Friday, January 27, 2012

Can't Help Falling in Love...with Heather Snow! (Guest Post + Giveaway)


Please welcome to the blog newly published authoress, Heather Snow!
I am so excited to have her on the blog today to celebrate the release of her new novel, SWEET ENEMY, which will be available from Penguin Publishing in all formats on Feb. 7th!
Until then, you'll have to make due with the delicious sneak peeks laced throughout this thoroughly entertaining guest post she has put together.
Without further adieu:

About Heather:
Heather Snow is a historical romance author with a degree in Chemistry who discovered she much preferred creating chemistry on the page, rather than in the lab. She is forever trying to wrangle her left and right brain to work together (some days with more success than others!), but if her two sides had to duke it out, left would win every time—which can be a creative challenge. Luckily, she loves challenges…she just goes about solving them analytically. 

Heather lives in the Midwest with her husband, two rambunctious boys and one very put upon cat. She sincerely hopes you find her stories have just the right chemistry…


Find Heather Online: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

About the Book:
Buy links at the bottom of post!
Sweet Enemy

A Veiled Seduction Novel 
Book One
"Historical intrigue and heart-pounding passion make Sweet Enemy a great read. Romance fans will love it.

-#1NYT Bestselling Author JULIE GARWOOD

Geoffrey Wentworth, a war hero and rising political star, never wanted to be the Earl, but when his brother dies, he knows his duty—take up the responsibility for his family’s estates. His mother’s definition of duty differs from his, however, and can be summed up in one word—heirs. When Geoffrey rushes home to answer her urgent summons, he finds himself host to a house full of women, all vying to become the next Countess of Stratford. But his love is Parliament, where he wields his influence and reputation to better the lives of ex-soldiers, until a tempting houseguest and a secret from his past threaten his freedom…and his heart.
Liliana Claremont, a brilliant chemist, doesn’t want to be any man’s wife, much less a Countess. If she had tuppence for every time she’d been told her place was filling the nursery, not experimenting in the laboratory, she could buy the Tower Bridge. However, when she receives a coveted invitation to the Earl’s house party, she trades in her beakers for ball gowns and gladly takes on the guise of husband hunter—for the chance to uncover what the Earl had to do with the murder of her father.

Liliana believes the best way to get the answers she needs is to keep her enemy close, though romance is not part of her formula. But it only takes one kiss to start a reaction she can't control...

The Guest Post:
Can’t Help Falling in Love...
a Guest Post by Heather Snow

### 
 “Is it always like this?” she asked, her voice a breathy sound that stroked him as surely as if she’d touched him. “This . . .” She pressed her lips together and her brows dipped, and Geoffrey knew her innocence struggled to find the words for how she was feeling. “This overwhelming, gnawing ache inside?” She smoothed her palm down her center, settling it low on her stomach.

Geoffrey shook his head. It had never been like this for him before. Ever. “No,” he whispered. “This is something special.”

She gave a slow nod of comprehension, never looking away from him.

She was something special. What she made him feel was something special. Something he’d never before even wanted to feel but now was beginning to suspect he didn’t want to live without.

Geoffrey held her in his lap a moment longer, loath to lose the weight and warmth of her. Then he helped her to rise, to right herself. As they restored their appearances and gathered the horses, Geoffrey’s mind was awhirl, and though it circled quickly, he didn’t doubt what he was thinking. His instincts had proven to be solid over his life, and they were telling him one thing emphatically.

He wanted Liliana as his wife.

Honest, forthright, curious, unconventional, passionate, brilliant Liliana.

But she didn’t want him. Not as a husband, anyway. She just wanted to experiment.

But he could change her mind. She’d given him the perfect opening, just the right ammunition—her nature. If experimentation was the way to a scientist’s heart, he’d oblige her. And every step they took would bind her more and more to him.

Deep in his chest, Geoffrey felt a smile form and expand until it couldn’t be contained. It built, rose in him until it burst forth on his face. He was more and more certain Liliana would be a good wife for him.

How ironic that he was now no different from everyone else here at Somerton Park.

He was planning to trap someone into marriage.

### 

Did you know that men fall in love faster than women? No, really. According to Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist from Rutgers University, it’s true. “Men fall in love faster than women do. Women take longer because they have to create a “memory trail” of their mate’s behaviors. She has to remember what he promised, what he’s done for the partnership, and what he failed to do.” Dr. Fisher’s work on the brain chemistry of love is fascinating, fascinating stuff, equating romantic love to chemical addiction and explaining just what goes on beneath the surface that attracts us to one person but not another, sometimes against our own will.

As a sciency-type myself, I love studies like these. I use them to inform my writing, and hopefully create love stories that feel authentic when you read them. I also have a laugh at my poor clueless heroes and heroines, who can’t possibly even know that they don’t stand a chance against the powerful biological forces of attraction, lust and love.

Take poor Liliana, for example. She emphatically does not want to fall in love with Geoffrey. The man is her enemy. She’s pretty certain someone in his family killed her father, and fully expects that even if Geoffrey doesn’t know anything about it, once he finds out, he’ll do what he must to protect his own. And yet, she can’t seem to stay away from him. Subconsciously, she is drawn to him and once she gives in, even just a little, she’s trapped. Geoffrey has her nailed (literally) when he decides to use her natural curiosity and experimental nature to bind her to him, first with kisses and then with more.

You see, though she couldn’t possibly have known this in Regency times, if Liliana truly didn’t want to fall for Geoffrey, she never should have let him touch her. Human touch, particularly in women, releases a hormone called oxytocin into our bodies. When combined with estrogen, oxytocin creates a desire to be penetrated…and we all know what that leads to ;). Unfortunately for Liliana (or fortunately, in my opinion!), orgasm causes oxytocin levels to spike three to five times higher than normal, bonding her further to Geoffrey in the bliss called afterglow. So, every time they kiss, every time they touch, every time they make love, her hormone levels rise, making her want him more and more, despite her better judgment, in a lovely, delicious cycle.

Sure, this makes for great internal conflict for our heroine, but how does this great sex lead to everlasting love? Well, oxytocin is also known as “the cuddle hormone.” It’s the same that is flooded through a new mother’s body to bond her to her newborn. It creates feelings of strong attachment and satisfaction that, combined with the other hormones that flow through our brains during the early stages of lust, can push us over the threshold to love. Dr. Fisher says, “Having sex can trigger love—probably because after orgasm, there’s a peak in dopamine activity. So watch out if you casually bed down with someone—you might unintentionally fall for them.”

You didn’t know we romance novelists were so scientifically accurate when we wrote love stories, did you?

And yes, Liliana does eventually fall for the handsome earl, not just because of her hormones and the fabulous sex. Though that doesn’t hurt , it’s only a small part of Geoffrey and Liliana’s love story. I hope you enjoy my tale of two enemies who discover, against all odds, that their happily-ever-afters lie together. 


Sweet Enemy hits the shelves on February 7th, wherever books are sold. However, I’d be happy to give away an advanced copy of Sweet Enemy to a random commenter today. Have you ever found yourself 
ridiculously attracted to someone and you couldn’t explain why? I’ll go first… When my eldest son was a 
toddler, I carried a torch for Murray, the Red Wiggle. (Don’t ask me. I don’t understand it myself…) 

---
Sweet Enemy is available for Pre-Order right now wherever books are sold and will available widely on February 7, 2012.
Pre-order Sweet Enemy today! 
Rainy Day Books (Heather’s local Indie) 
~*~GIVEAWAY~*~
Heather has generously offered to give away an advanced copy of her novel, SWEET ENEMY, to one (1) lucky commenter! All you have to do is comment below answering her question and fill out the rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends 2/3 !
Your browser may not support display of this image.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

48 comments:

  1. Hi Heather

    I've had Sweet Enemy on my wishlist for a while and look forward to reading it soon.

    Loved all your sciency bits, who'd have thought men would fall in love quicker.

    Attracted to Ioan Gruffud, Rufus Sewell, Rupert Penry Jones, Richard Armitage, Colin Firth, Hugh Jackman.....all those gorgeous hunks who look hot in cravats...nothing ridiculous about that though. LOL

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  2. Sorry guys

    completed loads of entries before I noticed comp was US only.

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    1. Good news! Heather has informed me that the giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, so you are eligible to win! Good luck and sorry for not verifying this before I put the post up!

      Thanks for stopping by

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  3. Attracted to lots of guys in kilts!
    Cate S
    girlygirlhoosier52[at]yahoo.com

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  4. I've had a crush on Henry Cavill and Rupert Penry Jones for the longest time. Henry does it for me everytime I see him dressed as he appeared in The Tudors. Rupert does if for me in anything that he wears. :-)

    Thanks for this opportunity to win.

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  5. I'm attracted to redheads! I would love to win!
    Cindy Holub

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  6. Hi Beebs! Thanks for stopping by...my, but don't you have a list of heart stoppers, and yes, they all DO look great in cravats. :) I'd have to add Jeremy Northam to the list...LOVE him.

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  7. Hi Cate S ~ I could be ALL over Gerard Butler in a kilt, let me tell you...

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. Hi Diane ~ Henry Cavill...what a cutie. I must confess, I had to Google Rupert Penry Jones. Of course, once I did, I recognized his face. Now you've given me another man for the inspiration board... Thank you for coming by!

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  9. Cindy ~ Oooh...like Damian Lewis or Simon Woods...so cute. Redheads are nice :)

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  10. Hmm... I had a thing for Hugh Grant.. maybe it's the British accent...

    Congrats on your book! Sounds exciting...

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    1. May ~ Thanks so much! It's an exciting time after so many months of waiting! Hugh Grant...I must admit to having a bit of thing for him, too. It's worn off over the years...unlike my love for Jeremy Northam and Clive Owen

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  11. So far I'm seeing a lot of actors, so I'll add Eric Christian Olsen, Ryan Merriman, and Matthew Gray Gubler. I tend to like the geeky guys.

    AquarianDancer at gmail dot com

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    1. Aquarian~ I'm totally off to Google those names...

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  12. Congrats on the release of your debut book! I can't wait to read it.

    My mom and I both have a hard-to-explain crush on Jeff Goldblum. There's just something about him that makes him so sexy to us, ridiculous as that sounds. :D

    jenalang(at)live(dot)com

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    1. Thanks, Jena! Actually, Jeff Goldblum has his own brand of hotness! Seriously :) I saw him in New York once, walking out of a theatre on Broadway and man, he is so much taller than even he looks! I'll vote with you and your mom :)

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  13. Congrats on your upcoming debut release, Heather. I've have a crush on Eric Bana since I saw him as Hector in Troy. I think most were in love with Brad Pitt's Achilles, but it was Eric Bana that did it for me.

    janie1215 AT excite DOT com

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    1. Jane ~ Bana is hot! (Though I did develop an appreciation for Brad that I didn't have before Troy). Time Traveler's wife, too. He was the perfect Henry (even though the movie couldn't do the book justice)

      Thanks for coming by!

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  14. Hi Heather congrats on your debut. When I was 16 years old I could not explain why myself I feel deeply in love with my classmate n my best friend. Very unfortunate he already had a girlfriend that's why the very shy me at that time left him. Aretha_zhen@yahoo.com

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  15. I'm ridiculously attracted to Johnnie Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. I know a lot of people are, and I can't really explain it since the character isn't that attractive or even clean for that matter. I think it may be the twinkle in his eye. :D

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  16. Yeah, my crush growing up was Donnie Osmond. If you're not in your 50's, you won't understand. . I used to make scrapbooks about him. When he was on Dancing With the Stars, it all came back to me. He still yanks my chain.

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  17. Aretha ~ I wouldn't go back to being a teenager, with all that angsty emotion, for anything! I, too, fell in love with a best friend. Finally came clean and told him, and things were awkward between us for a while. He loved me, too, but not in that way. I met my husband shortly after that, and it was a little comical to watch the the two of them feel each other out! Luckily, we're all great friends and all is as it should be.

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  18. Barbara~There's a lot to be said for a twinkle in a man's eye ;)

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  19. Shelley B ~ Hmmm...my teenage crush was probably Bruce Willis in his Moonlighting Days... Followed by Scott Bakula on Quantum Leap (sigh)

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  20. Yeah, I have been attracted to someone for no good reason. I loved the actor who played Rick on Magnum PI when I was younger. I think Gordon Ramsey is great. I would love to get to know him. That seems sort of unnatural considering how he is always screaming at people :)

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  21. Hmm, ridiculously attracted? I think that would be...Timothy Olyphant in Hitman! Haha. I don't know why, but he was way cool and I have a thing for bald and buff guys. :P

    Haha, thanks for this giveaway!

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  22. Oh yes! I was head over heals for Matt Damon, when he was younger! sigh! My dad always thought I liked to watch The Bourne Identity just because there was nothing else on TV! haha! I saw all his movies and I still have a crush on him even now that he is married! :/

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  23. I have always been attracted to bad boys... enough said....Don Johnson was always a fav of mine when it comes to bad boys... Or maybe Colin Farrel.. just something about them.. I guess for me it's the complete opposite from me...

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  24. When I was a teen, I had a crush on Barry Manilow. :)

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  25. I was attracted to someone at college even though I really didn't like him and could not understand why I would be attracted to him at all!

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  26. I don't think I have ever been attracted to anyone that was unexpected for me. I tend to like a certain type of guy, especially the dark haired, tall, built sexy guys. Put them in a kilt and I am totally lost!
    June
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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  27. thank you so much to make it international, hope can win it heather, love the excerpt ;)

    i'd been attracted with my neighbor and until today he don't know about it and cant tell him anymore because he had married but i'm happy for him ;)

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    1. A few years ago I saw PS I Love You at the movies and my "love affair" with Gerard Butler began. For the first time ever I found myself joining a fan site and spending hours on You Tube watching old interviews and movie clips. I met a group of girls who've become good friends out of it too! While I don't spend as much time on GB as I used to, I still have a soft spot for him.

      Hankts AT internode DOT on DOT net

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  28. As a teenager, I had a huge crush on Sting. If you look at him objectively, he's not at all attractive, but that music.... My Police albums are still my favorites.

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  29. Not someone I've met in the flesh but I have to admit after watching Speed that I had a big crush on Keanu Reeves.

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  30. @JenB All the screaming just makes the nurturer in us want to soothe whatever's behind all that rage, right? Thanks for stopping by!

    @CYP I see the appeal, although I think I prefer him with hair :)

    @Gisele Don't get me started on Matt Damon. LOVE him. And he is an incredible, incredible actor. I didn't care for the Talented Mr. Ripley overall as a movie, but Matt was stunning in his talent. I must admit, when I was younger, I was more of a Ben fan, but Matt grows on you until he dwarfs everyone else! I love the fact that both of them are so settled, and both dads to a gaggle of girls :)

    @Kathleen So many women are drawn to that bad boy...I must admit, I never was. More of the clean cut kinda girl (not that I can't see the appeal! Just always figured they'd be too much trouble...lol!)

    @Molly Ha! Barry...love it! And why not? After all, he writes the songs that make the whole world sing...

    @Robin Me, too! Never could understand it, until later when I started understanding the brain chemistry of love and attraction. If you follow my blog tour, I'll be explaining a lot about what attracts us biologically to people, even when our minds scream "NO WAY!"

    @June I'm with you...I love them tall, dark, and lean...I like a muscular frame, but have never been one for bulk. I'm thinking Cary Grant or Clive Owen...muscled but sinewy. Whoo!

    @Eli You're welcome! I hope Geoffrey and Liliana's story finds fans all over the world, and am glad to send to fans anywhere

    @Kaetrin LOVED Gerard in Phantom, too, but yes...P.S. So hot. And funny and sad. Just fantastic. I never really liked Hilary Swank before that movie. How awesome that you met such great friends from your GB obsession...only thing my obsessions usually get me is a bunch of stuff I don't need and an empty checkbook :)

    @JenM Sting is HOT. That voice. That lanky frame. And since this isn't a PG-13 blog, I must say, that whole "I practice tantric sex 19 times a day" thing is pretty intriguing...

    @Linda I hear you. LOVED that movie back in the day. My best friend and I seriously watched it at least twice a week for a LONG time :)

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  31. I would want to get lost in a hometown because honestly Iwould be scared and want a familiar place and people to go to.

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  32. Sure sounds like a great read, congrats with the new release!

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  33. @Na ~ As long as you got lost with that really hunky guy from your hometown you always had a crush on...

    @Aurian ~ Thanks so much! I've been over the moon with the reviews coming in, and am anxious to see what readers think when it comes out Feb. 7 LOVE your avatar :)

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  34. congrats on the upcoming release, Heather, it sounds like an exciting story :) the tidbit about men vs women falling in love speeds is interesting (I admit things like that tend to peak my interest as well, though I'm not particularly good with science (I barely made it through chem in high school, lucky for me most of the class had the same problem ;) gotta love grading on a curve). As for being attracted to someone, but not sure why? Oh yeah, though I generally attribute it to a sexy smile, great arms or good butt ;)

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    1. Thanks, gamistress66. You'd be amazed at the different things the subconsciously go into attraction. I'm touching on different aspects of it throughout my blog tour, just because I find it so interesting...hopefully I won't bore everyone else to death! LOL Thanks for coming by!

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  35. Congratulations on the book!

    I would like to get lost in London because there's so much to see and do.

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  36. Mmm. I was asked to answer 2 different questions:
    1. Pierce Brosnan from his Remington Steele days.
    2. If I had no money or wallet, I'd want to get lost in Washington, DC. There is so much to see there.

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  37. Congrats on your upcoming release!

    I'm ridiculously attracted to Michael Fassbender and I'd want to get lost in Reykjavik.

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  38. Back in middle school I did find myself rediculously attracted to someone and was so glad that I grew out of that:) Thanks for the great giveaway!

    yadkny@hotmail.com

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