Virtual Book Tour: Master of the Opera: Act 4: Dark Interlude by Jeffe Kennedy

About The Book:

Title: Act 4: Dark Interlude

Series Title: Master Of The Opera

Author: Jeffe Kennedy

Release Date: February 20, 2014

Purchase: Amazon

In the fourth fiery installment of Jeffe Kennedy’s scintillating Master of the Opera, a woman surrenders—body and soul—to the one man who is everything she desires, everything she craves, and, possibly, everything she fears… 

Reeling from the discovery of a dead body in the Santé Fe Opera House, intern Christy Davis is forced to reassess the strange, erotically-charged relationship she’s forged with the mysterious masked man who lives in the labyrinths below. Could her masterful lover be capable of murder, and worse? Perhaps it was the thrill of danger that drew Christy to him in the first place—like a moth to the flame—instead of a more conventional romance with the opera house’s handsome benefactor, Roman. For the sake of her sanity, she must at least give Roman a chance. But for the love of her master, she must give in to every wild fantasy, every wicked game, and every whim he commands…

Is Christy prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice? To surrender her heart, her soul, her everything? First she must acknowledge the truth: a woman in love can serve only one master…

My Review:

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Master of the Opera, ACT 4: Dark Interlude by Jeffe Kennedy is the fourth book in her Master of the Opera serialized novel series.

This just got serious. Not that Carla being attacked and Tara murdered wasn't serious, but the level of intensity has ratcheted up a ridiculous amount. Roman is getting very pushy and intense and Christy isn't sure how to deal with it. There's something that she keeps picking up on from him that is just this side of scary and off.

The Master is also a suspect in the attack on Carla. Christy doesn't truly think it's him but doubts her reasoning behind this belief in his innocence. She is starting to doubt her own sanity even. Thank goodness for her best friend Hally and her ability to remain stable and supportive.

The steam level in this book is practically non-existent, but the intriguing plot twists and developments that take place make this an integral part of the tale and a thoroughly enjoyable read. 

Author Interview:

Hello Jeffe, 

Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for my blog. 

I’m happy to! I love getting a chance to talk books. 

First a couple of questions about the series, “The Master of the Opera”… 

In the world of this book, does the popular tale of “The Phantom of the Opera” (either the novel “Le Fantôme de l'Opéra” by Gaston Leroux, the 1925 film by Lon Chaney Sr. or the Andew Lloyd Webber)
exist?

Ooh, that’s an interesting question. Yes, I’d say they do, though those tales are never explicitly referenced. In an early draft, I had the opera house be in the process of staging the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. My editor and I finally decided it was too fraught. I had to turn myself inside out to justify why a classical opera house would stage a Broadway musical. Also, it created too many weird echoes. Finally we decided it wasn’t needed for the story. So, Christy would know about them, being a theater person, but they’re not really something she thinks about.

Is the Opera house that Christine works at based on the real Santa Fe Opera House? 
It is! Much of the external appearance, layout, seasonal schedule and general staffing are the same. However, I started writing the book a couple of months before I managed to wrangle an off-season, backstage tour. By the time I got to see inside, my recurring theme of the iron spiral staircase that leads down to the lower levels was well-established. It turns out there ARE stairs (along with creepy giant freight elevator), but they’re wide and concrete, meeting all sorts of safety and fire standards. So, I kept MY staircase. 

Have you ever been inside the Opera house and backstage or in the lower levels?

LOL! Yes, see above. I even have pics. I’ll attach a couple.

And now to get personal…

When did you know you wanted to write? Was it a sudden epiphany, a slow realization, or had you always known?

It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I knew. I’d always been a reader and I wrote gloopy poetry in high school, but I valued the sciences much more. I was deep into a PhD program studying neurophysiology in bats before I had the epiphany that I really wanted to be a writer.

What do like to read? Do you have much time for reading for pleasure?

I don’t have *nearly* as much reading time as I used to! I keep trying to change that. Writing books takes up a lot of the same head space that reading did. Fortunately a lot of my “required” reading – for contests and critique partners – are books I enjoy. I love a good fantasy tale, science fiction, romance of all stripes. I also like to read nonfiction, particularly personal essays and memoir. Right now I have JD Robb’s new In Death book on my Kindle (preordered), but I can’t read it until I get through five more books for RITA judging.

Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? Are there specific playlists for each book (series)?

I don’t do this anymore. When I first started writing, I played the soundtrack to The Mission. Sometimes when I really get stuck, I’ll go back to that as a jump start. For my New Orleans erotic romance, RUBY, I did recreate a Cajun music soundtrack I used to have on cassette back in the day, just to get myself in the mood.

What is your favorite…

Movie?

I always used to say A Room with a View, but I think it’s been supplanted by the Keira Knightley/Matthew Macfadyen version of Pride & Prejudice. I’ve certainly watched it far more often. 

[OMG, I love this movie! My fave part is when he stutters "I love...love...love you"]

TV Show? 

We don’t have TV, but I do like to stream House of Cards. Does that count?

[Yes, definitely counts!]

Place to visit?

The Caribbean

Song?

Every Rose Has Its Thorn, for long-term staying power. Currently obsessed with Lorde’s Royals.

[Me too, Royals is a very catchy tune]

Season?

Autumn

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions!

<3 Lisa

Thank you!

About the Author:

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author with a writing career that spans decades. Her fantasy BDSM romance, Petals and Thorns, originally published under the pen name Jennifer Paris, has won several reader awards. Sapphire, the first book in the Facets of Passion series, has placed first in multiple romance contests and the follow-up, Platinum, is climbing the charts. Her most recent works include three fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns, the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and the post-apocalyptic vampire erotica of the Blood Currency.

She is currently working on Master of the Opera and The Twelve Kingdoms, a fantasy trilogy. 

Jeffe lives in Santa Fe, with two Maine coon cats, a border collie, plentiful free-range lizards and a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com or every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog. 

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