My Favorite Things: Book Blitz: The Australian by Lesley Young

The Australian (Crime Royalty Romance #2)

About The Book:

Title: The Australian

Series: Crime Royalty Romance #2

Author: Lesley Young

Genre: Adult, Romance

Release Date: March 27, 2015

Purchase: Amazon

Charlie Sykes takes everything and everyone at face value—and believes life would be a lot easier if everyone else did, too. Aussie Jace Knight, international hotelier and purported playboy, has never met anyone like the absurdly literal and obliviously beautiful American who applies for his personal assistant position. The trouble is, how do you pursue a woman whose definition of flirting comes straight out of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary? That, and he’s not the only one after Charlie. Seems Mr. Knight might not be a reformed criminal after all.

Soon, Charlie’s immersed in a whirlwind of international espionage that takes her from the hip streets of Sydney to the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the wild, desolate outback. A dangerous trap’s being set, but how will Charlie protect herself and prevent a tragic betrayal, when she can’t even sort out what her heart’s telling her?

Excerpt:

I swung my legs around and glanced up into his eyes. Night was just beginning to fall. I had left the window open and a lovely breeze swept across our veranda lifting the curtain behind him. He had added a dress jacket to his dark blue jeans and mauve dress shirt. I picked up the familiar scent of his cologne, sandalwood and lime. His giant gold Rolex glowed in the light. His eyes held nothing but darkness.

I breathed out, smoothed my hair, and spotting my heels, leaned over to strap them on.

“Do you know why I hired you, Charlie?”

What a peculiar question. I was about to answer yes, when I realized, given my lack of hospitality and personal assistance experience, no, actually I could not be sure. I shook my head as I took his hand and rose to stand. His brow was stern and his mouth was flat.

“Your’s was the first pair of eyes I stared into in a long time, ever really, that I could see straight through to the bottom.”

Oh. He must be speaking figuratively. Was that a compliment? His thumb rubbed my hand like it was a feather. Perhaps he was practicing pretending to be lovers?

“Maybe that was wrong of me, to think how I wanted to keep you like that forever. Maybe hiring you, bringing in you close . . . maybe that’ll change you.”

I stared up at him, hearing my heart pound. Wait. Maybe . . . he was suspicious.

“Are you saying you regret hiring me, Mr. Knight?” I tugged my hand free.

I could not meet his eyes.

“No.” I did not dare look in his eyes. “But I’m worried I will,” he stated flatly. He stepped close after I stepped away. “Look me in the eye, Charlie, and tell me I won’t regret hiring you,” he demanded suddenly, his voice calm, deep and impending.

I need a glass of water to swallow my heart back down.

What had happened? Why this sudden strangeness?

About The Author:

Lesley Young is a genre-defying author of unforgettable heroines who experience thrilling life- and love-altering journeys. Her debut novel was Sky's End; her most recent stand-alone series, Crime Royalty Romance, includes The Frenchman and The Australian. She loves to hear from readers.

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Why We Want Australian Men

How Lesley Young imagined her dude from
down under in her romance novel The Australian

If you’re picturing a Hemsworth right now, you already know of what I speak. Let’s face it, dudes from down under have something special. After all, they’ve been stealing leading roles for years (think Russel Crowe, Eric Bana, and Hugh Jackman). In writing the second book in my Crime Royalty Romance series (the crime is light! the love is not!), The Australian, I had to sort out just what it was that makes those Aussies boys so special and layer it into my hero. Here’s how:

May the surfer culture live on
Of course, tan and fit surfer men are not on every Aussie street corner, but they are more common down under. And while my hero, Mr. Jace Knight, was not a surfer, I did want him to embody that casual, laid back attitude that makes those boys so charming. Not only does Jace look smoking hot in his cozzie (strine for swimsuit)—as noted on the book’s cover—he’s so playful and open, you forget he’s one of the most powerful men in all of Australia.

They own rugged masculinity

What does that even mean? Well, let’s just say that I don’t know for sure that Australian men can single-handedly wrestle a crocodile, make dinner and pitch a tent out of surfboards while cracking a few adorable jokes. But what really matters is that we think they can. That kind of rugged masculinity is rare, exclusive and highly valued by North American females who tire of Channing Tatum’s pretty boy dance moves. My Australian is ruggedly masculine in every way, and proves it in a pivotal scene in the wild Outback that requires life-or-death bravery.

They’re down to earth

I’ve been told Australian men treat everyone the same—they fight for the underdog and have basic, fair expectations about life and what it has to offer—and that the same goes for their women. My Australian doesn’t play games, or put out pretenses. And he expects the same from his heroine Charlie Sykes. Unfortunately, she’s caught up in a web of lies that force her to try play him (she is, of course, wholly inadequate).

The Australian is a coming-of-age love story between a highly intelligent, awfully literal heroine and a man whose moral code is questionable, but whose honor is not. I layer in lots of culture, and descriptive details of some of Australia’s most popular tourist sights. The ride is wild—literally and figuratively.

Thanks for featuring my post. The Australian is available at http://amzn.com/B00V89O7EC