraction and the world of the Ukrainian mafia.

Brayden Hart needs to find his older brother Mason and time is running out. Mason disappeared after being discharged from the military two years before. While on leave from the army, Bray follows a lead his friend has been able to find. When he knocks on the door of a dingy apartment outside Miami, the last person he expects to meet is the gorgeous but grumpy Sam Wheeler.

Sam denies knowing Bray's brother and turns him away. But Sam is Bray's only lead. Luckily, Bray's childhood friend is one of the best hackers in the country and helps Bray follow Sam to Ukraine.

In Kiev, Bray falls blindly into the fray of a covert operation and Sam steps in to keep him alive. While navigating the choppy waters of the Ukrainian mafia, Bray and Sam fall into the bedroom. But what happens when the mission ends?

“I’ll let you relax,” Sam said as he stood.

“Don’t go. You said I couldn’t sleep. I want to relax, but if you keep me talking, I won’t fall asleep.”

With a nod, Sam backed away and sat on the closed toilet. From there, he could only see Bray from the shoulders up. Much less of a temptation.

“This feels amazing. The warmth is seeping into my bones. Today definitely didn’t turn out how I thought it would.”

Sam snorted. “Ditto. I thought I was in for a fairly mundane business trip.”

Bray reached for the little soap provided by the hotel but flinched. Sam jumped up to get it for him. He tried not to look at Bray’s lower half, but his eyes caught on the bruises.

“Are they getting worse?” Sam asked.

“I’d only worry if it hurt to breathe. You’re quite the mother hen, Sam Wheeler.”

Sam looked up at the sound of his alias. The last name sounded so wrong coming from Bray’s mouth, but the kid was smiling like he was proud of himself. Sam found himself smiling back until his gaze fell once again to the black-and-blue marks on Bray’s abs.

“I feel responsible,” he murmured as he returned to sit on the toilet lid.

“You couldn’t have stopped me. I did my best to hide the fact I was following you.”

“Next time I’ll remember to have one of my men sit on you.”

Bray’s eyes went wide.

“Not like that. Don’t get all offended. I meant trail you, make sure you don’t leave the States.”

“I want to apologize,” Bray said. “I’ve caused you a lot of trouble today with your...associates and I didn’t mean to. You don’t know how relieved I was to see you walk into that room. I knew you’d come for me.”

Sam wasn’t sure how true that last sentence was, but he was sure the rest was true. The look in Bray’s eyes made Sam uncomfortable.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some hero, Bray.”

“You’re a good man, Sam Wheeler. I knew it right away, and today, you proved it.”

“I didn’t prove anything. My business is about as dark as you can get. I’m not a good man.”

“You are to me. I might be naïve, but I think that counts for something.”

“Don’t see pixie dust where there is none. It wouldn’t behoove me to have left you there at their mercy. I had selfish reasons for getting you out of there.”

“I’m sure you did.” Bray smiled.

Maybe he was getting too into his role, but that smile was one of both indulgent patience and dirty little nymph. It was a smile one boyfriend would give another and Sam hated how much he loved looking at it.

What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?

I’ve read romance since I was a teenager. It’s my go-to when I want to immerse myself in a book. I love happy endings and with romance, that’s guaranteed. I read all gender and/or sexual pairings. I also read all sub-genres. It’s the love story I’m really after.

There’s something about two people coming together that fills me up and makes me sigh when they get a good happily ever after.

Writing gay romance is somewhat new to me, but it was inevitable, really. Stories come to me as dialogue first. Snippets of conversations will roll through my mind and I have to write it down before I lose it. I’d been reading a few gay romance novels when I started getting conversations between Mase and his father. It expanded from there. Even though Mase’s story is the third book in the Hart Consulting Series, it was his heartbreak that came first in my mind.

When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?

I love discovering my characters and their backgrounds. I have pretty detailed backstories for my characters. It’s stuff that will never make it into the book, but it’s their story all the same. Where we come from colors how we see the world, so I need to know where my characters come from so I know how they’ll react, how they’ll grow, and what they need to overcome.

Building the attraction between characters is also fun. Why do they like each other? What’s the dynamic between them?

The most rewarding thing for me, I think, is writing the end. If I’m smiling and sighing at how the story ends, I’m happy and I hope the reader has the same reaction.

When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?

It really depends on the genre. No matter what I read, it always seems better if there’s a little love. Even if I’m not reading romance, I’m always rooting for a character to find love. Different genres interest me for different reasons.

When I read a memoir or an autobiography, what I find captivating is that it’s a true story and that the author is willing to share such intimate details with me as a reader and complete stranger. I always hope they found closure.

Fantasy intrigues me because of the world building involved. I’m a visual reader, so I can really get into fantasy if the descriptions are vivid.

If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?

Oh my. This is a tough question. I’m not sure I could narrow it down to one. I write romance but I read everything. If it could be anyone, I’d want to co-author with someone I could learn from.

When it comes to romance of the past, I would love to pick Jane Austen’s brain about character building because Mr. Darcy is a timeless and complex character.

But if I could co-author with anyone, I’m not sure I’d write a romance. There are authors like Maya Angelou who pull you in and wring your heart out, but still seem to give you hope. The same goes for Alice Walker or Amy Tan. I also love Isabel Allende.

I guess my answer would be completely different depending on the genre. If I was going to co-author a gay romance, I’d probably say Eden Finley just because I love her Fake Boyfriend Series and have read a few of them more than once.

Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life”?

I’ve been writing for a while, but always viewed it as more of a hobby. Sharing my stories with readers is a new for me. This has been a great experience for me, seeing what it takes to publish a book.

Author Bio:

Rae has been secretly penning romances since high school. It started with short stories that grew into full-length novels. When she received her first Kindle and had thousands of books at her fingertips, she became a little distracted from writing. Then one day she read a book that she would have written a different way. She began writing again and hasn't stopped since.

When she's not writing, Rae can usually be found reading, walking along the beaches of Half Moon Bay, or taking her geriatric dog to the vet, yet again.